WEBVTT

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Breezes of the dawn,

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Breezes of the dawn.

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Speak a word of optimism,

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even when engulfed in the depths of despair.

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A person's word leaves an impact either for or against them,

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for whenever one utters it,

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its effect resonates within their very soul—

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for good or for bad,

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bringing optimism or despair,

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happiness or misery,

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steadfastness or instability.

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That is why our upright faith has taught us

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to always speak good words,

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and among such times

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is uttering them in moments of hardship

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afflicting a person,

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when one may reach

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a critical, distressing stage

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of despair, anguish,

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and inner turmoil.

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Among the proofs for speaking good words

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in times of distress

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is what was narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas,

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may Allah be pleased with them both,

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that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

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visited a Bedouin

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to inquire after his health.

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Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him)

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went in

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to visit a sick person,

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he would say to him: "No harm,

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an expiation and purification, if Allah wills."

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The Bedouin replied:

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"You said 'purification'?

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Not at all!

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Rather, it is a raging fever,

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or flaring up,

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against an elderly man,

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that will drive him to the graves!"

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The Prophet replied: "Then so be it,

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then so be it."

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Ma'mar narrated

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from Zayd ibn Aslam

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that the Bedouin died of that very

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illness.

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Ibn Hubayrah said,

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"In this hadith lies proof

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that whenever a Muslim hears from his fellow

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Muslim a word of good tidings,

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or interprets his condition favorably,

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he ought to accept

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that,

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and recognize that Allah Almighty

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is the One decreeing it."

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And on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah, may Allah be pleased

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with them both,

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the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

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visited Umm al-Sa'ib—

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or Umm al-Musayyab—

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and asked:

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"What is the matter with you, O Umm al-Sa'ib,

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or O Umm al-Musayyab,

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that you are shivering?"

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She said: "It is fever,

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may Allah not bless it!"

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Thereupon he said:

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"Do not curse the fever,

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for it eliminates the sins

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of the children of Adam just as

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the bellows remove the dross of iron."

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Likewise, in every

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hardship, it behoves the wise person

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to accustom their tongue

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to utter words of optimism,

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so as to ease

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the heat of affliction from their soul,

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and hope through it that Allah

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will dispel their distress.

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The poet said:

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"Be optimistic about what you desire, and it will come to be,

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for seldom is it that someone

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speaks of a thing that was to be,

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without it becoming fulfilled."

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On the Day of the Trench,

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when the Muslims experienced

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such distress as Allah described

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in His saying:

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◁When they came upon you▷

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◁from above you▷

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◁and from below▷

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◁you,▷

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◁and when eyes shifted [in fear]▷

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◁and hearts reached▷

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◁the throats,▷

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◁and hearts reached▷

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◁the throats▷

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◁and you assumed▷

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◁about Allah [various] assumptions.▷

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◁There the believers were tested▷

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◁and shaken with a severe▷

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◁shaking.▷

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◁shaking.▷

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◁shaking.▷

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Al-Bara' said:

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"When it was the Day of the Trench,

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there appeared before us in a part of

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the trench a massive rock that

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pickaxes could not break.

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So we complained of that to the Messenger

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of Allah (peace be upon him).

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He came to it,

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took the pickaxe, and said:

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'In the name of Allah.'

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Then he struck a blow

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and said: 'Allahu Akbar!

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I have been given the keys

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of the Levant! By Allah,

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I can indeed behold its red

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palaces right now.' Then

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he struck a second blow, breaking

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another piece, and said:

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'Allahu Akbar!

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I have been given Persia! By Allah,

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I can indeed behold the white palace of al-Mada'in

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right now.'

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Then he struck the third blow

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and said: 'In the name of Allah,'

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and broke the remainder of the rock.

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He then said:

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'Allahu Akbar!

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I have been given the keys of Yemen!

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By Allah, I can indeed behold

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the gates of Sanaa from where I stand.'"

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And prior to that,

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in Mecca, when the Muslims were

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in the utmost distress and suffering,

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both physical and psychological,

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Khabbab ibn al-Aratt—

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who was among those tortured

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in Mecca—narrated:

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"We complained to the Messenger of Allah

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(peace be upon him)

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while he was leaning against his cloak

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in the shade of the Ka'bah.

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We said to him:

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'Will you not seek victory for us?

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Will you not supplicate Allah on our behalf?'

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He replied:

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'Among those before you, a man

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would have a pit dug for him in the ground,

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and be placed into it;

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a saw would be brought and placed upon his head,

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and he would be split into two halves,

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yet that would not turn him away

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from his religion!

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His flesh would be combed with iron combs

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down to the bone

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and sinew,

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yet that would not turn him away from his religion!

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By Allah, this matter

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will certainly be completed,

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until a rider will travel

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from Sanaa to Hadramawt,

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fearing none but Allah,

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and the wolf for his sheep,

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but you are hasty.'"

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Indeed, the good word

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that is uttered

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by a person with optimism

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may well come to pass in the future.

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For Hassan

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ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) expressed optimism

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for the Prophet (peace be upon him)

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regarding the conquest of Mecca,

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saying in his famous ode,

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addressing thereby

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the polytheists of Mecca

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and warning them:

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"May we lose our horses [if you do not see them],"

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and when the Day of Conquest arrived,

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the women came forward, wiping

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the faces of the horses

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and brushing the dust off them

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with their veils.

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Someone remarked:

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"How excellent is Hassan!"

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and they wiped,

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and they wiped,

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and they wiped,

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and they wiped,

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and they wiped,

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and they wiped,

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and they wiped!

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"How excellent is Hassan

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when he said..."

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and he recited the verses.

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And some scholars narrated

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that the people were ordered to advance toward Kuda

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out of optimism through this verse of poetry,

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hoping he would recover,

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and it came to pass just as he said.

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Likewise, an evil word

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that a person utters

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may also come to pass,

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thus bringing harm upon its speaker.

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And in speaking a good word

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or keeping silent

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lies safety from that.

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Abu 'Ubaydullah,

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the scribe of al-Mahdi, said:

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"Be more eager to seek your fortune through silence

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than you are to seek it

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through speech;

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for affliction is tethered

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to the tongue."

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It is mentioned that 'Ubayd ibn Sharyah

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once followed the funeral procession of a man

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from Banu 'Udhrah.

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When he was placed into his grave,

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he stepped aside

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with his eyes overflowing with tears,

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while a close relative of the deceased

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did not shed a single tear—

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meaning he did not weep

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for his deceased relative.

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So he recited some verses of poetry

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that he used to transmit,

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at the end of which was:

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"A stranger weeps over him

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who does not even know him,

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while his own kinsman in the clan

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is joyful."

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Thereupon, an 'Udhri man

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standing beside him asked,

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"Do you know who composed these lines?"

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He replied, "No, by Allah."

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The man said,

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"Their composer is this buried man,

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Jabalah ibn al-Harith;

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you are the stranger

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weeping over him,

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and this is indeed his kinsman

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who rejoices at his death!"

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'Ubayd was astonished and remarked,

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"Affliction is indeed

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tethered to the tongue!"

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And al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir once encamped

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upon a hill,

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so a man said to him,

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"To what point

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would a slaughtered man's blood reach on

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this hill?"

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Al-Nu'man retorted,

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"By Allah, it is you who will be slaughtered,

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and we will surely see how far

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your blood reaches!"

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Some of those present remarked,

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"Many a word says to its speaker:

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'Leave me unsaid!'"

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Therefore, O rational human being,

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strive against your tongue

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to speak only good words

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at all times.

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Utter nothing but words of goodness,

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even if you find yourself in the direst

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of circumstances and the most critical of calamities.

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And beware of

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uttering words of despair

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and evil;

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for if your body and soul could bear

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the severity of the affliction,

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can your tongue not manage to adhere to

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good speech?

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Be like those who are filled with confidence in Allah,

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who proclaim through their state

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and being:

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"Despite the wounds and despite [the pain],

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we remain optimistic,

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even if the oppressor acts with tyranny.

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Despite the darkness

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that cloaks the horizons of our sky,

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we remain optimistic about that

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which will dispel the gloom of injustice.

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Despite the calamities and distress,

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we indeed

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remain optimistic for a dawn of ease

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shining upon the peaks.

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We shall never surrender, nor shall we yield

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to our wounds,

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for within us lies an enduring spirit

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of high resolve.

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We remain optimistic for an accepted repentance

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that delivers our mount

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safely to meadows of bliss.

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We are optimistic

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in our Lord,

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optimistic through our patience,

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optimistic without ever growing weary."

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[This is from the series:] The Dawn Breeze

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in Bringing Happiness to Mankind.