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Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel – Allah is Sufficient for us. How to react under pressure

Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel - Allah is Sufficient for us. How to react under pressure
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December 08, 2023
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The tactic of spreading fear

Allah Almighty said in Surat Aal Imran:

(الَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْقَرْحُ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَوْا أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ . الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ . فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُوا رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ. إِنَّمَا ذَ ٰ⁠لِكُمُ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ یُخَوِّفُ أَوۡلِیَاۤءَهُۥ فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمۡ وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ).

Those who responded to the call of Allah and the Messenger, even after they had received the wound, for those of them who did good deeds and feared Allah there is a great reward.

– (that is) those to whom people said, “The people have gathered against you; so, fear them.” It increased them in Faith and they said, “Allah is fully sufficient for us, and the best One in whom to trust.”

So, they returned with bounty from Allah, and grace, with no evil having even touched them, and submitted to the pleasure of Allah. Allah is the Lord of great bounty.

It is none but Satan who frightens (you) of his friends. So, do not fear them; but fear Me, if you are believers. (Aal- Imran: 3:172-175)

After the Battle of Uhud when the believers were defeated due to their disobedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Sufyan who was leading the troops against the Prophet (peace be upon him) said on his way back to Makkah that next year they would come and defeat them again. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) what they should reply and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said he should tell Abu Sufyan that they would return there the next year. When the appointment came, Abu Sufyan was hesitant and afraid to fight the Prophet (peace be upon him) and so he told Nu’aym ibn Masood that he should spread the report that they had gathered a massive troops and were coming to crush them. Nu’aym asked what he would get in return for doing this and Abu Sufyan offered him ten strong she camels. He went to Madinah and started spreading the rumours.

The ayahs describes the situation, the purpose of Nu’aym’s spreading fake news was to instill fear among the believers – to terrify them so they would be paralysed, unable to fight back. To make them not fight because the other side was bound to win and they would be lambs to the slaughter.

Today we see the same tactic of spreading fear. Yet the ayah tells us how to deal with such a situation – instead of saying submit and surrender and give up in the face of adversity, it says increase your imaan – your faith in God.

Many people in the West will not understand this concept. It is contrary to the assumption that when you put someone under pressure it makes them weak. In 1945, the US bombed Hiroshima and they surrendered. The uranium bomb detonated with an explosive yield equal to 15,000 tonnes of TNT, it razed and burnt around 70 per cent of all buildings and caused an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945. Normally one expects that if you are put under pressure you crack. However the Quranic guidance is to increase faith and become stronger under pressure, which is against the odds.

Strengthen your imaan when you are under pressure

In Surat al Ahzab, again we see that under pressure the imaan of the true believers strengthened. Of course when it comes to hypocrites their imaan melts under pressure and they are exposed.

وَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلۡأَحۡزَابَ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَصَدَقَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥۚ وَمَا زَادَهُمۡ إِلَّاۤ إِیمَاناً وَتَسۡلِیماً

When the believers saw the coalition forces, they said, “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised to us, and Allah and His Messenger had told the truth.” It only improved them further in faith and submission. [Al-Aḥzāb, 33:22]

What is the promise that believers are referring to here? The best explanation is what Ibn Kathir mentioned in his tafsir that the promise of Allah is that it is a test that is followed by empowerment and victory. The believers could see that they were being tested and that meant that victory was coming. As it is stated in Surat al Baqarah it is inevitable that we will be tested. Some tests will shake us greatly:

أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُوا۟ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا یَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِینَ خَلَوۡا۟ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَاۤءُ وَٱلضَّرَّاۤءُ وَزُلۡزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ یَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَاۤ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ.

Do you think that you will enter Paradise while you have not yet been visited by (difficult) circumstances like those that were faced by the people who passed away before you? They were afflicted by hardship and suffering, and were so shaken down that the prophet, and those who believed with him, started saying: “When (will come) the help of Allah?” (Then, they were comforted by the Prophet who said to them) ‘Behold, the help of Allah is near.’ [Al Baqarah, 2:214]

Knowing this, believers had complete confidence that no matter how severe the tests they endured, Allah had promised that they would win in the end. Therefore these attacks did not shake their imaan or dilute it, but conversely increased their resoluteness and resilience.

Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel

The quranic guidance on how to behave under pressure is thus to say hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel:

{Those to whom people said, “The people have gathered against you; so, fear them.” It increased them in Faith and they said, “Allah is fully sufficient for us, and the best One in whom to trust}.3:173.

Just as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did when he was flung in the fire by disbelievers who wanted him to renounce Islam. Similarly Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would say this in the midst of any calamity or battle.

Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said:

عن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: «حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الوَكِيلُ: قَالَهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ حِينَ أُلْقِي فِي النَّارِ، وَقَالَهَا مُحَمَّدٌ صلى الله عليه وسلم حِينَ قَالُوا: «إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ».البخاري.

When (Prophet) Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, he said: “Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs.” So did Messenger of Allah Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he was told: “A great army of the pagans had gathered against him, so fear them”. But this (warning) only increased him and the Muslims in Faith and they said: “Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)”. [Bukhari]

On another occasion, Abu Sa’eed Al Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الخُدري رضي الله تعالى عنه، قَالَ:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: ‏”‏ كَيْفَ أَنْعَمُ وَصَاحِبُ الْقَرْنِ قَدِ الْتَقَمَ الْقَرْنَ، وَاسْتَمَعَ الإِذْنَ:مَتَى يُؤْمَرُ بِالنَّفْخِ فَيَنْفُخُ!‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَكَأَنَّ ذَلِكَ ثَقُلَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم،  فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: ‏

“‏ قُولُوا: حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، عَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا ‏“‏ ‏.‏

‘How can I be comfortable when the one with the horn is holding it to his lip, his ears listening for when he will be ordered to blow, so he can blow.’ It was as if that was very hard upon the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), so he said to them:

‘Say: “Allah is sufficient for us and what a good protector He is, and upon Allah we rely.” [Tirmidhi]

Dua for safety

The second dua we should recite is mentioned in the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ashari (may Allah be pleased with him) who reported:

عن أبي موسي الأشعري رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ كان إذا خاف قوماً قال‏:‏ ‏

“‏ اللّهُـمَّ إِنا نَجْـعَلُكَ في نُحـورِهِـم

وَنَعـوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شُرورِهـمْ”‏ ‏

When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), feared mischief from a people, he would supplicate:

“Allahumma inna naj’aluka fi nuhurihim, wa na’udhu bika min shururihim”.

“O Allah, we make You our shield against them, and we seek refuge in You from their evil”. [Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i]

Be hopeful

No matter how challenging our current reality – remember that victory will come.

لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلاَّ أَذًى وَإِن يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الأَدُبَارَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُنصَرُون 

They shall never (be able to) cause you any harm except a little hurt. If they fight you, they will turn their backs on you, then they shall not be helped.

[Aal Imran 3:111]

Imam al Qurtubi said: They will not defeat you, and you will be victorious over them. No conflict will befall you except harm through distortion. As for the outcome, it will be for the believers.

Abu Hayyan said in Al-Bahr: They will not harm you except a bit, and if they fight you, they will runaway and then they will not be helped. These two sentences contain the report of two independent meanings, which is that their harm to you will only be a minor harm, meaning that they will not be able to eradicate you. Therefore, if they fight you, they will be defeated and you will be victorious.

May Allah enable all the oppressed to defend themselves and secure victory over their oppressors. Ameen.

Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim 8th Dec 2023

Dua for Palestine and the Oppressed
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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.

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