Paths to Peace #08

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Bismillah he will handle the level Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah ala alihi wa sahbihi edge marine Salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh who

I'm sorry about that terrible sound, that's my voice. So inshallah hopefully you can tolerate it

today we're going to continue on of course with our series paths to peace where we are exploring the concept and the ideas of in the mention also of Salam. Peace tranquility from Amina serenity Sakina within the Quran. Today we're going to touch on Iron surah number 16. So tonight, I am number 112.

In this idea, Allah subhanaw taala gives us an example, a parable.

Allah says Wodaabe Allahu methylene. And Allah presents to you an example. Allah presents an example.

An example of what Korean Allah gives you the example of a town, a city

galette Amina Chan, Moto my inner turn. The city used to be a place that was secure, it was safe. And number two, this city enjoyed a sense of contentment. Satisfaction.

There was a certain fulfillment, happiness, Serenity for the people who lived in this town.

Yeah, do you have this kohara cudham in Colima can.

The sustenance of this town used to come very, very abundantly, from all different places, from all different kinds of places, people would bring different kinds of sustenance supplies to this town. So this town enjoyed safety, security, it was not under attack, there was not a threat of an enemy. It also had a very good culture, lifestyle, quality of life, so that the people really felt content and satisfied living there in that town. And number three, is that there was no concern about where the next meal was going to come from. There was a sense of food security there. And Allah had provided abundant, generous provisions to the people of that town, it would come from all different

places. There's actually a very fascinating statement

that some of the Hakama and Yurok, Allah the Islamic philosophers, they would say that Atha tone, lays Hallahan the higher tone,

there are three things that one can never have enough of.

There are three things that one can never have enough of a

safety, security, a Suha good health, well being will key fire and a sense of economic or financial security, where you're not worried about where food is going to come from. So Allah is telling us in this parable in this ayah I number 112, of Sudha 16 There was this town that enjoyed all three of these things.

But then what happened *a Farah,

for kufferath Be anomala.

But then this town, and this town is being personified because either it's talking about all the inhabitants of the town, or even a majority of the inhabitants of the town. But it's personifying the whole city, the whole town. This town, then committed

the most egregious act,

the most severe crime

and that was the act. That was the crime of ingratitude

in gratitude for coverage on your army law.

There's a nuance here that all the scholars of the field they point out, I'd like to point it out but it's going on

little bit into the weeds. It's kind of technical, but I'll try to simplify stay with me.

In the Arabic language, a blessing is called namah

namah the Allah is a blessing.

The word blessing mama has two different plurals.

It has two different plurals. There is no,

that is a plural and unknown. That's another plural. So the same word has two separate plurals. Unlike the English language that we're used to, typically, the most common form is you got to you have a word, you add an S to the end and it becomes a plural, in the Arabic language is not so simple. There's a kind of a plural that's like that, Jamal Salim. But D actually probably was more frequent in the language is that you have a singular word. And then that singular words form is changed, altered, that word is bent, twisted, folded over, and then that's the plural form. So

this word has not one but two kinds of plurals, two separate plurals.

Now, one would think maybe it's a potato, potato, tomato, tomato.

Right, now means blessing. Near and under.

Both of them mean blessings, blessings, same to same, right. But way too many people laughed at that. But so

but it's just the same thing, no difference, or there is a difference. And in the Arabic language, typically, the rule is that there is a significant there is a difference. One throw has a slightly different

feel, has a slightly different flavor than the other plural. And over here, the distinction is unknown. That throw the one in this verse is called Gemma Oh Killa.

It's the smaller plural.

Because in the Arabic language, three or more is plural. Three or more is plural. So they say that from three to 10, three to nine, is college of Oracle. It's a small plural. It's, you know, you can count on two hands, as we say.

And then anything 10 Or beyond is called Jenga or kathira. It's a big plural. You need more than your two hands to count it.

The word in this verse now to bring it back if I haven't lost everybody yet, to bring it back, the word in this versus the small plural. Allah says that this town, this village, this city, these people, they committed the worst crime. What was the crime? They were ungrateful. What were the ungrateful about be anomala. They were not ungrateful about they were not like excessively ungrateful. They were minimally ungrateful.

They were ungrateful, just about a handful of things. They didn't appreciate only a handful of Allah's blessings.

But that was enough.

And this is contrary to the message that we typically hear in Ramadan.

This is contrary to this is contrary to the message that you typically hear from this pulpit. We talk about the Mercy of Allah, the forgiveness of Allah, second chances, third chances, eighth chances.

But this versus saying,

Allah gave them

like we talked about the blessings of safety, security, health, well being economic, financial safety, security, prosperity, we gave them the world. We gave them everything.

All they had to do, they didn't have to be perfect. They didn't have to pray all the time. They didn't have to give half their wealth away and charity, none of that. They just had to do one thing. You had to say You had one job.

They had one job.

And that was be grateful.

Be grateful. We're not perfect creatures. By no stretch.

We're not even always good.

We're about half the time.

But the one thing that Allah wants that Allah demands is that we be grateful.

Just be grateful. And that's what they did for kavaratti anomala. They were ungrateful for just a handful of the blessings of Allah.

And what happened?

It washed it all away.

For other Kahala holy basil jewel

He will have

Allah afflicted them.

Allah afflicted them and Allah uses a very severe word, Allah make them taste the garment, the covering the cloak, of starvation and fear,

starvation and fear.

And Allah doesn't say that Allah just put that on them, he made them feel it, he made them where it

because starvation and fear are the kind of things that can destroy a person from the inside out. It hollows a person out, it eats at the soul of a person, starvation and fear. That's why there's that statement that expression that some have said, is a Hadith but there's discussion about its authenticity. But nonetheless, it is a statement of the early generations. God Alpha crew and you're gonna COFRA

poverty can become disbelief. Poverty can lead a person to disbelief.

And so here Allah is saying, Allah afflicted them, Allah punish them

by rat by draping them, covering them in starvation and fear. May Allah protect us all? But Allah says be Macondo? Yes, no, and Allah didn't do this to them in the sense of like, don't blame Allah.

This was a direct result of what they chose to do. And it wasn't that Allah created them and starvation and fear and then said, find a way to be grateful, find a way to be thankful. And then when they weren't able to do it, then it's like, okay, well, you failed. No, no, Allah created them in peace, tranquility, serenity, stability, ease, comfort, satisfaction, fulfillment.

And all he said was, be grateful.

And when they weren't able to do that,

than they were ruined. And so the lesson from this particular idea that mentions this concept of Bernina,

contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction.

The lesson here is that the way to achieve it

is to become grateful to Allah,

to gain to develop an attitude of gratitude, and the way to maintain the peace to tranquility, the serenity, the fulfillment that you have, that you enjoy, is to always remain grateful to Allah. We won't be perfect all the time. We will definitely have good days and bad days. Delicate Yamanaka will have in us that is our nature. We have good days and bad days. But the one thing we can always do is remain grateful to Allah. May Allah subhanaw taala. Grant us all the ability to practice everything we said or heard. May Allah always keep us grateful to him. May Allah protect us from the disease of ingratitude. Subhan Allah who will be handy he Subhana Colombia Huntik Nasha to Allah

ilaha illa Anta, the Southfield governor to relate