An iron will

A student from a Muslim country went to London to study. He boarded with a British family in order to enhance his language skills. He was true to his religious principles and would wake up for the Morning Prayer early. He would make his ablution, go to his place of prayer, prostrate to his Lord, glorify Him, and praise Him. An old lady in the house was always keen to observe his foreign habits. She asked him after a few days, “What are you doing?” “My religion orders me to do this,” was his reply. “Couldn’t you delay saying this prayer until after you get your complete rest?” He answered, “But my Lord does not accept from me my prayer if I delay it until after its fixed time period.” She shook her head and exclaimed, “A will that shatters steel!”Men whom neither trade nor sale diverts them from the Remembrance of Allah [with heart and tongue], nor from performing As-Salaat [the prayers].          (Qur’an 24: 37)Such action springs from the determination of faith, which was inspired to the sorcerers of Fir’aun. They were inspired to believe in Allah, the Lord of all that exists, at the moment when Prophet Moosa and Fir’aun faced off against one another. They said to Fir’aun:(We prefer you not over the clear signs that have come to us, and to Him [Allah] who created us. So decree whatever you desire to decree.)(Qur’an 20: 72)It was a challenge to Fir’aun that was unheard of up until that moment. Their mission suddenly became to convey the true and powerful message of Islam to the haughty atheist.Habeeb ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) went to Musaylamah in order to call him to Islam. ln response, Musaylamah began to chop off limb after limb from Habeeb’s body. During this process that was drawn out in order to make Habeeb suffer, he did not cry, scream, or shake — until the very end, when he met his Lord as a martyr.(And the martyrs with their Lord, they shall have their reward and their light.)                                        (Qur’an 5 7: 19)