Sheikh Dr.

Mahir al-Maeqli 24/03/1438 (23/12/2016G)

The Jurisprudence of ‘Divine’ Trial

Khutbah Topic

His Eminence Sheikh Mahir ibn Hamad al-Maeqli –May Allah protect him– delivered
this Friday khutbah titled “The Jurisprudence of ‘Divine’ Trial” in which he talked about
trial as one of Allah’s laws. He explained that the people who experienced the hardest trials
are Almighty Allah’s prophets then come the most righteous. He also said that the severity of
the trial is commensurate with the degree of religious devotion the servant may show. He also
pointed out the ways for Muslims to preserve their reward should they experience trial or
misfortunes strike. All this is presented through the story of Ghazwat Ahzab (the Battle of the
Confederates) which is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet –May
Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him!

Part One

Praise be to Allah! Praise be to Allah, a profuse, noble, and blessed praise, as He

loves and pleases! I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner. He
is Great in His Lordship, Divinity, Names and Attributes. He is Wise in His Decrees and
Rulings. I also bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah; he was
tested by good fortunes and he responded by offering thanks and appreciation, and he was
also tested by misfortunes and he responded with patience. May Allah send His Salat
(Graces, Honours, Mercy), Peace and Blessing upon him, his Family, Companions and the
tabi’in who followed in their footsteps in righteousness until the Day of Encounter!

Now then, O Muslims!

Observe true taqwa (fear of Allah) and cling to the most trustworthy hand-hold of
Islam:

O you who believe [in Mûsa (Moses) (i.e. Jews) and 'Iesa (Jesus)
(i.e. Christians)]! Fear Allâh, and believe too in His Messenger
(Muhammad SAW), He will give you a double portion of His Mercy,
and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight), and
He will forgive you. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Al-
Hadid: 28]

O Muslim Ummah!

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Allah has not meant life on earth to be a permanent sojourn for His servants nor a
home of everlasting delights for His true believers; He wanted it to be a home of trials and
testing whereby He tests His servants with adversities and calamities.

and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us
you will be returned. [Al-Anbiya’: 35]

No believer in Allah and the Last Day has ever been able to escape his fair share of
trial, as has been told by the Lord of the Heavens and Earth. He –May He be glorified and
may His Names be sanctified‒ said:

Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We
believe," and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who
were before them. And Allâh will certainly make (it) known (the
truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the
falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allâh knows all that
before putting them to test). [Al-Ankabut: 2-3]

Trial comes in proportion with giving: Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas –May Allah be pleased
with him– reported that he asked the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him–
“Which people receive the hardest of trials?” “The prophets,” he answered, “followed by
the most righteous then the less righteous and so on. A man is tested according to the
strength of his faith. If his faith is solid, his testing will be as solid. If, however, his faith is
soft, he is tested accordingly. Trials will leave the servant only when he walks on earth
without a sin registered against him,” he concluded. This hadith was narrated by Al-
Tirmidhi, who described it as “a good, sound hadith.”

That’s why the Prophets ‒Peace be upon them‒ showed the highest degree of
endurance and optimism despite the ordeals they had to go through. When tossed into the
fire, Allah’s close friend (Khalilu Allah), Prophet Ibrahim ‒Peace be upon him‒ said:

Hasbuna Allah wa Ni’ma Al-Wakeel "Allâh (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and
He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us) [Al Imran: 173]

When Musa (Moses), Allah’s Addressee (Kaleemu Allah) –Peace be upon him‒ and
his followers were trapped between a merciless enemy and a raging sea, his people said:

"We are sure to be overtaken." [Mûsa (Moses)] said: "Nay, verily!

With me is my Lord, He will guide me." [Al-Shu’ara: 61-62]
Similarly, when Ya’qoub (Jacob) –Peace be upon him– lost the most beloved of his
sons, he said:

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"O my sons! Go you and enquire about Yûsuf (Joseph) and his
brother, and never give up hope of Allâh's Mercy. Certainly no one
despairs of Allâh's Mercy, except the people who disbelieve." [Yusuf:
87]

As to our Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ he also suffered a lot
from trial: his people harmed him and drove him out of the city (Makkah), and plotted to
assassinate him:

And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you (O

Muhammad SAW) to imprison you, or to kill you, or to get you out
(from your home, i.e. Makkah); they were plotting and Allâh too
was planning, and Allâh is the Best of the planners. [Al-Anfal: 30]

Yet, he was most perseverant and kept his unshakable faith in His Lord. In the Battle
of Uhud, one of his incisor teeth was broken and he sustained facial and head wounds.
Wiping the flowing blood off his face, he said: “How could the people who harmed their
prophet succeed?” They broke one of his incisor teeth, but he is calling them to Allah. [An
agreed-upon hadith]

That same day, the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ lost many of
his Companions, including his uncle Hamza –May Allah please him and be pleased with
him– who was dearest and closest to his heart. He found his mutilated body: his torso cut
open, his viscera scattered and his nose cut off. His uncle Hamza as well as seventy of the
Prophet’s close Companions were buried at the foot of Mount Uhud. The Prophet –May
Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ wished that he had been one of those martyrs on that
day.

In Imam Ahmad’s Musnad, with a sound chain of narration, that the Prophet –May
Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ said: “I swear by Allah that I wished I were left with
my Companions in the heart of the mountain.”

However, good faith in Allah has soon erased this transient sorrow, and the Prophet –
May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ came to check on his Companions, allay their
losses and show them that he accepted what had happened as decreed by Allah. It was
narrated in Imam Ahmad’s Musnad, and in other sources too with a sound chain of narration,
that the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ when he had finished burying
Uhud Martyrs, told his Companions: “Line up so that I may praise my Lord!” So they lined
up behind him in rows as he stood there for a long time offering his Lord the praise that He
verily deserved.

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The Prophet’s supplication included: “O Allah! Verily, all praise is due to You! No
one can preclude what You make available. No one can make available what You
preclude. No one can guide the one that You lead astray, and no one can lead astray the
one that You guide. No one can give what You withhold, and no one can withhold what
You give. Nothing can bring closer what You set wide asunder, and no one can set asunder
what You wish to bring closer. O Allah! Please bestow upon us from Your Blessings,
Compassion, Graces and Favours.”

In the fifth Hijri year, the Confederates mobilized their forces to fight the Prophet –
May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. They came from far and wide, but he kept calm,
retained his patience and faith in Allah despite the impending doom and gloom. In his Sahih,
Al-Bukhari, quoting Al-Baraa’ –May Allah be pleased with him‒ narrated that the Prophet –
May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ used to move the dirt on the Day of the Trench
until his belly was covered in dust. He would say: “I swear to Allah that without Allah we
would have never been guided, given charity, or performed our prayers. So please confer
tranquillity upon us, and steady our feet when we meet the enemy; our enemies have
committed acts of aggression against us; whenever they wanted to spread fitnah, we would
refuse” and he raised his voice: “refuse, refuse.”

While digging the trench for two weeks, exhausted by hunger and lack of sleep,
Muslim diggers came across a massive, solid rock that broke their pick axes and fatigued
them. Jabir –May Allah be pleased with him– described the disconcerting situation on that
day, saying: “We were digging on the Day of the Trench, when we suddenly came across a
huge rock. When they told the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ about it,
he said: “I am coming down.” He stood up with a stone strapped around his belly out of
hunger as we had gone hungry for three nights. The Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace
be upon him‒ took a pick axe and hit the rock; it was turned into a heap of sand.” [Narrated
by Imam Bukhari]

In cold nights, the Confederates assembled over ten thousand soldiers around Al-
Madinah Al-Munawwarah. As for the Muslim camp, there were no more than three thousand
since Banu Quraidhah (a Jewish tribe) revoked their pledge to the Prophet –May Allah’s
Salat and Peace be upon him. Things got worse, and the disconcerting situation became more
and more desperate. Fear, mixed with hunger and cold, started to take its toll, and elements of
victory seemingly subsided. It was a foreboding hardship, and what a hardship! Describing
the situation, Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ said:

When they came upon you from above you and from below you,
and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats,
and you were harbouring doubts about Allâh. There, the believers
were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking. [Al-Ahzab: 10-11]

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Despite all that, the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– kept
assuring his Companions of their Lord’s promise, the lifting of their affliction and the
perishing of their enemy.

In al-bayhaqi’s Sunan Kubra, we read that when distress became intense on the
Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ and his Companions, many people fell
into hypocrisy and said repulsive words. When the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat
and Peace be upon him‒ saw the distress and calamity that people were enduring, he began
giving them glad tidings and said: “I swear by the One in whose hand [Allah] is my soul
that the distress and calamity you are now witnessing will be relieved; for I hope that I will
circumambulate the Ancient House safely, and that Allah ‒Glory be to Him‒ will push [to
me] the keys of the Ka’bah. Allah will destroy Khosrau and Caesar, and you will spend
their treasures in the Cause of Allah.”

Distresses ‒O servants of Allah‒ are never relieved except by believing in the

Oneness of Allah (Monotheism). While under siege, the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and
Peace be upon him‒ used to say repeatedly: “There is no deity except Allah Alone. He
honoured His soldiers, granted victory to His Servant (Prophet Muhammad), and He Alone
defeated the clans (the confederates). There is nothing after Him.” [Narrated by Bukhari
and Muslim]

However, hypocrites and the evil-hearted across time and space will ever be the same.
They spread rumours, false news and disappointment in order to spread fear and weakness
among the believers’ ranks. Some of them used to say: Muhammad promises us the treasures
of Khosrau and Caesar while every one of us does not feel safe to go away to relieve himself
of the necessities of nature!

Moreover, some of them began asking the Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be
upon him‒ for permission to go back home, saying:

"Truly, our homes lie open (to the enemy)." And they lay not open.
They but wished to flee. [Al-Ahzab: 13]

And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease (of
doubts) said: "Allâh and His Messenger (SAW) promised us nothing
but delusions!" [Al-Ahzab: 12]

However, true believers never lose their connection with their Lord or the trust in
their Creator no matter how much they suffer in the cause of Allah. The Companions ‒May
Allah please them and be pleased with them‒ put their trust in Allah. They were steadfast and
relied on Him, and so they were granted victory.

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Sheikh Al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: “Allah granted
victory to His Servant [Muhammad] and honoured His soldiers in the Ghazwah of Al-Ahzab
[the Confederates] without fighting, but with the steadfastness the believers showed in the
face of their enemy.”

And when the believers saw AlAhzâb (the Confederates), they said:
"This is what Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW) had
promised us, and Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW) had
spoken the truth, and it only added to their faith and to their
submissiveness (to Allâh). [Al-Ahzab: 22]

May Allah bless the Great Qur’an for you and me and may He grant us benefit from
the signs and wisdom it contains. I say this and pray Allah to forgive my sins and yours. So
pray Him forgiveness, for He is, indeed, Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!

Part Two

Praise be due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the deity of the earliest and latest
generations of mankind, the Eternal Guardian of the heavens and the earths. I bear witness
that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner. He is the King and Clear Truth. I
also bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, the truthful and trustworthy.
May Allah send His Salat and Peace upon him, his Family, his Companions, the tabi’in, and
those who righteously follow them till the Day of Judgement!

Now then, O believers!

Having good faith in Allah is indeed a noble form of heart-felt worship without which
a servant’s faith is never complete. This is prompted by Allah’s Good Names and Great
Attributes. Indeed, whoever maintains good faith in Allah, Allah will grant it to him. In a
hadith where all the scholars of hadith agreed-upon its authenticity, we read: “Allah, the
Almighty, says: 'I am as my servant expects me to be.”

Abdullah ibn Masoud ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said: “I swear by Allah Who
is the only deity, and there is none other than Him, a believing servant is never given
anything better than having good faith in Allah. I swear by Allah Who is the only deity, and
there is none other than Him, any servant who has good faith in Allah ‒Glory be to Him‒

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(concerning anything he wishes), Allah ‒Glory be to Him‒ will grant him his wish, for all the
good is in His Hand.”

If having good faith in Allah is a necessary requirement in all conditions, it becomes

all the more so in times of distress and hardships.

In al-Bukhari’s Sahih, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt ‒May Allah be pleased with him‒ said:
“We complained to the Messenger of Allah ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒
while he was lying in the shade of the Ka'bah, having made a pillow of his cloak. We said:
"Don’t you pray Allah for our victory!?Don’t you supplicate for us!?" He said: "In earlier
times, a man would be seized and held in a pit dug for him in the ground and he would be
sawed into two halves from his head down, and his flesh torn away from his bones with an
iron comb; but, in spite of this, he would not wean away from his Faith. By Allah, Allah
will bring this matter to its consummation until a rider will travel all the way from San'a to
Hadramout fearing none but Allah, and only the wolf for his sheep, but you are in too
much of a hurry!”

In the long history of our Ummah, there were big events, great wars and calamities
that were relieved by repentance unto him and making recourse to His Book (The Qur’an)
and the Sunnah of his Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! In the Qur’an, we
read:
Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those
who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh Islâmic Monotheism) in this
world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth, (i.e.
Day of Resurrection). [Ghafir: 51]

A believer ‒O servants of Allah‒ may find himself in severe distress and hardship,
surrounded by calamities and ordeals, burdened by sorrow and gloom, yet, he keeps his trust
in his Lord and His victory, hopes for His support, awaits His relief and generosity, does
everything he can, as ordered by Allah, in order to ensure victory and empowerment.

O Muslim Ummah!

What is now happening in the Muslim countries requires standing firmly and
steadfastly in the face of everything that threatens stability, endangers the Holy Sites, or
causes division amongst Muslims.

How Muslims are in need today of joining efforts with their leaders to achieve unity
of stance and stand unified against their enemy. Allah is so truthful when He says:

And obey Allâh and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one
another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be

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patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are As-Sâbirin (the patient
ones, etc.). [Al-Anfal: 46]

O believers! You should know that Allah, having begun with Himself, has graciously
ordered you saying, and He is the Most glorious Speaker:

Allâh sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on

the Prophet (Muhammad SAW) and also His angels too (ask Allâh to
bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât[] on
(ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad SAW), and (you should) greet
(salute) him with the Islâmic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-
Salâmu 'Alaikum). [Al-Ahzab: 56]

O Allah! Send Your Salat upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You
did upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim, You are indeed Laudable, Glorious! O Allah!
Bless Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You did bless Ibrahim and the Family of
Ibrahim, You are indeed Laudable, Glorious!

O Allah! Be pleased with the rightly-guided Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and
Ali, and with all the rest of the Companions, the tabi’in, and those who follow them
righteously till the Day of Judgement! And be pleased ‒O Allah‒ with us, along with them,
by Your Pardon, Generosity, and Munificence, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and Muslims! O Allah! Grant glory to Islam and
Muslims! O Allah! Protect religion, make this country secure and prosperous along with all
Muslim countries!

O Allah! Set right the conditions of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Syria, Iraq,
Yemen, Palestine, Arakan, and everywhere, O You, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty! O
Allah! Dispel their distress! O Allah! Dispel their distress, relieve their anguish, stop their
bloodshed, protect their honours, cure the ill amongst them, and accept their martyrs!

O Allah! Destroy Your enemies and theirs, O You, the Most Strong, the Almighty! O
Allah! Disperse their unity, scatter their gathering, let their plotting bring destruction upon
them by Your power and might, O You, the Most Strong, the Almighty, the Lord of Majesty
and Bounty!

O Allah! We ask You by Your blessings, graces, bounty, and generosity to protect
Muslim countries from every evil! O Allah! Protect the country of the Two Holy Mosques! O
Allah! Grant it protection and care from Your Own, O You, the Most Merciful! O Allah!
Keep its security, prosperity, and stability forever! O Allah! Bestow on it further good,
development and blessing, by Your Mercy and Generosity, O You, the Most Merciful!

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O Allah! Let the plotting of whoever intends to do harm to the country of the Two
Holy Mosques bring destruction upon him, O You, the Most Strong, the Almighty, the Lord
of Majesty and Bounty!

O Allah! Guide the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to do what You like and
accept, give him the best reward for what he does to Islam and Muslims, unite through him
the word of the Muslims, O You, the Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Guide all Muslim leaders
to do what You like and accept!

O Allah! Grant victory to our soldiers who are stationed on our country’s borders! O
Allah! Grant them support and protection from Your Own! O Allah! Help them hit their
targets! O Allah! Help them defeat their enemy! O Allah! Help them defeat their enemy! O
Allah! Make them steadfast and strengthen their resolve! O Allah! Be on their side! O Allah!
Be on their side, by Your Mercy, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Forgive all our sins, cure all the ill amongst us, relieve all those in distress,
guide every one who has gone astray, have mercy on every one of our dead, by Your Mercy,
O You, the Most Merciful!
O Allah! Forgive all Muslims and all the believers, the living among them and the
dead, O You, the Most Merciful!

O Allah! Send down rain on us and do not make us despondent! O Allah! Send down
rain on us and do not make us despondent! O Allah! Send down rain on us and do not make
us despondent! O Allah! Send us rain! O Allah! Send us rain! O Allah! Send us rain by Your
Mercy, Bounty, and Generosity, O You, the Most Merciful!

Glorified be our Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! He is free from what they
attribute unto Him! May peace be upon all the Messengers! And all praise be to Allah, the
Lord of the Worlds!