—were he to be struck over some worldly matter, he would blaze with anger and seek revenge against the one who hit him. Yet here is a man calling people to Allah, taking no payment for his mission, and they go so far as to beat him until his face is covered in blood. Even then he merely wipes the blood away, praying: “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.”

The Messenger of Allah —may blessings and peace be upon him—did not recount this incident idly, nor to pass the time with a story. Rather, he told it so that we might draw a lesson and follow its guidance, just as Allah the Exalted says: “Indeed, in their stories there is a lesson for people of insight” (Yusuf 12:111). The lesson here is that we must endure whatever words or deeds we suffer for the sake of calling to Allah, and echo the sentiment:

“You are nothing but a bleeding finger;
all that you endure is for the cause of Allah.”

Thus we should remain patient whenever we hear hurtful remarks or when news reaches us of people speaking ill of us because of our daʿwah. We ought to view such harm as a means of raising our rank and expiating our sins. Perhaps our call contains some deficiency—whether in sincerity or in method—and this suffering serves as its atonement. For no matter how much a person does, his work will always be imperfect unless Allah wills otherwise. When one is afflicted or harmed in the path of daʿwah, that hardship completes his effort and elevates his standing. So let him be patient, seek the reward, and never turn back in retreat; let him not say