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Hajj Reflections 10 – Lessons on Trust from the Battle of the Ditch

Hajj Reflections 10 - Lessons on Trust from the Battle of the Ditch

How trust and love can lead to great things

 

During the preparation for the Battle of the Ditch (when Madinah was surrounded) one big rock could not be moved when digging the ditch. The Prophet (peace be on him) just stroked it once and it sparked, he then said ‘Allahu Akbar, I can see the castles of Shaam.’ The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were shocked that in the midst of the fear of more than 10,000 enemies approaching to wipe out the Muslims in their homes, he remained so positive. In the midst of this, the Prophet (peace be on him) was strong and trusted Allah Almighty. He motivated people and pushed them to have more trust in Allah Almighty. He had been given a vision of the future as if it said ‘you will be successful and don’t worry and Islam will be spread and will come to dominate the whole area’. On the second strike of the stone, he said: ‘I can see the throne of Kisra (Khusroes).’
The Prophet (peace be on him) was positive and did not base this on false motivation but on reality because he could see the day when Islam would be spread across the globe. The most important time to be positive is during battles and terrifying situations, and it was at times such as this (amongst others) that the Prophet (peace be on him) showed that he was putting even more trust in Allah Almighty.
The Prophet (peace be on him) trusted Allah Almighty and left Makkah saying:
‘You are the most dear city in my heart and if they didn’t push me wallahi (swearing by Allah) I would never leave.’
At that time Madinah was the size of the boundaries of the mosque in Madinah today and very small for a city. Therefore, what is important is:
• not what you think
• but instead to do your best and leave it to Allah Almighty.
You cannot see what is being planned for you. So do your best and trust Allah Almighty. The Prophet (peace be on him) had full trust in Allah Almighty, leaving the Holy City, his people and friends for the sake of Allah Almighty.
Plenty of Companions did the same, including Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). When he migrated to Madinah, the Ansari brother that he was paired with (as part of the brotherhood/muakhaat program) offered him half of all his possessions including his house and wife after divorce. To which he replied: ‘May Allah bless you and your possessions but just take me to the market (souk).’ He went to the Jewish souk and traded and later established a new market and became the wealthiest person in Madinah. This reflects full trust in Allah Almighty. He did not scream or pull his hair at all the wealth he had left behind in Makkah – instead he had full trust in Allah.

Have deep trust

When you establish trust in Allah Almighty  in your heart – deep, deep trust – it changes the way you deal with everything around you. You think to yourself: ‘Who is controlling things around me and my life? My managers at work etc? No. It is Allah Almighty, so why should I go to x, y or z? Why not just go to Allah, Who controls all and can change all?’ Trust that Allah Almighty is the only Controller. Use the means but connect your heart with Allah Almighty. Deal with the means but not with the feeling that this will give me success. Instead, leave the outcome to Allah Almighty knowing that it is entirely up to Him.
Do what you can and know that only Allah Almighty can give you success. The Prophet (peace be on him) had full submission and surrender to Allah Almighty as well as trust and patience. Trust and patience, these are needed together. So don’t rush things wanting to eat the fruit without planting the seed.

Connect to the akhirah more than dunya

The Prophet’s (peace be on him) heart was not connected to the dunya. The Prophet (peace be on him) had a very simple house. Once Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) filled his mattress with more stuffing to make it comfortable. He was angry the next day and said: ‘Put it back to what it was before as I missed Qiyam al Layl because I enjoyed the sleep so much.’
Once Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was upset that the Messenger of God (peace be on him) had an imprint on his body of the reed mat that he slept upon and yet the king of Persia (Khusroes) enjoyed luxury.
This shows that their hearts were connected with Allah Almighty and fully immersed in connection with akhirah. Many of us in Mina feel uncomfortable with the conditions in Mina! It is about the heart, what is in the heart directs the brain. When the heart is full of love of Allah Almighty it directs you to asking less for dunya. Who loves something keeps mentioning it. So if you love money, you keep mentioning it. Likewise if you love Allah Almighty you keep mentioning Allah Almighty.

You reflect what you love

What is in your hearts reflects in your deeds and words. The Prophet’s (peace be on him) heart was full of love of Allah Almighty’s love and he would giving reminders that made everyone love Allah. It was genuine love and was not fake. Remember the story of the tree trunk in the Prophet’s (peace be on him) mosque that he used to stand on giving his reminders and that started crying when he stopped? The Prophet (peace be on him) went and hugged it and stopped it crying. It was known as Ustuwana al Hannanah or the Compassionate cylinder.
We received from Allah Almighty a nur which was the Prophet (peace be on him) he enlightened our life and the Kitaab al Mubeen – a clear book.

A light from God has come to you, and a clear Book. (5:15)

The more we find out about and love the Prophet (peace be on him) the closer we will be to Allah Almighty. The Prophet(peace be on him) himself said: ‘If you really love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you.’ The more you love Allah Almighty the more you will also love the Prophet (peace be on him).

We need to increase our knowledge. The more that we do this, the more we can live it, convey it and teach it. Visiting the Prophet’s (peace be in him) mosque should ignite us to learn more about him and love him more.

Shaykh Haytham Tamim – Tafseer Class 4th July 2022

  1. Connection and self-discovery
  2. Alone yet united
  3. Sincerity and obedience
  4. Transformation and tests
  5. Choosing between your will and Allah’s
  6. Waiting, being and having nothing
  7. Focus and forgiveness
  8. Emerging from humiliation
  9. Goodness from pain
  10. Have deep trust

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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.