Bilal Philips – Tafseer – Surah Al-Kahf 04
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The speakers emphasize the importance of peace and understanding in achieving the ultimate goal, avoiding cultural distraction, finding the right person to marry, and avoiding hedra on society. They also stress the importance of flexibility in the context of a recessionary environment and the potential negative impact on the economy. The speakers emphasize the need for flexibility in working environments to ensure the safety of clients and employees, and for a flexible workforce to ensure the well-being of guests.
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hamdu Lillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah. All praise do to align realize Peace and blessings when the last messenger of Allah. In the previous session, we looked at verses six and seven,
and eight,
mainly focusing on seven and eight,
for a law had said concerning the earth, that he had made whatever was on it, and adornment, a beautification for the earth, and that it was part and parcel of a test. That human existence in this world is an existence of trial and test. There is hardship there is ease, there's wealth, there's poverty,
all of the things of the earth are part and parcel of a Divine Test, which last month, Allah has put on human beings. And we said that that test is not for a last minute Allah to know what he didn't know.
For him to find out something which he was unaware of.
The purpose of the test was primarily for what?
What is the primary purpose?
For us to know whether we're good or bad, I think we know whether we're good or bad.
We said on one hand, it is a part of the fulfillment or affirmation of a loss, complete justice and mercy. So on the Day of Judgment, when people are going to * and people are going to paradise, right? Nobody will argue Why are you putting me in *, no one's going to pry dice, we'll be happy to Allah's mercy that they got there. And relative to ourselves, we said that the trials primarily were for our spiritual development.
The main purpose of trials is for us to grow spiritually. It's a means of purification from sin. It's a reminder, we gave examples of all of these, it is also a punishment. For those who have turned away from Allah, Allah.
Then
we concluded with verse eight, where a law said that, after all of that, he would then make the earth bare, like as a rock, without any vegetation, or anything on it.
This is the power of last month Allah
that whatever he has created, and is given, he can take away and in fact, he will take away, it is only with us for a period of time. Either we make use of it, we benefit from it, and thereby benefit ourselves in the life to come. Or we miss the opportunities, and we don't get a second chance.
In verse nine,
a lot goes on to say, I'm hesitant to announce hobble kaffee, or rocky McCann, woman, I atina. java.
And do you think that the companions of the cave, and the inscriptions were wonders among my signs?
This is the verse in which a law now begins to deal with the story of the people of the cave.
And it is after this verse, that the surah is named surah and calf.
Verse nine, introduces the topic and verses 10 through 12, basically gives a summary of the topic. Then verses 13 to 26, gives the details of the last month Allah wants us to know about the topic.
So even gets here, talking about this beginning said that this verse meant, because there's a question in this verse. And do you think that the companions of the cave, and the inscriptions were wonders among my signs? This This question is actually not asking us
to answer. It is actually a
question which is what they call a rhetorical question.
It's actually negating something.
It's like me saying to you, you know, somebody's saying sink trying to talk to you and they're shouting. So you say to you, you think I'm deaf? No, you're not asking them to say yes, I thought you were deaf. That's why I'm shouting. You said, Do you think I'm deaf? Because meaning I'm not deaf. So we use questions like this really meaning and negation of something. Similarly in this verse, what ally is saying here?
Is that the companions incident concerning the companions of the cave?
is not so wondrous as you might imagine.
You know, this is naturally when you hear about somebody who is
buried or in a cave for 300 years or whatever, and they come back alive again, that's something amazing wondrous, you know, but alive, saying, You think that's wondrous, it's nothing compared to the rest of my science is really insignificant. So I have no theory. He said, Oh, Mohamed, this is what, of course, is addressed first and foremost, to Mohammed Salim. The ease, or the sorry, the case of the people of the cave, and the inscriptions, were not something really astonishing relative to my power and ability, the creation of the heavens in the earth, the alternation of the night and the day, the subjugation of the sun, moon and heavenly bodies, and other mighty signs all indicate
something of the incredible power of a law and show that he is able to do whatever he wills.
He's capable of doing far more amazing things and the incident of the people of the cave, Mujahid.
He reported
he was reported to have said that this verse meant among our signs are things that are far more amazing than this,
who is Mujahid?
Yes, he was among the top 18 students of the Sahaba and in particular, he was one of the students of urban abas in a much of the Tafseer of urban our bass is narrated through Mujahid.
So he was you could say one of the leading Tafseer scholars have the topic.
There is a reminder in this verse for humankind, that human beings and the incidence of their lives are quite insignificant in relationship to the remainder of creation. Humans need to be put in their place because of an abundance of wealth. And technological discoveries often leads them to arrogance and pride.
This is what you hear when you read the newspapers. The magazines you see on television, Western scientists talking Western civilization's representatives talking, arrogantly
because of the developments that they've managed to achieve, they imagine they're able to do all kinds of things, it's just a matter of time, we'll figure it all out.
So Allah makes this statement here. And he has made this statement elsewhere in the Quran, to put human creation on the correct level of being, in fact, quite insignificant in relationship to the greatness of our last creation as a whole. He said, for example, in sort of off here, that's the 40th chapter, verse 57.
The Hulk was semi white, he was out of the bedroom, and Hulk and Nancy, were like in axon, Nancy Lala moon, the creation of the heavens in the earth is indeed greater than the creation of humankind. But most people don't realize it. Most people don't realize it. All of the civilizations of the past whether it was the pharaohs, the Incas, or the Aztecs, or, you know, Persian civilization, you know, Baba gobble civilization, the various civilizations that have Greek and Roman that have come up in different parts of the world, people became very arrogant, because they're able to build big structures, beautiful structures, etc. They felt, you know, they were able
to do anything, there were no Lords of the earth. And that's why many of their rulers claim to be a law, claim to be God incarnate to be God, Himself, Pharaoh, you know, and the rulers of Rome, etc. They claim to be gods.
So a lot puts them in their place. And also we find in Surah nazjatar 79 chapter verse 27, a lot of saying there and to shut the * can I mean sama Obinna? Are you more difficult to create than the sky which he built
the sky which surrounds us? Is it more difficult to create that than to create a human being, of course not the complexities of the sky.
It's such I mean, we are only discovering bit by bit we're uncovering different aspects of it. But its complexity you know, far outweighs anything that exists on the earth.
The story linked to the story, the story of the people of the the
cave.
It is linked to a narration which is recorded in the biography of the prophet SAW Selim by Baroness hoch. When we said before that there is weakness in the chain of narration, you know where the Qureshi supposedly went to Medina and asked the Jews? What can we do to prove that Mohammed Salim was a false prophet? And they suggested to him to ask them three questions. And one of their questions was to ask him about the people of the cave. Now
this narration, as we said, is weak, though you find in most stuff series of the Grand it will be brought as evidence and proof as to they call suburban news all the reason for the revelation of the surah. Or we said really, it is not evidence because it's too weak. But
the idea that
the people of the cave, the issue of the people of the cave was something why the prophet SAW Selim, you know, is told by a loss of Allah to communicate this story to the people, you know, through the Quran. Why? What is the significance of it? Well,
there the story of the people of the cave was already in circulation amongst Christians.
It was known in Byzantium in Rome, in North Africa and areas of the Christians rule that that time by the eighth century, the seventh century time of the prophet SAW Selim sixth and seventh century, it was already known that story had circulated It was a popular story.
It was a story of faith.
And it is known as the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.
Ephesus, is a city on the west coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey.
They're known as the Seven Sleepers of emphasis, you can go to the Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 10, page 666. And it has a whole description of their story. The essence of it anyway, is that
some Christians were persecuted in the third century on 250 c under the Roman Emperor decius. The seventh or some narrations say it was decius the eighth Christian soldiers, some Christian soldiers consider themselves near the city of Ephesus, in a cave, to which the entry was later sealed.
there having protected themselves from being forced to do pagan sacrifices, they fell into a miraculous sleep during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor, Theodosius the second, that's between 408 and 450. Now you're talking about the fifth century, the cave was reopened, and the sleepers are woke,
the Emperor was moved by their miraculous presence, and by their witness to the Christian doctrine of the body's resurrection.
Having explained the profound meaning of their existence, and Seven Sleepers died,
were upon Theodosius ordered their remains to be ritually enshrined, and he absorbed all bishops who had been persecuted for believing in the bodily resurrection. The legend is extinct in several versions, including the Greek, Syriac, Coptic and Georgian texts. So this legend was well known.
And it was based on an era in which belief in the body red bodily resurrection of human beings was denied.
And those who held it, because it was a part of obviously the revealed teachings, in spite of distortions which have taken place in Christianity, they still held
on to the concept of bodily resurrection.
Right?
Later, actually, this bodily resurrection is dropped. Most Christians today don't believe in bodily resurrection, and they attack Muslims, you know, for believing in it, the fact that we believe that you will be in paradise Sharla if we make it you know, in the body in bodies, but not the same bodies that we're in now. The problems are solved them I lost my dollar, as described the things of Paradise in such a way which clearly indicates that it's not as we know it, the bodies in paradise will be not as the bodies we know it.
Right, but still bodies and things connected to the bodies, the pleasures of the bodies, whether it's eating food or a variety of other things which take place in paradise. So the Christian
Commonly they will attack Muslims, you'll hear in the doubt that what that you know, you Muslims all have this belief in bodily resurrection, your you know, your Paradise is a senseless paradise,
you know, whereas I believe is a spiritual resurrection. That's the common belief now, spiritual resurrection and spirits, of course, and actually you will find this echoed in the translation of use of alley
use a valid translation of the crime, he denies bodily resurrection,
actually, in order to try to to agree with in the making, because he tried to make his translation as acceptable to the Western mind as possible. He did it way back in the 30s. So he used you know, Shakespearean English is why it's very difficult to read if you read it. And he has copious footnotes, in which he denies so many things which are known from the religion with certainty. He denies them forever.
For example, you know, insurance. And so our interests, he denies it. But particularly as I said, he denies the spiritual, he denies the physical resurrection. So he says no to spiritual people in Pirates of the spirits, right, because that was Christian belief, right, this is more in keeping with what was acceptable in the West. So as we said, that belief later became dominant. But there was a period of time when it came in. And those who held on to bodily resurrection were persecuted. And this it was in that period of time, that the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
went to sleep in the cave,
were woken up hundreds of years later. And because of the, the ruler of the time, seeing this was obviously like bodily resurrection, because they came back and they came alive. When they opened up the cave, they found them alive, they communicate to them. And after they communicated the message, they died. So then the idea of bodily resurrection was affirmed.
Right, which is, of course, Muslim belief.
Anyway, according to them, the story is supposed to have taken place in the fifth century of the Christian era.
And you know that Islam appeared in the sixth. So obviously, this story has no connection with Islamic sources, meaning that Muslims circulated it.
It came up in the Quran, and as we said, It's found in the texts from various parts of the Christian world at the time, the Coptic, this is from Egypt, Syriac from Sham, which is on a sham. The Greek texts, as well as Georgia and Texas are from
Turkey and north of Turkey.
Anyway,
Islam confirms the story in the crime. But the details of the story
are different. They are detailed, different, this is the nature of the common status of stories found in biblical sources. And the Quranic stories, you will find their differences. And what you find in general, is that the stories in the crime focus on the essential message, they clarify misunderstandings, and they focus on what is the essential spiritual message that needed to be conveyed. They leave out a lot of the the details if you read the story of use of for example, in the Bible, you'll be amazed Actually, it's so similar to what is in the Quran, it's you know, that's why they claim Christians oftentimes will claim that you Muslims just copied it from the ground,
because it's so similar, but actually that when you look at it more closely, you will find there is a significant difference is it basically in the story of use of in the in the Bible, they will describe the door of Yaqoob house and what you know, kind of doorknob was made there and you know, you know,
details in the kitchen and utensils and hey, this is not really important. Right? So they have all this detail, you know the same story, which you know, covers like 5060 pages in the in the Bible, you know, you'll find it in the Quran and 10 pages.
The difference being the Quran focuses on the essential points in the spiritual message which has to be gotten across
anyway,
from Muslim sources, historical sources in the ninth century, and the reign of the ambassade Calif Allah.
He sent an expedition north to emphasis to find the cave, right, as he also sent an expedition into central
In Asia, looking for the wall of little earnin
You know, this is a historical point.
Anyway,
a lot goes on to say in the 10th verse
is I will fit here to nL caffi for call or abana Tina I'm in the doom karasuma why Atlanta I'm in a marina Russia
and the young men fled for refuge to the cave. They said, Our Lord, grant us Your mercy and arrange our affairs for us in the right way.
mm according to be, he noted that this verse is explicit, concerning fleeing for the sake of one's religion, and the abandonment of family, children, relatives, friends, land and wealth out of fear of trials, and what persecution a person may experience.
If we're looking, what can we extract from the verse because Allah has revealed these verses with messages? What is the message being given to us here, the concept of fleeing for the sake of one's Deen
for the sake of one's religion to preserve the religion, it is a requirement for us to flee when necessary to preserve it.
No matter what it means, if it means leaving behind family, friends, and, you know, relatives etc. We do it. The prophet SAW Selim left Mecca, fleeing for his own religion, and so did his companions he hid in a cave
in a cave.
And Allah spoke about it in the Quran.
The prophet SAW Selim and his companions abandon their city, left their lands, their homes, family, children, relatives and their close friends, hoping to preserve their religion and to escape from the persecution of the pagans Mecca. The first hedra was to have a senior to Ethiopia. Why was that? Why did they do that? To escape persecution, fleeing for the religion.
And this is what we refer to also as the Hydra,
Hydra.
Unfortunately,
today, our Hydra is for other reasons. When we look at the mass of Muslims, who have left Muslim lands, they've made hedra, to Western lands, for the dunya.
The opposite, something unthinkable to the early generations of Muslims, that you would leave the land of Muslims and go and live amongst the kuffar merely for material gain. That is unthinkable
prohibited
by the scholars, not allowable.
Totally contradicting the basic principle of fleeing for the sake of your religion.
Even those, for example, who fled
Somalia, Somalia, where they had Civil War, some years back, back in the 90s. They had major civil war going on, there was strife, there was starvation, all kinds of things happening, right.
And Europe, through open its arms,
Holland, Germany, UK, US, Canada, offered them refuge, right. And they went there.
You know that.
For how many years? Christian missionaries had been trying to convert Somalis.
So much so that you find actually if you go to southern Somalia, in the border of Kenya, you'll find many missions,
where the missionaries had set up headquarters to try to convert Somalis. And they failed and Muslims took them over. They packed up shopping went home, they were unable. Those who converted to Christianity were known one or two families, over decades of intensive missionary activity, they failed miserably.
But if you go amongst the Somali communities today, in Germany, Holland, Sweden, UK, Canada, us, you will find numbers that have converted to Christianity.
Something unthinkable, you know, a decade ago
because now you're in the land of the kuffar the disbelievers and their influence is going to be
maximum impact on you and your community, your society because, of course, some people survive. You know, Somalis. In fact, when I, you know, visited the West, in many cases they have provided, you could say new blood to the Muslim community there which have activated them. So in Toronto, for example, you know, it's one of the most active Islamic centers there is Somali Islamic Center. You know, it's not called Somali, sometimes it's called Khalid bin Khalid mosque, but most of the people there Somalis and others, very active hamdulillah it's wonderful, but at the same time, there is damage, there's a price to pay.
And that's what happens to all of the communities that have made hydro, you know, from India or Pakistan, the early waves of 20. UK to work in the mills across the UK. You know, you look at what happened to them and their families.
Many, many, many people in jails, families destroyed all kinds of things. Yes, there's Islamic activity. There's some good things happening there too. But the damage that took place is uncountable. It's tremendous. So the Sunnah of the prophets
and the Sunnah of the righteous.
The prophets of old of Muhammad wa sallam, and the righteous servants of last month, either their son that is hedra, fleeing for the sake of their religion, not for the dunya.
So you find, the prophet SAW Selim
preferred seclusion.
You said the beginning of His risala His message is Prophethood he was in the cave.
He was in the cave secluding himself and getting away from that society which was an idolatrous society, they were worshipping idols, he didn't want any part of it. He and other people known as the hunter five, is to isolate themselves from that idolatry, and revelation began.
However, the prophet SAW Selim did say, and then I had it narrated by an armada, and movement and Lydia hollington us or your spirit, Allah, Allahu Allah margarine middle movement. Under the law, you're harder to naturalize peralada, whom
they believe will mixes with the people and its patient with their harm, has a greater reward than the believer who doesn't mix with the people and bear their harm
is the general principle for
people in general, right. Meaning in societies that are livable, and not talking about societies of corruption and fitna persecution is a different situation, the normal society, in society, there will be an element of harm, which comes from mixing with people.
mixing with people, there is an element of harm. Somebody says something you don't like, they do something which is, you know, hurtful, whatever this element is there. So a person may feel a desire to want to just get away from people live off by themselves like a monk or whatever. No, Islam doesn't encourage that. Some says better,
that you mix with the people there their harm, isn't believing people in general.
The faith that develops there is better than for you to go off by yourself in a monastery. That's in the normal circumstances. But when there is a fitna, when there's trial, right, then you have another situation where there's persecution, and it is better to flee for the sake of your religion. And to be. He said, that some scholars said that seclusion should be isolation from evil, and its people in one's heart and deeds when one is among them.
Mubarak, he explained that seclusion as law
was being amongst people. And when they engage in the remembrance of Allah, you join in with them, and when they engage, and other than that, you're silent.
And there's a hadith narrated by Abu Seidel, Audrey, in which he quoted the last element saying it time will come to people in the best in which the best wealth of a Muslim will be sheep, which he herds on the mountaintops
and places where it rains, fleeing from from persecution for the sake of his religion.
A time will come to people in which the best wealth of a Muslim will be sheep which you herds on the mountaintops and places where it rains fleeing from persecution for the sake of
of his religion
is authentic and narrated by a medium.
To be also said people situations regarding this fleeing is different, one person may have the strength to live in caves and mountains.
Because it takes some of that, you know, when you're saying you're gonna flee from the society and you have to go live in the rough, right? If you've grown up pampered, you know living with air conditioning and all these other kinds of things, then fulfilling that may not be so easy. So the quote that he points out that this may vary from person to person. So if one has the strength to go live in caves and mountains, this is the highest level, because it was the one chosen by Allah for His Prophet sallallahu wasallam in the beginning. And he also mentioned that regarding the use of the cave, he said, when you include yourself from them, and what they worship, besides the law, then
seek refuge in the cave.
Perhaps for another person's seclusion in his houses easier.
For another person, seclusion in one's house, just avoid going out into the corrupt circumstances is easier. Right? We know in the malls and shopping centers what's going on there, you know the times when it's maximum corruption. So you avoid these places. You stay in your home and you go out only when it's necessary.
And that was the path taken by a number of the companions of the Prophet SAW Selim, who are taking part in the Battle of other meaning that they were promised paradise. promise I'll sell them promised those who took part in the Battle of Paradise, all of the companions.
So many of those were taking part in the Battle of battle. When of mine rather long on who the third Caliph was assassinated. They stayed in their homes there in Medina, they stayed in their homes, and didn't leave their homes until their bodies were taken to the graveyards.
Other people may find a point between them
to be patient while mixing with people and bearing their harm.
So he is with them outwardly, while against them inwardly.
So each person finds the level that he or she can handle.
And as a general
statement concerning, you know, living by oneself also,
there's a hadith narrated by aka by Eben Amir, in which he called the prophet SAW Selim and saying, your Lord is amazed that the shepherd herding goats on a cliff at the top of a mountain, who makes the dam for prayer, and says his prayers, a lot Most Great. And Gloria says, Look at this servant of mine, making the call to prayer and establishing the prayer out of his fear for me, I forgiven my servants, and I've put him in paradise.
Now,
this might be mistakenly taken that hey, that's an idea circumstances go live on the top of the mountains, you know, but this is not really what the Hadees is saying. The Hadith is saying that a person on his own because think of it now, if it's just you, and your sheep on the top of the mountain,
to make the other than on time,
and to make your prayers on time is a struggle.
See right now we have an ongoing, people are going to the masjid your family, whatever. So there's other influences that make you want to go to the masjid. So now when you're off on your own,
and you maintain that Salah, this is something pleasing to Allah. So much so that he promised this individual paradise
trial, nobody's watching you. You know, you're not doing it for the sake of anybody. This is purely for the sake of Allah because you fear a lot. You believe that this is what is the right have a lot over you. So you fulfill it.
The second point, unquote, to be pointed out from this verse
is in a lot of mighty statement, they said our Lord grant us Your mercy, meaning forgiveness and provision and arrange our affairs for us in the right way. According to my boss, this meant an exit from the cave safely.
When they fled to the cave, from those chasing them, they visit themselves with supplication and sought refuge with a law. According to this concept. The profits are seldom used to hasten to his prayers, whenever any matter disturbed him.
Is had is that effect for example,
Therefore, he narrated the process of concerned process lm he said either has about who am Ron Sala,
whenever a matter disturbed the prophet SAW solemn, you would go and pray.
So this is I should know,
whenever we have, you know, pressure, calamity, something bothering us cetera, go and make sure
there's no special meaning we have two records for problems No, because people are always looking for this is do you have a salad that we can deal with our problems with? Yes, especially special law? No, I mean, just turn to Allah subhanaw taala. I saw that he mentioned that these youths, they combined effort and flight from persecution to a place in which they could hide with humble supplication to a law to facilitate their affairs, and avoiding depending on themselves, or the creation.
The use, they combine two things, they combined efforts.
They didn't just stay in the circumstance where the tyrant ruler and his cohorts were hunting them down. They just stayed there
and said, Oh, law protect us. No, they fled. They made effort, go and try and find someplace, right, fleeing from persecution, and finding a suitable place to hide themselves.
This is part two faith.
It's not faith, to stand and say come get me.
Really, as dangerous, I'm selling them and said, you know, don't hope for meeting the enemy.
Don't hope for meeting the enemy.
Because when you meet the enemy, it may be not like you expected.
Because when you're not in conflict, you know, you can always say yeah, if I was there, I'll do this. And I could do that. And I will do this and that. But now when you actually find yourself in the situation,
now you're held responsible for you to turn heels and run.
Major sin, fleeing and the time of battle is a major sin islamically.
So they combine this effort with supplication to a loss of love.
So they sought refuge in the cave. But they knew there was no guarantee that the cave was going to protect them. So they turned to a law and put their trust in him that he would look after their affairs. And this is a well known principle in Islam, that you make the effort, then you trust in the law. This trusting a law after effort is called
tawakkol tawakkol there is another thing where people don't make the effort, but they just put their trust in the law. This is called tawakkol.
They sound similar when it's tawakkol. The other one is tawakkol. A second one is not acceptable Islamic.
Well, some people say but you know if Allah wishes that to happen is going to happen. If it has been written for you, it will happen. Okay? So you want to have children, your desire, you pray to a lot or a lot, please, you know, give me grant me children. But you don't leave your home. You don't go to try to find a wife. But you say sitting at home Allah grant me children.
I mean, we have to we have some reason Allah gave us reason and logic here to combine cause and effect.
And we function according to it and that's why the well known Hadith
which is narrated Where is it? In Sudan autonomy, the authentic hadith in which a man came into the masjid.
Right.
As he was about to go and sit down with the prophesized alum, he realized that he had forgotten to tie his Camel Up.
So he said to the prophet SAW Selim, when he caught himself he was gonna go back when he said it better ask the prophet SAW Selim to see what he has to say about this. Is it better for me
to
trust in Allah
right, and let the camera go. If it's gonna go Let it go.
Or should I go and tie it up?
He saw a difference between the two going to tie it up basically you're saying I'm gonna take care of my business. Right? Was trusting and allies just leaving it to a lot of them said what? I couldn't
tie it up and trust in the law. Because even after you tied it up
There's no guarantee it's still gonna be there. Other things gonna happen. But the basic principle is, you make the effort first. And then you turn your affairs over to a law. This is what a lot of this is about. Also, a lot of people don't understand. So not that it's too hard.
It's mixed up in their minds. They think thought is the harder is what?
Like a crystal ball. You want to know the future? Right?
Should I, you know, do this? Or should I do that? Or should I do that, you know, you're looking for the future? Some answer to the future? This is was this Islamic version instead of going to the fortune teller? You know, we turn it's the heart is what tells us our fortune. Well, this is not what you're supposed to do.
Right? You know, the proper way, if we follow the Hadees, perhaps I'll send them it said
either
comb, the ambreen if you have decided on an affair.
This is this is the key. You have decided on? unfair, okay? You want to know you want to marry this particular person? Usually people using it for marriage. You want to marry this person? Should I marry this person or not? what people are doing is okay. I don't know whether I should marry my mother. Let me make it harder.
make it harder. before you go to sleep, you know, waiting for something in a dream, a green light to blink in the dream or something right? Tell You go ahead.
Some kind of sign which you go back, you know, to the molana whatever he's gonna interpret it to me, that's a go ahead sign.
But this is not a prophet SAW. Selim said, he never said anything of this. He never said do it before going to sleep. He never said look for it in your dream. He never said anybody's gonna interpret it for you thought.
Instead, he said, if you decided to do something. In other words, you must make the effort first. You want to know should I marry this person or not? What? How do you make the effort? Well, you have to find out? Does she fit under the categories that the prophet SAW Selim said that a woman is married for her religion first and foremost. Is she religious? She's not religious. So why are you talking about this to her here? She's irreligious. She's not covering. She's not praying five times a day, no, so many things. Oh, she's beautiful. But all the other things are not there.
And you're going to make it staccato.
It's not the place to make a staccato know that you've already been told by the province wasallam, how to make a decision. Okay, if she fits that part, then you have your family members, you have other people to get other information about her family about, you know, her other details that you may not know from just meeting her. So after you've gathered all the information together, now, you feel Yes, this is a good person for me to marry. Now you go to make it.
Now you got to make, you've decided, yes, I want to marry this person, she's a good choice. So now you make a staccato, you ask a law, or a law, you know, based on your knowledge of all things, your ability to do all things, you know, if this thing is good for me and my religion, marrying her is good for me in my religion in my life, then make it easy for me, lets me in it.
And if it's not good for me, then take it away from me and choose from me something else and make me pleased with it.
So
what are you doing here? You are turning your affairs over to a law after having made your decision. That's the principle. You've now applied the principle. So the idea for example, what is common again, people will say, you know, they go to the molana molana. Can you make it harder for your
parents will make it harder for the kids? No, no, no. You can't make it to Harvard. He says, If any one of you has made a decision, you you you was made the decision. You're the one to make us the harder. You can't pass it on to your parents to the molana to anybody No.
You have to make it. No. So it's not something transferable. Again, this is a misunderstanding, General misunderstanding in the Muslim world about the staccato as I said, where it is being used like a crystal ball.
Now, if we look at the story, there's another point to note here.
Worth noting here that Allah is talking about fiducia
plural of Fatah which means use.
And he has taken these use as the example of faith that he's talking about true faith.
And the rewards for true faith is basically the stories about
his chosen youth as the example and this is significant.
Because
if you consider Prophet Mohammed Salim Tao and Mecca,
he made Dawa there for 13 years
10 years in Medina
in the course of the 13 years in Mecca, none have his relatives who are older than him, accepted Islam.
None of his relatives who are older than him, accepted Islam.
The people who accepted Islam were mainly younger people.
And this is a norm.
You find, for example, in America today, where they estimate between three and 400 people accept Islam every day in the US.
between three and 400 people, the average age of those who accepted Islam is between 20 and 25.
Mid 20s, around the mid 20s, mid to you know, 2627, also mid 20s, basically.
And,
personally, I know, of the 3000 Americans who accepted Islam after the first Gulf War
3000 American troops soldiers that came over there, accepted Islam.
Of those 3000. At least 80% of them were young, early 20s 19. Why?
Because young people are open to new ideas. Old people are fixed in their ways. Custom and tradition they want to hold on to tooth and nail. Young people are rebellious. Isn't that part of the nature of youth, you know, from the what they call the terrible twos, the kids, they have a period to call the terrible twos when the kids are two. And they're rejecting everything they're, you know, fighting with you from age two onwards, you know, there is rebellion happening, right, and it peaks in the teens.
So this is the nature of the youth. So the point is that when they're exposed to new ideas, new beliefs, etc. If they feel it's right, they're prepared to rebel, against the society, the custom, everything, no problem, whereas the old person is gonna think twice, three times consequences, what's the family gonna say what is gonna happen, and you know, all the things that are connected with it.
And what was the case of I will call it is not what it was about, I will tell you the truth, but the whole issue of family and how the rest of the tribe is gonna look at us and everything stopped him, though he knew better than you and I, that Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam was a messenger of Allah.
He knew it with a certainty that you and I cannot dream of.
He raised the prophets, I send them himself.
So this is the nature of youth.
And the fact that a lot of times Allah
use them as an example of commitment to faith
is significant
in that it puts faith in youth on a special level.
It puts faith in youth as on a special level, those of us who are raised believing in a law and maintain that belief.
Then, the prophet SAW Selim had a special category for them.
When people are resurrected, standing waiting for the judgment, and the sun will be brought close to them.
As if only a mile away. People will be sweating from the heat. Some people their sweat will be up to their knees, some people up to the neck, some people drowning in their sweat, and there's no relief, no shade.
On that day at that point,
there will be seven groups of people shaded by the throne of Allah, when there will be no other shade.
Abu huraira he narrated, the prophet SAW Selim and said, seven will be shaded by a loss of mighty on a day when there is no shade beside his shade. Adjust ruler, a youth who grows up worshipping a law, a man whose heart is attached to the mosques, to men who love each other for the sake of Allah. They meet on the basis of it and separate on the basis of it. A man who was invited by a woman of high position and beauty and reply and replies, invited to corruption and replies Indeed, I fear a law. A man who gives charity and hides it so much that his left hand is unaware of what his right hand gave
Imagine remembers the line privates, and his eyes become filled with tears. So the second category, the young person who grows up worshipping a lot,
that category is related to the first category, the righteous ruler,
the mom called the mom, ideal, righteous ruler. Why? Because where there is a righteous ruler, he is going to have an impact on the society, he will establish the laws of a law in this society. So then it will be easier for young people to grow up, fearing a lot, right?
Because the society will be Islam is
Islam will be in the educational system, it will be in the social system, it will be throughout the society.
But in the case, where a society is corrupt,
as most societies in the world today are amongst Muslims, as well as non Muslims.
Growing up
fearing a law
is something rare.
It is something rare
is the special case.
And this is why the prophet SAW Selim, identify them in this special category.
The question that we need to ask ourselves, though,
we recognize this is a special case, for a young person to grew up with all of the influences that exists around them in the society today, righteous, very difficult. We have to ask ourselves,
how do we raise righteous children?
I mean,
is the raising of children, something we do?
by what we call trial and error?
And that's what most of us do, isn't it? Probably never
down the line, you learn from your older kids, what you shouldn't do to the younger kids, right? Is what happens to most of us. Of course, this is a big mistake, is the big mistake.
Raising righteous children has particular requirements,
that anyone going into marriage or anyone considering raising children has to take into account.
As they say,
if you fail to plan,
you plan to fail. Right? So if you fail to plan out, how am I going to tackle this thing of raising children, otherwise, just gonna do it, Bumble style, you know, learn by your mistakes, and for sure, you're going to fail, you know, and you will leave behind damage which may be irrepairable.
So, one has to take the necessary steps, one needs to find out what they are, what has to take them in order to raise my children. Of course, the first step
hamdu Lillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah.
As we were saying that, if we were to raise righteous children,
then we have to follow some principles. Actually, some scholars point out
that if you are now talking about raising righteous children, you know, you've got your kids you wanna you come into ask how to raise them righteous, they pointed out that you've already missed the boat.
That too, if you plan to raise righteous children, you have to start even before you got married, you got to choose a righteous wife.
Well, if you haven't chosen the righteous wife, and to talk about raising righteous children, you know, when your wife is going to be spending most of the time with the children
and lost the opportunity, opportunity is gone.
And then,
in terms of raising the children, of course, one has to consider the environment of the home where the children spends much of its life.
That we have to create an Islamic environment
and then the environment outside of the home.
You have to try to put the child in that Islamic environment, whether it's Islamic schools, or making hedra to a country where they can be raised in an Islamic environment.
And
we have to consider the various instruments of the media which exists in our homes, whether it's newspapers, magazines,
radio, television videos, you know, all of these things, DVDs, all these things that are available in our homes,
to the largest degree, most of that contains corruption.
So it means that we would have to clean up our homes
on a level, which may be quite uncomfortable for a lot of us, because we've become used to and accustomed to these forms of entertainment.
And of course,
in dealing with children, it is important to
give them the reasons
and relate things back to a last minute Allah.
When we beat them, if we have to beat them, we don't just beat them because I'm upset. I don't like what you've done here. But no, this is something not pleasing to Allah, Allah,
link it back with a law Likud back with the dean, linking back with Islam, you know, keep that connection. And whatever you're doing, of course, of course, you have to be sure that what you're doing is correct. You don't want to link it with the dean, and then you're doing something incorrect.
And of course, we have to remember that children learn, mostly by example. So when we say do, as I say, not as I do, doesn't work,
doesn't work.
So if, for example,
we find ourselves in a situation where somebody calls the house we don't want to speak to.
And the kid picks up the phone
and says, you know, that so and so's on the phone? You say, Tell him I'm not here.
The kid tells Oh, so that's not here.
Then later, you find the kid lying left and right.
You wonder Why are you lying? You know, I don't allow lying in my house.
You just were the best example of a liar that there could be, you know, you've taught your child, you know, to lie, that it's okay.
inadvertently, I mean, you weren't thinking about what you're doing. But this is just a simple example of much of what we end up doing without realizing it. We show the children the worst example. And we expect from them the best.
So
that concludes basically
the beginning of the story concerning the people of the cave.
We said in the beginning,
that the story began, looking at
the
fact that the situation of the cave, as amazing as it was,
it is not greater, and more amazing than the signs of a last month either universe.
And that human beings are really quite insignificant in relationship to a lot of creation. And we need to keep that in mind, keep ourselves in perspective.
And then we looked at the fact that
when the youths fled into the cave,
they combined
taking steps to protect themselves from persecution with supplication to a loss of autonomy, putting their trust in a law after having made their efforts.
And finally, we focused on the issue of youth and faith in youth. And this is important also in dialogue. And people are considering, it doesn't mean that you just avoid old people, older people. But, you know, don't be disheartened if you're trying to give $1 to all the people and they're not responding. You know, you know, that is that is the norm. That is the nature of things. So you tried to focus on
those who are most receptive, don't be discouraged. And still, if you've tried with an older person, and they've not responded doesn't mean you leave them after that, as long as they still listen, and you continue to try. Because you never know, at what point they will make that change for themselves, you know, but it's something that they have to do. It's much more difficult for those people who are older people stop here. Are there any questions you'd like to ask?
concerning what we've covered?
Okay, the inverse nine brothers question concerning the inscriptions
mentioned rakeem.
scholars of Tafseer have tried to give a variety of different
interpretations of it, but actually, there's no clear knowledge of what RPM is. Some people said rocky meant a place. You know, some said rakeem is a group of people, they had a variety of different explanations. But
the favorite opinion
is that
it meant inscriptions from Mark kumala describes the
Kitab woodmark, whom the book which has been written in, right, so Rocky, meaning more kuhlmann, you have this structure in Arabic where that form, they are interchangeable in their meaning. So
what inscriptions was referring to, was it the inscriptions that was written over the cave when it was sealed, after they died, and they sealed it up, and they left some kind of inscriptions to indicate it. And there is some historical archaeological evidence to indicate that actually, this the place where this took place is in Jordan, they've actually found a place there with inscriptions and this type of thing, you know, in Jordan is a place which they claim is actually the place of the seven snipers.
Or whether it was what they had kept with them. You know, the teachings that they had the true teachings, which they had when they went into the cave, they carried with them writings. So is it in reference to that? Allah knows best?
We'll be coming to that.
Okay, brother, questioning concerning the significance of the dog. Well, actually, that's jumping ahead. We're coming to this to the actual details of the story. We'll deal with that as we come. Your second question?
Sure, okay. Brother I did in terms of the steps for ensuring a righteous child draws, I just do odd that you say after marriage is that you say when going to your wife, these two are? I mean, they are done? According to those who hold the gun? is authentic narration at the birth of the child? No. So there, there are a variety of different laws that that should be added, we make the effort and return to our last
question from the sisters was,
what would be the position of those people who make hedra to non Muslim countries, for reasons other than say necessity, absolute necessity going there for medical reasons, for example, you can't get a particular operation done in your own country, you have to go there for operation, and it's acceptable. Or if you go there, even for trade, you know, you go yourself something, you come back, you're not setting up home there, per se, right.
People who go for those reasons. Next, it's acceptable, you go for education for a period of time, where that education is not available in your country. Again, some people might say, but it's better there.
You know, we have it, but it's not as good there. Well, the point is that there
you have all kinds of other harms coming along with it.
You that's what you have to consider,
you know,
to accept what is available within an Islamic or relatively Islamic environment where your deen is safe, is better than to throw your youth or your child into, you know, a circumstance which is, you know, unsafe. I remember one brother in Riyadh in debate had come to me. He told me that his brother was coming from England from Pakistan brothers coming from England. And he wanted me to sit with his brother.
He wanted to some advice, what books to use, it's a certain set of books for what he said when his brother had become a Christian missionary.
His brother had become a Christian missionary father had sent the parents and sent him to England to study whilst he was in university married a Christian girl converted to Christianity changes direction of study into missionary studies, and now he was a missionary.
So, I mean, this is this is one case, but there are many others. So we have to consider, you know, when this happens now, who is at fault Of course, he is a prophet making the choice he made. Mostly it was based on his ignorance of Islam. But the parents carry a huge portion of the blame here, because they put him in that situation.
When I was teaching in the American University, some of the female students had mentioned to me, you know, that they had a boyfriend they wanted to marry. Right. And he's, again, kids from indo Pakistan, kids whose families are conservative, right?
You know, the, the young sister would say, you know, my parents put me in the university, you know, and said, We trust you.
We trust you, you know, to be good, and so on and so forth. But think about it, they're being put into a mixed University, you know, a situation of corruption and then saying, We trust you, we're putting you into danger, and we trust you to stay on the right path.
You know, this is very foolish, very foolish, you can't talk about trusting this person. So naturally, she falls in love with some one of the male students there, because that's what happens.
You know, and then, of course, the family goes ballistic,
becomes a major problem, really. And that's why I advise those parents and said, parents, you put them in there, then you have to be ready for what comes out of it. So if they come to you and say, Listen, I got this boyfriend I want to marry, then don't explode. Find out who this person is, and try to, you know, see if he's a good person, so and so and so on. If he does fit, then better you get the marriage. Because otherwise, you know, you've got major other problems coming behind it. You are to blame first and foremost, because you put them there.
So we just say that in general, you know, we do have responsibilities going to these countries, for purposes other than dow and for people to say, Well, I'm going there for our
you know,
it's nice to say it. But I think mostly people use that as a cover, you know, to justify, in reality, people are going there because of the citizenship. You know, getting a citizen Canadian citizenship, you know, that one part of the question was, is it okay to go and get Canadian citizenship, for example, American citizenship, you go there because you feel fulfilled? requirements, you will get the citizenship, but you don't plan to live there. Just get the citizenship. For what? What is the purpose of getting that citizenship? You don't really don't plan to live there.
I mean, you have to really look into yourself and ask yourself, What are you really doing? Because to get that citizenship, you have to pledge, you have to make a pledge of allegiance.
You know, which is haram, that pledge that you make to the country is Chinook. It's a pledge of Chinook islamically. And for you to make that when it is not a question of life and death is haram.
It was life and death, you have no other place to go. If you don't make a move there, you're going to die. Okay.
But not for you to go there just because Canadian citizenship, you know, stopped us this, that you know,
it's sinful.
And you're held accountable.
You mentioned that
Jesus, which is mentioned in the book of
our
references.
Okay, brother mentioning other references, common references, there are many in the crowd. I mean, that I wouldn't really want to try to tackle here now, you know, there are many other references. And it's good to look at the biblical sources
to make comparative presentations, you know, for the dollar purpose, question from the sister side, concerning one sister who went to Jordan, and she was taken on a tour, and she was taken to the caves. You know, I just spoke about in Jordan, where they claim it to be the name of the secret. She said, basically, that I know, it probably wasn't, what do we don't know?
Because the fact that it's, you know, they refer to it as emphasis in southern Turkey, doesn't necessarily mean that that's where it is, that's just a Christian claim. Right? It may not necessarily have been there, and one just has to look at really, what is the archaeological evidence to support it? You know, to track it down? Does this have to be some historical record behind it?
But the question was, what is the Islamic ruling concerning visiting such places go there to the, to the Dead Sea, you know, place of Sodom and Gomorrah, these kind of places? Well, I mean, there's some places where the prophet SAW Selim and said, you know, you go to wherever a lot of punishment took place, you should pass through there quickly. You shouldn't it shouldn't turn it into a tourist attraction. You're going there looking at the wandering, you know, it's supposed to pass through there quickly and seek refuge and a lot from what's happened to these people.
So, where it is someplace where it could be something was one of the signs of a law. That's different.
So to go visit it, there's no harm in that sense. But of course, as I said, it's good to do research and to find out in fact if this is really correct Okay, inshallah we'll stop here. So panicle over harmonica, chalet Ilana and stop Furukawa to garlic