Keeping Faith When Tested Like Karbala

October 12, 2025 October 12, 2025

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From the Realities of Mawlana (Q) as taught by Shaykh Nurjan Mirahmadi.

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ ٱلْرَّجِيمِ
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

A’uzu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I seek refuge in Allah (AJ) from the accursed Satan
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘aalameen, was salaatu was salaamu ‘alaa Ashrafil Mursaleen, Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadul Mustafa ﷺ. Madad ya Sayyidi ya Rasulul Kareem, Ya Habibul ‘Azeem, unzur halana wa ishfa’lana, ‘abidona bi madadikum wa nazarekum.

Atiullah wa atiur Rasul wa Ulil amre minkum. Always a reminder for myself, ana abdukal ‘ajeez, wa dayeef, wa miskin, wa zhalim, wa jahl, and but for the grace of Allah (AJ) that we’re still in existence.

أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُم… ﴿٥٩﴾‏ …

4:59 – “…Atiullaha wa atiur Rasula wa Ulil amre minkum…” (Surat an-Nisa)

“…Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you…” (The Women, 4:59)

We Rise Not by Our Actions, But by Divine Grace

When we remember the sacrifice and there is nothing but sadness. The great events of entering into Madinatul Munawwara (luminous city of Prophet ﷺ), all of these events that bring light, bring a sadness in how we come short. As a result of coming short, it is but for the grace of God that He allows us to celebrate these nights. When we truly understand how much they sacrificed to enter paradise! We think it is cheap and easy. We don’t take it for the value that it is and the difficulty that’s required to enter.

Sayyidina Imam Hussain (as): A Living Example of Love and Divine Obedience

When we think of all the stories we told and today is Imam Hussain’s (as) day. The sacrifice of family, the sacrifice of loved ones, all for the order of Allah (AJ) to bring the honor, love and respect for his beloved grandfather Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. To show that he would fulfill the command of Allah (AJ). These holy events not to look at them like a historical event. We’re trained to bring everything back to home. That everyone who has someone they love – a spouse, a child, grandchildren – is bring it to your own home. That imagine that you with your family and your children and for no reason of your own that you haven’t done anything. But people are coming to the door of your home and they wish to kill you and they wish to slaughter you.

Bringing the Tragedy of Karbala into Our Hearts

So means that if you don’t take these history events that make our history, and the richness of our faith and history, and we see it as, ‘Oh look what people went through. Okay but let’s get to the next page.’ But bring everything back to ourselves. Because everyone has children and a home and a loved one or even a pet, whatever you have. Imagine that what you have and somebody is coming now to attack and you have no way to fight them off. You’re fully under-prepared for any type of battle or fight against this enemy that’s coming. You have no way of saving them. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a noise around your house and all of a sudden you get worried, you get nervous.

Watch the news and you see how people come in with multiple guns and weapons. You have no defense against these things if Allah (AJ) should write this type of an attack on your home. You feel the helplessness but not hopelessness because they’re filled with hope and faith. All you can do is “HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakil.”

(١٧٤) حَسْبُنَا اللَّـهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

3:173 – “HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakil” (Surat Aali ‘Imran)

“Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.” (The Family of ‘Imran 3:173)

There’s no defense. How will I save them because in these types of calamities generally men whom are men will think less about their death and more about, ‘What happens to the ones I have to protect? How do I keep the honor of the women of the house and how do I defend the weakness and the weak children of the house? How would I do that when these forces are coming in and they only want to destroy?’ In their hearts there is no mercy. They displayed that fact in the way that they killed the family of the Prophet ﷺ. So we think to ourselves that, ‘What would I do?’ That’s when you have to open up an awareness within yourself.

The Reality We Choose to Ignore

That if you think it is very far off, turn on the news! Every day thousands of families are faced with horrific acts of crime for no reason of their own. Some are based on their own reason and involvement in nefarious things. We think to ourself that if it comes and if it happens and a family is attacked, ‘How I then defend the honor of the household, how will it protect the children?’ You won’t be able to! All you can rely upon is Allah’s (AJ) rahmah and mercy. That, ‘Ya Rabbi grant everyone paradise, grant us to be firm through this calamity and not to lose faith.’ Only for a glimpse of a second you can think like that and maybe meditate like that, it becomes too heavy and too hard. Worry begins to enter into the heart that, ‘Really what am I going to do to defend my family?’

Most people don’t even think like that. Then they don’t have even a fork in their house to defend themselves or the honor of their family. But watch the news and you see that this crime and these crimes are happening everywhere. One – to be prepared. So that when you do think like that, you have to think, ‘Well how am I going to defend the honor of my household, and defense of my children? As I’m the imam (religious leader) of the home.’ When we think like that and the sadness and the immensity of sadness of someone coming in and beginning slaughtering and killing and acts of violence that can’t be understood. That to keep their faith and “HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakil (Holy Qur’an, 3:173)” – for everything verily is in Allah’s (AJ) Hands. There is no help and there is no power except in Allah (AJ). If He sends a relief and someone to help then He sends and if He didn’t send then it is in Allah’s (AJ) Will.

Reflect on the Pain that Prophet ﷺ and His Holy Family Felt Witnessing the Tragedy of Karbala

This, for the believer, is to think how difficult that was! How difficult was that for Prophet ﷺ to watch? Because his nazar (gaze) is upon everything. How difficult was that for the entire Holy Family to watch, the Holy Companions to watch? They see nothing but difficulty from the nation towards their families. How difficult was that for Imam Hussain (as) and all the family and all the ladies of the household, all the children of the household? How did they endure such a difficulty? Horrific! That one by one being slaughtered in fields while the other remaining living are watching and that their slaughter is next and their slaughter is next.

If we look at it as a distance and forget it, it will be wasted. If we look at it and bring it home, it becomes something familiar with us. Because cry for them, give food for them, remember and beg Allah (AJ), ‘Don’t test me like You tested them. I haven’t that faith and I haven’t the strength.’ By remembering the sacrifice of others and the sacrifice of the Holy Family that they didn’t establish themselves as superhuman and untouchable. But the most beloved and most precious of Allah (AJ) endured immense difficulty for the sake of faith. This faith is so strong that it would be an example until the day of judgment.

Let the Events of Karbala Touch Your Heart

That when we see this and when we witness this and when we talk to Allah (AJ) within our heart for the safety of our home, ‘Ya Rabbi give me a strength. If I’ve angered You in anything, forgive me. If I’ve dishonored You in any way or said anything against Your Oneness, anything against the faith, anything against Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ. If I’ve done anything to anger You that grant me a forgiveness. That I’m a weak servant Ya Rabb. Send a mighty support to support me, my family, my children, my community. Against oppression and oppressors.’

That when we see these difficulties, we acknowledge their sacrifice because people want to know, ‘Why, why you have to do these things?’ Some people very cold-hearted that, ‘No, this is a happy day. Why you have to be like that?’ Okay well Allah (AJ) send inshaAllah to your home a difficulty and then you don’t need to post it and ask everybody, ‘Why we should cry about your death and the death of your family? It was something good, let’s go out celebrate.’ But everybody’s difficulty is very important for them. But difficulty towards Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ and his grandchildren like birds of paradise? They came to this dirty earth and they saw nothing but difficulty. Why? Why they had to torture them like that and spread their blood all over the fields? So that we would understand.

Don’t Ask to be Cleansed by Those Without Mercy! Seek Paradise through Love

When you look to them, look to their story, look to how these events unfolded then think of ourselves, our family and in difficulty. Somebody is outside, somebody is coming in, somebody is going to do horrific things once they enter in. ‘Ya Rabbi protect me grant me Your grace Ya Rabbi, grant me Your forgiveness.’ For if Allah’s (AJ) anger should be on somebody then Allah (AJ) sends people with no mercy to come to clean you in a way that is not something understandable. That becomes your price into paradise and into heavens. We choose a price that is based on love and rahmah (mercy). That we’re not capable of these types of difficulties Ya Rabbi. So, we celebrate with love.

We observe all of these holy events and we want the world to remember them to the little bit that we have in effect. We don’t reach the world but we reach the 10 people whom are listening. We want them to remember this love. To give water for this love, to do good deeds for this love so that they too think within their homes for a safety and for protection. We have lots of converts they say, ‘Oh we don’t know these Arab families.’ You don’t have to know them, you just have to know your own family. That as soon as you’re emailing that your kid is sick, this one is sick, this one is like that. Yeah congratulations, but their kids were being slaughtered. Did you cry for them? Did you understand that how they were being slaughtered? How they were being killed for no reason other than the fact that they were existing?

Everyday is ‘Ashura!

When you truly understand then you understand, ‘What am I going to do when they come to slaughter me and how will I defend? Am I good with Allah (AJ) and is the support going to come? If it doesn’t then I submit to Allah’s (AJ) Will.’ Then we see the greatness of their faith and the greatness of this type of tragedy in which it happens every day. Every day people come against the light. Anyone trying to spread light, spread hope, spread goodness is attacked by these types of shaitans (satan). They want nothing of light to be spread, nothing of love to be spread, nothing of hope to be spread. We pray that Allah (AJ) grant us forgiveness, allow us to enter into the oceans of forgiveness and first to claim we’re nothing. We have done nothing. Throughout our life if we’ve done things to anger You Ya Rabbi, grant us forgiveness. Why? For the sake of this love. For the sake of this love it wash away all pride and bad character.

Subhana rabbika rabbal ‘izzati ‘amma yasifoon, wa salaamun ‘alal mursaleen, walhamdulillahi rabbil ‘aalameen. Bi hurmati Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ wa bi siri Surat al-Fatiha.

Special thanks to our transcribers for their help with transcribing this suhbah.

Original Date of Suhbah: July 28, 2023