What have you given Islam?
What have you given to Islam?
إِنَّا كَفَيْنَـٰكَ ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِءِينَ
Surely, We are sufficient for you against those who mock, [15:95]
At the end of Surat al-Hijr, Allah reminds us of the tests which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went through when facing the Quraysh. Scholars of tafsir talk about five people who were the main enemies of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, Walid ibn Mughira, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and Uqba ibn Abu Mu’ayt.
Imagine what Prophet Muhammad ﷺ faced
Remember that he was the absolute best of Allah’s creations, and he was being insulted, mocked, spat at, stoned, and more. It’s hard for us to imagine what this felt like without having experienced it.
There is an example of a professor of seerah, someone very knowledgeable and respected who has been teaching for over 20 years. He was invited by the group Tablighi Jamat to go out with them to visit the community and give dawah.
As they were going door to door, one of the people they knocked on spat in his face, and he started to cry. The people who had invited him were horrified and upset that they had caused this venerable man to such an experience, but he said he wasn’t crying because of being spat at.
He said that despite his decades of teaching seerah, it was only now he truly understood how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ must have felt when trying so hard to deliver the message, and being faced with nothing but abuse.
Even though the light poured from his face, the disbelievers hearts were locked and they couldn’t see it. Our Prophet ﷺ faced this abuse because he wanted to deliver the message to us, today. Are we repaying that with heedlessness and distraction, and scrolling on social media?
Allah’s reassurance
وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُن مِّنَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ
We certainly know that your heart is truly distressed by what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be among those who prostrate themselves (before Allah) [15:97-98]
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ never complained about the accusations that were thrown at him. But sometimes even people who don’t complain still need someone to give them a pat on the shoulder and an acknowledgement of everything they have gone through.
In this ayah Allah is telling him that He recognises his distress, and prescribing him the remedy to lighten the burden: to do more tasbih and more sujud, to draw closer to Allah.
What have we given to Islam?
Compare yourself to what Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his family and companions went through. By comparison we are sitting in luxury. They suffered so much to carry the light we now enjoy, and if we don’t understand the gravity of the message and live by it, we won’t be able to pass it on properly to the next generations.
Today we see anti-Muslim hatred rising, especially against hijabi women, but what we face is still nothing compared to the abuse that Prophet Muhammad faced ﷺ. We can put up this, and inshallah Allah will give us victory just as He gave him.
Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 22nd Feb 2026