الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا”
مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ
“وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
“All praise is to Allah. We praise him, we seek His help, His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. Whomsoever Allah leads astray, none can guide him.
I testify there is no God but Allah alone, without any partners, and that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is His servant and messenger.”
Welcome to the Friday Khutbah! A weekly series on the AlMaghrib Journal, based on sermons delivered by our esteemed instructors! We hope you find it beneficial!
In Surah al-Balad, Allah makes a number of oaths:
He swears by the sacred city of Makkah and by Adam and his descendants, and we know that every oath in the Quran has a purpose, that is to affirm the truth of a statement.
Which is why the verse that follows these oaths is so profound:
“We have certainly created man into hardship.”
[Quran, 90:4]
All of us spend our lives searching for ways to avoid hardship, stress, pain, anxiety, and all forms of difficulty, but the reality of life is this: hardship is built into it.
Hardship at Every Stage of Life
If you ask a child whether their life is problem-free, they will say no.
School brings bullies, homework, and conflicts. As children, we think that becoming adults will solve our problems, but adulthood brings its own challenges.
The single person thinks marriage will solve their problems, only to discover it doubles them. Children arrive, and the challenges multiply.
Imam al-Qurtubi, in his tafsir, talks about the journey of human struggle: from the first hardship of cutting the umbilical cord, to early life, education, the busyness of marriage, the burden of building a home, raising children, enduring the decline of health, and even after death, when we experience the constriction of the grave, the questioning by the angels, resurrection, and standing before Allah.
This continues until a person reaches their eternal home: either Paradise or Hell.
By understanding this truth, your perspective will completely shift. When we understand that hardship is part and parcel to the test of life, we stop being disillusioned by our hardships and stop envying others whose lives seem perfect on social media. Every human being, no matter what they display, is living with some form of struggle.
Complaints About Giving and Allah’s Response
Allah continues in Surah al-Balad:
“Does he think that no one has power over him?
He says, ‘I have spent a great deal of wealth.’”
[Quran, 90:5-6]
This verse was revealed about a hypocrite who committed a sin and was instructed by the Prophet ﷺ to pay an expiation.
Frustrated, the man complained that since entering Islam, his money was constantly being spent on charity and expiation.
Some of us today feel “squeezed” by all the masjid and charity fundraisers we see every Ramadan. Yet Allah reminds us of the blessings we could never repay if we were to buy them:
“Did We not make for him two eyes?
And a tongue and two lips?”
[Quran, 90:8-9]
Our eyes work tirelessly from morning until night without fatigue. Our tongues and lips are instruments of communication that never tire. Above all, Allah has guided us — something we could never have attained without Him.
The Path to Paradise
Allah then says:
“And We showed him the two paths.
But he has not attempted the steep path.”
[Quran, 90:10-11]
What is this steep or challenging path that Allah refers to?
It is to undertake great acts of virtue: freeing a slave, or feeding people in a time of extreme hardship.
Think back to the early days of the pandemic, when even toilet paper felt scarce.
Giving in such moments, when fear of shortage grips people, is one of the most difficult acts, but it is in those times that these acts mean the most.
But above all of them, Allah mentions:
“‘…and to be one of those who believe and urge one another to steadfastness and compassion.”
[Quran, 90:17]
Hardship is where your eman is truly put to the test, whether you will rise above the obstacles before you, or buckle under the pressure.
This Life Is a Test
This dunya was never meant to be problem-free. Do not let life’s struggles overwhelm you, because they are part of its design.
Everyone is tested, whether their test is visible or hidden.
Paradise is the place without problems, and this life is the journey to get there.
May Allah grant us Jannah and all that leads to it in word and deed, and protect us from the Hellfire and all that leads to it in word and deed. May He grant us taqwa and purify us. May He have mercy on our parents, forgive our deceased, heal our sick, and grant victory to the Muslims.
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