No More Reason

"O young man, men fall into trouble because of their own mistakes, but instead of realizing or correcting themselves, they blame others or make excuses. There are times when a reason still be accepted, but to a certain extent, then all those reasons, can no longer be accepted," said the statesman to the wayfarer. He continued, "Know that falsehood, betrayal and cheating are the acts of dishonesty, which will eliminate trust in someone. Actually, dishonesty is of three kinds: in speech, in deed and in intention, they are respectively: falsehood betrayal of trust and breaking of promise. When trust is missing, faith vanishes. One who continues to behave in this way will end up as a hypocrite in belief. "
The young wayfarer asked, "What is the hypocrisy, O your majesty?" The statesman said, "The best of words is the Book of Allah and the best of paths is the path of our beloved Prophet (ﷺ). And the worst of affairs are innovations in religion, and every innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is straying from the path, and every straying leads to hell.

When Allah sent His Prophet (ﷺ) and he announced his mission, some people rejected him and some believed. Of the latter kind, some merely put one garb of faith without really believing so that they caused mischief. They are called the Munafiq or hypocrites. A hypocrite is two-faced and such people are the worst of mankind. From Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, the Prophet (ﷺ) said about them, "The worst people in the Sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the double faced people who appear to some people with one face and to other people with another face." - [Sahih al-Bukhari]
A hypocrite is a person who hates or dislikes Islam yet claims to be a Muslim. The hypocrite will lean towards that which seems profitable and is the most dangerous of men. The history of the Muslims bears witness that they have always suffered at the hands of the hypocrites, and it is the same story today. If a ruler is a hypocrite, then Muslims suffer a set back and decline. The Prophet (ﷺ) warned the Muslims of the hypocrite very often. From Umar ibn Khattab, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
"What I fear most for my Ummah is every eloquent-tongued hypocrite." - [Imam Ahmad]

The word Munafiq is derived from Nafiqa. The Munafiq, or the hypocrite, is so-called because he conceals disbelief and discloses the other side of his faith. Al-Hasan, rahimahullah, defined hypocrisy thus, "It is said that hypocrisy is the difference between the secret and the apparent, between the word and the deed, and between the entry and the exit. And it is said that the base of hypocrisy on which it is raised is falsehood."
Every Muslim must always be cautious and fearful of hypocrisy and he must keep away from everything that is liable to grow hypocrisy. Once it encroaches into the heart, it keeps spreading and growing, and might even cause a dent in belief and faith, leading him to the deepest pit of hell. Alternatively, it might involve him in major sins and he might not repent has a result of which he would go to hell, or, the reward for his deeds might be reduced because of his hypocrisy. Today, the malady of hypocrisy has made in-roads among the Muslims."

The young wayfarer asked, "When was the beginning of hypocrisy in Islam?" The statesman said, "There were no hypocrites during the Prophet (ﷺ) life in Makkah, rather an open hostility was the status quo. Two years after the migration of the Prophet (ﷺ) to Madinah, the battle of Badr occurred and Allah gave victory to the Muslims. AbdullahBin Ubayy Bin Salul, a powerful and rich man, was an influential person in Madinah. He was Al-Khazraj's chief and the master of both tribes of Awz and Khazraj during the period of Jahiliyyah. Whenever these warring tribes were in conflict against one another, Abdullah Bin Ubayy intervened to bring peace between them. All his efforts were directed to be acknowledgedas the sole leader of the two tribes. He had succeeded in achieving this goal and preparationswere under way for his coronation as their king when Muslims migrated to Madinah and many Madinites embraced Islam. Consequently, Abdullah Bin Ubayy's heart was filled with hatred against Islam as he could no longer be regarded as leader since Islam supersedes his influence in Madinah. But being a cunning person, he could not confront the Prophet (ﷺ) and declare his rivalry openly, so he decided to destroy Islam from within. Therefore, he and his followers accepted Islam only by name, but their hearts rejected and hatred the Prophet (ﷺ), Muslims and Islam. That was the beginning of hypocrisy in Islam."

The young wayfarer asked, "What cause the hypocrisy to grow?" The statesman said, "History reveals that one of the following three things cause hypocrisy to grow. First, greed . When Islam gains ground and spreads and Muslims have the power to decide, some sick souls surface and intrude in high ranks to further their nefarious designs. Second, jealousy. Some of the people who intrude into Muslim ranks bear malice towards Islam and the Muslims they try to harm Islam through deception. They pretend to embrace Islam to save their skins but profess disbelief inwardly and are very jealous and wicked inside. Outwardly, they express love for Muslims and show that they have a missionary zeal. Third, trial. When the believers face trials through persecution at the hands of tyrants and are consigned to death because of their belief, only the sincere persevere. The hypocrites seek refuge with the disbelievers.
There are two kinds of hypocrisy. First, hypocrisy in belief is to value the convictions of the kuffar, to associate partners with Allah, to despise Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and to conceal it but pretend to have faith and love for him, to practice contrary to the declaration of faith, to prefer another than Allah for Judgement and to prefer the command for one other than the Prophet (ﷺ). Such people were undoubtedly kuffar. They had concealed disbelief for personal motives to promote their blameworthy aims. Instead of defending religion, they tried to smother the faith of the Muslims and cast-doubt in their minds about the Prophet Sometimes they fought against the Muslims out of hatred and jealousy but when their motives demanded it, they displayed immense love for the Muslims.
Second, practical hypocrisy, does not expel a person from Islam but makes him resemble a hypocrite. He has one of the signs of hypocrisy, like falsehood. Betrayal of trust, breaking a promise, abusing and reviling, and so on. It is the consensus of the ulama that such a person does not come out of the folds of Islam but is definitely a great sinner and there always is the likelihood of his becoming a hypocrite in belief.

The young wayfarer asked, "What is the sign of hypocrisy and their deeds?" The statesman said, "Allah has propounded a parable for the hypocrites. Allah says,

مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي اسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّا أَضَاءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُ ذَهَبَ اللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ لا يُبْصِرُونَ

"Their example is that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness [so] they could not see." - [QS.2:17]

A parable for the hypocrites is like a people who ignited a fire in order to acquire light and benefit - for they were a people on a journey who had lost their way. When this fire had alighted and lit up their surroundings, they were able to see the right path, they were able to see what would benefit them and what would harm them; but then, suddenly, the light was extinguished and they were left in darkness.

صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لا يَرْجِعُونَ

"Deaf, dumb and blind - so they will not return [to the right path]." [QS.2:18]

All three routes to guidance were barred them. Deaf, dumb and blind, guidance comes to a servant from three doors: what he hears with his ears; what he sees with his eyes; and what he understands with his heart; these people’s hearts are unable to comprehend, they cannot see, and neither can they hear. Hearing and intellect are the foundations of knowledge and by them does one acquire it. But they have not acquired knowledge from any of its three doors: intellect, hearing, and seeing. They had seen the path of guidance, but when the light left them, they did not return to that guidance.

Then after propounding this parable of light, Allah propounds another parable for the hypocrites, this time of water.

أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ مِنَ الصَّوَاعِقِ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ وَاللَّهُ مُحِيطٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ

"Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky within which is darkness, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps in dread of death. But Allah is encompassing of the disbelievers." - [QS.2:19]

يَكَادُ الْبَرْقُ يَخْطَفُ أَبْصَارَهُمْ كُلَّمَا أَضَاءَ لَهُمْ مَشَوْا فِيهِ وَإِذَا أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

"The lightning almost snatches away their sight. Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein; but when darkness comes over them, they stand [still]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent." - [QS.2:20]

The verse refers to driving rain which pours down from the sky. Here the guidance with which He guided His servants has been likened to water because guidance gives life to the hearts as water gives life to the earth. The portion that the hypocrite gets from this guidance is the same as one who is caught in this storm-cloud but gets nothing from it save darkness, thunder, and lightning; having no notion of its many benefits such as life for the earth - its animals and vegetation - springs forth after rain. The darkness, thunder, and lightning in a storm-cloud are not matters that are desired in and of themselves, rather they are matters that lead to the accomplishment of what is desired from this cloud. The ignoramus suffices with merely seeing the outward effects of this cloud: the darkness, the thunder, the lightning, the cold, and the fact that he is prevented from travelling; but has no inkling of the huge benefit that comes as a result of this rain. This is true of every short-sighted, dull witted person; his perception does not go deeper than seeing the outward form of things and he does not what is behind them. This is the state of the majority of creation except for a few amongst them. When the short-sighted sees the hardship and toil that is to be found in Jihad, when he sees the fact that he could be wounded, censured by certain people, and excite the enmity of others; he does not go forth for Jihad. He is unable to probe deeper and realise the great benefits, the praiseworthy goals, and great rewards it contains. When one of them desires to perform the pilgrimage and sees the hardships entailed in the journey, the leaving of the comfort of his home and town , and the difficulties to be faced, he cannot see beyond this to what lies at the end of this journey and as such falters and does not undertake it.
This is the state of those who lack spiritual insight and are weak of faith: those who see the threats, promises, commands, and prohibitions that are to be found in the Qur'an as ordinances that are too heavy for their egos which desire only to follow their lusts. These ordinances wean the soul of its base qualities. Weaning is truly difficult for the child; and all men are children with respect to their intellects with the exception of those who have weaned and regulated them, and as such have comprehended the truth by way of knowledge and action. It is such people who are able to see what is behind this storm-cloud; what is behind the darkness, thunder, and lightning; it is such people who realise that this storm-cloud is the source of life for existence.

From Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The signs of a hypocrite are three: Whenever he speaks he tells a lie; whenever he is entrusted he proves dishonest; whenever he promises he breaks his promise." - [Sahih al-Bukhari]
'Abdullah bin 'Amr narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There are four things that whoever has them, then he is a hypocrite, and whoever has one attribute from among them, then he has an attribute of hypocrisy,until he leaves it: Whoever lies whenever he speaks, he does not fulfill whenever he promises, he is vulgar whenever he argues, and whenever he makes an agreement he proves treacherous." - [Jami' at-Tirmidhi; Sahih]

The Prophet (ﷺ) said about four things that one who possesses them is a hypocrite. These four things are not the signs of hypocrisy in belief and the perpetrator is not cast out of Islam, but they are signs of hypocrisy in practice and the perpetrator is a sinner and a disobedient. However, one who continues to behave in this way, will end up as a hypocrite in belief. The Prophet (ﷺ) made mention of these because they are important and are generally found in the hypocrites, otherwise, there are many other signs that were perpetrated in the Prophet (ﷺ) times. Among the deeds of hypocrisy, can be mentioned as follows,

Lying, is the root of all evil. It leads to hell. It brings disgrace. It belies testimony and is the base of hypocrisy and disbelief. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
"You must be truthful, for truth guides to piety and piety leads to paradise. And if a man does not cease to speak the truth and is motivated by truth, he is recorded with Allah as the truthful. And avoid falsehood, for, falsehood leads to immodesty and immodesty leads to hell. And a person does not cease to speak lies and be motivated by it without being recorded with Allah as a Iiar." - [Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Woe to him who tells things, speaking falsely, to make people laugh thereby. Woe to him! Woe to him!." - [Sunan Abi Dawud; Hasan by Shaikh al-Albani]
The hypocrites are quick to take false oaths in order to protect themselves. False oath is a sign of hypocrisy and also a major sin. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "the major sins are, associating partners, killing anyone and a false oath." [Sahih al-Bukhari]
If any one lies in order to promote his sale then he too falls under the purview of this Hadith. A false testimony is both a major sin and hypocrisy because it is a falsehood. The hypocrites also use false pretext. Any word or deed that has something of a lie in it is a major sin. This is why Allah has said that a painful punishment awaits the hypocrites, those who sell by telling lies and other liars.

The hypocrites do not fulfil their promises. Allah says about promises,

وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُول
"And fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned." - [QS.17:34]

This promise will be made good and the believers will demand it in the same way as a creditor demands his money. The believers are those who fulfil their promises. Allah says,

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لأمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ

"And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive." - [QS.23:8]

The hypocrites had promised to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) that they would not show their backs during the war, but they failed to keep their promise. One of them had promised to give some charity if Allah gave him wealth, but he went back on his promise. The same kind of people exist today who spend lavishly on musical evenings, but only make vain promises to give charity if Allah grants them wealth.
To be faithful to one's trust is an attribute of a Muslim. Even before he was commissioned, the Prophet (ﷺ) was known as Amin and Sadiq (trustworthy and truthful). Allah commands the believers to be faithful to their trusts. Allah has mentioned often in the Qur'an that the believer is faithful to his trusts. And to be unfaithful to trusts is a major sign of hypocrisy.

Islam retains every good thing and abolishes every thing that is bad. No religion approves deception. The Prophet (ﷺ) laid down a common principle when he said, "He who deceives does not belong to us." - [Sahih Muslim]
And whenever he sent an army, he instructed the amir (or the commander) to retrain from deceiving anyone. He would instruct him particularly to fear Allah and to be a well-wisher of the Muslims accompanying him. He would say, "Fight in the name of Allah, in His path. Fight him who rejects Allah. And do not betray, do not deceive, do not mutilate and do not kill children." - [Sahih Muslim]
He gave the instruction not to deceive to every advancing army, small unit or a caravan. If anyone deceives after concluding a covenant whether with the Muslims or the disbelievers with the amir or with his subordinates then he does have a major sign of hypocrisy in him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said "On the day of resurrection, every deceiver will have a banner by his back whereby he would be recognised. It will be said that he is the deceiver of so-and-so." [Sahih al-Bukhari]

The young wayfarer asked, "What is the condition of the hypocrites after death?" The statesman said, "After the hypocrite is buried, his fate is no different than a disbeliever's. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, " ...Then He will meet the third and say to him the same words (as before), and he will respond, "My Rabb, I believed in You, Your Book and Your Messengers. I offered the Salah, I fasted and I gave the Zakah." He will loud himself with piety as much as he can. Allah will say. "Here (you stay) then," and He will say, "Now we bring to you our witnesses." He will wonder to himself who could testify against him. So, his mouth will be sealed and it will be said to his thighs, his flesh and his bones, "Speak!" And they will speak concerning his deeds. This will be in order that justice might be dispensed to him and Allah will be angry with that hypocrite." - [Sahih Muslim]
On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not conceal the faults of the hypocrites, but will conceal those of the believers. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Surely Allah, the exalted, will draw the believer nearer to Him and put over him His veil and conceal him from the people and recall his sins. Allah will ask, "Do you remember that sin?" He will say, "Yes, my Rabb," and Allah will recall them all so that he will imagine to himself that he is ruined. Allah will say, "Surely, I concealed them for you in the world and today I forgive them for you." Then he will be given his book of accounts in his right hand.
But, as for the disbeliever and the hypocrite, they will be called in the presence of the entire creation. Allah says,

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أُولَئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الأشْهَادُ هَؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ أَلا لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ

"And who is more unjust than he who invents a lie about Allah ? Those will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "These are the ones who lied against their Lord." Unquestionably, the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers." - [QS.11:18]

Then the statesman said, "O young man, hypocrisy is a disease that drives faith out of a person's heart. Sometimes, a person is unaware that hypocrisy has made a home in his heart and he performs the deeds of a hypocrite unknowingly. So, beware O young man! The hypocrite will be the worst of men on the Day of Resurrection. All reasons will be no longer accepted and no leniency will be shown to the hypocrite as well as the disbelievers. And Allah know best."

فَالْيَوْمَ لا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْكُمْ فِدْيَةٌ وَلا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ هِيَ مَوْلاكُمْ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

"So today no ransom will be taken from you or from those who disbelieved. Your refuge is the Fire. It is most worthy of you, and wretched is the destination." - [QS.57:15

Bahasa

References :
- 'Aaidh Alqarni, The Signs Of The Hypocrites, Darul Ishaat
- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Characteristics of the Hypocrites, Daar Us-Sunnah
- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Paragons of the Qur'an, Daar Us-Sunnah

The Knowledge and Strength

The clay continued his story, "The Children of Israel remained on the straight path for a period of time after Moses. They then innovated in the religion and some of them even worshipped the idols. Yet, there were always prophets sent among them who would command them to work righteous deeds, refrain from doing evil and who would rule them according to the commands of the Torah. When they (Israelites) committed the evil that they committed, Allah caused their enemies to overwhelm them, and many fatalities fell among them as a consequence. Their enemies also captured a great number of them, and took over large areas of their land.

Earlier, anyone who would fight the Israelites would lose, because they had the Torah and the Tabut which they inherited generation after generation ever since the time of Moses, who spoke to Allah directly. Yet, the Israelites kept indulging in misguidance until some king took the Tabut from them during a battle. That king also took possession of the Torah, and only a few of the Israelites who memorized it remained. The prophethood halted among their various tribes and only a pregnant woman remained of the offspring of Lavi (Levi), in whom the prophethood still appeared. Her husband had been killed, so the Israelites kept her in a house so that Allah may give her a boy, who would be their Prophet. The woman also kept invoking Allah to grant her a boy. Allah heard her pleas and gave her a boy whom she called ‘Shamwil' meaning 'Allah has heard my pleas. Some people said that the boy’s name was Sham'un (Simeon), which also has a similar meaning.

As that boy grew, Allah raised him to be a righteous person. When he reached the age of prophethood, Allah revealed to him and commanded him to call (his people) to Him and to His Tawhid. Shamwll called the Children of Israel to Allah and they asked him to appoint a king over them so that they could fight their enemies under his command. The kingship had also ended among them. Their Prophet said to them, “ What if Allah appoints a king over you, would you fulfill your vow to fight under his command?

Allah said,

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الْمَلإ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مُوسَى إِذْ قَالُوا لِنَبِيٍّ لَهُمُ ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ هَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ أَلا تُقَاتِلُوا قَالُوا وَمَا لَنَا أَلا نُقَاتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ أُخْرِجْنَا مِنْ دِيَارِنَا وَأَبْنَائِنَا فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوْا إِلا قَلِيلا مِنْهُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ

"Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, "Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allah "? He said, "Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if fighting was prescribed for you?" They said, "And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?" But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers." - [QS.2:246]

Only a few of them kept their promise, but the majority abandoned Jihad and Allah has full knowledge of them.

Allah says,

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا قَالُوا أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مِنَ الْمَالِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِسْمِ وَاللَّهُ يُؤْتِي مُلْكَهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

"And their prophet said to them, 'Indeed, Allah has sent to you Talut as a king.' They said, 'How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?' He said, 'Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing'." - [QS.2:247]

When the Israelites asked their Prophet to appoint a king over them, he appointed Talut (Saul), who was then a soldier. But, Talut was not a descendant of the house of kings among them, which was exclusively in the offspring of Yahudha (Judah). This is why they said, "How can he be a king over us?" meaning, how can he be the king for us, when we are fitter than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth? They said that Talut was also poor and did not have the wealth that justifies him being king. Some people stated that Talut used to bring water to the people, while others stated that his profession was dyeing skins. The Israelites, thus, disputed with their Prophet while they were supposed to obey him and to say good words to him. Their Prophet answered them, "Allah chose Talut from amongst you while having better knowledge about him. I did not choose Talut to be your king on my own. Rather, Allah has commanded that upon your request. Talut is more knowledgeable and honorable than you, and stronger and more patient during combat, and has more knowledge of warfare. In short, he has more knowledge and is stronger than you are. The king should have sufficient knowledge, be fair looking and should have a strong soul and body. Allah Alone is the Supreme Authority Who does what He wills and no one can ask Him about His actions, while they will be asked about their actions by Him. This is because Allah has perfect knowledge, wisdom and kindness with His creation His favor is encompassing and He grants His mercy to whom He wills. He also knows those who deserve to be kings and those who do not deserve it.

Allah has increased Talut abundantly in knowledge and stature. As for the knowledge, some said that it was a knowledge of war strategy. Some said that it was a knowledge in general. As for the stature, some said that he was tall. Some said that he had a handsome face. Talut was the most handsome and smartest person after their Prophet, Shamwil. So, Talut was tall and sturdy, pious, and very intelligent.
Talut lived and worked with his father on their farm. One day, several of their donkeys were lost. Accompanied by his servant, Talut went in search of them. They traveled for many days and were very tired. Talut said to his servant, "Let us rather go back, for I am sure that my father will be worried by now, and the other animals must also be cared for." His servant suggested that as they were already in the land of Shamwil the prophet, they should go to him to inquire about the lost donkeys. Talut agreed, and they carried on. On their way, they asked directions from some maidens carrying water. They were told to go in the direction of the mountain. Here, a vast crowd was waiting for the Prophet Shamwil. When Talut set eyes on him, he instantly recognized him as a prophet by his holy men. Shamwil also recognized Talut as the king that Allah had chosen for them. Talut greeted the prophet respectfully. When he asked about his missing donkeys, Shamwil told him not to worry, his donkeys were already on their way to his father's farm.
He then told Talut that Allah had chosen him as the king of Bani Israel. His duty would be to take charge of their affairs, to unite them under one banner, and to protect them from their enemies. If he carried out Allah's commands, he would be given victory. Talut was surprised by this sudden honor offered to him. It was also a heavy responsibility. He protested to the prophet that he was a of the children of Benjamin, the least famous of the tribes of Jacob; he did not know anything of leadership or kingship and had no wealth. Shamwil told him that it was the will of Allah that he should be the king, that he should thank Allah for His favor and be strong in faith.

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ آيَةَ مُلْكِهِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ التَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَبَقِيَّةٌ مِمَّا تَرَكَ آلُ مُوسَى وَآلُ هَارُونَ تَحْمِلُهُ الْمَلائِكَةُ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

"And their prophet said to them, 'Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers'." - [QS.2:248]

Their Prophet then proclaimed, “The sign of the blessings of Talut’s kingship over you is that Allah will give you back the Tabut (wooden box) that has been taken from you.” Some said that "assurance (Sakinah) from your Rabb" is peace (or grace) and reassurance. Some said that that Sakinah means mercy. Another said that means grace. As for "a remnan of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left," some said that it contained a pot of manna and the remnants of the Tablets, while some others said that it contained Moses staff and two shoes. Another said that it was Moses' staff and the remnants of the Tablets. Then angels came down while carrying the Tabut between the sky and the earth, until they placed it before Talut while the people were watching. The Tabut was brought to Talut's house, so the people believed in the prophethood of Sham^un (Simeon) and obeyed Talut. Their Prophet then said, "Verily, this is a sign for you, testifying to my truth in what I was sent with my prophethood, and my command to you to obey Talut, if you are indeed believers in Allah and the Hereafter.”

Allah said,

فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلا مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلا قَلِيلا مِنْهُمْ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ قَالُوا لا طَاقَةَ لَنَا الْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالَ الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُلاقُو اللَّهِ كَمْ مِنْ فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

And when Talut went forth with the soldiers, he said, "Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand." But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, "There is no power for us today against Jalut and his soldiers." But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, "How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient." - [QS.2:249]

Talut set about organizing his army with strong faith and wisdom. He ordered that only men free from responsibilities should join. Those engaged in building homes, men who were about to be married and those occupied with business should not join. After establishing a well-trained army, he decided to put them to the test. He told them that along the route they would pass a river where they should drink enough water to quench their thirst but not more than that.
Eighty thousand men went out with Talut. Now Jalut (Goliath) was one of the strongest of men and the most courageous. He went forth ahead of the troops, and his companions would not join him until he himself put to flight whomever he met. When Bani Israel went forth, Talut said to them, "Indeed, Allah will test you by a river. Whoever drinks of it, he is not of me, and whoever does not taste of it is of me." Whoever took some of it (the river’s water) in the hollow of his hand, quenched his thirst; as for those who drank freely from it, their thirst was not quenched.
But they drank from it out of fear of Jalut; only four thousand of them crossed with Talut, while seventy-six thousand turned back. Those who drank of it became thirsty, while those who did not drink of it, except in the palms of their hands, had their thirst quenched.
And after he had crossed it, he and those who believed with him, and they saw Jalut, they too turned back, they said, "There is no power for us today against Jalut and his soldiers." They saw their numbers as too little and too weak if they had to face more enemies. But those who were certain that they would meet Allah, said, "How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient." Those who were courageous, believers, confident and patient, motivated them to remain steadfast in facing war.

To his disappointment, Talut discovered the majority of his men drank more water than they should have. He discharged them for disobedience and kept only the few who had obeyed him, as they were the ones who proved their sincerity. This resulted in a split in the army, but he was not bothered. He believed in quality and not numbers; better a small band of true believers he could rely on than a huge army of unreliable men.
Three thousand six hundred and eighty-odd also turned back, so Talut departed with three hundred and nineteen. The battle between the Children of Israel and the Philistines prefigures the battle of Badr. At Badr, too, a small number of Muslims would face a much larger army and defeat it. The passage thus prepares the Muslims for the battle, at the same time encouraging them. When the Battle of Badr took place, the People of the Book in Arabia could not have failed to notice the resemblance between this battle and the battle between the Children of Israel and the Philistines.

Allah said,

وَلَمَّا بَرَزُوا لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

"And when they went forth to [face] Jalut and his soldiers, they said, 'Our Rabb, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people'." - [QS.2:250]

Talut's men sighted the enemy on the other side of the river. Their opponents appeared physically strong and were armed with better weapons. They were led by the mighty warrior Jalut, known for his huge build and brute strength. A great number of Talut's men ran away on seeing this strong force. The small band that remained was willing to fight, whatever the outcome, for they had heard that there had been many incidents in the past in which Allah had caused a small force to defeat a larger one. When the two troops were facing each other, Jalut appeared while challenging. Then Dawud (David) advanced, then Jalut said to him, "Go back. I don't want to kill you." Dawud said, "But I want to kill you."

Then the clay said, "O my brothers and sisters, sovereignty and leadership is not dependant upon wealth and riches, nor on offspring or lineage, but knowledge and strength are such qualities which could be made criteria. For a proper ruler, it is required that he should be abundantly endowed with knowledge and with bodily prowess.
All Divine laws are expressions of Divine mercy. Allah does not allow evil to become dominant forever but keeps purging it, for otherwise endless misery for mankind would be the result. Jihād is an important means of eliminating evil. When truth and false hood meet in battle and on the side of truth, we find sincere ones with passions of sacrifice in them standing up to defend the side of truth and inside them there is self-reliance and dependence on Allah. So, there is a relationship between Divine Law and Divine Mercy, saying that Allah has put that law in force because He is merciful. And Allah knows best."

فَهَزَمُوهُمْ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُدُ جَالُوتَ وَآتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَاءُ وَلَوْلا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَفَسَدَتِ الأرْضُ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ

"So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and Dawud killed Jalut, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds." - [QS.2:251]

Bahasa

Reference :
- Maulana Hifzur Rahman Soeharwy, Qasasul Ambiyaa, Idara Impex
- Syaikh Safiurrahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume I, Darussalam
- Ibn Kathir, Stories of The Prophets, Darussalam
- The History of al-Tabari, The Children of Israel, Volume III, Translated by William M. Brinner, SUNY Press.

The Prosperous Land of the Bees

I am a female bee. I am a creature of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, your Rabb and my Rabb. You should not be surprised or wonder, I am here because I just wanted to tell you about my social life, so that you could understand the importance of small animals like me.
You know! There are at least 20,000 species of bees. The best known and most carefully studied is my nation, the honey bee. This is because you, human, like the honey. It is generally known that honey is a fundamental food source for the human body, whereas only a few people are aware of the extraordinary features of its producer, the honeybee. There are prehistoric cave paintings, 8,000 to 15,000 years old, which depict people robbing bee hives. Beekeeping seems to have begun in ancient Egypt, perhaps 2400 BC. It flourished as an industry throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.

Allah is the One Who has created the heavens, the earth, and human kind. The upper realm of His creation, is the heavens, and the lower realm, is the earth, and everything in them. They have been created for a true purpose, not in vain, so that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done by punishing them in Hell, and reward those who do good, with what is the best, i.e. Paradise.
May be you're wondering, why Allah created me? Well, we, the Bees, are created to worship Allah, same as you. There is none to be worshipped besides Him, the One, the Unique, the Lone, the Self-Sufficient. Worship is Allah’s right, and that worship should be directed to Him alone, not to any of the idols which do not create, but are rather themselves created. Thus He says,

أَفَمَنْ يَخْلُقُ كَمَنْ لا يَخْلُقُ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ

"Then is He who creates like one who does not create? So will you not be reminded?" - [QS.16:17]

So, the way we worship Allah in a form of a certain task. I know for sure my task, because since I was born, Allah inspired me, and to all of the Bee nation.  Allah revealed,

 وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ

"And your Rabb inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct." - [QS.16:68]

So, since I was born, I live my life by Allah's guidance, without it, the bees can not organize their habitation and to produce honey. You'll never see me building my habitation except in places that Allah has shown me. Most of my habitations are in mountains and hills, in trees and in people's dwellings, never anywhere else; the place I mentioned first is the place most frequently used, trees are next in frequency, and people's dwelling come last. These last are the smallest in size, while in mountains and trees our hives are enormous; and huge amounts of honey are collected from us.

And Allah also revealed,

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلا يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

"Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Rabb laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought." - [QS.16:69]

Let me tell you about my social life. But first, you have to know that my ancestor appeared about 100 million years ago, coinciding with the appearance of the first true flowering plants. In Rabb’s beautiful system, the flowers and the bees are dependent on each other. The color and smell of the flower is not for human, although you can and should enjoy it. It’s to attract me and my friends, the Bees, to insure the flower’s survival. And if the flower didn’t produce nectar and pollen, we wouldn’t survive.
So, let's go to the hive. By shaping small beeswax, the bees construct a hive where 30.000 to 80.000 bees can live and work together. To have that many creatures in such a small space, there must be great organization. The bees within the hive understand their role and perform their jobs without complaint or confusion. We know certainly our task, the purpose of the Bee nation created. It’s Rabb's inspiration why we build the hives, to eat from the fruits, and to create the honey. It’s all Rabb's inspiration and overall design on why the Bees were created.

An amazing fact about my nation is that we have a queen, without whom we do not fly about, do not work, and do not suck. Within a honey bee hive, there are three types of bees, queen, worker and drone. There is a single queen bee. Her only job is to lay eggs. She lacks the glands to make wax and the tongue to gather nectar. She is fed, groomed, and defended to the death. She has no maternal instinct, she only lays the eggs, they’re cared for by the workers.
We obey our queen, give heed to her, and work upon her commands. The queen has the right of directing, ordering and forbidding us. We are her subjects, obedient to her, and abiding by her pleasure. She directs us in the way a king directs his subjects. As we enter our home, the queen stands at the door, not letting any bee shove another or precede it in passing in. We pass in one by one, without crowding, colliding or clustering; she organize our entering in the same way as a leader does when his troops arrive at a narrow passage where there is no room for more than one at a time.

In observing my nation management of affairs, good policy, guidance, unity of intent, organization, handling of our rule, and the assigning of each individual's work, you would have no end of wonder! It will be plain to you that it is not on our own that bees can accomplish those acts, or achieve control and most perfectly. If you observe the worker bee, you will see that they are among the weakest of Rabb's creatures, utterly ignorant about their own affairs, and the least capable of going about their interest, to say nothing about the amazing achievements they perform.
One puzzling fact about us is that we never have two queens at one habitation, commanding the same group. If two groups are formed commanded by two leaders, one of the two is killed and cut into pieces, and we agree on giving our loyalty to one queen, without showing hostility among ourselves, or trying to cause injury to one another. We unite as one group having one army.

A bewildering thing about my nation, something that most humans do not realize or notice, is the way the bee reproduces, whether we are by way of delivery or by transformation. Very few people imagine how it happens or get to know it! Indeed, we reproduce by neither of the above two methods, but by the most mind-boggling method! As I go to the meadows it picks nectar, the purest stuff on leaves, petals, flowers, grass, etc.; I sucks it, and this forms the essence of honey. Then I press the condensed bits of that stuff on the face of a leaf, and sticks it on my leg, forming it in the shape of a lentil; then I fill with it the empty hexagons made of honey.
Later on, the queen makes a round beginning with her habitation, breathes in it, and goes on to the other habitations and breathes in all of them. From this, life emerges in them by the will of Rabb, and so they come out as flying creatures by the will of Rabb. This is a curious miracle and a sign that few get to know; it takes place by Divine inspiration, which guided us and taught us management, travelling, living, constructing and production.

And how about the honey that we produced? A variety of honey is so white that you see the reflection of your face in it better than you see it in the mirror, it is the choicest honey that is known to mankind, the purest and most delicious. Its taste was indeed the most deliriously sweet. Other varieties are red, green, pink, black, tan and many other hues in between, with flavours that vary with the variety of the sucking plants and the original substance of it.
Honey is a constituent of most medicines, in such a degree that the ancients did not know sugar, nor is it even mentioned in their books. What they used with their medicines was honey, and that is what you see mentioned in their books. Indeed it is more beneficial than sugar, more effective and more purifying of humours, more ameliorating and alleviating and supplying with resistance to injury. It is more strengthening for the stomach, raising of spirits, lifting of the soul, enhancing the catalytic medicines and assisting in tracing ailments in the furthest reaches of the body.

If the world were without sugar, it would not be missed, while if honey were lacking, there would be a great demand for it. Some towns have so taken to using sugar that they have given up honey, and they prefer the taste of sugar to that of honey; they find the former less sharp and intense than the latter. They do not realize that the honey's benefit lies in its very sharpness and intensity. If somebody finds it not fit for his body, he is recommended to soften the honey's sharpness with other foods, and in this way it will be more beneficial than sugar.

Do you know how important a food source the honey, offered to mankind by Rabb, by means of a tiny animal like me? Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulfur, iron and phosphate. It includes B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 vitamins changing according to the qualities of nectar and pollen sources. Besides; copper, iodine, iron and zinc exist in it in small quantities. Also, several kinds of hormones are also present in its content.
Nowadays, apiculture and bee products has become a new branch of research in countries advanced in science. There are other benefits of honey, such as, it is easily digested by the most sensitive stomachs despite its high acid concentration, because the sugar molecules in the honey can convert into other types of sugar, the honey. It also helps kidneys and intestines to function better.

Another quality of the honey is that, when it is compared with the same amount of sugar, it gives 40% less calories to the body. Although it gives great energy to the body, it does not add on weight. When accompanied by mild water, honey fuses into the bloodstream in 7 minutes. The free sugar molecules in it make the brain function easier.
Honey provides an important part of the energy needed by the body for blood formation. In addition, it helps cleaning the blood. It has some positive effects in regulating the blood circulation and facilitating it. Also, it functions as an important protection against capillary problems and arteriosclerosis.

Honey does not accommodate bacteria. This bacteria killing property of the honey is named as the "inhibition effect". The experiments conducted on honey resolve that, its bacteria killing property increases twice when diluted with water. It is very interesting to note that the newborns in the bee colony are nourished with diluted honey by the bees responsible of their supervision, as if they know this feature of the honey.
Royal jelly is a substance produced by worker bees inside the beehive. Inside this nutritious substance, there exist sugar, proteins, fats and many vitamins. It is used in problems which occur as a result of tissue deficiency or body frailty.

Finally, from Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, that a man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "My brother has some Abdominal trouble." The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him "Let him drink honey." The man came for the second time and the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, 'Let him drink honey." He came for the third time and the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Let him drink honey." He returned again and said, "I have done that ' The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "Allah has said the truth, but your brother's `Abdomen has told a lie. Let him drink honey." So he made him drink honey and he was cured. - [Sahih al-Bukhari]
From Ibn Abbas, radhiyallahu 'anhu, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Healing is in three things: A gulp of honey, cupping, and branding with fire (cauterizing)." But I forbid my followers to use (cauterization) branding with fire." - [Sahih al-Bukhari]

I am grateful for all the blessings that Allah granted for us and the many kinds of things that He has done for us. And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. The camels, cattles, sheep, and goats, the “eight pairs”, are the blessing in His creation of An‘am. The blessings include the benefits derived from their wool and hair, from which clothes and furnishings are made, from their milk which is drunk, and their young which are eaten. Their beauty is a kind of adornment when they are brought back from the pasture in the evening. This is a reference to how their flanks become fat, their udders fill with milk and their humps become bigger. They carry the heavy burdens that humans cannot move or carry by themselves, in journeys for Hajj, ‘Umrah, military campaigns, and journeys for the purpose of trading, and so on. Human use these animals for all kinds of purposes, for riding and for carrying loads. It Allah is the One Who has subjugated the An'am (cattle) for you. And Allah also has created horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride, and as an adornment. This is the main purpose for which these animals were created.

O my brothers and sisters, as I mentioned earlier, that we, the Bees, our way of life, is based on the guidance of Allah, which He inspired us. Without divine guidance in our lives, we will not be able to produce honey that benefits us and other creatures. By following divine guidance, we don't need to waste energy to make rules between us and also don't need to argue with each other about what's wrong and what's right, like humans do if they make their own rules. Without following divine guidance, we are only small creatures that have no meaning.
In addition to creating camels to drive, Allah also created horses and donkeys, which may be used for the purpose of physical journeys. Likewise, there is a moral, religious routes that people may follow. Often in the Qur’an, there is a shift from physical or tangible things to beneficial spiritual and religious matters. People always try to reach wich one the best way to follow,  and the true way is up to Allah. It is up to Allah to clarify, to explain the guidance and misguidance. And Allah know best."

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَائِرٌ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

"And upon Allah is the direction of the [right] way, and among the various paths are those deviating. And if He willed, He could have guided you all." - [QS.16:9]"

Bahasa

Reference :
- Syaikh Safiurrahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume V, Darussalam
- Anas Abdul-Hameed Al-Qoz, Men and The Universe - Reflections of Ibn Al-Qayyem, Darussalam

Empire of The Ants (2)

Now, I will talk to you a little about myself. I was born a workerant, a hard laborer. We are born in the form of eggs, then we become a larvae and then pupae. After that we come to know what kind we belong to. When the egg, I was in, hatched, the mother washed the larva with her tongue, gave me the food that she had stored in her stomach and kept me from harm until I grew up. When I grew up, I realized that I was a guard. Worker-ants have different duties. Among them there are servants to clean the colonies, soldiers to protect them and patrol ants to keep the colony save from harm.
I am from the watch patrol. In, fact, I am a chief. In the beginning I watched our colonies that were flourishing with interesting slowness but it was usual to progress in a steadfast manner. I watched the worker-ants that were nursing the children. I watched the worker-ants that were milking the ant cows. Yes, we milk a certain type of insect that is responsible for making honey nectar just as human beings milk cows. I watched the builders among the worker-ants as they were digging tunnels and houses under the ground. I was responsible for the external dangers of which man was the most dangerous. Yes, man is one of the most dangerous forces. Apart from man, there are hundreds of natural forces that also threaten ants. The first of these dangers is rain, for we are creatures that do not know how to swim. We drown in water. The moment lightening and thunder strike, we let out a yell of warning and declare a state of emergency and all ants flee to their houses underground. Moreover, we, the watch patrol, survey the situation from places far from the rain but which are nearer to it than the places of the other ants. When the rain stops we do not hurry to the surface for but we remain in our homes surveying the situation. We wait for the sun to reappear.

The sun is strange because we never see it first, but we feel its presence. It eats one of the greatest dangers that threatens us. The sun soaks up the water. As soon as the sun appears in a place that has water, something interesting, which we cannot comprehend, occurs. The sun soaks up the water. Where does it go? Does it evaporate? What does it mean?
We are always surprised to find that when the sun appears, the pools of water, that were made by the rain, have disappeared. This is a mystery that deeply confounds me when I contemplate things in my free time. I do not understand. I do not know how all this happens. In this way I continue praising Allah while I declare that I neither understand nor comprehend His Wisdom.

All I know is that Allah is Merciful towards ants and one of the signs of His Mercy is what the sun does to the water. But how does the sun do what it does? This too is a secret. I confess my inability of revealing its mystery.
After the danger of water, comes the danger of man. He destroys, kills and demolishes us without any sense. He does not feel for us. Why does man have no sense? Why does he not feel? Ants hold thousands of meetings in order to discuss this question. The final statement was as follows, "The human squashes us with his feet because he does not look at the ground when he walks. He looks in front and behind and around but rarely bows his head. What pride that creature called man harbors! If he watched his step, the catastrophes that have taken place throughout the long history of ants would never have occurred.” I remember, Abu Huraira, radhiyallahu 'anhu, reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said,

"When one of you looks at one who stands at a higher level than you, in regard to wealth and physical structure, he should also see one who stands at a lower level than you in regard to these things (in which he stands) at a higher level (as compared to him)." - [Sahih Muslim]

There is an event that links the ants to the human race, which is enshrined in the Quran. So, let me tell you what I have heard from my mother, he heard it from her mother, her mother from her mother's mother untill it reach my great-great grandmother. My great-great grandmother said,
One day I was crawling about and walked a long way. It was a distance that humans could accomplish in moments. I did not feel despair nor did I feel hate towards man. One of the good traits of ants is that they are small in size but big in mind. For sure, wisdom is better than wealth that is accompanied with pride, and better than poverty that is followed by hate. We praise Allah in all four directions. Wherever you turn yourselves or your faces, there is the Face of Allah.

I know that for sure. This is the knowledge from which the tree of wisdom stems. After walking a long way, I coincidentally came upon a tree. I climbed it, stood, looked, praised Allah, turned and looked again. My stare froze! Suddenly fear overwhelmed me. I smelt unrevealed danger. There was a tremendous army gathering. It was not a normal army and it was not like the armies of the present time. Normally, an army consists of human soldiers just like an army of ants consists of ant soldiers. Much to my surprise, what I beheld before me was not an army of humans, it was an army of Jinn, humans and birds. Endless rows of humans, endless rows of animals and endless rows of birds!
I came down from the tree and walked with the speed of danger. This is the maximum speed for ants. We have five speeds and this is the fastest. I geared my five speeds to their maximum limit and got down from the tree. At the same time I ejected a smell that has significant in the world of ants. It means a warning to the ants to gather at the outskirts of the colony. All the ants that were working outside the colony made their way quickly to it. I reached the valley of ants.

There was an emergency meeting of those in charge of guarding the colony. The smell I had released, had gathered them. I stood to give my report to the highest official of the ant colony. This official was a silent ant but had the ability to make fast and decisive decisions in less than a blink of an eye. I said, "There is an army near our valley." The official ant asked, "How many humans are there?" "The army does not consist of humans only," I replied. While rubbing her head, the official ant said, "The army is not of humans!" "It is an army of Jinn, humans and birds," I added.
If you happenned to read such an ancient Greek and Roman histories, it seems, in my opinion, allegorically, the institutions they had, similar to the Ants Empire, but of course, not all were the same. Now, let me continue. A meeting of the highest officials of the Ants Empire was held. A member of the Senate asked, "Who is the leader of this army?" Nobody answered untill a General of the Ants Army said, "Your majesty, please let one of my intelligence agency informs you some datas!" The Senator said, "Fine, ask him to step forward!"

There was a special task carried out by a special command, whose job was to spy on the enemy. However, their duty was only for the enemies, not spying on the member of the ants. Neither the ants nor the humans would do so, because the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade us to spy on another. From Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,

"Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not look for the others' faults and do not spy, and do not be jealous of one another, and do not desert (cut your relation with) one another, and do not hate one another; and O Allah's worshipers! Be brothers (as Allah has ordered you!)." - [Sahih al-Bukhari]

So, the agent, stepped forward, greeted, and explained some informations, then he said, "In conclussion, the leader of the Army is a king. He is Solomon, he ruled after his father, David. Allah compelled the jinn, men, birds, and wind to serve him. In addition, Allah gave Solomon prophecy, and he asked his Rabb to give him dominion that would not be appropriate to anyone after him, and He responded, giving him that." The Senator said, "If so, are the troops planning to attack us?"

The agent continued, "According to reliable sources, after his father's death, Solomon became king. Solomon was the youngest son of David. He was born at Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Saba. As he was a talented fellow with versatile gifts, his father made him his heir. After the death of David, he ascended the throne of Judia on account of his sagacity, power of judgement, right understanding and spiritual insight. He begged Allah for a kingdom such as none after him would have, and Allah granted his wish. Solomon was very much obedient, worshipping Allah much and turning to Allah in repentance.
He was endowed with the quality of giving sound decision in complicated cases. Once a dispute arose between two persons. They were present before King David. One of them said, "O king, the sheep of that person have trampled over my vineyards. They have grazed and caused me a considerable loss. It must be compensated by the owner." The shepherd was very poor. He had nothing except sheep and the damage done to the crops exceeded the price of the sheep.
King David passed judgment on the sheep in favor of the owner of the vineyard, but Solomon said, "Not that, O prophet of Allah!" He replied, "Why was that ? " He said, "Hand over the vineyard to the owner of the sheep, so that he may take care of it until it returns to its former condition, and give the sheep to the owner of the vineyard, so that he may gain from them until the vineyard has returned to its previous state, then hand it over to its owner and the sheep to their owner."

The senator said, "If knowledge is power, then leadership is greatness. Knowledge is a crucial to strong leadership. Results are mainly based on knowledge assets, and knowledge is used to make decisions for improving a community, its results and efficiency. I once went to a country where I heard the people said, "The leader does not need knowledge, he can learn it later when he is in office." And I tought, "How will it be a country led by someone who can only make selfies? How will it be a country led by someone, when asked for a decission, he gave it someone else? An extraordinary leader will not do what ordinary people do!"
The agent continued, "Besides wisdom, Allah had blessed Solomon with many abilities. He could command the winds and understand and talk to birds and animals. Allah directed him to teach both men and jinns to mine the earth and extract its minerals to make tools and weapons. He also favored him with a mine of copper, which was a rare metal in those days." The senator commented, "Strong written and verbal communication skills are immensely important for good leadership. Communications that are clear, appropriate, and useful are the way you colleagues understand what you are asking of them. If you make it easy for people to understand you question, instructions, comments, and guidance, they can easily follow your lead." Then he said, "In my opinion, a prophet will not be send to destroy any nation, not even our empire." But another senator said, "If this army were to walk through the valley, it would mean utter destruction for our entire empire. The painful part is that this would happen unconsciously on the part of the army." So, a meeting of the highest officials of the Ants Empire was held and it continued for a few seconds. The security procedures were given out to all ants, inside or outside the empire. The orders that were given to the ants inside the empire were that they should remain in their houses. While making preparations for this, the worker-ants started airing houses lest they would stay there for a long time.

The orders given to the ants outside the empire, was that they should make hast and return to the outskirts of the empire. A double system of protective vigilance was established outside. All systems of warning were prepared and I was appointed as the head to announce the last warning shout. On normal days, I was stationed on a little hill but during these exceptional circumstances my position changed and so I climbed a tree branch and stood watching attentively. I was watching a certain road on the horizon, a road that Solomon's army would have to take in order to pass through the area. I did not have to wait a long time, before the army appeared. They were such a small speck, faraway, like an ant! Then it started getting bigger and bigger, so I shouted, “O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts, crush you, while they perceive not!"
As soon as I shouted my warning, the ants rushed into their houses. I was not surprised at that, but at the same time something else happened. Solomon and his army stopped. They paused and silence. I was totally surprised. Solomon looked at the tree I was standing on and smiled. I was extremely surprised at what was happening. His smile carried the taste of honey and seemed inlaid with mercy that we do not feel except among ourselves. I felt that Solomon understood what I had said and so had stopped. My astonishment increased. It increased even further when he turned to me and addressed me in my native tongue saying, "Have no fear! The army will not destroy the valley of ants. We will change our course and steer faraway from your valley." He then turned to his army and ordered, "Steer away from the valley of ants and march forward."

That's the story of my great great grandmother. I was amazed when heard the story and thought, "Could this human truly understand what the ant have said?"Of course I've had the answer, because Allah already revealed it. Allah says,

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُدَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ عِلْمًا وَقَالا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

And We had certainly given to David and Solomon knowledge, and they said, "Praise [is due] to Allah, who has favored us over many of His believing servants." - [QS.27:15]

وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَانُ دَاوُدَ وَقَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنْطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْمُبِينُ

And Solomon inherited David. He said, "O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty." - [QS.27:16]

وَحُشِرَ لِسُلَيْمَانَ جُنُودُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإنْسِ وَالطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ

And gathered for Solomon were his soldiers of the jinn and men and birds, and they were [marching] in rows. - [QS.27:17]

حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَى وَادِ النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لا يَشْعُرُونَ

Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, "O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not." - [QS.27:18]

فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًا مِنْ قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ

So [Solomon] smiled, amused at her speech, and said, "My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve. And admit me by Your mercy into [the ranks of] Your righteous servants." - [QS.27:19]

I then realized that, when he saw the ants, he talked to Allah and prayed."

"O my brothers and sisters, the ability to understand the speech of animals, which is one of the great things granted to Solomon, is different from other worldly knowledge and arts, but were two miracles granted to eminent prophets. Hence, the story of how Solomon listened to the conversation of an insignificant animal like the ant, the same way that a man listens to another man. Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming. When you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it. 
Then also, when Solomon had experienced it with certainty, he, as it fitting for an eminent messenger of Allah, expressed thanks and gratitude for the gift. The only people who truly worship Allah, are those who give thanks and gratitude to Him."

وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ

"And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered." - [QS.6:38]

[Part 1]

Bahasa

References :
- The History of al-Tabari, The Children of Israel, Volume III, Translated by William M. Brinner, SUNY Press
- Ibn Kathir, Stories of The Prophets, Darussalam
- Maulana Hifzur Rahman Soeharwy, Qasasul Ambiyaa, Idara Impex
- Ahmad Bahjat, Animals in The Glorious Qur'an, Islamic e-Books

Empire of The Ants (1)

I am an ant, so of course I know why Allah created us ants. I find it quite strange, even amazing, and sometimes irritating, to see a creature that walks carelessly and treads upon armies of ants. More than that, with his horse, he destroys thousands of ants without sensing or feeling anything! He does such things without knowing, without realizing, without noticing, without understanding and without feeling angry or sad. But, nevermind. I want you to get to know the ants, my nation, so that you can learn learn many lessons and signs.
We believe in Allah's fate and the destiny decreed by Him. We know that a cup of water can drown an army of ants, but our belief in Allah does not prevent us from making calculations, feasibility studies, researching and organizing and managing everything striving for wisdom and perfection. Furthermore, we understand that belief in Allah obligates us to do so, for the laws of the universe aloe not to be broken for anybody and no creature is to stray from its nature. That is why, we are never taken by surprise.

I am an ant and an ant, is a very small thing; a small insect but at the same time, a complete being and our existence coincides with our nature and wisdom stands as an integral part of our character. The motto of our life is to be clear and straight to the point. We ants, have some habits in common with man. We build cities and roads, dig tunnels, store food, and plant gardens and crops. We have armies ready for war and defence. We take prisoners-of-war, we have trials, and so forth. There is a subspecies of ants called the 'milkers', which subdues kinds of worms and maggots and raises them in special places and farms, feeding them and taking care of them; it extracts from them a sweet stuff called the 'honey dew'.
Although we are no larger more than two millimeters, Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, has compensated us for our minute size and weak body with the talent of organization, management and making meticulous calculations. We are very clever you know!

We can carry a grain of rice for half a day. You can see how when the ant tribe seeks food, we leave our holes in search of it. Once we have come upon it, we go in files from our holes to it, and start to transfer it. You will see us in two files, one loaded with food and heading home, and the other going from home, not mixing with the other file, the two files constantly distinct and separate. They resemble two groups of people, one going to a place and the other returning from it. If the load is too heavy, a group of ants take part in carrying it, in the same way that a group of men take part in carrying a stone or a trunk of wood. If it is a single ant that has found the heavy thing, its companions assist it in carrying it to its habitation, and then leave it to its owner. On the other hand, if a group have come upon something together, we work together to transfer it, then share it at home.
An experienced person told the following remarkable account: "I once saw an ant that found a half locust; she tried to move it, but she failed to carry it from the ground. So, she moved a little distance and called a group of ants." The narrator adds, "I took away that half locust from the ground, so that when the ant and its companions came, she went around and they went around, but could not find it, so they went back. Then I replaced the half locust, and when the ant came, she saw it, she tried to carry it but failed. So she walked a little distance, bringing her group. They came and went round the place, and when the group did not find anything, they made a circle round the ant, attacked it and cut it limb from limb. I sat there observing all this."
In this case, let me tell how it works. So let us say, when we find a piece of sugar, then we report it to an institution, we call it the High Council of Specialists for Food Security. So this institution, holds a counsel, “There is a piece of sugar over there,” they might say. "Where?" we would ask. "At a distance of one thousand ant steps from the apple tree." "How many ants are required in order to bring it?" we ask. "Ten thousand ants." "Gather an army of fifty thousand ants," we say as we organize ourselves.

The people of knowledge said, "An amazing aspect of the shrewdness of ants is that when they transfer a grain to their habitation, they break it into pieces so that it does not sprout. If it is a two-lobe grain, each lobe capable of sprouting, they break it into four pieces. If it is damped with dew, and they worry that it might rot, they bring it out into the sun, and later bring it back into their habitation. That is the reason you often see outside their habitation a lot of broken grains, then if you come a short time later you find nothing left at all. Another token of their wit is that they do not dig their habitation except on an elevated piece of land, lest the flood should drown it. You never see the ants' village in the bottom of a valley, but raised to a part where the flood does not flow."
Such shrewdness is not to be wondered at in a species that glorifies the Rabb in gratitude. Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying,

"An ant had bitten a Prophet (one amongst the earlier Prophets) and he ordered that the colony of the ants should be burnt. And Allah revealed to him, 'Because of an ant's bite you have burnt a community from amongst the communities which sings My glory'." - [Sahih Muslim]

We have good reasons for increasing the number of our armies. The main reason is that man is so excessive in destroying us without reason or excuse. Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas, radhiyallahu 'anhu, said that

"the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited to kill four creatures, ants, bees, hoopoes, and sparrow-hawks." - [Imam Ahmad and Sunan Abi Dawud; Sahih by Ibn Hibban and Shaikh Al-Albani]

Do you know where the valley of Empire of Ants is? If you do not know, then I think that is for the best. It is better for little creatures to hide their valleys in order to preserve their lives, especially from the big feet of man. It is common knowledge that a creature's small size may be the cause of his destruction. Amidst this worldly jungle in which we live, you have to be either a wolf or be eaten by wolves; and you have to be either a tiger or be eaten by tigers. That is what man says, isn't it? So what can ants do as they are one of the smallest creatures in this world?
The mercy of Allah has answered this question. We do not need to be wolves anymore in order to not be eaten by the strong among the wolves. Allah has provided us with an outstanding life and there are no other creatures that can do meticulous work to the degree of finesse like ants! Ants do not live alone. We live in colonies that consist of hundreds of thousands and the division of labor is clear and well known. For example, males cannot perform the work of females and the job of the worker-ants cannot be performed by anyone except them. Our cities are located underground. They are cities that are connected by a complicated system of roads that make it impossible for anyone but ants to pass through. Moreover, we build our cities deep under the ground in order to ward off any possible danger.

There are three kinds of ants: females, males and worker-ants. Every kind is born with an inherent knowledge of the work it is supposed to do. Unlike humans, we do not have teachers, for we learn directly from Allah, the Almighty. The first ant that was created by Allah knew all the sciences and passed her knowledge onto the successive generations. As soon as an ant is born and knows her position in the world of the ants, she instantly starts performing her responsibilities. We do never complain, we never aspire, we never covet and we never dream. We do not grow wings except when we are in love. Only in the mating season, do our wings grow. What people regard as a special kind of species of flying ants is in fact nothing but a troop of males and females in the season of love. At the end of this season, the male falls to the ground and dies. His task is over and his life has no more meaning. Once the male dies, the female's task begins. She bites off her wings, for she does not need them any more. Then, she builds her nest in the ground and lays her eggs. This little nest will become a colony of ants.
It is a colony that may become colonies and then turn into an Empire of Ants. The empire is laid out over and under the ground. It includes houses for each individual in it and also contains a certain percentage of each kind living in it.

One of the mysteries that scientists have not yet discovered about us, and I do not think that they will ever discover, lurks in these questions, "Why do ants have males, females and workerants each of a limited number? Why does the mother ant lay her eggs that hatch to be workerants? Why do these workeants grow in order to make it possible for the mother ant to lay millions of eggs throughout the rest of her life?" "Also, why does the mother lay the males after that and then the females? Why does she choose a certain number of males and a certain number of females so that are the number will be sufficient for life to continue and be organized in such an astonishing way? Does the mother ant make all these calculations that no human or electronic mind could ever achieve? Does an ant really do that?"
Human beings cannot determine the sex of an embryo, but ants can do that easily and do so without understanding how they are able to. Scientists will remain confounded in this secret of the ant world and this secret will ever remain a mystery for them as well as for me. I, also, do not know the answer to this secret.
It is enough to say that Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, knew before He created us what we would encounter at the hands of human beings; and Allah, the Almighty, knew that if a child were to tread upon a colony of ants he could unintentionally kill a thousand ants with his foot. For this reason Allah provided us with what He did not provide man. He has guided us to what He did not guide man to and bestowed upon us weapons that help us survive in a world where the conflict of survival never ceases for a moment.

[Part 2]

Bahasa

Patience, Victory and Gratitude (2)

The statesman said, "‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came  out to us carrying two books. He asked, “Do you know what  these books are?” We replied, ‘Messenger of Allah, no, not unless you tell us.’ About the book that was in his right hand he  said, “This is a book from the Rabb of the worlds containing the  names of the inhabitants of Paradise, the names of their parents  and their tribes (in detail). It is completed to the last man and  they will not increase in number, nor decrease in number.” About  the book in his left hand he said, “This is a book from the Rabb  of the worlds containing the names of the denizens of the Fire,  the names of their parents and their tribes (in detail). It is completed to the last man and they will not increase in number or decrease in number.” His Companions asked, “Messenger of  Allah, if the affair is already decided, why work deeds?” He replied, “Remain firm, steadfast and balanced. The last act of an inhabitant of Paradise will be a deed of the people of Paradise no matter what he may have done, and the last act of a denizen of the Fire will be a deed of the people of the Fire no matter  what he may have done.” Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gestured with his hands, dropping the books, “Your Rabb has decided everything about the servants: ‘one group is for Paradise and one group is for the Blasting Fire!’" - [Imam Ahmad, at-TirmidhI and an-Nasa’i; Hasan by Ibn Hajr and al-Albani]
It is about a book that has been completed a long time ago: the pens have been lifted from it, or the pens employed to write it have dried, or the page has dried. From ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah recorded the fates of all creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth .” - [Sahih Muslim]
From Abu’l-Darda’ that the  Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah has decided five matters for every servant: his lifespan, his provision, his deeds, his lying down, and  whether he is wretched or felicitous.” - [Imam Ahmad; Sahih by Ibn Hibban]
So, the statement '“The Pen has dried (after having written) all that  will occur,” serve as a metonymy (kinayah) referring  to the workings of the decree and to the fact that they have all been recorded in an erstwhile, comprehensive book. “The Pens have been lifted,” and are no longer writing the decrees  “and the scrolls have dried, ” having recorded the judgements of creation until the Day of Rising. No Pen will be placed on them again to commence writing anew or to alter something already recorded. Therefore the decrees have all been recorded in the Preserved Tablet and nothing new will now be recorded. The setting of the decree and ordainment has been referred to as the lifting of the Pens and the drying of the scrolls by way of analogy to an author of a book, in this life, completing his work.  Allah says,

مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

"No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being - indeed that, for Allah, is easy." - [QS.57:22]

As for the statement, “If the whole of creation, in  its entirety, was to try and effectuate some benefit for you through  something that Allah has not decreed, they would not be able to  do so; and if they wished to harm you through something that  Allah has not prescribed, they would not be able to do so,” means that every harm or benefit that the servant  encounters in this world is already decreed for him, it is impossible for him to face anything that has not been decreed for him  even if the whole of creation strove their utmost in bringing it about. In short, only Allah's decree is in effect. From ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A servant will not believe until he believes in  the decree - the good and bad thereof: until he knows that what afflicted him  would never have missed him and what missed him would never have afflicted  him.” - [at-Tirmidhi and at-Tabarani; Sahih by al-Albani]
When a servant realises that he will encounter no good or evil, nor benefit or harm unless Allah has first ordained it for him, when he realises that if the whole of creation strove their utmost in trying  to effectuate something other than His decree, their efforts would  be wholly ineffectual, he will then recognise that Allah alone is the One Who brings about benefit and causes harm, and that He alone is the One Who grants and the One Who withholds. This recognition will lead the servant to perfect the Tawhid of his Rabb. He will ask Him alone for help, he will entreat Him alone, and He will submit and humble himself before Him alone. And he will worship Him alone and obey Him alone.

One of the qualities that grant success in power and wealth is patience. Allah says,

وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ

"...And if there are among you one hundred [who are] steadfast, they will overcome a thousand of those who have disbelieved because they are a people who do not understand." - [QS.8:65]

Therefore, the Prophet's (ﷺ) saying, “and that victory comes with patience,” subsumes patience and steadfastness in striving against both the external and internal enemy. The victory  against the enemy “comes with patience,” in the face of trial and tribulation. External enemy is disbelievers, and internal enemy is the lower self and base desires. Indeed, fighting these is one of the greatest forms of Jihad. The Salaf would view this latter patience: patiently striving against the self and desires to be better than patience in the face of tribulation.  ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr replied to a person who asked about Jihad  by saying, ‘Start with your self and strive against it. Start with  your self and start a campaign against it!’
So, Jihad also requires patience, whoever steadfastly strives against himself, his desires and his shaytan, he will achieve victory. Whoever, on the other hand, despairs and gives up patience will  be overcome, defeated and imprisoned. He will become subjugated and mean, imprisoned by his shaytan and his desires. Know that your self is like an animal, if it knows that you are  firm and resolute, it will not waver, but if it knows that you are  lazy and irresolute, it will take advantage and hanker after its wants and pursue its lusts.

As for the statement “and that relief comes with distress,” is proven by the sayings of Allah,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا قَنَطُوا وَيَنْشُرُ رَحْمَتَهُ وَهُوَ الْوَلِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ

"And it is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy." - [Qs.42:28]

The meaning is that Allah is amazed at the despondency of His servants, their fear, their misgivings and their giving up hope of His mercy when He has decreed that their circumstances are soon to change, while they remain unaware, and rain is to fall.  Allah has narrated numerous stories that deal with relief coming after distress and hardship. He told us of His rescuing Nuh and those with him on the ark from the “terrible plight" wherein the earth’s population were all drowned. He informed us of His saving Ibrahim, 'alayhis-salam, from the fire kindled by the polytheists and how He made it “coolness and peace for him. “That relief comes with distress,” that strikes at the very soul. At such a time, relief is swift in coming. Anyone who is in such a state should be patient, expectant of reward, hoping for swift relief, and at all times having a good opinion of his Master. He is the Most Merciful of all those who are merciful, even one’s own parents.

The hadith shows that trials are a cause of divine grace as is proven by the statement, “and that with hardship comes ease.” At times of adversity a person comes to know the magnificence of Allah and at times of grace a person comes to know the beauty of Allah. One person said, ‘When He confers a blessing on you, witness His generosity, and when He withholds something from you, witness His overwhelming might In every circumstance He is tending to you, showering you with His providential care.’
“And that with hardship comes ease,” i.e. facilitation. A state of richness is called yasar, ease and prosperity, because matters are facilitated therein. The opposite of yusr, ease, is usr, hardship.  This statement occurs as a verse in the Qur’an which is repeated  twice to show that every hardship is accompanied with two eases. Humayd ibn Hammad ibn Abu al-Khuwar narrated that ‘A’idh  ibn Shuraih narrated to him that he heard Anas ibn Malik saying, ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting in front of a hole in the ground and remarked, “If hardship were to enter this burrow, ease would follow it in and remove it.” Then Allah revealed,

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

"For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease." - [QS.94:5]

Finally, Allah explained in the Qur’an that the only people who truly worship Him are those who give thanks (gratitude) to Him, so those who are not among the people of gratitude are not among the people of ibadah. Allah says,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ

"O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship." - [QS.2:172]

Allâh has told us that His pleasure may be attained through gratitude,

وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ

"...And if you are grateful, He approves it for you..." - [QS.39:7]

And Allah mentioned that gratitude is the purpose of creation

وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأبْصَارَ وَالأفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

"And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful." - [QS.16:78]

Then the stateman said, "O young man, 'Safeguard Allah and He will safeguard you' is a central foundation in tending to the rights of Allah Ta'ala, relegating oneself to His judgement, witnessing His Tawhid, and highlighting mankind’s innate inability and dire need of Him. When seen in this light,  one could justifiably say that this hadith constitutes one half of the religion, indeed all of it. This is because the legal laws either deal with Allah or other than Him and this hadith deals with all that is connected to Allah explicitly and to all that is connected to others implicitly. And Allah know best."

إِنْ تَمْسَسْكُمْ حَسَنَةٌ تَسُؤْهُمْ وَإِنْ تُصِبْكُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَفْرَحُوا بِهَا وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ

"If good touches you, it distresses them; but if harm strikes you, they rejoice at it. And if you are patient and fear Allah, their plot will not harm you at all. Indeed, Allah is encompassing of what they do." - [QS.3:120]

[Part 1]

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References :
- Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, The Legacy of the Prophet, Daar us-Sunnah
- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Patience and Gratitude, Taha