Why Prayer Matters When Facing Enemies

[Arabic recitation]

Chapter number 73 of the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We stopped last night at verse number 10. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala we have to look here to the relationship between the verses and the topics that are addressed in those verses. This chapter is narrative its central narrative and its center thrust is that of prayer and connection to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Now often times when a person has enemies lurking, when a person has enemies working day and night to plot and plan and prod. It's very easy for a person to become overly consumed with his enemy. And so in this chapter, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is commanding the prophet sallall.aii wasallam stand for prayer at night most of the night is preferable half or a little less than half and recite the Quran slowly and methodically. Contemplate the Quran and doing so is going to take away from your sleep. And so you're going to have to sacrifice that sleep for this prayer. And that sacrifice will have to be compensated for during the day. Now, as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells him this, he then addresses his enemies, our prophet's enemies. Why? Because it's easy for a person to say, "Well, well, I'm here busy reading and reciting and making dua and making salah. My enemies are out there getting busy. My enemies are getting ahead. But Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala tells him, "And don't think that this is because you have forgotten your enemies. You haven't forgotten them. Neither have we. However, be patient with that which they say and boycott them in the best of ways. Because as we mentioned last night, patience is often times confused with inaction. Correct? Patience is often times confused and conflated with inaction. that if a person is being patient, they're not doing anything. No, to the contrary, patience is action. As a matter of fact, it is the default action. Before a person takes action, any action he takes, whether it be for good or whether it be for bad, whether it be for his for his friend or foe, that action needs to be based on patience, all action. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells him, "And be patient with that which they say and boycott them, abandon them in the best of ways." What does that mean?

[Silence]

Machine. Allah says, "And boycott them in the most beautiful of ways." A beautiful boycotting, a good boycotting. If he has described this boycotting as being good, then that means there is a bad type of boycotting as well. Correct? I'll give you the what they say. I'll give you the skinny on what this bad boycotting would be. The prophet sallallah.aii wasallam retreats from their gatherings, but then he starts to spread rumors about them. When his companions come to meet him and learn about Allah, he is busy talking to them about Abu Jah and Abu Leah. And he came and he left and I saw and I think he's doing this and I think he's doing that. This is boycotting them in a bad way. He said and boycott them with poise. Boycott them with balance. Doesn't mean that the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam didn't warn his companions of Abu Jah and Abu and no we've gone through many verses of the Quran in which Allah brings them up as a topic of discussion however it is for some consequence or for some benefit for some lesson to be derived not just to get that venom out it's not coming from a place of vitriol in venom. It's coming from a place of regret and we wish things could be better and we wish these men would see the light. But those whom Allah chooses not to guide will never find guidance. This is the narrative. Now, don't think that because the evildoers are able to get an occasional leg up on the good, that falsehood will occasionally will occasionally rise and cover the good. Falsehood will occasionally have a battle or two that it wins. But falsehood will never win the overall war ever. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala assures us. He says, He says that the end result and the permanent will always be for tawa and the people of tawa. Always. Always. Even if falsehood expounds itself and it will never have the patience and longe longevity of the truth. This is momentary. This is momentary. The prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam went to how many battles himself? Here's some trivia, history trivia. How many battles did he attend himself? Three. Oh, my good brother. Not even close.

[Arabic recitation]

Three. And then we got three times that. We got nine over there. Anyone else try twice that 18 battles he attended himself. Did he ever lose any one of those battles? What's the answer? Yes, he did. Which battle? He won at the start but because of the disobedience he that was later a lost battle. Did he lose the war? No. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes the mushri and the people of falsehood as having a what? Allah subhanahu wa tala.

[Silence]

Subh. And so Allah describes the disbelievers as having an occasional an occasional victory here and there. Has to keep their pallet a little bit wet for their blood lust. Why? So that they continue to draw more rope. So that when they hang themselves with it, it will be thorough.

[Silence]

So in this verse Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells our prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam be patient. Patience is not in action. It is not inaction. It is the basis and default of action. Especially the wise, the wise build and base all actions on patience. And then he said, don't allow your companions to feel and sense that you are bitter. that when they come to sit with you and learn about Allah, you can only think and talk about your enemies. Let that not be your your haj rather make your h your boycott of them and their folly a beautiful one a boycott of poise and calculation. Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says to the prophet Sam, "And as for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he says, leave the disbelieving to me. Leave them to me.

[Silence]

Don't even worry about them. While you are spending your time contemplating your relationship with me, I will spend I will take care of them in the absence of your in your in the absence of your attention to them. Because if I'm directing my attention to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, I'm not thinking now about my enemies. Allah will take care of that for you. And this tells us what? This tells us that when we sacrifice something for Allah, Allah will replace it with that which is better.

[Silence]

He assures us that whoever leaves off something for Allah, Allah will replace it for him with something better. And so when you now sacrifice your attention on your enemies, and they're not just they're not just it's not just some passive aggressive group of people, right? They're a little bit disgruntled, just some rumors. These are bloodthirsty, ignorant idolattors. People that have no mercy. And this came at a time when people were very religious and spiritual. Not like today. Today in today's world, people are in in this part of the world, people are increasingly more and more godless and materialistic. religious is moot to them. It's it's it's a minute part of their life or thought. Why? Because they're too comfortable to think about such silly things as God and death and the hereafter and so forth. And so people make jokes about religion. It's not important to them. In the time of the prophet sallallah.aii alaihi wasallam. Men would fight to the death over someone disrespecting their idols. Someone disrespecting a tree that they worshiped. You come along and say this tree cannot help you with a law, cannot give you anything nor take anything away from you. They'll put you to death if they can for saying that, for disrespecting our tree. This is how they were. They were a very arrogant people and a people that took their idols very seriously. And so don't think that when the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam came along and started reciting verses these to them, forch.

[Silence]

It didn't fall on ears of people who took religion not very seriously. These were a very serious lawless bloody society that he was sent to saiam. And sometimes you know when we go to think about things like a person is just born brave. No. Can a person learn courage? If a person is naturally inclined to cowardice, can he learn to be brave? Yeah. What is the best way to learn bravery? Tell me who. Huh? Face your fears. Wrong. Tell me. Tell me. Someone comes to you, your son. Your son comes to you, says, "Dad, I feel like I'm I want to learn to be courageous. I want to learn valor. I want to learn courage. I want to learn bravery." Where do you start with him?

[Arabic recitation]

Slay? Wasallam. You start by reading the prophet Muhammad's biography sai by reading his words. No man ever walked this earth after him more brave than that man. alone. Alone the closest of people abandoned him. And he stood and with his full chest recited these verses to a bloody society as they looked at him with nothing but blood in their eyes. And he stood alone. He stood alone. Musam, wasn't he afraid? Didn't he tell Allah, "I'm afraid." He said, "I'm afraid." What did Allah say? Don't be afraid. I am with you. MS learned how to be courageous. Just like you can learn how to be generous and you can learn how to be truthful and you can learn how to be dutiful and you can learn how to be kind. That's the beauty of being a human being is you can change no matter how old you are. No matter how long you have been on whatever it is, you can change at the drop of a hat if you choose to. If you choose to do so. And so our prophet sallall.aii wasallam is told by Allah, you now have to have the courage to forget about your enemies and focus on your relationship with Allah. And if you do that, don't be worried that they will get the upper hand on you because you're not giving them the attention they deserve. No, we got you. We will take care of that for you. Allah assures him. He says, "Leave the beliers to me. Leave me and the beliers together. Leave us. Leave us be. Leave us alone. we will take care of them for you. He says, he says, those men who disbelieve in spite of the incredible amount of luxury and comfort that they exist in.

[Silence]

Those men who are just existing between, you know, the the the the hardest thing touching their skin is silk. and the hardest day of their life is a day when they are too full. Those men, leave them to me. You focus on your relationship with Allah. Allah will in turn focus on your enemies for you. And when a time comes for you to take up arms and defend yourself, your Lord will tell you when that time will be. And at the end of the chapter, we'll see that Allah gives an indicator that that day will eventually come. A day when the Muslim will be allowed to stand toe-to-toe with their aggressors. Foreham.