بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The punishment of this world is easier to bear than the punishment of the Hereafter
The disturbing images of woman and children lying on the floor in body bags and shrouds, the videos messages of trapped mothers telling the world that we have failed them and that they only rely on Allah (swt) reminded me of the courage that the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s daughter showed when faced with the worst ordeal a mother can go through.
It is important to understand what real courage is and how the Muslims of Ghouta are an example of this:
It was narrated that Ibn Abbas (r.a.) said that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
(لَمَّا كَانَتْ اللَّيْلَةُ الَّتِي أُسْرِيَ بِي فِيهَا، أَتَتْ عَلَيَّ رَائِحَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا جِبْرِيلُ، مَا هَذِهِ الرَّائِحَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ؟ فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ رَائِحَةُ مَاشِطَةِ ابْنَةِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَوْلادِهَا، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: وَمَا شَأْنُهَا؟ قَالَ: بَيْنَا هِيَ تُمَشِّطُ ابْنَةَ فِرْعَوْنَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إِذْ سَقَطَتْ الْمِدْرَى مِنْ يَدَيْهَا، فَقَالَتْ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، فَقَالَتْ لَهَا ابْنَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ: أَبِي؟ قَالَتْ: لا، وَلَكِنْ رَبِّي وَرَبُّ أَبِيكِ اللَّهُ، قَالَتْ: أُخْبِرُهُ بِذَلِكَ! قَالَتْ: نَعَمْ، فَأَخْبَرَتْهُ، فَدَعَاهَا فَقَالَ: يَا فُلانَةُ؛ وَإِنَّ لَكِ رَبًّا غَيْرِي؟ قَالَتْ: نَعَمْ؛ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكَ اللَّهُ، فَأَمَرَ بِبَقَرَةٍ مِنْ نُحَاسٍ فَأُحْمِيَتْ، ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِهَا أَنْ تُلْقَى هِيَ وَأَوْلادُهَا فِيهَا، قَالَتْ لَهُ: إِنَّ لِي إِلَيْكَ حَاجَةً، قَالَ: وَمَا حَاجَتُكِ؟ قَالَتْ: أُحِبُّ أَنْ تَجْمَعَ عِظَامِي وَعِظَامَ وَلَدِي فِي ثَوْبٍ وَاحِدٍ وَتَدْفِنَنَا، قَالَ: ذَلِكَ لَكِ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ الْحَقِّ، قَالَ: فَأَمَرَ بِأَوْلادِهَا فَأُلْقُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَاحِدًا وَاحِدًا إِلَى أَنْ انْتَهَى ذَلِكَ إِلَى صَبِيٍّ لَهَا مُرْضَعٍ، وَكَأَنَّهَا تَقَاعَسَتْ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ، قَالَ: يَا أُمَّهْ؛ اقْتَحِمِي فَإِنَّ عَذَابَ الدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْآخِرَةِ، فَاقْتَحَمَتْ)
"On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey, a beautiful fragrance came to me. I said: O Jibreel, what is this beautiful fragrance? He said: This is the fragrance of the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s daughter and her children. I said: What is their story? He said: Whilst she was combing the hair of Pharaoh’s daughter one day, the iron comb fell from her hand and she said, Bismillaah (in the name of Allah). The daughter of Pharaoh said: You mean my father? She said: No. My Lord and the Lord of your father is Allah. She said: I will tell him about that. She said: Yes.
So she told him and he summoned her and said: O So and so, do you have a Lord other than me? She said: Yes, my Lord and your Lord is Allah. He ordered that a cow made of copper be heated up, then he ordered that she and her children be thrown into it. She said: I have a request to make of you. He said: What is your request? She said: I would like my bones and my children’s bones to be gathered together in one cloth and buried. He said: This will be done for you.
He ordered that her children be thrown into it in front of her, one by one, until they came to the last one who was an infant boy who was still being breastfed. It was as if she wavered because of him, but he said: O mother, go ahead, for the punishment of this world is easier to bear than the punishment of the hereafter. So she went ahead.
Our sisters in Ghouta, but also in Yemen, Myanmar and many other places are like the hairdresser of Firaun, examples for all of us on what it really means to be steadfast upon the Haqq, by putting their full trust in Allah as we hear in their messages they send out to the Ummah.
The words of the infant is what should make shivers go down the backs of the rulers of this Ummah It is these words that should make every one of us shiver in being witnesses of this great atrocity!
Shiver O rulers of the Muslim world, even when you hear the cries of the children, the bitter wailing of parents who have lost their child, the distressed calls of thousands of innocent Muslims you choose to remain silent or speak hollow words. Have you forgotten the words of your Lord when He said:
(إِنَّمَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَأَخْرَجُوكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ وَظَاهَرُوا عَلَىٰ إِخْرَاجِكُمْ أَنْ تَوَلَّوْهُمْ ۚ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ)
“Allah merely forbids you from taking as friends those who have fought you in the Deen and driven you from your homes and who supported your expulsion. Any who take them as friends are wrongdoers.” [TMQ Al-Mumtahina: 9]
It is clear from your action that you are not the protectors of our Muslims brothers and sisters, you are the protectors of the enemy!
Shiver O Ulema of this Ummah, the problems facing the Ummah worldwide cannot be ignored no more, they are burning issues that need to be addressed, and it is your responsibility O Ulema of this Ummah to do so!! You are the ones who are responsible for spreading the Islamic message as you are the inheritors of the Prophets as mentioned in the following hadith: The Prophet (saw) said:
«إن العلماء ورثة الأنبياء» “The Ulema are the inheritors of the Prophets.”
We the Muslim Ummah look toward you O Ulema for answers and guidance for our predicament. You hold the responsibility to show us the correct path and guide us in working toward removing the great Munkar which surrounds us.
Shiver O Muslim armies, for the duty to fight and protect your Muslim brothers and sisters does not just fall on the Muslims in the region of Syria. It falls on the armies of the entire Muslim world. Understand that you do not just possess millions of soldiers and weapons but you possess the most powerful weapon of all, the help of Allah (swt). Allah (swt) says,
(الآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا فَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِائَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أَلْفٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ)
“Now Allah has lightened your task for He knows that there is a weakness amongst you, so if there are one hundred patient ones with you, they will overcome two hundred and if there are a thousand with you they will overcome two thousand, by the permission of Allah and Allah is with the patient one.” [TMQ Al-Anfal:66]
Muslim Ummah, let’s remind ourselves of the responsibility which Allah gave us as an Ummah
(كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ)
“You are the best of the nation raised up for mankind because you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah.” [TMQ Ale-Imran: 110].
We are witnesses to the many atrocities within the Ummah. We are witnesses of the deceit of our leaders. We are witnesses of the immense amount of problems the Ummah is dealing with. Therefore, it is our responsibility to invest our time, money and energy in coming together to talk and discuss these vital issues concerning our Ummah so we are able to understand which path will lead to the ability to remove the Munkar.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Yasmin Malik