The People of the Cave – A Journey Through Surat Al-Kahf #01

Jemaine we begin the name of Allah All Praise and Glory be to Allah and his finest peace and blessings be upon His messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and his family and his companions and all those who tried his path.

As we begin our journey through the study of so that if we ask Allah azza wa jal to teach us that which will benefit us and benefit us with that which He has taught us and to increase us in knowledge Allahumma Amin, we ask Allah to protect us from knowledge that doesn't benefit and from a heart that is not humbled, and from an appetite for this world that is never satisfied, and from a supplication that is never heard that is never accepted. Allahumma Amin

so Surah Al KEF is a Surah of the Quran a chapter of the Quran, this 18th Chapter, that it is very customary for the Muslims to recite it weekly. Yes, to recite certain KEF on the eve of Friday, on the eve meaning yesterday after sundown into today, Friday up until sunset, which was you know, a few hours ago.

And that on its own because our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had incentivised had encouraged us to do so that on its own, should call our attention

to the surah and its importance because there are certain sources of the Quran that are recited as we said with high frequency like what

what sources

al Fatiha bare minimum you're reciting and Fatiha 17 times a day very high frequency Yes ma'am.

How did

rather a smarter you hear

the sister sent us by that said Is it possible that you turn on the screens if possible in sha Allah does talk a little later?

So infatti what else is a high frequency Surah

La La San and it's a pair of loss and what ltfu rwn LF loss and LKF rwn the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam Mr. recite them when?

As a pair at least every morning in the Sunnah Fajr before the obligatory morning prayer and every evening

after maghrib in the Sunnah after maghrib he users like hello Hola Hola. Hola and Kalia you will get your own and also on the tool rock as after the laugh when he would make Hajj or Umrah he will recite the susurrus what else is a high frequency Surah

ha

I don't hear I'm sorry

lol far.

When do we recite this?

Yes we do recited every prayer. What I meant, like you know, in the religious tradition in our texts, what do what are we taught to recite often?

Al molk the Prophet alayhi salatu salam encouraged reciting, so they'll milk nightly

and Surah don't care if there are a hadith attributed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that some scholars consider authentic and traceable that he encouraged reciting LKF the IVA Friday or the day of Friday, every single week.

And he told us Allah Allahu alayhi wa sallam about the power of the surah. This surah in particular, protects a person from the trials of who

have a dejenne right the imposter or the Antichrist, the false messiah, which is the greatest trial that will face humanity in all of human history. He told us right, he said to us, the height isn't so I Muslim men happy the ashram, tin mean a worldly Surah till Kaffee Rosie Mamet, the gel, whomever safeguards the first 10 verses from Surah Tolka f will be protected from the trial of the gel, may Allah protect us and you inshallah we never have to face him. But in case we have to this surah in particular, its opening statements, its opening verses, we were told that it would protect us. And in some narrations, if we have to stand in front of it, that gel to recite them to his face,

the sun is set

from the beginning of social graph,

and we were also told that social KEF brings unique peace and tranquility to the environment of the one who reflects on it. You know, there's a hadith in Saleh al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim al Bara al Bara, Ignacio Radi Allahu Anhu. He said that a man sat once and recited surgical care if you

And suddenly it became very foggy where he was. And he began to see like lanterns or lights piercing through the fog. And it wasn't just him. He wasn't imagining this. The horse that was next to him started getting it started frantically moving up and down, got very nervous the horse. And so when he stopped reciting the horse Calm down, and then when he started reciting again, he started seeing it again and the horse started panicking again, and out of fear that the horse would strike the child that was nearby, he stopped the reciting. And he went to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And he said, I would recite things with Kev. And this just like the whole atmosphere

changed, there was like a fog and there was lights. And, you know, because the horse was flipping out, the horse was freaking out, I stopped reciting.

And so he said, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Tilka Sakeena to 10 a zealot will Quran. This was the tranquillity meaning the angels coming to infuse that gathering with a unique tranquility, because this man was having such a sincere moment with sortal calf, and this is established highly authentic in Bukhari and Muslim.

And also not the Hadith. But the incident for which I named my son I bet, actually, that I bet inhibitions are the Allah on famous Sahabi when him and unmodded knee acid were appointed to

keep watch overnight as the Muslim armies slept. I bet that I'll do the first part of the night and I'll wake you up Ahmad for the second part of the night. As he stood there was a quiet night everyone was sleeping, he wanted to double up on his intentions. And so while he was there, so I don't sleep let me also pray. So he started to read to perform the head June 9 prayers or Clem lane. And he was reciting from Surah to KEF. And and scout of the enemy army spotted him from a distance and targeted him with an arrow and he was struck by this arrow from a distance. And he pulled this pile it's almost hard to believe it's actually an authentic report. The same way I had ether

authentic. This incident is actually traceable in the same way solid chain of transmission. He pulls the arrow and throws it down and continues to pray. And so he continues to shoot him with these arrows until the bleeding became so much that he was going to fall. So he rushed his prayer. He finished quickly. And he woke up Amara, the hola Juan

and Amara said to him what happened here and the mushrik the pagan idolatry that was shooting him ran off. He said, What Why didn't you wake me up earlier? Right? He said the only reason I hurried to wake you up was out of fear that I would betray the Messenger of Allah and the sahaba. Like that I was if I fall unconscious, they're going to get you off guard. That's the only reason he said As for myself, I was reciting a surah that was so dear to me. He was having such a moment with the surah I was reciting a surah that was so dear to me, that my soul exiting

was of greater preference to me than me exiting the surah and this was sort of a gaffe

and the prophets Allah Allahu Allahu alayhi wa sallam, he also mentioned that there is, you know, a unique enlightenment and illumination that happens for a person for an entire week. Allah gives a person a special light for an entire week

for reciting suitable calf weekly, and this hate isn't like most of them was in Sorry, I'm sad that a couple Hakim. It was authenticated by Albania Rahim Allah, that the Prophet Alayhi Salatu was Salam said in them and Cara Surahs LKF el mal Juma it Allah Allahu Mina Newari muy buena Juma tiene whoever recites so little Kev on the day of Joomla. Other narrations mentioned the night the eve of Joomla, or the day of Joomla.

Illumination, enlightenment happens for him between the two Germans. And in some reports, he will also have a special light for himself on the Day of Judgment when things go dark. And so that was just an overview of the importance of this surah and the attention to detail we should have about the surah since it's high, it's a high frequency chapter of the Quran. And all I want to do to conclude tonight's lesson is speak about on a very high level, the themes of sort of death, like a thematic overview of the surah

and then we will go into each of its parts. Its four major parts.

Week after week, we had the Lightoller big SOTL calf basically is very straightforward, right? There's four major stories installable calf and between them they are separated orbits.

between them interspersed between them are reminders about the nature of this world the danger of becoming too attached to it. And the proportionality, basically, the comparison between this world and the next. So, four stories separated by that. What's what is unique about these stories? The scholars and some scholars said that these four stories in solitude KEF are unlike any other stories. They don't exist anywhere else in the whole Quran.

So what's the first story? Tell me smella?

Yes, the seven levers I like that it's catchy. The seven levers

you're trying to start in early debates, were they seven or not, and we'll get there in sha Allah, but they were seven.

The boys are the young men in the cave of Seibold GEF, the group after which the pseudo was named those

believers, that group their account doesn't exist anywhere else in the Quran. The next group is who are the I'm sorry, the next story is what?

Sure, so I have an agenda Tane. They're often referred to as, or it's often referred to as the owner of the two gardens. This is a man who is deluded by his riches. And these two gardens he had that he disbelieved in Allah azza wa jal, and then his friend comes in and engages him, and tells him how could you How could you be so diluted? That's the second story doesn't exist anywhere else in the Quran.

Except, except that Some scholars say that it is referred to indirectly though not the same incidence refer to those, those two people and sort of a soft fat. When Allah azza wa jal says that a man will say, in the end, in paradise, I used to have a friend Where is he? He's ultimately sold look, right? And he looks and he finds him in the depths of the fire and says, Yeah, Allah, you have been so kind to me, this man, you and then he looks at his friend and says, you almost dragged me down with you, you almost shook my faith. Right? And so two friends, one of them disbelieved and Allah one of them resisted Him.

That is the story of the owner of the two gardens, the disbeliever on the two gardens. The third story is what?

Tell me more. Because if you say Moses that doesn't exist. So to recap only right? The whole Quran pretty much is all about Musa alayhis salam.

And Benno is right in that's the whole Quran, right? Almost. Because history repeats itself and it's so many lessons for us and so relevant to us. But Musa alayhis, Salam and Hodel in particular, or as some pronounce his name to be, Musa alayhis salam goes on this journey, pursuit of knowledge, right, that's nowhere else in the Quran. Musa alayhis salam, the student, Musa alayhis salam, the one chasing sacred knowledge, right. Nowhere else in the Quran Do you find that story of Musa alayhis salatu salam

and him chasing down al harder, who is most likely must have been a prophet of Allah, Allah He set up, though it is controversial. Some considered him a righteous man, that was not a prophet, but he probably wasn't prophet. That's the third story Musa alayhis salam and Okada. What's the fourth story?

Lucara name right, Lulu Carter name, this great, powerful leader

who roam this entire earth, you know, spreading goodness and spreading justice, and so on and so forth.

What is the common thread between these four stories?

I want you to take it in high level, and then we'll appreciate the details in the coming weeks. What is the common thread?

Anyone want to take as Sisters Brothers.

So as some scholars said,

the common thread between these four stories is that they are all about

how raka like move activity and movement and taking initiative and being driven or call itself motivated or, you know, being people of self determination, engaging your circumstances being people of self determination, refusing to be like apathetic, like indifferent. Whatever happens happens not like that, you know, the first story the boys or the young men of the cave. They got up right they didn't just sit back and you know, accept or even you know, refuse to critique the corruption in society. Right. They got up and said Rob buena Rob was absolutely not no. Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Leonard Roman Dooney he ILA we will never call upon another god right?

They got up and they pushed back against the falsehood. And then when the pressure got ramped up on them, right, it went from disagreement to persecution. They didn't say all man, this is getting serious. Let's sit back, forget it, nevermind, they didn't accept our advice. They got up and they moved. They got up and they migrated away from their people, they got up and they fled with their faith in hiding, right? These are people that were determined to do what's right, and to engage their circumstances in the way most pleasing to Allah subhanho wa taala. The second story, the story of the man who owned the two gardens who this disbelieving man, his friend did what?

He entered upon him in his garden, the I actually say, he went and approached him. And he says to him, like, What in the world are you doing? Like, are you out of your mind? Did you forget where you came from? Came from dust and you're going to return to dust very soon. Okay, first, I believe the Halacha How can you disbelieve in the One who created you from dust? I mean to Rob Right.

And so he entered upon him and he spoke to him. And Allah says, You have widow who and he kept going back and forth with him. Right? He refused to let up. He was debating with this man in a way trying to persuade him out of this this path that he took, he did not mind his own business basically. Right. The third story Musa alayhis, salam,

and ohada It's pretty obvious, right? Musa alayhis salam was bent on doing whatever it took to learn from this man Kadir.

You know, there's a hadith in Sahih Bukhari that gives you the basically the background story to why Musa alayhis salaam went on this journey. Ben was Surah Al Asad Musa alayhis, salam, Min Alamo, Allah who are who is the most knowledgeable person on earth. And so Musa alayhis salam said Anna I am

for Atiba, Hora boo Islam, Eurodollar enema, e li.

And so his Lord subhanho wa Taala criticized him for that or held that against him. For what? For not referring all knowledge back to God. You know, this is not to say that Musa alayhis salam was not the most knowledgeable man on earth.

Okay, this is not to say that Mohammed, who he's going to go learn from right now is actually more knowledgeable than Musa alayhis salam, he knew some things that Musa alayhis salam did not. But that doesn't mean in aggregate he was superior because for sure he wasn't. Because even if all he did was a prophet and messenger Musa they said I was going from the five greatest they're like, in a league of their own right? But the fact that he did not say Allah who will let us know who is the most knowledgeable, Allah did not want him to do that. And so he revealed to him Oh Musa there is a servant of Mine at the end of the earth where the two seas meet where the two seas the two oceans

meets that knows things that you don't know go learn from him. And so Musa he said, um, picks himself up and he says, I'm gonna go right I will not sit still had the absolute image mal behind until I find this place where the two seas meet. You know, some scholars say where is this? Is this like in damietta, northeast Egypt? Or has this been Jordan? Or is this the opposite end of you know, like North Africa, basically. And where is that? The point is, it's an extremely far place that's all that matters. And that's why he says until I reach where the two seas meet, LM Lea Hakuba or I continue walking for years and years I don't care how long it's gonna take I'm gonna go

systems and I'm gonna go system

this is tonight's entertainment as usual.

Okay, and so movement activity, right being determined getting to work.

And even in that story of Musa alayhis salam these scholars

point out, you know, a pattern in the story of Musa alayhis salam al Qaeda alhaja when even after he reached them harder and harder basically insults him like not deliberately not to be offensive but he just don't listen. Lenders of the amya sobre you're not gonna be able to put up with this. This is hard work, right? You're not going to be able to put up with what you can't comprehend my missions. And he's just he swallows and he says you know, that you don't insha Allah Husaberg inshallah I'll be fine. And then the verse continues say fun Tala Tala coffin, they take off and they take off again. Then they take off again, one journey embarking on another journey embarking on

another journey. I'm just highlighting the common denominator in the stories, activity and movement and energy, right to work and work and more work. Then the final story. The final story we said is what?

Stay with me people we only have five minutes left. Keep the energy up.

Little Corinne Andrew Carnegie

Same thing.

Little carnation was a man of great power. Allah says attina Humming Cooley che in Sebulba we gave him access to all things. You know, he had it all. He had the power, he had the resources he had kingdom. But what did he do? He did not resign to the power and say, You know what? Hamdulillah I made it. Thank you, Allah. No. He was looking restlessly, tirelessly for ways places to employ what Allah gave him in the service of Allah azza wa jal through serving Allah's creation, you see this, the story is all about fat by Sebulba, he continues to go in this direction, until he reaches the place where the sun rose. That's one one idea, then another eyes until he reached a place where the

sunsets right, the farthest east, and then the farthest west. And then ultimately, he encounters that rebellious people, known as Juju met George Wright. And every time he goes someplace, he makes himself available to the people clearly, you know, establishing to them, I'm here to serve you, because the ad constantly say,

Yeah, they'll coordinate and Yeah, they'll coordinate Oh, to help us, oh, they know, he's helpful. They know, he's offering his services. And so they're constantly asking him to do so.

And the last thing here now, I guess a point of reflection, the connection between this surah being instrumental in resisting the trials of the gel, right in resisting trials. And between these four stories in the Surah, all speaking heavily on the importance of rushing to do the right thing.

actively doing the right thing. That is actually the remedy for all fitten all trials in your life. You need to

take them by storm as they say, you need to be a person that is not waiting for events or observing, you know, like from the margins being marginalized, being on the sidelines, watching events go by many times people are like this. They they just they have this fatalist they call it mentality where, you know, I'm just a feather in the wind. Whatever is gonna happen. It's gonna happen. Oh, man, it looks like I'm finished. Oh, man, it looks like things are going my way. That's it. All right. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself. This is not my reflection. He said that the role will Amelie Phaeton you hurry up and rush to perform good deeds. Before trials come your way.

You need to be a person of determination.

And so are we people have self determination. That's really the first lesson and the only lesson I want you to go home with to think about how self motivated am I to do the right thing. Like

I don't even want to talk about the fact that we as an ummah have not contributed things on the world stage in a while. Okay. And the fact that for good reasons, you know, we cite the old golden age of Islam because we haven't invented things forever right? In a few 100 years. Right. We just on individual level am I determined to personally grow myself year after year? Yes, slowly Yes, gradually, yes, incrementally, but is there a plan right Am I determined to get this done? That is what Allah subhana wa Taala wants from every believer, he wants this from all of us.

Many human beings are not like this, you know, we have this built in tendency to incline to comfort to incline to luxury to incline to ease, and we give ourselves excuses many times.

You know, this may be like a horrible anecdote. But

so there's a statistic that 90% of people that undergo like a coronary bypass, like these are three replacements around their hearts 90% of them after the surgery, whether you're doing like a single or double or triple or quadruple whatever bypass you're doing

90% of them do not change their style of living and their dieting whatsoever.

Why not? Like you just went under the knife. Even now, right? And so here's the bad story. I won't mention who or where. But I once went to a

I visited like a village and a part of the Muslim world. Distant Relatives.

And so I'm sitting and it's awesome food. Don't get me wrong. It really is good food. But yeah, I'm sitting there these elders that are all at the table.

They were eating I don't know how to explain how do you explain Felina Michelle did when she left Avon. Not that you eat it but

how do we explain it for

Live for the animal shelter. This is what Nadeem helped me.

Whereas they have some

users and he's like I'm Caucasian.

So basically it's a very, very greasy bread pastry layers of

Oh, my bad. Can you help? No, you don't know me. Okay? Good.

Very, very high cholesterol. Okay, super high. It's like you put like the dough and then layer of butter and dough. And it's like a croissant.

on steroids. Basically, it's about this big. And then they take it and they dip it in butter. They eat it. So I'm sitting with all of these elders. And

they're all eating. And it's and I'm with them eating. I was about like, 23 at the time. And one of them is not eating. They're all like 65 plus 65 through 80, literally. And so they're brothers. They're blood brothers. And so one of them says to the brother that's not eating, why aren't you eating is like, Nah, Nah, man, I just did. I just did the operation. Like, I just replaced the cholesterol ones with with the clean ones. And they all did. So apparently saying the way the one says I replaced three one place. And then after each of them says, Don't worry, don't worry, like we've all done it just go ahead and stuff and he wouldn't budge. And so his oldest brother is like,

Listen, man, you're not even going to have enough time to plug it again.

Meaning you'll die from another reason before you, you clock this artery. This is a really bad problem. This is not just in dieting, right?

To be a person, a believer, we should be people that keep feeling conflicted keep feeling guilty about not doing what we know we should be doing. Right? What makes a human being virtuous. It's not just his intelligence, it's him acting on what his intelligence delivered him to. And so to get up and to move, to be people of determination

is huge. And the early, you know, generations of Islam, they were closest to the Quran. And so they got from silicon cafe in particular, but the Quran at large, this, you know, this energy, right, this motivation to get up and to work. That's why they were the most impactful and the most productive, you know, people in the history of humanity, this is not an exaggeration, is Allah saying this best nation brought out for humanity, they each felt a sense of responsibility, this eat, they each felt like they had a huge weight on their shoulders that they needed to carry, and that they would be able to carry and that no one would carry if they don't carry that sort of thing.

And to sue the calf has a lot to do with this, whatever your trial is, right? Whether it's harm, like the boys in the cave, persecution, or just like stigma, right, some some pressure, you're still going to push back, right? People out there doing the wrong thing, I'm going to try to put a dent as best I can in this falsehood, right in this misguidance or the third story knowledge also knowledge can be a trial it really can. And there are many pitfalls on the path to knowledge, if that is your your lane. So they understood and we need to understand that everyone has their trial, but Islam is is a path that we all have to just try our best to accelerate on regardless of what your trial is,

regardless of what lane on the straight path on the highway Allah subhanho wa Taala put us

and

we do have I mean, this will be my final point we do have, like

many faulty non Quranic understandings that gets in the way of us being people of Azeema people have determination, right? Like throughout history, certain ideas have snuck into the OMA about what it actually means to be attached or detached from the material world, right? Some people think being poor is part of being Muslim, right or wrong. You know, there are faulty you know, there are misunderstandings about what it means to believe in Kedah in fate, or what it means to have to let go to put reliance and Allah subhanho wa taala. Right. Some people think it's all about like that, Alicia, you know the concept of a dervish. There are many types part of many different religious

orders within Islam. But in general, like people that just vow themselves, like in a blanket, excessive way to poverty and to

you know, relinquishment of this world and just you know, supposedly leaving things all to Allah and a faulty understanding of that sort of gaffe comes to shatter that that idea, right. You are a force in this world by Allah's permission, and he will ask you about it. And that's why Subhan Allah the surah ends with saying,

from an Kenyatta juluca Arabi filiana, whoever wished looks forward to meeting his Lord, a pleasant meeting with his Lord, let him work. That's the last eye on the surah let him work righteous deeds. Well, I usually could be rebellious or be a hada and let him not associate any partners with God. In His devotion to him, let him make sure it's sincere. So

That is the high level thematic summary of social care if the four trials the four responses and the the underlying

principle of being people of activity people that take the deen seriously people that don't resign to laziness, may Allah azza wa jal make us and you people have to Azima of righteous determination Allahumma Amin Subhanak la Mia Hamm, digna Chateau La Ilaha lantana Stouffer okay wanted to break we will stop there in sha Allah any questions by the way?

Sisters any questions? Either Amanda one

yeah, that is because one narration says the day of Friday, so, whoever believes that narration is more authentic those scholars, they said let us make sure it's during the daytime which would only be from fetched onwards. But there is another narration says Yo Ma Juma it will Leila tell Joomla the day of Joomla and the night of Joomla the scholars who believe that wording is strong enough in its traceability, they will also include that lead time of the Eve yesterday. Sundown onwards. So if you can do it during the daytime of Joomla that would be safer and better. But in general, you know

I want to say this carefully.

Because it's downside I've experienced but it really is about you rehearsing your understanding of the surah more so it is about repeating without understanding the words of the surah it's as if this hadith this concept is saying Don't let seven days go by without you. revisiting these principles that are just timeless. This is life life does not go on outside of this summary the summary of sort of death the cycle of life you know that the wheel of life that's what it's all about, and Allah knows best

any other questions

about this

unlikely to get

down

I will ask this question back to you after we tried to create a few more links between

the gel and some of the rulings and lessons within the stories because we haven't really gotten to them yet. We just basically tried to compare them to each other very quickly. But we haven't gotten into them the deep dive yet.

And at the same time, no one's saying read only get right. This will have the Allahu Anhu I certainly don't do this. I pray I can get to this point before I die. They used to conclude their recitation of the Quran every Thursday evening with the breaking of their fest is very beautiful. You know, they used to recite,

basically widowed Rahim, Allah narratives and others. On Friday, they would recite three sutras from the Quran.

And then on Saturday, five sutras from the Quran and then Sunday seven, and then Monday, nine, and then Tuesday, 11 pluses not up to 11 plus 11. Until they reach Thursday, they're at an Mufasa essentially, their total Cough, cough to the end, they would recite those last five Jews of the Haoran

and then make their their for their headsman the breaking of their fest. So that's a little bit telling you.

It is it's like a false dichotomy. It's not like either or. Right. It's about

the fact that we're trying to start somewhere Yes, Alonzo John knows best. You know, there's a hadith I should Alana said, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would not sleep without reciting Zuma and Benny salah, meaning Zuma and Alyssa Knightley.

Some scholars say she meant that there was a stretch of time perhaps when he was doing this. Not necessarily every single night he was doing al molk and Illustra and as Zoomer and otherwise, but there were times when he was reciting

that you mentioned nightly allihies Salatu was Salam. Any other questions?

Is there a T rather than hedge or was that false advertisement we're here by please shy away like a little late on Subhanak learning from each other lead antenna stuff we're coming to