Abdul Rahman Chao 1

We praise Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We seek his assistance and we seek his refuge and we seek his forgiveness.

We seek refuge in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from the evil that is from within ourselves and from the evil that results from our sins. Whomsoever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guides, then none shall misguide. And whomsoever Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows to be led astray, then none can guide them back to the straight path.

I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And I bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is his final messenger and prophet. Allah tells us in the Qur'an, O you who believe, fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as he should be feared.

Be God-conscious as he deserves and do not die except in a state of faith. O mankind, be God-conscious. For he is the one who has created you from one individual, and from it its mate, and from it many men and many women.

And be God-conscious and fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by the rights that you ask of one another and by the wombs that bore you. Verily Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is ever watchful over you. O you who believe, be God-conscious, fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and speak the truth.

And he will render your deeds righteous and he will forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and his messenger has indeed achieved a great victory. Verily the most truthful speech is the speech of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And the worst of all affairs is that of religious innovations. For all of that leads to misguidance and all misguidance leads to hell.

The Story of Julaibib

Among the many companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, we know the famous ones, we know the common ones, we know those ones like the four Khulafa, and Khalid ibn Walid, and Abi Huraira, and all these companions. And sometimes there are lesser known companions. Ones that we might not have heard of.

Maybe we've heard them by name. And I want to allude to this one story in our brief moment together here for Juma. A companion by the name of Julaibib.

And Julaibib was a lesser known companion of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam for a couple of reasons. Number one, most of the people around him and the society didn't like him. Not because he was a bad person, but because of his physical stature.

He was very short. Some say he even had a hunch. And he was as found in the hadith books and in the seer, they all mentioned that Julaibib was not attractive at all.

And this is not being disrespectful to Julaibib. And his name even is unique, because it's the diminutive form of jilbab, which is like a robe, Julaibib, like a small robe.

He was kind of a small little person. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was one time sitting with his companions. And it is the practice of his companions, that if they had daughters or sisters who were widows, that they would offer them to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam for marriage.

And at this moment the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam turned to one of the Ansar of Medina, and he said to him, he said, زَوِّجْنِي ابْنَتَكَ, marry me your daughter. And who among the people would ever dare turn down the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. That is the greatest honor, to have your sister or daughter married to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

And so he said, of course. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, he said, لَسْتُ أُرِيدُهَا لِنَفْسِي. I don't want her for myself.

And so the man said, then for who? And he said, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, وَلَكِنْ لِجُلَيْبِيبٍ. For Julaibib. Now this companion of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, immediately, he was a little uncomfortable with his proposition.

But he said, let me go speak to her mother. In other words, I'm gonna go speak to my wife. So he goes home, tells her.

The wife is so excited. Then of course the let down, and he's like, well it's not for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, it's for Julaibib. So she said, no.

As the husband was about to get up, and go back to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and tell him of their response, their daughter overheard this conversation, and she said, Who has come to ask for my hand in marriage? And they said, Well, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is asking on behalf of Julaibib. And we don't think it's a good idea.

So, she looked at her parents, and she said, Are you going to turn down the commandment of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam? Send me to him, because he will never misguide me. He will never ruin me. He will never cause harm to me.

So she married Julaibib. And by the way, like we said, Julaibib had no family, no one really knew who his parents were, he didn't have money, he didn't have anything, no good looks.

Why would she marry him? But she did so, because she believed in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They got married, and after a little bit of time, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam called for a sariyah, like an expedition, to go fight some enemy combatants, on this one battlefield. And his family said, No, no, no, stay, stay, you just got married.

You just started a married life, just stay. And he said, No, I'm going to follow the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. I'm going to obey his commandment, just like his wife did.

So he went, and after the battle was over, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, he says, Do you miss anybody? Is there anyone whom we've lost? And they said, Yes, so and so, son of so and so. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam repeated his question. And they said, so and so.

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, after the third one, he said, But I don't see Julaibib among the survivors. And so he started looking and digging, and they found Julaibib, and around him were seven people, whom he had brought down with him, until the enemy had overtaken him. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was so overcome, that he picked him up with his two hands, he had him in his arms, to show you how small of a person he was.

Yet he was so brave, and so obedient to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, that he said, هَذَا مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْهُ. He is from me, and I am from him. Or this is from me, and I am from it.

In other words, this is one of the greatest recommendations, or praise that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam can give to someone, that he affirms him. In other words, what he brought to us, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, he's affirming his belief in Julaibib. And then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam made a dua, for Julaibib's widow.

He said, O Allah, pour down, bring down, roll down the blessings, a lot and a lot of it, and do not make her life difficult, difficult. And within a short period of time, she became one of the most wealthiest women in Medina.

And she was well known for her philanthropy, and she was well sought after for marriage.

Trusting in Allah's Wisdom

Brothers and sisters, we as human beings are attracted to planning and finding out something in the future. We cannot help ourselves to try to dig and find a way to know what's going to happen in the future.

Well, if I marry this person, or if I take this job, or if I say no to this, or if I say yes to that, we don't know what's the outcome. And that's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they have legislated, that seeking any sort of fortune telling to glean some sort of information into the future, that only Allah knows, is not allowed. Because He wants us to rely on Him.

Because that's part of relying on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That we don't know all of the future, for sure, but that's part of living. And so, if you look in this example, the story that I told you, Julaibib's wife, she had no reason to want to marry Julaibib, except because she believed that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would only command to what is good.

And there are many times, when we are in our faith, practicing, and we have questions, why do we have to do this? Why do we have to get up, pray fajr? Why do we have to fast 30 days out of a year? Why, why, why, why, why? And this goes back to this question, for those things that we do not fully, fully understand, we must submit to the idea, that everything that the Qur'an, and everything that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam brought forth to us, even if we do not fully comprehend the reasoning, we have to first acknowledge that it must be something good. That the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would not command us to do something that is a waste of our time. That the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would not have taught us how to pray five times a day, except that there is a benefit in it.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an, O you who believe, respond to the call of Allah, and the call of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, when they call you to do things that bring you life. And the scholars they have talked about this, as what does it mean to say, they call you to the things that bring you life. And the Mufassireen they say, it is those things that bring you real life.

You're living in the dunya with a purpose. You're not just living, but you have a purpose in your life. You know what is the difference between right and wrong.

And some of the other Mufassireen say, life referring to, الْحَيَاةِ الْأَبَدِيَّةِ السَّرْمَدِيَّةِ فِي الْآخِرَةِ That we are given this eternal life of blessing in Jannah, in the next life may Allah make us among the people of Jannah. And more importantly, we must have this notion in our head, that whatever Allah and His Messenger have legislated, even if it's a non-obligatory act, that it is something good, that it is not something to be looked down upon, that it's not to be looked at something that, oh, this is a burden, a waste of time.

Allah loves for you what is easy, and Allah does not want for you what is difficult.

So in our struggles to submit to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, whenever you hear and talk to non-Muslims at your work, and they say, wow, no drinking or eating for the whole month, how are you going to live? I've been living. So this idea of ease is very subjective. And it can only be tasted.

The sweetness of faith can only be tasted when we submit to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Brothers and sisters, in those things that we do not know of and of our future, remember that there are things that we might like, we have a predilection towards, we are drawn to that. And those things might not actually be good.

And sometimes you will dislike certain things, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows that it's actually good for you.

That perhaps Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will make something good for you, even if you dislike it. And we know in the other verse:

That maybe you love something but it's not good for you, or perhaps you dislike something that is good for you.

You know, I was one time walking somewhere and this place, this thing on the wall, it was like a motivational thing, and they were saying like, oh, pain is weakness leaving the body. A little sadistic, but it's a way to motivate people. That nothing is just going to come easily to you just like that, that you have to work for it.

That you know that lifting weights is difficult for you, but you know it's good for you. You know that medicine tastes gross, but you know with the permission of Allah that it's going to be good for you. Brothers and sisters, being afraid of the future, of the unknown, of things that you have no control over, it's a natural fear.

There's nothing wrong with that. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has already promised us that this dunya is used as a way to test you. So you have to be prepared for it.

Allah Tests Us with Various Difficulties

We will surely test you with something of fear, with some fear or hunger, loss of money, loss of life, and loss of provisions or fruits. Here it refers to property. In your life you're going to lose one of these five things.

There is nothing more difficult that we could say for any woman, except that if you tell her that she's going to lose her child, that's probably the worst nightmare. And that's exactly what Allah told to the mother of Musa.

We have inspired the mother of Moses that you shall nurse him. And if you fear for him, then cast him into the Nile, into the river. Do not be afraid and do not be sad. And he didn't say, do not be afraid and sad. لَا تَخَافِي وَلَا تَحْزَنِي He said, لَا تَخَافِي وَلَا تَحْزَنِي To show the two emotions of motherhood, of not knowing what's going to happen to your child when you throw her into this river.

You probably know in the Nile there's crocodiles and all sorts of things, right? That she probably will never see her child again. But what does Allah promise her? That if she is strong, and if she doesn't despair, two things, we will return him to you, and we will make him from among the messengers.

Avoiding Conspiracy Theories

Brothers and sisters, part of our modus operandi in dealing with things that we might not fully understand, or things that we don't have control over, is to avoid conspiracy theory.

And what I mean by that is, it is very easy to sit around, and everyone sitting, with tea and you know, kahwa, and sitting there and making falsefah, and say, maybe it's this, maybe it's that, maybe it's because of evil eye, maybe it's because of magic, maybe it's because, you know, someone didn't like so and so.

If you're lazy, it's not because someone gave you evil eye. Now, we're not saying that doesn't happen. But if someone doesn't take his own responsibility, and projects it on to someone else, or looks at a societal problem, and simply dumps it on to someone else, and say, well, it's all this whatever, insert problem. And just say, I know the reason, because it's this. Conspiracy theory.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give us tawfeeq. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to guide us.

Finding Good in Every Trial

The Prophet has taught us that in the things that might appear to be negative to us, that there is always a silver lining to it. That not everything that is viewed negative in your perspective, is actually pure evil. That is not pure evil.

Even the scholars and theologians, they've talked about, Iblis is evil, right? We agree on that, alhamdulillah. But they said, but why did Allah create Iblis? Knowing that Iblis would do all these things.

And that's why the scholars they said, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala لا يُقَدِّرُ الشَّرَّ مَحْضًا. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not ordain evil that is pure 100% evil. That yes, Shaytan is evil, but there is good that comes from it.

That you will be tested, that the believers will be distinct from those who disobey Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That it will be made clear for those who choose the right, and those who choose the wrong. That you might have a cut on your hand, but there is an underlying benefit to you, and that is with your patience, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will reward you.

And so there is this interesting story, just to quickly go through it. There was this old story, it's not from a hadith, so don't hold me to that. It's an old story about this king, who was sitting with his wazir, and he accidentally got cut, and he lost a finger.

And then his wazir, his minister, his advisor, looked at him and he said, it will be okay, it will be okay. So he got so angry, and he said, what do you mean it will be okay? You are not empathizing with me? Immediately to the prison. So he sent him straight to the prison.

So now this advisor of his is sitting in the prison, and on his way to prison, he smiled and he said, it will be okay, khair, it will be good. And sometime later the king went on an expedition, and he was hunting on the borderlands, and he accidentally got caught by the enemy side, and they took him. And they were going to, they didn't know it was the king, and they were going to make a sacrifice out of him for their idols.

And then they were inspecting him, and they noticed a missing finger. And they said, no, he is not worthy for our idols, and we cannot take him. So they let him go.

So he walked back to the palace, shocked that this missing finger, this thing that had caused him so much pain, would actually be his salvation, that would save him from this. So he went back to the prison, and he released his wazir, and he said to him, you know, you were right, if I didn't lose this finger, I would have been on the altar somewhere else, right? Being given to some false deity. And so he said, and the wazir said, and it is good that you put me in jail, because had I been with you, I would end up over there.

There is always a silver lining to the difficulties that come to you.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 918)

The Prophet tells us, There is not a single servant of Allah, when they are smitten with some sort of difficulty, except that they say, and another narration that they say what they've been commanded to say, and that is, we belong to Allah, and we will surely return to Him. And oh Allah, reward me and give me something better in return, except that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala would reward him and give him something better in return.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an, that those five things that we had mentioned earlier, that a loss of wealth, loss of life, fear, as well as property loss, right? All of these things, and hunger, Allah gave us the cure, and that is through patience.

That if something is to be fallen, that they say, we belong to Allah, and we will return to Allah. And what is the reward for that patience? That there will be peace sent upon them, and mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Brothers and sisters, one of the famous wives of the Prophet, Umm Salama, and as you know if you read her story, she actually went through a lot of difficulty. And if you read her story, her story has been going up and down. Her husband passed away, and then her son was taken away.

She never knew that she would end up later on, after her husband passed away, that she would end up being the wife of the Prophet.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5641)

The Prophet also tells us in a narration, There is no fatigue that afflicts a believer, or sickness, nor some sort of worry, or some sort of sadness, or some sort of pain or affliction, or something that bothers you. Even if it's a thorn that pricks you, except Allah will remove the sins from him because of it.

Accepting Allah's Predestination

And finally brothers and sisters, we should always try to accept those things that we cannot change. That perhaps Allah did not make you a billionaire, maybe there's a reason for it, right? And we have to accept that this is Allah's predestination written for you. And you will only find peace and happiness in your heart when you come to terms with that.

And I want to end off with a story, it's a little sad, but it shows the beauty of a person who really is accepting the will of Allah. There was a story of this one man who was a camel herder and he had lost his camels in the wilderness, and his family and his children lived in a tent in a valley, and he went to go look for them.

And he was looking, looking, looking, until overnight there was a very strong flash flood that ran through the valley. And as you know, in those places when a flash flood comes, it's very, very fast, it doesn't look like water, it just looks like mud sludge just coming, and it took all of his family and children away. So he goes back, he looks for his family, all of them are gone now.

He has no camels left, no family left, nothing. And then he sees in the distance some of his camels, and he starts running and chasing them. He finally has something.

And he trips over a boulder, he falls, hits his head, becomes blind. Little dramatic, but true. And he was walking in the wilderness asking, beckoning, asking for someone to help him.

Lost all of his money and family and wealth and everything, and his eyesight now. And finally a border guard takes him, he said, what happened, he explained to him. So he takes him to the local governor, and the governor asked him, what happened, told him the story.

Then he said, how is it possible that you're still okay and composed in all of this? He says, I am pleased with the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. These are things that He cannot change, and He accepts it.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us among those who hear the truth and obey it. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give us the ability to see falsehood as falsehood and stay away from it. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to reward us with what is the best in this world, and to give us the best in the next life, and to protect us from the fire.

O Allah, this time of our need, we ask you to forgive all of our sins, to forgive our parents, and to protect all of those who are oppressed around the world.