Don’t Run From Struggle | Sh. Mikaeel Smith | Juz 26 Qur’an 30 for 30 S7 | Ramadan Series

Don't Run From Struggle

We're all going through something tough right now, but maybe you need to reframe that. We will never cease to be amazed by what Allah chooses to do. With Gaza, right? It doesn't look like victory. This doesn't look like victory. This doesn't feel like victory, but there are different shades of victory.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته, everyone. Welcome back to Quran 30 for 30. الحمد لله, we are in Juz 26. As we come up to the most special nights of the year, as we come into the 27th, we want to remind you all to please, إن شاء الله تعالى, support the work of Yaqeen. Fun fact, between the 27th and 29th is when we get the most support for Yaqeen throughout the year. So it's very important, إن شاء الله تعالى, whatever you can give. I hope you've benefited, بإذن الله تعالى, and I hope that you want to see other people connect to Allah as well, إن شاء الله, and want to invest in that work. So we want to remind you to please give at that link, whatever it is, even if you've already given, إن شاء الله, and please also make du'a for us. May Allah allow us to be amongst those who observe Laylat al-Qadr, اللهم آمين.

We're blessed today to have Shaykh Mikael Smith, الحمد لله, Shaykh Mikael, how's it going? It's good to be here. Amazing. Amazing how fast the year goes by, but it's good to be here, الحمد لله.

The Name Ash-Shakur

Shaykh Mikael, on a serious note. ما شاء الله, you teach the names of Allah. My family has benefited tremendously from it, الحمد لله. May Allah bless you. What's your favorite name of Allah?

Oh, a name that has changed me drastically in the last month is Ash-Shakur. الشكور. And the reason is because I think a lot of us put so much pressure to do and produce and to reach high standards that have been set maybe because of our childhood or whatever. Like, I gotta get this done. I gotta do that. But the name Ash-Shakur, it does two things. It reminds you that it's the little bit that you do that Allah loves. It's the little bit that you do that Allah loves. And then it shifts your mind from focusing on needing it from the people and only wanting it from Allah.

Now, there's a whole lecture to give on we need to become مَنْ لَمْ يَشْكُرِ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَشْكُرِ اللَّهَ. But for me, man, I felt like so many parts of my life, I was seeking approval and appreciation from the creation. And it's not just he appreciates. When the scholars define it, they say he appreciates the little bit. And to me, man, I think so many of us from childhood were told, you know, you gotta get good grades. You gotta do this. And so the levels of where we gotta get to are high. And we live with that burden on our shoulders. And so that name الشكور, for me, has whenever I feel stressed to produce and do. Now, don't get me wrong. We have to grind. But sometimes it's stressful. And that's where I just الشكور.

Allah's Description in Juz 26

With that, I know we're going to have a rich discussion إن شاء الله. So I actually want to purposely not take too long at all with the overview. But how is Allah talking about himself in this Juz in particular?

Something really interesting, you know, and you go from one of the sequences. I'm sure I've mentioned this in the past, but I absolutely love it. As one of the scholars had mentioned that you have first Al-Ahqaf, which is the warning, right? And then you have Surat Muhammad, right? Which is Surat Al-Qital. And then you have Surat Al-Fath, right? The victory. And so as the scholars mentioned, the call is always followed by the fight. The fight is always followed by victory. That even in the way that those surahs are laid out is absolute beauty.

That if you turn away, Allah will replace you with another group of people and they will not be like you.

Right? Allah is free of need. And you are entirely needy, right? So even though Allah is giving us the opportunity and saying like, look, you either take it or leave it. But Allah will replace you with another group of people if you don't take it. And whether it is you or them, Allah is الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ - Allah is the one who is free of need and you are the one who is entirely needy.

So it's really interesting here that you have that warning of استبدال. May Allah not replace us. استبدال is to be replaced. اللهم استعملنا ولا تستبدلنا - O Allah, use us and don't replace us. اللهم آمين. If you don't do your job, Allah will find other people to do the job.

That he is the one who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers so that they may increase in faith upon their faith and to Allah belongs the heavens and the earth and Allah is all knowing and all wise. So Allah mentions how he prepares your hearts for the mission should you go forward relating to this concept of Ash-Shakur that if you show that you are up to it Allah will make you up to it. Allah will bring you to the level that you need to be to meet the task because otherwise carrying this amanah of the religion is way too heavy. We're all going to fail but if you're sincere Allah will bring you to the place that you need to be with success.

The Pledge Under the Tree

Now here is the last verse that I'll mention here - Surah Al-Fath - بَيْعَةُ الرِّضْوَانِ - The pledge under the tree. This is استبدال in action. How?

There are these major markers in the seerah. There is السابقون الأولون from Muhajireen - Those that first embraced Islam with the Prophet. Then you have أصحاب الهجرة - Those that made the hijrah to Abyssinia. Then you have those that made the hijrah to Medina. Then you have أصحاب الهجرتين - Those that made both hijrahs. Then you have the بدريون - Who are the highest caliber of the companions. Then you have the Uhud group that stayed with the Prophet - ثبتوا مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم. The last major marker is بَيْعَةُ الرِّضْوَانِ - Is the pledge under the tree. After that لا هجرة بعد الفتح - There is no hijrah after the Fath.

Obviously كُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ - Allah grants everyone their customized rank and reward. But as a group, those that embraced Islam after Fath Mecca لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ - So they are not the same, those that came after as a quality of people in terms of overall caliber.

So this is استبدال in action. Truly like Allah chose سَلْمَانَ الْفَارِسِيَّ رضي الله تعالى عنه to come from Persia to be in your place O Quraysh because you failed. Allah chose صُهَيْبَ الرُّومِيَّ. Allah chose بِلَالَ بْنَ رَبَاحٍ. Allah chose the Ansar of Medina because you failed him in Mecca. And then Allah brought him and his companions to the place that he promised to bring them which was the victory.

That verily those that give you the pledge, verily they are pledging to Allah, and يَدُ اللَّهِ - The hand of Allah is above their hands. So they are coming to Allah.

The victory sometimes is found in the السكينة that Allah gives to the believers in their hearts. And then the one who commands the armies also commands the hearts and Allah commands the outcomes as well.

So this is سنة الاستبدال - Allah chose another group of people because the people of Mecca, those that rejected, were not up to the call, were not up to the challenge. And Allah did not need any of them throughout this entire process. But Allah wanted to choose some of them in this process, as in our time of course. He's chosen the people of Gaza. He's chosen some of those people that have stood up when other people have turned on their heels. May Allah protect us from being amongst those.

Never Domesticate the Power of Allah

سبحان الله, I mean again, you know, when looking at how Allah chooses people, you can never domesticate the power of Allah. Never domesticate. Sometimes we may think that the capabilities of Allah is within our minds. Therefore we have expectations of Allah. Even though sometimes it's personal - إن شاء الله, it's good thoughts about Allah - but we will never cease to be amazed by what Allah chooses to do.

And I think that's a beautiful opportunity for the believer to realize I don't have it all figured out. And I will never have it all figured out. But the fact that I make an effort to trust in the one that does have it all figured out is the process of ibadah. That's servitude in and of itself.

And you know, سبحان الله, I love being surprised and saying سبحان الله and saying ما شاء الله. It always reminds me that Allah is in full control of all of this, and Allah is the one that tells us consistently that he will replace the people. So again, history is a huge opportunity for the individual in general to remember God, but for the Muslim in particular to increase their iman with the names and attributes that they know of God.

So when you see what is happening throughout history, when you see what is happening to the people of Gaza and the Sudan, and nations before, it's always a reminder for us. It's a huge opportunity for us. It can be a fitna for us at times, but the fitna is there to mold you. As fitna is, you know, something that you put iron under heat, and then after it's cooled down - how have you been molded?

The Wisdom of Divine Decree and Human Struggle

Mentally, psychologically, spiritually. So when we see what is happening to peoples and nations, know that it's within the qadr of Allah. That knowledge may be deep to grasp, may be hard to grasp at times. But the heat, quote on quote, being that it's hard, that it's a struggle - does that cause an emotion, elicit an emotion to make you more vulnerable to Him, to where you call on Him and further understand the relationship between you and Allah, number one? And then understand the سُنَّةُ اللَّهِ فِي الْقَوْمِ (sunnatullah fil qawm) and to understand Allah's methodology in the existence, in time, and in place and with people, and what happens and how it happens.

Things that we don't want to happen, obviously. What do we learn from that? And the time that you can really learn from that is when you are alone with Allah.

Allah's Way of Choosing His Servants

So thinking about how Allah replaces people with people - how you mentioned Salman al-Farisi. These companions that were not particularly Arab, but Allah chose them to be vanguards. Allah chose them to be the one that came with the adhan and originated the adhan that we all call on now. سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ (SubhanAllah). It's a beautiful way in sunnatullah. It's a way that Allah has chosen for us, but it's important for us to always reflect on that and to think of how Allah's name is manifested in that particular situation, in that person, in that era, in that time. Beautiful.

The Pledge of Ridwan: A Moment of Divine Approval

You said sunnatullah and the first thing that came to my mind in this juz is, as shaykh was mentioning, the verses about:

Like this moment was crazy because in life we have our expectations. But the believer has to be like that blade of grass that blows with the wind. It just goes with the wind. When the wind blows, it bends. There's a hadith about that, but the idea here is they set out and they thought we're going for this. This is where we're going, this is it. But they were ready to pivot when the time came to pivot. And to me that's so profound.

And in that moment, with no weapons, with flip-flops on and their ihram on, the Prophet peace be upon him, he says it's time. They killed Uthman. They martyred the most innocent and gentle of people. It's time y'all. And in that moment they didn't blink. They didn't blink man. And they said let's go. And immediately Allah - immediately Allah says then the sakinah came down.

And so for me there's these moments, these quintessential moments in history where you prove, in your life where you prove, and can gain that رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ (radiyallahu anhu). And so that's the first thing that comes in my mind is that moment of Bayatul Ridwan and how they proved themselves in that moment. And they had nothing in their hands to fight with, but their heart had firm conviction in Allah.

Don't Turn Away From the Opportunity

The second thing that I wanted to reflect on was what you shared Shaykh, which was:

That Allah wants us to see this deen and the struggles of the deen as an opportunity. Like the verbiage is like get in where you fit in or you'll miss the opportunity, right? Like you need to see this not as something to run from, but something as a great opportunity for you.

And I want our listeners to think - in life right now we're all going through something tough right now. But maybe you need to reframe that. Maybe you need to reframe that and see that this is that moment where you can gain God's pleasure.

Now if you don't take this opportunity, Allah says يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ (yastabdil qawman ghayrakum) - like there's somebody else in line that will take this opportunity, waiting. And He just wants you.

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ (SubhanAllah), with our kids sometimes - you probably did this. Sometimes your kid will be acting up like they don't want something, and then you offer it to the other kid. You offer it to the other kid and they'll be like yeah yeah I want it. It wasn't until you saw other people's desire for it that you wanted it. That's our human nature sometimes. And so Allah is tapping into us like, oh you don't want this deen?

Don't Run From Struggle

Oh there's some other people and hopefully the child in us will go "Yeah Allah, I want it, give it to me." And then the end part to me is وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ (and Allah is Rich). Because once you get the motivation to do the work of the deen, Shaytan will come in and start making you feel like you're doing something - like this deen needs me.

This deen needs Wednesday Night Halaqa. Man, you don't need Wednesday Night Halaqa. This deen needs the next book you write. This deen needs the non-profit that you started. No - وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ وَأَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ (Allah is Rich and you are the poor).

When Musa helped the daughters of Shu'aib at the well, when he helped them, he went back and sat down and he said "Ya Allah, I'm in need of every good." So it's just a mentality that after we work and do the work of deen, you have to say "Ya Allah, You don't need this, but I need every opportunity to do khair and do good." Wallahu a'lam.

The Beautiful Quran

I'll tell you what - it's not lost on me the irony. We're talking about istibdal (replacement), and there are people that are watching this all over the world and some of them maybe have been struggling with their deen and both of you embraced Islam. So your parents came from Ghana, you embraced Islam here in Houston, you embraced Islam. So both of you coming from that and then went to study the deen and become teachers.

Honestly bro, I worry about my istibdal. Of course, honestly man, I worry about my istibdal. And I know it was nothing I did to deserve this. Nothing. I look at where I was in my life at the time I was 18, 20 something years ago, and I was lost in darkness. But Allah is Kareem. And Kareem is the one who gives to those who don't deserve.

And some of our listeners right now, they're listening and they're like "But I don't deserve..." I was talking to someone last night and they said "all of my duas are being answered but I don't deserve it." I was like, none of us deserve this. I said sister, get in line. None of us deserve any of this.

Hatta al-Rasul (even the Prophet) - the Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said "No one will enter Jannah by amal." The Sahaba were sharp. They said "because it was, was it anybody's amal or is it just..." you know what I mean, right? So they said... He said "I can't even enter except if Allah doesn't just shower His mercy."

So if we have people on the 26th night of Ramadan saying "I can't make dua shaykh, I don't deserve..." Don't - none of us deserve it. Stop looking at yourself and look at Him. Beautiful reflections.

The Treaty of Hudaybiyah

So coming back to a very particular part of the surah here. You mentioned the Sahaba were ready to go. You'll read in the biographies - these were very special people. They were willing to go always, but sometimes withholding is harder than going. They were ready to go but then once they were told not to go, it was like "oh wait, this doesn't feel like victory."

And so they had to see the Prophet shave his head and sacrifice at the advice of Umm Salamah, and then finally they begrudgingly do it because we got into a zone - now we can't go, now we have to turn back, and this doesn't feel like victory. But victory comes in different ways.

So the verse:

He is the one who has sent his messenger with right guidance and the religion of truth to prevail over all else. And sufficient is Allah as a witness.

What I think about is, you know when Uhud happens and Hamza radiallahu ta'ala anhu is laying in the field, the battlefield with his torso opened, and the father of Jabir has his nose cut off and like people are mutilated in the battlefield. And Abu Sufyan is gloating from the battlefield. And at that moment the answer is: "Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in hellfire. Allah is our protector, you have no protector."

It doesn't look like victory and a lot of people felt that after, right? Or feel that with Gaza right now - doesn't look like victory. This doesn't look like victory, this doesn't feel like victory. But there are different shades of victory and the way Allah talks about this ayah sounds almost identical to Surat As-Saff.

Allah as the Witness

The end here is different. In Surat As-Saff it's "even if they don't like it." Here it's "and Allah was witnessing it the whole time."

So Shaykh Mikaeel, what is the hikmah, the wisdom here, of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala being the witness to it all and what true victory actually is in this context?

The name of Allah Ash-Shaheed used in this context - I think the "kafa" is an important part, the word kafa. Kafa means sufficient, enough. And I think the way the verse is structured...

By the way, before you finish:

There you go! It was like I gotta get it, I gotta get it. We have that type of relationship we can cut each other off. It's all good, alhamdulillah.

So I'm gonna back up actually. The verse right before this - لَّقَدْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّؤْيَا - like it's the promise that the fath is coming. Like it's coming. But I can't see it, I can't see it. So there's that yaqeen. Don't forget to donate inshallah. There's that yaqeen, that certainty. But right after this - لَتَدْخُلُنَّ - that will be soon followed. And sure enough it came quick.

Right after that in the very next verse is what Shaykh Omar is referring to: هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ - He is the one, it begins with huwa - Allah.

So right when the fath al-qareeb comes, is the place you need yaqeen. Who do you need yaqeen in? Huwa - Allah. Who's in charge? هُوَ Who did all this? Who set all this up?

Going back to 19 years, right? We're at Bay'at ar-Ridwan. Go back 19 years. Who set all this up? هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ Why did he send it back in Mecca 18 years ago, 17 years ago? Right? Cause we're at Bay'at ar-Ridwan.

I think what it's trying to remind us is: where did this begin? Who's been in charge from day one? And never forget who's in charge. Never forget who's running the show. That's the first part.

هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ - a lot of us struggling with our children. Who gave you - who set up that marriage? How did your wife conceive? All of this was part of God's plan. Don't look at this moment as a like a break in the chain of events. No, this is part of God's plan.

هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ - He's the one that sent the Prophet, the Prophet بِالْهُدَىٰ with this guidance وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ and he sent him with this deen of truth, this way of life that would distinguish between falsehood and truth.

Why though? The lam here is like the reason why. The only reason he brought this لِيُظْهِرَهُ so that this deen could rise above all of the other ways of life. The people of Palestine have shown how to rise above everything, and the world has seen it. The world has seen it clear as day.

لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ - to make it apparent. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying we're gonna go through hardships, but you have to understand that those hardships are to make it apparent what is the right way, what is the top way.

Allah Sees Our Struggle

But look how it ends. When we're struggling, whenever our children are struggling, it's important that they see or know that we're watching them. They just wanna know that you see what I'm going through. When our wives are struggling at home whatever, or at work, you know whatever, when a spouse is struggling, what they want most is to know that that struggle is seen. You know what I mean?

Like when the family of Ali Yasir is on the sand, the Prophet doesn't just walk by. He stops by like "I see you."

I think this name Ash-Shaheed of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is to let us be reminded that he is ever present over the oppression that is happening. He is ever watching every single element.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says Ash-Shaheed يشمل كل مبصرات - everything that is visible, everything that is heard, and everything that can be witnessed. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying "I'm aware of that."

Why do I need to know this? Here's my question. In your life, why do you need to know Allah is Ash-Shaheed? That's the question I have for you. The reason you need to know that is because you will for sure go through hard moments that it will be unbearable. But the only thing that will get you through it is knowing that Allah is watching.

But here's the thing, Shaykh. I've been thinking about this man. A lot of us, we've been told "Allah is watching," but we always were told "Allah is watching" in a way that made us scared. Think about it - "Allah is watching, Allah is watching."

Ibn Hazm in his Tawq al-Hamama - don't read the book ever - but in his book Tawq al-Hamama, you know what he says? One of the signs of love is you can't take your eyes off of the beloved.

Allah is not watching us because he wants to catch our mistakes. Allah is watching us the way a beloved watches their beloved sleep. Think about when Abdullah was a little baby, how you used to watch him sleep. Maybe now Allah isn't watching to catch a slip. Allah is watching because he loves us.

And he's saying "I'm enough." He's basically saying like "who cares who doesn't know?" Imagine a child, a young man under rubble who feels that "nobody sees me right now." Imagine a wife being abused by her husband who's thinking "nobody sees me right now." Imagine a husband who's going through domestic abuse thinking "who can I talk to? Nobody sees."

The only thing that will get you through that moment is knowing - they don't know a Facebook post is going to go out and I'm going to go viral. Not everyone had the privilege of going viral when they were murdered. They just die. And Allah says "who cares if the world didn't see you? I see."

So here's my question for me: Have I made enough? Have I made Allah enough? That's for me. Have I made Allah enough? He's saying "I'm enough for you," but I got to accept that. And I think a lot of us run through this dunya and when we get to 60, 70, then we realize.

But right now I'm thinking in my heart and Allah is telling me "Mikaeel, I'm enough. You ain't got to prove nothing to nobody. I'm enough as your witness."

The Context of Hudaybiyah

And so the Sahaba in this moment, they felt oppressed. They had just watched Abu Jandal dragged away. Like context is crazy here. For those who don't know, when we signed the treaty of Hudaybiyah, there were Muslims in bondage that were being dragged back into the bondage in front of us. They were screaming at the top of their lungs "are you gonna let them drag us?" We were watching them.

And in that moment Umar has a moment there. He goes up to Abu Jandal and one of the - he goes "don't worry, their blood is light in the sight of God." He's trying to tell him like "handle business if you need to."

But in that moment, I think Allah wanted - I know Allah wanted us to know you're gonna have these hard moments and the only way you get through them is number one: know who set this all up. Number two...

And what's the reason? Allah, I'm gonna have you close us off with a thought inshallah. I mean subhanallah, I mean just mentioning how you contextualize it and then always knowing that Allah subhanallah is watching. That's very very important, he's well aware.

In the shahada, and this is why subhanallah the individual that dies in the path of Allah, dies in an honorable way, dies defending themselves, defending the community, defending the word of Allah subhanallah, Allah is well aware of that shahada. And some scholars say that it's a shahada that the angels witness and the angels report that to Allah and Allah is Al-Aleem at the same time. But Allah chooses his process of how he wants that name to be actualized. What's most important for us is we as Muslims have...