What It Means to Endure | Lecture by Dr. Omar Suleiman

What I wanted to talk about today relates to three ahadith that start off almost entirely the same, but they end very different. And it connects to a theme over the last few nights that we've been talking about. Yesterday, I spoke about those that anchor one another in truth, the good type of friends that reinforce you and re-anchor you and surrounding yourself with those people who give you tathbit, thabat, firmness.

And today, I want to build on that concept just a little bit by looking at these ahadith. First hadith is usually the first hadith that you find in a collection of arba'een, of 40. Some of the famous collections of hadith, the Prophet ﷺ saying in the very beginning:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1)

That verily actions are but by intentions.

Intentions are in the beginning. The Prophet ﷺ also mentioned:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6493)

That actions are judged by their endings. So the beginning and the end.

And he also taught us ﷺ:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6464)

The most beloved of deeds to Allah are the most consistent ones even if they're small. Think about these three ahadith inshallah ta'ala and then I'm going to give you an image that I want you to inshallah ta'ala take with you tonight to project for the rest of the year biidhnillahi ta'ala. The first one, intentions in the beginning. The second one, the ending defining the course. The third one, consistency between the two. And all three of them are authentic narrations from the Prophet ﷺ.

The Beginning and the End

So which one is it? Is it the beginning or is it the end? What defines whether or not an action is accepted by Allah? And there's something extremely important here that if sincerity drove you in the beginning then Allah the turner of hearts will make your heart firm on it and make sure that it returns to it in the end. I'm going to say this again because there's a hadith about a man or the Prophet ﷺ mentioning that a person will be doing the actions of the people of Jannah until they're right there and then they do one of the actions of the people of hellfire and so they end up in the hellfire. And the opposite is true as well that a person is doing the actions of a person of hellfire until they're right about to get there and then they do one of the actions of the people of Jannah and Allah enters them into Jannah instead.

And the Prophet ﷺ explained as people see it. Meaning what? That person who was doing the deeds of the people of paradise was not doing it from a place of sincerity. So in them actions are but by intentions.

Therefore Allah made their ending bad because their bad ending matched the bad intention at the beginning. The bad ending was a result of the bad intention at the beginning. Okay? So sincerity in the beginning will bring you back at the end. You might slip and fall off course along the way but if you were sincere when you started Allah will bring you back to it at the end so long as you intend to stay the course. You do the things that are necessary to maintain and cultivate sincerity.

Two Types of Sincerity

Here's what I've been thinking about over the last few days and especially last night where we were blessed to have with us Clive Smith, the lawyer for Dr. Afia Siddiqui. May Allah free her. Allahumma ameen. There is a type of sincerity and listen very carefully.

There's a type of sincerity that gets you there in the beginning and then there's another type of sincerity that holds you there in the end. If there was an image that I could give you, it's last man standing, the last person standing, last man standing. And what do I mean by that? If you took the ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ and even before that the ayat of the Quran about السِّبَاق.

السِّبَاق means getting there first, getting there first. You would find that there are many narrations in every single facet of good deeds. Rush towards good deeds.

So many different verses talk about getting there first. So when it comes to salah, when it comes to prayer, the Prophet ﷺ said, that verily Allah and the angels, they send their prayers upon who? The people of the people of the first row. People of the first row, by the way, doesn't mean that you get in there late into the salah and then you fight your way through and then you get your place in the first row, right? Because the sisters are wondering, well, what does that mean for me? You know, fight yourself to the first row. No, it's talking about how early you got to the masjid and the Prophet ﷺ explained this in regards to salatul jum'ah, right? The earlier you come to jum'ah, the greater your reward is until the moment that the imam says assalamu alaykum, and then the angels close the rule book. The one who comes an hour before that is not like the one who came an hour prior, and that one is not like the one who came an hour prior. So it's السِّبَاق, getting to the masjid first, getting into الصَّفِّ الأَوَّل.

There is an image there. There's something very practical here. When it comes to sadaqah:

Allah is giving us a time factor here, that those who spent before are not like those who spent and sacrificed after. They're of a greater degree.

السَّابِقُونَ الأَوَّلُونَ, the firsts from the muhajireen and the ansar, right? There's a reason why I called the series the firsts, by the way, because they got their first. If you realize, all of العَشَرَة المُبَشَّرِينَ بِالجَنَّة, the ten that are promised paradise, they're from the firsts. They're from the muhajireen.

The muhajireen are a greater category than the ansar, generally speaking. And the ansar are a greater category than those who came after Hudaybiyyah. And those that came after Hudaybiyyah are a greater category than those that came after the fatih.

There's a time factor here. كُلًّا وَعَدَ اللهُ الْحُسْنَى. Allah has exceptions to the rule, but getting their first means something.

Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu embraced Islam without any تَرَدُّد, without any hesitation. Immediate, right? The first man, Abu Bakr. The first boy, Ali. The first woman, Khadijah. They're of a different caliber. You just can't supplant that. That's something that is special and unique to them. So getting somewhere first, getting to the masjid first, spending first. When people would look around in the room and wonder who's going to give first when there's a fundraiser.

You know, when there's a fundraiser, everyone looks around. When the fundraiser calls the number, they're wondering, who's going to be that guy? Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu was always that guy, right? He was first to it. When you looked for the Prophet ﷺ, like there's the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari radiallahu ta'ala anhu, where he mentions that the Prophet ﷺ was missing one day, right? People didn't find him in his usual spots.

Then he found the Prophet ﷺ dangling his legs in Bi'r Aris, in this well. What a sight, by the way. I went to that place and it's so special. Just what a sight. Picture it with me. The Prophet ﷺ kind of on the outskirts of Medina, sitting in a well, dangling his feet alayhis salatu was salam, remembering Allah.

Abu Musa says, I'm going to protect his peace. I'm going to take guard to the Prophet ﷺ, basically appoint myself so anyone who wants permission, I'll ask the Prophet ﷺ if they can come sit with him or not. Who found him first? Abu Bakr found him first. When you say that the hearts are connected, Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu naturally found him first. Who found him second? Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu found him second. Who found him third? Uthman radiallahu anhu found him third.

It just always seemed to happen that way. They were aligned. The first one to understand the Prophet's ﷺ thinking was Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu. Always, right? So first, first to the punch, first to the masjid, first to the charity, the first one to show up to volunteer, the first one to answer the call, right? That is السِّبَاق, sabiqu, run, get there first.

Enthusiasm vs. Endurance

But pay very close attention to this. The sincerity of getting there first is the sincerity of enthusiasm, السِّبَاق. The sincerity of leaving last is the sincerity of endurance, صُمُود. There are actually two different concepts in tazkir and spirituality. I'm going to say this again.

The sincerity of getting there first is the sincerity of السِّبَاق. It's driven by enthusiasm or it manifests in enthusiasm. I'm there right away. The sincerity of leaving last is the sincerity of صُمُود, of endurance. And it's a different spiritual muscle. We focus so much on the first that we don't pay attention to the second. I would argue that the second is harder because it's longer.

Put it to you this way. And I bring it up in the capacity of Dr. Afia Siddiqui for a particular reason. When the case first happens, everybody jumps on board. There's a huge enthusiasm. But as time goes on, the numbers start to dwindle.

When Gaza first happens, I'm not questioning the sincerity of those that took to the streets and of those that took to the cause and of those that put their careers on the line and spent of their money. I'm not questioning your sincerity at all. Jazakumullahu khairah. But the numbers dwindle. It was sincerity driven enthusiasm, no doubt for many people that got them there in the first place. But it's صُمُود, endurance, sincerity that keeps you there when everybody is gone.

You know, when they talk about a great athlete, they always say he was always the first one to practice and the last one to leave. Both of those things are important. And in the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:

They all match. It's the same thing. The Prophet ﷺ is saying that actions are but by intentions and actions are judged by their endings. And the most beloved of actions to Allah are the consistent ones, even if they're small. The last one to leave.

Examples of Both Principles

SubhanAllah, take the example of salah that I just gave. That verily Allah and his angels send their prayers upon the people of الصَّفِّ الأَوَّل, the people of the first row. But the Prophet ﷺ also said in an authentic hadith that the angels continue to send their prayers and peace upon the musalli, upon the person who is praying as long as that person sits in his musalla, in the place of his prayer. SubhanAllah.

So they prayed on you for getting there first and they pray on you for leaving last. It's the person who got there enthusiastically and the person who sat and remembered Allah consistently afterwards. The last person to leave the masjid. The last person to get up from their dhikr. The last person to say salam to the angels after their salah. This is enthusiasm. This is endurance.

When it comes to as-sadaqah, you know what's so powerful and so profound and I think we underestimate it. I really do believe we underestimate it. Every single person the Prophet ﷺ left Mecca with, who was not martyred or did not die, came back to Mecca with the Prophet ﷺ, only further honored and with a broader resume than the one that they had when they left. And he honored every single one of those muhajireen ﷺ with a special distinction. Because it was one thing to convert to Islam, to embrace Islam and to undergo that persecution.

But it wasn't enough, we already endured hijrah, we already had to get pushed out of our homes and we went to Medina. Where was Abu Bakr throughout the process? Where was Umar, Uthman and Ali? Where were they throughout the process? Where was Talhah and Zubayr throughout the process? Where was Bilal radiallahu ta'ala anhu throughout the process? Every single one of them came back to Mecca just as dedicated as when they were run out of Mecca. It's something that we learn that from the hadith, from the guidance of Ahlul Bayt and Nabi ﷺ, from the family of the Prophet ﷺ, when they did an action, they did it with firmness.

They did it with consistency with those actions. The Prophet ﷺ did not start something without finishing it. And so I want to bring this to a very practical level for us.

Practical Applications

Ramadan and Beyond

When you think about Ramadan, because Ramadan is coming up, sincerity driven enthusiasm to get there in the beginning. The masjids are full, the people are there. I don't question the sincerity of the people. We make all these goals for ourselves and we mean it. I really want to do this. I'm really going to read this much Quran. I'm really going to give this much sadaqa. I'm really going to do this. I'm really going to do that.

But what happens throughout the month? Tailors off. I want you to ask yourself, who do you think is more impressive in the sight of Allah? The one who was excited before Ramadan or the one who came to the masjid the day after Ramadan for salat al-fajr? The one who continued to show up after Ramadan was over? Who do you think was more beloved and more blessed in the sight of Allah?

Supporting Those in Need

And when you think about your brother or your sister in need, as Abdullah ibn Abi Aufa radiallahu ta'ala anhu describes the Prophet ﷺ, that he was not too proud and يَمْشِي مَعَ الأَرْمَلَةِ وَالْمِسْكِينِ, to walk with the orphan, to walk with the widow, until he finished the job, ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ did not show up in the very beginning and give condolences and then move on. The Prophet ﷺ would take your hand and he would walk with you to the finish line. That's the part that was impressive.

When someone passes away and everyone shows up to the funeral, it says, may Allah make it easy for you. Let me know if you need anything. You know what the hardest time is for a grieving person? You know, subhanAllah, studies will show this and I've seen it. It's not necessarily the immediacy after death because a person is surrounded by people when someone dies. It's when the first year passes and everybody else has moved on and expects you to move on, but you haven't. And it's only the two, three people that remember you at that point. And those are the special people. It's the people that stay the course when everyone has moved on.

When someone embraces Islam, takbir, Allahu Akbar, everybody comes around to give that person a hug and to celebrate them. And all those people who said, here, let me give you my number and let me take, you know, what can I do for you and things of that sort. They're nowhere to be found a few months later. Who was the person that won? The person that said, hey, you want me to teach you how to pray? You want me to teach you how to read Surah Al-Fatiha? Hey, let's meet once a week until we get this down. Hey, let me know if you need anything. Calls them in a month or two, says, hey, brother, do you need anything? Is there anything I can still do for you? That's the special person. And Allah sees that too, because that's a greater level of sincerity. The last one to leave, not necessarily the first one to get there.

Gaza and Our Commitment

When it comes to Gaza, it's the last one to leave. You think the people of Gaza can't tell that your social media, our social media has died down in regards to spreading awareness about them. You think the people of Gaza can't tell that we've resumed life as business as usual. You think they can't tell that our hearts have turned away from them, that our eyes are no longer watching them. You think they don't know that the numbers of the protests have dwindled. You think they don't know that Muslims are getting a little bit lazy once again with the boycotts. You think they don't see you with your Starbucks and your Coke cans. You think they don't see it. Of course they see it.

They feel that neglect settling in. They feel that return to normalcy while they are enduring the coldest days of the year in makeshift tents while the Zionists still bomb them routinely and just kill them a little bit slower. They are the symbol of صُمُود, staying the course.

Dear brothers and sisters, there are people that were memorizing the Quran and they were on just 23 or 24 when the genocide started and they still finished the Quran and they're doing their hifz celebrations now. There are people that were doing their master's and PhDs when the genocide started and Dr. Farhan Abdul Aziz, may Allah bless him and all the doctors that went, he was telling me the story of one of the washers of the bodies that somehow managed to finish his doctoral studies while washing dead bodies in a genocide. They didn't pause his research and his studies. If that's not صُمُود, an endurance, I don't know what is. You've got to take from that.

My Challenge to You

So here's my challenge to each and every single one of us. Be the last person to leave the masjid. Be the last person to cut the donations. Be the last person to move on from the cause. Be the last person to stop checking up on somebody. Be the last person by the side of a convert or a grieving person. Be the last person to remember what other people have forgotten.

And on a very practical level, never stop something good that you were doing because you can't keep up with the pace anymore. What do I mean by this? And wallahi, this life advice, subhanallah, or afterlife advice changed my life. I hope it changes my afterlife and each and every single one of you, bismillah ta'ala.

You set a Quran goal and you realize that Quran goal came out of enthusiasm and it's not reasonable anymore. Don't stop reading the Quran. Adjust the amount of Quran that you are going to read. Change it. It's better to say, you know what, I can't do a juz every month. I'm from now on going to do a juz every two months. Or, you know, or I can't finish a khatm, I'm sorry, every month. I'm not going to do a khatm every two months. Or, you know what, I'll do it every six months. Then to not do it at all, to say, you know what, I came out of Ramadan, I was really enthusiastic. I said, from now on, I will never abandon the Quran again. And then you've missed a few days, you missed your wird, then you said, oh, well, maybe next Ramadan, I'll get that spark again. Doesn't work that way.

Never forsake, never relinquish, readjust, recalibrate, but don't relinquish. Don't be that person that starts an effort, an amazing effort for the sake of Allah. You get into something for the deen, and you get really, really, really excited about it. And then as you start it, and then you deal with the Muslims, and Muslims, we don't make life easy for each other. Or, you know, career, or you're one of those people, and I'm looking at a lot of you, who gets married and then disappears from Islamic work. Right? Because now you're on your honeymoon phase for the next four years, apparently. Right? Don't be that person that relinquishes altogether. Adjust, recalibrate, make it more reasonable. But the Prophet ﷺ taught us to see things through. That's true for our personal ibadat, that's true for our projects, that's true for our solidarity, that's true for our advocacy, that's true for our spirituality.

The Power of Long-Term Intention

You know, it occurred to me, subhanAllah, as I was talking to my father, may Allah bless him, and preserve him, and preserve all of our living parents, and have mercy on our deceased ones. Allahumma ameen. You know, subhanAllah, I realized, and I didn't pay attention to this until later on in life, that some of the things he's doing now, he set the intention for them 60, 70 years ago. And he didn't forget them. And I thought, what an incredible testimony to niyyah, to intention.

Allah says:

Why do you say that which you don't do? That's hypocrisy. But there is a step that's right above that, not below it, a step that's right above that. Why do you say what you know you don't actually have the intention to follow through with? Don't say you're going to do something for your community. You're going to do something for the sake of Allah. And you already know, you got this تَرَدُّد, this hesitation, I don't think I'm really going to be able to do this.

It's not to pick on the Arab world, but I figured it out. You know, after salatul jum'ah, you meet someone, they say, meet someone in the masjid, come on over. Nobody actually means come on over. If you say, all right, let's go. They're gonna be like, wait, I wasn't serious. When you tell your brother, when you tell your sister, I've got your back, I'm here for you. If you need me, be truthful. Be truthful. When you say, I'm going to stay the course on Gaza, I'm going to stay the course on this, I'm going to stay the course on that, mean it. When you say, hey, if you need anything, let me know. Don't ghost people. And may Allah forgive us when we do.

Sometimes over commitment with the lack of intention to actually bind yourself to those commitments is just a step removed from hypocrisy, dear brothers and sisters. And I'm not accusing you of being hypocrites, and I'm not removing myself from hypocrisy. Allah knows that I myself have been guilty of this at times. I'm saying this so that we can challenge ourselves and charge ourselves, especially in a moment like Gaza, to stay the course, stay the course.

The Definition of Firmness

And that is the definition of ثَبَات, firmness. اثْبُتْ، اصْمُدْ, endure, be firm, اسْتَقِمْ، فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ, hold on the way you've been commanded.

As Imam Siraj Wahaj would always say, and I end with this quote because it subhanAllah never left me. He would say this as a convert, and Imam Siraj is a man who's done incredible things for this ummah, incredible things for this community. I love him dearly and it stings me a bit when I meet young Muslims who don't know who Imam Siraj Wahaj is. One of the pioneers of da'wah in the west and just community service who did so many good things. I remember him saying this, he said, you know, when people remind me of this and this and that, I tell them it's not about how you start the race, it's about how you finish. It's not about how you start the race, it's about how you finish.

May Allah let us be sincere from everything we start. May Allah preserve us upon those deeds with sincerity, and may Allah allow us to die while sincerely practicing those very same deeds. And may Allah grant us a good ending, and may Allah allow us to meet him while he is pleased with us, and may Allah allow us to stand with our brothers and sisters in Palestine, in Sudan, and all over the world, so long as they remain in the condition that turned our attention to them in the first place.

Allahumma Ameen. JazakumAllahu Khayran Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh