The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There will come a time of patience when the one who adheres steadfastly to his religion will be like one who holds a burning coal.” (Al-Tirmidhi, no. 2260, authenticated by Al-Albani)
Strange, strange times we are passing through. In one part of the world, a man may grow up in a land where he has never heard of anything except Islam; while in another place, a woman may struggle and face isolation while trying to adhere to this ‘never-heard-of strange’ religion. The former may spend his life praying, fasting, and giving charity, while the other may die in persecution and violence. Most of us will lie in shades of gray between these two black-and-white realities.
Without a doubt, several Muslims around the world are going through severe trials. They are being pressured to accept beliefs, systems, and lifestyles that other societies have termed ‘ideal’ instead of the Islamic ones. A man sporting a beard may become a terror suspect, women should remove their veils to either be ‘liberated’ or be part of a secular society, and youth cannot be ‘cool’ unless they drink in pubs and lose their virginity before the marriage. What do you do when the world tells you to be ashamed of your identity and the path that you know with full conviction is true? What do you do when holding on to your faith is akin to holding on to burning coals?
The first thing we should do when we face such – or any – trouble turns to Allah for help. Address your du’a to him. He has heard us and answered our prayers in our most difficult times in the past, He provides us and has given what we didn’t even ask for, so to Him we need to turn – and expect – help.
Realize the futility of what is being propounded. Ideas, values, beliefs, and systems keep changing in today’s world. What was good yesterday, is bad today; what is bad today, is good tomorrow! A fine example is the financial crisis. Yesterday, everyone in America was laughing at those who preferred saving and not taking loans more than their income. The ‘ideal’ thing to do then took mortgage loans; spending went up to 135 percent of a person’s salary! Today, after the crisis has hit, people are saying, saving was the right thing to do!
Islam’s teachings always remain the same. Its principles never change. Any path that is different from that of Islam is bound to fail. In America, those who did not take interest-based loans and did not spend extravagantly are better off in the current crisis. In short, those who stuck to Islam, despite what people around them said during that time, have emerged victorious.
The examples are too many, but the point is: don’t be blinded into confusion during Fitan (trials). Be strong and stand firm, because, by Allah, you are upon the truth. At work, and at social gatherings, your adherence to Islam may be questioned and ridiculed, but that should not deter you. Go back to the Qur’an and Sunnah, read them for comfort and your faith will automatically increase. Reflect on the verses of the Qur’an, and reflect on the evidence Allah gives to prove the truthfulness of His Message. Is there any uncorrupted truthful divine book with so many miracles present today? Has anyone ever brought forth a book similar to the Qur’an?
The more you learn about Islam, the more your faith in it will increase In Sha Allah. In fact, Allah revealed the Qur’an in stages to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to strengthen his heart. Learning will not be so fruitful unless we practice the knowledge we have. So the product of our knowledge should be righteous deeds.