Transcription
So where are you heading anyway? I'm not sure anymore. He's in his own movie. You know? Metal wears. Parts fail. But nothing runs forever. But if nothing ever got broke, and nothing ever got fixed. Try it now. You're good to go.
Israeli raids and shelling continue in many areas of the Strip. This morning and noon, Israeli artillery resumed concentrated shelling on Israeli occupation deployment areas near the yellow line east of Gaza City. God is our suffice. There is no power or strength except with God.
Is Adam alright? Yeah. He barely slept last night. Poor kid. The injury of two Palestinians who reached Al-Ahli Hospital in east Gaza City. In addition to all this, here in the south of the Strip, specifically in Gaza.
You need to be stronger, but maybe not in the way that you think. Strength isn't just about you being okay; it's about being made stable enough to help someone else stand. Because the Ummah doesn't just need sincere believers, but strong believers who can uplift others. But first, just like we decoupled provision from money, we must decouple strength from mere muscles. Yes, strength can mean physical strength, but in our faith it's also the strength of mind, the strength of heart, the strength of character, and so many other things: financial stability, social leverage, mental toughness, strength under pressure, and the list goes on.
Scholars summarized strength in Islam as three things: readiness, which is internal willpower, will, which is the willingness to do things with it, and the means by which you can do it. And since I shouted out the Malaysians, my favorite prayer I learned from the brothers and sisters in South Africa: May Allah take you from strength to strength.
The Prophet said, "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, and in both is good." The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both. But he qualified strength by saying, "The strong one is not the one who overcomes others physically. The strong one is the one who controls himself in a fit of anger." So true strength is when you're able to spiritually overcome yourself even when your temper is triggered.
And the Prophet said, "Shall I not teach you a word from beneath the throne?" That's a treasure of paradise. He said, say, "There is no power but Allah." There is no power or strength except by Allah. Now think about that. Above the throne is written, "My mercy overcomes my anger." My mercy overcomes my anger. Beneath it lies, "There is no power but Allah." There is no power and no strength except through Allah. Between the mercy above and the strength beneath, you learn what true power is. You draw strength not by being overpowering, but by yielding to the one who holds the throne itself.
And this is the first mention of strength that we come across in the Qur'an when Allah says to Bani Israel, "Take what we have given you with strength." Take what we have given you with strength, meaning hold onto the covenant and hold it with seriousness and make sure that you follow through. And the Prophet was introduced to the Qur'an through a strong embrace that partially was to strengthen him for the revelation to come. And Allah told this Ummah, "And prepare against them whatever you can of strength." Prepare against them whatever you can of strength. Show your enemies you're unafraid because you have the Lord of the Throne and that you're ready for whatever they throw at you because you seek refuge in the Lord of the Throne.
Whatever you can, whatever you can means that we all need to plug into our Ummah's strength. Some of us need to develop critical skill sets. Some of us need to work on tools of defense. Some of us need to fortify our intellects. Some need to protect the bodies of our physically vulnerable ones. Others need to protect the hearts of our spiritually vulnerable ones. The strong Muslim is the one who positions his or her self to be of the most benefit, to change yourself and then to change the world around you only by the power of Allah. Because there is no power or might but His. I can neither change a situation nor garner any strength except through Him. That source is Allah's name, Al-Qawi, the one who possesses all strength. Because anyone trying to draw strength from anything or anyone but Him is just one decree away from collapse.
But what does it look like to draw strength and distribute strength through Al-Qawi? Look at how the Prophet described Umar in a dream. He said, "I saw in a dream that the people had gathered, and then Abu Bakr stood up and he pulled out one or two buckets full of water from a well. And there was a weakness in his pulling, may Allah forgive him. Then Umar stood up and the bucket turned into a very large one. And I have never seen any strong man among the people doing such a hard job. He pulled out so much water that the people drank to their satisfaction and even watered their camels to their fill. And then after quenching their thirst, they sat beside the water." Umar was so afraid of the mule testifying against him for not paving roads in Baghdad that Allah gave him strength due to his sincerity to be able to pave roads all over the world. But even Umar, with all of his strength, with all of his power, if you mentioned to him to fear Allah Al-Qawiyy, he would tremble in awe of Allah like a child.
So who is Al-Qawiyy, the All-Strong? Indeed, it is Allah who is the Provider, possessor of strength, the firm. Indeed, Allah is the Provider, possessor of strength. Notice Allah introduces His strength along with His sustenance. He provides, then He empowers, and then He stabilizes what He gave. What good is today's power if tomorrow it crumbles? What good is a strong moment if it can't become a strong movement?
And that's where the second name comes in, Al-Matin, the unshakable, the unbreakable. Every human being has a breaking point. Even the most disciplined person can buckle at some point. And when our strength fails, we might feel like we're weak people, but Allah is Al-Matin, unconquerable, undefeated. Nothing ever spins out of control for Him, even if it feels that way for us. He even describes His plan that way, "And I will give them time. Indeed, My plan is firm." I give them time. Indeed, My plan is firm, meaning it's intact even if they think that they've broken through. Where people see it all falling apart, He sees it all coming together. Al-Matin is similar to the land compared to the sea, stable land versus tossing waves. So you plant your feet in His strength and you speak through His strength, and you become a strong shore for others without pretending to be their savior. He feeds you, then He fortifies you, then He keeps you from falling apart.
And notice how strength is never praiseworthy in and of itself. Allah pairs His own strength with benefit. And this is also true for His creation. Allah calls Jibril "severe in strength." So Jibril descends with the revelation that could crush mountains. And with the tip of a single wing With one of his 600 wings, he could destroy a nation like the people of Lut. But Allah also calls him the Trustworthy Spirit. He has integrity. His strength is not just for the sake of it. And for human beings, the same holds true as well. What do you pair your strength with?
Think of the daughters of Shu'ayb when they introduced Musa to their father, and they described him as strong and trustworthy. Because what did Musa do with his strength? He fought for the vulnerable strangers, even though he was most vulnerable at that moment. Allah didn't just give him physical strength. Musa was strong-minded and trustworthy, while the weakest man, Pharaoh, was pursuing him everywhere.
But then Allah crowns his might with a dignity that only belongs to Him. He is also the Almighty, whose might is absolute and whose position is beyond contest. The one through whom all honor is defined and given. He is the Almighty, the Praiseworthy. He is the Almighty whether you like it or not, and praiseworthy whether you praise Him or not. The only honor you will ever find in life is through Him. So He tells you to take from His Honor, not away from Him, but through Him. "Whoever desires honor, then to Allah belongs all honor." Whoever seeks honor, then know that to Allah belongs all honor.
And just like true strength isn't defined by big empty muscles, true honor isn't defined by big crowns or gaudy cars and palaces or glamorous gowns or even by titles or trends. So when Umar fulfilled the dream of the Prophet by taking that strength to Jerusalem, he entered Jerusalem with strength and honor, but not in the way that they knew honor before. He was in patchy clothes, and he let his servant ride on his camel. He wasn't interested in the red carpet. And even in that glorious moment, he wasn't deluded by the praise that was being lavished on him or interested in pandering to anyone else's sense of power. He says then, "We are a people whom Allah honored through Islam, and if we seek honor through anything else, Allah will humble us." We are a people whom Allah honored through Islam. And if we seek honor through anything else, then Allah will surely humiliate us.
And that honor wasn't just found after they liberated Jerusalem, even under the boots of oppressors. Ibn Mas'ud said, "We have remained honored since..." "Umar became Muslim." We have remained dignified since the day that 'Umar became Muslim. From the moment they walked out in protest in Makkah to the moment of the opening of Al-Aqsa, they carried a different type of power, dignity rooted in the Almighty. The people of Gaza are a people of dignity even amidst their destruction. They're still the most honorable people on earth, and they will be honored with the liberation of Palestine, God willing, because their dignity is otherworldly, and ours must be as well.
People seek power for position, and sometimes they abandon the power of values and integrity for the appearance of strength. They become slaves to position and pompous displays because they're actually insecure and weak. They need the crown on their head or the crowd to clap so that they can feel big. There's no dignity in that. Real power isn't in what you own. It's in who owns you. For us, that's the Almighty, and we're honored only through Him. And just like we're not slaves to our enemies because of our dignity, we're not slaves to our own egos. And that's when you know it's for God, when the same dignity that allows you to stand tall allows you to stand down.
The Prophet said, "And God does not increase..." "...a servant with pardon except in honor." And Allah does not increase a servant in humility or pardon or forgiveness except that He increases him in honor. Your honor grows when you choose forgiveness over vengeance. Your rank only rises when your head bows only to Him and you shed your ego for His sake in the same way that your strength expands when you use it for His sake. And if the world has convinced you that you must be loud and make a scene to be strong, flip that script. The Qur'an preserves honor for the believer even when materially weak because honor is in spiritual gravity, not in social status. "And honor belongs to Allah, His Messenger, and believers." And honor belongs to Allah and His Messenger and the believers. You don't have to bark like a dog to be seen and heard by people as weak as you. You just have to bear truth to a noble mission, to be seen and heard by the only one who gives true strength and honor.
The Strong is enough to sustain you. The Firm is enough to depend on. And the Almighty is high enough to honor you beyond what any human could ever bestow upon you. So honor yourself with the qualities He loves, and He will grant you what you love. So ask Him to make Strong without being harsh, firm without being rigid, mighty without being arrogant, but instead a refuge that people can lean on, not a boulder they hope not to crash into. Because even the strongest and proudest die, and we all return back to Him.
O All-Strong. Strengthen me where I am weak and make me firm where I bend too easily. Lift me so that I can lift others without ever believing I lifted myself. When the weight of the world feels heavier than my faith, remind me that Your strength is the only way to see through it. Let me draw strength from Your power, but never be weakened by my pride.
O All-Firm, make me steady when everything else shakes. Root me in conviction that does not sway with opinion or fear. Let my faith be anchored deep enough so that no loss can uproot it. Keep my footing secure in moments that test my balance.
O All-Mighty, grant me honor that comes only from You. Let my dignity rest in humility before You. My worth be measured only in worship of You. Protect me from chasing validation from those as fragile as I and make my highest victory the achievement of Your pleasure.
To Allah belong the best names, so call Him. Allah has the most beautiful names, so call Him by them.