By Sheikh Osama ibn Abdullah Khayyat – 05 Rabiuth Thani 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Osama ibn Abdullah Khayyat –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah entitled “Ease after Hardship” in which he spoke about the ordeals and calamities that are currently striking all the Muslim Ummah including his own country. He explained that these ordeals are not going to last long, supporting his view by conclusive evidence from the two Revelations (the Qur’an and the Sunnah) which stress that after hardship comes ease, that after distress comes relief, and that Allah will remove afflictions and eliminate grief.

Praise be to Allah Who brings ease after hardship! I praise Him ‒Exalted be He‒ in a way by which He increases His blessings to us! I bear witness that He is the only deity worthy of worship with no associate. He creates what He wills and chooses. He alone, in the universe, issues prohibitions and commands. I bear witness that our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, is the Servant and Messenger of Allah, the best of creatures, and the greatest in righteousness. O Allah! Send Your Salat (Graces, Honours, Mercy) and Peace on Your Servant and Messenger, Muhammad, his family, and Companions, the most righteous and guided followers of Allah’s Path!

Now then,

Fear Allah ‒O servants of Allah‒ and remember that the pious have a good life in this world, and, in the hereafter, paradises from underneath which rivers flow.

O Muslims!

Easing hardships, surmounting difficulties, and facilitating matters are what people look forward to in order to achieve a good living, having life matters under control, aiming at gaining good things and being saved from evils that lead to bad consequences.

Therefore, some people, when distressed, they believe that a great evil has befallen them, that doors are closed in their faces, and that roads are blocked before them. As a consequence, they feel melancholic; spacious earth appears narrow in their eyes; good thoughts turn into bad suspicions; and already stable conditions become tumultuous. This might eventually lead them to unlawful things, improper words or actions.

However, the righteous, who are the happiest people, have a different attitude here, because of the signs and guidance they have received from their Lord and because their Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ led them to the Straight Path. They remember that their Lord has promised them truthfully and conveyed to them the good tidings that hardship is always followed by ease, poverty by wealth, and distress by relief. He ‒Exalted be He‒ said:

“So verily, with the hardship, there is relief, (5) Verily, with the hardship, there is relief (i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one hardship cannot overcome two reliefs).” [Al-Sharh: 5-6]

He ‒Glorified be His Name‒ also said:

“Allâh will grant after hardship, ease.” [Al-Talaq: 7]

This promise is tied to the condition of doing what should be done. The first and foremost of these conditions is taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah), which is the best provision and best means for those who are heading towards Allah and to His commandment to the first and the last generations of humankind:

“We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh” [Al-Nisa’: 131]

This motivates the righteous to keep a divide between them and what Allah has prohibited, to keep a fence which protects them, a restrictor that holds them back from infringing Allah’s prohibitions, and a preacher in their own hearts who cautions them against committing sins.

No wonder then that Allah’s servant takes taqwa to be one of the best means to run all his affairs, to render easy any difficulty he encounters and to surmount any obstacle which stands between him and his goals:

“…and whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him.” [Al-Talaq: 4]

With Taqwa comes beneficence in all walks of life, be it beneficence to oneself by moving forward towards Allah ‒Exalted be He‒ and obeying Him through directing all forms of worship to Him alone, as the only deity. He should be worshipped with love and fear, servitude and servility, hope and reliance, submission and tranquillity. One should perform prayer, hajj, pay zakat, fast (Ramadan), and remember Allah. All these acts of worship represent the prerequisites of bearing witness that ‘there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone,’ which means ‘none is worthy of true worship except Allah.’ That is the essence of believing in al-Husnaa (the happy ending, in the Hereafter, and the best reward):

“As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allâh and fears Him, (5), And believes in Al-Husna (6) We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).” [Al-Lail: 5-7]

Or be it beneficence to humanity who has great effect and whose benefit reaches everyone. This can be evidenced and clarified by the belief that Allah, the Almighty, has the attributes of perfection and that He, as ibn Al-Qayyim ‒May Allah bless his soul‒ said: “rewards His servant in accordance with these Attributes of His, for He is Merciful and loves those who are merciful. He has mercy on the merciful among His servants. He is the Coverer and loves covering in His servants. He is Oft-Pardoning and loves those who pardon His servants. He is Oft-Forgiving and loves those who forgive them. He is Kind and Gentle and loves those who are kind to and gentle with them. He hates he who is rude, harsh and heartless. He is Clement and loves clemency, Reverent and loves those who show reverence towards others, Just and loves justice. He accepts excuses and loves those who accept the excuses of His servants.

He, therefore, rewards His servant according to these attributes and depending on whether they are there or not. He pardons those who pardon others, forgives those who forgive others. He is Gentle with those who are gentle with His servants, Merciful on those who are merciful on His creatures, and Beneficent to those who are beneficent to them.”

Of such beneficence ‒O Servants of Allah‒ is to come to the relief of those in hardship, either by granting him time till they can repay their debts, or by exempting them from such debt. A hadith goes: “Whoever comes to the relief of a person in hardship, Allah will come to his relief in the Herein and the Hereafter.” [Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih]

If the servant added to all that the supplication of his Creator as the best of His creatures used to supplicate Him, such as the supplication of His Prophet Musa (Moses) ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and upon our Prophet:

“[Mûsa (Moses)] said: “O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness). And ease my task for me; “And make loose the knot (the defect) from my tongue, (i.e. remove the incorrectness from my speech) [That occurred as a result of a brand of fire which Mûsa (Moses) put in his mouth when he was an infant]. “That they understand my speech.” [Ta-ha: 25-28]

He can also use Prophet the supplication of Yunus (Jonah) ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and upon our Prophet:

“… Lâ ilâha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allâh)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.”” [Al-Anbiya’: 87]

Also, the supplication of Allah’s Prophet, Muhammad ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ which he would use in times of hardship: “O Allah! There is nothing easy except that which You have made it so, and You can make what is difficult, if You will, easy.”

While supplicating, one should adhere to the ethics and etiquettes of supplication. Those include the following: showing sincerity to Allah, beginning by praising Him ‒Exalted be He‒ thanking Him, sending Salat upon His Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him. Also, one should face the Qiblah (the direction of Makkah) and implore Him with urgency. One should not be anxious to get answered very soon by saying: I supplicated Allah, but He did not answer my supplication. One should supplicate Allah alone, admit one’s sins, acknowledge Allah’s blessings, beg Him by His Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes, by a good deed one had previously done, or by the supplication of a righteous living person.

One should raise one’s hands towards the sky in supplication and make ablution if possible. One’s food should be ‘halal’ (legal) and good, not ‘haram’ (illegal) and evil. While invocating Allah, one must avoid uttering anything that would be considered as sinful including transgression, severance of kinships, supplicating Allah to inflict any form of harm on oneself, one’s family, children or possessions, or raising one’s voice beyond the ordinary and needed level.

Therefore, with Allah’s Grace and Mercy, answering the supplications is looked forward to and ease and joy thereon are awaited:

“Say: “In the Bounty of Allâh, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islâm and the Qur’ân); – therein let them rejoice.” That is better than what (the wealth) they amass.” [Yunus: 58]

May Allah grant me and you benefit from the guidance of His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him! I say this and I ask Allah to forgive my sins, yours and those of all Muslims, for He is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful!