Having a shared vision
In Surat At-Tawbah, Allah states:
وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُهَـٰجِرِینَ وَٱلۡأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِینَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحۡسَـٰنࣲ رَّضِیَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنۡهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی تَحۡتَهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِینَ فِیهَاۤ أَبَدࣰاۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ
“And the pioneers—the first of the Muhājirīn and the Anṣār—and those who followed them with excellence: Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the supreme success.”
(Surat At-Tawbah 9:100)
Surat At-Tawbah is among the last surahs to be revealed, if not the last surah. In it Allah is telling the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that his mission had been accomplished, the message had been delivered and his job was done and he would leave.This verse honours the early believers – those who bore the greatest weight of sacrifice and struggle.
The sacrifices of the first generation
Allah acknowledges the perseverance and sacrifices of those who carried the message with the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Muhājirīn (emigrants from Makkah) left behind their homes, their businesses, their families, their children, their wealth and their beloved city for the sake of Allah. They endured extreme hardships: social boycott, torture, hunger, and even death. The likes of Yāsir and his family paid with their lives.
Look how strong the first generation was. They have the same DNA as us, so why are we different? They remained steadfast, firm in their commitment to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. It is the strength of your īmān which makes or breaks your future plans. It is the light of revelation which transforms lives
Compare that with us today: sometimes we find it hard to even sacrifice comfort or convenience. We melt under pressure like chocolate in the sunshine, while they stood like mountains. What gave them such strength? It was īmān, and the power of divine revelation in their lives.
The role of the Ansar
The Anṣār (helpers of Madinah) also made immense sacrifices. They welcomed the Prophet ﷺ into their city, opened their homes, and shared their wealth. Though Madinah offered some relief from Makkan persecution, it came with new challenges, most notably the rise of hypocrisy (nifāq), a problem that didn’t exist in Makkah.
Lessons from the Hijrah
The Prophet ﷺ migrated at the end of Ṣafar and arrived in Madinah on 12th Rabīʿ al-Awwal. The Islamic calendar, however, begins with Muḥarram, making Hijrah the defining moment. It was a symbol of sacrifices and resilience and facing the challenges of our reality no matter what. Hijrah represents:
- Facing challenges with courage
- Overcoming adversity
- Seeking and building better alternatives
- Starting afresh with Tawakkul (reliance on Allah)
The Prophet ﷺ didn’t escape reality, he faced it. In Madinah, he built a society, formed alliances, developed leadership, and nurtured faith. With the new year we have many challenges. We still have many weaknesses in our community. We have difficulties to overcome on a daily basis, not just every year. Our role model is the Prophet (peace be upon him), so we look to him and the way he dealt with reality.
Vision and unity of purpose
The Prophet ﷺ had a clear vision. He led people from shirk to īmān, from injustice to justice, from worldly temptation to eternal salvation. His vision wasn’t his own, it was divine. A true leader shares a vision that inspires and transforms.
The companions bought into his vision so deeply that they carried it to the corners of the earth, even after the Prophet’s death. It was their sacrifices, deep īmān and understanding, and their application of divine revelation in their life that caused history to change. We are indebted to their determination. We are Muslims today because of their belief, their sacrifices, and their understanding of revelation.
Building society today
The Prophet ﷺ built a robust, principled society in Madinah; he worked on the character of the companions, equipped them with knowledge and trained them in leadership. He appointed them as leaders in different places.
We too must build strong communities, deeply connected to Allah, aware of our realities, and equipped to face them. This includes:
- Forming meaningful alliances with like-minded people
- Staying grounded in Islamic principles
- Facing hardship with purpose and strategy
- Working together with a shared vision
We cannot afford to be passive. Today’s challenges, whether global, like Palestine, or local, within our homes, require action, resilience, and leadership.
We have to build bridges and alliances. We can’t face reality on our own, we need to join with like-minded people, who share our principles. In this new year, we are still pained at the situation in Palestine and in the world, so we need to do our homework and work hard in order to change reality and face it with alternative solutions and good ideas. Otherwise we will be beaten by the challenges of our own time.
The Prophet’s dua for the new moon
As we begin the new Islamic year, it is fitting to recall the prophetic supplication when sighting the new moon:
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُمَّ أَهِلَّهُ عَلَيْنَا بِالْأَمْنِ وَالْإِيمَانِ، وَالسَّلَامَةِ وَالْإِسْلَامِ، وَالتَّوْفِيقِ لِمَا يُحِبُّ رَبُّنَا وَيَرْضَى، رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ
“Allah is the Greatest. O Allah, bring it over us with security and faith, with safety and Islam, and with success in that which You love and are pleased with, our Lord and your Lord is Allah.”
(Tirmidhī, Dārimī)
Hijrah is a symbol of facing challenges, overcoming difficulties, and finding solutions and alternatives.
Let us reflect on and embody the traits that defined the best generation:
- Clarity of vision and unity of purpose
- Conveying the Word of Allah, the Exalted
- Standing against injustice and spreading justice
- Building leadership
- Ability to remain steadfast
- Patience
- Strength of faith
- Reliance on Allah (tawakkul)
- Using the means at our disposal
We ask Allah to enable us to face our challenges with wisdom, strength, and sincerity. May He make us firm upon His path, followers of the Prophet ﷺ, and inheritors of the legacy of the Muhājirīn and Anṣār.
Āmīn.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 27th June 2025