Now that we have learnt about how we come to success, let’s now talk about the strong believer.
Question: Who can tell me who was a strong believer during the time of the Prophet Muhammad ?
Yes! There are so many of them, like Umar, Hamza, Khalid ibn Walid, az-Zubayr ibn Awwaam, Nusaibah, and Ali [may Allah be pleased with them all].
Before Umar ibn al-Khattab became Muslim, the Muslims would not pray publicly in front of the Ka’bah. They would be beaten and hurt if they attempted to do so. But, when Umar became Muslim, he went directly in front of the Ka’bah to pray. When the Prophet Muhammad commanded the Muslims to perform the hijrah (migration from Mecca to Medina), many Muslims did so at night so as not to be seen by the Qurayshi tribes that wanted to keep them in Mecca. Umar on the other hand, declared his migration and threatened anyone that attempted to stop him. Abdallah ibn Mas’ud said:
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“Umar’s submission to Islam was a conquest, his migration was a victory, his khalifa (period of rule) was a blessing. I have seen when we were unable to pray at the Ka’bah until Umar submitted. When he submitted to Islam, he fought them (the pagans) until they left us alone and we prayed.”
There is a phrase in the Qur’an where Allah commands Prophet Musa and Prophet Yahya to take the book with determination; فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ (fa khuth-ha bi quwwa) [take it with power] .
Question: What do you think it means to take the book with determination, or with power?
While the Qur’an is definitely a book that is soothing for our souls, it is also supposed to empower us and strengthen us, so that we can then go forth and empower others by it as well.
When we practice what is in the Qur’an, it allows us to remain upright, and builds our spiritual muscles as well. Just like you have to train to grow your physical muscles, you have to keep training for spiritual muscles too.
Question: What are some ways we can train our spiritual muscles?
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