Website: www.aaiil.uk

Disappointments felt by Prophets before Allah’s promise is fulfilled

Friday Khutba by Dr Zahid Aziz, for Lahore Ahmadiyya UK, 11 August 2023

“We have not revealed the Quran to you that you may be unsuccessful; but it is a reminder to him who fears: a revelation from Him Who created the earth and the high heavens.”  — ch. 20, v. 2–4

مَاۤ اَنۡزَلۡنَا عَلَیۡکَ الۡقُرۡاٰنَ لِتَشۡقٰۤی ۙ﴿۲﴾  اِلَّا تَذۡکِرَۃً لِّمَنۡ یَّخۡشٰی ۙ﴿۳﴾  تَنۡزِیۡلًا مِّمَّنۡ خَلَقَ الۡاَرۡضَ وَ السَّمٰوٰتِ الۡعُلٰی ؕ﴿۴﴾

“Perhaps you (O Prophet) will kill yourself with grief because they do not believe. If We please, We could send down on them a sign from heaven, so that their necks would bend before it.” — ch. 26, v. 3–4

لَعَلَّکَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفۡسَکَ اَلَّا یَکُوۡنُوۡا مُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۳﴾ اِنۡ نَّشَاۡ نُنَزِّلۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ اٰیَۃً فَظَلَّتۡ اَعۡنَاقُہُمۡ  لَہَا خٰضِعِیۡنَ ﴿۴﴾

The Holy Prophet Muhammad had been promised by God from the start that his mission will be successful. He had been told in his early revelation that God has granted him abundance of good and that his enemies will be cut off from all means of good, which includes being left with no posterity to come after them (ch. 108). He had been assured in another early revelation that he would receive fame and glory in the world, with the mention of his name being held high in the world, and the difficulties he faced would be removed (ch. 94). In an even earlier revelation, Sūrah Al-Muzammil (ch. 73), he was informed that he was being sent as a messenger just as a messenger had been sent to Pharaoh, and that consequently Pharaoh had been destroyed due to his opposition to the messenger sent to him.

Yet during most of the mission of the Holy Prophet, perhaps for nearly twenty years of his 23-year mission, there was little sign of any success but only failure. That is why Allah assured him in the first passage that I read above, that the Quran had not been revealed to him so that he may remain permanently in this state of lack of success and disappointment that he was then experiencing. And the reason why he could not fail was that he was the bearer and deliverer of the Quran, and the Quran is “a reminder to him who fears”, meaning that those who fear falling into evil ways, who fear that they will never find the truth and the ways of doing good, the Quran shall remind them of how to avoid evil and how to good. Moreover, it is a revelation from the One Who created the earth and the high heavens. The meaning of this may also be that He has revealed teachings relating to our earthly lives which enable us to reach the highest heavens in terms of moral and spiritual progress. It is pointing out that because the Quran is of indispensable use to humanity, its deliverer, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, cannot be unsuccessful because people will eventually realise how beneficial are the teachings of the Quran.

The same applies to the correct interpretations of the teachings of the Quran presented by our Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. Those who present this true picture of Islam cannot be unsuccessful in the long run because that picture is to the benefit of the world generally, and Muslims in particular, and the opposite wrong interpretations do not benefit but harm people. Eventually people will come to accept what benefits them.

The second passage I recited has two verses, the first of which describes the condition of the mind and heart of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Allah says to him: “Perhaps you (O Prophet) will kill yourself with grief because they do not believe.” The verse after that says that Allah has the power to show them such an open sign that they would submit to it. But Allah does not do that because He wants them to recognise the truth themselves by pondering over the teachings of the Quran and the character of the Holy Prophet, rather than being forced to submit by seeing some great sign or miracle from the Holy Prophet. It says here that the Holy Prophet grieved that people refused to believe in the Quran, so much so that the inconsolable grief could kill him.

There is another verse similar to this one, which says: “Then perhaps you will kill yourself with grief, sorrowing after them, if they do not believe in this announce­ment” (18:6). This contains the extra words “sorrowing after them”. This verse is in Sūrah al-Kahf. Many Muslims recite this Sūrah every Friday. Thus they are reminded every week that the Holy Prophet grieved intensely, sorrowing over those people who did not believe in the Quran. They should follow his example. The reason he was grieved and in sorrow was that he had full faith in Allah’s promise that the rejectors of the Quran would be punished and destroyed. He wanted to avert their punishment. If they met with punishment from God, then of course this would prove that the Holy Prophet was true and was from God. But the Holy Prophet did not want that kind of victory over his opponents, whereby they would meet with destruction for their sins. He wanted the kind of success in which they would accept his message, rather than being destroyed by God for not accepting it. The Holy Prophet grieved when circumstances showed him that he had little chance of attaining that kind of success. The strange and unexpected thing was that it was his grieving that led to his people ultimately accepting Islam.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, writes that when God appointed the Holy Prophet as His Prophet and showed Himself to the heart of the Holy Prophet, then what happened was that:

“…this prophet, through his spiri­tual exertions and humble supplications, wants others to find the God Who has been manifested to him, and to obtain salvation. Out of his heart’s desire he offers his own self for sacrifice before God, and from his wish that people be raised to spiritual life he accepts death of many a kind upon himself, and puts himself to great struggles. This is indicated in the verse: “Perhaps you (O Muhammad) will kill yourself with grief because they do not believe” (Haqīqat-ul-Waḥy, Ruhānī Khazā’in, v. 22, p. 117).

Prophets, therefore, do not merely believe in the promises of Allah given to them of their success and do nothing towards it themselves. They exert themselves greatly and are deeply anxious that they attain their promised goal. They find themselves in hopeless situations which are in complete contrast to what God has promised them. An example is shown by an incident which occurred as Muslims were preparing to fight their first battle, the battle of Badr. Long before the battle of Badr, several years before, the Holy Prophet had been given the promise by Allah that an army which will gather together to fight the Muslims will be put to flight and they will turn their backs. On the day of the battle he prayed to Allah within his tent with great passion as follows:

“O Allah, I ask You to fulfil Your pledge and Your promise. O Allah, but if it is Your will (to do otherwise), You will not be worshipped after this day.”

Of course, he is not demanding from Allah that unless You grant us victory You will be left with no one to worship You. Allah does not need any human beings whom He must save and support and favour for His own benefit. The Holy Prophet meant that what it looks like is that all Muslims, the worshippers of Allah, will be wiped out unless Allah fulfills His promise of long ago to grant them victory. Then Hazrat Abu Bakr took hold of the Holy Prophet’s hand and said: “This is enough, O Messenger of Allah. You have appealed to your Lord too pressingly.” Then the Holy Prophet went out, wearing his battle dress, reciting the verse of the Quran: “Soon shall the forces be put to flight and they will turn their backs” (54:45). This was that prophecy of several years before (Bukhari, hadith 2915, 4875, 4877).

According to the version of this incident in Sahih Muslim, it was when the Holy Prophet saw that the enemy forces numbered one thousand while his Companions were about 300 that he raised his hands, facing the Qiblah, and started saying this prayer. He stretched his hands so far in calling upon Allah that his cloak fell off his shoulders. Then Hazrat Abu Bakr came and picked up his cloak and put it back on his shoulders, and said to him as above (Sahih Muslim, Book: Jihad and Expeditions, hadith 1763). This incident shows that prophets are placed in situations in which failure stares them in the face and it looks even to them that God’s promises may not be fulfilled.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad has written that prophets as well as Mujaddids who arise among Muslims to take forward the mission of the Holy Prophet face such hopeless situations, and they are granted the quality called ‘azm or unshakeable determination and firm resolution. He writes:

“ ‘Azm means not to falter, whatever the circum­stances, nor to give up hope, nor to become lax in will. Many a time such trials befall prophets and messengers and saints, who are Imams of their age, that they are enmeshed so deep in difficulties that it seems as if God has abandoned them and wishes to bring destruction upon them. … sometimes they face much delay in achieving their goal; often they appear deserted, humiliated, cursed and rejected in the world, so that every person who curses them thinks that he is earning great reward in heaven. And everyone hates them and looks with aversion upon them, not even wishing to return their greetings. At such times their determination is being tested but they never become despondent because of these trials, nor do they waver in their mission, until the help of Allah comes.” (Zarūrat-i Imām, Ruhānī Khazā’in, v. 13, p. 481)

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was given the promise by Allah that his mission of taking Islam to the world will be successful but he cautions his followers as follows about the difficulties that come in the way:

“So, blessed is he who has faith in the promise of God, and does not fear the intervening trials, for trials must also come … But all those who persevere till the end — even though the earthquakes of misfortunes and the hurricanes of catastrophes come upon them, nations of the earth ridicule and mock them, and the world treat them with great abhorrence — they shall be triumphant in the end, and the doors of blessings will be opened for them” (Al-Wasiyya, Ruhānī Khazā’in, v. 20, p. 309).

So may Allah enable us to show this determination and steadfastness, believing in the promises given by Allah, even though we find ourselves in completely dark and unfavourable circumstances, ameen.

 

Website: www.aaiil.uk