Four lessons from the opening of Surat al Ahzab
In Surat al-Ahzab, Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ ٱتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْكَافِرِينَ وَٱلْمُنَافِقِينَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا
O Prophet, be mindful of Allah and do not obey the deniers and the hypocrites. Indeed, Allah has always been All-Knowing, All-Wise (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:1)
Surat al-Ahzab was revealed at the end of the fifth year after the Hijrah. After the Battle of Ahzab, when the confederate parties surrounded Madinah, nearly ten thousand of them, intending to kill the Prophet ﷺ and the believers.
After Allah protected Madinah through His power and miracles, and after the Muslims did everything in their ability to defend the city by digging the trench around it, Allah revealed this surah to comment on many matters connected to that experience.
The surah speaks about the resilience of the believers, and Allah gives them guidelines to follow. Although the battle had ended, they were instructed to go back and review what happened, just as one should after every trial or project, whether it ends in success or failure.
Allah is teaching us how to look back, assess our gaps and strengths, what today we would call a SWOT analysis.
At the beginning of the surah, Allah calls the Prophet ﷺ: “Ya ayyuha al-nabi.”
Whenever Allah addresses other messengers in the Qur’an, He calls them by name, for instance, “Ya Ibrahim,” “Ya Musa,” and so on.
But when it comes to Muhammad ﷺ, Allah never says “Ya Muhammad.” Not once. He always says “Ya ayyuha an-nabi” and “Ya ayyuha ar-rasul.” This shows his honour and rank as the master of humanity, including all the messengers. As the Prophet ﷺ said:
أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَلَا فَخْرَ
“I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, and this is no boast.” (Muslim)
Allah tells him to have taqwa. All messengers already possess taqwa by default, so why say this? The fact that he was chosen means he was righteous even before prophethood. This instruction is for us through him – to live with taqwa.
Everyone must be a person of taqwa: fulfilling obligations and avoiding what is prohibited. This is, in essence, obedience.
Then Allah instructs us not to listen to the advice of the disbelievers and the hypocrites. This is part of the assessment and review. The atmosphere of the surah teaches how to manage our affairs in the midst of challenges, obstacles and temptations.
Allah is teaching us what to do when we face such situations, because the Qur’an is the Book of Guidance. He is saying: choose the right advisors and your close circle. Do not listen to those who pretend to give you good advice but are, in reality, enemies in disguise. Be aware of your enemies and be clear about who belongs in your inner circle. Even without going into the specific reasons for revelation, the guidelines are clear.
Then Allah says:
وَاتَّبِعْ مَا يُوحَىٰ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
And follow what is revealed to you from your Lord; indeed, Allah has always been All-Aware of what you do. (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:2)
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
And place your trust in Allah, for Allah is sufficient as a Trustee. (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:3)
Follow only the authentic source, the revelation, which you can trust. In the middle of clouds and confusion you need clear guidance. It is like a lighthouse on a cloudy day that shows you the direction. And the direction here is the revelation of Allah.
If you want to come out of the test safely, all you must do is follow Allah’s direction.
Allah is teaching us how to translate iman into action: be obedient to Him, do not listen to false advisors, follow divine guidance, hold fast to revelation, and rely on Allah.
Along the way you will encounter surprises, so you need contingency plans, just like in the financial world. Do the right thing, listen to good advisors, follow guidance, put in your best effort, and then leave the rest to Allah. Even after all this, there will still be something you never expected. This is part of the test, and this is why we must put our trust in Him – not becoming complacent or arrogant, thinking success comes from our ability alone. You need Allah. Be humble. Take the medicine, but know that Allah is the One who grants shifa (healing) through it.
In the beautiful hadith, one of my favourites, the Prophet ﷺ said:
َوْ أَنَّكُمْ تَتَوَكَّلُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ حَقَّ تَوَكُّلِهِ، لَرَزَقَكُمْ كَمَا يَرْزُقُ الطَّيْرَ، تَغْدُو خِمَاصًا وَتَرُوحُ بِطَانًا
“If you were to rely on Allah as He deserves, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds.” (Tirmidhi)
It leaves its nest in the morning with an empty stomach and returns full in the evening. The bird did not sit in its nest waiting for food. It went out and sought it. Do not let the bird be better than you.
Allah is sufficient for you. When you trust Him, He is your Wakeel. If your Wakeel is Allah, no one can defeat you. But you must do all the above, then rely on Him. Tawakkul is an action of the heart – not lip service.
Imam al-Sha‘rawi said: The heart performs tawakkul, and the body performs action.
So the body must act.
Allah is teaching us the pillars needed to change our reality – a reality full of challenges, obstacles and temptations. When things are cloudy and you do not know what to do or where to go, the surah gives you the steps:
• Taqwa
• Choosing the right advisors and close circle
• Following the divine revelation while doing your homework
• Trusting Allah – for He will never let you down
Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 28th November 2025.