The Worth of the Weak

Sayyiduna Abud Dardaa (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) mentioned, I heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) saying, “Seek for me those who are weak (so that I may sit in their company and ask them to make Du‘aa against the enemy), as you are only provided with sustenance and given assistance by Allah Ta‘ala through (the blessing and Du‘aa of) the weak among you.”(Sunan Abi Dawood #2594, Bazlul Majhood vol. 4, pg. 231)

Every community has its share of ‘weak’ people. Be they elderly parents, widows, orphans, the poor and destitute or even the sick and ailing, they are all ‘weak’, as they struggle to fend for themselves and generally rely, to differing degrees, on those around them.

In the hadeeth above, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) wished to show the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) that their might and strength was not the key to gaining victory over the enemy. Rather, it was the mercy and assistance of Allah Ta‘ala that was the key, and one way to secure this, would be through the Du‘aas of the weak. Hence, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) requested that weak people be sought so that he could request them to make du‘aa for the victory of the Muslim army.

From this, we clearly understand that these weak individuals are not to be viewed as a burden to society. They are not the ‘spanner in the works’ when we wish to go on holiday, nor are they the unwanted ‘third wheel’ in the equation. Rather, they are truly and literally a blessing in disguise.

When we assist the weak and care for them, we sometimes think that we are doing them a favor. However, the favor that we receive from them is far greater, as it is actually on account of the Barakah (blessings) and Du‘aas of these people that Allah Ta‘ala blesses us with sustenance and His assistance. We feel that we are spending our money on them, whereas it was actually due to their blessing that Allah Ta‘ala gave us the money in the first place!

The weak are very special in the sight of Allah Ta‘ala. Due to their state of weakness and helplessness, Allah Ta‘ala readily answers their Du‘aas and showers His special mercy on them. In many cases, it is only when the privilege of caring for a weak person is lost that one realizes how fortunate he had been to care for the person and how much he was ‘cashing in’ all along.

We should thus endeavor to assist the weak in whatever way possible. Furthermore, we should avoid ever hurting them, even to the slightest extent, or making them feel unwanted in any way. If we are blessed to have a weak person in our home, we should treasure him/her and understand that many of the favors and bounties which we enjoy are actually through his blessing.

May Allah Ta‘ala enable us all to value the weak among us and care for them with compassion, Aameen.