Refining the Self – 8

naramata hamdulillah Ramadan I mean, it was slim to none I mean Nabina Muhammad Allah Allah savage mine saramonic morning to Navara cattle. Welcome to our class of o'clock. Today inshallah we'll discuss the Islamic theory of morality. We started last time by discussing the other theories of morality, what non Muslims are saying about morality? And how can we develop a theory in our religion about morality?

And I received your answers I received your homework about the Islamic theory of morality, how should it be? Remember, when we develop a theory, it has to be suitable for everybody.

Now, I understand that, as Muslims, we follow the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the messenger of science. And that's true. However, how can you relate this to the non Muslims? When you tell them, we believe in the book of Allah?

That's how we should accept anything moral has to be in the book of Allah and in the Sunnah of the messenger assassin, they will not understand that. Again, you have to universalize your theory.

Before that, the name itself is debatable, because in Islam, we don't have something called theory. In Islam, we have Rowling's we have verdicts. Once we say it's a theory, that means it could be right or it could be wrong. And in Islam, we believe there is nothing wrong. So the name itself theory, we are just using it for the sake of argument, because we are developing something. It's our theory. We are not saying this is what Islam says. We're trying to take from Islam, what we believe is the theory of morality. This is very important. So the first point I like to make, you're talking to everybody, Muslims or non Muslims, how can you include all of them? When you tell a Muslim?

Anything moral should be in the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet said, and he will understand that, but when you tell this to non Muslim will not understand it. So this is the first point.

The second point?

Remember that also, in addition to the non Muslims, we have atheists who don't believe in Allah subhanho wa Taala? How can you convince them that we follow a supreme power? We do believe in Allah subhanho wa Taala. But how can you again, make it acceptable to everybody?

We know as Muslims we know, of course, that we follow what the last pantalla says and what the messenger sighs Selim says,

we believe in both of them, but how can we make this acceptable to the non Muslims? That's your job? Once you write something, that's, as I told you, your mission, when you talk to people? How can you make them accept what you're saying, and you did nothing, you just change the words, I'm not asking you to change what you believe. We have to believe. And that's the correct religion, we believe in Allah and in the messenger, Selim. But how can we make this acceptable to others?

The third point, remember, the three theories we had, the longest one was like two, three lines only. So that's why I asked you, if you could limit your statement to three, maximum five lines, I don't want half page or one full page of theory. It's not theory anymore. It's, it's Tennessee.

This is one thing, the other thing

we may forget to mention the happiness that we will get by following the correct morals. Now, Islam, it makes everybody happy. However, at the same time, some people may feel unhappy when they are commanded to do this type of a bed or that type of weather. So how can you include this aspect as well? In your theory, this is something you may think about.

Now, that's what I came up with. And again, it could be correct or it could This is my own theory. That's what I wrote. I said, an act is moral or morally good, if and only if it was valid for all mankind. Now here I like to make

one important thing which is it has to be acceptable by for all mankind. It's not for the majority. It's not for everybody at one time, it is for everybody. At all times. This is one thing. Now the other thing and was ordained by supreme power. What do I mean by that? was ordained by Allah subhanaw taala. Again, because we as human beings, we think we know everything, but that's not the case. That's why every time we have laws changed, we have people come and add amendments. they adapt

Another law they cancel on law. Why? Because we always change. So we need

someone, we need the messenger we need Allah subhanaw taala to to guide us, that's why should be ordained by supreme power through a righteous person, which is the messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam. So this is

this is just an attempt to develop a statement about the Islamic theory of morality.

Also, you could add later on some qualities of this, of this Islamic theory of the

effect we have in Islam that we are not affected by others, taxpayer or to please some people,

it is for everybody.

So, that's what I like to say about the theory of morality. And now inshallah we will move on to our book, which is a quasi female diverting force for a man has Rahim Allah. Before we start with the book we need to talk about the man himself. Remember Ben has an Rahim Allah. So now we will discuss briefly his biography who was this Imam

and then we will move on to our book.

The book of man has, his name is Ali Eben even has an L andalusi. Rahim Allah. That's the name. Now Urban hasm. His nickname for him hasn't actually is the grandfather of the Imam.

So his name is Ali Ahmed bin has

this is his name. He was born in Cordoba. Do you know what is Cordova now

in Spain.

They call it Cordova. He was born in the year 384 of hijra.

And he died in the 456 of hijra.

So he lived about 70 years, 70 years.

That's the life of the man.

His father was the minister

and actually he was the Prime Minister. So

if your father is a prime minister, you will live in a rich family you will have luxury life and most likely you will be spoiled. So you will not care or you will not try to learn.

And that was the case with even hasm rahimullah at the beginning, because he himself became a minister later on. His father was the Prime Minister. So a man has a Mahalla himself also became a minister.

And therefore he was busy with his worldly life. He did not study fit, or the religion until he was all

what do we mean by he was all he was like 30 years old, at their time. 30 years old is is is very old to start the knowledge because if you remember they started teaching the students while they are seven years old or five years old. That's why you see in their biography, memorize the Quran when he was seven years old. Imam Shafi Rahim Allah He memorized and what, but in nine nights when he was 10 years old, so that's when you start knowledge, they tell you after 20, or after 15, it's too late. That does not mean it's impossible, because we have an example A man has rahimullah he started late. And he became famous scholar. So he started in an old age. What's the reason why he moved from, from

the, from being a minister from being a man of politics to become a scholar? He entered the masjid once,

after all, sort of prayer.

And he sat down in the masjid. So the man

asked him, he told him, why don't you pray to Raka you sat down before you pray, didn't you know that the prophet SAW Selim said that Allah hadoken message phalanges hotair Cara Catherine, you should pray Torah. So he said, okay, he stood up and he prayed to Raka

next time, he came also after us, and he wanted to pray, because that's what the other man told him the other day. And now people looked at him and one of them told them what are you doing? Don't you know that you cannot pray after answer? The prophet SAW Selim forbade praying after answer

so I've been has what do you do in this situation? Unfortunately, some people they have a negative reaction.

I know some people if if they had this situation, they will say I will not come to the masjid anymore. One time this person Tell me something and the other time another person tells me the opposite. I'm not coming. Some people they do that. But if it hasn't Rahim, Allah He had a very positive reaction. He said you know what, okay, you

He went back, instead of listening to either one of them, he himself wanted to find out. It was said that he sat for seven days. He did not go to any place seven days in his home reading until he decided he should

study the book, he should study the religion. He started.

Afterwards he started learning and he became later on the famous scholar and then hasm Rahim Allah.

When he started, he started with the film of women Shafi, he liked the look of Imam Shafi. But then he found out that he should not follow any school of thought.

And because of his life, because of his

job as a minister, he did not get the chance to study with shoe with the scholars. And this has disadvantages Actually,

he did not have a scholar to teach him the right adapt or the proper way how to study where to move on from which subject to which subject. He used to, to pay actually people because he was Richmond, he used to pay people, they come to him, and they read to him, because they had the money.

And at the end, this had negative consequences against him. People did not like him.

had very strong

tongue.

And that's why you find sometimes very harsh words from him, especially in his book of mohalla. They use they used to have a saying about him, they said his his tongue and the sword the foul Hajaj are twins. The sort of Alhaji a judge was a famous tyrant in Iraq, he killed people. They say the sort of Al Hajj kills people and the tongue have been hasn't the same thing does the same thing. means he had very, very harsh words he had very sharp mouth.

Again, why this happened because he did not have

the shoe who discipline him. He started late.

And also, most of the schools of thought like Maliki Shafi and handling all their funnels, the followers of these schools of thought they hated them and hazard rahimullah.

And they showed the animosity against him because he did not follow any one of them. And you don't want to have lots of enemies.

And they ended up actually burning his books. He saw his books burn in front of him. Because

everybody is following one school of thought and you're not following any school of thought. So that's what happened to him. Rahim Allah.

People went to the hood to the halifa to the ruler and they said this man is bad, his he doesn't have knowledge. He doesn't follow any of the schools of thought. So they,

they burned his books.

He went through lots of debates with many scholars. And again, he had strong arguments, he was able to refute the other scholars when they debate with him like abahlali, dill badji, who was a famous scholar from the Maliki school of thought, and other scholars. But when you don't have followers, you have to be polite, otherwise, you won't be able to have followers who will follow you or who will listen to you. And that's what happened to him on one

of his books. The book that we have, which is called a flap of crmo Delta Force, healing the souls and improving the morality, that's our book. And then we have pulpal hamama. During of this is very nice book, it's about love, it's about

emotions, and it is the the the the first book that is written about this subject by a scholar. Usually you find

the lay man or the poet's they talk about the issues of

of love and affection, but it was a bit hasma hemella Herat it's very nice book and actually it's translated to English. It's available online Also, during have the dog and he has the famous book of fit. It's called Arthur

l mahalo mohalla

This is big book of fact, one of the scholars who said I did not like to give fatwah until I, I own one copy of mohalla it has lots of knowledge in it, but again, it's not suitable especially for the beginners, the students of knowledge because you will learn from him the rude way how to talk to scholars, because he he was very sharp against some scholars and this book

and then he has an

Another book, which is called alpha male, female williwaw. And this is about the sects of Islam. He wrote a book about each sect, like the

average, the Rafah, the Shia, he wrote a book. This is book of arcada. This book, this book is a book of al Qaeda. So he was a scholar, but at his time, they disliked him. They did not like him. But later on, of course, if you have the true knowledge, it will prevail.

sooner, sooner or later, it will prevail. And that's what happened. That's why until now, we read his books. So this is the

the irony, he wrote a book about Aflac, yet he himself people complained about his o'clock. But the book itself again, we don't care about the personality, about the person, the character, we care about what he wrote. He wrote,

personally, I believe it's the best book written about a flock after the book of Allah. Sahil Buhari, this book comes next. I never saw a book gives you practical methods, how to improve your flock like this book, the book that we will study, and that's the purpose why we will study the book because it's not only words, it's not only a Hadith, but he tells you, this is what you should do. That's how you improve yourself.

And we want from the students to practice these things to implement them in their life. Otherwise, most of the people they know that Hadith of the Prophet SAW, so they know that you have to be good, you have to be nice, but how to implement that. That's what he provided, Rahim Allah.

So now we are moving to our book, Allah collabo, CRP, modality new foods. And actually, we will start from the end, because the last chapter of the book was about attending and participating in gatherings of learning. Since we are starting

as students of knowledge, we need to know the proper method, how we participate, how we attend, how to ask question, how to listen. So that's what we will start with inshallah,

participating in gatherings for learning, or we say for door majelis lm.

And this happens to all of us. Whether in the masjid, in the school, even

in your house, even when you're listening to an audio tape in your car. It happens always. So how do you have the right manner, when you participate or your attend the gathering for learning?

That's what he says that I'm online. If you participate in gathering for learning, your participation should be solely for the sake of gaining more knowledge and reward.

Always, always ask yourself, why you are attending this gathering, while you will participate,

Is it

because of you want to learn or you want to gain reward from Allah subhanho wa Taala or something else? It has to be for these two intentions, only two intentions you should have gaining more knowledge. If you felt that you love gain more knowledge, you have to remember that you will get the reward from Allah subhanaw taala we all know the Hadith of the messenger sallallahu wasallam that there are angels, they search for the gatherings of learning the gatherings of knowledge halaqaat, the vicar the remembrance of Allah subhanaw taala the people who are remembering Allah subhanaw taala, to write their names, to be rewarded. So even if you

have this intention that I will get reward from Allah subhanaw taala

so you start, before you come to the class, you start with your intention. What's your intention, ask yourself why you're coming. It has to be one of these two things or both of them, gaining more knowledge and getting the reward from Allah subhanho wa Taala

you should not participate in such gatherings believing that the knowledge you have is sufficient. Now, some people they come and their intention before they come, I know everything. That's not a correct intention. Actually, even if you know so panela if you have a correct intention, even if you know once you come you will find something new.

Even this very class, if you attended it next time you will find that you learn something new. Even if you hate the Hadith don't say oh yeah, I know this hadith Listen, because you will learn something new. So your intention should not be that you the knowledge you have is sufficient.

Looking for errors. Now this is another evil intention. Now some people unfortunately that's what they care about. They come and they listen, they wait

when he will make the mistake. Believe me if you have this intention, you will get it because that's what you want from Allah.

panel Allah, Allah says an NGO Vanya DB I am as my servant thinks of me. So that's what you thought of Allah subhanaw taala, you are waiting for an error from that person, you will get it. But what do you what? What it will help you.

So this is another evil intention, do not wait for Arabs to speak about, or strange opinions to criticize.

These are evil intentions.

So again, we have good intentions, and we have evil intentions. Now, you may ask yourself why we have lots of classes, but we have few students of knowledge. We have few scholars, again, don't we have enough students? No, we have. But unfortunately, many of them, they don't have the correct intention. They wait for the arrows to speak about, they wait for the strange opinions. They think it is strange. So they want to criticize, or they just come, they say we have the knowledge, we're just coming for nothing.

These are evil intentions, your intention should be to gain more knowledge and

to be rewarded from Allah subhanho wa Taala.

This is the behavior of the base. If you your intention is an evil intention, then this is the behavior of the base below people that they don't have standards, who will never succeed in obtaining knowledge.

Which is through telling me about one man who attended the gatherings for learning. And all what he cared about is criticizing or waiting for errors, how you will gain the knowledge if that's your intention. Tell me one man, that was his behavior, and he ended up becoming a scholar, you will never have someone like that.

If you participate in these gatherings, having the right intent, you at any rate, attained the good?

What's the right intent, as I said, gaining more knowledge and getting the reward from Allah subhanaw taala. So if you have this,

this intention, you will gain

the good things.

And if you participate, having the wrong intent, then you should stay home. That's what the man is telling me you should stay home, do not come. If you are waiting for errors, to speak about or strange opinions to criticize, or you believe that the knowledge you have is sufficient. It tells you stay home.

For this would be more comfortable for your body

while you tie yourself coming to the class, spending money, gas, hours time, why stay at home, save yourself, save your money, save your time.

This would be more comfortable for your body, you are resting at home, and more dignified for your morals, and safer for your religion, it is safer for your religion. Because once you come and you have the evil intention, you are blameworthy Now, while when you stay at home, you did not do anything bad to your Muslim brother, or to Muslim sister. So once you do that

you are wronging a brother or a sister then you are blameworthy while when you stay home. You did not have any money. So he's telling you if you have evil intention, then stay home. That's better.

decorous relax.

So if you participate in these gatherings with the right intent, which we mentioned previously, again, I repeated it three times, then you should do one of these three things. So according to Ben hazama hammer law, he is telling you, once you have the right intention, now you had the right intention, you should be one of three people, you should do one of three things.

There is no fourth opinion is certainly there is no fourth. If you're not one of these three things, then

you don't have the correct intent.

You keep silent as one who has no knowledge. Be quiet. Just listen. Just listen. This is the first way you come and you be quiet. You just listen.

In this case, you deserve the reward of someone who has the intention of of observing tentatively, when you listen that means you care about even if someone thought you will, you will try to tell him listen because you care. You want to listen and you want to benefit yourself. So you will get the reward of the one who's observing tentatively

the praise of someone who is not meddlesome.

So this is another thing you will get.

Another thing also the dignity of keeping good company. Now imagine if you always

Talk with the people next to you love to sit next to you or they like to sit, sit away from you.

If you talk you interrupt, you make noise, no one would like to sit with you. So, once you are silent, everybody would like to sit with you because you will not disturb them.

So, this is another thing you will get if you remain silent.

And the kindness of those in the gathering, no one will will blame you or will say, Oh, this man, we hope he will not come today. He always speaks He always talks.

So that's what you will get, if you can, and you get quiet, you will listen to

the instruction or you listen to the class.

If you do not keep quiet now, some people they they cannot keep quiet for a reason. Then you should ask questions as one who seeks knowledge?

There is nothing wrong with that at all. You come you listen, you had a question? Is it better to keep quiet? No ask question. But he's telling you ask the question as the one who seeks knowledge, because there are people who ask questions, not as the one who seeks knowledge. So you ask question as the one who seeks knowledge. In this case, you deserve the four good things we enumerated above. We just mentioned the praise of the one who's not meddlesome the kindness of the gathering, these are the four things that you will get. And fifth one, you will get another one, gaining more knowledge, because you asked about something you don't know. So you will gain more knowledge also.

So now, you got five things. Five things you will get when you ask a question as the one who wants to increase his knowledge for things you will get when you are quiet when you are silent. Now if you ask some people what you will get from the gathering, if you did not speak, let me tell you the reward from Allah subhanaw taala. But the Imam he mentioned four things. You mentioned four things. And now if you ask question, you will get the fifth one, which is gaining more knowledge. Now this is an important thing he tells you the nature of the inquiry

of a true learner is to ask about what you do not know not about what you know.

That's the nature of the one who seeks knowledge. You ask about something, you know, you want to know not something that you already know.

For to inquire into what you know, is foolishness. If you ask about something you already know, that's foolishness.

This the mootness and wasting of your speech and time with matters that have no utility for you or for others. Now, if you already know why you are wasting your time, and the time of the instructor, Why you ask? If you already know, do not ask the nature of the true learner. When you ask about something you don't know.

It might even lead to enmity. When you ask about something, you know, imagine you asked me about something.

And later on, I found out that you already know but you asked me, would you think that I will appreciate it? Or I will hate this question. I will hate it and if it happened always, then it will lead to animosity.

And you don't want that. You only ask about what you do not know.

If the person you asked gives you a sufficient answer, then stop talking. You ask the question, you will given the answer stop talking. That's it. You talked for a reason you wanted the answer, you got it.

That's it stop talking. But if the answer is not sufficient, or it alludes your comprehension,

you did not get it or you felt that you need more.

In that case, he tells you then say to him that you do not understand or ask further. Now, yesterday I asked you, did you understand and some of you said no, there is nothing wrong with that. So I have to explain more.

Don't say yes, I understand why you did not. If you did that, then from the beginning you should not ask

you ask the question, you did not get a sufficient answer. ask one more time.

ask for clarification.

If he keeps quiet now, sometimes you ask a question and

this question was ignored, not because it was not here, but there is another reason or repeats to you his original answer. Now sometimes you ask question, and you're given the answer. You repeat the same question I did not understand and you got the same answer.

If you got that. There is no addition to what you had already. Then stop your inquiry. Why? Because

If you asked twice, and you got the same answer, even if you will ask 100 times more, you will get the same answer. So stop asking, that means you will not be able to get more than that maybe the instructor does not have more information than the information he already gave you. Or maybe there is a problem that you could solve later on. Remember, remember, you always

you are always accompany with others, you have other people. Some people are so selfish that they want to ask about everything. Now imagine if you ask always five questions. This is my right I want to understand which is true. But what if everybody asked five questions?

While you only has this right?

Sometimes some people they want to waste,

like 510 minutes.

If it's a 15 minute session, and you have 10 students, and one of them wasted 10 minutes, then what's left for the entire session? Remember always to think about everybody. So if you ask the question, you got the answer, this answer was not sufficient, you asked again, which is your right, but you got the same answer, then do not ask. You could ask later on because you will waste the time

of the entire class. Maybe the teacher himself does not have more information to give you. Maybe there is something in the question itself that it's not suitable to be answered at the time of the messenger science alum. Many times he was asked some people they interrupted him matassa

he was asked this question, while he was giving a lecture.

The prophet SAW Selim did not answer and he kept talking. Then the man asked again. Another time when the prophet SAW Selim told the people had became mandatory, it is obligatory.

A lot Robin Harris, he asked, Is it every year, the prophet SAW Selim did not answer alacra? He repeated again. Is it every now the prophet SAW Selim had you stopped talking? he asked. Third time is it every year, then the prophet SAW Selim told them because it seems this man is not stopping. He's repeating and repeating and repeating. Prophet SAW Selim wanted to stop. He said, No, it's not every year had I said every year, it would have become obligatory once it is obligatory, he will not be able to afford it, you will not be able to do it. That means this question was the wrong question.

So from the beginning, if your question was here, no answer. Maybe you need to ask another time. But if you asked another time, it did not get an answer, stop, stop, do not ask one more time.

Otherwise, you would gain his enmity and obtain no better answer. Now, again, you asked twice, you will not get what you are looking for. Or that's what you think you do not get enough. So no matter you repeat it three times 100 times, you will not get more knowledge. That's what I have.

That's what I already gave you. So do not ask.

If I know that someone is asking, and that's all what I have, he kept asking and that sort of I have I will not like. So again, it will lead to enmity.

So, it is important,

it is important this manner is very important for the student of knowledge. Now, let's say

you did not keep quiet, you did not want to ask question, then there is a third option. The third option is that you report as a man of knowledge. Now, you came and you listen to a subject that you very, you know very well, you know very well.

The nature of such rebuttal is to oppose his answer by a clear contrary argument,

you know, this subject very well, and you notice that he made a mistake. So, now, you speak as a person of knowledge,

you want to correct

this thing. And even this, it has

a proper method to be done. It's not appropriate someone is talking to everybody and you tell him in front of everybody you are wrong, there is a proper method, but if you wanted to rebut, then again, there is

a proper method like the one who has the knowledge.

If you do not have this sort of refutation, you cannot just say no, this is wrong, why it is wrong, I believe so. That's not enough. Whether you have evidence, or you don't have if you don't have Do not talk. If you have the evidence you mentioned, if you don't have this sort of of refutation, or you have nothing to add, but repeating what you say or your opponent does not see your point, then you should stop.

Maybe you

said something, I did not get it, then you said it again, I still did not get it, then stop

there is there is a gap in communication, you are telling something that I'm not following.

So stop.

Because again, your purpose is what your intention is not to show off not to tell people, oh, I have this knowledge, your intention is to correct the mistake. So it should not be against the person himself. Once we want to correct something, we correct that mistake, we don't correct the person himself, I have nothing wrong against you as a person. But what you said seems to be wrong and I want it to be corrected.

Otherwise, your repetitions would bring would bring you no reward. Because now your intention is not anymore. to correct the knowledge, the mistakes, but your intention is to show off you repeated once, twice, and it was not the point was not understood. So stop.

Otherwise, your repetitions would bring you no reward, no learning and no knowledge. Now instead of having a healthy environment where there is learning going on, we have a debate. He's saying this and the other one is insisting No. And everybody is

trying to enforce his opinion, there will be no knowledge, but frustration for you and your opponent, and enmity that might lead to harm

hamdulillah so far, we don't have fights, but sometimes even in domestic unfortunately, and I saw this I don't know if you saw this or not. Sometimes people raise their voices inside the masjid and it starts off very small, but what happens they don't have the correct method of talking communicating with each other. So it is important to have the proper manner when we participate in the gatherings of learning. And again, this could happen on daily basis. This could happen to me to you to everybody, so we should know what to do.

I will stop here in Sharla