Solitude

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ، نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا، وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ. يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا، يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ، وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا. أَمَّا بَعْدُ

Dear brothers and sisters, let us cast our minds back 14 centuries ago in the valleys of Mecca. The markets are crowded and loud. Caravans arrive from Yemen and depart for Sham. And the merchants call out their prices from morning until night. And around the Kaaba, the house that Ibrahim ‘alayhis-salam had built and raised for the worship of Allah alone, now stands around it 360 idols. And beyond Arabia, the empires of Rome and Persia are all exhausting one another in war. And in some of the homes of the city, a father is quietly burying his newborn daughter in the sand.

It is a world filled with noise and heavy with darkness. And in the midst of all of this, lived a man, not yet 40, who would leave the city, climb the mountain of light, and sit alone in a small cave. Our mother Aisha radhiyallahu ‘anha describes those years: "ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلَاءُ، وَكَانَ يَخْلُو بِغَارِ حِرَاءٍ فَيَتَحَنَّثُ فِيهِ" — being in solitude, being alone with Allah ‘Azza wa Jal, was made beloved to him. He would go into seclusion in the cave of Hira and devote himself to the worship there. "وَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى خَدِيجَةَ فَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِمِثْلِهَا" — and he would take the provisions, he would pack supplies for that, and then would return to Khadijah radhiyallahu ‘anha and take further provisions again. "حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلَاءُ" — solitude was made beloved to him. It was not a burden he endured, but a gift he cherished.

Dear brothers and sisters, I begin with this scene because we, too, live in an age of noise. And in ours, in some aspects, may even be louder in that sense. The noise of Mecca remained in the marketplace, whilst the noise of our age travels with us wherever we go. Let us ask ourselves honestly: when was the last time we were truly alone? Not in a room by ourselves with a device in our hands, but alone with our thoughts and with Allah ‘Azza wa Jal. For many of us, the first thing that we reach out in the morning is our phones. We scroll on the bus, in the queue, in the minutes before the iqamah, and in the darknesses before we sleep. The noise follows us in our homes, into our salah, and into the final moments of the day. We are rarely by ourselves, and almost never in solitude.

Let me therefore remind myself first and all of us of what the Prophet ﷺ carried out of that cave. Let us notice a small detail in the words of Aisha radhiyallahu ‘anha: "وَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِذَلِكَ" — and he would take provisions with him. He carried water and food up into the mountains. And when they would run out, he would return to Khadijah radhiyallahu ‘anha to gather them again. Yet the greater provision was not that what he carried up to the mountain; it was that which he carried throughout. Allah ‘Azza wa Jal says: "وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى" — take provisions, take supplies; surely the best provision is taqwa, righteousness. Provisions and subsistence are gathered for that journey to be undertaken. And the cave of Hira was not a place where the Prophet ﷺ would hide from Mecca; it was where he gathered the provisions for Mecca and for humanity at large.

He ﷺ was never a monk. Before a single ayah was even revealed, he had lived 40 years amongst the people. He herded sheep, he traded honestly in the markets, and they called him Al-Amin, the trustworthy. When a stranger from Yemen was wronged and cried out in the Haram, and he was then presented in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud'an when the pact of virtue, the Hilf al-Fudul, was sworn, and years later, the Prophet ﷺ said: if I were to be called to it, I would answer. And when the clans were about to draw their swords over the placing of the Black Stone, it was his intervention that brought the dispute to an end.

He went out to his people and then withdrew to his Lord. And it was that withdrawal that strengthened the going out. Even Khadijah radhiyallahu ‘anha, when the Prophet ﷺ descended from the mountain after having received the initial revelation for the first time, with his heart trembling, Khadijah radhiyallahu ‘anha did not describe a man who had abandoned the world. She described a man who kept the ties of kin, carried the burdens of the weak, and stood by the people during their hardship. That is the fruit of the cave.

What then does solitude give to the believer? The first gift of solitude is a closeness to Allah that cannot be found in the crowd. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned seven of those who will be shaded on the day where there will be no shade except the shade of Allah on His throne, where amongst those people: "وَرَجُلٌ ذَكَرَ اللَّهَ خَالِيًا فَفَاضَتْ عَيْنَاهُ" — a man who remembered Allah ‘Azza wa Jal when he was alone, and his eyes would swell and overflow with tears. "خَالِيًا" — alone. No one watching, no one to impress, no audience to perform for; only a servant and his Lord, and tears that no other eye will see. Is there anything more sincere than this?

Consider the Prophet ﷺ himself on the night of Mi'raj. He was raised through the heavens until he reached Sidrat al-Muntaha, alone with Allah in the most private meeting ever granted to any human being. And that over there was the gift of salah then was legislated.

Consider Maryam ‘alayhas-salam, alone, very far away from her family, in the pains of labour beneath the trunk of a palm tree. She cried out: "يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًّا" — how I wished before this I would have been dead, and I was a long thing lost, forgotten, no one would remember me. She had no one beside her, yet the reply came down: "لَا تَحْزَنِي" — do not grieve, your Lord will provide you those provisions.

Consider Zakariyya ‘alayhis-salam, old and weakened: "إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا" — when he cried out to his Lord in secret. A whispered du'a that no one else heard, and Allah ‘Azza wa Jal answered it with the gift of Yahya.

And consider Musa ‘alayhis-salam, exiled into Madyan, with no home, no family, and no food. He withdrew alone to the shade and called upon Allah: "رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ" — my Lord, I am so desperate for anything good that You can send down my way. And before the day was even over, Allah ‘Azza wa Jal had given him safety, a home, and a family.

In each case, the moment they were most alone was the moment Allah ‘Azza wa Jal was nearest to them.

The second gift of solitude is that it gathers what the noise scatters. Noise does not merely just distract us; it divides us. A portion of the heart is given to a notification, another to a dispute online, another to the news, and another to comparing ourselves to the lives of others. And by the end of the day, our heart is now in 100 pieces.

Within every heart, there is a scattering that nothing can gather except turning to Allah. And a loneliness that nothing can remove except the intimacy with Allah ‘Azza wa Jal in solitude. We often attempt to cure that loneliness with more noise, with more company, and more distraction, yet it only deepens. And for this reason, every single one of us must have some moment alone with Allah ‘Azza wa Jal, in our du'a, in our dhikr, in our prayers, in our reflection, and taking ourselves into account and repairing the heart.

The third gift of solitude is strength for service. Allah ‘Azza wa Jal introduced Himself through the opening revelation, and notice after what how He addressed the Prophet ﷺ: "يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ ۝ قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا" — O you who is wrapped in clothes, stand throughout the night in prayer, except a little. And then Allah ‘Azza wa Jal explains the wisdom behind this: "إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْئًا وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًا" — prayer and recitation is more impactful during the nights. "إِنَّ لَكَ فِي النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا" — as in the morning, you will be busy with the mission. The day will be long and demanding, full of people, full of labour, full of responsibility. And therefore, the provisions is gathered in the night. The night belongs to the Lord, and the day is given to the creation. And the one does not compete with one another; rather, the one sustains the other.

Shortly afterwards came the command of Surat al-Muddathir: "يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ ۝ قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ" — O you who is covered, cloaked in your cloak, rise up and warn. Both commands begin with the same word: "قُمْ" — arise. We arise in the middle of the night before our Lord so that we may arise in the day before the people. And whoever has not risen before Allah in the darknesses will struggle to raise for anyone in the light.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْأَمِينِ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا مَعْشَرَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ: أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ، بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ: وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا

Dear brothers and sisters, solitude in and of itself is not provision. How many people sit alone and rise with more burden than before? To be alone with our worries, alone with our devices, or alone with our regrets is not khalwah of the prophets. It is not seclusion, it is not solitude the ways the prophets would do.

What then shall we carry from this khutbah to ensure we practice this forgotten sunnah of the prophets?

First and foremost, a few minutes alone with Allah each and every day. Before at least one of the prayers each day, let us set aside every distraction and sit for a few minutes so that our hearts are settled before we say "Allahu Akbar." And with the clocks going back later this month and the nights lengthening, these are opportunities to experience the night prayer for winter, as the winter itself is a season for the worshippers. Its night is long for those who wish to stand, and its days are short for those who wish to fast.

Second, a daily portion of the Qur'an. Allah ‘Azza wa Jal has said recite whatever you can, even if it is a little bit, even within amongst your illnesses, even during your travel, trade, struggle. Allah still calls us to read a portion of His book. Let it even be a single ayah read with its meaning and reflection.

And the third, to carry our provisions out into the world. The cave was for the road. The Prophet ﷺ was known as Al-Amin before he was known as a prophet. And this is where the balance of the believer lies. We withdraw to our Lord in the night so that we may stand for the oppressed and downtrodden in the day, whether they are in Gaza, in Sudan, or at the end of our own road.

We ask Allah ‘Azza wa Jal to make us amongst those who stand before Him in the night and stand for His creation in the day. We ask Him to gather our scattered hearts, to fill with His remembrance the emptiness that we fill with distractions, and to make our solitude a solitude with Him.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ. اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ. اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنَا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنَا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنَا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنَا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، إِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ، يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ. اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلِ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قُلُوبِنَا. اللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْنَا مَا يَنْفَعُنَا وَانْفَعْنَا بِمَا تُعَلِّمُنَا وَزِدْنَا مِنْ فَضْلِكَ عِلْمًا وَتَعْلِيمًا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ. اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى نَعْمَائِهِ وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى