Mohammed Mana – Humanizing The Prophets vs Respecting Them

			Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome. Is that how you start every time? Yes, gentlemen,
boys and girls. Yeah. Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to another episode of tagalong. I'm
your host, Bill Nelson. And I'm here with Muhammad medic.
		

			I set out a lot. This episode is about once upon the now Yeah, the epic of Moses. Yeah. And in this
in this video, one of the things that I want to talk about or you said that you mentioned was
really, really important, okay. is the fact of It's okay. And even more, so. It's important, okay.
to humanize the profits. Hmm. Right. And, and I remember you mentioned, maybe you can tell the
audience Yeah. That somebody got uncomfortable. Yeah, I remember the first time I taught this
course, one brother, and he was very respectful. I really, really appreciated the fact that he came
up and voiced this. Yeah. Which kind of makes you think maybe somebody else was thinking this and
		

			they didn't come and share it. So sharing feedback is very important.
		

			And helpful. But I remember one brother who kind of was was uncomfortable when we were talking about
the aspect of Moosa
		

			having fear, okay.
		

			Having fear feeling fear, yeah. Being afraid. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
		

			And that was something that he was kind of uncomfortable with, and I can see why. And I could see
potentially a lot of people feeling the same way because we're talking about a messenger prophet.
someone very special, someone that's receiving revelation from Allah. Yeah. Not just any messenger,
one of the five greedy messengers of the messengers. What's the term that they have for the, like,
Is there an actual thing? Because I've always heard it as what like, oh, you're talking about nasm?
Yeah, only laws and that's the
		

			only group of messengers of determination of strength. Okay, so what what, how does that what does
that translate to?
		

			Those of determination, determination, as a means to move forward with strength and determination
and decisiveness? Yeah. Okay, cool. Now, does this mean that other messengers who don't get that
category we're not those a strength? No, it's, it's, you know, a loss as an upholder and that that
we some messengers are preferred over others are chosen over others, okay? And the fact that some
messengers are given that preference does not in any way take away from the value of the other
messengers, okay? It's not taking away but it's simply making them yeah, they're standing out. Well,
Allah gives us a principle in the Quran he says, well of buka Julio Amaya shortly after, okay.
		

			Allah says that he is the one who creates Okay, and he gets to choose and prefer from within his
creation. Okay, you know, and and that's
		

			kind of like how a lot preferred the day of Friday out of the days of the week, okay. And the month
of Ramadan out of the months of the year I got you out of out of days of the year so later to the
night of the other night I got Okay, so it's not like other days suck. No, but these days just are
there is something special or unique about this particular day or place or time, you know, where it
needs to be highlighted. Got it. Okay. So going back to the the topic of this individual feeling
uncomfortable about Mussa feeling fear. Yeah. Now what? I don't understand it. Yeah, because of me
growing up, it was just like,
		

			I mean, maybe this was my parents, like, they kind of humanized. Yeah, the Prophet Muhammad says
that, um, and some are liars and what, whatever else, and by I guess, maybe even in the language of
it, there was still a level of respect for it. Yeah, that's definitely that, that saying? So and I
feel that's the line that gets blurred for some people, okay, is they feel when we talk about these
emotions and these human elements of these messengers, that we're kind of crossing the line and
stepping into the place of disrespect, okay. And how, like, give me an example of how would somebody
maybe inadvertently disrespect a figure like a prophet? A mockery? Okay, joke, okay. Um, you know,
		

			making fun of one aspect of their character or if their description, for example, but that, but that
doesn't seem like inadvertently, that seems more deliberately deliberate. Yeah. But like, but but
the idea is indirect. Yeah. Direct disrespect. And is this what maybe that gentleman might have been
feeling? Is that perhaps Okay, perhaps, okay. Yeah. So, but how do you distinguish between the idea
of Okay, let's not disrespect them. But let's really understand the human nature of who these people
are? Well, first of all, understanding the human nature of the messengers isn't disrespect, because
Allah explicitly told us in the poem that they are human beings, okay? He told us, and actually a
		

			lot, gives us a very logical explanation for why the messengers are human beings, okay? Because
oftentimes one of the
		

			challenges or I would say arguments, you know, arrogant arguments that some of the disbelievers
would say to their messengers. Where Why don't you Why haven't you come with a group of angels?
Okay? Why aren't you bringing down angels from the sky? What is lighting the gods and angels down?
Why? Why, you know, that was something people criticize the messengers for and a lot tells us
insulted and am, whatever and now who know Jenna who Milliken ledger Allahu La Jolla, whatever it
may be soon, Allah said, even if we were to have sent down an angel, you know, he would have had to
come in the finger of a human of a human being for you to be able to, because we don't see angels,
		

			right. Even if they do show themselves even, like we know from the life of the Prophet Muhammad had
said that when he saw angels debris, yeah, right. kind of freaked out. It's it's overwhelming. Yeah,
it's overwhelming. But the idea is messengers were teachers. Yeah. role models. Yeah. You can't take
someone that's not like you as a role model. You have to have something in common. Right. Yeah, the
role model. You know, it's interesting, you mentioned that. This is one of the reasons why there's
been far more people have likened to the sport of UFC and MMA, more so than sports like NFL and NBA,
because they see that the people who participate at least in the earlier forms of you know, MMA
		

			tournaments are terrible and televised. These are like your accountants, your lawyers, your
engineers, your teachers, average or average Joe. Yeah, your average Joe, who lives a regular life,
but he's also competing in a martial arts tournament. And so people who wouldn't watch sports would
get into, like UFC or MMA, whereas on the other hand, like, they don't see themselves being like,
Oh, I can't get into the NFL. Yeah, right. I can't get the NBA. Oh, but I can become a professional
fighter. Right? And even that, like that lifetime, like the career of NBA is not is significantly
longer than a career of a martial arts fighter. Right. So I think it goes into the same principle
		

			that because there's a human element to it, that you're able to relate. Yeah. What were the
messengers? Yes, they were humans, and a lot tells us you know, and a lot tells us they, they eat
food and they walk in the marketplace. Yeah. And they're human beings. Yeah. But, but they were
definitely above average, okay. They definitely had skills and qualities and attributes that made
them worthy and able to carry that heavy message and deliver it. Because the job of a messenger is
no easy job. Of course, it's not that they have to challenge the status quo intense and and hate
just bearing that that responsibility and just just carrying that the weight of that revelation,
		

			physically and metaphorically is very intense. So they were definitely above average people. And
then on top of that, a law gives them special training, special television special, they are taught.
So what was an example of a special therapy for musasa one of the most beautiful stories in the epic
of Moses is his experience with Hollywood a lot tells that story and sort of craft. I've heard
people say that Yeah, you're saying harder. Yeah, what's the deal? pet peeve. His name is hold it
with a with a photo on the clock. So hold it, and that's how it's in the Quran. No, his name is not
mentioned in the Quran. So how do we know if others have authentic narrations? So Hadees that sort
		

			of explains Yeah, do Arabs even say that? Oh, yeah. Okay, do you know why that is? Or is this No, I
don't know exactly why but you can make a fair guess that languages manipulate names and words all
the time. Okay. Arabic is not immune to that it has dialects and it has variations and it has
		

			linguistic pollutants. Okay, well, can I just point out I don't know if
		

			you know where linguistic mutations you can be sure but I think of mutation I just think of
something growing out of something
		

			you don't think superpowers bro Come on. Now. He needs to meet Ninja Turtles x men and a half show
what he's talking about. I have no hold it Yeah, so we were talking about that. So that's it that's
an experience of Moosa you know, going on a journey to seek knowledge to learn
		

			and and he never considered himself above that. It's interesting because he wanted that experience
he asked hold it Yeah, let me be with you so I can learn from you hold it I was like no you can't
handle this he plead with is a no please. I will be patient. Okay, you know, it wasn't like you
know, hey, God sent me to like hang out with you and I really don't need this but he's like no on
the job training I know I got to do it wasn't like that at all. It was an even the dialogue between
Musa and Khalid Yeah, you really feel the emotion and the sincerity feels like a mentor protege
relationship. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. It's it's mentorship. It's it's, it's a presence of another
		

			person. The Prophet is the protege of a of a
		

			Yeah, which is amazing because look, the scholars differ whether Khalid was a messenger or not.
Okay. And there's there's difference of opinion. And it's not a big deal. Okay. It's it's a very,
but when we say profit and like there's a distinction between a student and not be right, yeah. But
that's out of the scope of this. That's out of scope. Yeah. No, but but but in general, right. And
that'd be is somebody who has a scripture versus a prophet or verses are also the other way around
the other way around. That's one opinion, the difference between an abbey and Massoud Prophet and
Messenger, if you want to translate it as that, yeah. Is there a difference to begin with? Okay. Oh,
		

			that's a question because some scholars said, Oh, no, there's no difference use the two words
interchangeably. So there would be but that's a minority opinion. Okay. Yeah. But the but the real
difference is the fact. So what is the difference between one having a scripture one not having a
script? That's one opinion. Oh, that's one opinion. The other soon a messenger receives scripture.
Okay. And a Navy does not okay. Yeah. So whereas in this case, the distinction could be if we that's
one opinion, again, one of many other opinions. Okay. And they each have their own set of proofs.
And there's debate between the scholars over so it's more or less an academic discussion. It's
		

			definitely not. I think, suffice to say that the majority of scholars, and there's a lot of proof to
say that there is a distinction between Okay, a prophet and messenger. But let's say, so that, going
back to what we're talking about, hold it. Yeah. Because we were talking about the teacher, student,
mentor, mentee sort of dynamic. Yeah. And what's amazing is, Allah sent Moosa to go search for
called, yeah, he, he had to go to him, so he didn't know where he was. He was told of a location,
okay. He said, when you get to that location, you will find such and such person and even the
process of that journey. A couple of interesting things happen. And we go over that in you know, we
		

			go over those verses. But what's amazing is
		

			regardless of the fact of the that scholars debate, whether hold it is a profit or not, right? Let's
just say he is Yeah, for the sake of discussion, let's take the opinion of the scholars that say he
is even those scholars that say he is a Navy, yeah, he is a messenger or he's a prophet.
		

			There is no debate amongst the scholars that Moosa is better than, okay. He's more virtuous, he is
more virtuous than COVID. Okay, you know, just just bring it to a whole side thing. So he meets her
after Exodus. Yes, it exists. So he essentially leaves Bani Israel wandering in the desert and goes
looking for well, wandering or perhaps they were stationed at a particular time and place but
they're essentially a nomadic tribe now, right nomadic people to an extent, okay, at some period of
time, at some period of time. Okay. But But he would he would leave his brother held on Okay, who is
who is a prophet who isn't it'd be okay. It would leave him kind of like responsible, kind of, like
		

			Rihanna said and Luther icera. Like, they're both they're related, right? There was there is there's
a relationship between the two. Okay. But same thing, so how do I say we're present at similar
times?
		

			So how do we like, like, how one was told about a lot? Hey, your messenger to like, yeah, so again,
we're getting back into the distinction between the two. Let's, how about I just share with you one
of the opinions that I feel very comfortable with that many of my teachers adopt this particular
opinion? Which is that a, a nebby? A prophet does not have his own new Sharia, okay, a new set of
laws.
		

			You know, he will either follow the Sharia, the law and the and the legal aspect of religion of the
messenger that is present at the same time as him or the one that preceded him. Okay, so how do one
his family is a messenger, he's a prophet, he's a nebby. Yeah, we can use the Arabic term. Yeah,
he's a nebby. At the same time when Musa is present and OSA is eight although soon, God, okay. So
how one does not have his own shediac he doesn't have his own
		

			legal aspect to the religion he follows the Sharia of Moosa. Okay. Makes sense. Yeah. So going back
to the original topic about the issue of humanization. Yeah, and,
		

			and the importance of now, we know that it's not disrespectful, because last month that explains
that one, they're human beings. And he himself is explaining that they felt these emotions. Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. Love does not shy away from from seeing clearly.
		

			You know, mentioning in multiple instances actually. And Moosa himself says it in many in many
occasions, he is speaking to a lion. He says in a huff, I'm afraid I am afraid okay. Was there was
there was concerned there was some, some anxiety there now is there is there's a lesson for us to
write because the prophets feeling
		

			These emotions, we feel these emotions we feel fear. Yeah, we feel embarrassment. We feel anger.
Yes. So but anger is also something mentioned in the story of Muslim, right? I mean, Allah says it
explicitly. And the thought that comes to mind is when he comes back, he sees them worshiping the
calf and he was very Allah says, you know, a whole bunch of sci fi, he was upset, okay, he was
angry. So yeah, and Helen says, Don't grab me by my beard or by my hair by my head, you know, which
means I wouldn't say I was gonna grab him. Yeah, you know, his interest is just like, there's like a
sibling factor that what what's amazing is in insulted Allah. Allah says, well, oh, that'd be a lot
		

			to see it here. Joe Who? La Okay, he didn't he grabbed his brother, I said, and he's pulling him
towards him. Okay, he was upset. Okay, what he saw his people doing and how long is older? How old
is older than most? That's that's an interesting dynamic to his it's like he's grabbing his older
brother. Yeah. out of anger and frustration. Yeah, for that. But there's a lesson in it for us too.
big lesson. Any lessons? Yeah. And how and that's why we discuss these things. That's why Allah
mentions it. Okay. A lot does not mention anything for just entertainment value, or for because, you
know, a lot of times we read stories, yeah. And there's something in the story, just because it just
		

			makes the story, a nicer story to listen to it. That's not how the story is in the Quran. Well, I
mean, generally, I mean, good stories, the best stories written by human beings detail are in it, to
give either the story or the character more depth, or to move the story along. But they're not
necessarily there to drive lesson. Right? They're there to entertain. Yeah, everything that Allah
mentions in this story, and an older story is not put on our, but to derive a profound lesson, okay.
And then talking about these emotions, and when a lot of firms that Moosa felt these emotions is a
very important because we feel those emotions too. You know, it's interesting for amongst us never
		

			gets afraid or never gets angry. there's a there's a thing where they said that a lot of times
people, this is from like, from a filmmaking perspective, and, you know, Hollywood, you know, all of
us are consumers of these kind of things. They said that, you know, you watch movies
		

			that, I don't know, so one of the things was that, they said, if you ever want to learn filmmaking,
you want to learn storytelling, the key thing that you should be able to identify are what are the
emotional mechanics that go into a particular scene that goes into a paragraph, okay, it goes into
whatever page is written. And, and I'm, it's, I'm thinking about this as, like, the fact that a lot
smarter is communicating to us. Like, these are the emotions that are here.
		

			It serves so many different purposes. It helps us connect with the individual. Yeah, it helps us
		

			connect to relate there's rapport on an emotional level. But on top of that, it shows us what to do.
Yeah. And what not to do. And yeah, and what not to do well, because if anyone that Allah is giving,
showcasing, is making a mistake last month is also correcting them. Right? So or no, because the
example that comes to my mind is when rasulillah salam, and Allah Allah, like he was trying to give
that one a blind man came. Yeah. And and it comes down to that. Yes. And he tried us out. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. So there's definitely a lot provides clarification to understand that there was a there was a
better way of handling the situation. Cool. Yeah. So if we are exploring, and we're reading the
		

			Quran, yeah. Right. And we recognize there's a particular emotion in this in this passage, you know,
I want to take a step back even before that, okay, when we're reading
		

			the stories in the Quran, and we're reading these verses, and we be aware of how we're feeling we
should okay, but what I'm saying is, is that even something that we think about, we don't like when
I'm sitting down, I'm reading the story of use of Yeah, and I come to a particular section in the
story. Yeah. Do I pause and think to myself, I wonder what he must have been feeling Hmm. Or do we
just run along to the next, you know, the idea that that's, that's a there's a void there. I mean,
that's attentive reading and I don't think many of us do that much. There's a problem. Yeah, this is
the Koran and and maybe and maybe this is our takeaway, right? That's our takeaway like, because I
		

			would imagine like anybody read Harry Potter, right, you finished a chapter serving time and a
certain character dies. You literally feel down yeah, you feel down you pause you reflect like, oh,
man, I can't believe that happened. Right. Yeah. But I think what's going on because many times
we're not even paying attention to what's happening we're just now we're trying to first of all, we
don't read it enough to begin with. Yeah, that's true. We need to read one more in all the different
types of readings Yeah, the the reading for re citation the reading for review the reading for
reading, uh,
		

			large quantity like in Ramadan, for example, where quantity is emphasized, but also the reading for
reflection, reflection, you know, the reading for seeking guidance for me in my life now and the
thing is to read something to read the Quran for guidance isn't something that you need to be a, a
foster off? No, it's like something that almost anyone can do. Yeah, I mean, so look at the deals
with different topics and different subjects. You know, there are there are sections of the Quran
that deal with legal issues. Yeah, there are sections of Quran that deal with theological issues,
social issues. And then there are the stories where there are historical, you know, events that are
		

			described. Yes. And again, they're there for a purpose and for a moral and a lesson. And you don't
need to be a major scholar to sit down and, and that's why, you know, the story of Musa Yeah, even
though it's, it's, it's in and of itself, it's worthy of being studied. But really what I try to
tell the students is take it as a case study. Okay, over the course of this weekend. Yeah. And
		

			in that case, you can see a lot of case studies happening. Yeah. Okay. Multiple. Yeah, but but the
ultimate idea is, I can read the stories in the hold on, let me This is a place where I can start
from, okay, yeah. Because you're, the more you read and reflect, yeah, through the verse of the
Quran, you you strengthen and build that muscle, okay, that muscle to reflect, and you it'll push
you to go and research. I mean, it almost sounds like a skill. It's a skill that you need to do
this. And just like anything else, you will come across parts that you may not understand fully, or
you have a question mark about, you'll want to go find the answer. And in the process of searching
		

			for those answers, you're going to learn a lot, and your knowledge will increase, you'll understand.
You'll get acquainted with how the urn is structured, how Allah
		

			says what he says. I think that's a big part of this course. And a big part of,
		

			of what we need to appreciate is not not only the story itself, the story itself is is is amazing.
Yeah, but how the story is told, gotcha. Now, if there was a single takeaway for any of our
listeners, or watchers, yeah, what would you advise them to do? Man, we hit so many things here. But
I think if you focus on what I think what we wanted to focus on, is a voice actor, right? Yeah.
These these messengers are human beings. Yeah. They were human beings. They felt many of those same
emotions that we feel as well. Yeah. A lot mentions that. Yeah, they said it of themselves. Moosa
said himself,
		

			you know, that he's feeling afraid. So I guess what we try to study is we tried to learn from Moosa
how to have these emotions, but still be able to function, okay, and still be able to achieve your
objectives, to be able to deal with people. So it's not so much that it's not a bad thing to feel
angry, feel afraid, feel, whatever. It's how you respond to that. What do we do with that? Well,
that energy with that feeling, gotcha. Which way do we channel it? Also? Why are we are we feeling
that way? Yeah. Let's look at the places when Moosa got angry, why did he get angry? Was it trivial?
Many of us get angry over trivial things, right?
		

			What are the things that caused him fear and anxiety? Makes sense? You know, so we can understand
when when is it appropriate for us to, to exhibit these emotions and to, and how should we deal with
them? How should we channel them? The fact that Moosa says of himself that he is feeling this way?
Yeah, he's, he's aware of himself. So there is that element of self awareness, and he's not in
denial. Okay. And I think that's, that's something that many of us only struggle with the reality of
what we're feeling he's not in denial, he's not ashamed. And what's beautiful is how he talks to
Allah. Yeah. And he said, I mean, we go through these different phases in these different feelings,
		

			how often do we stop and place ourselves in a very intimate place with our Creator, and tell a lot
how I'm feeling?
		

			I mean, maybe we don't do that often enough. No, we don't. But I think that would transform our
relationship with our Creator if we did reach out. So whatever, whenever you feel something, be
aware of it, and then express your fear to Allah, because he's the only one who can actually
continue to, I guess, give that energy to use it or to give the guidance give the inspiration give
the Delphic to use in the appropriate way.
		

			Right. Amen. staatlichen Guest already comes to them.