Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera – The Arrogance of the Man the Two Gardens (Surat al Kahf)
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AI: Transcript ©
Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi wa Salatu was Salam
ala so you will know Serena Wilder early, he was Safi odaka was
seldom at the Sleeman, Kofi Iran. In Iommi, Deen, another ad, so
nice to be in your midst, the brothers and the sisters. Although
we're going to look at just one story today, we just have enough
time for one story. Sort of gaff is a Surah of stories. It has at
least five stories in there, out of which three are extremely
prominent. And there's the other two stories. They're not always
given as much prominence but three are very, very prominent stories.
You have the story of the people of the cave by which the surah is
known. So little gaff, as hobbled gaff, that's one story. Then you
have the story of the people of the gardens, the two the two
brothers, two partners, whatever they were, as we'll be discussing,
so that's the second story. And the third story is that of Musa
and that righteous man most likely literally Salaam.
The fourth story is little codename, the one who ruled the
entire world. And the fifth story, if you want to add that in is
Amari Salaam and his encounter with the shaytaan. So that's five
stories, though four are probably a bit more prominent, and three
are very prominent.
So to calf is a very, very important surah. It's one of those
that stand out because it's something that we have been
encouraged to recite every week. It's a murky surah. So you can
tell it's an earlier Surah it deals with some very core issues
of belief, of perspective of narrative of worldview, that's
where he deals with, it doesn't deal as much with specific
commands and specific rulings. In terms of jurisprudence, he
actually deals with perspective meta issues, that's why it's very
important to get this right. It's such an important surah.
It has it is the 18th Surah of the Quran 110 verses in all. And
it kind of occurs right in the middle of the Quran,
where as well yet a lot of come, which will resign.
So it will gap right. So a bang, it's bang in the middle of the
Quran. Well, yet a lot of now most of you will know that certain calf
should be recited every week, you must have heard about that. And
some of you may also know that it's supposed to be a protector
against the jewel when he eventually comes out. So now the
question is that why is it a protector against the jewel the
Antichrist? Is it because it's just a magical surah. And when you
read that it's like a spell and thus you will be protected,
there'll be a halo around you. And the journal will not be able to do
anything to you? Or is it a bit more than that? I think most of us
most people that read it every week that really without meaning
that just read it Alhamdulillah they're still benefiting, there's
still a baraka and blessing. I think that's kind of what they
might think that somehow magically, this surah is just
going to help you and it will help you. But really what I think the
reason why it's so significant. And why a person should read it
once a week is because of the message that it contains. It is so
powerful the message that it contains so powerful, it actually
goes from major issues down to the smaller issues, it talks about
some of the most important aspects that humans need to be able to
have the right understanding of how to proceed in this world. How
to get something out of this world, how to be successful in
this world, how to get something out of the hereafter. So for
example, if you look at the main story, which is sort of a gaffe,
that is all about faith, it's all about preservation of faith. It's
all about steadfastness in faith, it is all about challenges to your
faith. It is all about how a person despite the opposition,
despite the pressure, despite the challenges is fine, whatever it
may be, how people are, how people should adhere to their faith, and
then how Allah subhanaw taala actually rewards you for doing
that. He wants to see your effort, and then suddenly, he will help
you. And that's why it's a miraculous story in the sense that
these people are put to sleep for about 300 plus years. And then
they wake up. It's not something that happens every day. But it's a
it's an amazing story that tells you about the steadfastness of
faith and challenges to faith. Then you've got the story of the
people of the garden, which I'll be discussing. Then you've got the
story of Musa and Hubbard. And I think the main theme in that story
is that of knowledge. It's about seeking knowledge, never to think
that you have sufficient knowledge, never to think that you
know it all. Never to think that I know enough. And my worldview is
now sufficient. There's always more to learn. And believe me
there is always more to learn. There is so much that we don't
know compared to what we actually do know, even if you think we know
a lot and even if others think we know a lot. That's the biggest
cause of deception when you are the guy and I don't like the word
Isaac by the way. So
Please forgive me. I just don't like that word. It just sounds
awful. Right? I'll go on record to say that, right in America, they
call them MSS Muslim student associations. And I think that
just sounds a bit more cooler than Isaac, Isaac, Isaac, what does
that mean? I suck somebody, right? Isaac somebody like what does that
mean? Or is it trained? And I'm sure it preceded the iPhone,
right? Because I'm sure Isaac came out a long time ago. So I'm sure
it's not about trying to get the cool factor of iPhone and iPad and
it started the other. But still, Isaac just doesn't sound right.
Sorry about that. It doesn't I mean, it's not personal to you
guys. I mean, I was in I was part of Isaac's before you guys have
got into a XOXO. You know, don't worry about it.
So
the last story is about Volker name. Right. The last part is
about Volker nine, which is this individual mashallah, who ruled
the entire world? And there are some challenges he faced and some
say that the main theme of history is a class insincerity. Let's get
into our main story. What's very interesting about this surah with
110 verses approximately, is that the 50th verse gives a very
important message.
What is that verse? Of that ducky Luna? Who were who reata? Who Alia
I mean, Dooney
wahome la Komodo bit surly voddie me in a bad Allah? Are you then
going to take him and his progeny to be your close friends and
associates? That means talking about the shaytaan? Are you going
to take him and his progeny
to be friends besides me? Allah is saying to my exclusion, you're
going to take him as your friends, whereas he is your enemy, locum I
do he is your enemy. bit silly authority mean, Abdullah, if you
do that, then what a bad what a bad reward or compensation they
will be for those who oppress, it's up to you. But that's what's
gonna that's bang in the middle of that surah. It's very
strategically located. We're not here to speak about sort of the
calf in general. But in order to appreciate where the story is to
off today, the story that we're going to look at today, where it
occurs, it's important to understand the grand scheme of
things of where it occurs. And that's why I mentioned a little
Gaff.
Now, let's start with the surah. This surah sorry, not the surah.
But these this particular story, which is about the people, the two
partners that had that, or rather, the one individual who owned the
two gardens, that's really what it is. There are two partners, one of
them ends up owning this huge estate, with gardens and
everything within it. One of the best farms and orchards and living
arrangements that you could ever have, for a middle, a middle to
upper class person, it's quite an amazing kind of setup. That's what
this story is about. So while Surah Tolka have what was the
theme of skeletal gaff, this is how we'll call him the people of
the car, what was the main theme?
Right, it was about faith and meta issues. This one is more common
pseudo character in the story there may happen once in
centuries, right may happen once in centuries. But this particular
story is so at home for us, especially for many of us who come
from backgrounds and who expect to be people of this particular
class. And this is talking about the middle to higher class,
obviously, in the in the interaction of this class with a
lower class of people, if you want to put people into class is,
right. That's what this is all about. I'll give you the
background of the surah. You've already heard the verses the
translation is up there. But I'll just give you a bit of a
background as to where this is all coming from. This is from from
verse 33. Sorry, verse 32, to verse 44, of the surah. That's the
span, the story spans those verses, there's a lot of
difference of opinions to exactly who it's referring to. I'm going
to go through a bit of that, just to give you a backdrop. But you
don't need to get bogged down in the detail of that. It's just nice
to be enlightened about where this could have come from. And some of
the reasons for why this verse may have come down. But to be honest,
the message in there is more perennial, the message in the is
timeless. And it can apply, as I said, as opposed to us herbal
cough, which is a miracle that happens once in a while once in a
very long time, which you will never hardly ever probably
experienced again, I would think maybe, but this is something very
at home. And it's something that can help us by just pondering over
these sores over these verses very important. Number one. One opinion
is that this is actually about two brothers, both from the so called
Zuni tribe, right? And one of them happens to be about sedima, the
husband of almost Santa Maria, the Omaha you know one of the wives of
the Prophet sallallahu Sallam that married the peroxyl awesome after
her husband died, so her husband that had passed away, he and his
brother when he accepted Islam, his brother did not accept Islam,
and each one of them
had inherited from their father had inherited from their father
4000 dinars each 4000 gold pieces each, which is a huge amount of
money. Today 20 dinars. 20 dinars is worth about 2000 pounds. 20
dinars is worth 2000 pounds. So who's doing maths here?
Gone. So each one got 4000 dinars. And if 20 Our 2000 pounds how many
dinars would 4000 Then how many pounds would 4000 dinars be worth
800,000 pounds? It's not bad. It's a decent amount of money, you
could buy a house in London for that. Right? You could buy a
decent house in London for that, Mashallah. Another story is that
these were not brothers. But these were actually two partners. And
they went their different ways. One spent their money in a
particular way the other one spent there. I don't want to bog you
down with too much of that detail. Let's look at a more detailed
story that this is actually people from some earlier generations that
the Quran is speaking about. It is not necessarily from the Arabs of
that time. They're speaking about maybe people from earlier
generations. Once the name was Tom Lee has the author's name was
cartouche. Now, what happened is they both were partners, maybe in
some business or some land or something like they started off as
being partners. Then they decided to dissolve their business, their
partnership, and whatever the proceeds were.
They each received 3000 dinars each 3000 dinars each. So that's a
bit lower than the amount you said it was probably going to be about
five 600,000. Right, not not a bad investment. I mean, the apprentice
guys, they're looking for 250,000. So it's double that. So that's not
bad, right? You get five and you get that much. The believer among
them. One was a believer.
They say one was a believer, the other one, it's a bit silent. In
some opinions, it says that he was a disbeliever. In others, it says
that he was a believer, but a bit off track. So you've got both of
these opinions. But I my understanding from the verses
themselves is that they were both believers. But you will see why I
mentioned that later. So what happens is the first one, he takes
his 3000 gold pieces, and he goes and purchases for 1000 for 1/3 of
his wealth, he goes and purchases, slaves, and he goes and freeze
them. So that's a very good act to go and buy slaves and free these
people, make them free, that in Islam is considered to be
extremely, extremely beneficial and praiseworthy. So he goes and
does that. Then with another 1000. He goes and purchases a lot of
clothing. And he goes, and he clothes, a number of poor people
who don't have enough clothes. And you see the pictures of the
Rohingya. A lot of the children, they're just naked, they hardly
have anything they have maybe shorts on or some trousers on,
they got nothing, right. And some of the babies have absolutely
nothing. Right. So he goes on he,
he puts clothing on them. So that's his second 1000 with the
third 1000. He goes and buys huge amount of food, and he goes and
feeds the people. So this is some of the main things feeding
clothing and freeing some of the best things that you can do. And
that's what he does with his money.
Then what happens is he also with some of the other money, some of
the money in between he builds a few massages, a few Masjid sun
sign does a number of other good deeds. The other guy though he's
business minded, right? This guy is also business minded, but his
business mind is spiritually business minded. So he's all all
of his trade is about the other abode that he's going to move to
eventually, the other guy focused on this about the immediate one,
he wanted to see his investments come to light straightaway. He
didn't want to wait for them in that second abode.
Maybe because the second one didn't, though he may have
believed but it wasn't too strong. That belief isn't too strong. I'll
deal with it. When I get there. As many of us think it will get
there. When we get there. We'll deal with it. We do believe in it,
but we'll do it. And we'll deal with it. Hopefully, it'll be great
if it's been wonderful in this world would be wonderful there as
well kind of thing. The other guy, no, it was so important that that
is the house that he that is the abode that he wanted to really fix
for himself. So what this person does, the second one is he goes
on, marries some really wonderfully wealthy women.
So he adds to his wealth straightaway, he's got a lot of
wealth. He gets married to wealthy people. And I mean, a lot of
people like to do that right nowadays. You're not going to get
wealthy people trying to get their daughters or son married to non
wealthy people they want to be they have to match and they'll
wait for a long time before that happens. They'll even do it at the
expense of getting old. Right? And they'll they won't let the
daughters and daughters are coming and crying to Obama saying look,
you know, I want to get married to this guy's a religious guy, but my
father wasn't there because you know, he doesn't have this. He
doesn't have that. He doesn't have the same degree as me. He didn't
go to UCL he didn't go to Imperial. He went to I don't know,
where did he go?
Yeah, even
to Cambridge, man, he didn't do enough. He went to Oxford like,
yeah, big deal, right? It needs to come to these places. So number
one, he got married to wealthy women. So that adds to his wealth.
Now that's really shrewd thinking, isn't it? That's really shrewd
thinking, right? prenuptial contracts. I don't think he made
one of those. But he definitely knew what he was doing in terms of
that. Then he bought a number of animals, he bought a number of
conveyances, animals, horses, camels, and he also bought some
cows and so on. And then he set up a farm because that was kind of
the business of the day, it was all natural, very organic
businesses in those days. And then he got somebody to work on that.
And mashallah, it just started increasing, animals started
having, you know, progeny and it just started increasing. Once
those kinds of things just increase.
Then whatever he did, whatever left over, he invested that in
number of other places, whatever the possibilities, were in those
days, and he became one of the wealthiest people in that area of
his time, he became one of the wealthiest people.
Now, the first person, after he'd spent all of his wealth doing what
he did in terms of the Hereafter, he becomes into need, he is now in
need, he doesn't have enough money to get by. So what he thought is
that that guy is my friend, he's my old business partner, I'll just
gone work for him, you can tell that he's very humble. He's very
simple kind of person, he gets rid of all of his money. And then he
goes and tries to go and work for this individual. He says, maybe I
should just go and work for him. I could work in one of his gardens,
I could work in one of his fields, you know, picking fruit or
whatever the case is, I'm sure he's got a job for me. But there's
a lot of jobs that go, you know, that are available in these
places. So he goes to his friend. And when he gets there, he can
hardly get in to see him. Because now he lives in a different like a
big palace. And there's guards and there's door people and so on. And
he just about according to another opinion, they said, Look, you
can't see him, we don't know who you are. But in the morning, he is
going to come out. So you'll see him. So just wait outside. So what
he did was he just lay for overnight, he just sat there on
the street. And when the game came in the morning, that's when he saw
him. So there's different opinions about what happened there.
But anyway, finally, when he got to him, if he got inside, his
friend recognized him, and he was very welcoming. In the beginning.
He was very welcome in the beginning, you know, nice to see
you after a long time. And you know, we were partners and so on
and so forth. Then when he asked him that, look, I've got a need
from you, I need Can you give me a job because I need somewhere to
work? So he was quite shocked. He said, Didn't I give you exactly
half of the wealth? Didn't we split the wealth? Half Half?
Where's all your money gone? He would have thought he would have
done the same thing or something. So what did you do with your
wealth? He says, I purchased with it from Allah subhanaw taala that
was much more enduring and much more lasting and much greater. Now
he started speaking a language that the other guy just couldn't
bear a tolerates, alright, until now, he seems to be quite
accommodating. He wants to know he's got some concern in another
version actually says that he had concerned like, when he asked him
that, can I just work there? You give me the food for my day and
just change my clothes when I need to change my clothes. He said I
can do much more than that for you. Then he started asking him.
What do you do with your money though? And when he started
telling him that I gave it to the king of the world and so on, his
tune changes like what are you talking about? Like, are you
stupid? You know, you can just tell that are you serious in
Nicola Minal Mossad. 18 Like, are you serious? Are you really
telling the truth that that's what you did. He was just so far gone,
in terms of his dependence on wealth and his confidence in his
wealth, that he just couldn't believe what the other people a
person was saying. So anyway, he started, he started he started
saying intercolonial Masada clean, warmer, Donousa Takashima. I don't
even believe that there's going to be a hereafter like you're talking
about hereafter. What are you talking about? Look at what
Dawkins is saying. Haven't you read Dawkins? Right. There is no
God. Sam Harris. Have you read him? Have you ever listened to his
lectures? I mean, of course, I'm making that stuff up. Right. He
didn't say that those guys didn't exist in Walmart. Urraca Illa Sufi
and I just see that you are crazy. You're foolish. You're stupid.
That's what he said. Well, I like it. You lesufi him.
And he says he got so troubled he got so upset that he says that you
know what? I got nothing for you. Except that I'm not going to give
you anything you're just too stupid. Right? He says Walmart
Jessa okay in the other suffer Attica ill Herrmann. i There's
nothing I can do for you because you're just too too far gone. He
says, haven't you seen what I've done with my wealth? Haven't you
seen what I've done in my wealth? Look, look at where it's look at
where it's got to, and the wonderful life that I'm living and
all the rest of it. Look at this house look where I live. Look at
this nice mansion. Look at these guys, you know, you can just put
it into today's terms. And that's because I earned it and you were
stupid. That's what he said again, get out of here. Like I don't even
want to talk to you. You can see the the the attitude just changes
of a person yet this is a person he knew. He's not even trying to
help him. And then after that,
whatever happened happened based on the story.
So now let us look at the story
from the Quran. And let us make some sense of that insha Allah
Allah see what ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala is trying to tell us. So
ponder carefully, there will be lessons from it that I may not be
able to pick up, right but you will be able to pick up and I'm
going to insha Allah give you an opportunity at the end to tell me
any of the lessons that you see coming from there, how it's
impacted you in sha Allah, how you relate to it, because the Quran is
a wonderful piece of work that speaks to everybody differently
based on the condition of our heart based on our state based on
our needs. So everybody's got different needs and it'd be really
nice and enriching for us to hear what some of you insha Allah may
see from this, so let us start are old it'd be him in a shame on you
Raji, maybe Smilla rahmanir rahim.
Well don't even methadone Raju Lanie. Jana Annie I had emerged
and attained Iman Nurb Hugh Hefner Houma will have Hefner Homer Bina
new Jr. Nirbhay. You know, houmas
guiltily Jin teeny Okuda Well, I'm totally mean who che Wofford job
na Isla de Houma, Anna Hara,
Allah subhanaw taala is saying that tell them the example and the
parable of the two men.
Now if you see the way the Quran is speaking about it, it's not
telling you who these two men were, he's not telling you one was
from here, and one was from, you know, this area, or this is what
his age was. And you know, it's not like a modern story, because
the Quran wants to get to the message, because he wants to make
it timeless. So you can relate to the core message of the story. So
tell them the parable of two men, for one of them out of the two we
made for them to gardens and look at these gardens. Now, I don't
know if you understand farming. But seriously, this would be an
ideal farm a dream farm for person for a person. The reason I know
this is because where my ancestors are from where my father and my
mother are from. I've been to that village and I've stayed there for
a while. And it's a farming village. And one of the biggest
things that they suffer from even though they got huge amount of
land, and beautiful mango trees on our lands, we probably have about
I would say over 10 types of mangoes
I mean not 10 Trees of mangoes, I mean 10 types of mango trees. And
that's orchards full of different types of manga, and I can name
them for your property right now if i But it'd be boring for you,
right? Anybody likes mangoes here, by the way? Yeah, right? So
there's at least 10 different types of mangoes. And I remember
when I was studying there, my cousin used to bring me literally
this basket that big, I used to put it on my bed and just share it
out as they as they grew, right. It's just a mango galore.
Mashallah. Right. So anyway, one of the biggest challenges that
they have in this area, despite the fact that you have so much
land is irrigation.
Right, getting the water from the closest lake or stream or whatever
the case is, cost huge amount of money, it dries up because very
hot climate digging wells, you spend a huge amount of money
trying to dig a well expecting that you're going to reach water,
but you don't You dig 50 meters down or whatever it is, you don't
get water, then you try again the next time. And it's each time you
try, you have to pay the same amount of money. It's a massive
problem. There are people sitting there who have pieces of land, but
it's dry and barren. So now what we're talking about this person is
now if somebody does grow something, they're going to grow
either wheat, or they're going to grow a bit of corn, they're going
to grow a bit of mangoes, they're going to grow a bit of sugarcane,
something or the other. But for somebody to have what he has now
understand this diversity, this guy's got it all.
He says we Allah says that we have made for him to Gardens of grape
vines. Wow. Grape vines from that you make wine. Right from that
grapes are some of the best crops that you can a vineyard cost a
huge amount of money. It's a luxury asset. It's like golf. It's
like, you know, having a membership at a golf club. Right?
If you've got a vineyard, you know, rich people, they go and
buy, what do they buy? They go and buy a yacht, and have enough money
to buy a yacht, they buy big houses, they buy a vineyard,
that's another thing. These are rich man's games, right? They get
membership in a golf club. That's that's basically what they do. So
number one, he had two gardens of grape vines or two, not even one
Yeah, two gardens of grape vines. Number two, surrounded with date
palms. Mashallah, those nice palm trees and not just barren palm
trees that because there are hundreds of different types of
palm trees, right with that some bear fruits and some don't. These
are date columns, right so they are producing fruit. Nothing is
being wasted here. Now you've got date palms, you've got
vineyards and then in between you've that's fruit. And now in
between what you have is cornfields. So you've got a place
for crops for farming, not just fruits, but vegetable as well.
Now, what more can you ask for? On top of that, it says that both
gardens were extremely productive, they both yielded huge amount of
fruit, while tava limb, it says what I'm totally mean who shade
they did not fail in any way. They were just pouring out fruit,
extremely productive.
And then on top of that, he didn't have to worry about irrigation. We
made a stream flow through them. He had his own water source, self
contained farm with its own water source. And that adds to the
beauty is a stream it's not a well, wells, you can't see wells,
they just dug in the ground, you get a pipe out of them, or however
you irrigate your fields. This is a stream and believe me, has
anybody been to the agenda to Latif the hen relief in Alhambra?
In Granada, you must go there. If still preserved, it's literally
gardens, probably the whole size of you know all the buildings of
UCL. Right. It's a massive garden. And it looks absolutely beautiful,
surrounded by all the different palaces, and it's quite amazing,
to be honest, probably one of the best buildings, you know, one of
the best
estates I've actually seen, haven't seen so many, but this is
really beautiful Muslims of Spain, so we made a stream flow through
them.
What can Allahu thumbor, so he had abundant fruit, he had abundant
fruit. Now you can understand that to have such an operation, trees
and so on, they just don't grow. This is not a mechanical farm.
Right? This is not a mechanical farm of today, right? A factory
farm rather, right, which has all been
placed in some kind of, you know, conveyor belts and things like
that. No, you need people to work here. So basically, what's going
on here is that for something like this, to have a smooth operation,
you're gonna have a lot of people to work there. So that tells you
that he had a lot of people that were working there. For this to,
to work, he had to have people so that's all assumed that this can't
run by itself. So he's got the stream and everything. But
mashallah, he's got the he's got the know how he's got the help.
He's got the assistance, he's got the laborers, he's got the
workers. That is another tough job. Because in the village, I
know that when it comes to seasons, where you have to water,
then after that you wait for a while. And then after that, it
comes a time when you have to start cutting it down. You need to
hire people, you can't have them for the entire year because it'd
be wasting their time you only need them according to season.
That is not easy. Either. They go far and wide to look for people
that they can hire because nobody wants to work. There's somebody
else's hard work. So to be able to have laborers, right that are
doing the job for you. And Allah is saying that he used to get a
lot of crops he used to get a lot of fruit, it means that he had
mashallah everything secured.
For Connolly Sahibi, he doesn't tell you whether he met his
brother, his companion, that that is filled in by all the commentary
that I gave before as to who exactly his friend was, but
somewhere somehow he met this companion of is the one who used
to be friends with or partners with or brothers with whoever it
was, right? The Quran doesn't speak about the all that I told
you some narrations and from Israelite traditions and things
like that. So we can't be 100% sure about that. Well, what you
have zero, he was discussing with them. So it seems like they were
having a casual discussion. Well, who are you? How are we through
casual discussion? So while they're discussing, Hey, how's it
going? What are you doing this, that and the other, they must have
met somewhere? Now remember, when you get at this level,
right? When you get at this level, and you become so wealthy, what
else happens in this world?
Don't you start making more contacts don't you start getting
invited to places other people are interested in becoming your
friends. Now, the Quran doesn't mention all that. But that's what
I assumed. Because once you become known and wealthy people want to
know you because they think you can help them somehow or whatever
the case is. So all of a sudden, what starts happening to you.
Your confidence in what you have gross, because you see it
producing a benefit for you. You have everything you see the money
coming in, you see the assets, you see that this is real estate. This
is not just like some kind of fickle business that may go down
tomorrow, but this is real estate. I own all of this and is going
very well. I couldn't hold for any better. What starts happening to a
person like that, don't you start kind of trusting in that if you're
not very righteous, if you're not very connected to Allah, you will
start trusting in your own energy in your own power in your own know
how in your own intelligence in your own hard work in your own
savvy of doing things, then people are getting to know you. You're
getting invited to parties and so on. Suddenly you just start think
Again, I can do what I want, you can start pulling, you know what I
mean? The, in Europe, the governments used to be run by
religions before, right religion Christianity ruled the whole of
the Europe before. Right? But who runs it now? Who runs our politics
today?
Who are the biggest donors corporate interests, they are a
massive aspect of our of our politic politics today. So these
are the kinds of people that would grease that wheel, right? Grease
that system. And that's exactly what's going on. So he says, while
one day he was talking to his friend, he says, You know what,
I've got more wealth than you. Like, what a stupid statement. Why
would you say that to somebody?
You know, why would you say that to somebody? I mean, I can
understand somebody flashing his watch like, Hey, look at my Rolex,
because these are you know, in Asians, what is the what is the
watch that becomes their standard symbol when they make a lot of
money.
Does anybody know?
Rado?
Right? Now? The older generation name today Rados like you can get
rid of that means I've got it and then you get some of the others
who are not Muslim they start wearing all this gold seeing the
Asian say the Indians, they start wearing a lot of gold, big rings
and
I'm talking about men by the way, I mean, women are allowed to a
gold but I'm talking about men so he could have like just flushed
something around like you know my Gucci wallet or my you know, Rolex
watch or Louie Vuitton handbag. I mean, if you don't want to forget
that, right? That way you actually pay Louie Vuitton you pay them to
promote their product, I just can't that is such an ingenuous
idea. Right all these other groups or all these other companies like
they have small tags, but Louis Vuitton has managed to get away by
doing something which is so innocent city and low right but
they managed to do it with a high level people because you know,
people have inner city they're the ones who generally like to do big
nights and big added us on there because they need they need to
they need to relate to something they need to belong. So the only
way they can do it is getting these big name tags. That's why
wealthy people don't show big tags. But Louie Vuitton is an
exception Have you noticed that that you carry their bag and it
says LV LV right all the way through. And thus you promote it
and other people need to have it as well them. So it's in your face
Mashallah. That they must be clever, right? So what happens now
is he tells his friend, I have more wealth, and a larger
following than you an extra room in Cumberland? Well as Zuna Farah,
I've got much more of a following meaning I feel I have a lot more
influence. Look at my phonebook. Look, I've got I've got direct
numbers for all of these people. Right.
Now, what happens is, it says what the hot agenda
he goes into his garden, he enters his garden, what will volumen
lunacy, but by this time, he is an oppressor of his self. The Quran
doesn't say that he's an oppressor to that person. He wasn't
oppressing his friend, though he was saying what he was saying. But
the Quran says he was oppressing himself. Because in Islam, we have
this idea that when you oppress somebody else, you're actually
oppressing yourself. Because Allah sees everything, and he records
everything. So if I've wronged somebody, may Allah forgive and
forbid, if I've wronged somebody, and they can't do anything back to
me, Allah will take me to task, because there is a Yeoman hisab
Yom with Deen, Yom Okayama. And that day, everything will come to
light, and everybody will be avenged for whatever, whatever
happened to them, and whatever people did. So Allah says that he
went into his God and having round himself by saying, Now now just
look at this. Look at what he says and tell me how can somebody say
this? He says, ma No. antebi the Harvey aboda I don't think that
this will ever perish. It's just going so well. Everything is so
perfect. I don't think this is ever going to perish. Now, it's
just like, let's just say that a guy has purchased several
properties. Got one in Kensington, one in whatever, you know, several
properties around London he's getting, you know, his his yearly
rent is several 100,000. If not, you know, good amount. And what is
the best investment you can make? That is the most sturdiest is real
estate, as you know, right? Generally speaking, this guy's got
real estate, it's functioning very well. He says I can't see this
ever going. Going down. You see that there's calamities, and
there's problems in all other industries. But real estate is
going up in London. Right? So what are you going to think? I don't
think this will ever perish. And then he goes beyond that. And this
is where the biggest problem lies, or that the last hour will ever
come.
Warmer often called ima, I don't believe that the last hour is
going to come. It's just too good. You can tell that he's so
submerged, that he doesn't believe that he's ever going to go away.
You can tell he's drowning. He's intoxicated now. In his own
wealth. He's got too much confidence in it. He's forgotten.
I just thought
Up to a person recently. And he says that, you know, the biggest
problem is for politicians, or anybody ruling or running a
country is that they can't see things from a third person's
perspective. They're so involved, they're so involved. And everyday,
they're having to make numerous decisions, quick, quick decisions,
they don't necessarily even know all the facts, their ministers may
tell them half the story, full story, whatever. And everyday,
they're making several decisions. Yes, this do this do this, they
never have a time to step back. Look at it from the vantage point
of you and I, right. And that's why even though some of them may
think, well, they get so tunnel visioned in their process, that
they start believing in their own self, and they get so stuck in it,
that they can't see, they can't see it. And, and you and I will be
thinking what is wrong with this guy, And subhanAllah you see some
of these things happening in the world today, right? Some people
making some some particular politicians or rulers around the
world making some very crazy, or what we see as really crazy moves,
even can they see that? Like we can see it? Or can we see it, you
know, it's just so fuzzy, but it's probably because it's so
intuitive. And it's just so fast that you're on a train and you
just making decisions, there's no way you can get off and actually
observe what's going on. It's really sad, and only those who
have Tofik of Allah subhanaw taala. That's why the Prophet
sallallahu sallam said to a Sahaba, who came to him that look,
don't ask for Imara lettuce Imara, don't ask for leadership
is not a nice place to be to be honest. Because the professor also
said, if you are given it by force compelled to do it, then Allah
will help you. Because that means you've been chosen for this. But
if you ask for it for yourself, you're asking for trouble, you
will not be helped, then you will have you will be left to your own
devices, your own resources, and then you fall into that rut, you
fall into that pressured situation. So really think about
that. The more intense the position, the more it is, the more
intense it is.
So now this person is saying, I don't think this will ever perish,
or even that the last hour will come even and then look. Now this
is why I say that he could have been a believer, but he's lost his
way. Because look at what he said. He's still taking the wager by
saying even if I was, what are in Rudy to Isla rugby, even if I was
to be returned to my Lord logy, then the higher on minha Moncada,
I would find something a lot better down there. So he's
thinking that because of what he has here, and he's enjoying for
the last year, or several years or whatever, last 20 years, last
several decades, nothing's ever gone wrong for me. Why should it
go wrong? Now? Do you understand? Why should it go wrong now? So
it's an okay, even if there is a hero to go to, I've not really
thought about it. But even if there is, I should be fine there.
You know, in homage a few years ago, I had a guy with me. And I
saw that he's a very savvy guy.
Everywhere, he was like, first in the queue, in Mina, for example,
where you have to like get, you know, a decent place for your
because, you know, it's such a small area and everybody finds a
place for the sleeping place, he had the best place by the door.
And I observed this because, you know, I noticed these things. So I
observed it. After a few days, I got talking to him. And he says,
You know what, Allah loves me.
MashAllah hamdulillah Why does Allah love you, says, because
look, he always gives me the best. Now May Allah love him, and may
Allah give him the best, but that is not a sign of it, we have to
remember that Allah gives the dunya to both those he loves and
those he doesn't love. Because the dunya does not weigh does not
weigh or equal to for Allah and Allah sight, even as much as the
wing of a mosquito, which is infinitesimally small. Right? It,
God can give you the whole world if you want it. But it doesn't
prove anything. So he gives those he loves and those he doesn't
love. But the Ark era, the hereafter, he only gives to those
he loves. Now, hamdulillah if we're of those who has given the
Ark era and the dunya and Hamdulillah. To understand it,
they're not mutually exclusive things. You can have people like
Earthman, or the Alon, Zubayr, rhodiola Huang, and who else have
drama in our life and others who are wealthy and they had the Akira
as well. So it's not impossible, but not to the exclusion of the
Hereafter. And these are things that we need to keep in mind
because when you get out of here, with your math degrees and physics
degrees and engineering degrees, and what else you got medicine,
yep. And you start making a lot of money, please, please remember
that there is still a God that gave you all of this that gave us
all of this. And at the end of the day, he can stripped us from it,
or he can make it worthless. He could just make it that we're
running after it day by day working huge amount of hours. And
at the end of the day, we've got no satisfaction in our mind, what
is the point of it?
So what you're doing is wonderful Insha Allah, if Allah allows us to
use it in the right way, for our personal benefit and for other
people's benefits, and may Allah make that a reality for all of us.
So
then he says, If I was to be sent back then I don't I don't, I would
get even better than that. If it's supposed to be bettered on it,
I'll get better not because I'm the chosen one.
Now, have you noticed here that in the beginning, when he first
started, he said to his friend, that I've got more wealth than you
and I've got a larger following than you. That was kind of a
criticism of his friends. But they didn't say anything. Did that
partner said anything? You didn't say anything? Then he started
talking about his hero, his hereafter. Now look at this is
where his companion steps in. You could tell that this is a
righteous person who doesn't mind being affronted personally, but
when it comes to somebody who's messing up their faith, and who's
violating the commands of Allah, that's when he feels that he must
speak. So he says, Allah Allah who saw Hebrew WHO ARE YOU HAVE YOU
WHO eka Debbie lady holla? COC? Okay, Toby lady holla pakka Mila
to rob you mean not offer some I mean not offer to sell work or
radula lock in who Allah who rob be water oceanic will be Rob be
had his companion retorted at that point, have you no faith in him?
Who created you from dust, he's reminding him that okay, if you've
become be dazzled by everything you've got, then think about how
you were born, how your inception, your origin, your Genesis was,
have you no faith in Him Who created you from dust from a small
drop of fluid then shaped you into the man into a man into the man
that you are? And that's why he said,
for me, though, he is God, and He is my Lord. So regardless of
what's my situation, my belief remains strong. He is my God and
He is my Lord for me. And I will never set well I wish they could
be Robbie ahead. I will never set any partners with him. That is
something I will never do. Meaning what partner was this first one
setting up for him? Did you see the partner setting up the rich
guy? Did he set up a partner for Allah? Did he do any work?
Did you see any shift taking place any and partnering? He did. And
that's the shift we all do. Sometimes unfortunately, where we
were where our entire focus is supposed to be on Allah our focus
and reliance turns to something else. So it's a lesser form of
sharing we're not going to worship that thing directly but we
indirectly worshippers
so that's why I think this is very relevant when he says I'm not
going to do any sugar. I'm not going to import anything anybody
with Allah.
And then he gave him some Naseeha his advice he's got no fear from
you. You got all that wealth. You got all those people you got all
that influence? You can have me picked up tomorrow, no problem.
I'm going to give you nasiha so what does he say to him? While Ola
is the whole Trojan network occulta Masha Allahu La Quwata in
Bill
Torani Anna, mu gamma Allah whether the for ISO or B A D only
while you're on genetica while you're still on a host burner.
While you're seeing it her has burned and Miss Eva to see how
sorry, Zelda Owen used to be her who her furlough test stopped
winning either who thought.
He said, If only when you had entered your garden, keep your
garden enjoy your garden. But when you enter your garden, he said
you should say this is God's will. I've got this because of God. He's
allowed me to have this. He is desired for me to have this His
Will this for me.
And La hawla wala Quwata illa biLlah one of the most powerful
laws you can have, which is that there is no power.
This is God's will.
La Quwata illa biLlah there is no power except that given by Allah.
So everything that I've got, yes, I've got Al Hamdulillah but it's
because of Allah basically is telling him Don't be a small
karoun Remember karoun said, ot two who Allah Ilmenau nd I got
this because of my own knowledge and understanding of these things,
not because of God. So he's telling is reminding them of the
same thing that enjoy it, but just remember that it comes from God.
And then he said to him, although you see that I've got less wealth
and offspring to You. I've got less resources than You.
My Lord may well give me something better than your garden filter.
First, I could still end up tomorrow with better than you. And
then number two, and God sent thunderbolts. That's what he says
here, you will see Lady her her spell in a minute sama that he
sent Thunderbolts on your garden from the sky, so that eventually
it just becomes a deep barren of dust.
You have to remember, whether in business or otherwise, tomorrow,
I know, I know some people who did real estate business. And they
were actually working with I think a lot of Europeans they would put
in now remember, after the whole Brexit problem, much of the
businesses died, because not enough people are coming through
now. So half of the houses are empty overnight, just because of a
law that was passed. So they've had to diversify. When it comes to
farms and so on, it's even worse, because you have to work hard,
work hard, work hard. And when the season is right, when the crops
are ready, then you make your money, then you make a lot of
money. But the problem is that what happens in between just maybe
a few weeks or a day or two before you're supposed to reap your
harvest, and everything just is destroyed a fire just sweeps
through a wildfire like those in California, for example, or
Thunderbolt or something else. It just all goes down the drain.
That's why we can never feel independent from Allah, something
could happen. I always fear it's almost like you know, when you're
driving,
and you're going around around about Don't you have to hold your
wheel very hard to make sure that your car doesn't spin. Because
generally if you're turning around somewhere, you have to hold it.
Otherwise, if you'd like go what happens, the wheel goes and tries
to the wheels try to go straight. And I think sometimes they're that
the energy that I'm getting, I know it's very mundane, but the
energy that I'm getting this from Allah, if He causes me to lose
lose energy, right now I'm going to bang into something. Now we
take it as so granted, we take it for so granted that we don't even
think about these things. But at the end of the day, Allah is
helping us and powering us at every instance. So now in order to
finish this section off, he says
Allah may send a thunderbolt on your garden from the sky so that
it becomes a heap of barren dust. That's all you're going to be left
with. Or it's water that you have there, which are so excited about
may sink so deep into the ground that you will never be able to
reach it again.
Allah will just cause it to dry up. It's very interesting. He
didn't say that your water will evaporate. He said it will sink
down. Because there's always going to be water down but you're not
going to be able to get to it. It's a very interesting
expression.
And this is exactly what happened. The person didn't listen to him.
He didn't take heed. So Allah says we're all here to be thermally for
us, Baja, you're a liberal Cafe he Allama and photography. We're here
how are we here to another Arusha. Where your guru ya later Neelam
Cushitic Bureau, be a Haida and this is why I believe that he was
a believer to start with, but he lost his way because of the influx
because of the effects of materialism on him. Right? That's
why he says, and so it was. Allah effected his garden, his fruit was
completely destroyed. And there he was wringing his hands over that
huge amount he had invested in it. All of it is lost. You can't get
it back. Right. It's all lost. There's no insurance, as it
drooped on its trellises. And he was saying, I wish I had not set
up any partner to Allah, I just wish I had not done so. Because
even if, if I if I, if I had remained the believer in God, and
if all of this had been destroyed, I know that God would have still
rewarded me in the hereafter. But this way, I've lost it in this
world, and I've lost it in the hereafter as well. So then he
says,
What am duckula who fear Tinian Saluda hoomin de la Wanaka Andaman
Dasara.
You know, remember, he said, I've got more supporters than you. I've
got more progeny more helpers than you he had said that before. So
now, Allah says that he had no forces to help him other than God.
Basically, all of those forces he had, none of that came to his
avail. He could not even help himself Hoonah Likkle wala to
Linda Hill Huck, who are higher on thubron, well, how you gonna rock
Baba, and this is what ends the story. The only protection is that
of God, the true God, He gives the best rewards and the best outcome.
Now, a few lessons, additional lessons that we learned from this,
I mean, we've done a number of lessons. But basically, a few of
the other lessons that we learned from this is that
we can learn a lot from looking at the stories of people who have a
lot in this world, but then who lose it. Because we only look at
one side of the story. We look at people who've made a lot of money.
We look at the you know, we see documentaries on Elon Musk, right?
We hear about the Google guys,
Sergey Brin and the other guy we hear about Bill Gates Mashallah.
Elise is doing something with his with his work, you know, with his
he's doing something humanitarian with with
his wealth. We look at all of this. And we think, hey, I need to
do this as well. But also look at stories of people who lost
everything. And believe me, I've met a number of people like that.
Just last. What is it a week ago, I was with somebody who was a
millionaire. And now he's actually finding it hard to just pay his
rent. He was a millionaire. I know another guy in another country,
who was a millionaire. And these bigger companies conglomerates, he
was doing much better in his local area than then they were they,
they basically stopped his supply. Right? He was a reseller, they
stopped his supply. And because he hadn't put his money, right, he
lost everything. And today, where he's at Hamdulillah, he's gotten a
lot back, but he lost everything. Money comes, money goes, the main
thing is, make your money, have good money, no problem. But don't
get caught up with this guy who ends up losing his faith, who
become so confident.
And so trusting and reliant in his welfare, he thinks I'm sorted and
sorted, nothing's gonna happen to me. Because Allah can take it out
pretty easily. The only thing that you can really be proud of between
you and Allah is if you are connected to Allah, if you can
wake up in the morning and do your salads while you're working. And
that's what this individual told me yesterday, the person I spoke
about in politics, he said, These people don't have time, you know,
they rushed to make decisions. They don't have time for exercise,
and they don't have time for prayer. They don't have time for
physical exercise, they don't have time for spiritual exercise. So at
the end of the day, what are they working for? Is it just for a
better name in this world, to hoard wealth and putting on
offshore accounts, and then maybe you will never touch it? Because
it seems like day by day, things are coming, coming out and being
disclosed. And then people are becoming degraded and humiliated.
It's really sad that when you're 7080 years old, that's when people
find out how bad you are. Right? And until then, you'd be just
exploiting people like Harvey Weinstein, and so on and so forth.
And then at the height of that, when you're supposed to be able to
retire and enjoy, you get degraded, Allah protect us,
because this is not just a non Muslim thing. It happens to
Muslims as well. Right? It just happens to anybody who gets caught
up in this. May Allah subhanaw taala protect us. There's numerous
other, there's numerous other things as well. But basically,
there is no point as he did at the end when he started saying,
wringing his hands saying, I wish I had not done shake. I wish I had
not important with Allah, there is no point once you felt the power
of Allah, meaning the Wrath of Allah, then you start feeling
remorse, start feeling remorse from before, the Allah sends
generally smaller signs. And if we don't pick those up, then he sends
bigger signs. But let us not get to those bigger signs. Let us
understand by those smaller signs.
May Allah subhanaw taala help us? Now just to give you a quick
understanding, what do we get out of this story? I'm going to wait
to listen to you as well. But I just want to mention one thing.
Let us start reciting Surah Al calf, I will let you read the
other stories of sorbitol calf that will then give you a full
picture in sha Allah of why this surah is so powerful, and why it
will act as a barrier against the jungle. When you understand the
skeletal calf, it will when you understand the story of the people
of the cave, it will give you strength in your faith, you will
be able to bear I mean when you people who wear hijab, in this day
and age, I mean, I know it's not easy, right? You're at the
forefront of the data. People may make fun of you, they may mock
you. But when you listen to that story, you understand what they
went through. That was horrible cough when you read that story?
Are you going to be covering that story soon? Right? If you're not,
then you should read it. It's in all the Tafseer books, you will
your faith will be strong. This story tells us about materialism,
the world will open up to you today you may have student debt
tomorrow inshallah you'd have a lot of money, right, just how you
use that money and what you do with it and let not your
perspective of the world become deficient. That's what this is all
about. And then the other stories, the knowledge story, and the class
story. Once you got that right answer to the Prophet sallallahu
sallam said this sort of will protect you from the jungle. And
the Antichrist is supposed to be one of the worst of any challenges
you would have faced in our lives. One of the worst temptations,
think about the greatest temptation that you have today.
What is it that you can avoid? That you know you shouldn't be
doing? The job is supposed to be a greater temptation than that. And
the way he will act is he will challenge your faith. So by
reading the story of the calf in sha Allah, we will be fortified
against that. Number two, all a lot of wealth and resources will
be in the hands of the job and his followers. If you understand that,
it won't affect you, because you won't get caught up in that he
won't be able to tempt you with that. Number three, it says the
job will come when it will be of a great level of when people will be
suffering a huge level of ignorance especially about the
journal he will come at that time. So inshallah if you increase your
knowledge and remain refreshed in your knowledge that will be will
be able to see through the journal and of course if loss and
sincerity
that helps throughout anyway. That's why this sort of gap is so
powerful. The one Hadith, which is related by Hakeem, and basically
it says that whoever is like sort of the gaff on Friday, Allah will
give him a light that will illuminate the path for Him until
the next Friday for a whole week. So you are given a spiritual
light, there's a concept the Prophet said, awesome. You say,
Allah make me light, put light in front of me behind me above me,
right on my right on my left in my eyes in my ears. sort of recap
gives you light number two, it says the another Hadith from Imam
Ahmed says the Prophet sallallahu sallam said that whoever recite
Surah to calf, the beginning and the end of it, not even the entire
Surah just the beginning. And the end of it according to this, Allah
will give him light, illuminate him from his feet to his head,
whoever recites it all, then he will be given a light as much as
between the heavens and the earth. So the more you read, the more you
get out of it. Now something more specific, it says that about the
data, the amount relates Sahih Muslim is this hadith in Sahih,
Muslim, whoever is whoever recites the last 10 verses of Surah Al
calf, he will be protected from the journal. Now, this actually
supports the view that just reading those verses because the
last 10 verses have, they don't speak about any of these stories,
they just advices right. So, it is a kind of that magic idea that the
reading social graph will benefit you. Right? Whether you understand
it or not, but to understand it will give you much better
ideological confidence Inshallah, right? So that's talking about the
last 10 verses whoever reads it. The other Hadith, also by a Buddha
in Sahih, Muslim is whoever memorizes the first 10 verses,
then they will be protected from the digital. So I'll tell you is
that on Fridays, which starts from Thursday night right after
maghrib. Friday begins in Islam, at least recite the first or last
10 verses, at least memorize you'll eventually once you read it
often you will memorize them. Try to read the whole story every week
and try to get a good understanding of it so that those
stories are refreshed for us. Whenever you're feeling troubled,
whenever you're feeling vulnerable. Go and look at those
verses. And in sha Allah, it will give us strength it gives a huge
amount of strength.
Allah subhanho wa Taala in verse 45, of Surah GAF this is what he
says. While the Riblah who methyl hayati dunya. Give them an example
give them a parable of this life, the life of this world. He said
it's karma in its like water unzila who Muna Sama, which we
cause to descend from the heavens. For starters, we'll be hearing
about a lot for us Baja Shimon de rue Ria, when water comes down.
And they asked for water. I remember I was in South Africa and
Ramadan, they said that all of our reservoirs are only 7% of what
they're supposed to be. They were praying for rain. And here we
complain when you get rain, right? But the reason is that the rain
comes down and that's when the world comes to life. The greenery
comes about when we see that all the time. I mean, so for us, it's
not that big of a deal sometimes but it all becomes green and lots
of produce takes place there. But then what happens is, it's gets
cut, so do nearly life and assets are like that. You can get a lot
that they could disappear. What can Allahu Allah Khalifa in
Madeira Allah subhanho wa Taala has is omnipotent has ability over
all things. We ask Allah subhanaw taala for assistance for help for
insight and the light from the surah May Allah subhanaw taala
grant us the benefit of working with that runner and Al hamdu
lillahi rabbil aalameen Jazak Allah here for so patiently
listening