Ashraf Schneider – iERA Full Dawah Training Course
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the importance of following the foundation of Islam, building a spiritual relationship with Allah, and not trying to convince someone to take on Islam. It is emphasized that one should ask oneself before acting and be a part of Islam, and that building a spiritual relationship with Allah is crucial.
AI: Transcript ©
Brothers and sisters.
In today's training course, we will be going
over part 2 of the training,
that we covered yesterday,
and it will basically be building on these
rudimentary
foundations that we have set in place.
Before we begin,
So in yesterday's training, we focused predominantly
on
some of the foundations
of dawah. We looked at what dawah in
and of itself means.
We looked at
what it means to do dawah in practice
in Islam.
We looked at the importance of knowing Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, understanding his names and attributes,
that he alone is worthy of worship, and
that he alone is almighty, that there's nothing
equal unto him.
We then went a little bit further, and
we looked at some of the characteristics
of a,
specifically focusing on the concept of sincerity
and how important that is and some of
the warnings that prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam has put forward
pertaining to our intention when we do acts
of worship
to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Then we had to look a little bit
more at the human being and how they
are different to an entity like a computer
program or something as such,
And we found that it is important
to
respect a human being, understanding the intricacies and
all of these things that go on within
them during our.
Then later in our program yesterday, we then
looked at initiation
as for active and passive initiation,
and how we can utilize these tools on
the field of Dawa.
And then we looked at the downfall of
Dawa
as to some of the things that we
can get stuck in,
in the field of Dawa as DAIS.
Now if you still have any reservations or
questions pertaining to any of these 2 points,
we can definitely discuss that a little bit
later today. But let us reserve these inquiries,
for after we've done our training course. And
anything that is relevant to the things that
we'll be be dis discussing today, of course,
you can ask it as and when they
come up,
So let us proceed.
Just before before I do continue, I just
wanna confirm, can any everybody see my screen?
Can you guys see the presentation?
Okay.
Let us then proceed.
So the GOREP model of Dawah is to
focus on these acronyms.
Right?
G0RAP.
Right?
Go rep.
Now
in the first
letter for g, we focus on God's existence,
and we are going to look at a
few arguments
pertaining to God's existence, and how we can
rationally speak about God's existence,
to individuals in Dawa. Right? And it's very
important throughout all of these different,
letters
that we speak to people based on their
level of understanding.
Right? So I'm going to be giving you
guys a few arguments from different levels of
understanding,
and that we can basically build from there.
So we're first gonna look at God's existence.
Then we're gonna look at the o, which
is God's oneness.
Then we're gonna look at the r, which
is revelation.
And is the a, and then prophethood,
which focuses on prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
But you're going to see there's a very
strong connection between the r and the p.
I'm gonna explain to you guys,
why that is at a later stage. Okay?
So let us proceed.
So I would like to ask you guys
this question.
How would you rationally prove
the existence
of a creator?
Who can give me an answer? How would
you rationally prove the existence of God?
Who can tell me? How would you rationally
prove the existence of God?
You guys are welcome to type if you're
unable to,
speak.
Yes, brother Ziyad.
Okay. How so?
Okay.
Okay.
This is good. However, you are
you are building a premise
upon your belief already.
Right? So when you speak to someone who
doesn't hold the same belief as what you
do,
they might say that you are
stating your belief
based on the knowledge that you've already gained.
Right? Whereas the purpose, when it comes to
rationality,
is to be objective.
Because we know that the individuals that we
speak to,
oftentimes, their fitra is clouded
because of their upbringing and the things that
they've experienced in life. Right? So our purpose
is to awaken that fitra through the keys
of, you know, rationality,
spirituality,
experience,
reflection,
you know, revelation, and so forth. Right? So
in order for us to do that, we
need to take that person a step back
and to have them understand
why we believe, what we believe,
right, through an objective perspective.
Okay.
So let me proceed with this then. I'm
gonna explain to you, you know, how we
can do that in shawba.
So in the Quran, in chapter 52 verse
35 to 36, I want all of you
to write this down. This is very, very
important.
Because if you can explain the existence of
Allah rooted
within the Quran,
that is something that that person will carry
with them for the rest of their lives.
So even if they do not embrace Islam
there and then, you know, 10 years down
the line,
when they reflect upon the existence of the
creator,
they will think about this first. Right? And
that might bring them towards the Quran.
Okay.
So in the Quran in chapter 52 verse
35 to 36,
the creator speaks and he says that, or
were they created by nothing?
Or are they their own creators?
Or did they create the heavens and the
earth?
In fact, they have no firm belief in
Allah.
Right?
So we're going to dissect this verse a
little bit further.
But here, fundamentally,
the creator gives us 4 possibilities of our
existence. Right? It's either that we are created
out of nothing,
or we are our own creators,
or we created the heavens and the earth,
or the heavens and the earth were created
by something prior to that also was created,
or we were created by Allah. Right?
Now a good way to explain this to
someone
is to look at the phone on the
left side. Right? Or you could ask the
person, you know, do you see my phone
here?
Right? Now imagine that you and I were
walking in a desert,
and we saw this phone lying in the
sand.
Both you and I would agree that that
phone could not have just come into existence
over 1, 000, 000, 000 and 1, 000,
000, 000 of years.
Right? It had to be created by someone
or something.
Although all the elements
that we need in order to make this
phone
can also be found in the desert.
For instance, you have sand that can be
melted
to create glass.
Right? You have the molecules
inside the sand itself. There might also be
oil. Right? There might be some remnants of
water
to help you create some of the mechanics.
You have the lightning that could be a
great source of power
to be able to melt these elements together.
Right?
But, ultimately, we know that is impossible.
Because of the intelligent design of the phone
that we can see.
Right? So, therefore, we can argue that it
must have had a creator. It could have
not created you know, been created out of
nothingness.
You know, it could not have created itself.
Right? It had to be created by something.
And if we think about it, we also
know something about this creator.
We know this creator had to have been
intelligent
to create this phone.
Right? We also know that this creator must
have had some kind of power,
right, to be able to put all of
these elements together.
Right?
So
if we know that this phone could not
have created itself,
right, the universe is so much
more far complex
than a simple phone.
So, therefore, it would be illogical
to believe
that the universe, which is far more complex,
could have just created itself.
Right?
Now that is 1 way of speaking about
the existence of a creator in a rational
and objective manner.
Right? But now let's get back to the
Quran verse. Because although these 2 touch 1
another, like, they they kind of, you know,
complement each other,
it is important that we focus on the
Quranic verse. I personally would argue
that the verse in the Quran
is far stronger
because of what I've explained. Right? Because it
will stay with that person for a very
long time.
Right? And their foundations,
their roots and belief in the creator will
then be found within the Quran itself.
Okay.
So to go through the verse again,
were they created by nothing,
or are they their own creators,
or did they create the heavens and the
earth? In fact, they have no firm belief
in Allah. Right? So let's break this down.
Or were they created by nothing? Right? So
you would ask the person of these 4
possibilities. Let us think about this.
The first thing is that we could not
have been created out of nothingness.
In the absence of anything,
matter and energy cannot just come into existence.
It is impossible.
Right? It's like if you have 0,
from 0, you get 0.
From that 0, you get 0. Right? That
0 can never just be 1. There has
to be something that influences it.
Right?
Or were they the creators of themselves?
Now that in itself is illogical,
because something
cannot create itself
if it never existed in the first place.
Right? For example, a mother cannot give birth
to herself.
It's a logical paradox. Okay?
Then the third option is created from something
that was created.
So let us imagine that this universe was
created,
but it only came into existence because of
a universe before this universe,
that imploded and then created this universe.
But the question then is, what created the
universe then before our universe?
The answer in that rhetoric would be another
universe before that universe and a universe before
that universe and a universe before that universe.
And so there will be infinite regression.
Right? And we will not be having this
conversation right now.
Right? So what we know is we had
to have been created by something
just through observation
of the universe that we have,
that this something has to have been uncreated.
Right? Because if the creator had a creator
and that creator had a creator and that
creator had a creator,
then there will be infinite regression again,
and we would not be having this conversation.
Right? Because it would just infinitely back up
into, you know, how many ever creators you
want to, you know, think about.
Right? So we know that we had to
have been created by something that it is
in and of itself uncreated.
In order for you and I to be
able to sit here and have this conversation
right now.
Right?
We also can understand by looking at this
universe
as to who this creator is.
We know that this creator must be all
powerful
because he created
the energy. He had the energy and power
to produce this universe, to put it into
motion.
Right? So he had to have been all
powerful
to produce the energy and power to put
this universe into motion.
He had to have been all knowledgeable
to create a universe with such an intricate
design
to sustain our life. Right? If we look
at, for instance, our solar system,
if we look at the Milky Way, if
we look at the broader galaxy,
how it has been created, there's intelligence behind
it.
Right? And we find for ourselves that intelligence
because we are able to live on earth.
Right? If, for instance, the Earth was a
little bit closer to the sun, we would
not be able to exist. If we did
not have the moon in a specific place,
we would not be able to exist. If
we did not have Jupiter,
which acts like a a magnet or a
shield for the Earth, we would not have
been able to exist.
So all of these things, you can see
there's an intelligence behind it.
Right?
Now, finally,
through this, we also understand that the creator
must be self sufficient,
not in need of anything.
It doesn't need to eat or sleep or
anything as such, because as soon as he's
dependent upon something external for his existence,
right, then our universe will also be destroyed.
Okay.
So do you guys understand
why we believe in a creator that is
all powerful,
all knowing, and self sufficient? Do you have
any questions pertaining to this?
This is a very, very important point.
Right? By the show of hands or thumbs
up,
show me if you guys understand
You're also welcome to type in the text
box.
Yes. Alhamdulillah. Very good. Okay.
So when it comes to speaking to a
person about the existence of God, just to
go through it quickly,
you will take them to the Qur'anic text
in chapter 52
verse 35 to 36.
You then read that to them. Or were
they created by nothing? Are they their own
creators?
Have they constructed the heavens and the earth?
Rather, they are not certain regarding Allah's existence.
Right? And then you break it down for
them. The first thing is we could not
have been created out of nothing. Right? Because
out of nothing, nothing comes. It's like
0 cannot just become 1. Right? 0 becomes
0 becomes 0.
The second thing is, or were they their
own creators?
Right?
Now we could not have created ourselves if
we never existed in the first place. Right?
Or something cannot create itself if it never
existed. It's a logical paradox.
The second thing is, well, did they create
the heavens and the earth? Was this universe
created because of a universe before it or
universe before that?
The answer in that rhetoric is that there
will be infinite regression. It would just go
all the way back, right, in time, and
we would not be having this conversation.
So we know that we had to be
created by something that is uncreated.
Right? We know that this creator has to
be all powerful to put the energy and
power
forward to produce this universe. He has to
be all knowledgeable to create a universe with
an intricate design,
and he has to be self sufficient, not
in need of anything to sustain his life.
Okay? Very, very important points.
Now
how would 1 rationally prove
that Allah is 1?
You can tell me. How would you rationally
prove that Allah is 1?
Who can tell me that?
Okay.
Who else can give me an answer?
How would you rationally prove that Allah is
1?
Yes, Riza.
Yes, brother. Okay. Brother Riza and then brother
Fawa inshallah.
Yes, brother Riza.
Very good.
Very good. If there were more than 1
creator, there would have been disputes in between
them. Right? Very good answer. Who else can
give me another response?
Brother Farwa, did you wanna say the same,
or do you wanna give a new response?
Otherwise, I'm gonna
the same.
Brother Irshad,
you may unmute your mic?
Yes.
Yes. There would be conflict. Right? If there
were more than 1 leader of a country,
there would be conflict.
Okay. Let us let us proceed.
So we've now spoken about the existence of
Allah,
right, through a rational perspective, and we've concluded
with this person that Allah is all powerful,
all knowing, and self sufficient.
Right? It is very important that we've spoken
about this.
Because what you can tell the person is
that Allah is maximally perfect in his names
and attributes. He cannot be deficient.
Right? Because we believe
that Allah cannot lack knowledge.
Right? He cannot not know something because he's
all knowledgeable.
Right. If he were to lack knowledge, then
he's no longer almighty.
Right. We believe that Allah is all powerful.
So if he were to lack power,
right, he's no longer almighty.
We believe that Allah is self sufficient.
So as soon as Allah is dependent upon
something else to survive,
right, is no longer almighty.
Right? So if we apply these names and
attributes externally, we can actually find out if
something is god or not.
Right? So we're kind of bolding up from
understanding who Allah is and his names and
attributes, and that he's maximally perfect. Right? And
that he is the lord of the thrones
through that. There's nothing greater than him. Right?
And that he is only worthy of worship.
Okay.
Now here are the names and attributes. Right?
We spoke about that Allah is eternal.
Right? That is uncreated.
He's transcendent, not like his creation.
That he created the universe with a specific
will and purpose. Right? We can see that,
you know, there's there must be a purpose
behind all of this. And then, of course,
that Allah is powerful, his knowing, and he's
self sufficient.
Okay. Now
what I like to do in dawah, and
I want you guys to remember this,
once you've spoken to a person regarding the
existence of Allah
and you've explained to them that Allah is
all powerful, all knowing, and self sufficient, you
would ask them,
do you understand why we believe that the
creator is all powerful, all knowing, and self
sufficient?
And they will then say, yes.
And then you tell them that we believe
this creator is maximally perfect,
that he cannot lack knowledge
because it's the opposite of being all knowledgeable.
He cannot lack power, and he cannot be
dependent on something else to survive.
Right? Do you agree that this creator
is maximally perfect? Right? And that, you know,
if he if
an entity were to lack knowledge or power
or be dependent on something else to survive,
then that thing cannot be God.
Right? And they will say yes.
Then I like to look at things around
me. Say, I'm sitting in a park with
this person,
and, you know, there's a tree in the
distance or something.
I would tell that person, I want you
to imagine something.
Imagine we were sitting here now,
and there were people worshiping this tree.
And the people that were worshiping this tree,
they come to you and I, and they
say that, listen. You guys also need to
worship this tree.
Both you and I would agree that we
would not worship this tree. Correct?
Right. And 100%
of them will say, yes. They agree.
Right? And then you tell them, of course,
because this tree is not all powerful,
not all knowing, and not self sufficient.
Okay.
Then from there, you move to Jesus, peace
and blessings be upon him, especially if you're
speaking to a Christian.
Right?
And you tell this person, we love and
we respect Jesus,
but we do not believe that he is
almighty God,
because he was not all powerful.
Right? He was dependent upon the power of
God.
Right? Whenever he performed a miracle, he did
so by the power given to him by
God, like all the other messengers before.
He was also not all knowing.
Whenever a messenger of God is asked about
the final day and hour,
they say that they do not have that
knowledge, that only God has that knowledge.
Right?
And he was also not self sufficient.
He was a human being. He had to
eat. He had to sleep.
Do you understand
why we love and respect Jesus, but we
do not believe that he's almighty God?
Right?
And they will then, you know,
quite possibly say yes. Right? If they say
no, then you reiterate.
I'm not asking you to accept this as
truth,
but do you understand
why we love and respect Jesus,
and we do not believe that he is
God because he was not all powerful, not
all knowing, not self sufficient.
Right. We're not there to convince them.
We're not there to convert their hearts.
Right? That is in the hands of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. But what we can do
is convey the truthful message.
Right?
And that will have them understand that we
are not there to, you know, convince them
or have them accept something
just yet.
We just want them to understand things for
through our perspective to gain our foundation.
Right? Does this make sense to all of
you? Will you be able to reiterate this?
Right. Thumbs up or hands up if you
do understand.
Okay. Fantastic. I'm just gonna run through it
again 1 more time.
So we speak about the Quranic text in
chapter 52 verse 35 to 36.
Alright. So were the creator out of nothing?
Are they their own creators? Have they constructed
the heavens and the earth? They're only but
uncertain.
And then through that, we find that Allah
has to be all powerful, all knowing and
self sufficient.
Then we tell them that we believe Allah
is maximum maximally perfect. Right? Or the almighty
creator is maximally perfect in his names and
attributes.
Right? Sometimes in specific environments, you wouldn't necessarily
use the Arabic term for Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala. Right? You will use other attributes of
Allah. The all powerful,
the all knowing, the most merciful, and so
forth. Just so that you can relate with
the person that you're speaking to much better.
Because a lot of times, individuals that come
from other backgrounds,
they might have stigmatizations
towards the Arabic. They might not understand what
it means. Then you need to explain to
them that Allah means Al Ilah, which means
the God in Arabic. And you can kind
of, you know, give them that knowledge, and
then you can continue using the term Allah.
But, otherwise, they won't understand. Right? But, anyways,
not to digress too much.
Then once you've established that Allah is all
powerful, all knowing and self sufficient,
we then apply it externally
to that person. Right? We don't speak directly
about Jesus' peace and blessings be upon him.
We need to give them an example of
something that is external to themselves.
Right? An entity that they would never worship,
such as a tree.
Right?
And then you would tell them that both
you and I would not worship this tree
because this tree is not all powerful, not
all knowing, and not self sufficient. Right? That
they will agree with you. And then you
give the definition of Jesus, peace and blessings
be upon him, that we love and respect
him.
Right?
That,
you know, we,
sorry. I'm just, admitting individuals into the training,
that we love and we respect him.
Right? And that we follow him as a
messenger of the almighty creator, but we do
not believe that he is God.
Because just like the tree, he's not all
powerful. He's not all knowing. He's not self
sufficient.
Right? And then very importantly,
you say, do you understand
why we love and respect Jesus,
but we do not believe that he is
almighty God? It is very important that you
give it to them in that perspective because
you're not there to con convince them. You're
not there to change their hearts. That is
in the hands of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Right?
Okay. Let us proceed.
Now
as the brothers have previously mentioned, you know,
you can also speak about the Quranic text.
But this is a little bit
difficult at times. And let me speak to
you why.
Because in the concept of the trinity for
a Christian, for example,
they believe in 1 God.
They believe in 1 God manifest in 3
different persons, and these 3 persons are distinct.
But all 3 persons are coequal and co
eternal.
Right. So if you speak to a a
Christian and you ask them, do you believe
in 1 God? They will say, yes.
Right? So they might not always perceive
the verse these verses in the Quran,
you know, from what you guys have referenced
previously,
as being conflicting to their own belief.
Right? This is very, very applicable to, you
know,
many, many religions around the world.
But when it comes to speaking to a
person from a Christian background,
it's good to give them the analogy that
is built off of the Quran in chapter
52 verse 35 to 36, as I have
already explained. Right? And using something external to
that person to realize
that there's no co equality,
right, between the father and the son.
Okay.
But to go through these verses, it's very
important to still understand them.
Right? Had there been other gods beside Allah,
they would have certainly sought a way to
challenge the Lord of the thrones.
Right? And had there been other gods beside
Allah in the heavens or the earth, both
realms would have surely been corrupted.
So glorified as Allah, lord of the thrones,
far above what they claim.
A good way to explain this, right, to
someone
is to tell them that imagine that there
were 2 persons or 2 gods,
right, 2 entities that are completely separate to
1 another.
And 1 entity
wanted to harm you,
the other 1 wanted to protect you.
Right?
If both of these entities cancel each other
out,
none of them is the lord of the
throne. None of them is truly almighty.
If the 1 were to harm you while
the other 1 was trying to protect you,
then that 1 is superior to the other.
If the 1 is able to protect you
while the other 1 is trying to harm
you, then the other is superior to that
1.
Right?
And then, also, you can explain it another
way by telling them that, you know, the
analogy of, you know, a country having more
than 1 president. That's a good example. A
lot of people might not always be able
to relate to that. So another way to
explain it is that if there were 2
persons, right, or 2 lords or 2 creators,
then imagine you had a car with 2
steering wheels and 2 drivers,
2 acceleration pedals, 2 brake pedals, and 2
gearboxes.
Right? The car would be an utter destruction.
It would be an utter ruin
because 1 driver would want to accelerate. The
other 1 would want to slow down. 1
would want to go left. The other 1
would want to go right.
Right? The car would be completely destroyed.
Okay.
So to proceed.
Okay. So how would you prove
the need for revelation?
If anything and everything that we have in
life
that has been created by a specific creator,
such as a phone or a screen,
or, you know, a a vehicle,
or tablets,
you know, a PC or anything.
That creator will give a manual
with that item that he has created or
she has created in order for us to
utilize
and know how to utilize and know how
to best apply that to our lives.
Right? So it is only rational to understand
that the creator of the universe
will also give us some kind of instruction,
right, as to how to live our lives.
Right? So we're gonna dive a bit deeper
into how what are some of the things
might be that would be within this revelation.
Right?
To tell us what he wants from us.
Right? To announce his presence to mankind.
And not just, you know, his presence, but
as we see in number 4, to explain
his nature.
To explain to us who he is. Right?
Who this creator is. How do we relate
to him? How do we understand this creator?
Right? And how do we apply that within
our lives?
And finally,
to provide a manual
for how we should live our lives. Right?
A moral form of morality. Oh, sorry. An
objective form of morality. So we can differentiate
between what is right
and what is wrong.
Right.
So let us,
go on then
So how would you rationally prove that the
Quran is from Allah?
How would you rationally prove that the Quran
is from Allah?
Who can tell me?
It gives guidance.
Okay.
Are they your shot?
How would you rationally prove the Quran is
from Allah?
Okay.
Mhmm.
Okay.
Yes. So, basically,
an argument from
a
scientific
perspective.
Now I'm glad that you brought that up
because it's important to elaborate on that a
little bit more. Right? Because it is in
and of itself a bit problematic.
And the reason being is that science
is man's understanding
of
the universe and things around us
through observation,
right, and through testing.
However, that
scientific understanding of the things around us
always changes.
It is never constant.
If you look at the scientific understanding
of our universe,
say, a 150 years ago,
and our understanding of our universe scientifically
today,
it is completely opposite. It's very different.
To give you an example,
in around a 150 years ago,
the understanding of our solar system
was that the earth was at the center
of the universe.
Right? This was the Christian understanding
derived from the biblical text
that the earth is at the center of
the universe.
Then Galileo Galilei came, and through his observation
of our solar system,
he preponder that, no, the sun is at
the center of the universe.
Right? And he was then imprisoned because of
that view that went against the church.
Many scientists
during the time then started supporting his views.
Right?
And now we understand scientifically
that all planetary bodies
are in orbit.
Right? So the sun is not at the
center nor is the earth. All planetary bodies
are in orbit.
Right?
Now
scientifically,
during the time where the Christian church,
where their understanding of the universe was prominent,
the Quran would have been incorrect.
During the time of Galileo's
understanding of the universe that was then supported
by many scientists,
the Quran would have been scientifically
incorrect.
But now we know that all planetary bodies
are in orbit, and the Quran states that
all planetary bodies are in orbit, and they
return to their resting place.
Right?
So using the term science
is very problematic
because it is only our understanding
of the universe itself.
It does not mean that it is truthful.
So when you use miracles in the Quran,
right, and I'll give you guys examples of
that a little bit later,
but when you do that, be sure that
you do not mention
science.
Right? So you can say that these are
established facts that we've only recently discovered.
Right? And then you can kind of build
on that to support your argument.
But be very careful to say that the
Quran
represents science.
Right? Or that the Quran is scientifically accurate
because it is not.
Because the scientific
understanding is always changing, and it will always
change, and it will contradict the Quran at
some point.
Right?
But we believe that the Quran is a
book from Allah
that is knowledge external to human nature and
human understanding,
and that it will always be correct based
on fact,
not our observations of the universe.
Right. So I'm really glad that you brought
that forward. I just wanted to give that
clarity.
Brother Ziyad, I see that you have your
hand up.
Yes. Feel free to ask. What is your
question?
I'm mhmm.
No. 100%. You can.
You can. But what Big Bang Theory are
you talking about?
There are 17 different scientific models for the
Big Bang Theory. It's also being tested currently.
A lot of people don't even believe in
the Big Bang anymore.
Right? But what we do know for a
fact
is that the heavens and the earth was
a singularity,
a complete hot and dense point that then
split apart.
Right? That is what we do know,
okay, as it is in the Quran in
chapter 21 verse 30. But I can't say
that that is scientifically accurate.
Do you understand the problem? So you can
say that a 1, 400 years ago, it
was revealed Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has revealed
in the Quran in chapter 21 verse 30
that the heavens and the earth come from
singularity, a complete heart and then it's pointed
and split apart. And we've only recently discovered
that as factual.
Right? But do not mention science. You don't
have to. Right?
Yes. Is
why I couldn't, my brother?
Yes, Izmi. I see that you have a
question.
Ismee, do you have a question?
Okay. Let me proceed, inshallah.
Oh, yes.
Okay.
Okay. It would depend who you're speaking to
in the first place. Right? You might be
speaking to a person that has absolutely no
knowledge of biology.
So why share that with them? Right? As
we looked at the hadith,
yesterday,
that we should speak to people based on
their level of understanding.
Right? So if a person knows nothing about
embryology, why would you use it first?
You know, even even more, the problem is
if you are not educated
on, you know, the the construction of the
human fetus,
right, within the womb of a mother, and
you do not fully comprehend or understand that
verse, and you're speaking to a person that
is educated on the matter, that has a
degree in biology or embryology,
they will take you on about it. Right?
And you can reference,
professor Keith Moore
and his preponderance and understanding that the coronas
in relation to his modern discovery,
that doesn't mean anything
because they will test you. Right? You don't
need to use that kind of verse. Right?
It is very complex. Most people will not
be able to explain it, and most people
will not be able to understand it.
So when you use things, use things that
is easy to understand. For instance, you know,
the Quran in chapter 16.
When Allah speaks about the working bee, he
speaks about them in the female form.
That's very easy to understand, but it's something
we just recently discovered, that every single working
bee is female.
Right? Or you can use the example where
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says that the state
of disbelievers is like the deepest, darkest depths
of the ocean, where there are layers upon
darkness, and there's no light.
Right? A human being cannot dive that deep.
Right? This is established fact.
Right? And there, they will find waves, above
which are waves, above which are clouds.
Right? This is established fact that oceanographers have
recently discovered through testing the 10 the temperatures
and densities of water.
Right? That there are surface waves in these
deep deepest, darkest depths of the ocean.
Right?
So use things that people can relate to.
Speak to people on their level understanding. They
can imagine this. They can kind of see
this in their eyes, right, in their mind's
eye.
But embryology,
it is too complex. I would not advise
anybody to speak about it, unless you are,
you know, very well educated in the the
the the construct of a fetus, right, and
the different stages.
And when you reference, again, you know, just
to reiterate, a scientist like Keith Moore, it
doesn't mean anything to that person that you're
speaking to.
But what what they will relate to is,
for instance, in the Quran chapter 21 verse
30, that every living creature is created with
an element of water.
Right? They'll understand this. They'll comprehend this because
every living creature that we found thus far,
right, as a fact,
has an element of water within
them. Right? And that all life comes from
that element.
Okay. So I hope that that clarifies your
question, is me you just need to be
very selective of of what you share. I
mean, other things that you can share that's
even more powerful is also prophecies in the
Quran. Right? So if you know the prophecies,
especially about the Roman Empire.
Right? You can speak about these things as
well, and people can relate to it. They
can understand it. It's historical fact.
Right? And it was a prophecy that was
made and then fulfilled.
Okay? But we'll we'll dive in a little
bit deeper into that first, a little bit
later Inshallah.
Yes, brother Jarero.
Okay. Let me continue then.
So
mhmm.
Yes, brother.
Mhmm.
You can just say that scientists have reef
recently discovered this.
So you give it as a fact. Right?
And then you say, but scientists have only
recently discovered this.
That is different.
That is different than saying that the Quran
is scientifically accurate, because it isn't.
You understand? Science science is less science is
less accurate than the Quranic text. We we
are degrading the Quran by saying it's scientifically
accurate.
But what you can say is x, y,
and zed, or, you know, you can give
a reference in the Quran. For instance, if
I speak about, you know, the creation of
mountains, for instance. And I say in the
Quran in chapter 78 versus 67, Allah says
that it created the mountains like pegs within
the ground. Right? Then you can say that
scientists have recently discovered that mountains function like
pegs in the ground.
Right? That's different
than saying that the Quran is scientifically accurate
because it says that, you know, the mountains
function like pegs.
Do you understand the difference?
Yeah. So, your brothers need to be very
careful because the thing is in Dawa, it's
all about the words that you use and
the meaning of those words.
Right? And sometimes, you even need to use
it the other way around. You need to
ask a person so that you can understand
exactly what they mean by what they say.
Because a lot of times, they won't fully
under understand or comprehend even what they are
trying to say. Right. So it's it's important
that your brothers understand this Insha Allah.
Okay.
So the criteria for revelation. The reason why
we do this again is to remove individuals
from their upbringing and to kind of take
them a step back to look at things
objectively,
to try and help them, you know,
find keys for that fed rod to be
unlocked. Right?
So the 3 criteria that we would look
for in any revelation to find out if
it is from Allah or not are these
3 points. And now, generally, what I like
to tell people at this stage is I
tell them that imagine we had all the
religion religious texts in front of us.
In order for you and I to find
out which of these books is from Allah
or the creator,
we would look for these 3 main things.
The first thing is it needs to represent
the creator in the right way.
So if a revelation says that God is
a monkey,
or that God is an elephant, or that
God is a tree,
both you and I would agree that revelation
is not from God. Because a monkey, an
elephant, and a tree is not all powerful,
not all knowing, and not self sufficient. Right?
The second thing we would look for is
consistency.
Internally, this revelation should not contradict itself.
It should also be externally,
consistent.
Right? So, internally, there shouldn't be any contradictions
because we know that this god is all
knowing, and he would not give us conflicting
information about the same context.
Right? It also needs to be externally consistent.
When it speaks about the creation of this
creator,
right, it needs to be consistent with his
creation. So if a revelation says that the
earth is flat,
both you and I will agree that this
revelation is not from God,
because we know that the earth is spherical.
The final point that we would look for
is a signpost signpost
of transcendency.
Right, or something to show us that it
must be divinely inspired,
that a human mind could not have conceived
of it.
Right? It is not in human knowledge.
Now if you take these 3 points and
you apply to all the major religious texts
in front of us, there's only 1 that
stands that test, and that is the Quran.
And let me explain to you why. Right?
And now you go in and you explain
why.
On the first point, what we find is
that this creator is represented as maximally perfect
in all his names and attributes.
Right? He's the all powerful, the all knowing,
the self sufficient. He's the eternal.
Right? There's nothing like onto him.
Right? He's the the most merciful,
the most loving. He's the most just. He's
the protector, the provider, the sustainer,
etcetera, etcetera.
We also find that due to the preservation
of the Quran, there are no internal or
external inconsistencies.
It is the only religious text that from
the time that the messenger gave the message
from God that it had been preserved.
And the main form of preservation for the
Quran was orally.
People during the time of the prophet, peace
be peace and blessings be upon him, would
memorize
the Quranic text.
And so that memorization has gone from 1
generation to the next to the next to
the next, even until our time today.
There are 100 of thousands of people that
could recite the Quran from cover to cover,
letter for letter, 100% perfection.
Not only that,
manuscripts that we now find of the Quran
carbon dated during the time of the prophet
as well.
Right? So we know that it had been
preserved.
Now what about the third point, the signpost
of transcendency?
We know that the Quranic text must be
divinely inspired.
Let me give you a few examples.
Right? So then, for instance, you can speak
about these things. I like to use the
Quran in chapter 21 verse 30, where it
speaks speak about, you know, the heavens and
the earth being a singularity, a complete hot
and dense point that then split apart, and
that every living creature is created with an
element of water.
Or I'd speak about the Quran in chapter
16,
right, where I spoke about the bee a
little bit earlier. Or I would speak about
the Quran in chapter 78 verse 67.
Right? That the Allah has created the earth
as a wide expanse, and you place mountains
as pegs within the ground. And I would
explain to them what it is, what a
peg is. Right? If you were to hit
in the ground, you would only see the
tip, and the rest of the peg will
be underneath the surface of the earth. You
can't see it with your eyes. In a
similar way, when 2 tectonic plates push against
1 another, there's 1 that pushes upwards. It
creates a tip of the mountain, and there's
also 1 that pushes downwards into the Earth
that creates its roots. Right? You can't see
this with your eyes.
Right?
Now who could have revealed these verses a
1, 400 years ago when this knowledge was
unknown? Right? Is this a human mind, or
do you think it must be divinely inspired?
So you would ask them that form of
affirmation at this point.
Right?
Or, of course, you know, you can use
prophecies as well. Right? So the,
the Quranic text when it speaks about the
Roman Empire,
right, that they would be in a desolate
space where, you know, it seems as if
they have no power, but then again, they
will come into power and so forth. And
you can give the historical reference for that
as an example.
Okay. Does does this make sense to you
guys? I know it is a lot.
I am recording this, and I'm going to
share this with brother Jariel, and you'll be
able to review this again,
right, and and go over this. And I
would advise all of you to do that,
inshallah, and to take your own notes,
while you listen to it again so that
you can kind of make this approach your
own. Use your own knowledge and kind of
weave it into the structure. But do all
of you understand up until this point, inshallah?
So a show of thumbs and show of
hands if you do understand. Or if you
have a question, feel free to ask.
Yes. Anybody else understand?
Okay. I wanna see a few more hands,
Insha'Allah.
Okay. Alhamdulillah.
I'm gonna run through this again.
Okay. So we've spoken about the existence of
God through the Quran chapter 52 verse 35
to 36. We've established his names and attributes,
that he has to be all powerful, all
knowing and self sufficient.
Right? And then we've spoken about how to
apply this to something external,
such as a tree, and we found that
we would not worship a tree because it's
not all knowing, not all all powerful, not
self sufficient.
Right? And then we apply to Jesus' peace
and blessings be upon him, and we established
that, you know, just like the tree, he's
not all knowing, not all powerful, not self
sufficient. And therefore, do you understand why we
do not believe that he's almighty god? Right?
Then you move on to revelation.
You know, we believe that revelation is required
because as you find in life, everything comes
with a form of manual and an instruction.
And it's only logical to to believe that
this creator will also not leave us without
any guidance.
Right? But how do we know which guidance
is from God? We would look for 3
things. The first thing is how it represents
God. Right? It needs to be in accordance
to who this creator is. The second thing
is it needs to be consistent. Internally, there
should be no contradictions. And when God speaks
about his creation, it should also not contradict
our understanding of of what we see and
perceive around us. The third
point is that it has to have a
signpost of transcendency.
Something external to show us that it must
be divinely inspired.
Right? It is not created by a human
mind.
Now if we take these 3 points and
we apply to all the religious text that
is available to us, there's only 1 that
can stand that test, and that is the
Quran.
First point, it represents God as maximally perfect
in all his names and attributes.
2nd point, there are no internal or external
inconsistencies
due to the preservation of the Quran, and
then you give examples of that.
And finally, there are signposts of transcendency within
the Quranic text. Let me give you a
few examples.
Alright. And then you give you examples, and
you say that, do you understand
why we believe that the Quran must be
divinely inspired?
Right? And then they will say yes. Right?
Or if they say no, they might have
contention.
If they keep on saying no even after
you clarified their contention, then you say that
is fine. There's 1 more important element that
you need to understand.
Right? And then you proceed, and you speak
about prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Okay.
Now who can tell me
why
prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is a messenger
of Allah? How can you rationally prove that
to someone?
Who can give me a response inshallah?
How can you rationally prove the prophet Muhammad,
sallallahu alaihi salam, is a messenger of Allah?
Can anyone tell me?
Yes, brother Mohammed.
Exactly. Right? Exactly.
When we look at the Quranic text, and
we can objectively decree and show that it
must be a revelation of Allah,
then, fundamentally,
the 1 to through whom that revelation was
revealed must surely be a messenger of Allah
as well.
Right? It's not like prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam, could have had this knowledge or
this understanding or this ability to compose such
a a book and such a brilliance when
you even if you look at it linguistically.
Right? So it had to have been revealed
to him by something that is divine.
Right? It had to have been revealed by
the almighty creator.
Okay. So very, very good point.
Another way of speaking about this,
now this is kind of,
you know, something that I would not say
it's a stronger argument than first building it
off of the Quranic text, but you can
also bring it forward. Right? When prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wasalam declared that he was a
prophet, was he lying?
Was he deluded? Or was he truthful? Those
are the only 3 options.
Right? So we know that he was not
lying because even the people during his time
knew him as the truthful 1, right, long
before he started receiving revelation from the almighty
creator.
Right? He was a reliant individual.
And was he deluded?
No person can be deluded over 23 years
of receiving the Quranic revelation.
Right? And to be so consistent in such
a delusion.
Right? And oftentimes,
when a person is lying or deluded, they
do so for pleasures of this world. They
do so for fame or status or power
or wealth.
Right? So prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, he
lived a very simplistic life.
Right?
So, therefore, we know that he had to
be truthful.
Now when you speak about this, you can
also give prophecies of prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam.
Right? Where, for example, he spoke about, that
the tallest buildings
will be built by the
Arabs in Arabia, right, in the deserts.
Now during his time,
these individuals were not exceptionally wealthy. There was
no,
tall buildings were created or anything as such.
We're only seeing it in our time now.
Right? And prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam also
said that the earth will gush forth its
treasures.
Right?
Now during the time of prophet Muhammad sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam, if we think about that
now, we understand that that must surely be
oil. Now during the time of the profit,
oil had absolutely no value.
It was basically meaningless. It wasn't used for
anything. It's because of our advances made in
technology
that we now utilize
this element so much.
Right? So how could this profit have known
that, you know,
in this area,
people will become so wealthy and compete with
1 another in building the tallest buildings.
Right? Then surely, he must have been truthful
in the receiving this revelation.
Okay.
Now the next step is the shihada.
Okay. Now I'm gonna tell you guys as
to how to kind of ask a person
for their shahada.
Alright? You would go through everything. So you
would ask them, do you understand why we
believe in a creator that is all powerful,
all knowing and self sufficient? They will say
yes. Do you understand why we love and
respect Jesus, but but we do not believe
that he's almighty God? They will say yes.
Do you understand why we believe in the
revelation from this creator and that it must
be divinely inspired? They will say yes. Do
you understand why we believe that prophet Muhammad
was a messenger of this almighty creator?
Right? Because he had received this revelation from
him, and they will say
yes. And then you say that this is
what we call a testimony of faith. And
the reason why we make that declaration is
to get upon the path of God. And
on this path, God promises to guide us.
Right? He will show us what is right
and wrong through the revelation he sent us.
We are we also learn through the prophets
that our previous sins are completely forgiven because
we used to be in a state of
ignorance.
Right? And there's a big promise that the
almighty creator makes to us, that if we
live a right life of righteousness to the
best of our ability.
Right? And if ever we do incur sin
upon us, we ask him for forgiveness, that
he will give us forgiveness,
then through that, we will enter into a
life after this.
Right? I would like to invite you. Would
you like to take a first step upon
this path to declare there's only 1 true
almighty God? That Jesus is his messenger
and that Mohammed is his messenger.
Right? And that's it.
It is truly that simple.
Right? So you first speak about the existence
of God,
right, from the Quranic verse
chapter 52 verse 35 to 36.
Then you speak about his names and attributes
of why he's maximally perfect. He cannot lack
knowledge. He cannot lack power. He cannot be
dependent on something else to survive.
You apply that to something that is external
to yourself, such as a tree, to have
the person understand it objectively.
Right? So the the fitra, the clouding of
the fitra is not gonna you know, in
that clouding, it's not gonna intervene with it.
So we're allowing the fitra to be awakened
through that, that understanding.
Then we link it to Jesus, peace and
blessings be upon him, wise and messenger of
God. And we very specifically use the words,
do you understand why we love and respect
Jesus, but we do not believe that he's
almighty God? Because we're not there to convince
them. We're not there to convert their hearts.
We're not there to win a debate with
them. We're there to give our perspective.
Right? And then they accept that.
Then we say that, you know, we do
believe that there's revelation that would be given
to us. It is a rational belief.
In order for us to know which revelation
is from God, we would look for those
3 things. How God is represented,
internal, external consistency,
and a signpost of divinity.
Right? Something that shows us it is divine.
A human mind could not have created this,
could not have conceived of this.
Then if we apply those 3 points on
all the texts, we find that only the
Quran stands that test.
Right? Because the Quran represents the creator in
a maximally perfect way in his names and
attributes.
The Quran has no internal or external inconsistencies
because of its preservation.
And the Quran has the signpost of divinity.
Right? Do you understand
why we believe that the Quran is divinely
inspired?
And they will say yes. Now through this,
we believe that this messenger through which the
revelation was revealed
is a messenger of God. Would you agree,
right, to have received this message?
Right? And they will say yes. Now this
messenger was prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
and here are a few a few of
his prophecies as well. Right? In order for
a prophet to receive these prophecies, it must
be divinely inspired.
Right? It must have come from the almighty
creator.
Now I would like to ask you, do
you believe in a creator that is all
powerful, all knowing, self sufficient? That will say
yes. Do you understand why we love and
respect Jesus Christ, but we do not believe
that he's almighty god?
They will say yes. Do you understand why
we believe that the Quran is a revelation
from this almighty god? They will say yes.
Do you understand why we believe the prophet
Muhammad is a messenger of god? They will
say yes.
Right? And then you tell them that this
is a sign this is a declaration of
faith, and the reason why we make that
declaration is to step up on the path
of God. You explain that on this path,
we will learn what is right and what
is wrong through the Koranic text and through
following the footsteps of the prophet.
All our previous sins are also previously forgiven,
and the promise is that we will enter
into life after this. Right? Would you like
to take your first step upon this path
so that you can learn and you can
grow your relationship with God? Right? And they
will say yes. If they say no, then
you test that.
So a lot of times, some reservations that
individuals could have
is oftentimes, you know, pertaining to their family.
I don't know what my family is gonna
say. So a way in which to test
this with that person is to give them
a reminder.
Right?
I like to use the example
of prophet Abraham, peace and blessings be upon
him.
And I would tell this person, you know,
if we reflect upon the life of prophet
Abraham,
during his time, his father was an idolater.
He literally built idols with his hands.
And he was very much rejected by his
father and his community for declaring there's only
1 God worthy of worship, and we should
not associate any partners with him. Right? In
a similar way, we also need to stand
up for what is right,
because we know that this is truth. And
on the final day of resurrection, we will
stand in front of God alone.
Our parents
and our family members and so forth will
not be there to, you know, as a
as a means for us to gain justice
through that in choosing them over God.
And 1 other thing is that we don't
know when we will die. You and I
can die directly after this conversation.
Right? We are not guaranteed as to how
much longer we are going to live. But
if we know that something is truth, we
should accept it. We should take that step
upon the path of God because then at
least we know that our previous sins are
forgiven and that we will enter into a
life after this. Okay? So you test it
once.
If that person still says that they're uncertain,
then you say that is fine.
Here's my contact information. If if you have
questions, you know, you can reach out to
me.
Or you extend your information to them, and
you follow-up with them again sometime in the
future, right, to basically prompt to them again,
right, the fundamentals and so forth.
Another reservation that individuals might have is pertaining
to knowledge. They would say, for example, that
I now want to go and I want
to go read the entire Quran,
right, before I can make a decision. Right?
Then you can tell that person, you know,
these are the fundamentals of our faith, of
our belief, and you know that this is
truthful.
What I'm saying, what I'm asking is for
you to take your first step upon the
path of of God, upon this foundation.
And on this foundation, you will learn and
you will grow.
There are many people in this life who
spent their entire lives
just studying the Quran, and they keep on
learning, and their relationship with God keep on
growing.
Right? And all of us need to be
seekers of truth. All of us need to
keep on seeking knowledge, but we will never
know everything. Right? And you will agree with
me. But what we do know is that
these things are truthful
and that we can submit onto the creator
because he alone is worthy of worship. Right?
And, again, then then you say, right, with
this in mind, would you like to take
a step upon the path of God?
Now if they still say no and they
have reservations, then halaz. You know? You you
kind of leave that leave that there. Alhamdulillah.
You've done your best. You've done your best
to your best of your intentions.
And the Qadr of Allah will take place.
Right? We we we know that. We know
that everything happens in the Qadr of Allah.
So it might be that a person down
the line will speak with another dai,
that will gain some of they will gain
some of guidance through, or they will sincerely
go and study themselves,
and so forth.
But you always try to first clarify what
the reservation is,
then you push forward a little bit. And
sometimes you can go even a little bit
further. Right? But you just need to be
wise because you don't want to now try
and convince them. Right? That is not our
purpose. Our purpose is to convey. Right? But
we can clarify some of their misconceptions or
clarify their doubts,
and then we move on.
So I hope that makes sense.
Okay. So supporting the new Muslims, this is
very important. Right? So we've basically gone through
this. We have to have sincerity,
and, you know, ultimately, guidance in the hands
of Allah.
So after they accept the,
accepting Islam should be an informed decision. Right?
So they should review the shahada and exactly
what it means. That's why you go through
the steps. You say,
it's believing in Allah, believing in the messengers,
believing in the revelation, following the final messenger,
and so forth. And you also, you know,
give them clarity upon this path that we
need to then listen to Allah, what is
right and what is wrong,
that our previous sins are forgiven, and that
there's life, after this. Right?
And then once a person
embraces Islam, it's important to understand that there's
a new Muslim development process in place. So
if you guys are going out to do
Dawah
as a group,
you know, it's important for you to have
some kind of new Muslim support structure. Right?
Because
is not just a call to Islam, but
it's also to establish a support system for
those that accept Islam.
Right?
And, unfortunately, what we do find is that
a lot of people that embrace Islam, they
later on, you know, they leave Islam because
they don't have that support structure. They don't
have anybody that's educating them. They don't have
anybody that can help them connect with Allah.
Right?
So the most important thing to help them
connect with Allah
is to, you know, take that person to
a masjid, take them to their local community.
Right? And teach them how to make and
how to make salah. Right? Even for me,
myself, salah was like 1 of the the
cornerstones of my relationship with Allah in the
beginning.
Right?
So the focus shifts completely to that person,
right, to nurture and support them on the
journey. And it's important to advise them, to
welcome them, and to take them gradually,
right, to be prepared for this journey and
assure them of your support.
Right? And connect them with a mentor to
the local masjid and stay in regular contact
with them. Right?
So focus on Allah. Our first point of
contact is Allah
through the through through salah and dua. Right?
So the first point should be to teach
that new Muslim how to make salah. Right
now, it's not about them perfecting Surah Fatihah.
Right? That is not the the the main
focus. That person has never even spoken a
word of Arabic in their entire lives.
Right? But it's about teaching them how to
put their foreheads to the ground, how to
prostrate like prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wa sallam
has taught us. Right? And how to make
dua to Allah. Explain to them the difference
as well between salah and dua. Right? There
might be some misconceptions pertaining to that. And
then connect the new Muslim to Allah to
build a spiritual relationship with
Allah. Right? So the time to act. Right?
This is where things get,
serious. Right? Because you need to ask yourselves,
when are you guys gonna act on this?
You now have the knowledge.
You have the resources.
I'm going to share the videos with that
as you as with with you guys as
well, so you'll be able to review it.
But you need to ask yourselves, when are
you guys gonna stand up and start doing
this?
Right? Because we are instructed directly from Allah.
He says call to the way of your
Lord. Right?
It is an instruction upon us.
And we know the prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam also said that this matter Islam will
reach where the night and day reach. And
Allah will enter into every home, even if
they were made from mud or hair,
by the might of those who are mighty
and the disgrace of those who are disgraced,
with the glory that Allah glorifies Islam,
and disgrace that which he disgraced disbelief with.
And you need to ask yourself. Right? If
we know that Islam is gonna enter every
home, are you gonna be a part of
that?
So that is the