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| Courage photo |
Definition of courage: Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
We live in an era where
cowardice has been decorated as the new courage. The courageous ones are being demonized
by their own brothers who prefer the life of this world over service to Allah.
‘Reliance on Allah’
will be discussed in-depth in another piece in sha Allah.
There will always be
times you will face powerful enemies. Sometimes, your friends, brothers and
those who are supposed to stand by you will desert you; times when you will
have no choice but to stand alone.
Courage is a desirable quality;
it was a basic feature of all Prophets and Messengers of Allah from Ibrahim to
Musa down to Muhammad (SAW).
Abu Huraira reported
Allah's Messenger (SAW) as saying: “A
strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and
there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the
Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in
the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say: If I had not done that, it would
not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do
and your" if" opens the (gate) for the Satan.”
It should be noted that
being firm on evil is not courage, it is rebellion. Courage could be futile if
Allah is taken out of the equation; conversely, a courageous person operates
within the boundaries of reasoning as indicated by Allah Himself.
“Fight in the way of
Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Verily, Allah does not love
transgressors.” Suratul Baqarah (2:190)
Times to Show Courage
Just a few will be touched here.
1. Standing for justice
A community where
injustice prevails is the one in which courageous people are scanty. Several
statements of Muhammad (SAW) teach that a Muslim is not a trouble seeker
albeit, always ready to fight for justice.
“O
people, do not desire to meet the enemy, but rather ask Allah for safety. If
you meet your enemy in battle, be patient and know that Paradise is under the
shade of swords.” (Ṣaḥīḥ
al-Bukhārī)
“Do
not wish to meet the enemy, but if you meet them, be steadfast.” (Ṣaḥīḥ
al-Bukhārī)
“Verily,
after me there will be conflicts or affairs, so if you are able to end them in
peace, then do so.” (Musnad Aḥmad)
2. Facing oppression
It was narrated from
Tariq bin Shihab that: a man asked the Prophet (SAW), when he had put his leg
in the stirrup (ready to proceed for battle), “Which kind of Jihad is best?”
He (SAW) said: “a word of truth spoken
before an unjust rulers.”
Muhammad (SAW) said, "The
master of martyrs (sayyid al-shuhada) is Hamza, and a man who stands up to a
tyrant ruler and gives him advice. And so the ruler kills him".
We see real life
courage from non Prophets. The one I have falling in love with is the story of
Abdullah bin Hudhaifa on what happened when he was captured by the Byzantine forces.
The Byzantine emperor Heraclius looked at Abdullah for a
long time. Suddenly he said, "I shall make a proposal to you. I suggest
that you join our faith. If you do this, you will be set free and I shall grant
you a safe refuge." Abdullah replied him, "Death is preferable to me
a thousand times to what you ask me to do." The emperor said, "I see
that you are a bold man. However, if you respond positively to what I propose
to you, I will give you a share in my authority and swear you in as my
aide." The prisoner, Abdullah, shackled in his chains, smiled and said,
"By Allah, if you give me all that you possess and all that the Arabs have
in exchange for giving up the religion of Muhammad, I shall not do so." The
emperor said, "Then I shall kill you" and Abdullah followed up, “Do what
you want".
3. In difficult
situations
There have been stories
of people, young and old, turning to suicide when things go awry. ‘Reasons’
range from failed exams, to heart breaks to financial hardship. Consciousness
of Allah’s might takes away such thoughts from the heart of a servant. No
surprise, of all groups of people on earth, Muslims have the lowest rate of
suicide.
“And We will surely
test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and
fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. Who, when disaster strikes them,
say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
Suratul Baqarah (2:155-156)
4. Commanding justice
at home
This is a topic that
needs to be discussed at length. Acts of injustice take place in homes right
under the noses of heads of families; the men. We have wives being maltreated
by other wives in the home, younger children being bullied by older siblings
and mothers oppressing their step-children. These happen in homes where the
head lacks the courage to uphold justice. Should these continue unabated,
members of the family could turn to sinful acts in search of justice. Wives
could resort to witchcraft and young children to gang violence destroying their
lives in this world and the next.
This could be the
reason Allah (SWT) says in the Glorious Qur’an:
“O you who have
believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people
and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not
disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.”
Suratul Tahreem (66:6)
Reliance
on Allah
Allah is with the
righteous
The evil ones might
have the numbers, connections and superior military might but, victory lies
with Allah and He has promised this to the believers.
“Indeed, Allah is with
those who fear Him and those who are doers of good.”
Suratul Nahl (16:128)
Allah first
Do not seek strength
from men, do not seek the approval of men and do not be deterred by the calumny
of men. In the time of Muhammad (SAW), the hypocrites tried to weaken the
resolve of Muslims but the deep faith of the Muslims gave them immunity against
the ploys.
Those to whom
hypocrites said, "Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear
them." But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said,
"Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of
affairs." Suratul Ali Imran (3:173)
Supplicate to Allah
Muhammad (SAW) taught
the believers words to say to derive courage and keep cowardice at bay.
Du’a against cowardice:
“O Allah, I take refuge in You from
anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the
burden of debts and from being over powered by men.”
This du'a can be found in Hisnul Muslim (Fortress of a Believer)
May Allah make the
reader understand this piece better than I have said it and take cowardice away
from the hearts of the believers.
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