Nusrat: To help him in every way: To help his Deen and Message
Let me begin by asking myself and you, a question. It is a question that I ask my corporate clients when I do my Vision & Values Workshop. Why do you exist? And that leads to another question: What would be lost to your constituents if you didn’t exist? Collin & Porras in their famous book, “Built to Last”, call it Core Purpose which is a critical element of the Core Ideology of an organization. I ask myself and you is, “What is my Core Purpose?” Not what it should be, but what is it?
To help us understand this, imagine that you go to a place where there is no internet, no phone service, no Wi-Fi. How would you feel? If you are suddenly without connectivity, how would you feel? Why? Simple answer. We feel a sense of loss because to be connected is beneficial. We feel we lost something. FOMO is real. So real that it keeps the cash registers of the gamers ringing constantly because we are such faithful customers. We miss losing anything that we believe is beneficial. That is human nature.
Then let me ask another question. What if one day the world wakes up and there is no Islam, no Muslims, no Masaajid, Madaaris, no sign of Islam in the world. The slate wiped clean. What do you think our constituents, non-Muslims, would say? I suggest you ask this question to your friends. And listen carefully to what they say. Please note that I am not implying anything directly or indirectly. This is an open question. Ask it and listen to the answer. I get my corporate clients do this with their clients, customers, neighbors, families and then return to the workshop and share their data. It is very eye-opening and sobering, to say the least. Our true value is not what we think it is, but what our customers, clients, constituents feel they will lose if we are not there any longer. That is our differentiator, our leverage. Differentiation creates Brand. Brand inspires loyalty. Loyalty enables influence. Without brand, you are a grain of rice in a sack.
Allah described the purpose of our existence and said:
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ
A’al Imraan 3: 110 You [Muslims] are the best of people ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma’ruf (all that Allah ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (all that Allah forbade), and you believe in Allah.
We came to give. Not to take. We came to give the world a beautiful way of life, full of compassion, the drive for excellence, and a sense of accountability to the One from Whom nothing is hidden. We came to give this by living it and demonstrating it in our own lives. Our example is the life of Rasoolullahﷺ. Allah taught Rasoolullahﷺ how to introduce himself to the world. He said:
قُلْ هَـذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَاْ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَمَا أَنَاْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
Yusuf 12: 108. Say (O Muhammadﷺ): “This is my way; I invite unto Allah (to Islam) with sure knowledge, I and whoever follows me. And Glorified and Exalted be Allah. And I am not of the Mushrikun (polytheists).”
As an honor for his Nabi’s Ummah, He gave them the job of conveying the message of Islam to the rest of the world. This is the meaning of helping the Deen of Allah. This Ayah declares most clearly our connection to Rasoolullahﷺ. It is not a connection by birth, gender, blood, race, tribe, family, or nationality. It is a connection of faith and work. Those who wish to be connected to Rasoolullahﷺ must do his work. He was ordered to state, ‘This is my way. I invite towards Allah. I, and those who follow me.’ Like it was for the Nabi, this job is not a choice left to our discretion. It is incumbent and compulsory on the one who accepts Allah as his Rabb and Muhammadﷺ as the Messenger of Allah and enters Islam. In honor of that, he is granted this job of the Nabi as his life goal. The reward of that is the company of the Nabi on the Day of Judgment and Jannatul Firdous.
Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to that of those who follow it, without the reward of either of them being lessened,” (Muslim)
Rasoolullahﷺ warned us; “I swear by the One Who has my life in His hands, it is incumbent upon you, that you enjoin what is virtuous and that you forbid what is evil, otherwise Allah will send His punishment on you. Then you will pray to Him but your prayer will not be accepted.” (Tirmidhi)
Allahum-man-sur man-nasara dina Muhammadin sal-lalla-hu alai-hi wa sallama waj-al na-min-hum. Allahum-makhzul man khazala dina Muhammadin sal-lalla-hu alai-hi wa sallam wa la taj-‘alna ma’aa hum.
O Allah help those who help the religion of Muhammadﷺ and count us among them. O Allah disgrace those who try to disgrace the religion of Muhammadﷺ and do not make us of those.
It is therefore the right of Rasoolullahﷺ that the people of his Ummah must help him by helping his work. Allah promised His help and said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ
Muhammad 47:7 O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you, and make your feet firm.
Helping Rasoolullahﷺ is one of the most important ways, if not the most important way, in which we are connected to Rasoolullahﷺ. It is a connection which we need. It is a connection which is critical for our own salvation, so it is something which is essential for us to think about and make every effort to be counted among those who helped Rasoolullahﷺ. Allah, in His usual Majestic and Imperious way said:
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
Tawba 40. If you don’t help him (Muhammadﷺ) (it does not matter), for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they (Muhammadﷺ and Abu Bakr) were in the cave, and he (ﷺ) said to his companion (Abu Bakr): “Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us. ‘Then Allah sent down His Sakinah (tranquility) upon him and strengthened him with forces which you didn’t see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while it was the Word of Allah that became the uppermost, and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
This makes it abundantly clear that when Allah mentions helping His Deen or helping His Messengerﷺ, it is not because they need it but because we need it. It is a means for our salvation. It is our salvation which is in question, not the Deen of Allah. Allah said about His Deen:
يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِؤُواْ نُورَ اللّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللّهُ إِلاَّ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
Tawba 9: 32. They (the enemies of Islam) want to extinguish Allah’s Light (Islam) with their mouths, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the Kafirun (disbelievers) hate (it).
And He said:
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ
Tawba 9: 33. It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammadﷺ) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it superior over all religions even though the Mushrikun (polytheists, disbelievers) hate (it).
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا
Fath 48: 28. He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammadﷺ) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), that He may make it (Islam) superior over all religions. And All-Sufficient is Allah as a Witness.
The Nusrat (help) for Islam and Rasoolullahﷺ consists of practicing Islam and living by the laws of Islam as well as supporting all efforts to establish and propagate Islam in the world. This must begin at home and extend outwards. Islam spread by the winning of hearts and that is what we must do. Work to win the hearts of people. Help them, stand up for them, care for the weak, the poor, the sick, and you will become their beloved. In one word, become valuable.
What about those who did? What about those who helped Rasoolullahﷺ? One thing we need to remember about the Sahaba is that their unique contribution, their differentiator, the reason they are remembered and honored is not because of their piety, or religious knowledge or charity. The Sahaba are honored above all for one thing; and that is for how they helped the mission of Rasoolullahﷺ. What was the result of that? Just two stories.
The first one about Ummuna (our mother) Khadeeja bint Khuwailid (RA), the wife of Rasoolullahﷺ for 25 years until she passed away. She was the wealthiest woman in Makkah. She was a businesswoman and Rasoolullahﷺ was her manager, who she later married. Khadeeja (RA) spent her entire fortune in the service of the mission of her husband, especially when the Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib (Muslims and non-Muslims) were forced to withdraw from Makkah and live in the Valley of Abu Talib (She’eb Abi Talib), in a painful boycott for three years. This resulted in great hardship and starvation and Khadeeja (RA) used all her fortune to buy food at extortionate prices to feed all the people who were confined. One day Rasoolullahﷺ was in his home in Makkah. Jibreel (AS) came to him and said, “Ya Rasoolullahﷺ, your wife Khadeeja is about to come with something to eat for you. Please tell her that I am saying Salaam to her. And please tell her that her Rabb sent me with His Salaam for Khadeeja.”
Rasoolullahﷺ was raising funds for Tabuk. People were bringing their donations. Then Abubakr (R) came with a small bundle. He was wearing a sack as a poncho, secured with thorns. Rasoolullahﷺ asked him what he had brought. He said, “All that I have, Ya Rasoolullahﷺ.” Rasoolullahﷺ asked him, “But what have you left for your family Ya Ababakr?” He replied, “Allah and His Nabi are sufficient for me and my family.” Just then Jibreel (AS) came and said, “Ya Rasoolullahﷺ, please give my Salaam to your friend Abubakr. Then tell him that his Rabb sent me with Salaam for him. And tell him that His Rabb wants to know if Abubakr (R) is pleased with Him.”
Rasoolullahﷺ noticed that Jibreel (AS), the head of the Malaika (angels) was not in his Malaiki glory but was dressed in a sack poncho. Rasoolullahﷺ expressed his surprise and asked, “Ya Jibreel, what is the meaning of this? Why are you dressed like this?” Jibreel (AS) replied, “Ya Rasoolullahﷺ your Rabb liked how your friend Abubakr (R) is dressed so much that He ordered all the angels in the heavens to dress like your friend Abubakr (R). This is the reward of helping the mission of Rasoolullahﷺ.
That is why Allah said about this generation of the Sahaba of Rasoolullahﷺ
وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ وَٱلْأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحْسَـٰنٍ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى تَحْتَهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Tawba 9:100 And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (migrants) and the Ansar (helpers) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.
Allah in His Infinite Mercy left the door open for any Muslim until the Last Day, who wants to follow in the footsteps of the Best Generation, the Sahaba of Rasoolullahﷺ by helping his mission. Allah called them those who He is pleased with. The choice is ours. Do we want to be with the Sahaba of Rasoolullahﷺ or not? We will be with those we follow. I ask Allah to enable us to follow those who followed Rasoolullahﷺ and who Allah was pleased with.
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