In the past ten months, many non-believers have been wowed by the mental fortitude, resilience, and strong īmān shown by our Palestinian brothers and sisters, in Gaza particularly.
Alhamdulillāh, these non-believers are ordering their copy of the Qur’ān in English to understand what continues to make these Palestinians so strong in the face of this ongoing genocide at the hands of the Israeli apartheid Zionists.
In this article, inshāAllah, we will look at mindsets that are influenced by the Qur’ān and Sunnah, especially those that correlate to the Palestinians displaying an exemplary level of mental fortitude.
Hasbun Allāhu wa Ni’mal Wakīl
You may have watched and heard from the videos of many Palestinians — when they witness the bodies of family members or other Palestinians after Zionist bombings — repeatedly saying “Hasbun Allāhu wa Ni’mal Wakīl”.
Why do they say such a phrase? Well, it goes back to the Qur’ān.
Allah inspires us to have mental fortitude and strong īmān by describing to us how the Prophet ﷺ and the Sahaba (Companions) reacted when their enemies threatened them.
Their enemies said to them,
“Verily, the people [Pagans] have gathered against you [a great army]. Therefore, fear them.” [1]
Instead of fearing them, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Sahaba increased in īmān, displaying mental resolve.
They said,
“Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.” [1]
And Allah continues,
“So they returned with favour from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.” [2]
Going back a long time before Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the time of Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām), when the idolaters threw him into the fire, he also displayed mental resoluteness, uttering the above phrase. [3]
Due to the reliance upon Allah which he affirmed by saying the above, Allah commanded,
“O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrāhīm!” [4]
As a result, Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) came out alive without any burns.
Positive outlook
Another teaching of Islam which is inculcated within the believers is the quality of thinking good of Allah during calamitous periods.
This quality — manifested consistently during tough times by the believers — leads to an increase in their mental firmness over the long term.
We learn about this quality from the hadīth where the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ
“Wondrous is the affair of the believer, for there is good for him in every matter and this is not the case with anyone except the believer.
“If he is happy, then he thanks Allah and thus there is good for him. And if he is harmed, then he shows patience and thus there is good for him.” [5]
To explain further, particularly for the non-believing audience, in times of prosperity the believers thank Allah and thus are rewarded for it in the Hereafter as well as in this world, such as through receiving more blessings and provisions.
The same is the case when they are patient with Allah’s decree. They get rewarded in this world, such as overcoming a weak or upset state in a quick manner, thereby increasing in their mental strength and not slowing down in progress towards their goals.
At the same time, they get rewarded in the Hereafter. That is because they are “believers”, i.e. they were sincerely patient, resolute, and grateful, ultimately for the sake of Allah and not ultimately just to attain worldly benefit.
Grand optimism
A martyr has a very high rank in the sight of Allah.
There are also various levels within the category of martyrs. Allah gives us the order of ranks in His sight, which is commensurate to their respective ranks in Jannah (Paradise).
Allah says,
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be in the company of those blessed by Allah: the prophets, the people of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous — what honourable company!” [6]
All four ranks mentioned in the verse above are excellent ranks to achieve.
However, there are distinctions between them.
As you can see, the rank of the prophets comes first. This is the highest rank, which none of us can attain. The martyrs come third in this order.
The innocent Palestinian civilians from amongst the women, elderly, and even some children, are generally aware regarding the noble status of being martyred, to say the least, when faced with the constant terror of being bombed.
This awareness of the martyr’s status in the Hereafter motivates them to stay strong, mentally tough, and reach a grand state of optimism.
Such optimism and hope translates to an exceptional level of endurance.
Qur’ānic mental grit in correlation with worldly success
Successful entrepreneurs, multi-millionaires, and billionaires talk much about the various components that build mental fortitude in a person due to its sheer importance in achieving a lot of success, fast.
Furthermore, it is well-known that those who became champions or achieved great worldly success had to overcome rock-bottom states, and failures or errors that resulted in losing millions of pounds.
But they exercised excellent mental persistence which was a core factor behind their worldly success!
In comparison, the level of mental toughness one develops by adopting mindsets based on the Qur’ān and Sunnah, takes their strength to another level — one that is connected to the Hereafter.
They transform into a person of sincerity, whose lofty goals of the worldly life are a means to attain the everlasting bliss in the next life.
As a result, their degree of mental strength becomes greater than one who doesn’t believe in Allah, due to the barakah (blessings) from Allah — as they relied upon Him. Therefore, it leads those believers to being more productive and efficient.
In other words, they deal with heartbreak, challenges, and trials much better, recovering faster than those who aren’t believers and who do not adopt Qur’ān and Sunnah mindsets, ceteris paribus. [7]
Advice to the non-believers
Addressing more so the non-believers in this section, realise that the aforementioned mindsets from the Qur’ān and Sunnah are just a section of what Islam teaches regarding mental fortitude and resilience.
There is a vast ocean of knowledge still left to be discovered in the Qur’ān and Sunnah.
And so I encourage you to start by reading the Qur’ān — the best book on this planet — in order to fathom further as to what equips our Palestinian brothers and sisters with a remarkable level of mental strength.
Not only that, but you’ll also learn about many other success mindsets of life, which incorporate living with purpose and meaning.
If you’d like to get started on this journey of reading the Qur’ān right away, use one of the two links here or here. Reputable translations that you can select include Hilali-Khan and Saheeh International.
Moreover, if you’re not sure where you can order a free copy of the Qur’ān with the English meaning, it can be done here.
Take effective action
Lastly, I ask you to continue taking effective action in order to help bring an end to this genocide of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Take effective action based on the authority, influence, and platforms you have been bestowed with.
Actions such as du’ā (supplication) and posting or sharing relevant content on social media is what many of us can do if we aren’t equipped with much authority, influence, and access to platforms.
We may feel tired, bored, or hopeless from constantly taking such actions, but let’s at least be inspired by the Palestinians to build some level of mental steadfastness and resilience of our own, through continuing to take those actions regardless.
Source: Islam21c
This article was originally published by Siddeeqoon Success.
Notes
[1] al-Qur’ān, 3:173
[2] al-Qur’ān, 3:174
[3] Riyād al-Sālihīn, 76; https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:76
[4] al-Qur’ān, 21:69
[5] Sahīh Muslim, 2,999; https://sunnah.com/muslim:2999
[6] al-Qur’ān, 4:69
[7] The Cambridge Dictionary defines ceteris paribus as the following:
“If everything else remains the same; other things being equal.”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/equal
So, in this context, we assume both individuals are the same in every way.
This includes their environment that impacts them. The only difference is that one person is a believer and the other a non-believer.
The former is using Qur’ānic mindsets (along with their rationale) to be resilient whilst the latter is using mindsets emanating from the realm of rationale only, to stay resilient.
[10] https://thedeenshow.com/product/free-quran-english-translation/
Assalamualaikum
Thank you very much for a profound essay!