#FridayReminders 46: Relentless Optimism (3:139)
#QuranReflections by Talha Ghannam
Video: https://youtu.be/kjkAjdIiJOo
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/quranclub
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Website: www.otpok.com
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وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ١٣٩
Do not lose heart or despair- for you will have the upper hand, if you are ˹true˺ believers.
[3:139]
When news arrived of an unprecedented Confederate army had gathered to destroy the Muslims, larger than any ever seen before in Arabia, the companions immediately began digging a trench to protect the exposed front of Madinah. With little time on their side, the smallest setback could prove fatal for the believers as the marching army would arrive in a matter of days. In that moment, as unfortunate as it was symbolic, they were blocked by a boulder so large even the strongest of them could not break it. These great companions, full of faith and understanding, knew immediately who to turn to; the Prophet ﷺ.
As our Beloved ﷺ was handed the axe, he struck it once and a tremendous spark emerged, filling the horizon. With great joy, he exclaimed, "Allahu Akbar! The keys of Syria are granted to me. I swear by Allah, I can see its palaces at this very moment." He struck the axe again, and another spark lit up the sky. "Allahu Akbar! Persia is granted to me. I swear by Allah, I can now see the white palace of Madain." On the third strike, a tremendous spark emerged once again, causing the rock to crumble. The Prophet ﷺ exclaimed, "Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of Yemen. I swear by Allah, I can see the gates of Sana'a from where I stand."
In their darkest moment, the Prophet ﷺ shared nothing but hope with the believers. In the face of annihilation, met with an insurmountable obstacle, He shared a prophecy of incredible victories in the future with such certainty, it made the impending calamity seem nothing more than a minor setback. To have such tremendous optimism, conviction even, in the face of such dire odds is a hallmark of the Prophetic call, and is something that our community desperately needs to rediscover. While there are countless similar incidents to recall, three are particularly noteworthy:
• After a group of disbelievers in Makkah violently attacked, strangled, and beat the Prophet ﷺ while he was praying, he turned to his companions and said "Rejoice, for Allah ﷻ will make His religion prevail, complete His Word, and support His Prophet. Verily, those (perpetrators) whom you see today will be slain by Allah through your hands soon.”
• During his migration from Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ was relentlessly pursued by disbelievers seeking to kill him, if not for hatred then for the heavy bounty on his head. Suraqah, a skilled bounty hunter, successfully tracked him down within the desert, but each time he approached, his horse sank into the sand and he stood at the mercy of the Prophet ﷺ. After vowing to end his pursuit, his horse was released and he free to return to his home. However, the allure of money was too great, rescinding his word and attempting his capture repeatedly, each time meeting the same outcome! On the third attempt, the Prophet ﷺ came to him and promised him a bounty far greater; the bracelets of the emperor of Persia! He agreed, and did not pursue him again.
• Before the battle of Badr, the Muslims were hopelessly outnumbered and under resourced. They faced an army 3 times larger than their own, and hadn’t come out prepared for such a war. In the face of such dire odds, the Prophet ﷺ walked around the battle field marking out the precise spots where each of their leaders would fall. Each of them fell in the precise spot he had marked.