Friday Sermons

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Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.), Imam Zamana (a.s.)

I advise you all and myself to fear Allah and remember the Akhirat; to observe our individual and social obligations during the time of Ghaybah of our 12th Imam (as).

The eighth of Rabi-ul-Awwal is the Shahadat of Imam Hasan al-Askari (as). The ninth of Rabi 1 is the beginning of the Imamat of Imam Mahdi (as). We must commemorate this occasion with spiritual devotion.

Today, I will mention some of the Fazail (virtues) of our 11th Imam.

Let us first remind ourselves that every individual is required by Allah to perform a Bay’at or allegiance to the Imam or Hujjat appointed by Allah (swt). This requirement is found in the Holy Qur’an and in the Hadith as well as the Duas narrated from our Imam (as) like Dua Ahd, Nudbah, where you will find the affirmation or reaffirmation of this pledge to the Imam (as).

The word Bay’ah is taken from baya’aa (BY’A), which means to sell. Bay’ah would therefore mean ‘selling one’s soul to the person with whom one is making a Bay’ah. If the Bay’ah is with Allah (swt) then one is promising Allah (swt) to give everything for the Nusrat (support) of His Deen. In return of this, Allah promises Jannah.

Allah is the buyer and we are the sellers. We sell everything to Him. Price is at least Jannah. The Awliya seek to achieve something higher than this which is the Ridha (pleasure) of Allah. It has been emphasized that we read it for 40 days in the morning. Give Nusrat to the Imam (as) with life and property. In Qur’an is repeated, those who are making a Bay’ah to the Prophet (s) are actually making a Bay’ah with Allah (swt).

Dua’s say ‘put your right hand over left hand as if you are doing Bay’ah of Imam (as). This is just like the Salam we say to the Holy Prophet (s) at the end of our five daily Salat. He (s) receives our salaam and answers it.

Imam Hasan al-Askari (as) was put in captivity. Ayatullah Mohsin ul Ameen writes the Fazail of Imam Hasan in his famour book A’yanush Shi’a under the title:

‘Greatness of the 11th Imam in the hearts of the people’as follows:

Mu’tamad Abbasi gave poison to our Imam. Some of the Abbasids came to the person who was incharge of the prison. His name was Saleh. They asked him give much discomfort to the Imam (as). He said that there was nothing more he could do. He had posted two of the most heinous men to over the Imam but they came under such an influence of the Imam that they have reached great heights in prayer.

The Abbasids summoned the two guards and asked them: ‘What do you about this man in the prison?’

They said: ‘What can we say about a man who fasts during the days and stands up in prayer all night; does not speak to anyone, his occupation is nothing except Ibadat. When he glances at our faces our bodies start trembling. The effect it produces in our bodies is such that we cannot overcome’. The Abbasids returned with failure.

This is called Wilayat over the hearts of all the people not just the followers.

There is a famous hadíth: ‘This world is a prison for a believer and a Jannah for a disbeliever’. A momin is restricted in his speech, where he goes, and every aspect of his /her behavior. The religious restrictions and taqwa make him feel as if his/her body is in a prison. His/her soul, however, is free. Material pleasure creates darkness in the soul, and refraining from some of them brings illumination to the soul. Death brings complete illumination to the believer.

Another meaning of the same Hadith could be that a momin confronts the injustices of other people. His life is turned into a prison where he/she is prosecuted.

We discussed earlier that how the every part of the body has a share of Imaan. Then there is the increase in spiritually of the heart through the duas and munajaat.

Since the Imamaat of 12th imam starts from the 9th of Rabi ul Awwal, history records that Jafar-e-kazzab who was claiming to be the next Imam, wanted to lead the Salaat over the janaza of 11th imam. A young boy came out and asked him to move aside, and read the salaat, over the body and then laid the 11th Imam in the grave.

Similarly, it is found in the Ahadith that the Masum of every age puts the Black Stone in its proper place whenever the Kaabah is renovated. This happened in the time of Hajjaj when Imam Sajjad (as) put the Hajarul Aswad in the corner of Ka’bah. Even today our Imam is present everywhere and attends to the needs of the believers.

Late Qutb Rawandi in his book al-Kharaij writes:

In the year 337 A.H., when people wanted to put Hajrul Aswad back in place after the repair Abul Qasim Ja’far b. Qoolawaih came to Baghdad all the way from Kufa to watch since he knew that only masum can place the Hajar. He fell ill there and instead sent his servant to Makkah to witness that and get to the person who puts the Hajar in Ka’bah and to give him a note.

The servant Ibne Husham says: I got there and spent a lot of money to get the permission to attend the rites. I saw that they tried to put the Hajar in the Ka’bah but it would not come to rest. Then, I saw a young, beautiful, man who advanced and nobody could stop him, and he came and put it in place. I followed that person. The servant says I followed him. My mind was focused on him. Until crowd allowed me some place. Before I could say anything, he asked me to pass him the note. Without reading it he said, ‘there is not fear on your master, the time to depart this world will come in the year 367 A.H.
The servant returned, and conveyed him the message of the Imam. Many years passed until that year came and, Abul Qasim prepared his kafan etc., he fell ill , people said you will recover, he said no I will die this year….and he passed away when the Imam had promised by the Will of Allah (swt).

Occasions this week

1) End of Safar: Shahadat of Imam Reza(a.s.) two years after the demise of Hazrat Masuma(a.s.). Mamoon put Imam under house arrest in Sarakhs for three months.

"Every Friday when Imam(a.s.) used to return from Masjid-e-Jami' his body was covered with sweat and dust. He held his hands up and said, "O Lord, if the end of my suffering lies in my death, then hasten my death". He was in continuous grief and sorrow until he died under oppression.

2) First day of Rabiul Awwal:
a) Burial of Prophet(s.a.w.)'s body. Regarding the disrespect to his body, Imam Ali (a.s.) recalls, "Should I have left the noble body of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and without burying him engage in the dispute for khilafat and sultanat?" (Ihtejaj-e-Tabrisi)

Shaykh Mufid says in Irshad, 'Most people did not attend the burial and prayers of Prophet(s.a.w.) since there was a major power struggle going on between Muhajir and Ansar.'

A'mash says:
'Their prophet passed away and the people had no worries or sadness except that some of them would say, 'Amir will be from amongst us' and the other group would say, 'Amir would be from amonst us.' (Taqreebul Muarif)

For three days, the body of our Prophet (s.a.w.) remained on the ground. Imam Ali(a.s.) sent Burayda ASlami to inform the people of Saqifa but they did not take any notice. After the burial was over, the Bay'at came to an end. (Manaqib Ibne Shahr-e-Aashob, Biharul Anwar)

b) Laylatul Mabeet:

c) Migration of Prophet (s.a.w.)

d) Attack on the House of Revelation.
Prophet said to Imam Ali,'My dear Ali, upto three days, do not leave the house and collect the Holy Qur'an." (Tafseer-e-Furat min Ibraheem)
Seven days according to Tauheed-e-Sadooq and Nine days according to Imaali-e-Toosi.

Three Types of Imaan

Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.), in Vol II of Kaafi (chapter on Imaan), said "The Imaan (faith) is divided among different parts of the body. It is spread out over every limb; each having a share and a responsibility in acquisition and preservation of Iman. It is an interesting hadi­th which is 4-5 pages long. The gist is as follows:
A person asked Imam which of the actions is better in eyes of God?
The Imam replied "the one without which no action will be accepted".
He asked 'what is that thing?'

Imam replied "Imaan in Allah, i.e. there is no other god but Allah, this Imaan is the most virtuous and best of deeds".(Note: We do not consider (Imaan) faith as an action but our Imam is calling it an action. The Holy Qur'an also mentions that Imaan is a voluntary thing; a person has to do something (as in Qalbuhu mutma'in-nun bil Iimaan, ‘his heart is at peace through the Imaan). Imaan is spread over all the organs of the body. If the function of one organ is not performed well, then the Imaan is naqis or incomplete).
The listener apparently felt confused when Imam said the best action is Imaan in Allah. So he asked our Imam.

"Please explain to me what Imaan is? Is it speech and action together or is it speech without action?
Imam responded that imam is 'all action' amalun kulluhu, and speech is a part of that’.

(We can also say that thinking and listening is a part of Imaan. Looking at the Holy Qur'an, reading a part of it is Imaan; action of the heart is also part of Imaam and so is the action of the body. He went on and said that Imaan has different states. Imaan related to mind is different from the Imaan of the heart (for example, love of Imam Ali). Imaan of the skin is different from the Imaan of the ear, example, not to touch namahram, put the hand on the head of an orphan with compassion).There are three kinds of Imaan:

1. It can either be complete (kamil) or
2. Incomplete (naqis).
3. There is a third type which is increasing. Perhaps you are obeying Allah with all your limbs, but if you are listening to the Holy Qur'an and tears come to your eyes, the Imaan increases. The more the love a person has for Mohammed (s.a.w.) & Aaley Mohammad, the more his Imaam strengthens.

Then, he explained the Imaan of all the limbs. When a person meets Allah, after fulfilling the rights of the limbs, this person has met Allah in a state of complete Imaan. All parts have attained Imaan without defect. He will enter jannah, but anyone who did any khiyanat or transgressed the limits that Allah set; ate doubtful food, this person will meet Allah with incomplete Imaan (naqis).
The person said that he understood the first two kinds of Imaan but how can one increase Imaan?Imam said, when a portion of a Surah was revealed, some people asked others, which one of you finds that his/her faith has increased due to this, those who have faith in their hearts, they get inspiration from these verses, a momin is hoping to meet Allah when he departs this world. If a person has dirt in his/her heart, that filth increases by turning away from the truth.
The Holy Qur'an says about Ashab-e-Kahf: 'We will relate to you the story of the young people who acquired faith in Allah and We increased their guidance'.

Imam said, 'If all momeneen were at the same level, no momin would have any fazilat over others in Akhirat. Holy Qur'an considers people and momineen as having different levels of faith, some higher in rank than others, even some anbiya were afzal with respect to the others.
With completion of Imaan, momineen enter paradise but because of increase in Imaan, one has a level higher than the other. Those who deliberately cause disunity, or step ahead of the Prophet (s) will loose their Imaan. One who does more, is more diligent, remembers Allah more will have a higher status..

Leadership and Consultation

A leader in Islam is called the 'Wali-e-Amr', one who holds the authority. He leads the society and the political porcess. He is the guardian of all legislation. We will discuss the role of consultation with respect to the leader. To understand this, we should look at the two kinds of laws in Islam.

1) Those that have come in Shari'at and that are forever, like the wujub of Hajj and Salat, are called Ahkaam -e-Kulli'. For this first type of Islamic laws, consultation is not an option. For example, the Prophet does not consult the people regarding laws of hajj and salat.

2)Those laws legislated by the Islamic leader regarding a particular time and situation. These are called 'Ahkam-e-juzia'. Examples are whether or not to engage in a defensive war, relations with another state, etc. For the second kind of Islamic laws, Islam has laid down a process for decision-making. Wali-e-Amr sometimes consults experts in the ahkam-e-juzia.

For these laws to have shar'i and legal status, they should be in conformity with the 'maslehat' of people, and determination of this conformity in every legislation requires deep and broad understanding. Such a knowledge is unattainable for any single individual. Wali Amr or ruler or leader of a community is one human being and cannot be an expert in more than one or two sciences unless he is a Ma'sum.

Since he does not have expertise in all sciences he has to consult with experts, specialists in the respective fields. He only consults with those experts who are pious; not fasiq or fajir.

Islamic society would therefore have many shuras which are consulted with respect to their respective areas. Haakim will consult with the body of experts to determine the best course of action to achieve desired results.

Once consultation is done, the Haakim:
1) either attains 'yaqeen' about the best option; in this case he will put the law into implementation and action whether the majority supports it or not,
2) or Haakim does not attain yaqeen; in this case he will accept the opinion which has more solid arguments or evidence,
3) or the two options or more have equally strong arguments or weight; in this situation he will accept the majority's decision if he deems appropriate since he is the most 'alam'(most knowledgeable) and 'atqa'(most Godwary) which means his endorsement is ncessary.

References:
In Surah Naml, verses 29-32:
قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا المَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ {29}
She said: O chief! surely an honorable letter has been delivered to me

إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ {30}
Surely it is from Sulaiman, and surely it is in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful;

أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ {31}
Saying: exalt not yourselves against me and come to me in submission.

قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا المَلَأُ أَفْتُونِي فِي أَمْرِي مَا كُنتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمْرًا حَتَّى تَشْهَدُونِ {32}
She said: O chiefs! give me advice respecting my affair: I never decide an affair until you are in my presence.

In Surah Baqarah, verse 233:
وَالْوَالِدَاتُ يُرْضِعْنَ .............
2:233 And the mothers should suckle their children for two whole years for him who desires to make complete the time of suckling; and their maintenance and their clothing must be-- borne by the father according to usage; no soul shall have imposed upon it a duty but to the extent of its capacity; neither shall a mother be made to suffer harm on account of her child, nor a father on account of his child, and a similar duty (devolves) on the (father's) heir, but if both desire weaning by mutual consent and counsel, there is no blame on them, and if you wish to engage a wet-nurse for your children, there is no blame on you so long as you pay what you promised for according to usage; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah and know that Allah sees what you do.

In Surah Talaq, verse 6:
أَسْكِنُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ سَكَنتُم مِّن وُجْدِكُمْ وَلَا تُضَارُّوهُنَّ لِتُضَيِّقُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ وَإِن كُنَّ أُولَاتِ حَمْلٍ فَأَنفِقُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ حَتَّى يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ فَإِنْ أَرْضَعْنَ لَكُمْ فَآتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَأْتَمِرُوا بَيْنَكُم بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَإِن تَعَاسَرْتُمْ فَسَتُرْضِعُ لَهُ أُخْرَى {6}
Lodge them where you lodge according to your means, and do not injure them in order that you may straiten them; and if they are pregnant, spend on them until they lay down their burden; then if they suckle for you, give them their recompense and enjoin one another among you to do good; and if you disagree, another (woman) shall suckle for him.

In Surah Aale Imran, verse 159:
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ {159}
Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.
The above mentioned ayah was discussed in detail in the previous sermon of 'Gentleness of the Prophet'.

In Surah Shura, verses 36-49:
فَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَمَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ {36}
So whatever thing you are given, that is only a provision of this world's life, and what is with Allah is better and more lasting for those who believe and rely on their Lord.

وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ {37}
And those who shun the great sins and indecencies, and whenever they are angry they forgive.

وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ {38}
And those who respond to their Lord and keep up prayer, and their rule is to take counsel among themselves, and who spend out of what We have given them.

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْبَغْيُ هُمْ يَنتَصِرُونَ {39}
And those who, when great wrong afflicts them, defend themselves.

Enjoin the Good!

Following information regarding the aims and objectives of Imam Hussain (as) is taken from the book ‘Blooming of Wisdom by the Beams of Imam Hussain (as) Movement’ by Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli:

Understanding the Seerah of Imam Hussain (s) requires understanding the Seerah of Prophet (s) and Ali (as). The reason is clear: Imam (as) said upon his departure from Madina:

Wa Aseera Bi Seerati Jaddi wa Abi Ali ibne Abi Talib
‘And I seek to follow the course of my grandfather and my father Ali ibne Abi Talib’.

The Seerah of Prophet and Ali is one and the same; since Ali is the soul of the Prophet and they are from one Noor and one ‘Tree’.

The Seerah of the Prophet (s) is to take the people out of the darkness toward the Noor. As the Qur’an (Surah Ibrahim) says:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الَر كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ {1}
Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture which We have revealed unto thee (Muhammad) that thereby thou mayst bring forth mankind from darkness unto light, by the permission of their Lord, unto the path of the Mighty, the Owner of Praise,

According to Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli, the same goal is described in Holy Quran (Surah Ibrahim) for other Prophets of Allah as well:

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا أَنْ أَخْرِجْ قَوْمَكَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَذَكِّرْهُمْ بِأَيَّامِ اللّهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ {5}
We verily sent Moses with Our revelations, saying: Bring thy people forth from darkness unto light. And remind them of the days of Allah. Lo! Therein are revelations for each steadfast, thankful (heart).

The manner in which all the Prophets struggled to take their people out of darkness and into light is through enjoining the good (amr bil ma’roof) and forbidding the evil (nahy anil munkar) and establishment of justice in the society. This amr and nahy is not the work of an individual rather all are responsible. Ulama today do the work of preaching and Ta’leem only but Amr Bil Ma’roof is the work of all the people. Actually these two (amr and hahy) are done for those people who knowing disobey the Divine laws. And therefore restraining them requires collective effort and a high level of determination.

Prophet Musa rallied the people against Firawn and when the people followed that course and showed determination Allah saved them from the armies of Firawn who were drowned in the Red Sea by the wrath of Allah.

The Occupation of Iraq is oppression and the highest level of Munkar and the struggle is gaining momentum to force the occupiers out of Iraq. This is just an example of amr and nahy.

This is the message you will find in the instructions of Luqman to his son in the Quran:

يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ
عَلَى مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ {17}
O my dear son! Establish worship and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity, and persevere whatever may befall thee. Lo! That is of the steadfast heart of things.

Now let’s go back to the Ayah of Surah Ibrahim. You will read ‘And remind them of the days of Allah. Lo! therein are revelations for each steadfast, thankful (heart)’. Drawing lessons from the arrogance of the evil doers and the deceptions of the corrupt ones is vital. Then a high degree of Sabr and Shukr is required. Sabr until victory and Shukr to preserve the accomplishments of victory.

All this requires detaching oneself from the worldly desires. These are the messages you will find in the great uprising of Imam Hussain (as) also. He used to read the verse:

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُواْ يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ
Wheresoever ye may be, death will overtake you, even though ye were in lofty towers

Imam Hussain stood up against tyranny to bring the society out of darkness of corruption and oppression and into the light of guidance.

Imam Hussain taught us that death is like a necklace on the neck of a young bride. It is not a shackle rather an adornment.

‘Death is written for every human like a necklace on the neck of young woman’

Gentleness of the Prophet

Surah Alay-e-Imran (3), verse 159 says

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ

It is by Allah's mercy if you are gentle to them and had you been harsh and hardhearted syrely they would have scattered from around you.

Marhoom Naraqi (in Mairaajus Sa'adah) mentions this ayat when discussing the topic of 'rifq'(gentleness, friendliness).

It was this gentleness and kindness in the prophet's attitute in his dealings with the people that inspite of different viewpoints people had regarding him, they kept close to him. If you look at the previous ayaat, you will see that they are pointing towards the objections people had regarding the Holy Prophet; specifically that the prophet invited the people to go to war, on long journeys, and face hardships in which many lost their lives or got killed. Furthermore, some of them would whisper to each other that if those fellow believers had not answered the call of the prophet, they would have stayed alive like the rest. So many had differences or objections which they did not hide them from the Prophet. MAny would openly complain to the Prophet about different things but the response of the Holy Qur'an to the Holy Prophet is firstly,

وَاللّهُ يُحْيِـي وَيُمِيتُ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ }(Surah Aalay Imran, verse 156-158)
...and Allah gives life and causes death and Allah sees what you do.
وَلَئِن قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ {157}
And if you are slain in the way of Allah or you die, certainly forgiveness from Allah and mercy is better than what they amass.
وَلَئِن مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لإِلَى الله تُحْشَرُونَ {158}
And if indeed you die or you are slain, certainly to Allah shall you be gathered together.


Meaning to say that those who died in the path of Allah have received mercy of Allah while those who stayed behind and objected to the actions of the Prophet are misguided.
Secondly, Allah praises the Prophet's kindness towards the people that encourages him to maintain that akhlaq with the people.

But Qur'an does not stop here and goes on to say

....فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ {159}
....so excuse them and plead forgiveness for them, and consult them in them affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him.

So the first step is 'affu' means pardon which means forgive them in your heart. Next step is to do 'istighfaar' for them. This pardon plus istighfaar will beocme the channel through which the rahmat of allah will flow to the people. The third step is 'mushawara' meaning consultation which happens in the general affairs related to the community not divine laws and precepts. General affairs include hte strategy for fighting a battle or facing the enemy as in the Battle of Uhud when Prophet consulted with the people. But the Prophet is not bound to floow the consultation of the people or to follow the dictates of the people, instead the fourth step says 'once you are resolved' so the decision is all upto the Prophet. And then comes tawakkul and trust in Allah. Since Allah loves those who trust in Him, therefore, He will assist those who follow this course.

We can see that the previous ayaat are talking to the people, ayat 159 talks to the Prophet and the following ayat (160) goes back to the people and says

إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللّهُ فَلاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكِّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ {160}
If Allah assists you, then there is none that can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there then that can assist you after Him? And on Allah should the believers rely.


Tafseer from Al-Mizaan, Allama Tabatabai

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