Sabr and Shukr A Win-Win Situation for a Believer

(Based on the Khutba by Muhammad al-Shareef founder of al-Maghreb Institute)

A-thu billhi minash shaytnir rajeem Bismillhir rahmnir raheem Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu !anasta"eenahu# !anastagh-firuhu# !anatoobu ilayhi# !ana"oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa# !amin sayyi aati a"maalinaa May$ahdillahu fa hu!al muhtad# !a may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu !aliyan murshida %a ash-hadu an &aa ilaaha ill-Allh# !ahdahoo laa sharee'a lah# !a ash-hadu anna Muhammadan (abduhoo !arasooluh)
All *raise is due to Allh# %e +raise ,im and !e see' hel+ from ,im %e as' forgi-eness from ,im %e re+ent to ,im. and !e see' refuge in ,im from our o!n e-ils and our o!n bad deeds Anyone !ho is guided by Allh# he is indeed guided. and anyone !ho has been left astray# !ill find no one to guide him I bear !itness that there is no god but Allh# the /nly /ne !ithout any +artner. and I bear !itness that Muhammad# +ea0e and blessings on him# is ,is ser-ant# and ,is messenger

Bismillahir 1ahmanir 1aheem2 $a Ay-yuhal-latheena (aamanut ta3ul-laaha# ha33a tu3aatihee !ala tamu tun-na# il-la !a antum Muslimoon )
/ $ou !ho belie-e# 4 Be a!are of Allah# !ith 0orre0t a!areness# an a!e-ins+ired a!areness# and die not e50e+t as Muslims

$a Ay-yuhal-latheena (aamanut ta3ul-laaha# !a 3ooloo 3a!lan sadeedaa $uslihla'um a"maala'um !a yaghfir la'um thunooba'um# !amay yu-til-laaha !arasoolah# fa3ad faa6a fa!6an atheemaa )
/ $ou !ho belie-e# 4 Be a!are of Allah# and s+ea' a straightfor!ard !ord ,e !ill forgi-e your sins and re+air your deeds And !hoe-er ta'es Allah and ,is *ro+het as a guide# has already a0hie-ed a mighty -i0tory In the o+ening -erse of Sura An-7isaa"# Allah says8 / man'ind2 Sho! re-eren0e to!ards your 9uardian-&ord %ho 0reated you from a single +erson# 0reated# of li'e nature# his mate and from the t!o of them s0attered (li'e seeds) 0ountless men and !omen.: Be 0ons0ious of Allah# through %hom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (sho! re-eren0e to!ards) the !ombs (that bore you)8 for surely# Allah e-er !at0hes o-er you

Allah swt says in Surah at-Tahrim v66: And Allah has set forth an e5am+le for those !ho belie-e. the !ife of ;ir<aun (*haraoh)# !hen she said8 =My &ord2 Build for me a home !ith $ou in *aradise# and sa-e me from ;ir<aun (*haraoh) and his !or'# and sa-e me from the +eo+le !ho are !rong-doers and disbelie-ers = Brothers in Islam8 Aasiyah# the !ife of ;ir"aun# !as a true Belie-er in Allah s!t ,er emaan thri-ed under the shado! of ;ir"aun !ho had +ro0laimed# =I am your &ord# Most ,igh2= %hen ne!s rea0hed ;ir"aun of his !ife<s belief in Allah# he beat her and 0ommanded his guards to beat her >hey too' her out in the s0alding heat# tied her hands and feet# and beat her +er+etually She turned to Allah2 And +rayed# =My &ord# build for me a home !ith $ou in *aradise and sa-e me from ;ir"aun and his deeds and sa-e me from the +eo+le !ho are !rongdoers = It is narrated that !hen she said this# the s'y o+ened and she sa! her home in *aradise and she smiled >he guards !at0hed in astonishment to see her smiling in s+ite of being tortured ;rustrated# ;ir"aun 0ommanded that a boulder be brought and dro++ed on Aasiyah# to 0rush her to death But Allah too' her soul before the boulder !as brought and she be0ame an e5am+le for all the belie-ing men and !omen until the end of time8 In the ,adith of ?ibrael# !hen ?ibrael 0ame to the *ro+het (+buh) and as'ed him about Islam# @eman# and Ihsan# (i e ;aith# Belief and @50ellen0e) the *ro+het (+buh) said about @eman8 =@eman is to belie-e in Allah# ,is angels# ,is boo's# ,is messengers# the ;inal Aay# and the Ai-ine Ae0ree i e the good and the bad both 0omes from Allah = Insha Allah# !e shall fo0us on the last arti0le of @eman - to belie-e in the Ai-ine Ae0ree i e the good and the bad 0omes from Allah s!t "! 8 As !e tra-el though life# !e find oursel-es in one of the t!o situations @ither something good is ha++ening in our li-es# in !hi0h 0ase as a Muslim our role
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is to than' Allah s!t for the blessings (i e be a sha'ir)# or something bad or something !e disli'e is ha++ening to us# and as a Muslim our role then is to be +atient (i e be a sabir) >his is the formula for a ha++y life and 0ontented life 0ruising to!ards# and see'ing the +leasure of Allah s!t and it is a !in-!in situation for a belie-er >he Messenger of Allah (+buh) said8 =Strange is the affair of the Momin (the belie-er) Berily# all his affairs are good for him# if something +leasing befalls him he than's Allah and it be0omes better for him And if something harmful befalls him he is +atient (sabir) and it be0omes still better for him = Ibn al-Cayim al-?au6ia (ra) said# =If this !orld !as not a station of tests it !ould not be filled !ith si0'nesses# 0alamities# a00idents and miseries If life is not about hardshi+# then the +ro+hets and the +ious !ould ha-e li-ed the most 0omfortable of li-es >a'e the e5am+le of Adam (+buh) !ho suffered test after test until he left this !orld 7uh (+buh) 0ried for many years Ibrahim (+buh) !as thro!n into a +it of fire and later told to slaughter his son $a3oob (+buh) 0ried until he be0ame blind Musa (+buh) !as 0hallenged by ;ir"aun and !as also tested by his o!n +eo+le @sa (+buh) had no +ro-ision e50e+t the morsels his dis0i+les +ro-ided him !ith And our belo-ed *ro+het (+buh) had to fa0e +o-erty# insults# atta0's and tests for DE years and the list of +ro+hets and the +ious +eo+le"s sufferings go on and on =

Brothers and Sisters in Islam8 therefore# !hate-er ha++ens to us ha++ens by the !ill of Allah s!t It is an arti0le of our @eman that !e belie-e in (Cada" and (Cadr" (i e Ae-ine Ae0ree) and that !e are +leased !ith Allah"s de0ision 9ood or seemingly bad# it is all the test of this !orld ,o! 0an !e imagine that !e shall not be tested !hen those !ho !ere far better than us# the *ro+hets and the righteous 0om+anions# suffered far greater hardshi+F %e must ne-er forget that they had +atien0e and +erse-eran0e >hey +ut their trust in Allah s!t# !or'ed hard and ne-er ga-e u+ ho+e >his is ho! they earned the rid!an# the good +leasure of Allah s!t >his is the ultimate test of a su00essful life >here are some fa0ts about the tests of this life# the good and the bad that befalls us8 G Mu0h of !hat befalls us is the dire0t result of our o!n sins Allah s!t says8 (And !hate-er misfortune befalls you it is be0ause of !hat your hands ha-e earned And ,e +ardons mu0h" (Surah ash-Shura -EH) It is +ro-ed from ,adith# as
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re+rodu0ed by Bagha!i (ra) on the authority of Ali (ra) that those sins for !hi0h +unishment is gi-en in this !orld are forgi-en for Muslims in the ,ereafter (Ma6hari) D %hen something bad ha++ens it is a test from Allah s!t Allah s!t says8 (And !e tested them !ith good (blessings) and e-il (0alamities) in order that they might turn ba0'" (Surah al-Araaf -8 GIJ) >he Kom+anion Abdur 1ahman Ibn <A!f (ra) said# %e !ere tested !ith hardshi+ and !ere +atient And then !e !ere tested !ith +ros+erity and !e !ere not +atient) Be0ause of this Allah states8 (/ you !ho belie-e2 &et not your !ealth or your 0hildren di-ert you from the remembran0e of Allah And !hosoe-er does that# then they are the losers" (Surah Al-Munafi3oon -8 L) E *atien0e must ha++en from the beginning# not three days later or one day later# but rather at the first ne!s of the 0alamity >he *ro+het (+buh) said# =Berily +atien0e (is only sabr !hen +ra0ti0ed) at the first hit (of ne!s) = M >here are things that 0ontradi0t sabr su0h as tearing ones shirt# sla++ing ones fa0e# sla++ing hands# sha-ing ones head# and 0ursing and !ailing In a hadith Nmm Salamah (ra) narrates that she heard the Messenger of Allah (+buh) say8 =Any Muslim !ho says !hen a 0alamity befalls him8 (>o Allah !e belong and to ,im !e return / Allah re!ard me in this 0alamity and gi-e me better than it" - Allah !ill grant him better than (that !hi0h he lost) (1e+orted by Muslim) = O >hese tests and hardshi+s !ash a!ay our sins In a hadith Aisha (ra) said that the *ro+het of Allah (+buh) said8 =Berily# fe-er sheds sins li'e a tree sheds lea-es in autumn = I >he hardshi+s that befall us distinguish the belie-ers from non belie-ers Shumayt ibn Ajlaan (ra) said# =>he +ious and the ungrateful loo' ali'e in normal life But !hen 0alamities befall# the t!o are se+arated by ho! they rea0t = Allah s!t says in the Curan8 (Alif laam meem# Ao +eo+le thin' that they !ill be left alone be0ause they say# =%e belie-e#= and !ill not be testedF Indeed %e tested those !ho (li-ed) before them" (Surah Al-An'aboot -erses G-E)

Ali (ra) said# =Berily Sabr is to @eman !hat the head is to the body %hen the head is 0ut off# the body falls (,e then raised his -oi0e and said) Berily there is no @eman for he !ho has no sabr = >here are three ty+es of sabar that the Muslim must ha-e8 G Sabr in the obedien0e of Allah s!t i e follo!ing the 0ommands of Allah s!t and ,is Messenger (+buh) !ithout any hesitation D Sabr in not disobeying Allah s!t"s 0ommands i e to a-oid major sins# immoral beha-iour and a-oid e-ery forbidden a0t !ithin the boundary of Sharia E Sabr in !hat Allah s!t Ae0rees on us ;or e5am+le# if our 0hild !as to +ass a!ay !e should be +atient and see' the re!ard of Allah in our +atien0e and say only that !hi0h is +leasing to Allah Brothers in Islam8 >here are t!o 'eys !hi0h# if !e understand them# !e shall o+en the door to sabr in our li-es8 >he first 'ey is to 'no! that our souls# families and !ealth do not belong to us# they belong to Allah s!t ,e ga-e them to us as a trust to see !hat !e !ould do !ith them %hen he ta'es them ba0'# ,e is ta'ing ba0' !hat belongs to ,im %e had nothing before the blessing and !e<ll ha-e nothing after it %e did not 0reate the blessing from nothing# so ho! 0an !e 0laim that it belongs to usF >he se0ond 'ey is# !e are on a journey and the destination is the ,ereafter *aradise or ,ell %e shall be lea-ing this !orld behind us and !e !ill return ba0' to Allah by oursel-es >his is !hat needs our fo0us If Allah s!t is +leased !ith us then there"s no need to !orry If ,e s!t is not +leased !ith us then !e ha-e all the reason to !orry Allah swt says in surah al-Baqarah v: 153 8 / you !ho belie-e2 See' hel+ in +atien0e and salah >ruly# Allah is !ith those that are +atient) Allah +romises anyone !ho obser-es +atien0e three things8 forgiveness, mercy, an gui ance %ho 0ould as' for moreF news in surah Al-Baqarah

!n conclusion# Allah swt gives the following goo

verses155-15"8 (And gi-e good ne!s to the +atient# !hen affli0ted !ith 0alamity say# =>ruly# to Allah !e belong and truly# to ,im !e shall return = >hey are those on !hom the sala!at (i e the blessing and forgi-eness) of their &ord is u+on them# and !ho shall re0ei-e ,is Mer0y# and it is they !ho are the guided ones"
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Brothers and sisters# to 0on0lude our 'hutbah8

InnaAllaha# $amuru bil adel# !al ihsaan# !a eetaa-i 6il 3urba. !a yanha anil fuhshaai# !al mun'ari !albaghi. ya-id6u'hum lalla'um tatha'-'aroon (Sura GI8LH)#
Surely Allah 0ommands justi0e# good deeds and generosity to others and to relati-es. and ,e forbids all shameful deeds# and injusti0e and rebellion8 ,e instru0ts you# so that you may be reminded )

;adth 'uroonee adth 'ur'um# !ash 'uroolee !alaa ta' furoon PD8GODQ
and remember Me8 I !ill remember you Be grateful to Me# and do not reje0t faith )

!ala thi'rul-&aahi a'bar# %al-&aahu ya"lamu maa tasna"oon ) PDL8MOQ

and !ithout doubt# 1emembran0e of Allah is the 9reatest >hing in life# and Allah 'no!s the deeds that you do )

Ameen

A3eemus salaah