Shakiel Humayun – The Spiders Web Tarawih Talk 18 Ramadan 2023
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We are in Surat Al An Kabut,
the chapter of the spider.
In this Surah, Allah Subhanahu talks about the
different kinds of fitin,
the trials and the tribulations and the difficulties
that a person will face in this world.
And so Allah starts the first ayah by
saying
Does man think
that he will be left alone
because he says
because they say we believe
and they won't be tested and tried.
And then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says and
we have tested and tried those before them.
So this whole Surah
talks about the different kinds of tests and
trials that happened.
Why people leave Islam?
What are those tests and trials?
Why people don't become Muslim
even though they realize it's the truth, those
tests and trials?
And the first that Allah Subhana talks about
has to do with the very first interaction
that a child has in this world which
is with their parents.
And so Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala said,
And we advise man
that he be kind,
and that he be
graceful to his parents.
Now comes the struggle.
But if these parents
urge you
to commit polytheism,
to commit shirk, to disobey Allah,
then Allah Subhanahu Wa'ala is saying then don't
obey them in those matters.
The test
of our loved ones, if this is the
case with the parents who deserve our utmost
respect and honor,
then what about other relationships
like our spouses,
our children,
our best friends,
our coworkers,
who urge us to disobey Allah
Subhana for the test of relationships.
And then Allah Subhana
continues and defines another type of test.
And among people are those who say
that they believe in Allah,
but when they're faced with some difficulty for
obeying Allah Subhana,
they're challenged
when they're obeying Allah subhanah, there's some harm
or difficulty comes their way.
They make that fitna, that difficulty
equal to the punishment of Allah.
Meaning believers run from the flee from the
punishment of Allah to his tawhid, his obedience
since monotheism,
whereas these people
see the difficulty
or the harm of the punishment of this
world,
and they run
towards disbelief
and disobedience to Allah, thinking
that that will save them, that will protect
them.
And if we analyze these fitin, these trials
and tribulations,
the misconception is that a person thinks
that by leaving Islam, disobeying Allah, that they
will be protected.
And then Allah Subhanahu continues.
And surely we sent Noor
to his people and he remained with them
for 950
years.
This is the test
of dawah,
the test of inviting people to Islam and
monotheism.
950 years a test
of resilience
to be steadfast
and continuously
inviting people to the good.
And then Allah Subhanahu continues.
Allah Subhanahu then talks
about
Lut
His people, the test during his time.
But Lut
said,
Surely you people
bring about
these shameful deeds. This is the test of
these
shameful or improper
urges
that individual may have when it comes to
relationships.
These are tests.
And then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala talks about
and verily we sent to them Moses with
clear signs, but they rejected them out of
arrogance.
So this is a test of status where
they thought that their status
will protect them
and keep them safe.
And then Allah Subhanahu also mentions
this is the test for power.
Describes him further where he says that when
they would strike, they would strike like tyrants.
So they would misuse their power thinking that
it doesn't matter how they use their power,
if they slaughter, persecute people, their power will
protect them and keep them safe.
And then Allah subhanahu
continues
by talking about
multiple types of tests and fit in and
then he says
Sometimes we get some knowledge,
and we want to show off or we
want to embarrass people because they make mistakes.
This is the test for our knowledge, how
we use it, our ego.
If we have knowledge, are we spreading it
the proper way?
And so
Allah mentions all these tests and at the
end of the Surah,
He gives us
the way out and how to deal with
these tests
where Allah said,
Where Allah subhanahu wa'ala said those
who struggle in our cause,
meaning if anyone thinks that they are going
to believe in Allah and it's gonna be
a walk in the park, that there will
be no harm, they're not going to have
to lose their job because they want to
avoid something haram,
they're not going to have face ridicule from
other people who see them as believers or
as Muslims, then they have the wrong concept.
Allah said to get through these tests, we're
gonna have to struggle in His cause.
We initiate
having these incorrect urges,
thinking about these things that may protect us
like status and wealth and power, etcetera,
that having those initial urges, there's nothing wrong
with that. The problem is when we implement
them. So the struggle is to fight these
urges. And then Allah
mentions after that that if we struggle in
his cause, he will then guide us to
his way, and surely Allah is with those
who do good.
This surah is called Surah which
is the spider, and then Allah gives in
this
Surah an example of the spider where he
says those who take protectors besides Allah
is like the spider who spins a web
to make its shelter.
And we know how hard a spider works
to spin its web and perfect that web
to make it into a shelter.
But Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says that the
flimsiest,
the weakest
shelter
is the shelter of the spider
because it's not it's open, it's not protected
from the elements.
Rain can destroy it,
people can pass by and destroy it, a
person with his finger can just,
with a stroke destroy that shelter.
So Allah is showing us that these fitin
where people fall for
for leaving Islam or disobeying Allah, thinking that
those things will protect them,
meaning going to other than Allah
is just like this spider shelter
which does not offer any protection,
and the protection comes if we struggle
through these tests where Allah promises that He
will be with us
where He said that He is.
Ask Allah Subhanahu
to save us from the
to save us from the trials and tribulations
that are apparent and hidden and to enable
us to pass the test of this life.