Navaid Aziz – The King And The Boy Surat Al-Burooj
AI: Summary ©
The speakers emphasize the importance of faith and acceptance of Islam, particularly in light of the current crisis and strong relationships with it. They highlight the importance of acceptance and faith in fulfilling prophecies and not denying blindness. The topic of the crisis is also discussed, with a focus on the importance of acceptance and relationships with Islam. The importance of acceptance and relationships with Islam is emphasized, particularly in light of the current crisis.
AI: Summary ©
My dear brothers and sisters, As-salamu alaykum
wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
So as was announced, we're doing story night,
where we'll be speaking about the story of
the boy and the king from Surah al
-Buruj.
Imam Muslim, rahimahullah, he narrates this story in
Kitab al-Zuhud wa al-Raqaik.
So it's narrated in Sahih Muslim and in
other books of hadith as well.
And the story starts off with that there
is a king and a magician.
And the magician comes to the king one
day and he says, My dear king, I'm
getting old and I fear that I'm either
going to get really sick or I'm going
to die.
And all the magic that I know will
be completely lost.
So I would like you to find me
someone.
JazakAllah khair.
I would like you to find me someone
that I can teach this magic to.
So the king goes searching in his town
and he comes across this young man who
is very intelligent and very hardworking.
And he tells this young man that I
will take care of all of your needs
and all of your family's needs on the
condition that you start learning magic from the
magician.
So this young man agrees.
He thinks, you know, what better deal am
I ever going to get than this, where
all of my needs and all the needs
of my family can be met.
So he starts going to the magician every
single day.
And one day as he's on his way
to the magician, he comes across this monk.
Basically a shaykh that's giving dawah to the
people.
Telling the people to worship Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala alone and to renounce this dunya.
And the young man is very impressed by
this monk.
So every day on his way to the
magician, he spends time with the monk, learning
whatever the monk has to say.
And then he makes his way to the
magician.
One day when the young boy is late,
the magician gets very, very angry and very,
very upset.
And he beats up the young man.
And the young man, he goes and he
complains to the monk.
And he tells him that the magician has
beaten me up.
And he tells me that I can never
be late again.
And if I do, I will lose my
agreement with the king.
And he will no longer teach me magic
either.
So the monk tells him that the next
time you are late, I want you to
tell the magician that it is your family
that made you late.
Tell the magician that it is your family
that made you late.
So the next time the young man was
late, he tells the magician it was my
family that made me late.
And he let the young man be.
One day on his way to class, in
the middle of the city, there is a
giant beast that is blocking off the pathway
going from in and out of the kingdom
basically.
And the young boy decides, you know what,
today is the day that I am going
to decipher who is on the truth.
Either the magician or the monk.
So he picks up a rock and he
says, Oh Allah, if the monk is upon
the truth, then let this stone kill this
beast and let the people roam freely.
So he picks up the stone, he throws
the stone at the beast and subhanallah, the
beast dies.
The young man, he goes back to the
monk and he tells him everything that has
just happened.
So excited that I was able to kill
the beast, I picked up the rock, I
said, Oh Allah, if the monk is upon
the truth, kill the beast and that is
exactly what happened.
And the monk, he tells the boy that
you have reached a level that has even
surpassed me.
And I fear that you will be tested
very very soon.
And I ask you that when you are
tested, just do me one favor.
Do not mention my name at all.
Do not tell them that I am the
one that taught you.
And the young boy agrees.
So now this young boy, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala has given him basically a power,
which is to cure the sick through dua.
So people are coming to him, they're blind,
he makes dua, they're cured of their blindness.
People have leprosy, skin conditions, he makes dua,
they're cured of their skin condition.
And word of this gets around the kingdom
now.
And the king has a right hand man
that has gone, well started to go blind.
So one day he gathers as many gifts
as he can, and he summons the young
boy, and he says, all of these gifts
that you see are for you.
As long as you cure me of my
blindness.
And the young boy, he says, I do
not cure blindness, it is Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala that cures.
However, if you accept Islam, I will make
dua for you, and Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala will cure your blindness.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will cure
your blindness.
So this right hand man, he accepts Islam,
the young boy makes dua for him, and
his blindness is cured.
So now the next time this right hand
man of the king is interacting with the
king, the king is surprised, how are you
able to do all of these things that
you weren't able to do for such a
long time?
And this man, he says, my lord has
cured me.
And the king says, what do you mean
your lord has cured you?
I did not cure you.
And the man responds by saying, my lord
and your lord is Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
And the king is enraged, he is infuriated.
He takes this man and he starts beating
him up.
And he tells him, who cured you?
And he says, it was the young boy.
So now the king has the young boy
summoned, and he basically lashes and whips the
young boy.
And he says, who is it that taught
you the ability to cure the sick and
the blind?
And the young boy, he says, I do
not cure the sick and the blind, it
is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
The king is infuriated even more, he beats
him up even further, and punishes him even
further.
Till the young boy says, it is the
monk that taught me how to cure the
sick and the blind.
So now the monk is summoned.
And now the king wants to make an
example for the boy and for his right
hand man.
He tells the monk that I want you
to renounce your faith.
If you do not do so, I will
kill you.
And the monk says, I will never renounce
my faith, my firmest faith upon Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And the king, he takes a saw, and
he saws the monk in half.
And now he calls the right hand man
and he asks him, will you renounce your
faith?
And the right hand man says, no.
And he does the exact same with the
right hand man as well.
Now the king is infuriated, but he realizes
something.
That it is not going to be enough
to kill the boy.
We have to make an example out of
the boy.
So he calls the guards, and he tells
the guards, that I want you to take
this young boy to the highest mountain in
the city.
And when you get to the top, throw
him off the mountain, and let all of
the kingdom see what happens to those that
defy me.
So they start taking him up the mountain,
and the young boy is petrified and he's
scared.
And he starts making dua.
Allahumma ikhfinihim bimashiat.
Oh Allah, suffice me in taking care of
them in any way that you please.
And as soon as they get to the
top of the mountain, the mountain starts to
shake.
Everyone falls off to their death, except for
the young boy.
The young boy, he comes back to the
king.
And the king asks, where are the men
that I sent with you?
And he says, the men have died.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala took care of
them.
The king says, okay, perhaps something happened on
top of the mountain that I don't know
of.
But let's see what you do in the
middle of the ocean.
So he calls a new set of guards,
and they take this young boy to the
middle of the ocean.
And again, the young boy makes dua, Allahumma
ikhfinihim bimashiat.
Oh Allah, suffice me in any way that
you please, and take care of these people.
So now in the middle of the ocean,
a massive tidal wave comes, and kills all
of the guards.
Yet the young boy survives.
And yet again, the young boy, he comes
back to the king, and he says, you
will not be able to kill me up
until you follow my rules.
And the king says, what are your rules?
He says, I want you to summon all
of the townspeople.
I want you to tie me to a
tree.
And then I want you to take an
arrow out of my bag, and I want
you to point this arrow at me.
And say, in the name of Allah, the
Lord of the boy.
If you do this, I will then be
killed.
And the king says, you promise this is
how you will be killed?
And the young boy says, I promise.
So the king, he calls all of the
townspeople.
And he ties the young boy to a
tree.
He takes an arrow out of the young
boy's bag.
He stands at a distance, and he says,
in the name of Allah, the Lord of
the boy.
And he shoots the arrow, and it strikes
him right in the temple.
The young boy holds on to it for
a moment, he falls, and he dies.
And all of a sudden, there's an uproar
in the crowd.
We believe in the Lord of the boy,
we believe in the Lord of the boy.
And the guards come back to the king,
and they tell him, everything that you were
trying to stop, has now taken place.
All of these people have accepted Islam, they've
accepted Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And the king, he says, let us make
an example of these people.
We will give people an opportunity to renounce
their faith.
If they do not do so, they will
be burnt alive.
So he commands his men to start digging
ditches, and start building fires.
And some of the narrations mention that it
took a month to build these ditches, and
to light these fires to the level that
would please the king.
That's how large these fires were.
And one by one, he took the town's
people, and he gave them the chance.
Renounce your faith, or I burn you alive.
And one by one, none of them would
renounce their faith, and they would be thrown
into the fire, and they would be burnt
alive.
Till a time comes, where the only ones
that are left, are a mother with her
newborn baby.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives the
newborn baby the ability to speak.
And the newborn baby says, Oh my mother,
be patient, for surely we are on the
truth.
The king asks her, do you renounce your
faith?
She says, no.
The king takes her, and throws her and
her baby into the fire.
And that is how the hadith and the
story ends.
I always feel uncomfortable narrating the story at
the end, because I feel we've been conditioned
into the thinking, you know, there always has
to be a happy ending.
Where there has to be a superhero that
comes and, you know, saves everyone.
And kills the king, and destroys the king,
and there has to be this great manifest
victory.
But that's not true in this story.
This hadith ends with the mother and her
baby being burnt alive, and all the people
from the town, who accepted Islam, and would
not denounce their faith.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept them
as martyrs.
Ameen.
Now, how I would like to proceed the
rest of tonight's session, is in two folds.
Number one is by asking you, what are
the lessons that stick out from this story
for you?
And then I'll share with you the lessons
that I have prepared for you guys.
So who's going to be the first person
to share a lesson from this story?
Bismillah.
To always be patient.
Allahu Akbar.
I love it.
Jazakallah khair.
Thank you so much.
Go ahead.
Yes, you, young boy.
To have faith in Allah.
To have faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
Excellent.
Okay?
Excellent.
Which other lessons can we derive from this
story?
Bismillah.
Nothing is possible except by the will of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Because you're a bit older, I'm going to
ask you to explain, why you said that
and what you mean by that.
Allahu Akbar.
So he said this because the king was
only able to kill him, after he followed
the rules of the boy who was close
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Excellent.
Go ahead.
Two points.
Allahu Akbar.
Yes.
Yes.
Allahu Akbar.
Jazakallah khair.
Thank you so much.
Barakallah fik.
So the brother shared two amazing points.
Point number one is that when you hear
such stories of such atrocities, someone may ask,
where is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala answered this
in Surah al-Buruj.
When he said that Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala is indeed a witness over all of
these things, and from behind them, he is
all-encompassing.
From behind them, he is all-encompassing.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was surely
watching.
And then number two, he mentioned that even
though they did such evil and despicable acts,
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala still calls them
to make tawbah.
He still calls them to make tawbah.
So regardless of what type of sins you
may have committed, the door for tawbah is
always open.
Beautiful lessons.
What other?
Bismillah.
Allahu Akbar.
History repeats itself.
Excellent.
And this is a reoccurring theme.
That the believers will always be tested in
their faith by tyrannical rulers.
The believers will always be tested in their
faith by tyrannical rulers.
So history repeats itself.
Let's get three more inshaAllah and then I'll
share my lessons with you.
Bismillah.
Go ahead, one.
Allahu Akbar.
Jameel.
Sometimes people will try to extinguish the light
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by stop
the efforts of dawah.
It wouldn't end to the deen of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses those
very things to spread the deen of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses those very
things to spread the deen of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Excellent.
Let's get two more inshaAllah.
One more from the sisters.
One more lesson from the sisters inshaAllah.
I should pick on her?
You keep pushing her and nudging her.
Bismillah.
You have something to share?
The importance of dua.
Excellent.
I was waiting for someone to mention that.
That the young boy, as he's going up
the mountain, he's making dua.
Right?
So beautiful lesson over there.
Who's going to have the final and last
lesson?
Final and last lesson.
Bismillah.
Go for it.
Tell the truth.
I love that.
You should always tell the truth.
Let's start from the beginning of this story.
Imam Muslim, rahimahullah, he narrated this in his
sahih.
So sahih Muslim was compiled by Imam Muslim.
But it was actually Imam An-Nawi, rahimahullah,
that put the chapter headings in sahih Muslim.
So those chapter headings inside sahih Muslim were
not put by Imam Muslim, they were actually
put by Imam An-Nawi.
So Imam An-Nawi, when he put the
chapter heading for this hadith and all the
subsequent hadith under this chapter, he calls it
the book of zuhd wal raqa'ik.
The book of heart softening and asceticism.
Meaning that there's a very important theme that
we are meant to extract from this.
Which is to soften our hearts towards Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala and towards the deen
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So once you understand the objective that Imam
An-Nawi, rahimahullah, has put into place, we
now want to start seeing how do we
actually fulfill that objective.
How do we actually fulfill that objective.
So the first thing that we see is
that as a whole, stories of the people
of the past are mentioned to reaffirm our
faith.
So for the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, the
stories of the previous prophets are mentioned to
show the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam that all
of the prophets went through hardships, all of
the prophets went through calamities, yet not a
single one of them was let down by
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Not a single one of them was abandoned
by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was always there
for them in their darkest moments and granted
them victory.
So here the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam is
shown this through the Qur'an to reaffirm
his faith.
Whereas for the believers, they are told that
you are told these stories to find solace
in the fact that people before you were
tested and people after you will be tested.
Tests are inevitable.
In Sahih al-Bukhari, Khabab ibn al-'Arat radiallahu
ta'ala anhu, he says, I came to
the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam complaining to him.
And the context of this is in Mecca.
So Sumayyah radiallahu ta'ala anhu has just
been killed.
The family of Ammar ibn Yasir have been
made martyrs.
The sahaba are being persecuted.
They are being openly whipped and lashed and
mocked and ridiculed.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam himself is being
mocked and ridiculed.
So Khabab ibn al-'Arat radiallahu ta'ala anhu,
he basically says, Ya Rasulullah, when is enough
enough?
Like how much more can we bear?
We're already poor.
Some of us are already being killed.
We haven't seen any form of victory yet.
I know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has given you a dua that if you
were to make it, it would be answered.
And the dua that he's referring to is
that every Prophet has given a dua that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will answer immediately.
That dua the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has
saved for the Day of Judgment when the
ummah needs it the most.
So what does he tell Khabab ibn al-'Arat?
He says, Ya Khabab, how hasty are you?
Where is your patience, Ya Khabab?
The people before you, some of them were
combed with iron combs till their skin was
basically you know, ripped off of them.
Others were sawed in half.
You haven't seen any of that.
Where is your patience, Ya Khabab?
And I think this is a very very
important reminder, subhanallah, that when you live very
very comfortable lives in safety and security, there
are blessings from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
that we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
for and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala to increase us in those blessings, ameen.
The consequence of that safety is that we
don't want to deal with hardship, we don't
want to deal with calamity.
And what we need to remember is what
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us.
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ
لَا يُفْتَنُونَ Does mankind think that they will
be left to say we believe and not
be tested?
So you have to understand that as soon
as you accept Islam and embrace Islam as
a way of life, you will be tested.
Part of it will be physically, part of
it will be psychologically, part of it will
be emotionally.
Which brings us to point number two.
What is the role of the magician in
the kingdom?
The magician is basically responsible for controlling all
the people.
He uses mind control tactics, he uses fortune
telling, he uses other ways to basically suppress
the people in the kingdom to keep believing
that their king is their lord.
Now if you bring this to a modern
day context, what is the equivalent of something
like this that controls the minds of the
people?
One of the closest things that I can
think of is the way that the media
is controlled.
You can have a very different reality on
the ground as to what is actually reported
in the media.
You can have a very different reality as
to what is actually happening on the ground.
We saw this very blatantly and drastically in
Palestine.
The hypocritical double standards that were portrayed that
if a Palestinian was killed or they were
killed in a conflict.
And if an Israeli is killed, a mass
murdering terrorist out for vengeance with * teeth
and angry faces is out to get them.
And then minimizing the numbers of Palestinians that
were killed and grossly exaggerating the number of
Israelis that were killed.
And not talking about how Palestine is basically
an open air prison.
That these Palestinian people have no rights whatsoever.
And this is a reoccurring theme.
That the Israelis are justified in continuing their
oppression because Israelis are constantly under threat.
And anything that they need to do to
save themselves is justified.
But anywhere else in the world if that
was done, the double standard would have been
called out.
Oh you have to follow international law.
Except if you are Israel.
Right?
So we saw that double standard there.
But I think a more recent incident and
this is again, I'm going to give the
disclaimer here.
Anything that I say is my own personal
opinion and does not reflect the IISC.
These are my own individual opinions.
If you look at what happened in New
Orleans just the other night.
Like the Bourbon Street attack that ended up
killing 10 people or I think even maybe
more than that by now.
This story is such a weird story.
Like this is an ex-military officer in
2020 he was picked up for drunk driving.
He's carrying an upside down ISIS flag.
A history of severe issues taking place in
his life.
And all of a sudden, you know a
few weeks before President Trump is meant to
be inaugurated.
He does this attack.
Like every time there's a new inauguration for
some president and they want to start using
new powers from the state.
Some sort of terrorist attack happens.
Like do we not realize Daesh was pretty
much defunct 2015 onwards.
Yet these random people somehow still find their
way and pledge allegiance.
Right?
So there is something greater at play over
here.
And this is very important to look at
that you cannot blindly trust everything that you
see in the media.
You cannot blindly trust everything that you see
in the media.
And the media is one of the ways
where people are led to believe certain things
and are given inclinations for social standards, for
social beliefs, for political beliefs and much much
more than that.
Which brings us to point number three.
The inevitable reality of every human being.
That you will come to your demise and
you will come to an end.
So the magician recognized this and he knew
that his life was coming to an end.
And he had spent his life's work in
learning this magic and controlling the people and
he said I've worked so hard for all
of this.
How can I let it just die with
me?
So he tells the king that look I
need you to find someone for me.
And the king goes and finds this intelligent
hardworking boy.
And there's two points over here.
Number one the role of legacy in your
life that as you grow older your biological
time clock starts kicking in.
And it starts reminding you what are the
legacies that I'm leaving behind?
How will I be remembered in this dunya?
What is my contribution that I've made?
But for the believer we tweak it a
little bit.
What are the deeds that I want to
present to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when
I meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
So that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is
proud of me.
And a smart person is the individual that
starts preparing for this from now rather than
when they get closer to death.
Rather than when they get closer to death.
So start thinking about what are the deeds
that I'm going to be putting forth to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala so that he
has mercy upon me and enters me into
Jannah.
And point two related to this is with
the young boy.
The king could have chosen anyone.
But the king chose an intelligent hard working
boy.
This combination of natural intelligence and hard work
and being hard working and having a strong
work ethic will take you very very far
in life.
And it's a very very sad thing subhanallah.
For some of the young people in our
community that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
made them intelligent.
They're naturally very very bright.
But they don't have the work ethic.
Just completely lazy.
Playing video games.
Doing the absolute minimal to get by.
Just enough to survive.
No ambitions in life.
Let me just do whatever I can to
get by.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given
you a gift.
This natural intelligence.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you
the ability to work hard.
Make the most of it.
Like as an ummah if you want to
see drastic change that will only happen by
those very people that have intelligence and are
working hard and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has given tawfiq.
I've shared this lesson before and I'll share
it again.
If you look at the story of Sahih
al-Bukhari.
How does Sahih al-Bukhari come about?
Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah was one day in
the halaqa of Ishaq ibn Rahway.
And Ishaq ibn Rahway he just says in
passing perhaps not thinking anything of it.
He says, I wish someone would collect all
of the authentic hadith of the Prophet salallahu
alayhi wa sallam.
And this settled this settled in the heart
of Imam al-Bukhari.
This settled in the heart of Imam al
-Bukhari and he made it his life mission.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had given him
the intelligence and now he worked hard to
make this a reality.
And subhanallah look at the fruit of his
labor today.
Where not a khateeb gets on the mumber,
not a teacher teaches.
Except that they're dependent upon the work of
Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah because of intelligence and
hard work and tawfiq from Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
So if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
given you intelligence work on your work ethic.
Work hard, do not be lazy and see
how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala opens so
many doors for you.
Which brings us to point number four.
This young boy now, he starts meeting a
monk on his way.
And he is impressed by the monk.
And what is the monk focusing on?
Two things.
Number one tawheed, the oneness of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And number two, renouncing the dunya.
And he saw this as very different than
what the magician and the king were calling
to.
The king was calling him to himself.
And the king was calling to the luxuries
of this dunya.
The king is a king because he has
a kingdom.
This monk was calling to simplicity.
Worship the one that created you.
Worship the one that created everything around you.
And this shows us that the beauty of
the message in Islam is not in its
philosophical constructs and philosophical arguments.
It's in the simplicity of that we have
no intermediaries between us and Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
The beauty of Islam is that you don't
need material possessions to feel contented heart.
Al ghina ghina al nafs.
Contentment is the contentment of the heart.
Focus on being content in your heart and
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give you
the dunya.
But if you're constantly chasing the dunya to
find your contentment, you will never find contentment
nor will you attain the dunya.
Nor will you attain the dunya.
And this is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam tells us that whoever makes their
akhira, their priority, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
will rectify their dunya and their akhira.
But whoever makes the dunya their priority will
end up losing both.
Whoever makes the dunya their priority will end
up losing both.
Which brings us to point number 5 now.
The young boy ends up being late and
he gets beaten up by the magician.
It's very fascinating that even though he gets
beat up by the magician, he doesn't go
and complain to his parents.
He goes and he complains to the monk.
Why the monk?
And this shows us the responsibility that people
of knowledge have in the community.
The people of knowledge in the community are
meant to be a safe space.
Where we have or the people of knowledge
have the best interest at heart for their
congregants.
So if someone comes and confides something with
you, you can't share that publicly.
If someone asks you for advice, you have
to give them the best advice.
If someone is asking for help, you have
to give them that help.
That is the role that comes with knowledge.
And people find safety in knowledge that they
will not find even in their own families.
Subhanallah.
So this shows us that with people of
knowledge, they have a higher level of accountability.
There is a higher level of accountability for
people of knowledge.
That they cannot abuse their authority or their
power or take advantage of those that are
underneath them.
Which brings me to point number 2 over
here.
And this is where I want you guys
to show me your level of jurisprudence and
understanding.
The monk tells the young boy that the
next time you are late for your lesson
with the magician, tell him your family made
you late.
Is that not straight up lying?
This monk is meant to be a righteous
man.
He's calling to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
He's telling the people to denounce the dunya.
But here he tells the boy to straight
up lie?
How does that work?
Who has an answer for me?
Bismillah.
Go for it.
Okay.
Bend to the truth.
Okay.
But I want you to tell me because
I love this answer mashallah.
But I want you to tell me why
your answer is wrong.
You don't know?
Okay.
So let me what our dear brother has
stated.
It's sort of like what Ibrahim alayhi salam
did when he destroyed the idols and when
they asked him who destroyed the idols?
He said the big one destroyed the idols.
And I said it's a good start to
our discussion and conversation but it's not the
correct answer.
And the reason being Ibrahim alayhi salam's clear
mission was to prove the futility of their
shirk.
Was to prove the futility of their shirk.
And eventually he made the truth known.
Eventually he made the truth known that he
was the one that destroyed the idols.
Whereas this young boy, he's only doing it
to avoid pain for himself.
He just doesn't want to be beaten up
by the magician.
So there's a, what they call, that there's
a lapse in the analogical deduction but very
good answer.
I really appreciate that.
Jazakumullah khairan.
Do we have a second attempt?
Bismillah.
Can you repeat it but louder?
I couldn't hear what you said.
So who doesn't have the knowledge of the
unseen?
To prove that the magician doesn't have the
knowledge of the unseen.
Allahu akbar, jameel.
I did not even think of that.
So that could be a possibility.
That's not what's mentioned in the books of
hadith.
So he says that he wants to prove
the futility of the magic of the magician
that had the magician known the unseen and
could fortune tell, he would clearly know that
it wasn't his family that made him late.
Beautiful answer.
I'm gonna make note of that and I'll
accept it but I'm still looking for something
different.
I'm still looking for something different.
Sisters, bismillah.
Sorry, if the magician knew that he would
do what to the boy?
Okay.
But then why would the monk still tell
him that though?
That doesn't answer the question.
Why would the monk say, if the magician
asks you why you're late, tell him that
your family made you late.
Good attempt though.
I love the fact that you're participating though.
Jazakumullah khairan.
Think about it and I'll come back to
you inshallah.
Bismillah.
Muslims are allowed to lie in certain cases.
Excellent.
This was the second answer I was waiting
for.
So let's go with this.
In certain cases, I'll come to you in
a second.
In certain cases, Muslims are allowed to lie.
The Prophet ﷺ says that lying is allowed
in three situations.
Number one, to rectify between two people.
Number two, in times of war.
And then number three, to like spouses to
one another, to basically prevent their feelings from
being hurt drastically.
Right?
These are the three incidents that Prophet ﷺ
in Sunnah Abu Dawud says that Muslims are
allowed to lie.
This young boy is not in either of
these situations.
But it's a very good answer.
I'll take the last one over here and
then I'll tell you the answer.
Yeah, it doesn't answer the question though.
But I appreciate the effort.
I appreciate the effort.
Right?
Let me answer because I know everyone's thinking
now.
I'll summarize this because I have more lessons
to share inshallah.
If you look at the story of Nuh
ﷺ in the Qur'an, the family of
Nuh ﷺ, his wife and his son, basically
refused to get onto the Ark.
And the son of Nuh ﷺ, Nuh ﷺ
calls him, come, join me on the Ark.
Let me save you.
And he just straight out refuses.
And his son ends up dying.
And then Allah ﷻ shows a conversation that
Nuh ﷺ has with Allah ﷻ.
When Nuh ﷺ says, Oh Allah, he is
my son.
How?
He is my son from my family.
How could you let him die?
How could you let this happen?
And what does Allah ﷻ say?
إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكِ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَالِحٍ
That he is not from your family.
He is an action of unrighteousness.
What you derive from this is that the
term Ahl are those that you have familiarity
with.
Common beliefs, common ethics, common grounds with.
So here when Allah ﷻ tells Nuh ﷺ
that he is not from your family, he
is saying that yes, you might have had
a blood relation with him.
That biologically he is your son.
But he is not your family because you
have no familiarity with him.
Okay, so who is the family of Nuh
ﷺ?
Those that followed Nuh ﷺ are now his
family.
Those that followed Nuh ﷺ are now his
family.
Similarly with the monk.
The monk was the one that taught him
tawhid.
And they share common beliefs now, common ethics,
common values.
So now the monk has become the young
boy's family.
The monk has become the young boy's family.
So when we see this hadith, you may
think that the monk is telling the boy
to lie.
But no, it's just we need a deeper
level of knowledge of our own texts to
understand what he is trying to achieve.
And what he is trying to do.
So that's how we understand the story of
the monk telling the boy, tell him that
it is your family that made you late.
Which brings us now to the incident of
the beast.
And someone may look at this portion of
the story and says, you know what, it's
a good thing for me to test my
faith with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But let us understand what is happening over
here and what is allowed and what is
not allowed.
So, from an Islamic perspective, you are allowed
to ask for an increase in certainty.
You are allowed to ask for an increase
in certainty.
So we see this in Ibrahim a.s.
اريني كيف تحي الموتى Oh Allah, show me
how you bring the life, the death back
to life.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala asks him,
do you not believe?
He says, no, of course I believe, oh
Allah.
But I want my heart to feel settled.
I want my heart to feel settled.
So he's not coming from a place of
doubt, he's coming from a place of conviction,
looking for more certainty.
Similarly, with this young boy, he has faith
in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala already.
How do we know this?
The fact that he's calling out to Allah.
Right?
So what he's looking for is more certainty,
he's not approaching this from a place of
doubt.
Imam An-Nawawi, when he comments on this,
he refers to this as an act, which
while it is permissible, it is not a
good act to do.
It is not a good act to do.
Which is that, oh Allah, show me a
sign.
Show me a sign.
This is not a good thing to do,
and it should only be done in very,
very exceptional cases.
So now, if an individual does have doubts
about their faith, what are they meant to
do?
If an individual has doubts about their faith,
two things.
Number one, seek knowledge that will help counter
those doubts, and number two, make dua that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala helps your heart
be settled.
Helps your heart be settled.
Whereas the individual that already has faith and
wants an increment in certainty, then both of
these stories, Ibrahim alaihissalam and the story of
this beast, they show us that if you
reflect upon the signs of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala, that is what you need to
be increased in your certainty.
And the signs that exist are already plenty
and many that you need to ask for
more signs from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Last point related to this is that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala sent all of the
people of the Prophets major signs.
Yet it did not cause them to accept
their faith.
Right?
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam was sent to
the Quran, they saw the moon split, Musa
alaihissalam had, you know, so many multiple signs
that came.
Isa alaihissalam is curing the blind and healing
the sick by the will of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
None of these signs caused people to believe.
So you have to understand that faith is
not a matter of seeing signs.
Faith is not even a matter of logical
arguments.
Faith is submitting first to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala and asking for guidance and being
open to the guidance that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala sends you.
If the heart is not receptive to guidance
and is not sincere to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala, no matter what is shown, it
will never be enough.
It will never be enough.
And this is where we always have to
remember that adage, you cannot help people that
are not willing to help themselves.
You cannot help people that are not willing
to help themselves.
Which brings us to point number six.
Which brings us to point number six.
Which is the king's usage actually, sorry, point
number six is with regards to the young
boy and his understanding of tawheed.
And I want to speak about this for
our day and age.
When he starts healing the sick and people
say, we've heard that you can cure the
sick and you can cure the blind.
What does he always respond with?
He always responds with, it is Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala that heals the sick and
cures the blind.
Meaning that we attribute all good to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Now, what is this?
How does this manifest itself in our day
and age?
You'll see Muslims saying, fingers crossed.
You know, fingers crossed, inshallah, good things will
happen.
Or knock on wood, inshallah, good things will
happen.
Or, you know what other, four leaf clovers.
Or a rabbit's foot.
Or all other sorts of weird things that
people do.
But more important, I'm concerned about the things
that we say.
That we don't realize that the things that
we say are antithetical to actual tawheed.
That if you believe that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala has all power and all control
and all good is from Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala, does it really make a difference
if your fingers are crossed?
In fact, if you look at the history
of it, it comes from the cross in
Christianity.
That, you know, you believe in the cross,
thus it's a good omen for you.
Right?
Or what other statements do people use?
Before I came to lecture, I had like
four or five of them in my head.
I just can't remember them now.
What else do people say, like fingers crossed?
Similar example, right?
So what else do people use instead of
like fingers crossed?
Sorry?
Something like that?
I don't know what that is.
Bismillah.
Go ahead.
Yes, so they're very superstitious with regards to
going under a ladder.
Right?
If you go under a ladder, something bad
is going to happen.
Or if you step on a crack, what
happens?
It breaks your mother's back.
Right?
So these are all superstitions.
But I'm thinking things that people do to
bring about hope and positivity and optimism for
themselves.
So you say fingers crossed when the stars
align.
Right?
These are all futile shirk-y statements.
These are all futile shirk-y statements.
So believers should not be using them.
Our optimism and our hope is in Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala alone and not anyone
else.
And at the same time, people should not
think, you know what, these are only figures
of speech.
They're not figures of speech.
They actually come from distorted beliefs.
They actually come from very distorted beliefs that
don't recognize Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as
the ultimate creator and sustainer.
So this young boy teaches us a very
valuable lesson with regards to attributing all good
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and finding
hope in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Which brings us to point number seven.
Once the king finds out that what has
been going on, what does he start doing?
He starts punishing and persecuting.
He starts punishing and persecuting.
So he starts off by lashing the king,
his right-hand man, lashing the young boy,
eventually killing the monk, eventually killing his right
-hand man, and then killing all of the
people of the ditch.
This shows us that people of tyranny only
know one language, which is violence.
And this is why in our day and
age, tyrannical rulers will use all forms of
violence.
Can you fathom that after our lifetime, they've
already used an atomic bomb to nuke a
whole country, man.
Like that's already happened.
We have dictators that have used phosphorous bombs
on their own people.
That they use acid on their own people.
They drown and burn their own people.
We see again in Palestine, now we see
babies dying of being frozen to death.
All tyrannical rulers know is violence.
And this is not the deen of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
In fact, it is one of the greatest
crimes in Islam.
That for what sin was this person killed?
You're not allowed to indiscriminately, unjustly take people's
lives.
But that is the unfortunate reality.
That is the unfortunate reality.
But here we learn a very, very valuable
lesson.
That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not
allow these tyrannical rulers to get away.
How do we know that?
Because in this story, how does he burn
or how does he kill the Ashab ul
-Uqtud?
He burns them alive.
And then what does Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala tell us in Surah al-Buruj?
Inna alladhina fatano almu'mineena walmu'minat.
Thumma lam yatubu falahum azabu jahannam walahum azabu
alharik.
That those people that test and try the
believers and do not repent to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala, not only will they have
the punishment of Jahannam, but they're going to
have a blazing fire awaiting them.
Which is this reoccurring sunnah of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala that the way you treat
the creation is the way the creator will
treat you.
If you're merciful with the creation, the mercy
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be
shown to you.
But if you're evil and killing with the
creation, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will treat
you the exact same way.
7B which brings us to the point that
why does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow
these incidents to happen?
Like what are we meant to learn from
this?
What we're meant to learn from this is
that there's only two destinations in the afterlife.
Jannah and Jahannam.
And there is no third.
The people of Jannah will be justified in
the ranks of Jannah based upon the deeds
that they did.
So entrance into Jannah is based upon the
mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
But your rank in Jannah is based upon
the deeds that you did.
Now the exact opposite of this is Jahannam.
Entrance into Jahannam is because you've been devoid
of the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala because you showed no acts of mercy
in this life.
Which leads us to your level in Jahannam
will be based upon the sins that you
did.
But human nature is that we will always
complain.
We'll always try to negotiate.
Oh I don't deserve this punishment.
Oh I don't deserve this hardship.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows them
to continue in their evil ways so that
their punishment will be justified to them in
the hereafter.
So they will be shown the record.
You killed X, Y and Z people in
such and such manner.
Now you're going to experience the exact same
thing.
Now you're going to experience the exact same
thing.
And the greatest crime that they commit is
shirk with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala creates you
upon the fitrah.
He naturally instilled this concept of seeking the
truth out in you.
Yet time and time again you rejected it
and you turned an eye away from it.
And thus the everlasting component is in the
shirk.
Where the specific punishment is from the deeds
that they committed.
Which brings us to point number eight.
Which is the young boy.
The young boy subhanallah is an ayah from
the ayat of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
How he embraced at a very very young
age that he has a greater purpose and
mission in life even though he has human
emotions.
So you see the very first two times
when he's taken up the mountain and when
he's taken onto the ship very very afraid,
very very scared.
He makes dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala which is point number nine.
Yet when it comes to you know what?
I now have to embrace the fact that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created me
for something greater.
Where the people will follow me if I
just show them this example that I'm no
longer afraid and that Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala is my true lord.
So he does exactly what Ibrahim a.s.
did.
He teaches the king how to kill him
on the condition that everyone is present and
he utters those very words.
That in the name of Allah the lord
of the boy.
Allahu Akbar.
The king he says the words on his
tongue.
He sees the impact of these statements in
his action that he's finally able to kill
the boy.
That was not enough for him to have
humility and to submit himself to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
But he doubles down.
He doubles down.
So the king goes in one direction and
the young boy now becomes a martyr.
The young boy becomes a martyr for the
sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that
leads to all of these people accepting Islam.
Which brings us back to our reality.
What happened in Palestine without a shadow of
a doubt if we had the ability to
stop it we should have stopped it.
Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows us
even in this evil and in these atrocities
good can come out of it.
From the number of people that are accepting
Islam.
From the number of people that are reading
the Quran.
From the number of people that are now
recognizing the double standards and the hypocrisy not
only in our governments but also in the
media.
All of this was a result of what
happened in Palestine.
And similarly this young boy was the awakening
for the people.
That the king was able to kill him
because he said in the name of Allah
the lord of the boy all of the
people ended up accepting Islam because they recognized
the truth.
Which shows us that for the vast majority
of people we shouldn't have a pessimistic view.
Oh these people will never accept Islam.
No that's not true.
We never know who Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala has chosen Islam for and will eventually
end up accepting Islam.
I'm thinking of specific names right now in
my head like I'm not saying these are
ideal Muslims by any means that these are
role models.
But if you look at someone like Andrew
Tate like five years ago you would never
think that this person would accept Islam.
If you look at someone like Mike Tyson
if you look at him throughout his career
you would never think someone like him would
accept Islam.
You look at you know other people there's
a variety of people that have accepted Islam
you know post-conflict or post-genocide rather
I should say to correct the terminology and
this is from the father of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala so we never get to
dictate who's eligible for Islam and who isn't
we celebrate everyone that accepts Islam have realistic
expectations from them and make dua that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala keeps them steadfast.
Which brings us to point number nine.
The importance of dua.
You will be in situations in life where
you have no physical control.
You can physically not control the outcome.
You have been surrounded by people that just
want you to die.
And it is in those moments when you
feel alone and you know that you cannot
depend upon yourself or other creation that your
sincerity becomes the most sincere.
Your relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
becomes the strongest.
And this is one of the greatest blessings
of trials is that it purifies your sincerity
to its purest level.
The greater the trial, the greater the submission,
the greater the purity of the sincerity.
So pure that when this young boy called
out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala answered.
وَاتَّقِ دَعْوَةِ الْمَظْلُومِ فَإِنَّ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ
حِجَابٌ Fear the da'wa or the dua
of the oppressed because there is no barrier
between that and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So who can remind me what is the
dua the young boy made?
As he's going up the mountain, as he's
getting onto the ship, what is the dua
the young boy is making inshallah?
Bismillah.
Go ahead, give it a shot.
You can do it in English or Arabic,
whatever is easier for you.
Ahsadi, very good.
اللهم اكفنيهم بما شئت Oh Allah, suffice them
from me in any way that you please.
Like it's not the most eloquent of dua,
right?
It's not some eloquent dua that he's making
but it's a dua that you realize coming
from a place of desperation.
I don't know how to make this more
eloquent but I'm about to die.
I'm about to be thrown off a mountain.
I'm about to be thrown off of a
ship.
Oh Allah, I need you to intervene right
now and save me because there's no one
that can save me other than you.
And this is how you have to understand
your relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the most
part has given you rules in life.
Follow those rules and you will coast through
life for the most part.
But there will be moments in life that
you recognize are beyond your control and you
can't do anything.
And when you call out to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala at those moments, He will
always be there for you.
Ibrahim alayhi salam when he's thrown into the
fire, Musa alayhi salam when he's, you know,
he has his front to the river and
his back to the, to Firaun and his
army.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala always intervenes.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will always help
at those times.
And you have to call out to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala at those times.
Which brings me to the last point, point
number 10.
And this is what we'll conclude with inshaAllah.
This concept of happy endings.
We have to get it out of our
heads that those happy endings will be in
this life.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ
الْكَبِيرُ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ That those that believe
and do righteous deeds, they will have gardens
underneath which rivers flow.
That is the greatest of victories.
That is the greatest of victories.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says وَمَنْ
زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةِ فَقَدْ فَاسْ That
whoever is saved from the hellfire and entered
into Jannah, they are the truly victorious.
So it's great that we have superhero stories
and people come and they take down tyrannical
rulers and we save the oppressed people.
It'll happen from time to time.
But ultimate justice cannot take place except in
the hereafter.
And that is why people of tyranny, they
will get away from it in this life.
They will escape God's free in this life
and they should.
Because no punishment they receive in this life
is ever enough for them.
The only thing that will be enough for
them and will bring true justice is the
punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and
the court of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So we have to remember that.
That the ultimate happy ending is in the
hereafter.
And 10B is that we never remember this
tyrannical king.
No one ever speaks of him about himself.
About how powerful he was, how great he
was, how much money or wealth he had.
But we worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
by speaking about those believers that were burnt
alive.
We worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by
reciting surah al-buruj.
For that very reason we see that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala humiliates the oppressors and
the tyrannical people.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala honors the
believers and the martyrs.
And this is why the people of Palestine
may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help them
and grant them ease and all the ummah
of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Ameen.
There's nothing that we can do that will
restore their dignity.
There's nothing that we can do that will
restore their legacy.
There's nothing that we can restore that can
bring about justice to them.
That's only going to happen in the hereafter.
What we find solace and suffice in is
that our deceased are in jannah as shuhada
inshallah.
And their deceased are in the hellfire.
Their deceased are in the hellfire rotting away,
awaiting a punishment that is going to be
everlasting.
That is where that happy ending is.
And these are just some of the lessons
that we can derive from this story.
Wallahu ta'ala alam wa sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam.
I'll open up the floor for three questions
and we'll call it a night inshallah.
If anyone has questions.
Bismillah.
Go ahead.
Yes you.
What is the beast in the story?
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows best.
It just mentions dhabba.
So dhabba could just be a massive beast.
It could be a large bear.
It could be a large lion.
It could be a large ox.
It could be a variety of different things.
But what we do know is that human
beings were not able to move it by
themselves.
Very good question.
Jazakallah khair.
Bismillah.
Go ahead.
What is the difference between dhalika alfawzul kabir
and dhalika huwa alfawzul kabir?
So dhalika alfawzul kabir, Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala is speaking in generalities that being entered
into jannah, that is dhalika alfawzul kabir.
Whereas for what you are mentioning, I don't
know the specific context of it off the
top of my head.
But from what I can understand of it,
there's a specific thing that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala is mentioning that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala wants to point it out.
That is why he adds huwa meaning it.
That is the great manifest victory.
That specific thing that Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala is referring to and Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala knows best.
Final and last question.
Bismillah.
Yeah.
Very good.
I love the point that you're pointing this
out.
So the brother's question is that from a
layman's perspective of the story, where is the
help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in
this story?
And this is where I will reiterate the
point.
You cannot restrict the help and victory of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to the life
of this world alone in the fashion that
you expect it.
Because two things are very very evident.
Number one, that these people are inshallah being
entered into jannah and this is the way
that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose for
them.
But number two, that their story is such
a great story of success.
That is why we continue to tell it.
That is how we find patience in our
trials.
That is how we forbear the atrocities of
the world and the tyrannical people that are
in it.
Right?
So you have to get out of the
molded construct of what victory and help looks
like.
Right?
All of those people died yet the deen
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala remained.
Right?
And that is a beautiful point within itself.
Whereas that king and you know the people
that followed him, they are nowhere to be
mentioned.
No one remembers them anymore.
No one knows what way of life they
had other than worshipping their own selves.
So I think we have to get out
of this mold of restricting our understanding of
success and victory to this life alone and
looking at spiritual elements of success that we
find solace in their story.
That we are motivated by their story.
We are more patient as a result of
the story.
And number two, that the ultimate success is
to be in Jannah.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us
from its people.
Allahumma ameen.
Concluding du'a and then announcement.
Subhanakallahummi hamdikashahadu la ilaha illat astaghfiruka watubu ilayk.
So that concludes the halaqa.
Announcement for next week.
Next week's story night is on the story
of Mughith and Barira.
And this is a story that's mentioned in
multiple books of hadith.
But for me, this is the ultimate story
of heartbreak.
Where Mughith was married to Barira and Barira
didn't want to be married to Mughith anymore.
And Mughith chases her around Medina saying, take
me back.
And the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wasallam, he turns
to his uncle Abbas and he says, ya
Abbas, are you not amazed by the love
that Mughith has for Barira?
And are you not amazed by the level
of detestment that Barira has for Mughith?
So we look at how in this, at
the time of the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wasallam,
how they dealt with community drama and how
the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wasallam helped them, you
know, quote unquote reconcile or find the conclusions
that they wanted.
So it's a very fascinating story that isn't
discussed enough.
So inshallah, please do try to attend next
week, 7.30 after Salatul Isha.
The story of Mughith and Barira.
A story of heartbreak at the time of
the Prophet shallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Jazakumullah khairan Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh