Roots Through Rock: The Steadfastness of the Last Ones Standing
🌿 The Verse That Turned the Prophet Grey
The lecture opens on a single command from Allah to His Prophet in Surat Hud:
فَٱسْتَقِمْ كَمَآ أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ
Fastaqim kamā umirta wa man tāba ma'ak
"So remain steadfast as you have been commanded, and [also] those who turn [to Allah] with you." (Hud 11:112)
When this verse came down, the Prophet ﷺ said that Surat Hud had aged him — turned him grey. When asked why, he pointed to this verse. No prophet was tried as he was, no prophet was hurt as he was, and yet he could carry that. What weighed on him was the second half of the verse: and those who turn with you. It was not his own steadfastness that worried him, but whether his ummah could bear the same command. That is why, on his deathbed, the last word on his tongue was:
أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي
Ummatī, ummatī, ummatī
"My ummah, my ummah, my ummah."
That single weight — istiqāmah, steadfastness — is the thread running through everything that follows, and through the companions of al-Husayn.
⚖️ The One Thing Not Given Freely
Today's lesson circles the Ansār of Karbala — the true champions who stood firm with Aba Abdillah al-Husayn no matter the odds, knowing full well there was every chance they would be slaughtered on those plains. What drove them to that ultimate station was istiqāmah. Later, the Imam himself would say of them words no Imam exaggerates:
فَإِنِّي لَا أَعْلَمُ أَصْحَابًا أَوْفَى وَلَا خَيْرًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِي
Fa-innī lā a'lamu aṣḥāban awfā wa lā khayran min aṣḥābī
"I do not know of companions more faithful or better than my companions."
We sometimes compare people to them — this one was like Muslim ibn Awsajah, that one like al-Abbas, like Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn. They may have done something similar. But to call anyone their equal is impossible, because the Imam does not exaggerate: history will never know companions like these.
Why? Because of one quality Allah does not hand out freely. Allah gives wealth, power, and provision even to those who are not Muslim, even to those who only pretend — that is the mercy of God. But Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (ع) said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُعْطِي الدُّنْيَا مَنْ يُحِبُّ وَمَنْ لَا يُحِبُّ وَلَا يُعْطِي الْإِيمَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ يُحِبُّ
Inna-llāha yu'ṭī man yuḥibbu wa man lā yuḥibb, wa lākin lā yu'ṭi-l-īmāna illā man yuḥibb
"Allah gives [the world] to whom He loves and to whom He does not love — but He does not give faith except to the one He loves."
Iman is the gift reserved for the beloved. And the engine that carries iman is steadfastness.
🕯 The Driving Force Behind Every Success
Look at the world. The people we call successful are not measured, in truth, by money or power or possessions. There is one quality in the ones who rise: they never quit. Whenever trial or obstacle meets them, they refuse to stop.
James Dyson built one of the most powerful vacuums on the market — but it took 5,127 prototypes. Imagine stopping at the 5,126th, not knowing the very next attempt was the one that would change your life.
Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, came from a poor family. As a boy of twelve he travelled 27 kilometres each way to an international hotel just to speak with tourists for free and learn English. He failed his university entrance twice before passing. When KFC opened in his area, 24 people applied for jobs; 23 were hired and he was the only one rejected. None of it stopped him. Within him was a driving force — whenever obstacles come through, my set goal is to achieve it.
And here is the point the lecture lands: Allah has placed that same capacity inside every servant, like a filtration system. We come from different backgrounds and languages, but God says the ability to succeed — especially in your iman — is within you. It is never meant to be: the first time I meet a hardship, I quit.
Behind every gold medal we see on a podium are years of unseen mornings, discipline, and diet. Behind every visible result there is a hidden, consistent level of istiqāmah that carried the person there.
📿 The Prophets Who Refused to Quit
The Qur'an itself records the trials of the prophets so we would learn this. Prophet Yusuf (ع) — how many times could he have given up and called it fate? Torn from his father, thrown into a well, sold in the markets, falsely accused, and after all of it thrown into prison. Year after year after year. Yet he kept his commitment, his istiqāmah, through every single trial.
And when Bani Isra'il reached the sea with Pharaoh's army at their backs and cried out that they would surely perish — even with Musa (ع) among them — he answered:
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ
Kallā, inna ma'iya Rabbī sa-yahdīn
"No! Indeed, my Lord is with me; He will guide me." (al-Shu'arā 26:62)
God is with me — He will bring us out of this. That same driving force is what we will find, later, in each of the companions of Aba Abdillah al-Husayn: no matter how large the army, no matter how impossible the odds. When the Imam told them at night, the darkness will cover you, go — they only want me, they refused: "We have lived all our lives under your blessings and to be near the Imam. Now you want us to leave when you are needed most?"
🌳 Roots That Break Through Rock
Imam Musa al-Kadhim (ع) said that Allah points to Himself through His signs — that one of the nearest ways to God is through His āyāt, the signs in creation. The Qur'an describes those who reflect:
ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَٰطِلًا سُبْحَٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
Alladhīna yadhkurūna-llāha qiyāman wa qu'ūdan wa 'alā junūbihim wa yatafakkarūna fī khalqi-s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ, Rabbanā mā khalaqta hādhā bāṭilan, subḥānaka fa-qinā 'adhāba-n-nār
"...those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: 'Our Lord, You did not create this in vain. Glory be to You — protect us from the punishment of the Fire.'" (Āl 'Imrān 3:191)
Nature holds the greatest lesson in istiqāmah. We enjoy a tree's fruit and rest in its shade, but we never see the struggle underground. The most important part of the tree is its roots. A tree can look enormous and flourishing at the top, but with weak roots the first strong wind brings it down. It is the roots that hold it up.
And those roots are stronger than they look. Tell someone a piece of root — a thing you could snap in your hand — will break through solid rock, and they will say it is impossible, mustaḥīl. But nature has proven it: roots driving through brick, through actual rock. Slowly, year after year, the root taps at the stone, saying: you look powerful, but my consistency wants to grow. This rock will not stop me. And in time, a piece of wood breaks through rock. That is consistency. That is istiqāmah.
In our lives there are many rocks: family, marriage troubles, friends, relatives, work. But the biggest rock of all is your own nafs — your greatest enemy, forever trying to pull you from the remembrance of Allah. That is why striving against it is the greater jihād. To become a true servant and follow the footsteps of al-Husayn's companions, you have to ask: am I willing to pass through trial after trial to reach the true light?
🌙 The Banana, the Sun, and Going Against Gravity
Have you ever asked why a banana is curved? When it first grows it points toward the ground, in a dense, shaded environment. The fruit then turns and bends upward — against gravity — reaching for the sun in the sky. Think how strong gravity is, yet this hanging fruit fights it to reach the light.
Allah is saying the same to you as His servant: there are times you must go against forces as strong as gravity in order to reach the light of Allah.
🧭 The Straight Path Is Not a Straight Line
Every day we say:
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Ihdinā-ṣ-ṣirāṭa-l-mustaqīm
"Guide us to the straight path." (al-Fātiḥah 1:6)
People translate al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm as "the straight path" — but that is not quite right. It is the true path, and it need not be straight or easy. From Adam to the Holy Prophet, when was the path of any of them smooth and effortless? The meaning is: stay on the true path, and even when external forces shove you off it, your focus is always to return to the ṣirāṭ.
It is Newton's first law. Roll a ball and it continues until another force — a wind, another ball — knocks it off course. A body stays in motion unless acted on by an external force. We are the same. We ask for guidance to the ṣirāṭ precisely because God knows we will sway — but with istiqāmah, our focus pulls us back onto the path.
The word itself runs through our religion. Istiqāmah shares its root with qawwām (to stand), muqawwim (the one who stands ready for jihad), qiyām (the standing posture in prayer), Yawm al-Qiyāmah (when all will stand for judgment), and al-Qā'im — Imam al-Hujjah (ع), the one who rises.
🌱 The Taproot and the Bamboo
The sunflower we admire for following the sun begins underground with a single deep taproot that drives straight down before the smaller roots branch out. The taproot must grow first, because once the flower rises it will be battered by wind and storm; the one deep root holds it stable while the small roots draw nutrients to keep it strong.
The believer is exactly like this. We have one main root that keeps us firm — none other than the wilāyah of Muhammad wa Āli Muhammad. All the smaller roots that feed us are our ṣalāh, our fasting, hajj, zakāt, khums, our akhlāq. The system is built so there is a foundation first.
This is why Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (ع) said Islam is built on five — tawḥīd, nubuwwah, qiyāmah, imāmah, and 'adālah — and added:
وَأَفْضَلُهُمُ ٱلْإِمَامَةُ / ٱلْوِلَايَةُ
Wa afḍaluhum al-imāmah / al-wilāyah
"And the most excellent of them is the imāmah / the wilāyah."
Because it is the wilāyah that connects you to God, prepares you for the Day of Judgment, links you to the prophets, and teaches you what justice is. Everything is driven by the wilāyah — that is the taproot, the connection to Amīr al-Mu'minīn.
Our problem, as children of Adam, is impatience: we want everything now. The bamboo takes five to seven years to grow. You plant the seed and for years nothing seems to happen — one year, two, three — and still people feed it, wondering why. It is because before bamboo can shoot up, it must shoot down first and build a foundation strong enough to take on the world.
So when someone says, I've prayed night and day and my ṣalāh isn't accepted, my du'ā isn't answered, I come to the majālis and feel nothing yet — they do not realise God is preparing the foundation of their roots, so that one day they can shoot up and stand firm. No one ever said it would be easy.
🕯 The Formula of Amīr al-Mu'minīn
No path is greater than istiqāmah. Amīr al-Mu'minīn (ع) said:
لَا شَرَفَ أَعْلَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْإِسْتِقَامَةِ
Lā sharafa a'lā mina-l-istiqāmah
"There is no honour higher than steadfastness."
And he taught that the fruit of the intellect is istiqāmah. In Nahj al-Balāghah he lays out an order: al-'amal, al-'amal — action, action; al-nihāyah, al-nihāyah — the end, knowing the goal you are heading toward; then al-istiqāmah, al-istiqāmah — steadfastness; then al-ṣabr, al-ṣabr — patience; and al-wara', al-wara' — God-consciousness.
Notice he places istiqāmah before patience and before wara'. Logically it must be so: when steadfastness comes first, patience becomes easier, and wara' becomes connected — because you already know how you are bound to God Almighty.
He continues: never forget your journey. You were not created for this dunya, but for the hereafter; you are travelling toward Allah. Hold to the foundation God gave — the Kitāb — and, most importantly, hold to the Hujjah. If you do this, he says, I will be your intercession on the Day of Judgment. Then he declares: indeed, this is what Islam is. And he seals it with the verse:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَٰمُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَٰئِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا
Inna-lladhīna qālū Rabbunā-llāhu thumma-staqāmū tatanazzalu 'alayhimu-l-malā'ikatu allā takhāfū
"Indeed, those who say 'Our Lord is Allah' and then remain steadfast — the angels descend upon them: 'Do not fear...'" (Fuṣṣilat 41:30)
Those who declare my Lord is Allah and then stand firm — upon them the angels descend and watch over them, telling them not to be afraid.
📿 Steadfastness Is the Wilāyah
What is this steadfastness, in truth? The Imams unveil it. Imam Ja'far al-Ṣādiq (ع) said:
ٱلْإِسْتِقَامَةُ هِيَ ٱلْإِمَامَةُ مِنَ ٱلْمَعْصُومِينَ وَاحِدًا بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ
Al-istiqāmatu hiya-l-imāmah mina-l-ma'ṣūmīna wāḥidan ba'da wāḥid
"Steadfastness is the imāmah of the infallibles, one after another."
To remain steadfast in this verse means to follow the Ahl al-Bayt, Imam after Imam. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (ع) said:
ٱسْتَكْمِلُوا طَاعَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ بِوِلَايَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
Istakmilū ṭā'ata-llāhi wa rasūlihi bi-wilāyati Muhammadin wa Āli Muhammad
"Perfect your obedience to Allah and His Messenger through the wilāyah of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad."
Firmness is held by following Allah, His Prophet, and the wilāyah of all the Ahl al-Bayt. Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Qummi said this steadfastness is nothing other than the wilāyah of Amīr al-Mu'minīn; Ibn Abbas said the same — it is the wilāyah of Ali ibn Abi Talib. And the proof of their istiqāmah is simply this: go and look at their lives. They are the ones who showed us what it means to stand firm.
⭐ The Stars That Shone in the Dark
Return to Imam Husayn (ع). Imam Zayn al-Abidin (ع) said: I heard my father gather the men around him, and I wanted to hear what he would say. The Imam first thanked God for the privilege of upholding the true principles and holding to the Qur'an, for the honour of standing in the footsteps of the prophets through the Imamah. He reminded them that the Ahl al-Bayt have been steadfast in good times and in bad. And then he said those famous words: I do not know companions more faithful or better than my companions.
The Imam looked into their hearts and saw that each one was a bright star. Most of us see stars only in the dark, and the sun only when it is up. But between these Ansār and Imam Husayn it was different: they saw the sun whether it was night or day, and he saw them as stars whether it was night or day. They were always shining.
This is why, when we read their ziyārah in Karbala, we greet them as the helpers of God across all the generations:
ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا أَنْصَارَ دِينِ ٱللَّهِ
As-salāmu 'alayka yā anṣāra dīni-llāh
"Peace be upon you, O helpers of the religion of Allah."
We call them the helpers of Rasūl Allah — though some never met the Prophet. We call them the helpers of Amīr al-Mu'minīn, the helpers of Fatima al-Zahra (martyred over fifty years before Karbala), the helpers of al-Hasan al-Mujtaba. It means: by standing here, by defending Imam Husayn, you defended every Imam and all they stood for. Look at the honour given to these people. These are the role models.
🩸 Habib ibn Mazahir: A Lifetime Pointing to Karbala
One of the saddest and hardest scenes belongs to Habib ibn Mazahir, who was close to a hundred years old. Once, the Holy Prophet ﷺ sat in Medina with Mazahir, Habib's father, and watched a young man running behind the child Imam al-Husayn — picking up the dirt from beneath the Imam's feet and rubbing it on his face. The Prophet wept. Mazahir asked, "O Messenger of Allah, has something upset you?" The Prophet said: O Mazahir, this beloved son of yours — on the Day of Karbala, when everyone abandons my beloved Aba Abdillah al-Husayn, your son will be there, fighting alongside him, the way he grabs that dirt now and puts it on his face.
And so it came to pass. When Sayyida Zaynab (ع) asked her brother, O Aba Abdillah, have you tested these Ansār?, a companion carried her words to Habib. He went to her and said: "As-salāmu 'alayki yā bint Amīr al-Mu'minīn — by Allah, our swords will not leave their sheaths until they are soaked in blood defending Aba Abdillah al-Husayn." She heard his voice and answered, "As-salāmu 'alayki yā Habib — you have always been there to help us." And when Habib heard that Zaynab had sent salām to him, he said, "Who am I, that Zaynab would send salām to me?" — and just as he had done as a boy, he picked up the dirt and rubbed it over his face.
🤝 The Bond of the Companions
These are the companions who fought bravely. When Muslim ibn Awsajah fell on the battlefield, Aba Abdillah al-Husayn rushed to him and lifted him; Habib ibn Mazahir was beside him. The Imam said, "If I did not know I would be joining you shortly, I would tell you more." Then Habib leaned in: "My dear brother, my dear companion — Muslim, what is your last will?" Muslim, looking toward al-Husayn, gave his only bequest: look after this one — care for him. Habib began to weep and answered, "With my blood, O Muslim."
And on the Day of Ashura, when Imam Husayn (ع) stood on the plains and called out — Hal min nāṣirin yanṣurunā? "Is there any helper to help us?" — he already knew they were gone. He called them anyway, one by one: O Habib, where are you? O Muslim ibn Awsajah, where are you? O Burayr — where is Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn? — O John... Calling out every companion's name, until he said: Why do I call you, and you do not answer me?
And there was Wahab. At first his wife did not want him to go out. But when she saw him fighting, she called to him from behind to fight for the people who are beautiful and to support them. He said, "One moment you told me not to fight — why now do you tell me to go?" She said, "Because that man broke my heart" — the one who stood out on the field and mocked him.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji'ūn
"Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return." (al-Baqarah 2:156)
🌙 Closing Du'ā
We ask Allah to hasten the reappearance of Imam al-Hujjah (ع). We ask Him not to take us from this world until He is pleased with us. We ask Him to keep us on the way of Muhammad wa Āli Muhammad, to grant us the ziyārah of the Ahl al-Bayt in this world and their intercession in the next.
هَٰذِهِ آخِرُ دَعْوَانَا وَأَنِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ
Hādhihi ākhiru da'wānā wa ani-l-ḥamdu lillāhi Rabbi-l-'ālamīn
"This is the last of our supplication, and all praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds."
The last ones standing were not the strongest or the wealthiest. They were the most steadfast — roots that broke through rock, fruit that bent against gravity toward the light. They saw the sun in the dark, and the Imam saw them as stars. To follow them is to make the wilāyah our one deep taproot, and to refuse — through every trial — to quit.