The Prophet (PBUH) Gave Glad Tidings during the Hardest of Situations

What we, Muslims, need today is a change of understanding; we need to step out of our time and place and see our situation in light of the laws that Allah placed for his creation, and the guidance that he sent his Messenger (pbuh) with. "And don't be weak in the pursuit of the enemy; if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from allah (for the reward, i.e. paradise) that for which they hope not, and allah is ever all-knowing, all-wise." (Holy Qur'an, 4:104)

 

In this verse we can see the glad tidings given to the true believers in the hardest of moments. we may think at times there is no exit for the Ummah (nation), but we have to remember that allah, the almighty, has promised victory to this Ummah, a victory he will bring when he wants, due to his wisdom.

Our situation is one of weakness and we know it will change to one of strength. Imam Ahmad was quoted as saying that the falsehood will not be manifest over the truth until our hearts leave the truth. We are certain, when we fulfill the conditions of victory, that the truth will be manifest over the falsehood. We know it is near. by allah, it is close, as even the day of judgment is referred to as "tomorrow."

The following are three dire situations from the Prophet's seerah (biography) during which he reassured and gave glad tidings to his followers.

The Prophet (pbuh) in Ta'if

When the harm and plotting of Quraish increased, after the death of the Prophet's uncle and wife, he headed to ta'if hoping that he might find in that trip greater attentiveness and support for his message. Instead, they turned him away in a very impolite manner. They encouraged their boys to stone him. They stoned him until his noble feet were bleeding.

The Prophet (pbuh) turned his face towards makkah with fresh determination to resume his earlier plan to expose people to Islam and communicate his message in a great spirit of zeal and matchless enthusiasm.

Zaid Bin Harithah, his companion, said to  the prophet (pbuh) : 'how dare you step into Makkah after they (Quraish) have expatriated you?' the Prophet (pbuh) answered: Allâh will surely provide relief and he will verily support his religion and Prophet.'"

The Prophet (pbuh) with Abu Bakr during the Hijrah (their way to Madinah after leaving Makkah).

The notables of Makkah convened an emergency session to determine the future course of action and explore all areas that could help arrest the prophet and Abu Bakr. They decided to block all avenues leading out of Makkah and imposed heavy armed surveillance over all potential exits. a price of 100 camels was set upon the head of each one. Horsemen, infantry and tracers of tracks scoured the country.

Once they even reached the cave where the Prophet (pbuh) and Abu Bakr were hiding. When he saw the enemy at a very close distance, Abu Bakr whispered to the Prophet (pbuh): 'what, if they were to look through the crevice and detect us?' the Prophet (pbuh) in his god-inspired calm replied: 'silence Abu Bakr! what do you think of those two with whom the third is Allah?'

It was really a divine miracle; the chasers were only  few steps from the cave.

The Battle of the Ditch

It was the winter season, the air was cold and there was a food crisis in Medina, which was about to come under a brutal siege, and there is nothing more deadly to the spirit of resistance than despair, for if the besieged were to be exposed to its violent bouts, the way of humiliating surrender would be the only alternative.

For this reason, the Prophet (pbuh) strove hard to arouse the moral strength of his men to the highest pitch so that they'd feel certain that the trial which faced them was just a passing cloud which would soon disperse, and thereafter islam would resume its march and people would enter into it in large numbers, and the strongholds of tyranny would crumble before it and no plots would come from them nor would any evil be feared from them. it is a rule of politics that this wide hope should accompany the stages of ceaseless effort.

Another illustrious preternatural example went to the effect that an obstinate rock stood out as an Immune obstacle in the Ditch. The Prophet (pbuh) took the spade and struck, and the rock immediately turned into a loose sand dune.

So when the confederates swept down upon Medina and laid a tight siege around it, the Muslims didn't give up in despair but faced the bitter reality with unshakeable hope in a noble future. "and when the true believers saw the clans, they said: this is that which Allah and his Messenger promised us. Allah and his Messenger are true. And it increased them only in faith and acceptance." (Holy Qur'an, 33:22).

As for the weaklings, the doubters and the sick of heart, they made fun of the promises of victory and thought them to be the desires of deluded people, and they said to the prophet's companions: 'he tells you that he sees from Yathrib the palaces of Heerah and the city of Kisra, while you are there digging the ditch and you cannot pass stool (for fear).'

About them Allah says, "and when the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease (of doubts,) said: Allah and his Messenger promised us nothing but delusion!" (Holy Qur'an, 33:12).

Twelve or thirteen years later, the Prophet's promise about persia came true. Maybe it should be noted here that the hypocrites of today are also telling us that allah has promised us nothing but delusion. Allah says, "Allah is predominant over his affair, but most of the people do not know." (Holy Qur'an, 12:21)