Al-Risala (English), April 1984

was a severe blow to a man of Khalid’s standing. But he diverted all his emotions towards God. He reacted to the Caliph’s decision with these words: I do not fight for the cause of Umar I fight for the cause of the Lord of Umar. Human society is deeply indebted to faith in the hereafter for this function that it performs. Faith in God enables one to turn to Him for recompense in times of grievance. A man of God does not make others the target of his negative feelings. Instead, he diverts them towards God. The deluge of his emotions, which might have caused immense damage to human beings, falls instead into a diversion pool. □ Hastening to Prayer in Times of Difficulty Huzaifa recalls, “We were three hundred strong at the Battle of the Trench (627 A.D.). It was a very difficult night: Abu Sufyan and his army were on one side of Madinah and the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza on the other. We thought our families were in danger. The weather was very cold, and soon a strong wind arose, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Stones were crashing on all sides. It was so dark that nothing could be seen. At this time the Prophet told me to go to the enemy and see what they were up to—whether they were planning to retreat, or persevere with the siege. Despite feeling cold and scared, I arose at the Prophet’s command. He prayed that God should protect me, and I set off on my journey. I mixed with Abu Sufyan’s soldiers and heard them talking about retreat. When I brought the news back to the Prophet, I found him covered in a sheet, praying. Whenever the Prophet was confronted with a grave situation, he would pray.” Letting one’s heart be moved by the Quran Abu Hamza told Shuaba that he had once said to Abdullah Ibn Abbas that he was in the habit of reading the Quran very fast— sometimes he would even read the whole Quran in one night. “I prefer to just recite one chapter,” Ibn Abbas told him. “If you wish to recite the Quran, then recite it in such a way that you can hear and understand it. When you read the Quran, pause to marvel at it, and let your hearts be moved by it. And do not make it your intent just to reach the end of the chapter.”