Nouman Ali Khan – Surah Yusuf #71 – V108 – The Farthest Thing From Blind Faith #2
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Once again everybody is Samadhi Kumara tonight Allah Ricardo yesterday we spent an hour or so talking about the first phrase in the eye a eye number 108. And I hope you appreciated why I think this ayah deserves so much time and attention. It is in a sense, converging all of the lessons of the use of and how they apply to the profit center. And what people are to take away of the connection between this entire story and our beloved messengers lies for them in one concise place, and one very powerful place. So we said a few things about how the he said really, this is my path and its connection to the past and its connection to what is right in front of the prophets. I saw
them and how he's demonstrating it. But now we have to take the next step. You know in from from an Arabic grammar point of view, sometimes the discussions the grammarians have are more complex than the textbook analysis of you know, grammatical structures because in rhetoric and how communication works, sometimes things aren't as textbook when somebody communicates so the reason I bring that up is a drew in Allah He Allah silicon is the next phrase. I'll translate that along with the first that we already discussed. Tell them this is my path. And the next sentence is I call to Allah, based on vision based on clear vision, right, so that's, that's the next phrase. But the grammarians
tried to make a connection between how the Serbian and the rule ilaha illa. Busey Latin. And the way they do that is they take the lomita with elements Amelie they are in Swahili, which means my path. And they say that the other rule the ANA inside the room, the present tense, I call or I invite to Allah, this other Buddhist spirit becomes a highlight of the yallamotor column. Now, what does that mean, in Simple English, what that means in Simple English is, this is my path, as I call to Allah.
So two things are happening at the same time, he's talking about the path he's on. So the law he's having, he's being commanded to say, this is the path that I'm on. So if you want to take a visual example, somebody walking on a particular road, and as they are walking out, and they're not just pointing out a road and saying, that's the road, I'm gonna take, no, they're happy, he means they're already on that road, right? As opposed to tilka. severely, that is my road, meaning that's the road I'm going to be taking, or that's the right one to take. But if you say this is my road, or this is my path, that means they're already on it. So the visual images that have someone already on a road,
and they're walking on that path. And as they're walking on the path, they say, as I'm walking on this path, I'm inviting to Allah. I'm inviting now, when you say when you're walking, and you invite somebody, again, keep that image in mind, you're walking and you call somebody over. You're asking them to join you on the same trip. And when someone says, Why should I walk with you here? What's the Where are you going? Where are you headed? Because a path is never a destination, a path is a means to a destination. So here in the phrase, we started with the phrasing that involves the journey.
And he says, I'm already on a journey to Allah. But I don't want to go, I don't want to disturb need to be for myself, I'd like you to be on this journey with me, the destination of which is Allah, Allahu Allah vasila 10. And so there's this really beautiful, you know, imagery that's encompassed when a person travels on the road, because they'd like to make it to a destination. They want to get there because that's what their goal is. That's what their you know, ultimate success is and obviously, what's a greater success than journeying towards Allah. But our profits item has been commanded to say, you're on this journey already. Let people know that you're on this journey,
whether they join you or not, but you will, your job while you are on this journey is to invite them. And so I'm just fulfilling my duty not just to go on this path and say you do whatever you want. But in fact, as I'm walking this journey, I would like you to come along with me. And I'm inviting you not to myself. I don't need the company. I don't need your company. This is not for me, this is for you to reach that destination. So it's not a Drupal layer. I'm calling you to me. I'm calling you to me, or Sahih boonie or accompany me. He's not saying any of that. He's simply saying I'm inviting you to the destination. And it's it's remarkable that there's no more free will be in
the phrase of the EU comb Illallah I am inviting you to join us.
Isn't there, it's not a NASA ilala you know, but the openness of it is very powerful as if to say, those of you that hear me and don't care, and those of you that haven't heard me yet, and those of you that will hear me generations from now, continents from now across oceans from now, like you and me, will be inside the echo of this phrase I call to Allah, because today, I am sitting here, you're listening, and we are actually being called to Allah by those words that were told to the prophets I setup. So we actually are living his, his the revealed statement that Allah gave to him. In a lie, you know, when someone says something on a microphone, and the echo carries, right, the echo of
those words, is still carrying as people are being called to Allah. It's a really incredible thing. So you know why this is remarkable also, because when someone when the statement starts, he said, V. This is my path, it says, The expression has, its injected with loneliness. This is my road, as if to say nobody else has on it. I'm not getting support from you. I have practically nobody with me. But this is the road I'm taking this is almost like, you know, in her name, and then you look at the, I am the Prophet, that's not a lie. He stands alone. And he, he's still gonna do what he's gonna do. And yet right after his loneliness in how the he said, Really, immediately after that, he
says, I call to Allah, and we hindsight is 2020. That call to Allah makes him the most followed prophet in all of history. Salallahu, alayhi wasallam. So he didn't even limit the audience of who is being invited in and I'm not open that up. Well, I'll hurry. I'm in Hong Kong, while how COVID him is inside the ilala, high level Satan. There are others that haven't even joined them yet. And they're there, they're captured inside the other. Now that image, let's go back to that image of somebody walking. And as they're walking, they're inviting you. Right? So they're not just inviting you to the destination. Because somebody could say, well, yeah, that's great that you're taking this
road, but I'm familiar with that destination, I'll take my own road. Right. But he's saying this is my path. And when I'm inviting you, as if to say, I'm inviting you to this path of mine, that leads to that goal.
And what he's also implied statement here is, there is no other path to that goal. That's why I've taken this path. Because this is the path that leads to a line, every other path that you think leads, there is a lie. It has is it's got some elements of truth mixed with falsehood.
And if there's any other destination other than a law, you need to rethink destination itself. Because if that is your destination, then this is the road. If you're choosing a different road, you must have a different destination in mind.
But if that's what if that's the destination, a lot of beacons into that the final end is towards your master. If you end up in front of your master in the end, if that's your goal, then this is the road I invite you to
you know, it's important to draw a contrast sometimes.
Early on in the series, we also talked about how Christian theologians actually really lean on on Joseph, they consider him to preach Jesus, Jesus, actually. And the reason they consider him that is because he's technically an Israelite, but he is preaching to the Egyptians. Right? So he's a, he's an international message. And he's a savior for those people. He's the Savior for the Gentiles, if you will, you see the connection they're trying to make with Jesus and the internationalization of the message, and how he's not for the Israelites alone. Even though Jesus Himself said, I've come for the lost sheep of the sons of Israel, right. So but they want to, they want to, you know, embed
the lessons taken from users and kind of say, well use of was kind of a pre is a prelude a trailer for the real thing, which is used. Now the reason I'm bringing that up is because a common Christian sentiment, a theological sentiment is the path to salvation goes through Jesus. Right? So there's no way to the Lord except through me, right? That's the idea.
But in this, in some sense, you might see a parallel between what's being said here, this is my path that leads to Allah. But it's not through me. It's through this path. And this path is not for you, and I'm calling you to it. This path is something I'm on to begin with.
So it's not you must go on the path that I'm telling you. It's actually more more beautiful than that you I am inviting you to the path that I myself am walking
is a really profound difference. Right? So it's not through me as a person. It's through my path, which is why it's the we have this reverence for the person
of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi salam, but actually we have that reverence for him because of the Sunnah of Rasulullah. So so there's the person of Association, which is Beloved, but actually the thing that makes us that makes us beloved to Allah is the following of the Prophet and the following means somebody walking and you're following behind them, but they'll be your only your qumola. Right? Follow me and Allah will love you. Follow me, Allah will love you. That's that's the phrase. So it's not through me or just believe in him a level of you
know, but follow Him and Allah will love you. So it's a really beautiful, subtle distinction also made about what is it that's being called for it however, he said, he drew it a lot,
then there is the next piece of this, when somebody is on a journey, and they're heading towards a destination, then why would they call others to that destination? That's not their journey.
And it can be what you can see on the one hand, or who last session is concerned for everybody.
But actually, before even the concern, even though the concern is there, and he's crying for humanity,
before that concern, the thing that has to be understood is he has been charged by a law to call people so whether people like hearing it or not, whether they want want him to invite them or not. Whether they would like to help them to get him to stop or no, you you want to go on this path. Go ahead. Why are you bothering us? quietly go do what you want to do. Why do you have to make noise? Why do you have to open your mouth? I can't I have to call because this is not up to me. All have he said Bailey, Andrew Illallah all you must declare that this is my path. And you must declare that I'm calling people to Allah I'm calling to Allah, meaning calling to Eliza mandate given from ally
himself. In another place in the Quran, we find a reverse sequence for Muslims we see. And so to see that Allah says woman, so Nicola de la
makalah. In any Muslim minutes, Allah says, Who could be better indeed, than the one who calls to Allah? While he acted righteously? It's two parts calling to a line acting righteously, right. And what that suggests is, when you're calling somebody to something, then you should actually try to live it live up to it yourself. And it's really subtle that a lot did that in a way that it incorporates a little salsa. But it also includes us, in a sense, who could be better than someone who calls to a lion acts righteously. But the acting righteously came second, in that it's a whole, but it's kind of secondary. Why is it secondary? Well, if you're going to call someone, you may not
be perfect, but at least you're trying, and you're doing what you can. But this is exclusive to those who have lost them. And what is exclusive to those who saw them. It says if the fact that he's already walking, this path took precedence, the army lasallian equivalent is how he severely he's already living that path. I'm already walking this path, and then I'm calling you to it. So I'm demonstrating what it means to walk on this path. I'm not calling you to ideas, or to a philosophy or to a worldview. In an abstract sense, I live it, I show it to you, I'm walking on this path. And as the more I walk it, the lonelier it gets, and the more troublesome it gets, and yet I'm walking
it and now I invite you to the walk that I'm taking,
take my lead, if I can brave this path alone, than Allah will protect you.
In a lie,
I told you last time that you know, he is a this Javi he said really this this is my path is tied to previous profits, and how he is actually the culmination of all those journeys. And that all those journeys, traversed or perfected in the journey that the Prophet is taking himself and I made particular reference to Ibrahim alayhis salaam who took that lonesome journey and his legacy, then I tied it to Yusuf Ali Salaam, who took his lonesome journey, and also had to start his lonesome journey.
But you know what, when you tie yourself to a legacy of the past, like use of says in the soul itself, and he said, he says, What about to me letter by? I have followed the religion of my ancestors, Ibrahim and his harp and yaku. That's what he says, I have followed. Well, how is this not different than from what idol worshipers said, but not to be Roma? And finally he Abba Anna, we only follow what we found our ancestors following? Isn't that what they use as an argument? So there needs to be a comparison and a contrast with what the Prophet is saying, implicitly, and what you're saying, and when she could say we follow what our ancestors follow, you're saying you follow the way
of Ibrahim and his hog and Yaqoob. And now you so who are in a sense your ancestors? So what's the difference? The difference is, first of all, I'm not following them.
And that's my goal.
Right I, the goal is to stay within tradition. But don't My goal is to call to Allah.
Right. So they're not my end keeping in. Because for for people that follow previous legacies, their ultimate goal is I want to be like XYZ. I want to emulate them. But actually they had a goal, that journey towards and I'm on the same journey itself. But the other more important thing is, you follow your ancestors without questioning anything.
You follow them with the absolute confidence that because they are your, your, your elders, and they are your history, and they are your historical legacy, you must take pride in it. So there cannot be wrong in it. They're how they have to be right. And they are this my nobility, my my sense of identity comes from committing myself to what they did, and being in line with their tradition. And yet I call to Allah, Allah will see that thing with eyes open
with a vision based on vision.
Incredible. I'm not saying I follow them, because they're my ancestors, I follow them with eyes open, I realized that my ancestors actually open their eyes. And so truth for what it was. And the first thing I learned from them is to open my eyes and come to conviction myself,
Ibrahim alayhis salam refuse to follow his own father, or his caretaker, however you take it is what his uncle or father regardless, that's the tradition he comes from. And he defies that tradition. Because he opens his eyes. He's He's on vasila. and Associates, and I'm saying, I call to Allah, and I will see nothing. Now here's the other let's stick with the imagery. Because the the, the Sweden family, and this is just, it's on some remarkable level, you're on this road. There are obstacles on this road, yes or no.
When you take the road towards a law, there are obstacles on the road. There are circumstances that get in your path, there are people that get in your path, your self gets in your way the devil stands that sits on this road, blocking your view, doesn't he? There are things that are coming hurling at you from every direction, they take you off this road, and not give you clear and clear vision of what's ahead. And what's what's the destiny, you know, if somebody was walking towards a mountain, right? And the road got, you know, the trees got so thick that you can't see the skyline. So you're not sure if you're walking towards the mountain anymore. So you need some clarity before
you can see Oh, I'm still headed towards the mountain, right? Because the mountains, your goal, at least I'm heading that way. Or if it's getting too dark, you're not sure if you're traveling East anymore. Because at least when the sun was there, you could tell you could have some navigational sense. When he says Andrew in Allah, he's calling on a goal that is the ultimately bottom
is unseen. Allies the unseen goal isn't he.
So it doesn't matter what scene obstacles come in the way, you still don't lose vision, ironically, of the unseen goal. I call to a law with with the kind of insight that no matter no matter what obstacles my eyes see in front of me, they don't block my view from the goal that is behind all those obstacles. And that's a lot.
This is also an Harkening and echoing of something that occurred inside the surah. You see, in the instance, in the episode of use of an A saddam, being tempted by you know, the wife of the minister, Allah says Lola, Aurora mahanagara be there behind closed doors, those are all locked, right? And Allah says, had he not seen the evidence of his master?
You can't see anything, doors are closed. But what does he see his master, and no matter what his master is calling him to. In other words, it doesn't matter what blinding circumstances you find yourselves in the environment will not determine will not be a factor in deciding that you got blinded from Allah as your goal.
This is a powerful and important insight into the Quran for a believer because we don't get to blame our environment for messing up.
We don't get to do that. We don't get to say, Well, you know, all my friends are messed up and my environments messed up or I'm living in a messed up society, you know, 2020 the elections. That's why I do so much. It's so much stress. That's why I fall into hot arm or hold on. You don't get to say that there are obstacles on this road therefore I no longer have vision of Allah.
I am calling to Allah, based on clear vision of the rule of law, he and I will see that and now this is this may be an issue for some, because the idea of being a mockolate in aqidah is kind of a classical debate. But the I'll share with you what I can extrapolate from the ayah without taking aside on the issue or even opening up that can of worms. It's pretty straightforward. And that is that our religion is especially based on this ayah Allah azza wa jal is saying
That you don't get to call someone to something until you have clear vision yourself. And the evidence that you have clear vision is that you're walking on that path. There's two components. Now, you don't get to talk about something until you know it through and through. And you see it for what it is. You have evidence, that's what that's what makes you call on it. And the fact that you call on it, because you're convinced, the biggest evidence that you are convinced of this truth, and you see it for what it really is with vision with insight is actually that you are on the path yourself have he said really, at all in a lie he has obviously written.
And this basura this idea of insight, let's read a little bit of what it means to have basilar Well, vasila to Isla de banda Illa. Well, he had forgotten what
it actually means clear, convincing, conclusive proof. I'm calling to Allah based on clear and convincing proof that is playing for the eyes to see. What that means is I'm not calling to God as a mystery. I'm not calling to this religion, because it will make you feel good. I'm not calling to this religion, because of its spiritual. All of those are true. But let me tell you the reason, the confidence with which I'm saying, Come and take this road, I invite you to this road that leads to Allah is because I'm convinced of this road, and I'm convinced of Allah. And it's all because I have I have absolute evidence for why I believe what I believe. I'm convinced in my heart of hearts, not
because I have a, you know, an emotional attachment to my ancestors. Not because it's something simply I feel, but it's something I know, knowing like, you know, like this A Seeing is believing it's taking it to that level because of the word vasila.
It says if I can see it, it's almost like I mean, it's almost at that level. And so when Marina de la Hebei will see the thing with Kenan minha, you see, the grammatical structure is actually is expected to have a different preposition here. It's supposed to be a drop in Allah, he be bossy, let him be bossy rotted. I call to Allah with insight.
I call to a lot with insight. But Allah here chose to say or command the prophet to say it Allah He eila mercy let him know who God even Allah basura t as if he's standing on a foundation of clear proof. I'm not calling with proof I stand on prove where I stand is a place of conviction. You see that? Actually before I before I share that imagery with you, let me finish reading this this note on the Sierra was full Punjabi basura Machado nakliye. This is a figurative expression. Instead of seeing evidence he's calling it insight or vision. Well, Basilio Sahaja and in Arabic actually the one who can see is someone who has clear proof the and that will be how solderable Satan will haqiqa
because by way of that clear proof you can see reality for what it is
when Miss Lu was full it be moved to Africa when he fell imagine a tomb Aya Tina I are to know mobile civitan will be xe he useful haha demand Allah
Allah Allah He was attorney Ramadan and he for me at Aleykum so in the Quran you find when our IOD come to them that make them see Mozilla
I outcome and I other described the revelations of Allah the miracles of Allah are described as some things that help you see things for what they are. And on the flip side, in the Quran, Allah will say, when my my Allah has a prophet will say Allah's mercy has come to me and you have been blinded from it, meaning you're blinded from the evidence that's right in your face. Why can't you see it? So being able to see and being blind are actually imagery in the Quran for someone who follows evidence, as opposed to someone who doesn't? That's that these images are important. So now when he says it, Allahu Allah vasila thing I call on Allah, Allah Basia thing.
What that means is that it's very dangerous for Muslims who are living in a time where Islam I'll be careful with my language as much as I can be. When Islam becomes a minority, Islam becomes scarce, not Muslims. Muslims can be plenty. Islam can become scarce. conviction in the unseen can become scarce. The goal that allows the ultimate goal can become scarce and can be replaced with entertainment. It can be replaced with monetary goals. It can be replaced with social goals, virtual goals, you know, shallow goals so easily. We don't have to have idols in our homes to worship the material anymore. We can have idols on our phones, and our dedication to them and our constant Vicar
of them is a pretty solid indication of how much we do take off of them.
about another occupation.
The idea that when you sit something you do the ancients used to sit before an idle, dedicated eyes had, you know, ears focused on the idle and they're just sitting there meditating, right? What's the closest thing to that somebody sitting still focused on one thing, and the world has been left behind virtual realities, aren't they?
That's anti golf, isn't it? How is that? How can someone stop and just be still, if they have a goal and they're traversing on the journey? Right? It's this immersion into the virtual and this immersion into, you know, these distractions have now taken our vision away. So even if we pray, and even if we are Muslim, in many other senses of the word, we dress like Muslim, the eat like Muslim, right? We talk like a Muslim, but our thoughts have been invaded by idols, our thoughts, our aspirations or goals? Are we really on a path? Are we able to, we could say, we share certain beliefs, we share certain rituals? would you would you call that a path though? Would you call it a?
And more importantly, would you call it a path of resistance? You know what that means? A path of resistance, meaning, the more you walk it, the more people don't like it?
Are we on such a path that we hold on to our conviction in Allah, and people around us are averse to it because the nicest people that ever lived were profits. And the more they walked this path, the more enemies they made.
And they didn't walk this without evidence. So if somebody would try to question them, they will stand on evidence. But today, for many people, it's not just Muslims, people of any religion, they're there. They follow that religion, because their parents without religion. They follow that religion because they're born in a Muslim country, or the father religion, because everybody around them always did what they did. And you know what happens with people like that they get to a certain age, they start questioning, why am I even doing this?
And this happens in the Quran, too, is somebody who comes to their parents and doesn't want to believe and the parents say, Well, look, I mean,
what's wrong with you believe unless promise is true, he says,
He says, No, these are just old stories. Start with these old stories. Sometimes in the comments section into serious use of people make comments like that you people keep wanting keep talking about people who died 1000s of years ago, live in the real world. They literally say the I have put on Marhaba, Illa, satola. When
they say that, you know why? Because basilar is missing. And I don't blame those people. I don't blame them. We didn't give them the foundation to stand on.
There, the Sahaba were convinced this can this is not human, this, these words are not the product of the human mind. This is something beyond that. They saw it for what it was. And I found that for myself, like, why did I become so convinced because you know, I'm unconventional in many things. As I am in my faith, I, at some point in my life, I refuse to accept this faith as mine, because my parents are Muslim. I just didn't want to take that road. I didn't find it, you know, appealing to me. Even before I practiced Islam, much, and my parents weren't supervising my behavior, and I was living on my own. I refuse to some of my friends were actually involved in alcohol and drugs and
things like that. And even when I wasn't religious at all, I didn't go near alcohol or drugs. And they would ask me why. And I would say, because I think it's an insult to my intellect.
My response to it was, maybe that was an arrogant thing to say. But the point was, I know that people lose their mental faculty, right? When they engage in those kinds of things. And I have too much respect for my ability to think,
to even lose to let that slip for a little bit. But it's that same mindset that made me say, Why should I believe this religion? Because my parents were Muslim. No, I want it and there was a part of pride too, but so although Muslims are wrong, I was just born in a backward society. I need to know this book for myself. I need to learn this for myself. And when I did embark on that journey by Allah's mercy, I was I was a grace alone.
All the philosophical doubts that I had Koran crushed
all the areas where I thought religion cannot have the answer, but I'm crushed on became Bible sila.
And actually one of the readings of this ayah is the ilaha illa vasila in a Eitan Koran.
And I added more jeiza
I will move
the IR that lets you see the IR that open your eyes. When you when I studied the Quran and I felt started feeling more and more like
he's talking to me
He knows what's going on deep inside me.
You know, you have to go to, when you talk to somebody, you have to let them know how you feel. You have to let them know what's going on inside of you. And then maybe hopefully they can relate to you. And then maybe they can give you some advice. And I'm studying Quran and I don't have to tell a lie anything. And he's telling me what's going on inside me and how he addresses it and I'm like,
What? So do Rahim IoT nephila hockeyville Fi unfussy him deep inside themselves, we will show them alright. Here's my art, we're talking about me on the inside. And that became enough for me. Then came the language study and the, you know, the series and all that stuff, not only reinforced one thing, but Sierra, Sierra, Sierra, Sierra, Sierra. But the point is, I was satisfied that this faith is the truth completely on sight on vision. You know, I love to see Latin. And also Islam is being told to say, I'm calling to Allah, with open eyes. And this is actually in a sense a dig. Also. Because whatever you're calling to, you're asking people to close their eyes.
whatever else you want people to follow. You want them to follow it out of peer pressure. You want them to follow it because it will satisfy some animal urges. You will have to close your eyes to certain realities to be able to follow those ways.
And if you dare to open your eyes, I invite you, I invite you to challenge I invite you to come and question me and say what do you mean open eyes? come and ask questions. How to bronycon in quantum sada to bring your evidences is one of the most amazing phenomena and no Quran at the life of the Prophet salallahu alaihe salam on this issue, the most religiously intellectual, theologically versed people in the region where the rabbi's These are people of scholarly tradition. They're actually even the Arabs are calling them bar people dipped in ink. That's what they call them. And also some of his in Medina and those who say shalom is by his own by the Crown's own stamp and the
bl me, the unlettered prophet. So you've got a prophet who has no scholarly background. And you've got people that have 1000s of years of scholarship and tradition and knowledge of profits and scripture on their backs. And they don't study like we study like when you guys nowadays, when somebody goes to an Islamic University, they study for four years, if they go to a more traditional schools, eight years, 12 years, when they go to these yeshiva institutes, you better believe it, man, 1012 hours a day, 20 years on end.
And then they'll come back and do a PhD. And then they'll go back for further studies. These people are when you see what you think about bar, this is no joke. What these people do, the way they study is no joke. I've known some highly qualified rabbis and their study habits, and they put us to shame. They literally put us to shame. There's no comparison. And what does the Quran do? The Quran openly challenges them and says to be turati, but Lu ha, bring dot
read it.
Someone with no degrees, with no seminary education is going to challenge the legions of scholars to open not his book but their own, and come and read it. And
why? Because Allah has opened his eyes to a reality that nobody else can see.
There's another Allah vasila, which is a beautiful perspective on our level sila.
And that is that this path is not new. It's been walked by many before, right. And I hate to give you video game references, but in some racing games, they have shadow racing.
Right? shadow racing is somebody who's already beat the record. And you're trying to beat the record. So while you're racing, it shows the shadow of them already. And you're like behind them. Or you're you're ahead of them, but somebody else has already traversed this path. And you can see the shadow of them, like a ghost version of them, right? The reason I make that reference is when I walked this path, I can see how most I took these steps. I can see how Ibrahim took these steps. I can see where use of took these steps.
I can I have a basilar on this path of those who traverse it before me because Allah has opened my eyes to all those who walk this journey before Alevtina entirely him.
And I could see that like you can't you think I'm alone. That let's build on that idea. And it's very powerful build from that. You think I'm alone when I walk on this path? What you don't realize is, I have the spirit of the legacies of all those remarkable people that are my support. their history and their profound legacies, are actually my company on this path.
They may not be with me physically in time. They may be separated by 1000s of years from me, but in spirit they're right next to me.
I'm reliving use of right now. I'm reliving Ibrahim right now, I'm reliving musar right now. And obviously Latin.
And they were going towards a line I'm going towards a lot.
So this is, so I see things that you can't see it only, you will only see when you're on this path. You can't see it as a theory. You have to live it to see what this is, you know what this feels like? And so at the root Allahu Allah vasila till
then we get to the other side.
I said I call to Allah, based on vision, right? Based on conviction. And by the way, this is why one of my my, I think core concepts in what I think is children's education, is we need to give them the skills, they need to know why they're Muslim. They need to have a Rahimi man.
They have to have the amount of Ibrahim, why because Ibrahim alayhis salaam came to conviction.
Right? And this conviction is actually what will save them in a society where they feel alone. Because we are living in Abrahamic times, we're living in use of times, we're living in times Why? Because Islam is scarce. And the theory, the ideas in the forces that want to take faith, rip it from inside you are many, and they don't have to be outside the walls of your home, they are on your screens. Right? So unless you have some powerful shield inside, that will keep this faith from being ripped out. Actually, you won't even have to be on defense, you will be on offense. Look at the ayah I'm not protecting my faith, I am calling you to Allah.
You know, tomorrow in shallow share with you by contrast, this is this is something though Susana was told to say, right? Tomorrow, I'll show you in sha Allah, how Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam made a monologue that echoes this.
He actually spoke to his people and his version of the Dalai Lama here. Because this is the legacy legacy we're bringing myself. And so we have to see that too. So you can see the tie in together how everything is tied together in the Quran. But actually, I am so convinced of it, I don't have to protect my faith, I'm going to call you to it.
Otherwise Allah the best, you know, the best defense is offense. in sociology, minority communities have the only way they can preserve their identities isolation. So in New York, if you have, you know, a traditional Jewish community, they can have, you know, Coney Island Avenue area, they can have an area where this is orthodox, Jewish, all the signs are in Hebrew, they dress traditionally they have Sabbath off, and all of that, so they can preserve their, you know, their Institute's and their culture. Or you can have a Chinatown where everybody's gonna speak Chinese or whatever, because if they mix, they're gonna lose their what, they're gonna lose their identity, because the
dominant culture is too powerful. It'll pluck them away, and they'll just become a mixed and a hodgepodge of other things and eventually, just one giant melting pot, right. So to preserve your people, you have to pull aside and you have to isolate. One is not afraid of assimilating into a society. Why? Because of vasila
because of the standing on pure on vision, standing on insight, we're not afraid of being assimilated. It doesn't matter what culture we go to, what languages we learn, what what cuisine we eat, because of that insight, we can be anywhere and still be as convinced of Islam. We can be surrounded by any environment and still be convinced of this Deen and I call to Allah based on that, but now the other side of it. There's another grammatical reading of this I really cool. Here's what it is the only the law the sentence ends and the rule of law I call to Allah, exclamation mark. Yeah, this is my path. I'm calling to Allah exclamation, and then a new sentence. And I will see
Latina
woman it avani
which means the the original sequence would be Anna woman it avani Allah bossy Ratan
I, and whoever were to follow me stand on conviction.
I not just we call based on conviction. We when you call when we call to allow me to give you evidence. It's not just that. Now I'm saying something more now is saying, I and whoever were to follow me. Our entire identity is based on clear evidence, not just our call, not just our data, everything we do. We're clear about why we're doing it.
We live with clarity. We die with clarity. We earn with clarity. Our existence speaks clarity, vision. We are a people a vision by definition. You know by contrast, they say you know the use of Allah is using the Koran when some groups of Jews and some groups of Christians are debating each other. And they say we'll call it Ilya hoodoo Lisa nosara. Allah she will call Athena sada Lisa to hoodoo Adi. They say the Jews say the Christians are on literally they stand on nothing.
And the Christians say the Jews stand on nothing, you know what that means they have no basis. And it means they have no basis for their faith and for their claims. It also actually means they have no basis to exist legitimately exist as what they do. Those are the two claims they make against each other.
Similarly, Allah says to the Israelites, yeah, what is it? Let's do my Allah, she had to pee, Matata, Valentin, you stand on nothing, until you live by and you will uphold the thought and the energy, you stand on nothing. And the idea of standing on something means you have a basis for which you exist. You have, like, you know, people say we stand on the, you know, we stand on the the legacy of our ancestors, or we stand on a legacy of this constitution of our of the founding fathers of this nation, etc, etc. Right. But here, we say we stand on the vision that Allah has passed down.
We stand on that vision, and I will see Latin, it's as if this is this phrase. And I will see that in an hour minute. avani is the idea of who you can call the Muslim identity.
Like, what is the basis of Muslim identity? You know, they say identity crisis nowadays. Right? And, you know, psychologists will talk about, what do you call home? I'll share something personal with you. In a long time ago, I was actually speaking with a therapist, and we went through this exercise. It was a really interesting exercise. And the therapist asked me, so where were you born? I was in Germany. Okay, so how long were you in Germany? Well, I was five or six years old. Okay, then where'd you go? I went to Pakistan. How are you? How are you bucks? I said about nine months. Okay, then what happened? Well, I move to Saudi Arabia. Okay, then then how long are we Sorry? Well,
about six or seven years? How did you feel in Saudi Arabia? Did you feel at home? No, I felt like a foreigner. We felt like we were making made fun of we, you know, we felt like a weird minority scared all the time, etc. We talked about that when I was a kid. And I was there during the Gulf War. We said then what happened? And we went back to Boston, did you feel at home box? I know, I felt like it was really difficult to adjust. How long were you there about a year? Done? What happened? Let me move to the United States. Did you feel at home when you come here? No, I felt like I didn't speak English. Everybody's making fun of me. And I feel like an outsider didn't really
belong, etc, etc. Right? So you go through the early years of childhood and where I've been, and the therapist tells me,
you don't have a home.
Like when you think of what, what's your home, where do you belong, a person has to have someplace they think of, that's their anchor, right? But you traveled so much, and you felt like, as a child, you felt disconnected so much that you actually don't have a home. And that's from their therapeutic training, the idea of a home is a physical place that you are anchored to. Right, and that's your safe place. You know, where you held your teddy bear, or where there was your favorite picture on the wall, or where you come downstairs and mom would give you breakfast, etc. you you don't have a home because you kept transitioning from one society to another. So you're, you know, so you don't
have an anchor? Right? from a psychological point of view. I think that's a pretty profound insight. And I started thinking about that, from the Quran point of view. And the first thought that came to me his use of honey, Sam, what's home?
What's overuse of it, Sam.
And you know, what, if you study the words of use, if I just if you know, the pseudo has lots of words, but if you just isolate the words of use of and kind of try to analyze what he's saying and how he's approaching things, you find that his anchor, his anchor, is the vision passed down by Ibrahim is my Hawk who hit that vision is his home.
It doesn't matter physically where he is. It's his connection to his robe, that's his home.
That's actually his anchor.
And he went through remarkable traumatic experiences as a child, someone like that in their adult life nowadays, what's a unique therapy for life, you've been the kind of trauma you've been through, you need a lot of therapy.
What is and that may be true, even but what is therapeutic for use of honey syrup, the anchor that keeps him grounded all the time. That gives him a sense of safety all the time. He's being thrown into a well, and he's feeling safe, because Allah sends the message that will not be unknown to him either. You will inform them of what they did.
Right? Think about that. What a horrifying situation. You're being thrown into a well, you don't know there's snakes down there when we talked about that before. But now you feeling a sense of safety because a lot just sent you. You let them you'll be telling them. His home became this vasila this vision. Home to us is not a physical business. Actually, even sometimes those homes get demolished and people say, Well, I traveled back to my bedroom when I was little. And that's my safe
Place, right? And that there's validation for that in the world of therapy. But in the spiritual world, what ally is telling us is that one anchor that you will have that will give you calm all the time. And that's why the word calm is used in that I basically llahi that's my Hulu by remembering a lot hearts become tranquil. hearts become calm because their hearts are finally home. Why is that though? As I'm thinking about, from a therapeutic point of view, the idea of your origins, being anchored to a certain place makes you feel like that is your safe place that you're on your childhood home. Right? And in the spiritual sense before we even came here our home was in the
company of Allah and us to be able to become condo Bella. So it's in the remembrance of Allah that we find ourselves back home.
That's where the anger comes from.
So he says, Here I lava see rotten, Anna, the foundation of my identity is exclusively and first and foremost on this vision and basic Arabic grammar Allah vasila thing with Alibaba macadam, it is actually only on this insight that I stand that I exist, and whoever will choose to follow me, while many of it is actually almost sad and powerful at the same time, the monitor and he actually doesn't say
it in a manner.
And then he doesn't say, Well, my area and my followers. Well, it's very my followers know, none of Bernie and whoever might end up following me. In other words, if all of you follow me, if none of you follow me, I still stand on vasila I still stand on vision. And what did what did this ayah do? That is so profound, like please, I know I've been talking a lot but you gotta just bear with me on this because this is heavy.
The Sunnah of the prophets I seldom connects us to him. Yes.
So when somebody is there, each with their right hand, they're doing something their beloved did. So it brings me and your society into one common practice. When I entered the bathroom with my left foot, I did something the Prophet emulated solo solo, so it connects me to him.
When I follow any some novelists who solo I'm connecting to him by emulating his behavior, right?
This ayah is actually emulating my person.
Meaning the socialism is being told put, I know, we're monitor Bernie, I and whoever follows me stand on inside. So when I develop insight, when I develop proper vision, when I developed a real foundation of why I believe what I believe, when I do that, then I have something in common with my prophet himself some a lot of them, I now have a droplet of the vasila that he had. If he had the basilar that was an ocean I got a drop out of that ocean. Now basura itself ties me total total loss in the long run even though I know woman at the very end it also tells me that if for me it's not I know woman you mean a woman I'm gonna be alright, whoever believes in me No, I and whoever followed
me, whoever were to follow me, you know what that tells you? That tells you it is the it is actually vision that truly empower somebody to follow the profit slice of them. And if there's a lacking in following him, it actually illustrates a lacking in the vision, the foundational vision that they're supposed to have in this faith. When that vision is powerful. When those roots are deep. Then the actions of following the prophets I said are going to extend to the sky a slew hobbiton of federal Hafez sama the foundations are firm and the branches reach into the sky.
So I now I'm going to touch on is actually putting me in association them together. So beautiful way, and this is happening because
I'm a novelist who Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
The messenger believed in what was given to him and so did the believers. We were titled so Salaam any man in that era, where title or suicide Salaam, on standing on the foundation of vision and insight in this ayah how important it is, is it for us to have the insight that the prophet SAW Selim was so confident and and what was that insight that was the word of Allah?
Not was the word of Allah. I would say I would make the claim here, that making the statement what it does, is it actually challenges any who say that they would like to follow their profits I showed them to actually develop the insight of the Quran.
It challenges them out of love of their profit, out of affiliation with their Prophet salallahu alaihe salam that they develop the insight of Allah's words. I know I'm in it and I pray Allah mixes among those people
that were truly enabled to follow him. And the sad part of it is it's as if Manitoba Annie as opposed to one lady, not only
But Jama could have been used and the man of him harm the man of ambiguity and the singularity of it, even though it can encompass the plural, what it suggests is few will be able to really live by vision.
Many can follow, but few can stand on True Vision. And so we have to become of those few that stand on vasila.
So, after all of this, now, let's put the call aside. And I'll actually know I want to leave that for tomorrow because I want you to focus on what we did today. So what's up huddle. So Hello, my name is Nikki and I think we'll do tomorrow.
What's up Hannah law mama and I'm gonna wish to get our lessons on their own. So I think we need to kind of give them their own due and then we'll tie all of this together. So another day for it number one barakallahu li walakum glucuronic Hakeem and finally I can beat it with him Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah avocado. Time for my epic escape.