Sermon Title: And He Defeated the Confederates Alone.
Themes of the Sermon:
1- The Severity of Afflictions.
2- The Betrayal of the Hypocrites.
3- The Steadfastness of the Believers and Their Trust in Allah’s Victory.
4- Allah is the Supporter of His Servants and the Defeater of the Confederates Alone.
Praise be to Allah who fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His servant, and defeated the Confederates alone. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without any partners, nothing precedes Him, and nothing comes after Him. I also bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. He sent him with guidance and true religion, so He exalted his mention and bestowed complete happiness upon him. May Allah bless him, his family, and all his Companions, and grant them peace.
To proceed:
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and know that whoever fears Allah will be protected from evil in this world and the Hereafter, and Allah will provide for him a way out of every hardship and grant him relief from every distress.
O Servants of Allah:
Some of the Jews went to the tribes of Quraysh and Ghaṭafān, inciting and provoking them against the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions. They promised them assistance until they could eliminate the Prophet (ﷺ) and those with him. As a result, Quraysh, Ghaṭafān, and other Arab tribes mobilized with ten thousand fighters and conspired to eradicate Islam and its followers within their own city.
The disbelievers’ army arrived with their full force. At that critical moment, the Jewish tribe of Banū Qurayẓah violated their treaty with the Prophet (ﷺ) and conspired to attack the Muslims in Medina. The situation became dire, the challenges intensified, and the affliction grew severe as Allah, the Exalted, described:
إِذۡ جَآءُوكُم مِّن فَوۡقِكُمۡ وَمِنۡ أَسۡفَلَ مِنكُمۡ وَإِذۡ زَاغَتِ ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَبَلَغَتِ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلۡحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلظُّنُونَا۠ * هُنَالِكَ ٱبۡتُلِيَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ زِلۡزَالٗا شَدِيدٗا
“[Remember] when they came at you from above you and from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats, and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions. There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking.” (Qurʾān 33:10-11)
While the Prophet (ﷺ) and the believers were preparing to face the hostility of the polytheists from above and the enmity of the Jews from below, there was a third enemy among them sowing discord within the ranks of the believers and seeking to spread strife among them.
Indeed, the hypocrites stood against the believers, obstructing and weakening them by spreading rumors and messages of despair. Their aim was to distance the believers from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his call.
They mocked the efforts of the Mujāhidīn (those who strive for the Cause of Allah), criticized their contributions, and disparaged them as arrogant and reckless. Furthermore, they abandoned and betrayed the believers, weakened their resolve, and left them in a state of disappointment.
They had no concern other than for themselves and their lowly worldly desires. They aspired to lead any form of life, even if it resembled that of animals. Thus, for them, striving for the Cause of Allah was perceived as destruction and corruption, while escaping from it was a sought-after bliss.
Their affiliation, allegiance, and loyalty were directed towards the disbelievers, the enemies of the religion. They admired them, embraced their ideologies, followed their methods, opposed the people of faith and righteousness, accused them of every deficiency, belittled their efforts, and let them down both in words and actions.
The ulcer of hypocrisy is more malicious than the cancer of disbelief. Disbelievers are clear in their stance, with no ambiguity in their words or positions. However, hypocrites, who live among us, speak our language, face our Qiblah, and yet stab us from behind with their poisoned daggers, pose a more insidious threat. So what can be done about them?!
O Servants of Allah:
In the depth of this hardship and amidst the severity of this distress, the sincere believers, confident in Allah’s promise, stood firm. They dug the trench with their spades, and carried the soil on their backs, unconcerned about the strength of the enemies and the support of the Confederates. Their bodies were frail, their stomachs empty, and the cold was severe. Their main aim was to repel the armies of darkness who came to extinguish the light of Allah. However, Allah refused except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers disliked it.
The hearts of the believers do not succumb to weakness or fear, no matter how many enemies may gather, no matter how numerous they are. In fact, the Prophet (ﷺ) himself was digging alongside them, chanting:
“O Allah, indeed the real life is the life of the Hereafter
so forgive the Anṣār (Helpers) and the Muhājirūn (Emigrants).”
The Companions replied to him:
“We are those who pledged allegiance to Muḥammad
for Jihād as long as we remain alive.”
The steadfast and firm believers, witnessing the alignment of the Confederates and the gathering of armies, showcased unwavering conviction in Allah and His Messenger. They submitted to the command of Allah, placed trust in His promise, and adhered to His law. Their steadfastness was a tangible manifestation of both faith and action. In times of crisis and tribulations, there was no room for tears or outcry, no time for reproach and condemnation. Instead, it was solely about sincere commitment to Allah’s covenant and unwavering reliance upon Him.
Despite the overwhelming numbers of enemies, the siege, the breach of the treaties by the Jews, and the emergence of hypocrisy and its people, the Prophet (ﷺ) never despaired of the mercy of his Lord and Protector. His heart never tasted the bitterness of despair in the victory promised by the Lord of the worlds. He remained confident in Allah’s promise and the triumph of His religion. He instilled hope in the hearts of his Companions and gave them glad tidings of Allah’s grace and victory.
While digging the trench, they encountered a rock, like thousands of rocks that obstruct the path of truth. Yes, it slowed down their progress and hindered the way to some extent, but the strikes of the true believers turned it into dust by the permission of Allah, the Sovereign.
The Companions called upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to seek his opinion about this great rock. He took the spade himself and struck it with his own hands, saying, “Bismillah (In the Name of Allah),” so a third of the stone shattered and he said, “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)! I have been given the keys of the Levant, by Allah I see its red palaces right now from this place of mine.” Then he said “Bismillāh” and struck it again so a third of the stone shattered and he said, “Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of Persia. By Allah, I see Al-Madāʾin (Ctesiphon) and I see its white palace right now from this place of mine.” Then he said “Bismillāh” and struck it again so the remainder of the stone was destroyed and he said, “Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of Yemen. By Allah, I see the gates of Ṣanʿāʾ right now from this place of mine.” Narrated by Imām Aḥmad.
This is the promise of Allah to empower His religion, to support His allies, and to extend this religion to reach the corners of the earth.
This is the promise of Allah that we hope for and firmly believe will come true, even if we are in the darkest circumstance, facing the toughest siege, and encountering the narrowest of paths.
May Allah bless you and me with the Glorious Qurʾān, and may He make it a source of benefit for you and me through its verses and wise remembrance. I ask Allah to forgive my sins and yours; so seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful.
The Second Sermon
Praise be to Allah. May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow him. To proceed: Be mindful of Allah, O servants of Allah, and fear Him as He should be feared, and know that He watches you in private and in public.
Brothers in Islam,
The Aqṣā Mosque remained captive in the hands of the Crusaders for more than ninety years. Then, by Allah’s Grace and Might, it was restored at the hands of Ṣalāḥ Ad-Dīn. Surely, The Aqṣā will return, and Allah will grant victory to His believing servants over the criminal Jews, as the truthful and trustworthy Prophet (ﷺ) informed us. However, this is a test and trial, so Allah may distinguish and purify the true believers (through trial) and destroy the disbelievers.
The ultimate Helper is Allah, and the believer relies on the Strong Supporter, the Lord whose armies and troops cannot be defeated, and whose promises are never broken.
The Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated Allah as he always took refuge in his Lord and his Master, saying, “O Allah, the Revealer of the Book, Swift at reckoning, defeat the confederates. O Allah, defeat them and shake them.” Reported by Al-Bukhāriyy.
So Allah responded to the supplication of His Prophet (ﷺ) at the time He willed, after testing the believers and exposing the hypocrites. He sent a wind upon the polytheists, extinguishing their fires, uprooting their tents, and casting fear into their hearts. So, they were defeated and fled in disgrace.
قال تعالى
وَرَدَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِغَيۡظِهِمۡ لَمۡ يَنَالُواْ خَيۡرٗاۚ وَكَفَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٱلۡقِتَالَۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزٗا
(الأحزاب: 25)Allah says, “And Allah repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, not having obtained any good. And sufficient was Allah for the believers in battle, and ever is Allah Powerful and Exalted in Might.” (Qurʾān 33:25)
Allah reminds us of this great blessing so that we may increase in gratitude and be certain of His promise.
قال تعالى
ٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ جُنُودٞ فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ رِيحٗا وَجُنُودٗا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَاۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا
(الأحزاب: 9)Allah says, “O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see. And ever is Allah, of what you do, Seeing.” (Qurʾān 33:9)
It is incumbent upon the believer to repose trust in his Lord, understand the reality of the conflict, maintain resolute faith and certainty, uphold his covenant with Allah, and implore Him for victory and empowerment. This entails surrendering to His wisdom, hoping for His mercy, and being patient in the face of adversity.
قال تعالى
وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلۡبَأۡسِۗ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُواْۖ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَ
(البقرة :177)Allah says, “And [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.” (Qurʾān 2:177)
In conclusion, send prayers and blessings upon the one sent as a mercy to the whole world. May Allah exalt and send peace to our Prophet Muḥammad and upon his family and all his Companions.
O Allah, support those who strive for Your Cause in Palestine, guide their aim, keep their steps firm, and grant them victory over Your enemy and their enemy. O Allah, save the weak and oppressed in Palestine, protect them with Your protection, heal their wounded, and accept those who died among them as martyrs, O Generous. O Allah, defeat the transgressing Jews, scatter their unity, destroy them one by one, eliminate them entirely, leave none of them behind, defeat them, and cast terror into their hearts and the hearts of those who support them, by Your Mighty Power, O Lord of all Power, Ever Mighty. O Allah, grant success to the leader of our affair in what You love and are pleased with. Guide him towards righteousness and piety. Our Lord, grant us the good of this world and good of the Hereafter and protect us from the torment of the Fire.
O Servants of Allah: Remember Allah frequently and glorify Him in the morning and evening, and let our final supplication be: All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
