My Conduct When, Differ with Others

With Difficulty Comes Ease

Shaykh Yasir Fahmy

Opening Prayers and Salutations

In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon him, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah.

Opening Ayah

The Quran says:

"Verily with hardship comes ease, verily with hardship comes ease."

Main Khutbah

This Quranic declaration is one that each and every one of us knows full well, but I'm going to go off on a limb and say that many of us struggle with having experienced ease. Many of us feel that we experience a lot of hardship, but very often we're looking for that promised ease. Am I correct? Tell me I'm correct so that my speech means something.

Very often the reason why we're looking for that ease and we're not finding it is because, as Shaykh Yahya noted, sometimes our perspective is off. You know, when we're waiting for ease, we're doing it almost begrudgingly. We're saying "okay ya Allah, here it's been 10 years I have this really miserable spouse and they're still miserable and they treat me really bad - where's the ease?"

"You know I have this disease or this condition and it hurts a lot and it bothers me a lot and afflicts me all the time and it's repelled people from even being in my company and I don't have health insurance to pay for my disease - where's the ease?"

And the list goes on, and so many of us, we feel imprisoned in ourselves: family problems, spousal issues, children, not having children, you have children and the children don't treat you well and the children have a crisis of faith and the children are distant from Islam. Add on top of that all of the socio-political conditions that we're facing: Islamophobia, Islam and Muslims, and so often this world feels so small.

Brothers and sisters, to really explore the way in which we experience ease, to really explore the way in which we actually break free from the prison that many of us feel we are in, we have to look at the life of our beloved (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). Because in his life is profound guidance - he is the best of guides and he is the walking Quran. He was the one who manifested in his living being (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ).

Because Allah, as Shaykh Yahya noted, Allah put our beloved through fitan, through trials and tests and tribulations that none of us in this room will experience one one-millionth of. He experienced hardships that were profound, but simultaneously our beloved experienced ease and release and liberation that none of us will experience at his level.

The Journey of Al-Isra and Al-Miraj

And the most beautiful manifestation of that was his journey of Al-Isra and Al-Miraj - one of the beautiful manifestations of Al-Jalal and Al-Jamal Al-Ilahi, and the divine majesty and divine beauty, where Allah raised him beyond the confines of this dunya, beyond the space and time of Mecca - Mecca which had now come to completely reject him. The entire body politic of Mecca had completely rejected him, and from that tight space Allah brought him to the celestial realm, breaking through space and time into realms that we can't fully comprehend.

But that liberation, that breaking free of the confines of the dunya - there's pretext, there are preconditions to understand how the Prophet arrived at that urooj, that elevation.

When you analyze his 11 years that he spent before Al-Isra and Al-Miraj, he experienced every difficulty, every hardship: loss of life, abuse, torture, death threats, political assassinations. He experienced the loss of his own family, he experienced his own family turning on him, and his worst enemy being his uncle.

But through all that, how did this Prophet (صلّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) deal with it? Was he begrudgingly dealing with it? Was he angrily or in this bothered state, in a kind of abruptness, waiting for Allah's victory? Or was he in a state of Islam, tasleem, li amrillah - surrender, patient, beautifully patient, sabran jameel, as he dealt with all these afflictions?

On top of that, he was fulfilling the obligations that God had commanded him to do. Because early on in revelation he was commanded by Allah Jalla wa Ala:

"You have to stand up, you have a duty, you have to call people, you have to do balagh, you have to warn, you have to purify, you have to say Allahu Akbar, you have to guide people." He had an obligation, he had a message, he was a servant of Allah.

And on the same token:

"You have to stand up and you have to pray in the night, you have to maintain a night vigil, you have to read the Quran and you have to recite it with regularity."

And so it was not that the Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) was sitting there looking at his watch waiting for victory, but he was engaged in the practice, in the process of ubudiyyah - servitude to Allah Jalla wa Ala.

Because as Shaykh Yahya noted, Allah had already given the Prophet the greatest gift, the greatest release and the greatest ease, and that was the entrance into servitude - to be gifted Islam. He was done, he was done at that point. Because before that, he was seeking, he was in anxiety and worry - all of those psychological, emotional stresses that many of us feel, he experienced that before revelation.

Once revelation came, the physical hardships multiplied exponentially. Every time he increased in ubudiyyah - subhanallah - the more he increased in his servitude, the hardships increased. But did that impact his psychology to where he found himself in despair? No! Because he was with Allah. He was patient because he understood Allah Al-Hakeem, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. That he was patient because he was aware of Allah's ilm - he knew that Allah knew, and he knew that Allah saw, and he knew that this was from Allah, so he was fi salam.

But it didn't stop there. The hardships only multiplied, where Allah now took away every semblance of anything that could be an attachment to the Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) and it peaked when he took from him his beloved Khadijah after the boycott that lasted for that period of time where the believers had nothing to eat except khashash al-ard - they had to eat from the remnants of the earth, some leaves and some petrified bread and so on.

And because of that boycott, his beloved Khadijah died - his emotional support, the one that embraced him early on and who was there every moment for him. Allah took that from him, stripping him completely.

And then on top of that, his uncle Abu Talib - the one who was his only real semblance of social political support and protection, the one who kept people at bay to a certain extent - stripped. Allah Jalla wa Ala was in the process of tajreed of his beloved (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) removing any form of attachment in this dunya.

The Journey to At-Taif

And so I want you to put yourself in the Prophet's place. He's there, year 10, waiting, struggling, engaging, serving, calling, and Allah is only increasing the hardships, and now he is completely alone. And Mecca is now going to thoroughly reject him, and they now know that he is a vulnerable strike ahead that they can just end.

The Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) was still a Rasul, Abda of Allah. What's next? "I have to go to At-Taif, I have to call people, I have to see a space for people to hear the message of la ilaha illallah. Ana muballigh - I have a mission, I'm a servant," continuing the journey.

And he went to At-Taif, and what happened there? Complete and utter rejection: bloodied, bruised, beaten, insulted, belittled by the ruffians and the miscreants of At-Taif.

And when he leaves now At-Taif - and I can't, I just try to close my eyes and think about how he was and how he just sat there and how he was thinking - because right before prophecy he was the golden boy of Mecca, everyone loved him, his social capital was so high. But now it's flipped 180 degrees where not only have the Meccans rejected him, but now all these surrounding tribes.

He raises his hands because he knows there's no other place to raise your hand. He raises his hands and he says:

(Tabarani and others)

"Oh Allah, I stand in front of You, and You see my state - that I am weak and the people neglect me, the people belittle me, the people mock me."

"To whom do You relinquish my affairs? To someone who's distant and far that doesn't care for me, or to an enemy - to whom do You relinquish my affairs?"

I really appreciate where the Prophet was psychologically, emotionally and spiritually - that although all of the physical hardships were so present, his spirit was vibrant and alive, and he said:

"You're my Lord, You're my caretaker. I know that for a fact." See, his theology was so pristine, his Iman was pure. "I know You're my Lord," and the Rabb is not the Ilah - it's the intimate quality of the caretaker, the one who's close and really looks over your affairs.

"You're my Lord and You're the Lord of those who are weak, and You're the caretaker of those who are weak."

"And You are absolutely, categorically, the most merciful."

I guarantee so many of us, if we were in the Prophet's position, the first thing that would come to mind is not "Oh Allah, You're merciful" - the question would be "Oh Allah, where is Your mercy?" But for the Prophet it was "Oh Allah, You are the most merciful. I know for a fact that everything is happening to me is (بِحِكْمَتِكَ وَبِعِلْمِكَ) - by Your hikmah and Your wisdom and Your knowledge."

"If You're not bothered with me, oh Allah, then I'm okay."

(الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى حَبِيبِنَا) - complete tasleem.

The Station of True Servitude

As the scholars say: (لَا يَتَأَنَّى كَمَالُ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ إِلَّا بِالْمَعِيَّةِ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ، وَلَا تَتَأَنَّى الْمَعِيَّةُ الْإِلَهِيَّةُ إِلَّا بِكَمَالِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ)

The divine companionship does not come except through complete servitude, and complete servitude does not come except through submission to Allah (جَلٌ وَعَلَا)

And that's why it's:

"Glorified be He who elevated His (عَبْد) His servant." It was His (عَبْد) - His status of a (عبد) of Allah elevated Him to the rank that He was elevated to, where He was gifted this journey to be in the presence of all of the Prophets of Allah.

The confines of Mecca - He broke free of all of that, and now He's in the presence of all of the Prophets of Allah, and He's given the station to lead them in prayer. And then He goes from station to station meeting Adam (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ), Yahya (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ), Musa (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ), Harun (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ), Isa (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) and Sayyidina Ibrahim (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ)

He gets to see Sayyidina Ibrahim and he sees the bushra - the glad tidings of what is to come. As Ibrahim (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) was someone who was matrud in this world - he was thrown around and forced to flee as a refugee from country to country. May Allah help and protect all of our refugees - he was a refugee fleeing from country to country. And where is he now? (مُتَّكِنَّا عَلَى الْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ فِي سَلَامٍ مِّنْ أَمْرِهِ) - in peace from his anxiety.

And the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) his journey continues as he is elevated to beyond Sidrat al- Muntaha to be in the close company of Allah (جَلّ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala) in a way that we cannot fathom and cannot comprehend:

"Peace be upon you, oh Prophet, and Allah's mercy is upon you and His blessings are upon you."

And then the Prophet (صلّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) - and this is his love for us, he is there and he is saying:

"Peace be upon us and peace be upon the righteous servants of Allah."

The Path to Ease Through Servitude

Brothers and sisters, the access point to ease, the access point to breaking free from the confines of this dunya - whether physical, intellectual or emotional - only happens through ubudiyya, through servitude to Allah (جَلَّ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala)

And what is ubudiyya for us? It is our Islam, our Iman and our Ihsan. Our Islam is the extent to which we fulfill Allah (جَلٌ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala)'s commands, because that's what the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was doing:

The Prophet was told: "Ya Muhammad, be steadfast as you were commanded." That's why (شيبَتْنِي هُودٌ - shaybatni hud)" - "Surah Hud has made me gray-haired." This verse in Surah Hud: "I have to be upright and steadfast as I was commanded," because he knew that every single day it was work.

"When you're done with one activity, move to the next." It's all about ibadah - that if you want to be on the precipice of ease and release, you have to be someone who prays your five prayers on time.

It's that simple. Wallahi, we can sit here, we can give you every single level of philosophical spirituality you want, but it comes down to this work - basic work: Pray five times a day on time. Pay your zakah on time. Say your shahada - (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ - la ilaha illallah muhammadur rasulullah) - every single day. Fast the month of Ramadan properly. Stay away from the haram and only do the halal. Glorify the sha'air of Allah Jalla wa Ala - glorify the rituals and the commands of Allah.

Glorify the hijab because it's a command from Allah Jalla wa Ala. Glorify the beard because it's a sunnah or a wajib - either one, beyond the fiqh debate - glorify it because Allah loves it, because Allah's will and Allah's desire is attached to something called the beard, and so as a Muslim I love the beard because Allah loves it and Allah attached a virtue to it.

I have to love Masjid al-Aqsa - (مِنَ الْمُقَدَّسَاتِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ الْمَسْجِدَ الْأَقْصَى - minal muqaddasati baytul maqdisil masjidul aqsa). I love Masjid al-Aqsa, no matter how many times people tell me you have to stop talking about Masjid al-Aqsa. I love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)'s Masjid. I love them because Allah loves them - these are muqaddasat. I love what Allah has made sacred - whatever Allah has made honorific or whatever Allah has sanctified, we love. That's the pathway of ubudiyya.

That you have belief in Allah - Iman billah - you believe in His angels, you believe in the afterlife, you believe in His books, and you believe in spiritual excellence. You believe in the process of takhliya and tahliya - ridding yourself every single day from the vials that may have come to stain who we are: anger, arrogance, hatred - all of these diseases we're ridding ourselves every single day, and we're beautifying ourselves with sabr, with tawakkul, with reliance and patience upon Allah (جَلٌ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala)

This is the process of ubudiyya, and so if we truly do hope for any form of genuine ease or genuine release, we will consider the extent to which we are servants of Allah.

The Gift of Prayer

That's why the Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

(Sahih Muslim)

And he made this motion with his hand: "Whoever humbles themselves to Allah this way, Allah will uplift them this way."

I know I'm supposed to stop, but a few more minutes please. I'm sorry - sunnat of Shaykh Mokhtar at this point - but let me just say this so I can close inshallah, because I have something more important.

When the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was in the close company of Allah (جَلٌ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala) Allah gave the Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) the most beautiful gift - the gift that allows you to ascend every single day, the gift that allows you to have your own mi'raj every single day, whenever you want it - and that is salah.

Our prayer, our true connectedness to Allah (جَلَّ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala) comes in the form of that prayer that was gifted to our beloved (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) on that blessed night.

And so brothers and sisters, every single day we have the potential to break free and to ascend into the celestial realm, to be in communion, to be in concert with Allah (جَلٌ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala)to be in communication with

Allah (جَلٌ وَعَلَا - jalla wa 'ala) as you speak to him and he responds:

You say "Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen" - Allah says "My servant has praised Me."

"Maliki yawm ad-deen" - "My servant has honored Me."

Every day! And that's why for the Prophet (صلّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) after receiving that gift, it was:

(Abu Dawud)

"Ya Bilal, if anything came to even remotely bother him: 'bring us comfort, call to prayer. I need to pray, I need to be in sujud.'"

(Sahih Muslim)

"The closest you are to Allah is when you're in sujud" - head on the floor.

Call to prayer, brothers and sisters - that is ubudiyya. May Allah help us to realize ubudiyya. May Allah help us to make us amongst his true servants - his servants who are happy, because brothers and sisters, hardships do not beget unhappiness. Hardships should only beget, through the guidance of our beloved (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) increased love of Allah and increase with Allah to the extent where Sayyiduna Ayyub didn't want to even have his hardships removed.

A Living Example

May Allah help us to have iman kamil. And in the last moment I have to say this: right before coming to this conference, Yusuf - our executive director in the ISBCC - and myself, we went to visit one of the beautiful gems of Boston, of Massachusetts: a man by the name of Justice Ismail Lahir, the father of Dr. Sohail Lahir (many of you know him) - a man who is 96 years old and he's in the hospital.

And Yusuf is here and he can witness to this: we walk into the hospital and we looked at his lips, he's sleeping, and we observe his lips and he is - he's sleeping and his mouth is in dhikr. And when we woke him up, he immediately sat up and he could barely speak, but all he could care about, all he cared about,

was the fact that he made us come and visit him and he didn't know we were coming, but he felt bad that he burdened us to come and visit him and he was so genuinely regretful.

And all he could say the entire time was how generous Allah has been and how kind and how loving Allah has been - that's all. He could only speak about Allah's beauty, although he has been in the hospital for months from surgery to surgery.

And subhanallah, just to show you his ihsan: when the person, one of the staff of the hospital came in with his food, with his lunch or something, he said to him, "Brother, can I please have two juice for my guests?" And subhanallah, the man said to him, "I'm sorry, hospital policy, I can't give you anything," because - for those of you who know him - he loves ikram ud-daif, he will give anything, even if he just has one piece of chocolate, that's what he wants to give you.

Wallahi al-azim - and Yusuf, he's my witness, I know I have to stop, I'm really sorry - wallahi al-azim, and Yusuf, he's my witness, one minute later, we both had juice in our hands, and he turned to me and he said "Allah never... Allah always accepts my dua, Allah always accepts my dua," and the juice was in our hands.

And he said to me "I've made 16 hajj, 61 umrah, 41 i'tikaf - 41 i'tikaf! 10 nights of Ramadan. He's always in the front row even at the age of 96." He said "He's only missed one jummah." He said "I used to be a computer, I can remember any number, he was a justice." He said "Today I can't remember anything except my Quran and my dua."

Brothers and sisters, he is an ayah from ayatullah, and he's alhamdulillah still alive with us. But the reason why I share his story - and I'm way over my time - but the reason why I share his story is because I told Yusuf as we are leaving, "wallahi al-azim, we are dead, he is alive. We are sick and he is healthy. We are imprisoned and he is free - happy, content, wife in the hospital, he's in the hospital, challenges, difficulties, but he is salim al-hal, fi salam, tamanina, tranquility, full of love and acceptance, thankful for Allah's karam and generosity."

And he said as we leave, "I ask you one thing: iman kamila." He said "Please ask your brothers and your sisters to make dua for me for iman kamil" - dua khususi.

As he said, may Allah grant our dear father and grandfather and great grandfather for that matter, Justice Ismail Lahir, iman kamila. May Allah grant us iman kamila. May Allah grant us the pathway of ubudiyya, to love, to be in a state of ibadah, in a state of dhikr, in a state of Quran, in a state of recitation, in a state of salah.

May Allah make these things so beloved to us, and anything that Allah hates, may He make it hateful to us. May He take our attention away from anything that displeases Him. May Allah be pleased with us and be pleased with you.

Closing

Forgive me for this su al-adab.