Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope
In Surat al-Imran, Allah Almighty says:
وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَوۡنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ
Don’t be weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will prevail if you are true believers. (3:129)
إِن یَمۡسَسۡكُمۡ قَرۡحࣱ فَقَدۡ مَسَّ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ قَرۡحࣱ مِّثۡلُهُۥۚ وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَیَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلِیَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَیَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمۡ شُهَدَاۤءَۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا یُحِبُّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ
If a blow touches you, a similar blow has surely touched the (other) people. For such days We alternate between mankind, and so that Allah may know those who have attained faith and take witnesses from among you. For Allah does not love the unjust. (3:140)
Allah has prohibited us from being weak and sad. Weakness is usually meant physically, but here it is metaphorical, meaning do not lose your will or determination.
A year after the relentless attacks on Palestine which have now spread to Lebanon, our brothers and sisters have suffered death and injury, and we have been saddened by watching the atrocities on social media, and seeing the scenes of brutality and devastation for a whole year. We are also upset by the silence and the hypocrisy of much of the mainstream media.
Therefore, it is very important that we keep up our morale and do not allow ourselves to feel helpless or defeated. We must not allow ourselves to flag and that is why these ayahs of the Quran give us the hope and motivation to cling to our faith and be strong.
Do not be sad
Of course, we cannot help but feel sad at what is happening, but we must not let ourselves sink into a sadness which demotivates us to the extent that we become apathetic and lose hope. Hopelessness is not a good state to be in. That is why we look to these verses which give us positivity.
The background of these two revelations was that the Muslims were defeated at the Battle of Uhud by the enemies, led by Khalid ibn al Walid. Previously, the Muslims had been victorious at the Battle of Badr, so this defeat was difficult to bear. However it was an important lesson in the fact that success and defeat are part of life. Allah restored confidence to the Ummah. They are verses of consolation, to pull the Ummah out of a defeatist mindset.
There will be times when we win and times when we lose, as Allah states, ‘And such days [of varying fortunes] We alternate among the people.’
Al-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) explained that these verses were a source of consolation from Allah to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) after they endured death and injuries that day. Allah offered them words of encouragement, saying, ‘Do not weaken and do not grieve,’ urging them not to be disheartened by their painful experience in the battle against their enemies.
Ask Allah for victory
At Uhud, when Khalid ibn al-Walid surrounded them, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
‘O Allah, we have no strength except through You, and none in this town worships You except these few people.’
Khalid approached, wanting to ascend the mountain over them, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
‘O Allah, do not let them prevail over us.’ Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed: ‘Do not weaken and do not grieve, for you will be superior if you are [true] believers.’
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased) with them reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say when making supplication:
ربِّ أعنِّي ولا تُعِنْ عليَّ، وانصُرني ولا تنصُرْ عليَّ، وامكُر لي ولا تَمكُر عليَّ، واهدِني ويسِّرِ الهدى لي، وانصُرني على من بغَى عليَّ،
ربِّ اجعَلني لَكَ شَكَّارًا، لَكَ ذَكَّارًا، لَكَ رَهَّابًا، لَكَ مُطيعًا، إليكَ مُخبتًا، إليكَ أوَّاهًا مُنيبًا، ربِّ تقبَّل تَوبَتي، واغسِل حَوبَتي، وأجِب دعوَتي، واهدِ قلبي، وسدِّد لساني، وثبِّت حجَّتي واسلُلْ سَخيمةَ قلبي.
My Lord, help me and do not give help against me; grant me victory and do not grant victory over me; plan on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me and make right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over those who act wrongfully towards me.
My Lord, make me grateful to You, mindful of You, full of fear towards You, devoted to You, humble before You, earnest in supplication, and penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, make true my tongue, guide my heart, and draw out the malice in my breast. (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah)
Do not be weak
Ibn Ashur said that the statement ‘And do not weaken and do not grieve’ is a prohibition directed towards the Muslims against the causes of failure. Wahn (weakness) refers to physical frailty, stemming from a weakened state of the self, such as the body. Here, it means faltering of determination, a weakening of will, a shift from hope to despair, courage to fear, and certainty to doubt—hence the command to avoid such weakness.
Do not grieve
The word huzn (grief) means intense sorrow that reaches the point of depression and defeat.
Weakness and grief are emotional states that arise from the belief in failure and calamity, leading to surrender and the abandonment of resistance. Therefore, the prohibition against weakness and grief is, in essence, a prohibition against their underlying cause, which is being defeatist.
Sadness is natural – particularly when we have suffered loss of any kind, there is nothing wrong with that, but we should not have excessive sadness which hinders our functionality. When it prevents us from fulfilling our duty as a parent or spouse, or employee, and becomes debilitating, it needs to be addressed. We are not aliens, who feel no emotion.
Despair is a silent killer. It quietly consumes the heart, and when someone is depressed, it affects everyone around them. Even if a person is upset over something seemingly minor, their family may feel like they’re living in turmoil, constantly picking up the pieces until it passes.
Recharging the Ummah’s battery
After Uhud, the troops were smarting from their humiliation following their failure to follow the Prophet’s explicit instructions, which led to us receiving these lessons on recovery.
When you feel very low, you cannot operate. Like a battery that has run out, it won’t work until it is recharged. Red bars indicate it is dangerously low. You need at least a couple of green bars for it to work. If you wallow in failure, and beat yourself up about it, it is not helpful. What is done is done.
Persistent sadness can lead to depression. From a medical point of view, excessive sadness has an adverse effect on our health, and is linked to heart disease.
Morale boost
The conditional clause ‘If you are believers’, was intended to incite their zeal for faith, since weakness and sadness had overcome them. Of course, Allah already knew they were believers. However, since weakness and grief made them downcast, their will was broken and their certainty had faltered. Thus, they were reminded: if they truly recognised the faith within themselves, they would prevail.
True imaan should not waver. Rather, it has to be a strong imaan that connects you to Allah, no matter what challenges you face in your life, on the battlefield, in society, in politics and in international campaigns.
Do not be defeated. Trust in Allah. Do all that you can, knowing with confidence that He will support you. Allah has promised you victory, but this victory comes with trials and tests.
Allah reminds us not to fall into despair or doubt His promises, for He will never let you down. He never breaks His word. Be assured, Allah is telling you that victory is certain if you remain obedient and follow His commands.
Dua for courage
اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّي أَعْوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الهَـمِّ وَ الْحُـزْنِ، والعًجْـزِ والكَسَلِ والبُخْـلِ والجُـبْنِ، وضَلْـعِ الـدَّيْنِ وغَلَبَـةِ الرِّجال
O Allah, I seek refuge in you from grief and sadness, from weakness and from laziness, from miserliness and from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and overpowered by men (i.e. others). (Bukhari)
We can also make the dua:
O Allah, I am your slave, the son of your slave. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your judgment of me is inescapable. Your trial of me is just. I am invoking You by all the names that You call Yourself, that You have taught to anyone in Your creation, that You have mentioned in Your Book, or that You have kept unknown. Let the Qur’an be delight of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my sadness and the pacifier of my worries.
You will be superior
Whatever challenge you face, be prepared, do your best, and strengthen your connection with Allah to secure victory.
One year after these attacks in Palestine, and now in Lebanon, the promise of Allah stands. Trust Him and you will be victorious. All these tests are bringing us back to Allah and driving the Ummah to be united and revealing the true faces of many of the leaders of our Ummah and the international community. It has exposed those who pretend they uphold international law.
Despite the pain we feel, it is better to have pain and see reality as it is than to be deceived.
When Allah says, ‘And you will be superior if you are believers’, He offers the good news of future victory. You have been chosen. You have guidance, so cling to that. You have been honoured by His message.
The superiority means a higher status and rank. The conditional phrase ‘if you are believers’ is good news for them of future victory. It is meant to evoke pride in our faith.
We ask Allah to grant relief to the Ummah, the people of Palestine and Lebanon and all the oppressed. Ameen.
Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim, 11th Oct 2024 and Tafseer class of April 2020
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