Self-Sacrifice in the Qur'an's Moral Teachings: Those Who Avoid Self-Sacrifice Avoid

Supporting the Sincere Believers

In the previous section, we saw that people intimidated by hardship do nothing to stop the oppression that dominates the world, help those in need, or call others to goodness and truth. However, their reluctance is so severe that they even hesitate to support anyone who is trying to fulfill their responsibilities in a way pleasing to Allah. But Allah tells the believers to help each other live in goodness and piety:

Believers who follow virtue and their conscience strive to explain the Qur'an's moral teachings to others and end the injustice that dominates the world; those who are caught up in their own problems remain on the sidelines. Although they know that their help and support would please Allah, either their love of this world or their concern to please others prevents them from supporting those who have decided to sacrifice what they have in His cause. Seeing no advantage for themselves, these weak supporters refuse to get involved. Some of them support the believers to a certain extent, provided that they do not have to assume any real responsibility and can, thereby, avoid facing any real worries or hardships. Many such people existed during the time of our Prophet. Hypocrites try to show that they support the believers, but only until such support conflicts with their interests. Even if their interests are not harmed, they might withdraw their support due to potential hardship. Thus they leave Muslims in the lurch, forgetting that only Allah can determine what will happen to them.

Hypocritical people show the same powerlessness and insincerity when believers are falsely slandered or accused. But they know that all prophets opposed such attacks in both word and deed, for Allah states:

You will be tested in your wealth and in your selves, and you will hear many abusive words from those given the Book before you and from those who are idolaters. But if you are steadfast and guard against evil, that is the most resolute course to take. Despite this knowledge, they still abandon the believers and do not think about how they will account to Allah for what they have done. But Allah explains how believers should behave toward each other in such situations:

In another verse, Allah says that when believers are slandered, they must continue to think positively: Why, when you heard it, did you not, as men and women of the believers, instinctively think good thoughts and say:

You were bandying it about on your tongues, your mouths uttering something about which you had no knowledge. You considered it to be a trivial matter, but, in Allah's Sight, it is immense. Why, when you heard it, did you not say:

Even though these people know all about such verses, they still try to justify their non-involvement when believers are slandered or face hardships. Allah reveals:

Among you are people who hang back and, if you encounter a setback, say:

If good happens to you, it galls them. If a mishap occurs to you, they say:

It would violate the Qur'an's moral teachings if one, when oppressed and faced with a difficulty, gave up and was happy not to be with those believers who strive to communicate to others the nature of the Qur'an's morality. Of course, believers should make every effort to banish the kind of ignorance that fosters oppression, injustice, cruelty, turmoil, and disorder and replace them with the Qur'an's moral teachings, which will establish peace, justice, and contentment. While doing so, they must be aware, patient and courageous, self-sacrificial in many things, and forge ahead undaunted by hardship or difficulty. Moreover, they can expect to be opposed every step of the way:

The believers are well aware of this truth.

Allah tells us that this world is a place of testing and that only those who make a sincere effort here will obtain blessings and peace in the Hereafter. Therefore, when confronted with the unbelievers' oppression and harmful actions, believers know that they have to support each other by living in accord with the Qur'an. Allah also announces that their doing so will enable them to repel the unbelievers' onslaught and that their trust in Him and patience will give them success.

Those Who Do Not Sacrifice Are Losers

In the Qur'an, Allah informs us that the hypocrites rejoiced when they avoided our Prophet's call for them to sacrifice and struggle in the way of Allah:

They were delighted, thinking that they had avoided this responsibility that would bring them no reward. Such people ignore the fact that Allah bestows whatever they possess and can withdraw it whenever He wills. Allah says that those who set traps will never win:

Indeed, this example provides a good lesson for those who take the Qur'an as their guide. Those who believe and live according to it never think that shirking their responsibility will give anyone an advantage, for Allah states that those who think only of their own gain and thus avoid any sacrifice and opportunity to win His approval will find their "reward" to be extremely limited and short-lived:

Such people may never have the opportunity to enjoy all of their possessions, or may lose all of them through a natural disaster, an illness, an accident, or some other disaster. This clear truth should cause them to wonder what reward they will receive in the Hereafter for their moral character. Moreover, Allah can turn all of their worldly possessions into sources of misery and heartache, if He so wills. And, on the Day of Judgment, He will not allow them to make excuses:

Given this reality, all people must do everything they can to live a moral life pleasing to Allah. Postponing the decision to do so or not recognizing its importance will only result in eternal sorrow. In the Qur'an, we can read His promise to reward and support, with His mercy in both worlds, everyone who uses their possessions to win His approval: Whatever good you give away is to your own benefit, when you give desiring only the Face of Allah. Whatever good you give away will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged. (Surat al-Baqara: 272) imes of difficulty, which are generally quite rare, are actually very valuable moments created by Allah for believers to show the strength of their love, faithfulness, and submission to Him. Moreover, at the same time they can earn greater rewards for the life of the Hereafter. They may not make a special effort to encounter difficulty and hardship, but when they do they realize the reason why they occur.

The prophets sent throughout history experienced exile, oppression, danger, and sometimes even death, but they endured it all with the eager joy of belief. For example, the Prophet Joseph was falsely accused and spent years in prison, leading members of the Prophet Abraham's people tried to burn him alive, the Prophet Moses was threatened and oppressed by Pharaoh, and Prophet Lot's people tried to exile him. But each of these blessed individuals remained faithful, trusted in Allah, and submitted to Him in the face of these difficulties.

Such great men of Islam as Said Nursi placed a high value on each difficulty that they were forced to endure throughout their lives. Today, all Muslims should show the same eager determination to adhere to and spread the Qur'an's moral teachings. Their difficulties should not cause them to despair; rather, they must resolve to earn the reward offered by these valuable moments in a spirit of unity and selfsacrifice. Worldly preoccupations and personal interests should never stand in the way of living by this morality, for in the Hereafter each person will be called to account for whatever good and bad deeds he or she has done.

In the Qur'an Allah tells us that the believers will be successful and that the Qur'an's morality will prevail. Allah, Who is above every defect and rich beyond need, is definitely the victor. On the other hand, a human being is a needy creature that has to win His pleasure and approval. Allah needs only to speak the word "Be" to accomplish His will. Thus, each person must work to attain his or her salvation by assuming each responsibility and doing their best to fulfill it.

The result that Allah has determined will come to pass. Those who help in this, with His permission, will be rewarded for their efforts in His Presence in the Hereafter. Those who avoid self-sacrifice, on the other hand, will be losers themselves, for they will have missed forever the opportunities and possibilities of earning the rewards that flow from sacrificing their interests.

Allah always helps those who sincerely desire to live this superior moral life and will give them success:

In the pages that follow, we will look at some very good examples from the lives of our Prophet and his Companions, as well as at the self-sacrificial acts of Said Nursi. We will see how great success can be attained and difficulties overcome by acting in unity and solidarity and with self-sacrifice.

Our Prophet's Self-Sacrificial Morality The ability to act in solidarity with other people is a secret of belief that can be seen in the believers' success in the face of adversity. When we look at what has happened to them throughout history, we see that they have always been able to surmount their difficulties in this way. Beginning with our Prophet and his Companions, believers have practiced this morality. In addition, their mutual self-sacrificial support has enabled Islam and the Qur'an's morality to spread throughout the world.

Our Prophet called upon his unbelieving people to renounce their misguided beliefs and serve only Allah. While delivering this message, he endured much hardship due to his people's belief that this message would harm their interests. His people joined together against our Prophet and the believers, and did all they could to stop them. They did not agree to give up their traditional idolatry, set many traps for him, asked him to bring a revelation that would please them, and then did their best to either kill, exile, or imprison him. In order to prevent the message from influencing their people, they accused him of being crazy, practicing sorcery, being mentally incompetent, lying, and being a poet. But our Prophet showed great patience and trust when confronted with such abuse, and always countered them with the Qur'an's moral teachings. He did not alter the Revelation or consider anyone's gain; he just obeyed Allah. Despite the continuous pressure and hardship he encountered, he continued to proclaim the message, struggle with the unbelievers, and take total responsibility for the Muslim community's physical and religious wellbeing.

Of course, his superior morality was an example to all Muslims. Even in the most difficult situations, he first considered what was good for Islam and his community's well-being, security, and contentment. In this regard, he showed his superior understanding of self-sacrifice. On the battlefield and in times of hunger, need, and sickness, our Prophet displayed great care for his followers and treated them with mercy and compassion.

The Companions, following the Prophet Muhammad's superior understanding of self-sacrifice, showed an excellent moral character both personally and materially. Their unity and solidarity, which rested on a spirit of self-sacrifice, gave them great strength and, by Allah's mercy, enabled them to defeat the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Even though they were small in numbers, they gradually increased until Islam spread throughout Arabia. Above all, our Prophet sacrificed greatly in regard to his personal desires by giving up what he wanted for the benefit of his community, both in this world and Hereafter. He continually gave of himself in order to educate those who were new to the Qur'an's morality. They are informed in several verses: The desert Arabs say: "We believe." Say: "You do not believe. Say rather:

'We have become Muslim,' for belief has not yet entered into your hearts. If you obey Allah and His messenger, He will not undervalue your actions in any way. Allah is EverForgiving, Most Merciful." (Surat al-Hujurat: 14)

Our Prophet always responded to his people with the Qur'an's moral teachings:

If people can be patient in the face of wrong attitudes that spring from ignorance, hidden intentions, bad moral character, injustice, and nevertheless respond according to the Qur'an's morality, they are good examples of self-sacrifice. It is a sign of particular excellence if, when they are entitled to something, they can forego their rights and endure being treated unjustly. Ignorant people may not appreciate this moral excellence; in fact, they may not even notice it. But those sincere believers who seek only to win Allah's favor can be forgiving, patient, and conciliatory even when it is most difficult for them. When faced with his people's evil intentions, our Prophet sacrificed his own desires in order to win Allah's approval. He always wanted to improve them and exhort them to be good. Allah informs us of our Prophet's love for the believers, his self-sacrifice, and his good moral character:

It is reported that Aisha said, "He was very affectionate and kind in dealing with the people." (Ghazzali's Ihya' `Ulum ad-Din, The Book of Religious Learnings [New Delhi: Islamic Book Service, 2001], 2:240.) Husain is reported to tell about the Prophet's self-sacrificial moral character as follows: I asked my father how the Prophet would sit. He replied: "The Prophet of Allah would sit only in remembrance. In the same way that certain places were not allocated to him, so he would cause others to avoid so doing. When he arrived at an assembly, he would sit wherever there was empty space and would tell the Companions to do the same. He would give his share to everyone sitting with him. Nobody sitting with him could draw the conclusion that there was anyone superior than himself in the Prophet's sight. The Prophet would be patient with anyone who sat with him or came to him with a need, and he would be the one to leave the Prophet. Whoever needed anything from the Prophet would have his need met by him or be sent away with pleasant words. His smiling face and proper moral values enriched those people."(Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayat al-Sahaba (Life of the Companions), vol. 1, Sentez Nesriyat, p. 28)

Another report mentions his moral superiority: Ibrahim al-Taimi narrates on the authority of his father, who said: "We were sitting with Hudhaifa. A man said: ‘If I had been alive in the time of the Messenger of Allah, I would have fought by his side and striven hard for his causes.' Hudhaifa said: ‘You might have done that… I was with the Messenger of Allah on the night of the Battle of Abzib. We were gripped by a violent wind and severe cold. The Messenger of Allah said: ‘The man who [goes reconnoitering and] brings me news of the enemy shall be ranked with me on the Day of Judgment by Allah (the Glorious and Exalted).' Then he said: ‘Get up Hudhaifa, [and] bring me the news of the enemy.' Presenting myself before him, I gave him information about the enemy. When I had done so, I began to feel cold, so the Messenger of Allah wrapped me in an extra blanket with which he used to cover himself while praying. So I continued to sleep until it was morning.'" (Sahih Muslim, book 19, no. 4412)

Together with his matchless moral character, our Prophet devoted his life and his possessions to Allah:

He did this so that the Qur'an's morality could spread everywhere, thereby enabling contentment, peace, and love to prevail among all people. He was eager to achieve this end and, content in his submission to Allah, put up with all kinds of hardship. Our Prophet spent three years secretly proclaiming his message with great caution. Many people accepted Islam and the number of Muslims was growing. At the end of three years, by Allah's command, he openly announced Islam and his prophethood to the Quraysh. These unbelievers became hostile and initiated a pitiless struggle with him that consisted of trying to silence him by resorting to all kinds of cruelty and even attempted murder. Led by Abu Lahab, Umm Jamil (Abu Lahab's wife), and Abu Jahl, the leading men of the Quraysh fought to stop him.

But all of their efforts were in vain. This made the Meccan unbelievers and tribal leaders very uneasy. Despite this opposition, however, the number of Muslims grew daily and the neighboring tribes began to accept Islam. The conversion of such people as Umar and Hamza and the subsequent strengthening of Islam greatly worried them. Seeing that they could not deter conversions by torture and violence, and that they could not prevent Islam's spread, they and their allies tried to suppress Muslims and their allies through a complete trade and social boycott.

They attached this decision to the wall of the Ka'bah, and soon all Makkans complied. As a result, Muslims moved away to live together. The unbelievers would not allow any food to reach them and allowed them to come to the market to buy food only during the pilgrimage season. Even then, standing on the corners, the Makkans would do all they could to make their purchases difficult. Sometimes they threatened the merchants, bought up all of their stock, or met caravans bringing food to Mecca before they arrived and did their best to turn them against the Muslims.

As a result, the Muslims suffered terrible hunger and famine. His uncle Abu Talib and his wife Khadija sold of all their possessions to meet the Muslims' needs. Despite three years of anxiety, hunger, and famine, the unbelievers could not prevent the spread of Islam. Under these harsh conditions and with great self-sacrifice, the Prophet perfectly carried out his duty of spreading the message. Three years later, the leaders of the Quraysh ended the boycott but not their efforts against the Muslims. Abu Talib was one of the influential figures in Mecca and, although he did not become a Muslim, both he and Khadija supported the Prophet Muhammad from the beginning. When they died, the Quraysh gained courage and increased their opposition. Due to Abu Talib's position within the tribe and the protection he extended to the Prophet, the Qurayshi leaders had hesitated to move against our Prophet. But now that Abu Talib was dead, they resorted to all manner of pressure, suppression, torture, threats, and cruelty to stop him and prevent the Muslims from practicing their religion.

After ten years of preaching, the still increasing levels of verbal and physical oppression caused our Prophet to decide to address the tribes who lived outside of Mecca. With Zayd ibn Harith, he went to Ta'if to invite the Thaqif tribe to accept Islam and protect the Muslims from the Qurayshi unbelievers. He stayed with them for ten days, explaining Islam to the tribal leaders. But the people of Ta'if worshipped Lat, and none of them accepted his message. He spoke to each leader individually, but saw that they were ignorant, arrogant, and hostile, and endured their bad treatment with great patience. Our Prophet tried every way to protect the Muslims living in Mecca, where each Muslim was living under the threat of death, torture, starvation, or exile. He showed his superior moral character by walking to Ta'if and doing all he could to show them the true way. Even though they treated him badly, he endured all of these things so that Islam would spread and the Muslims would be secure. When he returned to Mecca, our Prophet saw that the Muslims were more oppressed than ever. So, he began to preach the message to the Arab tribes who visited Mecca to perform the pilgrimage in its proper season and to attend Mecca's periodic festivals. He explained the Qur'an to them and invited them to accept Islam with great patience and trust, all the while enduring whatever abuse was thrown at him by Abu Lahab and other unbelievers.

In the eleventh year, a group of six Madinan travelers embraced Islam. Respected and influential members of their tribes, they returned to Madinah and called their relatives to Islam. After a short time, Islam spread throughout Madinah. In the two pilgrimage seasons following this event, the Madinans returned to Mecca to speak with our Prophet and pledged their allegiance. When the Makkans learned of this, they increased their oppression and tried to make it impossible for the Muslims to live in the city. Given this reality, Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad that the Muslims should move to Madinah. Worried that the Makkan and Madinan Muslims would form a very strong union, the Makkan unbelievers tried to prevent the Muslims from leaving. They arrested and tortured some and intercepted others. Until a command came from Allah, our Prophet, together with Abu Bakr and Ali, remained in Mecca. Unaware that Allah was protecting the Prophet, Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, and other unbelieving leaders decided to organize more verbal and physical assaults against him. In this instance, they chose a strong man from each tribe and decided to set yet another trap in order to kill him. Since all of them would be involved, they thought that our Prophet's tribe would be unable to respond:

But Allah protected the Prophet from this trap. After this event, they sent out armed men to intercept him and Abu Bakr, who were now on their way to Madinah. Allah foiled this trap as well: If you do not help him, Allah helped him when the unbelievers drove him out and there were two of them in the cave.

He said to his companion:

Of course, the unbelievers were not content to limit their traps to this one. Their leaders, among them Abu Lahab, Umm Jamil, and Abu Jahl, did whatever they could to make things difficult for our Prophet and suppress him. They even tried to kill him. Allah tells us in the Qur'an about the consequences they faced:

While struggling against the prevailing idolatry of his fellow Arabs, our Prophet served as a role model for all believers of adhering to the Qur'an's morals, self-sacrifice, determination, and trust in Allah. Many hadiths mention his superior moral character and generosity: Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Prophet was the most generous … Verily, the Messenger of Allah is more generous at giving bounty or charity than the blowing wind." (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Jabir said: "The Prophet would never deny anything he was asked for." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1:503)

Anas reported that the Prophet was the best of people, the most generous of people, and most courageous of people. (Sahih al-Bukhari)

"If the mountain of Uhud turns into gold for me [Muhammad], I will not let three nights pass with even a dinar for myself." (Sahih al-Bukhari) In another hadith, our Prophet told Aisha:

"Do not turn away a poor man ... even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you ... Allah will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection." (Hadith at-Tirmidhi, 1376)

Another hadith speaks of his superior moral character in this regard: He was the most modest, was without pride, and his tongue was most eloquent without prolongation of speech. His constitution was the most beautiful. (Ghazzali, Ihya' `Ulum ad-Din, 2: 237-41)

Our Prophet also urged believers to be generous: In one sermon, after giving thanks to Allah, he said: "O people! Know that Almighty Allah has chosen Islam for you as the religion. Adorn your Islam with generosity and moral virtues. I wish you to know that generosity is a tree of paradise whose roots are in paradise and whose branches are in this world. Those of you who are generous will have clung to one of those branches, and that branch will take them to paradise. As for parsimony, that is a tree with its roots in hell and its branches in this world. It will carry to hell he who clings to one of its branches by being parsimonious." The Prophet later twice said, "Be generous on the path of Allah." (Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayat alSahaba, Hz. Muhammed ve Ashabının Yaşadığı İslami Hayat (Life of the Companions: The Islamic Life of Prophet Muhammad and His Companions), vol. 2, Sentez Nesriyat, Temel Eserler Serisi: 2/2, p. 192)

The Companions'