29:14 - Don't be Discouraged by the "RESULTS" of your Da'wah & Efforts for the sake of Allah

A reminder to my brothers and sisters out there whom I love for the sake of Allah: those who strive and struggle to spread the deen, to dakwah and islah of the ummah to bring us back on track: those who enjoin the good and forbid the evil.

Perhaps you've run into this situation before: You organise a halaqah or an Usrah.. And only a few people turn up. You enthusiastically invite your friends/family to come to a beneficial course/class and aggressively distribute flyers, but no one seems to come or be interested. You repeatedly enjoin your family/friends to good and forbid them from evil, yet they don't seem to change. You post some good advice shared on Facebook.. But people don't seem to "like" it. You give out books or lectures to others.. Yet they aren't interested. You desperately seek out a team to organise your dakwah efforts, yet no one seems to volunteer or take initiative to support.

As human beings, naturally we might feel a little bit discouraged. Maybe even a little demotivated, or maybe even burnout.

But Allah reminds us through the story of Nuh - be steadfast!
It's NOT about the QUANTITY of your results;
it's about the QUALITY of your EFFORT.



وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا فَأَخَذَهُمُ الطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ

"And indeed We sent Nuh (Noah) to his people, and he stayed among them a thousand years less fifty years (i.e. 950 years), and the flood overtook them while they were Zalimun (wrong-doers, polytheists, disbelievers, etc.)" (29:14)

950 years Nuh steadfastly called people to dakwah the worship of the One True God - and what was the result? How many believers did he successfully recruit?


وَمَا آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
"And none believed with him, except a few" (11:40)

"Except a few"? - In ibn Kathir's Tafsir of this verse, it is narrated that ibn Abbas said the followers of Nuh only numbered 80 people.
Eighty? After calling people for 950 years? As in, less than one follower in every TEN years?

And yet this "low result" never made Nuh any less noble in sight of Allah - quite the opposite, Nuh is in fact of the ulul 'azm of the Messengers : the 5 most honourable human beings ever. This tells us, it's not about results, it's about effort: steadfastness, patience and trust in Allah.

And to take things to a closer context, let's look at the example of the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) - throughout the duration of his 23 years of Prophethood, the first 13 years (majority of the time) was in Makkah. And the number of sahabah (companions) after 13 years, numbered only about 80-90 people.

After 13 years, ya Shaykh. The best person on earth, with the best support , perfect manners, knowledge directly from Allah.. the best quality of dakwah; had to endure massive prolonged periods of lack in real physical support, before gaining the Ansar and the stepping stone towards establishment.
How many years have we been at it? And now we feel like burning out?

Don't be discouraged by your family not listening to you (yet) or the low number of attendees to your halaqah/Usrah, low number of "likes", "shares", "hits", "re-tweets", etc.

Don't allow any room for us to feel Riyaa' - that we do this seeking the approval of people.
Don't have hasan (envy) over others' perceived success - you don't know what they went through or are going through.

Keep moving towards improvement and keep your ikhlas : prove to Allah that you still stick to it despite lack of support.

Put in the effort; leave the results to Allah. If there is goodness in you, He will increase in it and add barakah in it.

Remember, Allah appreciates and recompenses every atom’s weight of effort (17:19), and He will never allow any deeds done with excellence go to waste (18:30).

You're doing this for His Pleasure, not for the people, so stay focused and be steadfast, O people of taqwa!

Still loud and clear in my mind the Imam of Masjid an-Nabawi weeping when he recited this verse:

فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ الْعَاقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِين
".. And be patient. Surely, the (good) end is for the people of taqwa" (11:49)