Focus on what pleases Allah
Allah Almighty says,
O my people, let not your hostility towards me cause you to suffer what was suffered by the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Saleh. The people of Lot are not far away from you.’ Hud:89
Reflecting on these verses, Shu’aib (peace be upon him) found his people were hostile towards him and persecuted him despite that he told them not to let their hostility prevent them from following the truth.
All the prophets have brought the same message of compassion and mercy. They wanted people to believe and become close to Allah.
He didn’t want them to allow their emotions of anger and hostility and differences of opinion make them reject the truth. They were not doing anyone any favours except shaytan. So he told them to repent.
Istighfar
If you do istighfar Allah Almighty gives you peace. Otherwise your anger and ego will control you. Allah Almighty says;
And ask your Lord for forgiveness, and repent to Him. My Lord is Merciful and Loving.’ Hud:90
If you do it properly Allah will give you peace and tranquillity, as you can let go of your grudges and then you can focus.
The people said they didn’t understand what he was saying, as if he was talking another language. And on another page.
Their response was negative. They said,
O Shuaib, we do not understand much of what you say, and we see that you are weak among us. Were it not for your tribe, we would have stoned you. You are of no value to us. Hud:91
They called him a weak person. What?! A weak person? They said that they would have killed him but they did not because of the tribe he belonged to.
Culture
Shu’aib then berated them for their lack of understanding. He said,
O my people, is my tribe more important to you than God? And you have turned your backs on Him? My Lord comprehends everything you do. Hud:92
Shu’aib asked them if they had no fear of Allah. They were more concerned about their culture, tribes and the authorities on earth than Allah. Shu’aib asked why they could not see that Allah is the most important, more than their tribe or their family.
Unfortunately sometimes we are that person and give more preference to traditions, culture and society than what pleases Allah Almighty.
We have to bridge this gap and focus on what pleases Allah Almighty first. And then what pleases our family and culture.
We ask Allah to enable us to follow the truth and not to be overtaken by our emotions or culture.
Ameen.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim
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.
