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Be with Allah. Victory is destined.

Be with Allah. Victory is destined.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

عن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله تعالى عنهما قال

كنت رديف رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا غلام أو يا بني ألا أعلمك كلمات ينفعك الله بهن، قلت: بلى، فقال

احفظ الله يحفظك، احفظ الله تجده أمامك، تعرف إلى الله في الرخاء، يعرفك في الشدة. إذا سألت فاسأل الله، وإذا استعنت، فاستعن بالله. فقد جف القلم بما هو كائن، فلو أن الخلق كلهم جميعاً أرادوا أن ينفعوك بشيء، لم يقضه الله لك لم يقدروا عليه، وإن أرادوا أن يضروك بشيء لم يقضه الله لك، لم يقدروا عليه. واعمل لله بالشكر واليقين. واعلم أن في الصبر على ما تكره خيراً كثيراً، وأن النصر مع الصبر، وأن الفرج مع الكرب، وأن مع العسر يسراً

I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he said to me: ‘O young man (or, O son), shall I not teach you words that will benefit you?’ I replied: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah!’ He then said: ‘Protect and observe Allah’s commands, and He will protect you. Protect Allah’s commands, and you will find Him in front of you. Know Allah in times of ease, and He will know you in times of hardship. If you ask, ask Allah, and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. The pen has dried with what is destined. If all of creation gathered to benefit you with something that Allah has not decreed for you, they would not be able to do so; and if they gathered to harm you with something that Allah has not decreed for you, they would not be able to do so. Work for Allah with gratitude and certainty. Know that in patience over what you dislike, there is much good. Victory comes with patience, relief comes with hardship, and with difficulty comes ease.’ (Tirmidhi and Ahmad)

You could spend a whole day on this one hadith, it is so rich and deep. I have chosen this hadith for two reasons. Firstly, because it talks about destiny. Destiny is in Allah’s Hands. No one can change the course of destiny. Regardless of the power which you hold or the support you have, you will not be able to change what Allah has destined. The second point is about patience. Patience is the quality of bearing something you hate. Allah mentioned in the Quran that you might hate something which it is very beneficial for you.

وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تَكۡرَهُوا۟ شَیۡـࣰٔا وَهُوَ خَیۡرࣱ لَّكُمۡۖ وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَیۡـࣰٔا وَهُوَ شَرࣱّ لَّكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know. (2:216)

We are so limited in our understanding, while Allah has the full picture. We only have a tiny piece of the jigsaw.

In this journey described in the hadith, Ibn Abbas was riding behind the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was just a young man, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was instilling in his heart and mind the principles which should be practiced by everyone, building the character of the leader. He taught him that our relationship with Allah has to be strong. Abide by the commands of Allah. No matter what happens around you, Allah is with you. Have full reliance on the power of Allah, not the alliances or troops or groups or nations, rely on the power of Allah. This is the essence of tawheed (monotheism). That is why we say in Surat al Fatiha, which we repeat in our salah, ‘You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help.’ (1:5).

Our brothers and sisters in Palestine have been betrayed by everyone near and far, but they put their trust in Allah and when you rely on Allah, He will never let you down.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that if all of creation came together to benefit you, but Allah did not write it for you, they will not be able to do so. And if all of creation came together to harm you in something that was not decreed by Him, they would not be able to do so.

The announcement of the ceasefire deal was this week. The war that Israel has carried out against Ghaza has achieved mass killing of innocents and complete destruction. They wanted to break the will of the Palestinians, the owners of the land over 15 months with all the brutality, all the troops with the support of a powerful ally, they couldn’t break the will of the Palestinians. Why? Simply because they are connected with Allah Almighty. Whoever fights against Allah will be defeated. No one can win against Allah.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said victory comes with patience. He said to Ibn Abbas that enduring patience about something you hate contains a lot of goodness. No one likes seeing massacres happen, but it has changed the course of history. It has changed the false narrative and will change the future inshallah.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is saying patience is key in any battle, including the battle against Shaytan. To defeat him, you need patience, resilience and a good connection with Allah. Otherwise, we are weak and anything can defeat us – a thorn can defeat us, let alone the troops of the whole world collecting against you. But if you are with Allah, Allah is with you.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that with difficulty comes ease. Allah will bring ease and relief to the people of Palestine. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent this message to the leaders and every single individual of the Ummah through Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), that despite all the cunning plans and betrayals around us, be with Allah. Do your best, rely on Him, be grateful and be certain that He will support you and never let you down. This is yaqeen – knowing 100% from the bottom of your heart that Allah is there for you. He will never let you down. The young Ibn Abbas was so pleased with this advice.

Surat Nasr was revealed after the Battle of Khaybar, to confirm that Makkah would be conquered and the Prophet (peace be upon him) would be victorious. Allah instruct them that when victory came they should glorify Allah for what they were given and seek forgiveness for their shortcomings and not be arrogant. This is why when the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered Makkah, his head was low with his beard almost touching his camel out of his humility (tawadu).

This day came 21 years after the first revelation, and all the suffering the believers endured and the sacrifices they made and the hostility and aggression they faced. The victory did not come overnight, but when the time came, Allah made it happen. Though He could have delivered it earlier, He let the course of history take shape and allowed people to go through these trials to learn and become better.

Victory did not come overnight. Allah, in His infinite wisdom, allowed history to unfold and trials to shape the believers. While He could have granted victory earlier, He let the believers endure hardships to learn, grow, and strengthen their faith. The migration to Madinah marked the beginning of a new chapter. The people of Madinah, known for their hospitality, generosity, and courage, welcomed the Prophet (peace be upon him) and offered him protection. They made great sacrifices, often sleeping with their weapons at hand, always ready to defend against potential attacks. After eight challenging years in Madinah, relief and victory finally arrived.

We need to be grateful to Allah and trust that He will not let us down.

May He grant relief to the people of Palestine, protect them from harm, and safeguard them Ameen.

Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 17th Jan 2025

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.