Class 7

‘Courageous | Being Just’

COURAGE

Courage is not strength of the body. A man may be strong physically, but weak in heart. Rather, courage is the strength of the heart and its steadfastness.

Courage is one of the noblest characteristics of men. It is the sign of strength, and the dignity of the Ummah (Muslim nation) depends on it. For this reason, the strong believer is better and more loved by Allaah S.W.T. than the weak one. Courage is the quality of those who are strong internally and not intimidated by fear, and are not weak or feeble.

The only courage which is praiseworthy is courage based on knowledge and information. For this reason the strong and capable, as defined by Islam, is the one who can control himself when in anger such that he does only that which is truly beneficial. As for the one who is overcome by his anger, he is neither courageous nor capable.

The Prophet, ﷺ, was the most courageous of men as the armies of his enemies and the leaders of the disbelievers fled when they had to face him in many decisive confrontations. He, ﷺ, would face difficult situations and hardship with a steadfast heart and strong faith. Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, confirmed the bravery of the Prophet ﷺ , with an incident that happened to the people of Madeenah. One night, they were terrified when they heard a loud noise, so they set out to know the cause of it. On their way, they were met by the Prophet, ﷺ ,who was riding a horse, carrying his sword, ready to defend the people against any intruders. He, ﷺ , comforted the people of Madeenah, saying: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

This shows how courageous the Prophet ﷺ, was as he went out before the people did so as to know what had happened in order to reassure and calm them.

By different ahadeeth we see that the Prophet, ﷺ, set a great example as his actions were appropriate to each situation. He was courageous, strong, merciful and compassionate at the times when courage, strength, mercy or compassion were called for.

Reform of human affairs in this world and the next will not be perfected except with the presence of courage and generosity, Allah has explained to us that anyone who turns his back on courage – by failing to struggle in the path of Allah – will be replaced by others who will fulfill their duties.

Sadly in today’s time children are brought up in a way that courage is suppressed and they are scared of more things than things they are ok with. When it comes to being courageous, there are a few concrete steps we can take to guide our children in this direction.

1. Build confidence. Teach children to keep trying, even when they initially fail. Don’t let them be afraid of failure whether it is sports or other activities make them try new things and be ok with loosing.

2. Overcome fear. Children should be taught to express their fear instead of being paralyzed by it. Help create situations for them where they can gradually “get over” any unfounded fears they have.

For example, if they don’t want to go upstairs alone one could teach them to say “la hawla wa la quwatta illah billah” or “hasbiAllah wa ni`mah wakeel” and to repeat that as often as they feel fear. My mother used to encourage me to recite Ayat al-Kursi whenever faced with fear. This type of turning to Allah Most High when in a state of need, can help them to complete tasks rather than avoiding them.

3. Face the Unknown. Encourage your children to have bravery in new situations. The most common example of this is when meeting new people, especially adults. They need to be taught to smile, speak loudly, and to shake hands when meeting new people when you are with them. They should not be hiding behind you, or whispering so softly that the person cannot hear them.

4. Do the Right Thing. This is perhaps the most important area where we need children to demonstrate courageousness, confidence, and independence. Muslim children need to be able to stand up for their beliefs, despite any negative repercussions it may have.

They need to be able to take a stand in the face of peer disapproval, and this will take place when you are not present. This is where many of our youth fall, as they can put up one face towards their parents, and yet a completely different (and often contradictory) appearance in front of their peers. A few tips on how to work on this:

• Children should realize that even though their parents may not see them, Allah Most High knows and their actions are being recorded.
• They should feel a degree of shame to be found in any sort of disobedience to their Creator, when He has blessed them with innumerable blessings in this world.
• Encourage them to be careful about who they choose as close friends, as this will in turn affect their own character development.
• One can also use the example of the Prophet ﷺ as a role model, how he stood up to a whole society to stand up for the truth.

5. Set a Good Example. Children often watch their parents as examples in how they deal with scenarios where they may feel afraid, or sick, or when they experience great loss. They should be hearing you supplicate to your Creator in times of need. Complaining or saying “if only I had done this (or that) this wouldn’t have happened” would be considered to be blameworthy. Rather accept the decree of Allah Most High, and exemplify patience and courage when you are forced to deal with misfortune. May Allah Most High protect us all from this.

But being brave does not mean we should encourage our children towards risky activities or stunts to prove courageousness. One should not take unnecessary chances or neglect safety in a futile attempt to prove bravery to others. Rather, one needs to balance physical courage with common sense.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, said, “The strong man is not the one who throws people in wrestling. The strong man is the one who has control of himself when he is angry.” [Agreed upon]

May Allah Most High give us success in raising our children in the best way, and may we instill good character in their hearts, ameen.

Finally, we say that it is sufficient honor for a courageous believer to be loved by Allaah The Almighty, for Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, ﷺ, said: “The strong believer is better and more loved by Allaah The Almighty than the weak one and there is good in both.” [Muslim]

It is also enough humiliation for a coward that the Prophet, ﷺ, used to seek refuge in Allaah The Almighty from this quality. The Prophet, ﷺ, would continuously repeat invocations such as: “O Allaah! I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by [other] men.” [Al-Bukhaari]

JUSTICE

Justice means giving each person who has rights his rights and putting everything in its proper place. It is by virtue of justice that the heavens and the earth are maintained, and justice is the foundation on which the best interests of people and countries may be served. It is one of the most important things that Allah has enjoined in His holy Book. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, Allah enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan (i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet ﷺ in a perfect manner….” [an-Nahl 16:90]

Also the Prophet ﷺ said, in the hadeeth qudsi, was that Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, said: “O My slaves, I have forbidden zulm (injustice, wrongdoing, unfairness) to Myself and I have made it haraam among you, so do not wrong one another.” Narrated by Muslim, 2577 

The shar‘i principle that is based on the mercy of Allah, may He be exalted, and His will to make things easier for people, so he should attain justice in his own life, deal with the people around him on the basis of justice, and interact with all other creatures on that basis; all of that should be in accordance with what he is able to do, for absolute justice belongs only to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. 

So one needs to be just and fair to

• Himself
• Wife or Wives
• Children, by not preferring one over the other
• Employees, by giving them their rights on time and in fairness.
• Neighbors
• Relatives
• Society

All this is not merely by giving time or doing something for them but it also includes not to harm them by any way shape or form, to try and reconcile between them if there are problems with fairness to be truthful to them.

One major factor of being Just & Fair is to stand up against oppression, today we see that most people would just stand there seeing injustice happening in front of their eyes taking videos and posting it on social media with some words against it. Courage and Justice entails that the Muslim should stand up and make the necessary move to stop the ongoing injustice and oppression.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is oppressed.” The Prophet was asked: “It is right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” He replied: “By preventing him from oppressing others.”{Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 624}

To conclude, do your best to achieve justice in all areas of your life. So be fair to yourself by focusing on that which will lead to salvation and victory in the hereafter; avoid that which will cause you to slip and fall short, so that you will not expose yourself to punishment. Be just towards other people by upholding ties of kinship, treating people kindly and pardoning those who mistreat you; love for them what you love for yourself of good. Try stopping oppression and injustice. Be just towards plants, animals and the earth by showing mercy and compassion, and avoid causing harm. Then if Allah sees you doing this, He will reward you by His leave as He, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Is there any reward for good other than good? Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?” [ar-Rahmaan 55:60-61].