By Shaykh Sulaiman Moola
The Messenger (peace and blessings upon him) said, “None of you should die but that they have good thoughts about Almighty Allāh.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
لا يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلا وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
The devil often plays tricks with our minds during difficulty and adversity, leading one to question the very existence of Allāh and the fulfilment of His promises.
During the historical campaign of Badr, Muslims were tested on many fronts. In addition to contending with a well equipped army, the enemy had also secured a more conducive terrain for battle, with access to ample water. The Muslims on the other hand, had no water and were fighting on un-level terrain with dust flying all around. The devil exploited the moment and began injecting negative thoughts in the minds of the Companions (Ṣaḥābah).
One of the devilish indoctrinations were as follows:
“If you people were truly the beloveds of Allāh, then He would have aided you. You would not have found yourselves in such dire situations and circumstances.”
Despite theses devilish insinuations, the Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) were strong and resilient, hence they dispelled the negative thoughts and kept their reliance on Almighty Allāh. Soon thereafter, Allāh sent rain which changed the entire landscape of the battlefield. The Muslims now had access to adequate water for ablution and drinking purposes. The sand also settled and the ground hardened, making movement easier for them. The very same rain had an adverse effect on the side of the enemies. The area became muddy, restricting their movements and causing difficulties.
Allāh makes mention of this in the Noble Qur’ān:
إِذْ يُغَشِّيكُمُ النُّعَاسَ أَمَنَةً مِنْهُ وَيُنَزِّلُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ بِهِ وَيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيَرْبِطَ عَلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتَ بِهِ الْأَقْدَامَ
(When the two armies met at Badr, the disbelievers camped at a place where there was sufficient water and where the ground was firm. On the other hand, the camp of the Muslims had no water and was covered with loose sand which made it difficult fro them to move. To give courage to the believers, Allāh again calls them to remember the time) When (in the thick of battle) slumber was made to envelop you as a means of serenity from Him (so that you do not panic) and He sent rain to you from the skies to purify you (so that you could perform wudhū for ṣalāh), to dispel the evil thoughts cast by Shayṭān (who told the believers that if they were on the right, they would not have been in a position where there was no water for them to drink or clean themselves with), to strengthen your hearts and to make your feet firm (with the rain, the ground in the Muslim camp became firm while the ground in the disbeliever’s camp became muddy and unstable).
The Poet, Abū Bakr bin Abī al-Dunyā said,
فَلا تَجْزَعْ وَإِنْ أَعْسَرْتَ يَوْمًا فَقَدْ أَيْسَرْتَ فِي الدَّهْرِ الطَّوِيلِ
Don’t moan or groan even if things are unpleasant occasionally for surely you have enjoyed decades of goodness and ease.
فَإِنَّ الْعُسْرَ يَتْبَعُهُ يَسَارٌ وَقَوْلُ اللَّهِ أَصْدَقُ كُلِّ قِيلِ
Adversity is always followed by ease and the promise of Allāh is the most truthful of all promises.
وَلا تَظْنُنْ بِرَبِّكَ ظَنَّ سُوءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَوْلَى بِالْجَمِيلِ
And don’t dare harbour negative thoughts against your Lord for verily you should only be entertaining good thoughts about Allāh.
We live in a world where free thinking and open mindedness is welcome even if it constitutes questioning and interrogating the decisions of Allāh. Ironically, an employee cannot challenge his employer nor a student question the integrity of his tutor but the bondsman feels it his right to question the decree of his Creator, and even pass nasty remarks regarding Allāh.
As Muslims, we are reminded of the sovereignty of Allāh and that His decisions and decrees are unquestionable. The Qur’ān states,
لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ
He (Allah) will not be questioned about what He does (because He is above all and everything He does is perfect, appropriate, and above questioning), but they (people) will be questioned (about the actions they carry out in this world).
In conclusion, we ask the Almighty to preserve our faith and keep our hearts and minds free of any negative thoughts.
