Bilal Philips – Tafseer – Surah Al-Kahf 13
AI: Summary ©
The importance of regular worship, including regular prayer, frequent prayer, and even praying is essential for Islam's overall success. Prayer is crucial for achieving goals and building a bond with others, avoiding giving up on actions of worship and avoiding giving up on activities of worship. It is crucial to avoid false accusations and distractions, avoid giving up on actions of worship, and not be too busy living outside of one's means. Prayer is crucial for achieving goals and building a bond with others, and the benefits of working from home and remote work are highlighted.
AI: Summary ©
hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam ala rasulillah Karim. Allah Allah was Hobie for many standard the Sunnah to Medina operates due to a law and millas Peace and blessings beyond the last prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and an all those who follow the path of righteousness until the last day.
We are continuing the Tafseer of Surah Al calf
with verse 28. The first 27 verses, with the exception of a few verses, at the very beginning, dealt with the story of the youths who took refuge in a cave in the past,
for the sake of their religion, Allah law protected them
and cause them to sleep their 300 plus years
and brought them back as evidence to people of a later generation.
That the resurrection, the bodily resurrection was truth.
And the story
contained in it a number of lessons we spoke about,
mostly concerning fearing a law
that the law would provide a way
whenever the believers are faced with trials. As long as they fear a law
and they make some sacrifice for the sake of the religion of Allah. Allah will make a way for them.
Carrying on now with verse 28, where a lot begins saying, What's good enough second, I live in a dog owner of the home belladati will
he do?
Well ah Do I NACA,
to redo Xena to hire to dounia will out to tear man alfalah kalba who I only crina What about wacana amuru furuta.
Keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking his face. And do not let your eyes overlook them. Designing the pomp and glitter of the life of this world and do not obey Him whose heart I have made heedless to my remembrance. One who follows his own desires and whose deeds have become lost.
And the first part of the verse was severe enough second malady near the owner of the home below that you will actually URI do not
keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord, morning and afternoon seeking his face.
Ally instructs the Prophet sallallahu Sallam and the believers to sit with those who remember him. Those who c'est la ilaha illAllah who praise Him glorify Him, declare his greatness and call on Him in worship for their needs, morning and evening. All the servants of a law whether rich, poor, strong or weak.
This is an instruction. This This verse is a general has general implications and and specific implications.
As I said, this verse contains
general instructions as well as specific instructions if directed to the Prophet sallahu wa sallam first and foremost
and then to the oma.
And it begins with a command for patience was to be enough sec.
That is, keep yourself patiently right. And this is a command for patience in righteousness.
Patience is normally associated with trials and calamities when we normally associate patience to be patient, when we are faced with difficulty, problems, etc. However, this verse calls for patience, in righteousness MLK him, he noted that patience is required, basically in three areas of life, the first in worshiping a law and following his commandments. Second, in abstaining from wrong actions. And third, in accepting a laws decree and ruling that is the law and other
These three areas can be found mentioned in the advice given to Luqman by Luke man to his son. In Surah lukeman verse 17, Yamuna Akemi Sala what more Bill maruf one handle Moncure warspear alhama sabak in Adana, come in as many more are my son established regular prayer and join what is just and forbid what is wrong and bear with patient constancy whatever befalls you for this is firmness of purpose in the conduct of your affairs.
And joining what is just includes doing what is good and forbidding what is wrong includes abstaining from wrong action. So, these three basic areas are included in this verse, worshiping a law and following his commands patience is needed there.
It is needed in the sense that in order to carry out instructions,
one has to perform acts of worship regularly sincerely and with knowledge.
Worship not performed regularly is of no real value.
Meaning on a very basic level, allows command for example, with regards to Salah is to establish prayer,
aka Miss Salah established the prayer, the command is not merely to pray.
The two different things.
People understanding that what is required of a Muslim is to pray, may pray only on Fridays. So we have the phenomenon of the Friday Muslim, or they may pray only in Ramadan. So we have Ramadan Muslim,
and so on and so forth. But this is not what is acceptable to law to our last month Allah, this form of worship is what is known as precautionary worship
where a person worships in case
he is not certain about the law.
he worships in case there is a law. So on the Day of Judgment, he can say, Well, at least I prayed on Fridays, you know, I pray during Ramadan. So I have some prayer behind me, can I get through on this. But of course, it doesn't work that way. Because what is required is the establishment of regular worship, not praying according to our own desires. Because in that case, we're not submitting ourselves to a law. So regular worship, being regular in all of the various aspects of worship. sola being only one aspect and there are many other aspects that requires patience, patience, that the person, the patient, to stick with that regular worship.
On the other hand, there is a danger involved in regular worship, the danger that things which are performed regularly and consistently
can become routine.
They can become routine, you need to do it regularly to establish it and then make it real. But at the same time, things which are done regularly, can become routine, meaning that you get in the mode of prayer.
But you lose the spirit, physically as you catch the prayers at times, but the spirit of the prayer now can be lost.
This is one of the reasons why
a man who wanted to fast one of the companions wanted to fast, continually.
The profits are seldom discouraged him. Track stopped him, gave him different options three times in a month, twice a week. But when he insisted, he said, then fast, the best fast which is the fast of that would fasting every other day. Fasting every other day is better than fasting every day outside of Ramadan. Outside of Ramadan, yes, Ramadan is set every day, for that month. But outside of that for the rest of one's life, it is better to fast every other day than to fast every day. Why? Because fasting every day, you know, when we start Ramadan. When we start Ramadan, the first few days, it's the greatest struggle for us after a while you get into the flow and it just slides
through. This is also why we're told not to fast those last few days before Ramadan. So you lose even that initial no struggle and spiritual, you know, rise that you get from first starting the fast right so the fast
Immediate before Ramadan a few days before, we're told not to leave those days free, come into Ramadan without fasting on those days, you know. So all of it to try to keep it as fresh as possible. So throughout life if one was to fast every other day, then you fast, fast, regularly fast every other day. So your system never gets a chance to be used to the fasting, you fast one day, the next day, you're not fasting, you fast the other day that is, so each time you fast, though it may become a regular routine for you in the general sense, physically on the individual individual scale. It's new every day. Because every it's every other day, right. So this is to preserve that
freshness and newness in the worship. But there are some aspects of worship that just require regular anyhow, try praying five times a day, we pray five times a day. And that is the basic formula, the basic requirements of every Muslim. You know, we don't make any excuses not to do this, because this is the basic minimum, one goes below that. One is in fact forgetting Allah.
So
when we pray regularly,
we have the danger of it becoming ritualistic meaning that we lose our sincerity in it.
So if the prayer is not in order to please a law,
then
that will be the case.
So in order to protect it,
it is necessary for us to make sure that our prayers are sincere, to protect us from falling into that trap.
checking on our own sincerity on a regular basis, whether it's prayers, whether it's fasting, whether it's whatever act of worship we're doing, which we do on a regular basis, we always check on our sincerity, check ourselves for sincerity.
This the second point that we should do, that we have to keep in mind, in terms of regular worship,
is that we don't deviate from the way of the Prophet Muhammad wa sallam.
We don't deviate from the way of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam. Because again, things that are done regularly then you know repetitively.
You can find yourself for example, in prayer, again, just keeping it on the basic prayer, that you start to pray faster.
So your prayer in its format changes.
So you're no longer praying as the prophet SAW Selim prescribed the prayer, you're praying your own way, you're running through it very quickly. The movements are all you know flowing into each other instead of breaking and pausing in between each movement as is required.
So one always has to keep in mind of doing whatever act of worship we're supposed to be doing, doing it in accordance with the Sunnah of the prophet SAW solemn. And secondly, we said, in maintaining sincerity in our acts of worship, because we as human beings have a natural aversion for carrying out acts of worship.
Because acts of worship require sacrifice, the human nature is it tries to avoid sacrifice. If there's an easy way out a short cut something which doesn't require effort on our part, then we are attracted to these things. This is why, you know, people fall into different traps where people you know, are given formula, etc. Excuses from doing what they have to do. They're given special prayers for example, which will take place take the place of all the other prayers for example, the, what they call Juma Toluca, which I was introduced to by some Pakistani brothers, we're doing a project on
Ramadan, and the things that needed to be you know, noted in Ramadan that people should be aware of, and they mentioned to me Judah Juma Toluca. So, I asked him, Well, what is this Juma till we die and never heard of it before? without meaning Farewell, right the farewell Juma? So they said, Well, you know, it is said that if one catches that Juma, the last Juma of Ramadan, it covers all the prayers of the year, right that covers the prayers for a whole year. So this is the you know, you don't want to miss Juma till we die so if you don't pray at any time in the year make sure you catch at least you Mathilde with that. So of course, this is something which people have made up it's easy. You
know in the hearts, you know,
leaned towards it. Why? Because it's, you know, if you can get away from praying five times a day all year long and just catch this one prayer in the year, which takes place of everything, who will not try for that, right? So, of course, this is fabricated, there's no such thing we have, we have the prophets salams had you just called hospital without the farewell Hajj, we also have the waffle with that, that is the farewell tour of you know, going around the Kaaba before leaving Mecca. But we don't have any Juma to do that.
But this is what happens in places where people look for shortcuts, there are individuals who are prompted by Satan, satanic sources, whatever will feed them this kind of information. And of course, these things will spread like wildfire, become very popular.
So
this is among the things that we need to keep in mind, since this is our nature,
we then have to be careful to maintain the freshness, the purity of our worship, so that it doesn't become ritualistic, and lose its value.
And this includes also the recommended acts of worship, even the voluntary acts of worship, as soon as that we do before and after prayers, even things like reading Quran, this is among the voluntary acts of worship, and attending circles of learning, etc, all of these, we may be motivated at a point in time to do so. But then, of course, shaytan is chipping away at whatever we have, and will try to discourage us so that you know, we come one time, we don't come five, we just pop in once in a while, you know, like Halley's Comet only see you every 100 years or whatever, you know, I mean, it is easy for us to it's easier to do things that way than to be consistent. And of course, to get
real knowledge and to really benefit one needs to be consistent. That's why the prophet SAW Selim said that, you know, a lot prefers from us that we do small acts of worship, but do them regularly, rather than big acts of worship, you know, we come up with all this worship, then it's only good for a month, then for two months, five months, we're not doing the worship, then we get motivated again, we come back up again No, like this, eventually, our desire will fall and we want to the time between was get longer and longer. And we will go farther and farther away from our last month Allah. So doing regular acts of worship, trying to establish take amounts that are doable, you know,
rather than Okay, we want to read the whole crime, you know, we need we should be trying to read the Quran once every month. But, you know, the amount of time that we have is such that it's not possible for us to read the whole juice every morning, for example, or even dividing it up during the day because there's so many other things, no, okay. So take something smaller, you know, once a month is beautiful, but if practically speaking, we can see it's not possible, better to try it, you know, once every two months or once every three months, but at least established that get that fixed once that is established and fixed, then one can you know, increase and improve.
So every step of the way, if not, am I not to say humans need patience in carrying out acts of worship, before one starts to do an act of worship. He or she must make sure their intentions are correct.
One has to make sure intentions are correct before beginning their act of worship.
He should check his sincerity and to seek avoid showing off during the act of worship.
And while doing the act of worship, one should perfect it do it to the best that one can the best meaning the in accordance with the recommendations of the Prophet sallallahu wasallam This is the best the best is what he did what he recommended.
Some people may give you other things which they consider our promote to be better.
For example, there is a book in common circulation amongst many people called fuzzily. armel. Right. This book contains in it a story amongst other stories about individuals and they mentioned names of certain individuals, well known people of the past big figures,
Abu hanifa, in particular, they mentioned supposedly, he used to pray Salatin fudger with the widow of Salatin Asia, he did that for 20 years.
Praying Salatin fudger with the Voodoo of Salatin Asia for 20 years, what does that mean?
means he didn't go to sleep at night.
That's what it means. It didn't sleep at night for 20 years. But Allah says he made the night for sleeping under day for working.
And Prophet Muhammad wa sallam slept at night and was active in the day he did get up for tahajjud but we have no record of him doing this. no record of him praying, Salat and fudger. Even one time
with the widow of Salah Malaysia
we have no narration of this is not the same may not have done it on some occasion. Right? We can't deny that it may not have been done but we have no record of it being done.
Much less doing it continually. So now, though, for some people who are not aware of the Sunnah of the prophet SAW Selim they would say wow, Mashallah, this is really, you know, really something righteous and holy. To pray this for Latin fudger with the Woodward's thought in Asia for 20 years, Masha Allah, but
can they do better than Rasulullah? Salah said,
No.
So no matter how attractive it may sound, how wonderful it may be, if it is not in accordance with the way the prophet SAW Salaam, then no know that it is not the better way.
We seek to perfect our acts of worship by doing it in accordance with the instructions of Rasulullah sallallahu wasallam.
And also, once one can finishes an act of worship, than one also has to abstain from doing anything which would corrupt that act of worship. Because shavon is busy. Shaytan is going to come at us in the beginning, whilst we're doing it, and at the end, in order to destroy that act of worship. So the benefit from it is last. So even at the end, the law says For example and so in Baccarat verse 264, yeah, you will lead in amanu. loud to you so the article will manual other or you believe do not cancel your charity, by reminders of your generosity or by injury.
So you do charity? But then you remind people of that charity every time didn't I do this for you?
Weren't you the needy one that came to me and asked me and I gave you that just destroyed the value of the charity. So we have to be careful from the beginning to be conscious of what are our intentions? Is this for the sake of a law? Or is this to show people whilst we're doing it? Are we doing it in accordance with the wherever through law Salama, we're doing it to the best of our ability and at the end,
have we completed it
as a last month, Allah has prescribed for us kept it pure, protected it from destruction.
So one should exercise patience in refraining from
admiring and feeling proud of one's performance of one's act of worship, as this is more damaging, than committing many other more visible wrong actions. Similarly, one should be discreet and refrain from telling others about his or her acts of worship.
Not that it is haram in and of itself, or that it will destroy it. But there is danger there.
That there is danger there. If one is doing acts of worship,
the nature is that we want to tell people, right, this is the nature of the children, you tell them to do good when they do good, they're gonna run into I did this Good thing I did this with, you know, because they want you to be pleased with them, and they want to hear your admiration, etc. That's the nature of children. And it's the nature of adults, because we're only big children.
Reality, we're only big children, the same things that we had desires a century out as children, we still have the baby, they have been modified, they have matured, but basically the same forces are there with us. So we have to be careful, sometimes telling about an act of worship, you know, a righteous deed, may encourage others to do that righteousness.
And so it is in fact a good thing to tell others, but we have to be careful what our intention is what is the purpose in telling others?
Once it becomes for their admiration, we're destroying the original intention for the worship.
Now scholars have tafsir
generally speaking, when they address this particular verse or this portion of the verse was there enough sagarmala DNA the owner of a home builder that you will
keep yourself patiently
with those who call on their Lord morning and evening seeking his face?
They commented that it was revealed regarding the poor among the immigrants the muhajir rune like Mr. abney yasir. sohaib. Below live in mustard. When pagan aristocrats requested that the prophet SAW Selim expel them and sit with them without their presence.
There was an opportunity or an occasion, or possibly more than one occasion, when the pagan aristocrats wanted to sit with the prophet SAW Selim and masala wanted to sit with them. But there
they were not comfortable to sit with people like Bilaal former slaves, you know, so hey, I might have me I said, and others I didn't want to sit around to them because that's not their way. You know, you don't sit with those kind of people they were like, low class people from Mexican society. So they asked the professor Sir, let me know if you can get rid of these people we can sit with you, right. And
this is the reason for this revelation. Actually, there's no actual narration from Hadith to confirm this general comment held by many of the scholars of tafsir. However, there is another verse in the Quran and suellen an arm which carries basically the same meaning, which we can say, explains each other we can say it is likely that this was the occasion also ours or it refers to this occasion. And it is found in a narration given by saddam Nabi waqqas, in which he said, six of us were with the Prophet. So I said, The idolater said, tell these people to leave so they will not offend us. There was myself even Massoud a man from Hillel Bilal and two other men whose names are forgotten.
Last messenger thought to himself about what Allah willed in such an occasion. Then Allah revealed a lotta to the Latina owner about whom belladati will actually redo Nevada Do not turn away from those who invoke their Lord morning and evening. Desiring His face is a swirl on on verse 52, where there is a clear instruction from Allah, Allah to the provinces Allah not to turn these people away.
So this Lord isn't a different surah it appears to be similar circumstance. So this is why the scholars of Tafseer have linked the two together.
The nobles in the prophet in the time of Prophet nor they were also did the same thing. They degraded prophet nor Han his message, due to the fact that many of his followers were poor and uncultured. For columella old lady in a cafe Roman comi Manor aka Illa Bashara mithuna woman aka tabarka illa Allah Dena, whom are Raja Luna daddy of
the Chiefs who disbelieved among his people said, we see you as only a man like ourselves, and we only see the lowliest among us following you, and they to follow you without thinking
nor rejected their arguments, their statements in verse two verses 29 and 30, saying, well my anime thority Latina amanu in the home Allah Pura BM, will I kidney, Arakan, Coleman, saloon, I will not drive away the people, the believers, indeed they will meet their Lord, but I see you are an ignorant people. We are calling me Mayan pseudonym in a law he in Torah to him, of Allah to the Quran.
All my people who will help me against the life I drove them away, will you not reflect? And this is the nature of the message of the prophets, that those who first responded to the message tended to be from the oppressed segments of society.
does the same thing, for example, where Islam is spreading in America? You know, people wonder, why is it that most of the people are accepting Islam in America, black Americans?
Why not white Americans? It's the truth. Well, the reality is that, for white Americans, the status quo in general is okay. You know, they're on top of the mountain and everybody else is below them. Society is functioning in their favor. They're not really suffering, although, in real terms, the number of white people in America who are suffering economically, far greater than the total number of black people in America, but that's not how the media portrays it. Those who are at the bottom of the barrel are black, those are the top are white. That's the general image that is presented. So white people then are not necessarily attracted to a message coming from the Middle East. You know
from other, you know, black people's, you know, non white peoples. They feel it can't be surprised
Can't be better than what we have, because we are at the top of the mountain, because what we have is what is best, you know. So there is a natural doubt
because of that, right, though, if the message is given across, you know, properly and clearly, then the numbers of white Americans would increase rapidly, greatly, you know, and this is what we found, practically speaking, low in America today, maybe the average, the percentage of whites who accept Islam, maybe only around 10 to 15%, during the Gulf War, you know, when we were dealing with young people, people in the ages of 18 to 25,
who were, who had freshly come over from America, they're being now exposed to Islam on a large scale, we found that, you know, maybe the percentage of whites who are accepting was like 35%, maybe even up to as much as 40% was much higher than the norm for America. So we do know that to some degree, the the getting the message across to the people, is what is lacking in general in the West, you know, the message of Islam is not reaching the mass of the people. But let us not be surprised when, you know, the largest numbers of people are coming in from, you know, black Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Mexican Americans, you know, from these other, you know, classes of the non white
Americans, it's not surprising that sense.
Because people who are oppressed, men are looking for a way out, they're looking for an alternative, some other system.
So naturally, when they hear the message of Islam, this is much more they're more willing to reflect on it and to accept it.
This verse contains general instructions to accompany the righteous and to struggle with one's desires in order to keep their company and to mix with them even if they are poor or have lowly status. For an accompanying them there is uncountable benefits. The importance of keeping good company was stressed in a number of statements of the profits are solemn, which is which he said with regards to how we choose our friends, those people who we hang out with, and one narration from Abu huraira. He quoted the prophets I send him a saying, or Raja Raja Lu Allah Dini, Holly, for Leon lor arducam. Matthew Harlan
man follows the religion of his close friend. So each of you should be aware of whom he befriends. A man follows the religion of his close friend.
So each of you should be aware of whom he prevents. Whoever you make your close friend is going to affect you,
is going to affect your way of thinking your way of acting. Though you might start off the friendship in one position, don't be surprised to find yourself, your ideas changed over time.
The buyer's or seller's had also said with regards to those whom we sit with. The example of the righteous companion is that of the perfu merchant. If he doesn't give you any, it's fragrance will touch you. The example of the evil companion is that of the blacksmith. If his sparks don't catch you his smoke, well.
This is the nature of companionship, the good companion is going to have a good effect. The bad companion will have a negative effect.
The prophet SAW Selim was quoted by undisciplined Mallika saying, for me to sit with people who remember a law most high from the morning prayers until sunrise is more beloved to me than freeing for of ish miles, children.
And for me to sit with people who remember a lot from the afternoon prayer until sunset is more beloved to me, than freeing for people.
So, the verse contains a general instruction to us general advice to us to be careful about whom we make our close companions. Not necessarily meaning that you cannot be friend anyone, unless he is righteous, no, you may be friend, someone who's unrighteous in order to try to reach them and bring them into righteousness. Right. But those who become your close friends, who you depend on and who depend on you, these should be among the righteous because they are the ones who will affect you the most. In the phrase you redo a word
seeking his face, it means that they seek a lot of pleasure in their prayers and
applications, there is a reference to sincerity which is needed for one to benefit from his or her deeds. without sincerity righteous deeds become lifeless rituals and capable of benefiting those who do them, consequently allows one to Allah. Although he has prescribed that prayer prevents evil speech and deeds, corruption in the salon panhandle fashionable Moncure when Nikolai Akbar, voila, we are
now on. Indeed formal prayer prevents corruption and sin and remembering of a law in front of the angels is greater indeed then you're remembering a law in prayers and a law knows best what you do, though, the prayer is supposed to have that impact. Many people who pray regularly cannot restrain themselves from lying, cursing, backbiting and other major sins of the lemons.
There's also a point in this phrase you redoing a watch half that
it identifies one of the laws attributes the attribute of having a face
and it is something about which people of the past you know, varied in their opinion.
And there are those who interpret it away saying it meant a lot the face of Allah meant Allah means the that of Allah laws assets, those who did this came under the category of particular groups known as the ashara Asha rights or the matter reader maturity dates, you know, this is groups which took this position, whereas the mainstream
group following the earlier traditions, who may be known as selfies, sulfites, you know, or, and the Hadith, or other terms we use for those who said, a law said, or made reference to his face, we say a law has a face
that in doing so we're not making a law like his creatures.
Because this was the problem of the observer saying, Oh, it's making a lie and making speeches that our faces, we say no, if a law says or makes reference to his face, then we have to say, Allah has a face. But how that faces we don't get into. We know it is whatever it is, that suits him and befits him. And it's not like anything we know, as he said, let's say commit cliche.
And even in English, as well as in Arabic, we use the term face, for example, you talk about the face of the mountain.
When you think about the face of the mountain, do you think the mountain has a nose and a mouth and eyes? Or the face of the clock? No, do we think about nose, eyes and teeth. And
so we use the term face, even in English. And it doesn't necessarily have to conjure up a face as we know it.
So, in the same way, I use the term we accept it as he has used it, and we don't try to go into what it is like.
But no doubt, it is focusing the phrase itself does call to us the concept of sincerity. They're seeking a law.
Whether it is a laws face in the sense that on the Day of Judgment, when we enter Paradise, we will be able to see a law as a process element formed us
or whether it is from other and some other aspects that we are not really aware, not certain of we're not aware of, whatever in the end, it is seeking a law. So sincerity, is what is called upon here. The verse goes on to say, Well, I thought do I Naka, on whom to read to read the zenithal higher to dunya Do not let your light your eyes overlook them. Design The pump and glitter of the life of this world.
And this portion of the verse a law prohibits the prophets of Salaam from turning his view from the weekend poor among the believers out of a desire to win over the rich and noble because of their worldly possessions and their power. However, they also contains a general prohibition from eyeing the glitter and glamour of this worldly life, which is repeated in a number of other locations throughout the Quran. For example, a last month Allah says and sort of thought how verse 131 latter then I naika, Illa, Mamata na v as well. jammin home, Zaha Hadid dounia Lena Tina whom fee what is for a bigger hirundo abacha. Do not strain your eyes to see the splendor of this worldly life which
I have given for enjoyment for your enjoyment or for enjoyment to various groups among them in order to try them and the provision of your Lord is better
And more lasting. Do not strain your eyes to see the splendor of this worldly life, which I've given for enjoyment to various groups among them among the disbelievers. In order to try them. It's a part of the test and the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting. The prophet SAW Selim also encouraged his followers to avoid looking at the welfare noble because of the danger to the heart, what it can do to the heart, it creates in the heart, what jealousy, greed all these kind of feelings come up these negative feelings arise in ourselves, when we look to those that are well off, better off doing good in society etc. And we seem to be lowly as well the rasa Salam said, Look
to those below you and not to those above you for it is better in order that you don't belittle allows blessings on you.
Although a lamb and as far as I'm income, while atom Zhu Li man who for cocoon, for who edge deru alatus deru Allah lattice deru Nia moto La La comme and since human beings cannot help looking at those more fortunate though the prophesize enemas told us our nature is that we want to look to those more fortunate we still go and period these people. So what happens when our nature is overcome us and we end up looking at these people prophesied Salam gave us another piece of advice is another aha to come in Armand de la la fille de la la fille Malley will help for Leon lor, Ella man who has philomene, who, if one of you looks at someone who has been favored over himself in
wealth and form, let him look at someone below himself.
Let him look at someone below himself.
So this is the prophetic advice, that we look to those below ourselves, because that reminds us of a last favor on us. When we look to those above us, we forget the last favor. And this is what the society promotes. This is what the media promotes, always, you know, the life of the rich and famous is what is presented to us. And we're encouraged. So most people end up living beyond their means, out of this desire to want to live that life, you know, and that is that is everywhere, you may be very surprised to know that many people in this country because we think of the people here in this country is getting very rich. And in fact, per capita, there are some of the richest people in the
world,
per capita, you know, per person, the amount of wealth in the country, divided up by the number of people in the country.
They are the richest in the world. But in fact, there are many poor people here, people who are not that rich. But what happens is that, because of the lifestyle and what is promoted here, they live beyond their means. So you'll see people sometimes, you know, they're living, you're going to the city into places in the city, where houses are quite old and rammed looking, you know, and then you'll see somebody parked outside there with a, you know, a Mercedes, you know, 525, or whatever it is the big one, you know,
you'll see that, you know, what is that doing there somebody visiting? No, it's the guy living inside there owns it. So, you know, he'll buy it on credit, because as long as you're a local, you can get unlimited credit. So you know, they will live way beyond their means. And of course, it's not just confined here in America, you know, most people don't own their own homes, they're living on credit, you know, and that's why you ended up seeing so many people, you know, living in the streets, because all it takes is for some element of that credit system to fall to break, you didn't make payments in time, the whole house of cards comes crumbling down, everything is taken away and
you get kicked out on the street, people end up living in the street.
So you know, the prophets Allah has encouraged us as the last month, Allah encourages us to live simply, and to keep our focus on those below us, below us in the sense of keeping our laws, blessings appreciated within ourselves. But on the other hand, it is also because people who are in the lowly elements of society, there are in fact, those that are closest to Allah.
For the most part, the people who are in the lower levels of the society, they're the ones who are closest to Allah.
And we have to ask ourselves, you know, how many poor people do we know?
Here we are here living? How many poor people do we know? You know, how many poor people have we visited? Do we invite into our homes.
We all know that it is good, you know, to help the poor etc. But we tend for the most part to befriend people of our own
strata,
isn't it, even with the best of intentions, right? If we look around ourselves and see who are our friends, there are people from our own strata in the society.
And this says something, it's something that we should reflect on. Especially when the prophet SAW Selim said, Indeed the rich or the poor on the Day of Resurrection, except for those who spend their wealth like this, like this and like this, to their left right into their back, but such people are few in number. Such people are few in number
sahalie been sad. Society, he said, on one occasion, Los Alamos sitting with some of the companions, and a man came walking by.
And he asked, the man who was sitting beside him, said, What is your opinion of this passerby? The man replied, this is from the noble class of people, by Allah, if he were to seek a lady's hand in marriage, he would be given her hand in marriage, and if He intercedes for somebody, his intercession will be accepted. Last messenger remain quiet, and then another man passed by, and he asked about the us the same man, what was his impression concerning this person? And the man said,
O Messenger of Allah, this person is one of the poor Muslims. If he were to seek a lady's hand in marriage, no one will accept him. And if He intercedes for somebody, no one will accept his intercession. And if he talks, no one will even listen to him.
Allah's Messenger said, This poor man is better than the number of the first type large enough to fill the earth.
This poor man is better than a number, a large number of the first type one we talked about was noble, a number so big as to fill the earth He is better than them.
But how do we perceive those who are poor?
And that's what it comes back to. And we owe it to ourselves, to make an effort to implement Islam on this very practical level,
to have within our circle of friends, some who are poor.
Some who would come to our house, share a meal with us.
And some whose houses we go to share a meal with
because that is Islam.
Well, outotec man alfalah pal bajo de Cadena with taba Hawa and do not obey Him whose heart I've made heedless of my remembrance.
One who follows his own desires.
And this verse a law prohibits, the prophet SAW Selim from obeying or responding to the requests of those whose hearts he made negligent of a large remembrance, like those who asked them to drive away the poor from their gathering.
They requested the removal of those who sincerely called on their Lord, while they were themselves heedless of his remembrance. Furthermore, they follow their own desires, and prefer them over the truth. Thus, they chose idolatry over tau heed.
The prophet SAW Selim intended good by inviting these people, because their conversion to Islam would have made Muslims powerful in Makkah. Allah told him not to do it. Similarly, if those in the course of trying to implement what is right, are encouraged to do what is displeasing to Allah, they should not accept their suggestions, because they are ultimately displeasing to Allah. So the goal sought would not be pleasing to Allah either.
What is the saying is that the ends don't justify the means.
The ends don't justify the means.
Though we might be seeking good ends, if what we do to achieve those ends involves displeasing a law.
And people will advise us if you do this, if you do that, if you do the other
and there may be people who are in positions of authority people with, you know, respected people, etc, etc. But
if what they're advising is what is displeasing to Allah, then we have to abandon it. We have to leave it. We can't accept it. Because the end result
will not be pleasing to Allah relative to ourselves. If the end result turns out to be good.
It will be good for those who are able to benefit from it. But we who used illegitimate means will not get
benefit from it, it will be counted as an evil deed against us. Though, if you look at it by itself, it is considered to be something good, great good.
Because the means from the Islamic perspective determines the ends. The means determine the ends.
If no came
in looking at this final portion of the verse will add to tear man, a fella called bajo and lick Rena WA, he mentioned that this portion of the verse contains a rebuttal to both * of the copyrights. copyrights are called the idea.
Or those who say, on one hand, we have no free will.
And those who say on the other hand,
that we are completely free.
Allah does not make us do anything.
These are two extremes, that we are free to do whatever we want. Allah is not prescribing any actions for us. On the other hand, because this has to do with other called on others Qatar, that's why they use the term other ear. On the other hand, those who say that whatever we do is what is already written for us. We can't but do what we do.
This verse rejects both arguments, because the law says here that he made the creatures heart heedless of his remembrance, man alfalah Alba,
one whose heart I have made heedless,
then the person was heedless.
That is the act of the person. Allah
made his heart heedless, and he became heedless. And when Allah goes on to say, what about Hawa, and he follows his own desires, this is his act. As a consequence of his heedlessness, he follows his own desires, that's his own act.
So, from the Islamic perspective,
whatever we do is written, is already written known to Allah, the fine details of it.
But at the same time, we do make choices.
There are some elements in our lives we know, when you make a choice, whether you're able to implement that choice or not, is another question, how many things that we decided to do, and we're unable to do it
through no fault of our own, meaning that we put our full effort into it, but just things didn't come together. The circumstances just weren't right. We have different explanations, we call we use for it. But in other words, I lost other did not allow us to do it.
And how many other things that we choose to do, and we're able to do it, last quarter, permitted us to do it. So the implementation of our Decisions, decisions may be ours, we make the choice. But the implementation of the choice is with a last one the Allah. So there's a combination in our lives of both elements, that which allow has intervened, permitted or not permitted, and that which the human being chooses, but all of it was already known to Allah. Whatever we choose, was already known to Allah.
And that is the completeness, the knowledge with regards to other which we have to accept is with the last one to Allah.
So that covers basically, this verse.
We have a few minutes to the hour then.
Would you like to ask any questions on what we have covered so far?
The reference we're in Surah Hood,
verses 27 this was the request to give up or leave the
lowly people. And prophet North rejection is in verses 29 to 30. This can also be found in surah assura surah shuara, verses 111 same request and the rejection 114 to 115
Further questions
after that
brothers question concerning
praying to units I guess the Sunnah of fudger then laying down and then going to the masjid
that this was from the sun now, to be honest, I don't really recall this I do recall after tahajjud him lying down and then getting up with the van and going to the you know, the masjid and praying the to power praying it in the home and then going but going laying back down after praying the two of foger I don't recall this
Yeah, well, you know, if you can bring it for us, then you know, I can comment on it because as I said, I'm not no this information is
Yeah, bring it to this, you know, it has slipped me perhaps I read at some time back and I forgotten
Yeah, but the prophet SAW Selim is mastered you know, was right next to the his home was right next to the master, he opened the door and went straight into lead the Salah. So I mean, it's not to say it may not be there. You know, I mean, as I said, I'm not
to deny it, I don't know the the knowledge is not there with me at the moment. So if you can bring it next time, we can look at it, and we'll get some response for you.
Two questions from the woman's side, if a person
wants to do an act of worship, and they detect insincerity in themselves, should they go ahead and do that act of worship or not?
And just struggle with themselves? Well, yes, it is better to struggling with oneself and struggling with one sincerity and go ahead and do the act, then not to because of course, shaytan, one has to be careful, can come and whisper to us, and put doubts in so many of our acts, too, can end up being you know, neutralized. Because if you really get to the bottom of virtually anything we do, now, maybe you will find some element of insincerity there somewhere. So, you know, we on one hand, you don't allow Satan to stop you from doing righteousness, you know, by creating a doubt that there is some element of sincerity, because to the degree that one is sincere, one is rewarded. So if you're
a sincere 50%, and there's a 50% element of insincerity, at least, inshallah you will get 50% of the reward. So you don't give up, you know, and abandoned acts, where one has doubts about, you know, one sincerity or the degree of one sincerity. The other question concerning blame for x, where a person tries to do the right thing, and it turns out in the wrong way, you know, and we blame these people, should we blame these people? Or we just say it's a lot harder, and there's no blame involved? You know, where do we put this? Is this a personal choice? Or is it the last quarter?
Well, in reality, of course, if the person has tried their utmost, and they've done what they were supposed to do, then in the end, if it doesn't happen, we really can't blame them. You know, it is a lot harder in that sense. But if a person hasn't tried their utmost, they haven't done what they're supposed to do. They're doing it at the last minute or whatever, you know, and then they want to say, Well, no, don't blame me. There's a lot of other who say, No, you know, there is blame here. You know, there is room for blame here because you haven't done what you're supposed to do. You know, so it's, there's a fine line here, in our tendencies, when people don't do what they're
supposed to do, for one reason or another, we blame them, you know, but truly, if it isn't their fault, then they you know, of course, a lot doesn't hold them to account. You know, there is no punishment on them for it for not having done what they promised to do or whatever.
question concerning to how good Should we get up in the last third of the night? Or is it okay to you know, do it like 10 minutes before they're done a fudger. You know, which in fact is better. Of course, what is better is the last third of the night, you know, but if one over sleeps and that's when one gets up and doing target at that point to is acceptable also before they're done or fudger. You know, target can be done.
What do you mean by taking an oath to the law?
Okay, are you asking for consequence with it mean that if I do this, you will do this?
Well, okay, this is not so clear, you're talking about making an oath for the law, you're making what they call another really another, you're saying, you know, Allah, if you, you know, if you do this, you know, I will do this, right.
And Vasa Salam didn't encourage this, you know, the he said this is you know, righteousness being extracted, you know by force from the stingy right? Now, if you're going to do it, do it, if it's a good thing to do do it, you know, but to say, oh life, but you know, it still it is permissible, it is permissible. And if Allah does so and so you make this oath, that you will do so and so. Right? If you give me a baby boy, I'm gonna do this and that, you know, cuz you've had 10 girls in a row, whatever, you know,
you got desperate. Whatever the point is that, you know, if you make that oath that you're going to do so and so then you have to do it now that becomes an oath. And if you break it, then you have broken an oath, you know, for what you have to do atonement.
Brothers, asking whether Witter after tahajjud is better. Yes, this is when winter is supposed to be this the norm mature is done. At the end of tahajjud. you endure tahajjud with winter, maybe with one unit of prayer could be with three or with five, you know, there are a variety as long as it's an odd number, right? That is, was the son of the Prophet most solemn. However, you know, some of the companions like Abubakar and others, they did pray with her after Asia, for fear of not getting up at night, so they would get the reward of the winter. But that is like, second best, you know, what is best is to do it in the night at the end of the 100.
Brothers question, if you miss your tahajjud and you oversleep into fudger, can you make other other record some narration of the promises alum, you know, okay, the doing of tahajjud because of the intention, you know, after it's time.
Now, when you say, Well, if you're woken up by the other hand, if you do it at that time, you know, it should not affect your obligatory prayer because what is primary is your budgetary prayer. So if you get up and there's only enough time, you know, for you to make your decision now, which is required of you that time and to go and pray the farhud then you don't pray then you can pray after the fall.
Okay, we have a clarification, that the, the time when the prophet SAW Selim had, okay, the praying of tahajjud you know, making it up was from Salah to Doha, until the war that this was the time recorded in Hadith. And then of course, between the two son as a father and the fudger prayer, then we know that they're not supposed to do any other prayers.
And this is as a norm processor lamb prohibited the too soon as a fudger. between that time and during the farhud no other prayers should be done. So even if you had other press to make up it should be done after that time after the font.
Somebody wants to ask a question. Go ahead, brother.
Okay, brothers question you know, where a situation of blame whose fault is not clear, and people are blaming each other. How do you know how is that type of situation resolved where
I mean, in the end, we have to know that it is by allows permission.
In the end,
whether the person was at fault, or whether the person wasn't at fault.
In the overall sense, it's violence permission,
if such an such act took place or didn't take place, so where it is unclear,
blaming doesn't serve any purpose beyond animosity, then it's better to give it up, Leave it, leave it to the last dollar.
You know, if blaming has a value, that is, it identifies where error has taken place, so somebody can correct their actions in the future, it's the intention behind that blaming, then it's useful. But if blaming is just a matter of blaming, for the sake of blaming, for putting people down, hurting their feelings, these kind of things, then it's, of course not good. It's become something evil.
So where it is unclear,
you know, the responsibility is can't be clearly defined, etc, then it's better to leave it and leave it with a last
question from the sisters.
which acts of worship, can we make this Nether of vow with?
Well, it is not been specified.
It's not been specified.
But usually people are doing it for things they want of this world,
you know, that they will do a particular additional act, it can be of course, obligatory, because that's already obligatory, what you're doing is making an obligatory for yourself.
By making that vow, you say Oh Allah, you know, if my business is successful, I'm going to make obrah.
So I'm going to wasn't compulsory on you, once you made that oath. Now you've put it made it compulsory, you know, or law, you know, if
my child graduates, I will give so much in soccer.
Soccer was a voluntary act. Well, now you've made it obligatory on yourself, if you don't fulfill it, you fall into sin.
So, anything among the voluntary acts can be used in the vow not the obligatory because obligatory is already obligatory.
Any general news
from that they have something called
called from abroad. And they will say the problem like I want to buy a shot, am I allowed to do so? And there is a there is a computer
behind the camera,
and then he will ask for permission, and the guy will
say that I've done this to her.
Okay, you can buy.
Now, is this? I don't find any sense of that. I'm sorry. Is this some reality?
Is something that you have a prayer? And you
say, Okay, if you open up the book of Quran and you
Okay, good, good point. Brother was questioning about istikhara as he has observed it on Quran television program in Pakistan, where people call in
this year, satellites all over. So people call in from all over the world, I guess it's Pakistan is because this is Pakistan television. They're calling in and the, the presenter, he will accept their question, they want to do something
sharp, open a shop or start a business or whatever. And there'll be a molana in the background, who when he hears, whatever that person wants to do, you know, he gets mixed, do I list harder and the second flips up in the Quran and whatever verse comes up, we don't it's not said how he does it. But you know, within seconds, he's able to tell you, you can do this thing or not do this thing. You know, it's good. Go ahead and open your business or don't go open your business. You know, and he was mentioning also that other people, I guess would do it this way. They make the door open up the Quran, whatever verse your finger comes on, you know, this is going to tell you whether you should
do it or not. Of course, this is completely illegitimate.
This is completely unacceptable. This becomes fortune telling, you know, using Islam, or using elements from Islam, you know, for fortune telling and if business, there's business involved, this is business, you know, this is a business, really?
Yeah, it's a whole superstitious kind of people playing on people's superstitions and their fear of the unseen and the unknown world, and people are offering solutions that don't have solutions, in fact, okay, so this is not this is not acceptable. islamically. And the other element related to it, this, what the brother mentioned was that, you know, as he understood it, that, you know, it's the hora is done, and you do it at night, you go to sleep and whatever you sign that you see in your dream, whatever it is what you follow. But in fact, that isn't correct, either.
Nobody, even whatever you pray to Raka, and you go to sleep at night, and then you're looking for a sign in your dream, this is also not correct. Okay, no problem. But the problem is, I said, let me what he told us, the dualist heart is very clear that when a person what you do is what, when you have something to choose a decision you have to make, then you use whatever means you have, you know, in this world, you seek knowledge, you ask people, whatever you get the advice of people, etc. And you've after you've gathered all the information about this thing, and you have decided what you're going to do, then you make your dualist taharah. You make it to rock and you make a dualist
hora, and then you do Alister hora, you're saying, Oh life, this is good for me, in my life and in the Hereafter, then make it easy for me and bless me with it. So this is your sign, you're not looking for any sign in a dream. Some people have green lights, and you know, different colors and stuff like this. No, no problem. It's commonly understood this way. But it's a misunderstanding. There are no signs of this nature, which comes in terms of what happens when you try to implement it. And see, if it becomes easy, if you find all kinds of difficulties coming in your way, and it's not working out, this is a sign that it is not good for you. And that's why that's why you save,
it's not good for me, take it away from me, you know, put, you know, put in my heart, giving me something else put that in my heart instead. So this is your eyes very clear. If one reads the door that did something not only
that you do yourself, but you have to do it for yourself, nobody else can do it from you, for you. You can't ask your mother, your father molana anybody else to do it? You have to do it for yourself. Because the whole nature of the Hadith, how the prophet SAW Selim said to do it is it is directed to the individual himself or herself. They have to do it themselves. Okay.
Pardon?
is incorrect.
Well, that's another issue.
Just an additional point, mentioned that a number of scholars do hold that this number, where you're saying that the law, you know, if this happens for me, I will do this act of worship, that they you know, a large number of scholars considered to be mcru disliked, you know, Well, anyway, from the statements I mentioned, the beginning from Uppsala, it is obviously something which is not recommended.
The other point to somebody was asking about the use of the term molana No, actually, there is no there is no harm in it, you know, I know some people because the fact we say anti molana and reference to a lot of swirl bacara in the DA you know, because the term molana you know, has more than one meaning, right? It is there's an element of it, which is applicable only to last month Island is an element which can be used for
for human beings also, you know, and
the term so, the term is in fact molana you will find some references
that
the was it, I think it was a matter of no hottub had mentioned that something to the effect that referring to abubaker he called him you know, that he was molana and he had fried molana referring to Bilal So, from both elements of the society
abubaker who was at the top calling mowlana molana was used, you know, us It could mean somebody who was high because well it could mean somebody was low, but it was used in this context in the high sense for both abubaker and for for Bilaal, so the term Mola it exists
prophesizing them I'd said, you know that
a person for example, accepts Islam has doesn't have any family. Then they're they're referred to as Mola the
Have a particular tribe or particular families etc and molana now is just meaning our the same term Mola is there. So it is it is a term which is applicable both to Allah as well as to human beings
no
no mo law you know mo like means it could mean servant or it could mean master
it means both so word which has opposite ends of the spectrum it carries both meanings
servant or master
Yeah, yeah was just like the use of the term shift here you know?
So, it's
any other questions inshallah we'll go for Salah.
Now with the exception of diet and mastered, the sooner In fact, the sooner perhaps our solemn, preferred to do the sun at home. And he did say that the best place to make our prayers is in the home with the exception of the Father prayers. So actually, it is better to do Sunday prayers in the home.
Mustard is fine. Yeah, that's who said, mustard is fine. If you've done the sun at home. Yeah.
Brothers questions with regards to you know, knowing which way is the car is going if one finds difficulty, when do you abandon at the first sign of difficulty? Well,
as difficult to identify, at what point you know,
you've tried your best, and you find it's not working, then that's the point, you know,
should you keep on trying further after you've made your full effort? You know, you keep running after it here and there? Well, this is where you've gone over. I mean, it's, it's really if you as an individual has to make that choice. I don't think somebody from the outside can say exactly at what point you give up. But I mean, we can just say in general, it's after you've made your effort, you find it's not working, not working out difficulties you face, you know, seemingly insurmountable difficulties, then you give it up. You go on to look for something else.
And it's one of these things is very difficult to identify. Exactly. At what point? Yeah, yes. Yeah, it goes to you as an individual. But I mean, there. I mean, there comes a point where, you know, you know, you've you've put your full effort in, right.
And it's not just that, the first sign of difficulty, but
now you've gone overboard.
You know, at that point, we're going overboard, it's still not working, and that's when you know, you need to stop. You're becoming frustrated and everything else. Yeah, this becomes your personal decision. Yeah. I mean, you've you've asked a lot to show you. And then the question is, do you want to be shown?
You know, when he's showing you Are you ready to accept it? You know, and then Okay, we'll stop here. subhanak aloha movie hamburger. Mashallah. And the stock photo to bootleg