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Assalamu Alaikum.
To our Fellow Community Members,
In these trying times, we are reminded of the year 619 A.D. This was also known as, the Year of Sorrow, the year in which our Ummah was indeed at its lowest. The Quraish had imposed harsh economic sanctions on the Muslims, and many were dying of hunger. It was also in this year when our Prophet Muhammad PBUH lost the two people he loved most: His wife Khadijah (May Allah be Pleased with Her), and Abu Talib, a father-like figure to him.
After these losses, the Prophet PBUH left Makkah to spread Islam to the nearby city of Ta'if. There, he thought, perhaps his Da'wah would be received with more benevolence. Instead, he was driven out: rocks were pelted at him, insults hurled at him, and he left the city, bloodied, saddened.
He took refuge under a tree, and the angel Jibreel came to him. He said unto the Prophet PBUH: "Allow me, and I shall destroy the city of Ta'if."
Instead, the Prophet PBUH prayed for their forgiveness, for their Hidayyah, and for their guidance.
You see, the Prophet PBUH had a choice then. He was offered a path of violence, of fear, and of revenge. He was offered the ability to punish those who had wronged him and those who had mercilessly beaten him. He was offered the capacity to wreak havoc and destruction.
Instead, in his sagacity, he chose progress. He chose peace. He chose forgiveness. But most importantly of all - he chose patience and determination.
Today, as we woke up, many of us did so to an uncertain future. We felt scared, alone, and defeated. But we too have all the tools that the Prophet PBUH had.
We have Islam. We have Allah. We have each other.
In these times, seek solace, solidarity, and patience in each other. Take down the boundaries and the dividers. Come together as communities, as humans, as creations of God. Understand that after every dusk, there is a new dawn. Understand that while the word of man might falter, the word of God never will. For He is all knowing. For He is the most powerful. For He is, has been, and always will be, the best of planners.
The sun did set, but it rose again. And we're all here to witness it.
Today is a new day.
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