Sermon Title: Allah Sent Down Tranquility on Them
Themes of the Sermon:
1- Tranquility is the serenity and inner peace of the heart because of its strong bond with Allah.
2- People are divided into two categories in terms of their sources of tranquility.
3- The tranquility of the believers amidst the trials and tribulations.
4- Tranquility and the Quran.
All praise be to Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and all creation, who manages and disposes of all affairs with His wisdom. He blesses the hearts of the believers with His mercy, and sends down tranquility on whomever He wills from His servants. I testify that none is worthy of worship but Allah and He has no partners, and I also testify that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His servant and His messenger. May Allah exalt and send peace to the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions.
To proceed:
O servants of Allah, fear Him as He should be feared, and be mindful of Him in private and in public. He says:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ
“O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].” [Quran 3:102]
Servants of Allah:
Abū Talhah Zayd ibn Sahl Al-Ansārī (t) had a son whom he loved dearly. His child fell sick and died. Abū Talhah returned home and asked, “How is my son doing tonight?” Umm Sulaym (his wife) replied, “He is quieter than he has ever been!” Then she brought supper for him and he ate and she wore perfume and beautified herself for her husband, who spend the night with her. At last, she said (to him), “O Abū Talhah, Do you think that if a person lent something to you and you benefited from it, then he asked for it back, would you be upset?” He replied: “No!” She explained: “Well, Allah lent your son to you, and now He has taken him back. Seek reward from Him and adhere to patience; your child is dead!” [Ahmad]
A profound meaning must have been well-established in Umm Sulaym's heart, prompting her to show such exemplary patience and wisdom! It filled her heart with contentment and tranquility, and made her celebrate her Tawhīd (Islamic monotheism) and praise of Allah at such harsh time. So, what was it?
Allah willed that this worldly life should be a place of trial and testing where people experience feelings of joy and sorrow and are being tested by both. The hearts are shaken by the tribulations and spiritual turmoil; only those whom Allah blesses with steadfastness and support will be able to survive and stand firm.
Human beings are inherently anxious beings with hasty temperament; they easily become impatient whenever they are afflicted with the least severe evil. When they are blessed with bounties, they become greedy and withhold them. This is the profile of the majority of human beings except for a small group of people who adhere to steadfastness, serenity, and hope, and never despair when calamities befall them, and these people are the ones who are endowed with serenity.
O servants of Allah, tranquility means the serenity of the soul and the inner peace of the heart when calamities, trials, and tribulations befall. No matter what concerns, fears, and causes of disturbance and turmoil a believer may have; no matter how much he loses or suffers in this worldly life, and no matter how much pain and suffering he endures, tranquility remains his constant companion and he continues to relish inner peace and tranquility.
Dear Brothers in Islam:
If people are inherently anxious beings with hasty temperament, one may ask: “What is the secret behind this tranquility relished by some people? What is the reason for this sense of serenity?”
The answer is that people may be divided into two categories in this regard: 1) Some people find their tranquility and serenity in the worldly possessions and gains such as: material wealth, status, power, and authority. Allah says:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرۡجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا وَرَضُواْ بِٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَٱطۡمَأَنُّواْ بِهَا وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ عَنۡ ءَايَٰتِنَا غَٰفِلُونَ
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ مَأۡوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ
“Indeed, those who do not expect the meeting with Us and are satisfied with the life of this world and feel secure therein and those who are heedless of Our signs * For those their refuge will be the Fire because of what they used to earn.” [Quran 10:7-8]
Whenever these people lose any of these worldly gains or pleasures, their hearts are shaken, and their serenity is lost. They are the people whom Allah forsakes; whoever relies on other than Allah, will be forsaken and entrusted to it; everything other than Allah is unreal and vain.
The second category of people are those who relish tranquility and serenity only in Allah and through Him because they believe with certainty that He is the Lord and Owner of everything. To Him alone belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, and He disposes of all affairs of the universe. The whole creation is at His service and none has power not even so much as the weight of an atom in the heavens or in the earth (compared to His absolute power).
When people's hearts are shook out of fear of poverty, you see them relishing serenity in Allah, the Provider and Bestower of sustenance, who promised to grant His servants Rizq (all forms of provision). He is the Ever-living and Self-Sustaining Sustainer, who neither errs nor forgets. They find tranquility and serenity in Allah, who said:
وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٖ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزۡقُهَا وَيَعۡلَمُ مُسۡتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسۡتَوۡدَعَهَاۚ كُلّٞ فِي كِتَٰبٖ مُّبِينٖ
“And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register.” [Quran 11:6]
When people's hearts are shaken out of fear of a tyrant’s oppression or a criminal’s threats, you see them find serenity only in Allah, who disposes of all affairs of the universe. He alone bestows the blessing of life and causes death; He grants dominion to whomever He wills, and takes it away from whomever He wills. He is the One who gives and withholds, exalts (whomever He wills) and abases (whomever He wills), withholds and grants abundance. They find tranquility in (their reliance on) Allah, who says:
قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَآ إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوۡلَىٰنَاۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلۡيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ
“Say, "Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector." And upon Allah let the believers rely.” [Quran 9:51]
All people on earth may unite to plot against those chosen believers and contrive their evil schemes, but these chosen servants of Allah will still find tranquility and serenity in delegating Him to dispose of all their affairs. They truly rely on Allah, knowing with certainty that He is the best of Planner; their opponents may have devised plans and Allah too had arranged a plan for the disbelievers and will frustrate their schemes (against the believers) and cause them to incur their own destruction. Their example and role model is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who showed exemplary firmness and steadfastness and found tranquility and serenity in Allah during the toughest times and the most severe situations.
For instance, the polytheists had a bounty of one hundred camels on the Prophet’s head during the migration. Their bounty hunters set out in hot pursuit of the Prophet (ﷺ) until they reached the cave where they were hiding. Abū Bakr said to the Prophet (ﷺ), "O Messenger of Allah, if one of them were to look down at his feet, he would see us!" The Prophet (ﷺ) tranquilly replied, "O Abū Bakr, what do you think of two, with Allah as their third?" (Muslim)
This is the true tranquility about which Allah says:
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدۡ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ ٱثۡنَيۡنِ إِذۡ هُمَا فِي ٱلۡغَارِ إِذۡ يَقُولُ لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَاۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٖ لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا
“If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And Allah sent down his tranquility upon him and supported him with angels you did not see.” [Quran 9:40]
During the Battle of the Trench, the polytheist confederates joined forces and mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers to eradicate the Muslims. The Prophet (ﷺ) partook in the digging of the trench along with his companions, carrying the loads of earth that covered the whiteness of his abdomen, and was reciting (the following poetic verses):
"O Allah, if it were not for You,
We would not have been guided,
Nor would we have given charity, nor prayed.
So, bestow tranquility upon us, and when we encounter our enemy,
Make our feet firm, for indeed,
The enemy has revolted against us;
Yet, if they want to afflict us,
We will defiantly oppose their affliction". [Al-Bukhārī and Muslim]
Similarly, some Muslims were impressed by their own great numbers during the Battle of Hunayn, the Muslims were surprised by the enemy’s sudden attack; they fell into chaos and began fleeing the battleground in terror except for the Prophet (ﷺ) and a few Companions who stood firm and did not flee. He (ﷺ) bravely proclaimed: “I am the Prophet of Allah undoubtedly; I am the son of ‘Abdul Muttalib!” With complete composure, he (ﷺ) called out: ‘O companions of (Surah) Al-Baqarah! (Come along!)” They all returned to the battlefield (and fought courageously) and as a result tranquility descended on the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions and they were granted victory by their Lord.
Allah says:
لَقَدۡ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٖ وَيَوۡمَ حُنَيۡنٍ إِذۡ أَعۡجَبَتۡكُمۡ كَثۡرَتُكُمۡ فَلَمۡ تُغۡنِ عَنكُمۡ شَيۡـٔٗا وَضَاقَتۡ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتۡ ثُمَّ وَلَّيۡتُم مُّدۡبِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودٗا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَعَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ{
“Allah has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with its vastness; then you turned back, fleeing. * Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down soldiers angels whom you did not see and punished those who disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the disbelievers.”
[Quran 9:25-26]
Tranquility is relished as a result of adhering to faith, belief, and certainty that are established in the believers’ hearts. This reward is for the true believers and the hypocrites or doubters will have no share of it. It descends on those who are nurtured by the Quran, in whose hearts and minds the teachings revealed in Al-Baqarah and Āl-‘Imrān chapters (no. 2 & 3) are instilled, and not those who turn away from the divine revelation and are oblivious to it.
During the incident of Al-Hudaybiyah, the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the Companions to give him an oath of allegiance and pledge to strive against the disbelievers until death befalls them and they did. As a reward, Allah blessed them with tranquility because of the deeply-rooted faith in their hearts. Allah says:
لَّقَدۡ رَضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحۡتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَأَثَٰبَهُمۡ فَتۡحٗا قَرِيبٗا
“Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest.” [Quran 48:18]
Servants of Allah:
People endowed with tranquility are the ones who relish serenity when the hearts of other people are being shaken by the loss of children and the death of their loved ones! They place their confidence in Allah, who decreed that death is not the end of the journey (but rather the beginning of the true life). The souls of these believers (martyrs) are in (green) birds, savoring eternal bliss in Paradise, and all people will meet on the Day of Resurrection. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The soul of a believer is (like) a bird that feeds on the trees of Paradise till Allah restores it to his body on the Day of Resurrection.” [Ahmad]
When Ibrāhīm, the Prophet’s son, died, he (ﷺ) wept, but was never impatient or despair. Rather, he (ﷺ) said: "O Ibrāhīm, were it not that death is something that inevitably comes to all, and that the latter will surely join the former (who died first), we would have been more than we are, verily we grieve for you. The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we do not say anything that incurs the wrath of the Lord." [Al-Hākim]
This is the fruit of the certitude that fills the believer’s heart, making the toughest hardships seem insignificant, and empowering him to overcome the most severe trials and tribulations. This certitude that the Prophet (ﷺ)asked his Lord when he (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, apportion for us, fear of You, that shall come between us and disobedience of You, and of obedience to You, which shall cause us to obtain Your Paradise, and of certainty, which shall make the afflictions of the worldly life easy for us." [At-Tirmidhī]
Those who are endowed with tranquility are the ones whose hearts relish serenity and steadfastness when other people’s hearts are being shaken by doubts and misconceptions. They find tranquility in the truth to which they are adhering; faith has dwelled in their hearts and they held onto it. Their faith is founded on proofs and evidence; they perceive with their hearts and minds the clear-cut rulings and teachings of Islam supported by the collectively contiguous Sharia evidence and texts of the divine revelation. If the deviant people tried to raise misconceptions and doubts, they refute these misconceptions and doubts by weighing them against the evidence and texts with clear-cut indications. As a result, they relish true tranquility, and their hearts find inner peace in holding into the truth revealed to them.
May Allah bless me and you with the devotion to the Quran, and help me and you benefit from its verses and wise reminders therein. I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you; seek His forgiveness. Indeed, He is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful.
Second Sermon
Allah praise be to Allah as befitting Him, and may He exalt and send peace to His Prophet and His servant.
To proceed:
One night, one of the Companions was reciting Surah Al-Kahf (no. 18), with his horse tied with two ropes beside him, a cloud overshadowed him. As it began to come nearer and nearer, the horse began to trample violently. In the morning, the man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and narrated the incident to him. He said: "That was tranquility which descended by virtue of reciting the Quran." [ Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
What a great description! "That was tranquility which descended by virtue of reciting the Quran." The Words of Allah, exalted is He, are the source of tranquility for the hearts. When a believer recites the Quran with an attentive heart, it renews his faith, boosts his certitude in his Lord, and he gets to relish tranquility.
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said: "No people get together in a house of the houses of Allah (i.e. a mosque), reciting the Book of Allah, and learning it together among themselves, but tranquility descends on them, divine mercy covers them, and the angels surround them, and Allah makes a mention of them among those who are with Him." [Muslim]
Lastly, ask Allah to exalt and send peace to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who was sent as a mercy for the worlds. O Allah, exalt and send peace to Prophet Muhammad, and to all his family and Companions.
O Allah, bless our Muslim brothers in Palestine with victory, bless their hearts with serenity and tranquility, and defeat the criminal (Zionist) Jews. O Allah, save the weak believers, bless them with Your protection, encompass them with Your mercy, and uphold the banner of Islam by Your might and power; You are the Lord of invincible strength and unbreakable might. O Allah, guide our leader to what You love and is pleased with, and bless him with righteousness and Taqwā (mindfulness of Allah). Our Lord, give us in this worldly life [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Hellfire.
O Servants of Allah, remember Allah with much remembrance and glorify Him morning and evening. Our final supplication is “All praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.”
