Monica is from the West Midlands and is currently working in higher education. A nature lover, bookworm extraordinaire, and in hot pursuit of the white rabbit!
Islamophobia is a prevalent issue we face and hear about in the world today, but many centuries ago, our beloved, highly esteemed prophets (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them all) endured this too, if not on a much grander scale.
Among these prophets is, of course, our dear Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
In his mission, he was faced with trial after trial: mockery, physical abuse, insults—the list goes on. What’s more, through his journey, he endured heartache, grief, and monetary and physical struggle, all whilst going through the ordeal of losing his parents, relatives, children, beloved spouse, and, of course, his uncle, who was his great source of support.
Furthermore, the fact that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) couldn’t convince his uncle to revert to Islam only added to his heartache. This is something we may also be able to empathise with, especially if we have faced the same struggle with our families and friends. But of course, Allah (SWT) knows best, we pray for them and keep doing what is within our capability.
Similar to the prophets (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them all) before us, we have been blessed by Allah (SWT) to recognise Islam as the righteous way whilst also instilling in us a strong desire for others to see the beauty of Islam too. Therefore, this can be a challenge and a frustration for us when we are faced with the struggles of Islamophobia.
Alhamdulillah, by reflecting on the life of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), we can find solutions to all the challenges we face in life, including this issue of Islamophobia.
Allah (SWT) created the best examples and instructed us to follow the Sunnah. Subhan’Allah.
Mercy, noble character, patience, care, compassion for others, and honesty—these are some of the many qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) that we should strive to embody. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) dealt with all kinds of people and situations whilst trying to actively practise Islam himself and share Allah’s (SWT) message.
By reflecting on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), we can draw parallels within our own lives and find inspiration and resolve through the many events Allah (SWT) has revealed to us.
“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” (Qur’an 33:21)
As tough as the situations we may face today are, they are insignificant compared to what our Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) endured.
Perhaps one of the greatest, albeit heart-wrenching, accounts of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was when he journeyed to Taif. This was during what was termed ‘The Year of Sorrow’. Soon after the loss of his beloved wife and uncle, the Prophet travelled into Taif, hoping to convince the people to accept the word of Islam. He was, however, met with hostility. He was pelted with stones, he was endangered, and he was imperilled.
Following this incident, we are told of the aftermath, as well as our Prophet’s (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) response. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:
“I asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him) ‘Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of the battle of Uhud?’ He replied, ‘Indeed, I experienced them (dangers) at the hands of your people (i.e., the disbelievers from amongst the Quraish tribe). The hardest treatment I met from them was on the Day of ‘Aqabah when I went to Ibn ‘Abd Yalil bin ‘Abd Kulal (who was one of the chiefs of Ta’if) to invite him to Islam, but he made no response (to my call). So I departed with deep distress. I did not recover until I arrived at Qarn ath-Tha’alib. There, I raised my head and saw a cloud which had cast its shadow on me. I saw in it Jibril (Gabriel) who called me and said: ‘Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, heard what your people said to you and the response they made to you. And He has sent you the angel in charge of the mountains to order him to do to them what you wish.’ Then the angel of the mountains called me, greeted me and said: ‘O Muhammad, Allah listened to what your people had said to you. I am the angel of the mountains, and my Rubb has sent me to you so that you may give me your orders. (I will carry out your orders). If you wish I will bring together the two mountains that stand opposite to each other at the extremities of Makkah to crush them in between.’ But the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘I rather hope that Allah will raise from among their descendants people as will worship Allah the One, and will not ascribe partners to Him (in worship).'” (Al-Bukhaari)
Subhan’Allah, just in this one anecdote, we are shown the magnificent character of our beloved Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). He embodied and exemplified great mercy and kindness, even in such distressing circumstances. Through all the hardship, he persevered, demonstrating courage, resilience, unwavering faith, and resolve. Subhan’Allah!
Along with this event, we have numerous accounts of the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). By learning and renewing our knowledge of his life events, we can raise our spirits and faith, finding guidance and true solace as we recount them, while increasing the love, bond, and relationship we have with our Almighty Lord, Insha’Allah.
Now to turn your attention to a well-known du’a taught to us by our beloved Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to be recited in times of hardship and affliction that many of us face at the hands of Islamophobia:
“There is no one who is afflicted with distress or anxiety and says, ‘O Allah! I am Your slave, the son of Your slave, the son of Your female slave. My forelock is in Your Hand; Your decision concerning me shall certainly come to pass; just is Your Judgment about me. I implore You with each Name of Yours, by which You named Yourself, or You taught to some of Your creatures, or You revealed in Your Book, or which You keep secret in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, to enliven my heart with the Qur’an and to render it the light of my chest, the remover of my distress and discomfort, except that Allah removes his distress and replaces his sadness with joy.’ Someone asked: “O Messenger of Allah, should we learn these words?” He said: “Yes. Whoever hears them should learn them.” (Ahmed)
Subhan’Allah. Allah (SWT) tests those He loves and also tests us according to our level of faith. May He help us all in the struggles we face surrounding Islamophobia and in our lives, and may He grant us success in all our trials. Ameen.
“Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe” and they will not be tried?” (Qur’an 29:2)
“And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.” (Qur’an 29:69)
“Indeed greater reward comes with greater trial. And indeed, when Allah loves a people He subjects them to trials, so whoever is content, then for him is pleasure...” (at-Tirmidhi)
