Feeling Paralyzed by Stress and Fitna

Dr. Omar Suleiman - "Feeling Paralyzed by Stress and Fitna?"

Opening

We begin by praising Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him and we bear witness that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is his final messenger. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to send his peace and blessings upon him the prophets and messengers that came before him his family and companions that served alongside him and those that follow in his blessed path until the Day of Judgment and we ask Allah to make us amongst them.

The Climate of Overwhelming Fitna

Dear brothers and sisters, a common sentiment that we may feel when there is a global climate of unraveling fitna of trials and tribulation, even technologies that can also be a tribulation that we don't yet know how to get a grasp of, coupled with our own personal struggles and what is generally, you know, an observable decline in human happiness that people are less equipped than ever to deal with their own personal strife with their own personal stress and the overexposure to bad news that is around us.

You literally cannot scroll any social media platform or change the channel on any TV or any set except that you're going to see tribulation after tribulation after tribulation, the local tragedies that happen. We had the Allen shooting that took place this past week or the global tragedies, the routine bombardment of Gaza, so many different things that we noticed, the turmoil in Pakistan. I lost penance. I make it easy for our brothers and sisters all over the world.

The Compounded Sense of Paralysis

So there is a compounded sense of paralysis when you're being exposed to all of this on a global level. It's right in front of you constantly and on a personal level again we're less equipped than ever to deal with our personal problems to deal with the stress that we're feeling at our level.

And you will notice that as you look through the tribulations that face the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the generation of the companions that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala changed the nature of the tribulation yet the nature of their certainty in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was one and it was able to carry them through.

Working Backwards from the End Times

Now I wanted to actually fast forward to really answer this question of how we're able to overcome paralysis when there is an overwhelming environment of fitna of trials and tribulations and turmoil. And I want to actually go towards the very end of time and work backwards.

We start from the place of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the companions when we're talking about the nature of the certainty, the yaqeen that they had, the certainty, the iman, the faith that they had to propel them through every tribulation. And then we start from the very end when we talk about how bad things can get, how bad things can get, and we're somewhere in between at all times.

The Fitna of Ad-Dajjal

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said something very interesting about the time right before al- masih ad-dajjal appears, may Allah protect us from his fitna. And that's a tribulation that we seek refuge in Allah from every single time we pray. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to protect this from the fitna of al-masih ad-dajjal, the fitna of this dajjal, and that shows you how severe it is that the Muslims now and a thousand years ago we're seeking refuge in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from this tribulation at least five times a day every time they pray.

So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم tells us something very interesting that before the appearance of ad- dajjal there is a certain desperation that precedes that. You see when people are desperate then they're more vulnerable and they can be exploited and that's a dangerous combination. But the stars of this ummah shine in its most difficult times.

The Three Years Before Ad-Dajjal

He said صلى الله عليه وسلمright before ad-dajjal appears, he said that there will be

"three years of severe hardship that will strike the people with severe hunger."

He said صلى الله عليه وسلم in the first of those three years Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will command the skies to hold one-third of its rain and the earth to hold one-third of its produce. So one-third of the rain, one-third of the produce, a decline in what comes from the heavens and a decline in what's produced from the earth by one-third.

Then he said صلى الله عليه وسلم in the second year Allah azawajal will command it to hold two-thirds. Two-thirds of the rain will be held, two-thirds of the produce will be held.

Can you imagine now if you play this out? The desperation of mankind as it starts to unfold.

Then he said صلى الله عليه وسلم in the third year Allah azawajal will withhold the rain so not a single drop of rain will fall for an entire year and the earth will completely withhold its produce. Can you imagine a year of global drought, a year where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not let a single drop of rain fall?

The Quranic Reminder

"Say: Have you considered if your water were to become sunken [into the earth], then who could bring you flowing water?"

You know in surah al-mulk where Allah azawajal talks about people that use the means by which they're supposed to know Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to instead instill in themselves a sense of arrogance and pride.

- your faculty to think, you're seeing, you're hearing, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala highlights the desperation.

He says, you know, who's holding these birds in the sky? If you're looking at a place, who do you think is holding these birds in the sky and giving them this ability? And as human beings you take things for granted and you start to think you're so advanced and subhanAllah, look at California of all places where all of these new technologies are being produced. What happens when a drought hits California? What happens when Allah withholds

Okay, as advanced as you want to get, create all the technologies that you can, all by the permission of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But if Allah holds back the water from you, what are you gonna do? You might figure out something creative, alternative water for some time to survive, you might come up with some new technology. But what will you do if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala withholds the water from you?

And so this humbles mankind across the board when Allah commands for a whole year that water does not fall from the sky, rain does not fall from the sky. And he said صلى الله عليه وسلم

"All the hooved animals will die except for a few that Allah allows to survive."

So, where do you even get your meat from now? Where do you, how do you survive from your food? So you don't have food, you don't have your drink.

The Power of Dhikr in Times of Crisis

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked by the companions as he was narrating this,

"How will people live in that time? How will people survive?"

And this is a powerful response that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says. He gives صلى الله عليه وسلم

"Tahleel, takbeer, and tahmeed: La ilaha illa Allah, Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar."

And he said صلى الله عليه وسلم

"that in that time your tasbih will take the place of your food." Think about this.

You could feel a sense of suffocation and Allah teaches you another lesson that if Allah azawajal wants you to be sustained even physically by

Allah azawajal will make that happen. Even if you don't have water when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants to change the way that you operate as a human being so that he can sustain you, he will sustain you with dhikr. He'll sustain you with the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Dhikr as Spiritual Breathing

And when you talk about people literally feeling a sense of suffocation and Allah turning their dhikr into breathing:

What Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimullah said is like water is to the fish, oxygen to the human being, that is dhikr to the heart.

Even till now dhikr is what settles the heart and gives you tranquility in a way that nothing else can.

If you feel yourself suffocating, if you feel the constriction of the chest, if you feel like you can't move, you can't operate due to the global circumstances or due to the circumstances in your own home

When you turn away from the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala things become constricted, tight. But dhikr opens the pathways. Remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opens the pathways so much so that in the worst of times to strike mankind, dhikr will literally be your food and your drink, subhanAllah. That's what it will become to us.

Fundamental Lessons from This Teaching

But the greater lesson, or of the greater lessons, is first and foremost

Allah does not burden a soul beyond its scope. Even then Allah will provide a way out. Allah does not burden us beyond our scope. He gives us what we can handle and he gives us the tools of success. Otherwise, we're not accountable. But when we have the tools of success then we become accountable.

Also that remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the midst of madness is the only way that a person can survive. And remembering Allah does not simply mean repetition on the tongue. Remembering who Allah is as you remember him with your tongue and thinking deeply about what you're saying when you remember him with your tongue and then allowing that to penetrate your heart when you remember him with your tongue. That opens the pathways. It allows you to breathe, to not suffocate when things are happening.

Practical Application of Dhikr

be mindful of Allah in secret and in public

Allah is in control. I trust Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When you walk out of the door

you're already acknowledging that whatever it is that I'm leaving my house to do, I trust that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is going to be the one to provide sustenance for me and that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is going to be my protector, that Allah is going to be my provider and that if anything happens in the system that I perceive to be different, Allah azza wajal has the keys. And so I'll continue to renew my trust in him.

What dhikr does to allow a person to not be paralyzed and not be suffocated is tremendous. And by the way, you will not understand this unless you've experienced it. So I might be thinking themselves, "Oh here they go again, dhikr." With qur'Allah, whatever, really, you know, so if I repeat this, you will not

understand the hal of ahl dhikr until you become one of them, the station of the people of remembrance until you immerse yourself in remembrance and become one of them.

That's the only way you're gonna understand the way that it truly allows you to navigate the madness of this world. Otherwise, you're a person looking in from outside and you can't understand the experience. It's like you don't know the temperature of a place unless you're inside of it, but you could tell that it must be cool if the people are not sweating. And so you don't understand the hal, the place of ahl dhikr, the place of the people remembrance. May Allah make all of us amongst them.

Unless you're in it.

And if you want to know what it felt like, go back to Ramadan when you were in the last ten nights and you were in the masjid remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The temperature, how did it feel? How did your heart feel when you were in that state of dhikr? That's not something that's reserved for Ramadan. That's something we reserve for Ramadan.

Practical Steps to Overcome Paralysis

So, how do we overcome the sense of paralysis and how do we overcome the sense of suffocation in the midst of distress?

1. Dhikr and Dua

Number one, adhikr, waddua.

SubhanAllah, look at the connection between these things. "O Allah, I seek refuge in you from alham, anxiety about what is to come, walhazan, grief over what has passed, walajzi, to be paralyzed into inaction, walkasal, to be lazy, to be struck by laziness."

Ham and hazan, if a person dwells too much in anxiety and grief then they're unable to have the opposite of al ajz walkasal, incapacity and laziness. So you turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and ask Allah azawajal to unlock those things for you.

2. Clear Course of Action in Confusion

The next thing we learn from our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is that where there is confusion there is always a certain course of action,

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said "leave that which causes you doubt and immerse yourself in that which causes you no doubt."

Meaning when there's something that's confusing to you because fitna can become very confusing and you don't know, you're unable to sort things out properly, you're unable to figure out the best course of action, then exert yourself in a place where you know that your course of action will be blessed. But don't stop exerting yourself.

3. Set Achievable Goals

the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says "as fitna comes towards you rush to do good deeds. Rush to do good deeds."

And we also learn from our beloved Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم the importance of setting achievable goals in the midst of it all. We're a goal oriented creation as human beings. When we don't feel like we are useful then we find ourselves falling into that sense of worthlessness. And the only way that you can consistently renew your sense of self-worth is to keep on setting goals for yourself, achievable goals, and keep on taking that next step towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When you take one step towards Allah azawajal, it comes to you much quicker and that feeling just like a zikr becomes a lot closer to you and opens up doors for you.

So set achievable goals for yourself.