Allah said in Surat Al 'Imran, v. 156: {"O you who believe! Don't be like those who disbelieved and say about their brethren when they travel throughout the Earth or go out on an expedition: 'If they had stayed with us, they wouldn't have died or been killed,"} and in v. 168: {"… the ones who said about their brethren while sitting back: 'If they had listened to us, they wouldn't have gotten killed…"}

These verses are in regards the hypocrites when they broke away from the Muslim army at Uhud and watched the believers as they fought instead. This was their mentality, summarized in the above verses: that the believers who were willing to put their very lives on the line to defend & spread the truth were simply wasting themselves, while the 'wisdom' was in remaining safe at home, far away from the difficulty & harm associated with struggling for the Din.

Difficulty and harm from others are inseparable companions of calling to the truth. In fact, to bear such harm is the greatest proof of one's love for the truth. Ibn al-Qayyim described the degrees that a da'i can reach in his effort to spread the truth, and he presented the highest degree as being: "Patience with the difficulties of calling to Allah and the harm that people inflict on you, and to bear all of this for the sake of Allah." And in Surat al-'Asr, we are pushed by Allah to be willing to bear such harm patiently if it accompanies the obligation of teaching and spreading the truth: {"By the time! Mankind is indeed in loss, except those who believe, do good, encourage the truth, and encourage patience."} So, while the Muslim doesn't seek out harm & danger for his own sake, he or she is willing to face it if it accompanies the fulfillment of an obligation towards the truth because it is such willingness which distinguishes the believer from the hypocrite, as these verses show.

It's natural for us to incline towards ease, comfort, and safety. A'ishah herself said about the Prophet (عليه الصلاة والسلام) that "he was never presented with two options except that he chose the easier of them, so long as it didn't entail disobedience to Allah." But, ask yourself this: when it came to his own ease, comfort, and safety vs. an opportunity to spread the truth that entailed some harm from the kuffar – if he were made to choose between the two – did he ever once choose the former? Did he, or any other Prophet, for that matter, back down from preaching and standing for the truth out of concern for their own selves, or even with the flimsy justification used by many du'at today that 'if we speak the truth now, we will be wiped out and will not be around to represent it tomorrow'? Never. Not once. In fact, look at the Prophet on the day of Badr, as he stood before the battle supplicating to Allah. Recall what he said: "O Allah! If this group of believers is wiped out and defeated, You will never be worshipped again." In other words, he knew very well that proceeding with this battle carried the very real risk of Islam itself being wiped out that day, let alone the comfort, safety, and lives of the believers. Did the Prophet tell the Companions to pack up their bags and ride back to the safety of Madinah because some risk was involved? On the contrary, he went forth, faced the pagans head-on, and was granted a full victory. And this incident represents his character in all situations, and it represents how our mindset should be.

The world today is dominated by a Capitalist 'every man for himself' mentality that encourages a willingness to do whatever it takes to benefit the self. This is exactly what the hypocrites were saying in these verses: that if standing for the truth entailed being harmed by others, they wanted no part of it. And they sat back, patronizing the believers who were less concerned with their own interests than they were for the interests of the Din of Allah, mocking them and thinking of them as rash zealots who wasted their lives needlessly when they could've been sitting at home safe and sound from the wrath of the tawaghit. They could've chosen the 'easier,' 'wiser,' 'practical' way that involved no controversy or friction. This was the mentality of the hypocrites of then, and it is the mentality of the hypocrites of today who prefer self-preservation over self-sacrifice. Ibn 'Abbas once said that: "Allah's Messenger was the most generous of people." While we often associate his generosity with his willingness to give to the poor, there is another aspect to his generosity we rarely emulate: his willingness to put aside his own comfort & safety if his responsibility as a caller to the truth required him to choose between the two. So, the mentality of the hypocrites is one of selfishness, while that of the Prophets and their followers is one of selflessness. The Muslim organizations, leaders, callers, and even laymen in the West need to take a step back and ask themselves how much this Capitalist mindset has affected their Islamic work – are they motivated by adherence to principles, or are they inwardly motivated by self-preservation? If called upon to choose between ease & safety vs. risk-taking for the Din of Allah, which would they choose? Would they choose their own short-term interests or would they choose the long-term interests of the Din of Allah being clarified and defended? Would they choose the mindset of the hypocrites laid out in these verses, or would they choose the mindset of the Prophet? Preservation or principles?

Commenting on the story of the People of the Ditch in Surat al-Buruj, Sayyid Qutb said: "It was possible for the believers to save themselves by giving up their beliefs, but with how much of a loss to themselves, and with how much of a loss to Mankind? They would've lost and would've killed this great truth: that life without belief is worthless, and without freedom is degrading, and if tyrants are allowed to dominate the souls and bodies of people, then life is entirely depraved."

طارق مهنا
Tariq Mehanna
Plymouth Correctional Facility
Isolation Unit - Cell #108