Moutasem al-Hameedy – The Monumental Tafsir As Sadi #77 Surah An Najm
AI: Summary ©
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AI: Summary ©
As I really intend every week to move
a little bit at a faster pace with
Surat An-Najm but really the surah is
so full of benefits that we can relate
to our modern life and I guess that's
one of the main points in this commentary
and that's to try to find the connection
between what the Quran says and our times
which I think is a valuable aspect of
Tadabbur Al-Quran right Tadabbur and if we
look at linguistic word of Tadabbur, Tadabbur means
to arrive at the final conclusion at the
far end of something and there is also
usually Tadabbur is mentioned or sometimes in certain
contexts Tadabbur is mentioned along with Al-Itibar
Al-Itibar usually translated as taking lessons and
the reality of Al-Itibar linguistically is from
Abara Ubooran, Abara Ubooran, which is to cross,
Abara Al-Qantarata to cross the bridge right
from one side to the other the ferry
is called in the Arabic language Abara now
right because it crosses, Ta'bur, it crosses
from one side one bank to the other
one side to the other right so Al
-Itibar comes from the same roots which means
to take a lesson from what you read
and bring it over to the other side
which is your life so that's part as
well of reflecting over the Quran so hopefully
inshallah although we're going at a slower pace
but I'm hoping that inshallah we are able
to draw some benefit and wisdom from the
words of Allah the context of Surat Al
-Najm has been highlighting the truthfulness of Prophet
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the high standard
of character that he has and his honesty
his integrity and his knowledge and the fact
that he receives a revelation from Allah repelling
all of the accusations that were that he
was targeted with and then exposing the reality
of those accusations that they really apply to
the people who initiated them and these are
the disbelievers of Quraysh Allah demonstrated how these
accusations actually belong or apply most accurately to
the people of Quraysh they are the ones
who initiated them and again this is a
narcissistic trait usually a narcissist would resort to
projection which is they would accuse you of
what they are guilty of in order to
diffuse your attention to confuse you and to
gain the upper hand that's a very common
practice accuse them of what you are guilty
of because before they point the fingers on
you you see this at the personal level
you see this at the political level very
often right today in the past past year
this has been used excessively on the political
level in the international arena very as the
main tactic right as the main tactic and
it's used also civilizationally civilizationally the Muslims and
the Muslim ummah and the Muslim history has
been accused of certain things and in reality
the ones who initiated those accusations that have
become buzzwords and keywords in the world of
media they actually apply most accurately to the
people who use them the most and initiate
them the most against the Muslims so now
we go to the point in the surah
where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in verse
number 27 to number 30 so we will
read this read Imam Sa'di's commentary and inshallah
try to take some lessons from that this
is what they have learned from the knowledge
that your Lord is the most knowing of
those who strayed from His path and He
is the most knowing of those who are
guided meaning that the polytheists in Allah who
deny His messengers who do not believe in
the hereafter and because they do not believe
in the hereafter dare to what they dare
to say and do to Allah and His
Messenger from what they say the angels are
the daughters of Allah and their Lord did
not deprive them of birth and He did
not honor the angels and deprive them of
their naming themselves as females and the case
is that they have no knowledge of that
nor of Allah nor of His Messenger nor
does it indicate that nature and minds but
all knowledge indicates the opposite of what they
say and that Allah is deprived of children
and companions because He is the one and
only the indivisible indivisible who was not born
and was not born and had no equivalent
the angels are honored and close to Allah
and they serve Him and do not disobey
what Allah has commanded them and do what
they are commanded and the polytheists only follow
in that ugly saying and it is the
assumption that is not sufficient of the truth
at all because the truth must have certainty
that benefits from conclusive evidence and capable proofs
and when this was the case of these
mentioned that they have no purpose in following
the truth but their purpose and intention is
what their souls desire, Allah commanded His Messenger
to turn away from those who turn away
from His remembrance which is the wise remembrance
and the great Qur'an and the noble
prophecy so He turned away from the beneficial
knowledge and only wanted the life of this
world and this is the end of His
will and it is known that the servant
does not do anything but what he wants
and their effort is limited to this world
and its pleasures and desires how did it
happen?
they obtained it and in whatever way they
could they obtained it that is their amount
of knowledge, meaning that this is the end
of their knowledge and their purpose and as
for the believers in the hereafter, the ones
who believe in it are the people of
intellect and reason so their effort and intention
is for the hereafter and their knowledge is
the best of knowledge and the most glorious
and it is the knowledge that is taken
from the book of Allah and the Sunnah
of His Messenger and Allah knows best who
deserves guidance and He guides him from those
who do not deserve that and He guides
him to Himself and He forsakes him and
he goes astray from the way of Allah
and that is why Allah said Verily,
those who do not believe in the hereafter,
regard the angels as female, but they have
no knowledge of the matter.
They follow nothing but conjecture, but conjecture is
not substitute for certain truth.
So pay no heed to those who turn
away from our message and who do not
believe in the hereafter.
and who seek nothing but the life of
this world.
That is the extent of their knowledge.
Verily, your Lord knows best who has gone
astray from His path and He knows best
who is rightly guided.
That is, those who ascribe partners to Allah
and disbelieve in His messengers are those who
do not believe in the hereafter and the
reason why they do not believe in the
hereafter is that they show audacity in their
words and deeds opposing Allah and His Messenger,
such as they are saying that angels were
the daughters of Allah.
Thus, they did not declare the Lord to
be above having offsprings.
They did not respect or honor the angels
and they did not refrain from regarding them
as female.
In fact, they have no knowledge of such
matters based on any text from Allah or
His Messenger.
And there is no evidence to that effect
on the basis of common sense or rational
thinking.
Rather, all knowledge points to the opposite of
their view and indicates that Allah is far
above having offspring or a spouse because He
is the One and Unique, the Eternal, who
begets not and is not begotten, and there
is none like unto Him.
And the angels are noble and close to
Allah, carrying out His commands.
They do not disobey Allah in whatever He
commands them, and they do whatever they are
commanded to do.
The polytheists are only based in the abhorrent
view on conjecture that is no substitute for
the truth, for belief in the truth must
be with certainty that is based on definitive
proof and clear evidence, because this was the
attitude of these people who had no desire
to follow the truth, and their only aim
was to follow what their own selves desired.
Allah commanded His Messenger ﷺ to turn away
from those who turned away from His message,
which is the wise reminder and the mighty
Qur'an.
So they turned away from beneficial knowledge, and
they did not seek anything but the life
of this world.
That was all they wanted.
It is well known that people only strive
for the things that they want, so their
efforts are limited to this world and its
pleasures and desires.
Therefore, they take whatever measures will lead to
that, and they hasten to make the most
of whatever opportunity they may have.
That is the extent of their knowledge, that
is, this is all they know.
As for those who believe in the Hereafter,
the people of understanding and mature thinking, whose
aspirations and goals are focused on the Hereafter,
their knowledge is the best and most sublime
of knowledge, for it is based on the
Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His
Messenger ﷺ.
Allah knows best who is deserving of guidance,
so He guides him and who does not
deserve that, so He leads him to His
own devices and forsakes him.
So he goes astray from the path of
Allah, hence Allah says, Verily, your Lord knows
best who has gone astray from His path,
and He knows best who is rightly guided.
So He bestows His grace where He knows
it is most fitting and appropriate.
JazakAllah Khair.
So these verses, subhanAllah, and I can see
a lot of relevance to our times, and
hopefully this will help us uncover some of
the common issues in our times as well.
So first Allah says, those who do not
believe in the Hereafter, and there specifically Allah
says, do not believe in the Hereafter.
I'm not sure if it's possible for the
sisters to close this door, because the kids
playing gets into my ears.
JazakAllah Khair.
May Allah reward you.
So those who do not believe in the
Hereafter, and Allah specifically says, who don't believe
in the Hereafter, and because Allah is going
to show how this affects their thinking, their
logic.
So those who do not believe in the
Hereafter, they claim the angels to be females.
They claim the angels to be females.
And Allah says, and they have no knowledge
of that.
Meaning they don't have any definitive, clear, proven
source of this knowledge.
They only follow, again, their whims and desires.
And dhan here specifically, we referred last week
to what dhan is.
But again, we're not going to get into
this now, but we will highlight this meaning
of a dhan here.
And just to show you how sometimes we
feel because of the words, because of the
modern words, because of the concepts and how
they are coined, they sound sophisticated and educated.
And by the way, a lot of the
most sophisticated jargon today, let's take an example,
social sciences.
When I say social sciences, we're talking about
psychology with all of its branches and related
disciplines.
We can talk about sociology.
Maybe you can include a little bit in
anthropology, etc.
A lot of this terminology that sounds very
sophisticated and educated, they're really just a repackaging
of concepts all humans know.
But again, they make you sound sophisticated, educated.
And what we should emphasize is the facts
themselves.
Oftentimes you know something, and you have an
experience with something, and you know it very
well, but you don't necessarily have a title
for it, or you don't have an educated
word for it, or a word that sounds
very educated.
It doesn't mean someone who knows the concept
or who knows the word, that they are
more educated or more intelligent or more enlightened
than you.
And something like this happened in the Muslim
history.
It was reported many times from some of
the Muslim mutakallimeen, or philosophers.
Again, mutakallimeen, kalam, is more like the so
-called Islamized version of logic and philosophy.
So it was adapted somehow.
But it still maintained a lot of the
flaws that are in the Greek philosophy.
So a lot of the mutakallimeen, it was
narrated from many of them, that many times,
obviously they had very sophisticated arguments, very educated
arguments, they had specific words, concepts, etc., that
made them stand out.
That they would say, for example, I think
it was Zamakhshari, it was reported about him
that he said, يَلَيْتَ لِي إِيمَانَ الْعَجَائِزُ فِي
نَيْسَبُرِ or إيمان العجوز في نيسابور I wish
my iman was similar to the iman of
the old illiterate woman in the city of
Nisabur.
And he's someone who studied so extensively and
he's a prolific writer and everything.
Why?
He says because her iman is so natural,
so fitrah, so profound.
Al-Juwayni, similar words were reported from Imam
Al-Juwayni, who was a great shafi'i
scholar, and he's a great usooli.
But again, in terms of aqeedah, he went
into the kalam and obviously had issues and
a certain approach to the attributes of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, which is the way
of the mutakallimeen.
He mentioned something that he said, لَقَدْ خُطْتُ
الْبَحْرَ الْخِضَمُ وَوَقَعْتُ فِي مَا نَهَانِ عَنْهُمْ أَهْلُ
الْعِلْمِ He said, like I jumped right into
the scary ocean with its gigantic waves, and
I went into the issues and the questions
that my scholars advised me not to get
into.
And then he has a long statement, then
he says, وَإِنْ لَمْ يَتَدَارَكْنِ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَتِهِ
فَالْوَيْلُ لِبْنِ الْجُوَيْنِ And if Allah does not
rescue me with His mercy, woe to Ibn
al-Juwayni, to himself.
He was speaking specifically about spending life in
trying to prove the proven, about Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala following this kind of philosophical
path.
So again, the words are not necessarily a
sign of sophistication.
If someone could speak very eloquently about something,
and they could bring you some beautiful jargon
using words and terminology, that doesn't necessarily mean
that they are enlightened or educated.
Maybe you can get a person who doesn't
speak very well but who has experience in
life, and they have way more wisdom than
the first person.
So for example, Allah says here that they
are following a dhan here, especially the context
that Allah mentions, ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ This
is the utmost end of their knowledge or
the utmost goal of their knowledge, because that's
what they wish for, that's the goal of
their life, which is this worldly life.
For example, they have a name for it,
they call it motivated reasoning.
Now all of a sudden when you say
motivated reasoning, you sound educated, sophisticated, as if
you know what you're talking about.
But this is something that we all know.
And in English they used to call it,
for example, one example of that, wishful thinking.
Wishful thinking, right?
That's one side of it, that's one version
of it.
There are other things that when you wish
something, when you wish a specific outcome, your
mind starts to justify things around it.
That's what motivated reasoning is, and it's part
of a dhan.
It is part of a dhan.
You already have a conclusion, right?
And you're trying to arrive at that.
So you would choose facts and you would
choose things, put them together in a way
that makes it sound logical and rational.
So that's rationalization, rather than arriving at a
conclusion.
So this can be said in many ways.
But again, people love their jargon and they
think they're more sophisticated.
Allah is talking about something like this.
The Arab poet says, وَعَيْنُ الرِّضَىٰ عَنْ كُلِّ
عَيْبٍ كَلِيلَةٌ وَلَكِنَّ عَيْنَ الْمَغْتِي تُبْدِي الْمَسَاوِيَةٌ When
you love someone, you are blind to their
mistakes.
Why?
Because love directs and channels logic.
So when you love someone, you overlook their
mistakes.
And a lot of that happens unconsciously.
You don't see their mistakes.
You actually start to see their mistakes as
advantages, as good things.
وَلَكِنَّ عَيْنَ الْمَغْتِي تُبْدِي الْمَسَاوِيَةٌ But when you
are critical against someone, or when you dislike
someone, all of a sudden, you only find
faults in them.
Why?
It shows that love kickstarts a different process
of thinking or path of thinking than hate
or dislike.
Logic is not one.
Logic is always tempered by mood, as they
say.
It's tempered by mood.
And the Arabs, they have a saying, حُبُّكَ
الشَّيْء يُعْمِي وَيُصِمْ Your love of something is
going to blind you and deafen you to
truths.
That happens a lot when people want to
get married.
If you like the person, you fall in
love from first eyesight, you don't see their
mistakes.
You don't see their flaws, their apparent flaws.
Right?
You become infatuated and everything you see is
just right and good.
But when you get married and you pass
that initial period of infatuation, and you're back
to your senses, what happens?
You start to see all the faults in
the person.
Then you start thinking, oh, they changed after
marriage.
No, they didn't change.
You changed.
Your mind changed.
That's human.
That's a human experience.
So that's why it's good to take opinions,
to ask people for advice, to recognize this
tendency within you, so maybe you can step
back and have a more of an objective
view.
So awareness in this sense is very powerful.
So Allah says about those people that they
have an end in mind.
They have a conclusion they want to arrive
at.
They figured out where they're heading.
Now it's a matter of finding what looks
like logic.
How can they rationalize this?
How can they build what seems to be
a logical argument to that conclusion?
So they already know where they're headed.
Allah calls this a dhan.
وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ So where did
it get to?
It got them to claiming that the angels
are the daughters of Allah, begotten daughters of
Allah.
That's what they meant.
But Allah didn't give any kind of *
or gender to the angels.
Allah refers to them with the masculine pronouns
in the Arabic language, but they're not necessarily
subject to gender.
So Allah says they are creatures, blessed creatures
that only worship Allah and only obey and
fulfill the commands of Allah.
That's the reality of angels.
Do we go beyond this?
Are there males, females?
You don't go beyond that.
Why?
We were not told.
You can't tell.
You don't know.
So we stick with that.
Allah referred to them in the masculine, so
we refer to them in the masculine.
We don't ask anything beyond that.
And we don't have to arrive at any
conclusions.
That kind of curiosity, they say curiosity killed
the cat, right?
That's what led a lot of Muslims to
go wrong with the names and attributes of
Allah.
That's what led them to start digging into
the meanings, the subtle meanings, the far meanings,
implications of describing Allah with this action or
with this attribute, right?
And they started to say, okay, if this
is the case, then this means this and
that.
You're not allowed.
This is the world of the unseen.
You don't know, simply.
You don't know except what you are told.
You only know what you are told, okay?
So Allah says these people already have a
conclusion, and whatever logic or whatever claims they
bring up, they happen to stumble on this
because of the rationalization they were trying to
do.
So they claim that the angels are the
daughters of Allah.
How does Allah instruct Prophet Muhammad to deal
with those people?
If someone is so immersed in their pursuits
and in their ignorance, and they believe in
it, and they are committed to it, how
do you deal with them?
You give them first advice, maybe second, third
advice.
After that, what do you do?
Turn away from those who have turned away
from our guidance, and their desire is only
this worldly life.
Their desire is only the worldly life.
Allah says similar to that in Surah Al
-A'la, فَذَكِّرْ إِنْ نَفَعَةِ الذِّكَارَ So remind
as far as the remembrance or as far
as the reminder works or benefits.
The meaning of this, the opposite meaning, which
is مَفْهُومُ الْمُخَالِفَةِ here, means that if apparently
there is no benefit and more advice, desist.
That's it, you've done your job.
You've done your job.
And one of the common flaws that you
find among many enthusiastic Muslims, especially the youth
or the inexperienced, I would say, is that
they are so desperate for the guidance of
some people they know.
To the point that the message is clear
that this person is not interested in the
truth.
Is not interested in the truth.
How far do you go advising them?
Some people are so desperate to the point
that they are sending even the feeling of
begging.
Please, please be a Muslim.
Please accept Islam.
I'm laughing because a story came to mind.
It happened in the UK in Hyde Park.
Long ago, in the 90s, 1990s.
So this brother, he says, we were still
young, new Muslims, young Muslims giving dawah in
the park.
So there's one speaker speaking and then there
is this, he says, like a very, very
beautiful girl comes about.
Everyone just, like she keeps everyone on their
heels as she walks by.
She approaches the speaker, the brother, and she
says after he's done, everyone is looking at
her.
She says, I want to ask you some
questions about the things you said.
He said, sure.
So they sit on the bench.
And there is this young brother who's just
circling the bench, circling the bench.
And she's asking about Islam.
She's genuinely interested in Islam.
And then the da'ia, he asks her,
he says, so what do you think about
those answers?
You're interested in Islam?
You want to maybe consider taking your shahada?
She said, you know, I've been thinking about
becoming a Muslim.
So the brother who's been circling for a
while, he captures the moment and he says,
yes, you need to come into Islam.
Right.
You need to be a Muslim.
So he jumps into the issue.
But obviously, although despite his good intentions, but
he has other intentions apparently.
So the thing is, sometimes people are so
desperate for others, please become a Muslim.
Why?
Yes, we don't doubt that there is good
intention, maybe wanting good for others.
But there is with some Muslims a sense
of inferiority.
That for them, it serves as a confirmation.
If a Westerner becomes a Muslim, that's like
more validation that Islam is the truth.
Yeah, some people have this sense of inferiority.
They love it.
Partly for the guidance and for the well
-being of this person becoming a Muslim, inshallah,
being saved from the punishment of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
But part as well, because they need that
validation.
They need that validation.
They think the West have the truth.
And the West are the smarter ones.
And the West are the ones who make
the right decisions.
So when they choose Islam, they are a
confirmation for Islam.
And that makes them so desperate.
You should not call to Islam from that
place of neediness.
Call to Islam out of what?
Love for the truth.
That this is the truth from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And it's the birthright of every human being.
They have the right to come face to
face with this truth.
And have a fair chance with seeing Islam
for what it is.
And getting a chance to accept the message
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And do what they are created for.
That's the birthright of every human being.
And it's the responsibility of the Muslims.
And it's not a blank statement by the
way.
Like for every Muslims, it's your obligation.
Depending on the level of your knowledge, the
level of your maturity, the level of connection
that you have with them.
Whether the situation calls for it or not
as well.
It's a collective obligation upon the Muslims to
convey the message.
Convey the message.
Now you should come from that position.
What's good for this person?
Hoping that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala would
awaken their heart.
And would show them the truth.
And inspire them to follow it for their
own sake.
And that's it.
And a sign by the way of Muslims
being so desperate.
Is that when someone becomes a Muslim.
And if they have a history of being
famous or being active or whatever.
Automatically the Muslims treat them as what?
As the imam, as the scholar.
And they would put them on every platform.
And they would consider them to be role
models.
That's a very risky approach.
It's a very risky approach.
You know when you are a Muslim who's
not practicing.
And you start practicing.
You have so much work to do.
You have so much like corruption within yourself
to start dealing with.
To start clearing.
When someone becomes a Muslim.
Yes Alhamdulillah they made the decision such a
brave decision and a great transition.
But you don't come from the non-Muslim
life.
Yes Allah has cleared your slate.
But your habits, your mindset.
Your mindset, your way of thinking.
Your way of being, your way of behaving.
Your assumptions.
They are so contaminated that you have a
lot of work to do.
Before you put yourself in the forefront and
start speaking for Islam.
Especially that the life that you came for.
Especially if you were famous or you had
a position before.
You already feel entitled.
You're already accustomed to being in the limelight.
And having the attention.
And this is a disease of the heart.
It's a disease of the heart.
It will blind you to the truth.
It will get you to act in ways
that are far from Islam.
You start as they say to act from
your ego.
Don't think by transitioning to Islam you've automatically
healed those things.
No that's a lot of work that you
have to start doing.
And the best, I would say the best
prescription for this.
Is to take some time in private.
A long period in private.
To start working on yourself and fixing yourself.
And subhanAllah we have examples.
Again I don't want to mention names here
or there.
But we have some examples.
I think one of the famous rappers.
Maybe 10 years ago he became Muslim.
And for some time he wasn't so much
out there.
But I've been recently seeing him.
And he's a solid student of knowledge now.
And mashaAllah he gives good advice.
And you can sense this man has wisdom.
He benefited from his past life.
But he didn't jump as soon as he
became Muslim.
He didn't jump to the limelight and to
the circle of attention.
And try to be a da'ia.
He realized he doesn't have it.
He realized he had so much to work
on.
And that shows alhamdulillah guidance from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
So again the thing here is humans generally
speaking.
A lot of our thinking is what?
Rationalization.
Meaning you already have the end clear.
You have your direction set.
And it's not you figuring it out logically.
No.
You already figured that out based on a
whim.
A desire.
A memory.
A preference.
Whatever.
But then you're trying to build logic around
that.
To justify it to yourself and others.
That's rationalization.
That's common among humans.
That's common among humans.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala calls this
dhan.
And he instructs the Prophet ﷺ that when
you see someone is resistant to the message.
And they're not showing good signs.
It's actually probably a good strategy to pivot
in terms of your strategy.
Start speaking to others.
Change your approach as Nuh alayhi salam.
He would use different modes of communication.
And Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah إِنَّ
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَا أَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ
تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ Those who have disbelieved whether
you warn them or you don't warn them.
They're not going to believe.
Now where do I know or when do
I know that this person is not going
to change?
It's going to differ from one person to
the other.
If you have a good judgment, most likely
you just know when to stop.
It's getting too much.
But I would say when it comes to
family members who have more rights on you,
like your parents, your siblings, your relatives, uncles,
aunts, etc., old friends, the level of obligation
goes up.
The level of staying with them, you might
want to push more with those type of
people and not give up on them.
I remember, imagine you might feel it's strange,
but one of my friends, his father never,
like up until age 65, his father never
made a sajdah in his life.
Muslim, growing up in a Muslim country, never
made a sajdah.
He never put his forehead on the ground
for Allah.
And his son stayed with him.
20 years, his son taking care of him,
advising him, staying good with him, sometimes pushing
a little harder, and so on and so
forth.
And honestly, as an outsider, I never thought
his dad would be convinced.
But subhanAllah, ended up with his dad praying
the five daily prayers of the masjid until
he died.
He changed his ways.
SubhanAllah, you don't know.
So, when it's a family member, when it's
someone who's dear and close to you, it's
good to invest in them, biidhnillahi ta'ala.
But as a general ruling, Allah s.w
.t. says to the Prophet s.a.w.,
فَأَعْرِضْ عَمَّن تَوَلَّىٰ أَنذِكْرِنَا وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ
الدُّنْيَا ذَلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ So, their knowledge,
why are these people seeking knowledge?
Why do these people learn?
Why do these people study?
Why do these people go through training?
Why do they learn skills?
What is the ultimate goal of this?
This dunya.
This dunya.
And it shows, subhanAllah, when you learn for
this dunya, knowledge doesn't enlighten you.
Worldly knowledge and even Islamic knowledge.
If you learn it for the dunya, you
don't benefit from it.
Actually, the quality of your knowledge changes based
on the quality of your intention.
And that's part of the hadith of the
Prophet ﷺ, the famous hadith, إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
Indeed, actions or deeds are by intentions.
So, they are accepted based on their intentions.
Right?
But also, the quality and the nature of
the actions depends so much on the intentions.
So, when you seek knowledge for the sake
of making it to Allah on the Day
of Judgment, you learn differently.
You learn differently.
Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, I think Ibn Hajar
or Imam Al-Dhahabi, he said, إِذَا رَأَيْتَ
الْحَدَثُ يَتَتَبَّعُ قُعَرَ الْمَسَائِلُ فَاكْتُبْ عَلَى قَفَاهُ لَا
يُفْلِحُ When you see the young student of
knowledge, young student of knowledge getting into complicated
issues and big questions, right on the back
of their neck, on the back of their
head, he will never be successful.
So, some of the scholars commented on this.
They said, because why would someone, what would
motivate someone who just started learning Islamic knowledge
to get into these very complex issues, these
very big questions that require a lot of
knowledge?
Why?
It shows their intention is not for Allah,
or is not completely for Allah.
Because these big questions draw attention.
Draw attention.
Because you are talking about this very controversial
issue, all of a sudden you generate interest.
And it gives, it sort of shows you
as someone who knows.
Like I'm talking about this big issue that,
you know, Ibn Taymiyyah maybe spent 10 years
researching.
I know it.
You see?
So, it shows that there is something with
the intention.
It indicates there is something with the intention.
This is why he said, you're right on
their back, never be successful.
Never be successful.
Because if you approach Islam with this type
of knowledge, you are going to gravitate to
knowledge that will, for example, you want to
stand out as someone who knows what others
don't know, right?
How otherwise you would stand out.
So you're always going to gravitate to the
things that will make you stand out.
Not necessarily the things that are beneficial.
And if there is knowledge that is beneficial,
but it doesn't make you stand out, and
doesn't create a reputation for you, you won't
see it as a good investment.
You see?
So the intention really sets your direction.
This is why intention is very important.
So, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, ذلك
مبلغه من العلم مبلغه, basically, this is where
they're trying to get to.
That's their goal.
So these people, they only use their minds
for the dunya.
So where is their knowledge going to get
them?
They frame things based on their value in
this dunya.
So their view is wrong.
So they're not going to learn from the
things, they're not going to benefit from the
things that they learn.
From the skills that they learn.
So that's very important to understand.
So your intention, or your time frame, are
you aiming for the dunya or for the
akhira?
That's going to dictate the quality of the
knowledge that you get, and what type of
knowledge you get.
And this applies to Islamic knowledge and non
-Islamic knowledge.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ
وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ إِحْتَدَىٰ And there is something
Imam Sa'di says here, He says, أَمَّا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
بِالْآخِرَةِ الْمُصَدِّقُونَ بِهَا أُولُوا الْأَلْبَابِ وَالْعُقُولِ
فَهِمَّتُهُمْ وَإِرَادَتُهُمْ لِلْدَارِ الْآخِرَةِ He says, the believers,
those who believe in the last day, they
are the ones of intelligence and sound minds.
أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ وَالْعُقُولِ فَهِمَّتُهُمْ وَإِرَادَتُهُمْ Their intention,
their goal, their concern, where are they trying
to get?
Their ultimate goal, لِلْدَارِ الْآخِرَةِ It's for the
last day.
وَعُلُومُهُمْ أَفْضَلُ الْعُلُومِ وَأَجَلُّهَا وَهُوَ الْعِلْمُ الْمَأْخُودُ
مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَسُنَّةِ رَسُولِهِ صلى الله عليه
وسلم And their knowledge, and the knowledge that
they seek is the most sublime and the
highest and most noble of all types of
knowledge, which is taken from the Qur'an
and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
I want to highlight this, and it's going
to upset some people, but let it be.
When Muslims saw how the West became advanced
with technology, and natural sciences, the Muslims started
to take the verses in the Qur'an
and the sunnah that talk about ilm and
knowledge and apply them to knowledge of the
dunya, knowledge of the dunya, which is whatever,
sciences, technology, history, geography, social sciences, engineering, you
name it.
I'm sure there are many Muslims, because when
I grew up, this was like the adults
in my life, all of them.
If you say Islamic knowledge is more important
than other fields of knowledge, knowledge, medicine, engineering,
IT, technology, and the rest of this whole
list, you say Islamic knowledge is more important
and better, it doesn't sit well with them.
Correct?
It doesn't sit well with them.
So you mean that we just should be
ignorant and just learn Qur'an and hadith?
That reveals there's an issue there.
So for you, the Qur'an and hadith
are just Qur'an and hadith, but the
real thing, the real deal is what you
have, the knowledge that was developed in the
modern civilization.
We don't say don't learn it, not at
all.
But, knowledge of the Qur'an and the
sunnah is higher and more important and more
beneficial than all types of knowledge.
All of those disciplines.
In the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala and in the sight of the people
who want the akhira.
Do I have an issue with world sciences?
No, I studied world sciences.
I did study.
But we have to call a spade a
spade.
Because worldly knowledge originally was developed and is
mainly used for the dunya.
Knowledge of the Qur'an and the sunnah
mostly is for the akhira.
So just from this aspect, which is more
important and more beneficial?
The knowledge that is designed, that is made,
and that helps you make it to the
akhira, make it to jannah, or the knowledge
that benefits you in this dunya?
I know some minds are saying, but you
can use this knowledge for the akhira.
We'll come to that.
But let's ask about the main function and
the main reason for these fields of knowledge.
Which one?
Knowledge for the akhira.
Which is better, dunya or the akhira?
So the tool to the akhira is definitely
better than the tool that leads to the
dunya.
Am I trying to put down those sciences?
No, just put them in the right place,
because we have put them above their real
status.
And where does this come from?
The same sense of inferiority that has infiltrated
the Muslims and has mixed with their whole
being that has become a disease, has become
a virus that really stops us from thinking
right.
Learn those things.
Those are tools, if you can put them
to good use.
But okay, we say, we claim that these
things, oh, they are valuable because we can
use them for the betterment of the Muslims
and the Muslims become stronger and so on
and so on.
Okay, fine.
So when you pursue them or when you
tell your kids to pursue them, do you
teach them that intention?
Or are you telling your students I want
you to be first in class, be better
than your cousin.
We don't come second, we always come first.
I want you to get the best job.
So I don't hear any akhira there, right?
I don't hear any akhira there.
And I'm not saying don't pursue them.
I would say pursue them.
Imam al-Shafi'i, rahimahullah ta'ala, he
actually, he said, نصف العلم فقه ونصفه طب
He said half of knowledge is knowledge of
Islam and half of it is medicine.
He says, فالفقه طب القلوب والطب علاج الأبدان
So the knowledge of Islam is medicine of
the heart.
And medicine itself is the healing of the
body.
And they go hand in hand.
They go hand in hand.
Amr al-Khattab, before that, he said, يا
معشر المسلمين لا تتركوا الطب لأهل الكتاب فتحتاجوا
إليهم Amr al-Khattab said, don't leave medicine
for the people of the book lest you
would come to a point where you will
be in need of them.
So there is that balance.
But we have not hit that balance.
We've gone way beyond, right?
And I'll tell you something.
If someone, and let's say his children, boys
and girls, are very good, very intelligent, and
he's very ambitious.
Parents, let's say, he and she, father and
mother, very ambitious.
And their kids always get the best grades
in school and they are the most intelligent,
et cetera, the most outstanding.
This kid, yeah, what do you want to
be?
That's the question we ask kids in many
parts of the Muslim world.
They're three years old.
What do you want to be when you
grow up?
Give them a break.
Let them figure out the world, right?
It seems like a question, but you are
dictating something, by the way.
Okay, so this type of person, let's say
their kids growing, they're teenagers now, they're doing
well in school.
And ask them, what do you want to
be?
I want to become like a heart surgeon.
What do you want to be?
I want to be an architect.
Okay, cool.
Ask third one, what do you want to
be?
I want to study fiqh.
Oh, what do you want to do with
fiqh?
So many people have fiqh.
What are they doing?
Study what?
Mechanical engineering.
No, not mechanical.
Engineers look down on mechanical engineers and civil
engineers, right?
Electrical engineering, mechatronics, whatever you are, all of
these sophisticated things, right?
Yeah, study something like this.
I mean, you can learn the Qur'an,
right?
Sheikh Fahim can teach you the Qur'an.
You can do that on the weekend.
So you see, we put that at the
back.
We leave this to second place.
We don't see true value.
So we're just playing games even with ourselves.
And that points to a very serious illness.
We don't see value in the Qur'an.
We think it is more like cosmetic value.
The Qur'an is more like decoration.
There's no real value in it.
No, no.
And that's why, that's one of the main
reasons why we are in the state that
we are in now.
Because we are unable to draw on the
value that the Qur'an gives us.
The Qur'an gives us value for the
hereafter first and foremost.
But when you start working for your akhira,
this dunya gets in shape for you automatically.
Without pursuing it as the main goal.
Your pursuit of the akhira automatically puts this
dunya in good shape.
Look at what the Prophet ﷺ and the
companions did.
The moment their focus was on the akhira,
what happened to their dunya?
It started offering itself to them.
But we have reversed the order.
We say, no, no, no.
We want the dunya, but we will say,
I want it for Allah.
But the reality is, I want it for
myself.
I want it for my reputation.
I want it for confirmation of my genes
being superior to all of my cousins and
brothers and my friends and my neighborhood.
I'm so special and my kids are so
special.
We're gonna stand out.
We will be the ones who really stand
out.
Again, where is Allah here?
Where is the akhira?
It's obvious, right?
So, it's important that even if you seek
matters of this dunya, and subhanAllah, if you
seek matters of the dunya, they will take
you away from Allah, even if they are
good things.
Even if you seek knowledge of the Qur
'an for the sake of the dunya, it
will take you away from Allah.
If you seek the Qur'an to be
hafidh, to be called hafidh, to be treated
differently, it's gonna take you away from Allah.
This is how powerful intention is.
Ibn Taymiyyah says, مَنْ أَحَبَّ شَيْئًا فِي هَذَهِ
الدُّنْيَا عُذِّبَ بِهِ Whoever loves a matter of
this dunya, or anything in this dunya, meaning
other than Allah, or above Allah, it will
become a source of pain for him or
for her.
مَنْ أَحَبَّ شَيْئًا فِي هَذَهِ الدُّنْيَا عُذِّبَ بِهِ
وَهَذَا مُجَرَّبٌ مُشَاهَدٌ مَعْلُومٌ He says, and this
is something that is observed and well-known.
The moment you seek something other than Allah,
or you seek something that is, you don't
seek for Allah truly, not in lip service,
it's gonna become a source of pain for
you in this life.
That's a rule that really doesn't break, okay?
So then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
indeed, forget about their claims, whatever they say,
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows who is
upon guidance and who is upon misguidance, regardless
of what they claim.
The claims, you know, don't really amount to
anything.
Just as Imam Ahmad, I think his son
came to him, and he said, فُلَانٌ يَنْفِي
عَذَابَ الْقَبْرِ So and so says there is
no punishment in the grave.
Why?
Because it came in some ahadith.
It's not in the Qur'an explicitly, it
came in some ahadith, and these ahadith, they
call them ahad, right?
So you can't take something, a matter of
aqidah from these ahadith of ahad.
He said, what should I do?
Again, his son is enthusiastic, and he wants
to convince this person, he says, you know,
this person denies the grave, the punishment in
the grave, so what can we say?
His father says, دَعْهُ سَيَمُوتُ وَيَرَى He says,
leave him, he'll die and he'll see.
Why are you so desperate?
The truth does not draw its strength from
recognition.
Right?
The truth has its own strength, and this
is something you need to recognize.
When the opinion of people is more important
in your mind than the truth itself, you
have to know that shaitan has really occupied
and secured so much space within you.
The truth stands regardless of people's attitude to
it.
It has its power.
This is what Allah says, وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ
وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلِ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا And say,
the truth has arrived or has come, and
when it comes, falsehood dissipates.
Because by its very nature, it doesn't have
a reality.
So this is, and this subhanAllah frees the
Muslim from public opinion, and from influence of
society, you know, groupthink.
It frees the Muslim.
We said previously many times, you have to
build a strong relationship with the truth.
Remember that?
Build a strong relationship with the truth regardless
of what people think about it.
You'll be free, and people will be prisoners
to their closed minds.
Build a relationship with the truth, and the
greatest truth that you build a relationship with
is Allah, the truth of Allah himself.
Let Allah be a reality in your life,
not just an idea.
For many people, Allah is what?
A thought.
Many people, for them, in their life, Allah
is just a distant thought.
Allah is a reality.
Allah is the ultimate reality in your life.
Allah is the reality in your life.
He has to be real in your life.
But many of us, Allah is just a
thought.
Okay, I just think about Allah a couple
of times, read about Him a couple of
times, but it's just an idea.
It's a concept.
That's not what Allah is.
Allah is a reality, and your heart can
relate to this reality.
And this kind of relation, or this kind
of engagement with Allah is very powerful.
It's transformative.
That's why there is dhikr.
Dhikr is not just, okay, let me just
think about Allah.
No, no, your heart connects to Allah in
real, like a real connection.
A real connection.
I know this sounds like foreign to many,
but what do you mean by real connection?
Because we're still trying to analyze things through
the rules or the principles of science that
they taught us in school.
The atheistic rules that talk about the world
of physics, but doesn't give us any tools
to relate to the bigger truth.
So build a strong relationship with the ultimate
truth, the truth of Allah, the truth of
the hereafter, the truth of this life, which
is a test, and that you are here
to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
When these prime truths, or anchor truths in
life are secured, it becomes easier for you
to see through all of the deception and
the lies in the world.
So again, Allah says that Allah knows who's
upon guidance.
Allah knows who's upon the truth.
It's not about who claims and what claims
are there.
Truth stands out.
If you are upon the truth, as Abdullah
ibn Mas'ud said, الجماعة موافق الحق وإن
كنت وحدك The Jama'a of Islam, the
Prophet ﷺ said, عليكم بالجماعة Be with the
Jama'a, the group, meaning the group of
the Muslims.
Not any group.
Not any group of Muslims.
Or if the majority of the Muslims are
upon falsehood eventually, like start embracing falsehood, they're
not the Jama'a.
Ibn Mas'ud says, الجماعة is what is
identical to the truth, even if you are
by yourself.
Even if by yourself.
So we humans have this tendency to doubt
ourselves when social evidence suggests the contrary.
You know these experiments where they get people
to be confused, to question their own perception
of reality because they bring a group of
people who suggest something else.
They make you doubt yourself.
But when you build a strong relationship with
the truth, it becomes very, very hard to
deceive you.
So again, Allah says, Allah knows who's upon
the truth.
That's what really matters.
What Allah knows is more important than what
people think.
So make this a primary concept in your
life.
Okay.
I think that's enough for this.
We could probably...
It seems we're going to finish Surah Al
-Najm by the end of the year.
Inshallah.
We'll see you with jackets when we finish
Surah Al-Najm.
Inshallah.
Okay, we have about 10 minutes.
Let's deal with questions, if there's any questions.
Hopefully you guys have questions so we can
deal with them.
If not, I don't think I'll be able
to squeeze the next part Arabic and English
in those remaining minutes.
This is an open-ended question.
Okay, the names and attributes of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
What is the attitude of the Muslim towards
the names and attributes of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala?
The scholars have tried to capture this in
words, which is obviously something they got from
the companions.
But they tried to put it in clear
words.
They would say, نصف الله بما وصف به
نفسه ووصفه به رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم
We attribute to Allah whatever He attributed to
Himself and what the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله
عليه وسلم attributed to Allah.
What did they also say?
They said, نمرها كما جاءت نصوص الصفات The
texts that talk about the attributes of Allah.
We run them as they came about.
Meaning, we take them upon their apparent meaning.
The meaning in the Arabic language.
Apparent meaning in the Arabic language.
Simple.
They also say, they take the verse from
Surat Ash-Shura ليس كمثله شيء وهو السميع
البصير There is nothing like him.
And he is the all-hearer, the all
-seer.
So we confirm the attributes, the all-hearer,
السميع the all-seer, البصير These are attributes.
Humans are سميع بصير Allah refers to them
سميع بصير as a human being.
But, does this show any resemblance?
No.
The hearing of Allah is something that is
befitting of Allah.
The seeing of Allah, the sight of Allah
is something that is befitting of Allah.
The hearing and the sight of humans is
befitting of their human nature.
So, does this necessitate any resemblance?
No, it doesn't necessitate any resemblance.
So that applies to all of the attributes
and the actions that Allah attributed to himself
in the Quran and in the authentic sunnah
of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم So,
for example, Allah refers to his own face.
We accept there is a face, that Allah
has a face.
Now, we say, okay, so what do you
mean by face?
Is that a part?
Now you're doing what Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala prohibited.
We don't know.
So someone says, Oh no, if you confirm
the face for Allah, you mean he's like
humans because the face is part of a
human, so you mean Allah has parts.
No.
You are comparing Allah to his creation.
You already started comparing and that's prohibited.
So the question is haram.
The question is wrong.
So we know the famous incident where Imam
Malik, رضي الله عنه, he was in the
Masjid al-Nabawi teaching.
It was questions and answers.
This guy asks him, he says, الرحمان على
الأرش استوى الرحمان, the most merciful, rose above
the throne.
كيف استوى?
How did he rise above the throne?
So the narration goes, فطعط الإمام مالك He
put his head down, Imam Malik.
وعلته الرحضاء He started sweating.
You're talking about Allah.
You're talking so callously, just like this, as
if you're talking about your friend.
So it shows that he became very troubled
because of the audacity of that person, like
how bold he was to talk about Allah,
to ask about Allah in such a manner,
as if you're asking about something, something normal.
فعلته الرحضاء ثم رفع رأسه فقال الاستواء معلوم
والكيف مجهول والإيمان به واجب والسؤال عنه بدعة
ولا أراك إلا مبتدعاً أخرجوه Imam Malik had
the authority, by the way, of an official
in the government.
So when the man asked him, and he
was very troubled by the question, then he
raises his head and he says الاستواء The
rising above the throne معلوم Is معلوم, right?
No.
والكيف, how, the manner, the modality مجهول We
don't know, we were not taught.
We don't ask beyond what Allah said, we
don't ask.
Allah completed his religion, he gave us what
we need.
When you're asking further, that's shaitan asking through
you.
So then he says والكيف مجهول So the
modality, the how, the howness of it is
unknown to us.
والإيمان به واجب Believing in this, rising above
the throne, is an obligation, because it's in
the Qur'an.
والسؤال عنه بدأ And asking about the how,
asking further, is a بدأ And he says,
I can tell you are a مبتدأ.
And he says to the gods, take him
out.
And they catch the guy and throw him
out of the masjid.
Yeah.
So we say, oh this is harshness, be
soft.
You know, these scholars were very, very wise.
Very, very wise.
There was a man at the time of
Umar ibn Khattab, رضي الله عنه He was
in Iraq.
And he would ask questions about قدر, like
how come evil is from Allah, and things
like that, right?
And he would ask about certain things.
His name is Sabeegh ibn Usul.
And he actually created, like he was a
phenomenon in Iraq, and he caused so much
trouble, just like social media today.
Someone throws a bomb, and everybody is talking
about it.
What is this?
What is that?
Now there is a discussion online about, you
know, the attributes of Allah, and all of
these things, and this guy.
And you find people who've been studying for
a couple of years, and they try, they're
going to solve the problem.
They think they're going to solve the problem.
Then the worst thing is the comments section.
Comments section.
Oh man, a disaster.
So that's what he made in Iraq.
He caused so much trouble.
So Umar ibn Khattab, رضي الله عنه, he
said, bring him over here to Medina.
So he comes to Medina, and Umar ibn
Khattab says, what are the things that I
heard about you?
So he asked a couple of questions.
What do you think Umar ibn Khattab dealt
with him?
How did he deal with him?
You know, Umar ibn Khattab had this very,
the staff, right?
What would be a better word for it?
الدرة.
It's like this very hard stick.
Heavy stick, right?
So he asked the questions, he smacks him
with it.
He smacks him with it.
Then he commands that he's lashed.
Where is democracy?
Where is reason?
You can't defend your religion with reason and
logic?
You know, this is not a universal statement.
When someone is not coming from a good
place, no amount of logic puts them in
place.
And when you give them a voice, and
allow them to spread, allow them to spread
the work of shaitan, because shaitan is, they're
more like a radio station for shaitan now.
So he knows how to deal with these
people, Umar ibn Khattab.
So he gets lashed.
Then he remains silent.
He says, I gave up.
I won't talk about this again.
So he was sent back to Iraq, then
he started it again.
They brought him again to Umar ibn Khattab.
And then he gave him the same treatment.
Then Umar ibn Khattab said, you need more?
He said, la wallah, I was treated.
Khalas, I was healed.
So then he goes to Iraq, Umar ibn
Khattab, rahimahullah, radiyallahu anhu, dies, right?
So some of his locals says, Umar ibn
Khattab is gone.
You can say whatever you want.
He said, a dirrah, which is the stick
of Umar, treated me for good.
I'm done with this, right?
So these are some of the names or
the attributes that are.
Sisters, question?
Okay, so one more question from the brothers.
Question, yes, go ahead.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay, so the question is, we said part
of Islam, again, is recovering your original taste
of the fitrah, right?
Which is basically when you obey Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala and you make your will
follow the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala so that you want what Allah wants.
You relinquish your own will for the sake
of Allah's will.
And it starts shaping you.
It clarifies you.
It cleanses you from within.
And it restores your fitrah.
And it enhances your fitrah.
Again, to the point, and this is what
the scholars we said mentioned, they called it
fiqh-u-nafsin.
That your own logic and taste becomes so
trained that you can actually, even your hunch
starts to coincide with the legislation of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Matters you don't know, okay?
This is a very advanced stage.
Imam Al-Juwaini called it fiqh-u-nafsin.
Now, obviously, the companion who came to the
Prophet ﷺ and he said, I asked this
person, they gave me this answer, that person
gives me that answer.
The Prophet ﷺ said, istafti qalbak.
Ask your heart.
Seek fatwa from your heart.
The scholars say, we don't depend on, this
is called al-wajd and al-dhawq.
And among the Sufis, this is a big
thing.
Like your taste tells you what's the truth.
No.
Because the taste is always susceptible to shaitan.
Even among the most righteous people.
But generally speaking, the righteous people, their taste
is more in line with Islam.
Is it an independent indicator?
No.
It has to abide by Qur'an, Sunnah,
by the principles of Islam, the guidelines.
So there is this folding system around it.
And only in very extreme cases and about
differences, legitimate differences among the scholars, you will
find it becomes a tipping point.
Like whatever tops the argument there.
So don't, best thing, leave it.
Just follow the guidance inshaAllah ta'ala.
Jazakumullahu khair.
Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.