Answer
Short Answer:
- Follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad of positive thinking and really always try and see the good in something rather than the negative.
- When we look at the stories in the Quran and the words of the Quran, they are always surrounded by positivity. Always trying to remain positive even in the most difficult trials. I want you to think back when you have the greatest of trials and at that time, it feels almost impossible to move one foot in front of the other because it is so difficult.
- But when we look back a few months or years later, we can see the benefit that that trial had for us. And we see actually the biggest amount of development that you do, is at the times of the greatest of trials, my brothers ans sisters. This is when you grow close to Allah. This is the time when you ask Him the most. Very often peoples’ Islam becomes stronger as a result of the trials and tribulations that they are going through.
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In the Name of Allah, most Gracious most Merciful.
Assalamo alaikom warahamtullahi wabarakatuhu my dear brothers and sisters.
This is Ustadha Ameena Blake. I am here again with another video response to a question asked by yourselves. The question we are going to talk about today in shaa Allah, how do we get through hardtimes and hardships in a positive manner?
The Sunnah of Positive Thinking at Times of Distress
What does Islam say about this? How do we become a positive thinker? Is this part of Islam or not? So, the first thing I want to talk to you is about our beloved Prophet Muhammad. Because of course he went through so many hardships. He went through hardships in just one year that many of us subhanAllah will not see in a whole lifetime. And we can not talk about positive thinking towards hardships without talking about this year. And that was the year of sadness.
During this year, many different things happened to Prophet Muhammad. One of them was that he lost two people who were very dear to him.
One of those people was his wife, Khadijah, who was his absolute soulmate. She passed away during this year.
And also he lost his uncle, Abu Talib, who was not only somebody who was very beloved to him. In fact who helped him very much through his life and as a young man and as a child as well. But, also he was a political supporter.
He wasn’t Muslim, however he was a supporter of Prophet Muhammad and protected him during a time of great trial and fitnah and from problems coming from the communities who were often against Islam.
And so how did he respond to this? Prophet Muhammad always responded in a very positive way. And he actually after these two deaths which were devastating to him he continued spreading the message of Islam in the best of ways that he knew.
Now, one of the ways to do this was to travel around different tribes. So, he would go around different tribes, showing them Islam and inviting them to Islam. And, all the tribes he went to (15 tribes) and all these tribes rejected him and he also went to the town of Taif.
How Prophet Muhammad responded to the tribulations of Taif
The story of the town of Taif is really a devastating one. What happens in the town of Taif is that Prophet Muhammad goes to this town and he invites the people through the leaders to Islam. They ask all the vagabonds, all the bad people in the community to attack Prophet Muhammad and mock him and actually throwing stones at him. They are being very negative and violent towards him to the extent that he was getting stones and rocks thrown at him and they were hitting his face and he was covered from head to toe in blood.
Actually, an amazing thing happened after this. He was looked after by a man from the edge of the city, and during this time or just after that time Allah sent an angel to Prophet Muhammad. The angel Jibreel was sent to him. He said to him I have the angels of the mountains with me. All you need to say is one word and the angels of the mountains will bring down the mountains on the people of Taif.
Prophet Muhammad must have been hurt. His honor had been hurt. He had been physically hurt by these people. But guess what, my brothers and sisters, he didn’t say yes do the revenge on them. Even though it was his right to do this. His choice was positive. He said no. He said maybe their offspring will become Muslim. Maybe they will be believers. He tried to see the good in everything. This, my brothers and sisters, is the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
The stories and words in the Quran are always surrounded by positive thinking
When we look at the stories in the Quran and the words of the Quran, they are always surrounded by positivity. Always trying to remain positive even in the most difficult trials. I want you to think back when you have the greatest of trials and at that time, it feels almost impossible to move one foot in front of the other because it is so difficult.
But when we look back a few months or years later, we can see the benefit that that trial had for us. And we see actually the biggest amount of development that you do, is at the times of the greatest of trials, my brothers ans sisters. This is when you grow close to Allah. This is the time when you ask Him the most. Very often peoples’ Islam becomes stronger as a result of the trials and tribulations that they are going through.
(From Ask About Islam archive)
Allah knows and you do not know
Follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad of positive thinking and really always try and see the good in something rather than the negative. Because Allah says in the Quran:
Allah knows and you do not know. (Quran 2: 216)
A very important verse. Allah knows and you do not know and we do not know the good that is placed in something, in some trial. Maybe having patience through that trial will be the thing that will get you to Jannah.
May Allah help you, May Allah bless you and and your families. And put sakinah and love to him in your hearts. May Allah love you and put you as the neighbor of Prophet Muhammad in the akhirah.
From me Ustadha Ameena Blake sending much love.
Assalamo alaikom warahamtullahi wabarakatuhu
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