Divinely Sheltered – Reflections on Surat Al-Hujurat 04

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We begin the name of Allah All Praise and Glory be to Allah and mais find his peace and blessings be upon His messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and his family and his companions and all those who adhere to his guidance.

We ask Allah azza wa jal to teach us that which will benefit us and benefit us with that which he teaches us and increase us in beneficial knowledge alone. I mean, we ask Allah to visit us with our flaws from focusing on the flaws of others and we ask Allah azza wa jal to busy us with his book. So that it may be a cure for our flaws, Allah him. I mean, we continue in their study of sort of how gerat which we said is the surah that regulates and remedies the relationships in our lives from the most important of them, our relationship with Allah azza wa jal

down to the relationships in this world, the relationships of society and community.

And we spoke last week about the information management

guidance that the Quran gave to societies confirm the news. But then even after you confirm the news, know that there is a reference point on how we should deal with this news in a systematic way, in a in a structured way, while I'm on a frequent Rasulillah know that among us, the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and you would have gone through great hardship Had he given into all of your demands, so your fiery emotions, your passion, that would have been void of prudence. But Allah has made faith beloved to you and beautified it in your heart and made detested to you he said, disbelief and sin and all forms of disobedience.

Now the next verse, the eighth verse, Allah azza wa jal speaks about that high station of the sahaba. We spoke about, we said Eman faith was levels and they were at the highest of it, where they hated every form of disobedience. Even if it was not sinful, right, even the recommended they hated to

miss out on it because of their love for Allah subhanho wa Taala being so absolute and so by extension, they loved all that he loves, even if it was not an obligation on them to adhere to it. Then this high station in the eighth area, Allah azza wa jal says falgu La Mina la una Rama wala who Alleman Hakeem, this is the fact that Allah guided me to faith and beautified it in your heart and may disbelief detested to you. This is all a bounty from Allah and His favor. In other words, how did the Sahaba reach that very high rank and station that we described last week, it is by recognizing and admitting their poverty in front of Allah subhanho wa taala, as they were taught

very straightforwardly in sort of Al Fatiha serata Latina and anti la him, this is the path that you have favored over the people before us. So favor us with it as well. They understood that better than us.

And so, likewise, we see when we say al Fatiha Serato Latina and underlay him, give us the path of those you have favored. Recognize, remember, these verses are the genre that these high stations of Eman are for the lamina Allahu aneema, the bounty of Allah and His favor, that He grants whomever he wishes, he granted it to the Sahaba He granted it to the Muslims before and after the sahaba. And they reach those stations by operating with this reality locked in tight. So if you want to be someone like them, who stays committed to the faith, throughout the years of your life, this is the key, recognizing that it's called the love from Allah and namah. You want to be of those that are

accepted amongst the ranks of propagating the faith. You want to be of those who lives their life, concern for the welfare of the old man of humanity at large. Realize that none of us deserve it. Right. We all have shortcomings. And so were it not for the fact that Allah deals with us based on faulty lamina Allah a bounty, because if Allah were to deal with us based on justice based on what we deserve,

we would all be destroyed. Nobody would deserve anything, right of good. But because it's filled the lamina Allah it's a bounty from Allah meaning an undeserved gift from Allah. We all have a chance at his father subhanho wa Taala you know, even prophethood like prophethood cannot be attained by good works. It's a level that is gifted by Allah. It's not even like the prophets are in prophethood. Allah said that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were Allameh Camella tekota Allah Allah guided

you if you had never known before, what can affect the Lulu here la Calima and the father of the bounty of Allah, the undeserved gifts of Allah to you are certainly great even to the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa salam Wa Allahu Allah Eman Hakeem and Allah is knowing wise.

So, he after speaking about this whole structure in the first you know seven ayat of surah gerat he ends this discussion by saying and Allah is Alim Hakeem knowing and wise for putting together this system is knowing and wise is knowledge part of wisdom

or is wisdom part of knowledge

or just they two completely separate things not part of each other? Are they mutually exclusive

knowledge is part of wisdom Okay, do you want to justify or just vote about a vote on

this this

is wisdom part of knowledge or knowledge part of wisdom

live Okay, team come on and team Amon.

Perhaps

the general was mentioned before this specific here, Allah is perfect in his knowledge. And part of that is the fact that he is the most wise because knowledge I mean, one of many ways you can explain it, there is the abstract or the theoretical, then there is where to place it, what to do with it, how to apply it, right, because in a vacuum, what does it serve? Right? And so from the perfection of his knowledge that he is why subhanho wa Taala he even has the knowledge of application Subhana horadada.

Okay, moving right along. Now that we've spoken about a strong community, a strong society, what is the fundamental you know, underpinnings of it? Allah azza wa jal speaks about when this goes haywire. And he says Subhanallah without and this night I was in Ba if attorney Minella meanie Nakata Lu fall stiletto Vina Houma, roughly translated, and when two factions or two groups of the believers

get into a fight, they fight one another, then make amends between them reconcile between them.

There's a few nuances very beautiful but subtle nuances here. The scholars mentioned about this, this passage, the first of them is that Allah subhanho wa Taala said what in thought if a 10

and he didn't say what either but if attend

in an either can both mean if like, like a conditional statement or clause conditional clause.

But what's the difference between in and either they said either is for something that is likely to happen

like, you know,

either Bala, shims, Frattini, right when, if and when, because it's gonna happen, it's recurrent, regular expected, so you use either, but in, add some unlikeliness to it, if this happens to happen, meaning it's less expected. And the benefit of you know, the beauty of using that word here is that this is already seeing in the rare case that shouldn't be happening, right? It should be hard to imagine that many architetti do that the believers get into a fight.

This is the first part. The second part is Allah azza wa jal said and in the rare case that the believer is now focused in the word believers gets into a fight two groups of believers get into a fight.

They are still called believers, that's important to focus on.

So they're still believers.

Even though they're fighting

a person you know might say, wait a minute, but didn't the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say, See Babel Muslim he forsook wirklich Allah Who cough that insulting a believer is a flagrant sin is a big sin. And Cleator know who and fighting him is cough is this belief? We say? Yes, he did say that Alessandro says it. But this must mean it is an action of Cofer, meaning it resembles the actions of the kuffaar of the disbelievers but does not

Turn you altogether into a disbeliever. How do we know?

Because of this I weigh in thought if I tournament I don't mean enough that's when you have two factions of believers Allah called them believers. So no matter how great

a crime a believer commits

in our eyes that will not automatically disqualify their beliefs. A believer is still a believer, right? That you know, the scholars also pointed out something subtle in this area. They said when we're in thought if I tend to groups.

And if two groups of believers then the verse says mumineen Erica teta Lu, the scholar said the verse if it wasn't the verse like outside of the Quran, if it would have said it Tete Allah, if the two of them fight, it would have been grammatically correct. When two groups

of believers if Catella the two the two of them fight would have been corrupt because there are two groups so the two of them fight, but the pronoun here at the end of the word is for the plural.

It two groups when they fight

they said why is the word they there and they means more than two

they here would mean more than two an error because an error either singular There's dual and there's plural, right?

They said why is it saying they all in one lump sum as if they're one group to further close in the likelihood of reconciliation which is the point of the eye as if to remind them you are not two factions fighting you are believers and therefore you are all the you are all one group in reality. You know, this is almost like that is sort of a Bukhara

when ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada is speaking about

baseless retaliation, someone kills your family members of the court gives you the right to demand the death penalty. Allah says what Femen Rofi Allahu minarchy. He che you own whomever is pardoned in some way by his brother. And so he's reminding the family of the victim, that you are still the brother of this criminal. Meaning don't forget the Brotherhood. Perhaps it will help you forgive if it is warranted. Of course it forgive, I mean, if the person is remorseful and whatnot. Okay, so now let's

see, what do we have now we have two groups of believers, Allah saying if because faith should you know distance all tensions, unless the faith is doomed, but that's the next I we're not going to jump the gun here. Or maybe we shouldn't use the word gun because it's about fighting and not fighting, right? Let's not get ahead of ourselves two groups of believers, if in the rare case that they happen to fight, they are still believers, for our celestial Boehner Homer, you now step in third party and reckons not necessarily a third party but whoever is receptive.

You now step in for our celestial Bina Homer, and reconcile between them. And this is of the greatest acts of worship in Islam. And Allah Subhana Allah Allah is always calling the believers to this you know, when the believers were

arguing over the spoils, arguing over the what was gathered from those who had fallen, those who had lost in the Battle of bed and their manners got you know, inappropriate with each other. Allah said itself Allah wa salam obeying that obey Nikhil, fear Allah and fix the relationships between you.

Even in regular gatherings, Allah Subhana Allah Allah was calling their attention to the table talk, as we call it, the dinner conversations to be useful and productive. And he said Subhanahu wa Taala and the iron SOTA Nyssa.

Allah

Hi, Rafi cathedra Minaj wayhome Allah said there is no good in so many of their private conversations. You think about Allah saying these private conversations, what is are they good or bad? Is that a net positive or net negative? So he's saying there is socialization right? There is no good in most of their Najwa their private conversations. Il M and Amara BISAZZA catene Elma rufen ls la him been a nurse except those who take advantage of these gatherings, to encourage each other to give in charity or perform some act of good or reconcile between people who are disputing

or reconcile between people that are disputing. And even I'll give you a third example quickly the example of marriage, marital conflict, Allah subhanho wa Taala says I feel Hakkinen

Initially he will have come in earlier in Uri, the sua Haniwa flotilla who by now Houma send like a judge or an arbiter from her family and a judge or an arbiter from his family. If these two

that's one interpretation, at least, if these two arbiters have goodwill, if they really want to reconcile Allah who will allow them to come to common terms, they'll come come to a, you know, a reasonable compromise.

And so Allah saying, get involved, don't stand there from the sidelines, when believers are fighting. You get involved and you fix the relationship, because this should not be something normal or acceptable for there to be tensions between believers, regardless of the reason is what I'm trying to say. Whether it's business reason, marriage reason, whatever it is.

The eye continues to see for in Belgrade, the Houma Allah okra for katello, let eater believe that a fee Illa amarilla. And then, if one group

transgresses against another group,

so they flit one group flips the table, basically, one group doesn't want to have a you know, a reasonable conversation, one group starts swinging, right, if one group transgresses against the other, Allah says what

for Kati Lou, Lottie Temperley, then fight the transgressor this reconciler, this reformer, this Peacemaker he's saying, You Peacemaker go fight the transgressor be on the side of the oppressed in this scenario, had that fear Isla amarilla until it comes to its senses regarding the Command of Allah subhanho wa taala.

This is very interesting, because we're talking about creating warm relationships and you know, there being you know, a peaceful community and kindness and kindness here to the transgressor to the oppressor would be cruelty to who.

If I am kind, to the person that's being cruel, the person that's being oppressive,

then I now I'm being cruel to who?

To the oppressed and the oppressor, not just the oppressed, I'm being cruel to them both. Right? They didn't the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say, on Surah, haka volley. manomav Luma. Support your brother, whether he's an oppressor, he's oppressed. They said, Yeah, rasool Allah, he's oppressed, we get it, we understand how to support him, right? Like we literally defend him. But how do we support our brother when he's the oppressor?

He said, By stopping him from oppression, that is your support of your brother, you are lightening his load on the day of judgment. And that's the idea. You're not just retaliating out of, you know, just some pride or vengeance for your people or your group or the person you happen to side with. You're doing this out of kindness for them, to wake them up to their sensibilities to wake them up to their actions.

So, let's put this differently when the oppression is clear, when it's crystal clear. And sometimes it's crystal clear, you don't need to investigate all of the details of the conflict, to know that what just happened here is uncalled for. Right? Like we're all having a conversation, you throw a water bottle, no, in that's obvious, right? There's no justification for it. When the oppression is clear, then you staying neutral is a crime. You can't be you can't be neutral in that scenario. Allah subhanho wa Taala forbids you from doing so he commands you in this area to fight back to push back against the oppressor. And then when you do you're doing so in a way that will resolve is

you're not trying to bully someone, you're not trying to exploit them. You're just trying to stop them. You're not trying to like finish them off or eradicate them humiliates them. None of this. In fact, you know, there's a little filthy element here, that if it were actually like military, we're actually fighting like a war breaks out between two believing communities, and one is clearly an oppressor and you side with the oppressed to stop the oppressor after you subdue the oppressor. It is not like a war like

a, a justified war. It has different rules, like there will be no honeymoon there will be no captives, there will be no ransoms, there will be no spoils collected, there will be none of this. These are your brothers, we're just stopping them from their rampage. Nothing more. Then the i This is all I have nine fights those who are transgressing until they come to their senses to the Command of Allah wake up to the Command of Allah. Then Allah says this is very important and so practical, for infact for our salehoo bayonet whomever below ideally what up cassuto in Allah herbal mucosa clean

And then if that transgressing party, the one who flipped the table

comes to its senses, then you go back to reconciling between them.

injustice. And be fair, notice that the emphasis here, because after someone has, has gone rogue, as they say, it becomes very hard to tolerate them, you can actually be unfair to them. So, reconcile between them in equity, we're up closer to and be fair, in Allah hibel mucosal clean, Allah loves those who are just unfair. And so you're going to try now, to have goodwill towards all parties involved. And that takes a great deal of strength. And honestly, just like, remove yourself from the equation.

It's not about you, it's not coming down to your terms. It's not penalizing them more and more and more, as you see fit. No, you're going to destroy the idol within you. That's the heroics here, right? The sun and within you, me and you, you know, violated me or you stepped out of my leadership?

But

you stop the oppressor from oppressing? Why can't you just walk away at this point? I want you to think about this. Why can't you just say, okay, Hamdulillah I stopped the fight.

I got him off her.

You haven't really solved anything. Right? You just stop this particular incident. You basically you are successful at a ceasefire? Is a ceasefire, really reconciliation? No, it's not. It's just temporary Put the guns down?

And is that type of relationship? This is the idea here? Is that type of relationship acceptable for believers to simply have a ceasefire type of agreement? Absolutely not.

And so you're going to remedy the situation now after the ceasefire, and you're going to begin with justice. You know, this is extremely applicable. marital conflict. If you ever get dragged into marital conflict, the first thing you want to do is stop the fighting. You got to break it up.

You know, many times I used to

before I took a few barriers, like marital counseling or conflict resolution seminars, I used to think you know, I have to solve the problem right now my phone is lighting up, I got to figure out some way to do it.

All that you say and do when the fight is happening when the emotions are flaring is utterly useless. Nobody's listening.

So I mean, of course, you want to make sure everyone's safe. But after you make sure everyone's safe, you have to let them cool off for a while. Right, like the ceasefire period, right. But then after the ceasefire, you know, happens for a few days, cooler heads, it's not gonna stay like this, then you intervene. By the way, I'm not like telling anyone to come to me, do not come to me. But in case you are ever pulled into a situation, don't be ambitious, and think you're gonna walk in and lay down the law and break up the fight and everyone's gonna listen to you and say, you know, yes, sir, no, not gonna happen. You wait till the fight is cooling off. And then you step in, when you

step in. Be careful now, you're going to remedy the situation now, for us little Boehner, who met Bill Adams, be careful of being unfair.

Be careful of speaking about secondary issues. Like what?

Kindness, right, it will not work.

The fact that

meaning what I mean to say is don't expect that they will exhibit kindness to each other, because that is secondary, until you have first established for them what is justice for them? The framework of justice, kindness can only be built on justice. Right? You can be smart about it, and make them feel like the other party is, is very nice and very calm. How?

By lying, right or wrong? Aren't you allowed to lie to fix relationships?

So you can allow them to sense you know, to grow that warmth, and that kindness that they, you know, perceive about the other person, you can do that? You know that

Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said lamb yak VIP men namah BNF. Nene loosely.

A person has not lied if he adds a few words on, you don't Amina is gossip because you add words to the original conversation. But he's saying when you NEMA is to grow so that you grow the word you grow the the statement you add to it right? So that's why NEMA is gossip. But he's saying to do that in the right direction. That would be the exception. You're not saying Oh, you heard what he said about you to stoke the flames, you're saying the opposite? Well, Allah is always speaking so well of you, and so on and so forth. And he was just telling me how guilty he was feeling or she was feeling and whoever does that he said to reconcile between two people

has not liked the Prophet alayhi salaatu wa sallam said this.

So you and then you insert justice, you tell them where the intersections are micarta hook, this is where your rights end and your rights begin. And then you move on to kindness and tell them now you need to not demand all of your rights, and you need to not demand all of your rights, you need to both compromise. Because if you both demand your rights in full, if you both demand justice in full, you're not going to be able to estimate you're gonna overstep, because when you're looking for your rights, you're gonna go overboard, and if they go for their rights, they're gonna go overboard, and so you're not going to be able to stop, you're going to pass each other. You're going to talk past

and negotiate past and demand past each other's willingness to give.

So that's just in a nutshell, but this concept needs to be as difficult as it is revived and understood to be part and part and parcel of every believer and every community that can be a part of this should not shy away from it. As a matter of fact, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Allah Biru come,

shall I not inform you?

If Dali mandala Jetta Salatu was Salam ala sadaqa, for something superior to get you to a superior rank, then prayer and fasting and charity. Alo Bella rasool Allah they said, of course, that also Allah tell us, allah sallallahu that it been for in FSL that that will be in the heel Holika la, la apologia helical sharp Belle Salahuddin. He said, reconciling relationships because rifts in relationships, bad relationships, weak relationships. He says, this is the shaver. And I don't mean he said, I don't mean the shaver, which removes all the hair rather than shaver which shaves off people's religion. You see why they have such a high rank reconciling between people? Because its

benefit is transitive. It's not just the prayer I do, it helps multiple people, right? It helps society and so the need of the community the need of society should be given precedence over the need of and thereby the of the individual. That's why it's such a great act of worship. That's why you're allowed to lie in it when it will help. In fact, the scholars even mentioned that Islam that had been fixing relationships is so valuable. This is why

Zakka money can be used on it. You guys know that a calf money can be spent in eight directions

right

so how can the calf money be used to reconcile relationships Think with me

which of the aid recipients

Ah

How can that reconcile the relationship

No, but there's something more immediate than that that's like long term

how the adult Islam they say that had been

I don't want to say been going in messenger because bingos gambling but that guy use just like a look at us have any sisters have it before I ever use it for the prize giveaway? The Lamborghini

Hot Wheels car.

I look at mean

he doesn't have a license. It's like three inches long that car. Only if you permit of course parents above all.

So allottee mean, I only have like three or four minutes left. elevada mean are those that are in debt. Many conflicts happen because of debt. Right? And so the scholar said that if

If you were to take on the debt, as the arbiter, say, Listen, I'll pay it on his behalf.

You can go back now to the Muslim treasury, or any payer of Zika and say, I have taken on a debt to fix this conflict. I've shouldered it myself.

And you would be entitled to take it even if you are wealthy. That's what I mean. It's the care money eligible, you don't have to be poor or stuck. No, you took the form, you took the liability off of someone else and got it paid through this account money for the sake of reconciliation,

as some scholars mentioned.

And so just to review, when you're reconciling between people, there's three ways or levels. The first one is peacefully as the I began, the, you know, they're fighting

there, there's, you know, conflict, there's disagreement, they haven't transgressed yet, then peacefully, go there, clarify facts, from rumors, right, held both sides understand perspectives, right, negotiate for the different parties to come to like a compromise middle, that's peacefully right. If things get spicy, and it becomes you know, a an escalated conflict, then you want to still intervene whenever you can do so intervene to mitigate the damage to ends, you know, the aggression.

And then after that, you arbitrate between them, and you charge for them the road to rebuilding their relationship, you don't stop there, you are betrayed and help them remedy, you know, the social fabric has been torn. And you realize this is one of the greatest activity badder, above all and without exception.

And, you know, like, all that comes with slide that had been, you can just imagine, it's beyond what we can list, you're going to restore the affection, you're going to prevent it from, you know, getting to a point of no return, where there could be bloodshed or words spoken, that people aren't able to forgive later on. You know, you're going to save people's money from going to the lawyers, and spending these, you know, exorbitant amounts of money, you're going to also protect the Muslims from getting into mischievous behavior. Because when people have, you know, conflicts, they tend to lie a lot. They tend to fall into false testimony, and otherwise, you will be protecting them from

that as well. And all of that has its ripple effect, and it will cause the community to disband from one another. Right? I'm not going to attend this Masjid because I don't want to that person's face. Right? And so this is how it all feeds back into or circles back into the theme of the surah the importance of this function, the function of Islam. I wanted to get to the 10th idea today, but there is no time. In a moment we knew that the believers are no less than brothers. False little Bina Polycom. So rectify or reconcile between your brothers, WhatsApp Allah, Allah, Allah come to our honeymoon and fear Allah so that you may attain his mercy, but we will inshallah. Spend a few

short minutes on that in the subsequent in the next lecture Subhanak Allahumma become diksha de la ilaha illa and Christopher Khanna to be like Zack Loffredo.

Will you have any questions?