Ramadan Reflections – Juz 10

For all parts, up to and including this one, click “Ramadan Reflections: The Daily Journey“

Ramadan Reflections – Juz 10

Juz 10 – Surahs al-Anfaal and at-Tawbah

إِلاَّ تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لاَ تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنزَلَ اللّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ السُّفْلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَاللّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

If you don’t help him (Muhammad), then know that Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they (Muhammad and Abu Bakr) were in the cave, and he said to his companion: “Be not concerned, surely Allah is with us.” Then Allah sent down His tranquility and peace upon him, and strengthened him with forces which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved inferior, while it was the Word of Allah that became superior, and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [9:40]

(If you don’t help him), if you do not support the Prophet (saas), then it does not matter, for Allah will support, suffice and defend him, just as He did during the Hijrah. There is an important lesson here for us regarding the great virtue of standing up for the Prophet (saas) especially in the current era where he has been called every insult under the sun and the lies about him have spread far and wide to the point that even some of the Muslims have become affected by them. This noble ayah is supported by another magnificent ayah in surat al-A’raaf:

الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَآئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالأَغْلاَلَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُواْ النُّورَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel, – he commands them with all good; and forbids them from evil; he allows them as lawful that which is pure (At-Taiyibât ) and prohibits them as unlawful that which is impure (Al-Khabâ’ith), he releases them from their heavy burdens, and from the chains (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad saas), honor him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’an and Sunnah) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful. [7:157]

So we find that the Companions were always anxious to defend and honor the Prophet (saas) and there are too many examples of this to mention now. They also followed his Sunnah closely and struggled to implement it as they saw it from him (saas) knowing the goodness therein. So let this be an encouragement for us to stand up and defend him today by meeting the onslaught of these weak attacks with strong and unwavering responses filled with wisdom and understanding that they might be something we can bargain with on the Day of Judgment. Defending him means that an insult to him or attack on him hits us very personally and deeply because we love him more than our own selves, as he (saas) once said:

عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

Narrated Anas that the Prophet (saas) said, “None of you truly believes until I become more beloved to him than his parents, his children and all of humanity.” (Agreed)

Returning to the noble ayah from at-Tawbah, Allah describes a special and memorable moment from the Hijrah of the Prophet (saas). During the year of the Hijrah, the pagans of Quraysh tried to harm the Prophet in any way that they could and agreed at the end that they should all kill him in unison. This prompted the migration of the Prophet (saas) who escaped with his friend and Companion, Abu Bakr ibnu Abi Quhafah, to the cave of Thawr.

They remained in the cave for three days receiving provision from ‘Amir bin Fuhairah (Abu Bakr’s servant) and news from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr. While in the cave, Abu Bakr was afraid the pagans might discover them for fear that some harm might come the Prophet. The Prophet kept reassuring and calming him, saying,

مَا ظَنُّكَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ بِاثْنَيْنِ اللَّهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا

“O Abu Bakr! What do you think about two, with Allah as their third.” (Agreed Upon)

An important note needs to be mentioned here in regards to translations and the evil ideas that emanate from some of them. Why was Abu Bakr afraid? Some evil and wicked people say that he was a coward and feared for his own life, yet the truth is far from this. It is authentically reported that Abu Bakr himself stated on this matter,

إن أقتل فأنا رجل واحد وإن قُتِلْتَ هلكت الأمة

“If I am killed, then I am nothing more than one man; but if you (Muhammad) are killed then an entire nation will go to ruin!” (Tafseer al-Baghawi)

So in this noble ayah we take many lessons: 1) the virtue of defending the Prophet (saas); 2) the true nature of trusting in Allah which is to make adequate preparations and then put your trust completely in Allah; and 3) the great standing and position of Abu Bakr.

فَلاَ تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ

So let not their wealth or their children amaze you; in reality Allah’s Plan is to punish them with these things in the life of the this world, and that their souls shall depart (die) while they are disbelievers. [6:55]

This ayah references the concept of “istidraaj” which means that when a people have sealed their own fate by continual denial of Allah and His signs then He pours upon them His blessings essentially providing them the rope with which to hang themselves. It is also mentioned clearly in surat al-An’aam:

فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَا أُوتُواْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُم مُّبْلِسُونَ

So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows. [6:44]

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “Whomever Allah gives provision and he thinks that Allah is not testing him, has no wisdom. Whomever has little provision and thinks that Allah will not look at (provide for) him, has no wisdom.” Thus these people were tested by Allah with disaster and they benefited not from it because they neither turned to Him in repentance for their sins nor did they become humbled through the disaster. Instead they continued in their arrogance and heedlessness of Allah and sealed their fate.

عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍعَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ

إِذَا رَأَيْتَ اللَّهَ يُعْطِي الْعَبْدَ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى مَعَاصِيهِ مَا يُحِبُّ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ اسْتِدْرَاجٌ ثُمَّ تَلَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

{ فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْلِسُونَ }

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir reports that he heard the Prophet (saas) say, “If you see Allah provide a servant with material riches while he continues in open disobedience, then think not that He loves him but instead this is ‘istidraaj’ (misdirection that precedes punishment), and then he recited the ayah: So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing….” (Sahih – Ahmad)

This understanding also existed among the early generations who when faced with material riches feared that it was Allah giving them their reward in this life and that they would have no share in the Hereafter.

ان عبد الرحمن بن عوف أتي بطعام وكان صائما فقال قتل مصعب بن عمير وهو خير مني فكفن في بردته ان غطي رأسه بدت رجلاه وان غطي رجلاه بدا رأسه و قال وقتل حمزة وهو خير مني ثم بسط لنا من الدنيا ما بسط أو قال أعطينا من الدنيا ما اعطينا وقد خشينا ان تكون حسناتنا عجلت لنا ثم جعل يبكي حتى ترك الطعام

One day food was brought to Abdul Rahman ibn ‘Awf (ra) with which to break a fast. He looked at the food and said: “Musab ibn Umayr (ra) has been killed and he was better than me. We did not find anything of his to shroud him with except a shroud that if pulled to cover his head then it left his legs uncovered, and if pulled to cover his legs then it left his head uncovered. And Hamzah (ra) was killed and he was better than me. Then we were given the material bounties of the world that we have been given. I really fear that the reward for our deeds has been given to us in this world (and that we shall have no share in the Hereafter).” He began to cry and sob and could not eat.

Many similar narrations are also found regarding the Successors (Tabi’een) of this nature such as when cold water was once brought to Al-Hassan al-Basri that he fainted when he became worried that this was his share of the reward from Allah, etc.

May Allah benefit us from these ayaat and allow us to be among those who will find their reward in both this life and the Hereafter – ameen.

And Allah knows best.