The Prophetأ¢â‚¬â„¢s Trust in Allah: An Example to all People*

[Arsalan]

The Prophetأ¢â‚¬â„¢s Trust in Allah: An Example to all People*

By Harun Yahya


Those situations the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was involved in, as they are related in the Qur'an, demonstrate his resignation, and submission to Allah. For instance, the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) words when he and his friend were hiding in a cave after leaving Mecca, are one of the finest examples of that submission. The Qur'an says:

[If you do not help him, Allah did help him when those who disbelieved drove him out and there were two of them in the Cave. He said to his companion, "Do not be despondent, Allah is with us." Then Allah sent down His serenity upon him and reinforced him with troops you could not see. He made the word of those who disbelieved undermost. It is the word of Allah which is uppermost. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.] (At-Tawbah 9:40)

Whatever the situation might have been, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always submitted to Allah in the knowledge that there was beauty and goodness in all that He created. These words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to his people as related in the Qur'an are a telling instance of that submission:

[If good happens to you it galls them. If a mishap occurs to you, they say, "We made our preparations in advance," and they turn away rejoicing. Say: "Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust.] (At-Tawbah 9: 50-51)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by his submission to Allah, was an example to all Muslims, and he warned that people would never have the power to alter anything that came from Allah:

"Everything is by decreeأ¢â‚¬â€*even incapacity and ability." (Reported by Mailk)

"أ¢â‚¬آ¦ When you ask for anything ask it from Allah, and if you seek help in Allah. Know that if the people were to unite to do you some benefit they could benefit you only with what Allah had recorded for you, and that if they were to unite to do you some injury they could injure you only with what Allah had recorded for you. The pens are withdrawn and the pages are dry." (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

Every believer who abides by the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has to face every calamity with the same submission as he, and to have faith that there is beauty and goodness in everything. We must not forget that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was one of Allah's most God-fearing servants, and was also tested with great difficulties and trying circumstances.

There were people ready to create various kinds of difficulty in the communities he addressed. They tried to plot against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) by behaving hypocritically. Polytheists refused to abandon the religion of their ancestors, others asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to bring them a sign to suit their best interests, they tried to kill, arrest or exile the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and basically placed all kinds of difficulties in his path.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was always patient with the unbelievers. He continued to communicate the religion of Allah and to instruct Muslims in the Qur'an while he protected them from danger. The source of that determination, success and courage lay in his strong faith in Allah, his godliness and submission. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always knew that Allah was with him, as when he was in the cave, and he knew that every situation was ordained by Allah. He had faith that everything came from Allah and would result in the best possible outcome. The following hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is an example of his submission:

"Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight he thanks [Allah], thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is good for him in it." (Reported by Muslim)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always did his best, whatever the situation, though knowing that the outcome depended on Allah. He relied on and trusted in Him. In return for that submission, Allah granted him strength and success.

Allah instructed the Prophet to be patient in the face of those who made problems for him, and he was faithful to that prescription throughout his life. One verse says:

[They have the word, "Obedience!" on their tongues but when they leave your presence, a group of them spend the night plotting to do other than what you say. Allah is recording their nocturnal plotting. So let them be and put your trust in Allah. Allah suffices as a Guardian.] (An-Nisaaأ¢â‚¬â„¢ 4: 81)

The words the Prophet was commanded to say in another trying situation also reveal his godliness and submission:

[If they argue with you, say, "I have submitted myself completely to Allah, and so have all who follow me." Say to those given the Book and those who have no Book, "Have you become Muslim?" If they become Muslim, they have been guided. If they turn away, you are only responsible for transmission. Allah sees His servants.] (Aal `Imran 3: 20)

One comment by the Prophet regarding the recompense awaiting those who demonstrate submission is as follows:

"If you put your faith completely in Allah, He will arrange for your sustenance in the same way as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning with their stomachs empty and return filled in the evening." (Reported by At-Tirmidhi).

The Prophet's words and actions are the best possible models for the believers. That is why every believer who finds himself faced with a difficulty of any sort, or a situation he does not like, must think of the verses of the Qur'an and the fact that Allah creates everything; adopt the submission of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and accept the destiny chosen for him by Allah.

*Taken with kind permission from The Prophet Muhammad by Harun Yahya, with slight modifications (http://www.ibplanet.com/).

[Arsalan]

Prophet Muhammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

Trust in Allah (swt)

Muhammad (pbuh) preached to the people to trust in Allah (swt). His whole life was a sublime example of the precept. In the loneliness of Makkah, in the midst of persecution and danger, in adversity and tribulations, and in the thick of enemies in the battles of Uhud and Hunain, complete faith and trust in Allah (swt) appears as the dominant feature in his life. However great the danger that confronted him, he never lost hope and never allowed himself to be unduly agitated. Abu Talib knew the feelings of the Quraish when the Prophet (pbuh) started his mission. He also knew the lengths to which the Quraish could go, and requested the Prophet (pbuh) to abandon his mission, but the latter calmly replied,

"Dear uncle, do not go by my loneliness. Truth will not go unsupported for long. The whole of Arabia and beyond will one day espouse its cause." (Ibn Hisham, Sirat-ur-Rasul.)

When the attitude of the Quraish became more threatening, Abu Talib again begged his nephew to renounce his mission but the Prophet's (pbuh) reply was:

"O my uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, to force me to renounce my work, verily I would not desist thereform until Allah made manifest His cause, or I perished in the attempt." (Ibid)

To another well-wisher, he said,

"Allah will not leave me forelorn."

A dejected and oppressed disciple was comforted with the words:

"By Allah, the day is near when this faith will reach its pinnacle and none will have to fear anyone except Allah." (Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari)

It was the same trust in Allah (swt) which emboldened the prophet (pbuh) to say his prayers openly in the haram in the teeth of opposition. The Quraish were once collected there and were conspiring to put an end to his life when he next entered the haram. His young daughter Fatima, who happened to overhear their talk rushed weeping to her father and told him of the designs of the Quraish. He consoled her, did his ablutions and went to the Kaaba to say prayers. There was only consternation among the Quraish when they saw him (Ahmed, Musnad, Vol. 1, pg. 368).

Then leaving his house for Madinah he asked Ali (ra) to sleep on his bed and told him,

"Do not worry, no one will be able to do you any harm" (Tabari, Ibn Hisham)

Even though the enemies had surrounded the house, he left the house reciting the Quranic verse:

"We have set a barricade before them and a barricade behind them and (thus) have covered them so that they see not" (translation of Qur'an 36:9)

Abu Bakr was frightened when pursuers came close to the cavern in which he and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were hiding during their flight, but the Prophet (pbuh) heartened him,

"Grieve not. Allah is with us."

A guard was kept at the Prophet's house in Madinah because of the danger that surrounded him but he had it withdrawn when the Quranic verse was revealed:

"Allah will protect you from the people" (translation of Qur'an 5:67).

A man was caught waiting in ambush to assault the Prophet (pbuh) but he was directed to be released with the words,

"Even if this man wanted to kill me, he could not." (Ahmed, Musnad, Vol.3 pg. 471)

A Jewess from Khaibar had put poison in the Prophet's (pbuh) food. He spat it out after taking a morsel but a disciple who had his fill died the next day. The Jewess was brought before the prophet (pbuh) who questioned her:

"Why did you do this?" "To kill you," was her defiant reply. She was told, "Allah would not have allowed you to do it." (Muslim, Sahih Muslim.)

In the battle of Uhud when the rear guard action of the Makkan army had disorganized the Muslim army and had turned the tables, the Prophet (pbuh) stood as firm as a rock even though he had suffered personal injuries. When Abu Sufiyan taunted the Muslims and shouted "Victory to hubal!" (hubal was one of their idols), the Prophet (pbuh) asked Umar (ra) to shout back, "Allah is our protector and friend. You have no protector and friend. Allah is Great, Magnificent." (Ibn Hisham, Sirat-Ur-Rasul).

Again in the battle of Hunain, when the unexpected assault of the army had swept the Muslim force off its feet and a defeat seemed imminent, the Prophet (pbuh) did not yield ground. With trust in Allah (swt) he showed such courage that the Muslim army rallied behind him to win a signal victory.