Sulayman Van Ael – The Divine Names 4a Al Ahad
AI: Summary ©
The speakers stress the importance of praying for oneself and others, including faith and deeds, and the need to be true to oneself. They also touch on the history of the title of Jerusalem and the importance of educating oneself and others on their faith. A disturbing event that caused people to have a dream of being in a plane with the master of everything caused people to be sad and fearful, causing the world to be trembling and shaking. The event caused people to have a dream of being in a plane with the master of everything, causing the world to be trembling and shaking, and ultimately caused people to have a dream of being in a plane with the master of everything, causing the world to be trembling and shaking.
AI: Summary ©
So, I ask Allah SWT to make this
beneficial, ameen.
Before we get started, like, subhanAllah, when you
take care alone of your son, and your
wife is not helping out, you feel how
much she actually does during a day.
And it's like very tiring.
It's beautiful, it's a form of worship, but
it's like 24-24, so you're happy when
he sleeps.
As you are happy when he wakes up
as well.
So, you don't want him to sleep forever.
So, like the people of Kahf, for example,
300 and so many years.
So, okay, today, bi-ithnillahi a'zawajal, we
are going to have a look at some
names of Allah SWT that show His uniqueness.
The uniqueness of Allah SWT.
And there will be a part of this
class which is kind of theoretical, although that
the majority of classes about the names of
Allah SWT are more spiritually oriented, as you
have seen.
But today, as we will talk about the
name of Allah, Al-Ahad and Al-Wahid,
and Al-Awal and Al-Akhir, we need
to enter or dive into the world of
Aqeedah.
So, the names of today are Al-Ahad
and Al-Wahid, Al-Awalu and Al-Akhir.
So now, before we get started, we need
to, as I said, refer to Aqeedah.
And when I say Aqeedah, I mean the
knowledge about the world of the unseen.
When we speak about Aqeedah, we speak about,
in the first place, Allah SWT.
That where the scholars, or that where the
Muslims differ about the most, are the names
and the attributes of Allah SWT.
So the fights between the Mu'tazila, and the
Mujassima, and the Mu'awwila, and the Mushabbiha,
and the Mumathila, and the Asha'ira, and
so forth, they are what all about the
names and the attributes of Allah SWT.
So this is why we need to have
a clear view on the names of Allah
SWT.
So the first thing is when we say
Al-Ahad and Al-Wahid and Al-Awalu.
So we say that Allah SWT is Al
-Awalu.
What does Al-Awalu mean?
The first.
But Allah SWT also says that He is
Al-Akhir.
What does the Akhir mean?
The last one.
So Allah is the first and the last,
meaning there is nobody competing with Him.
Now if you have a race, where you
are the first one and the last one,
that means that you are the only one
in the race.
So meaning, Allah SWT is unique, so He
is the first one and the last one.
When we say the first one, it is
not a numeric first one.
Meaning, there is no 1, 2, 3, 4.
You can only speak about 1, 2, 3,
4 if you are talking about the same
species, right?
When you have, this is one pen, this
is a second pen, this is a third
pen, or this is the first horse that
arrived, that's the second one.
You can only do this when you talk
about the same genre, the same matters, or
whatever.
When we say Allah is the first one,
it doesn't mean numeric one, meaning He is
first and then creation came second.
Because with time, no space.
Space and time are creation.
So they do not confine Allah SWT.
Allah has no boundaries.
Allah has no boundaries.
He is not, as we will see later.
So when we say He is the first
one, like the Prophet SAW said, He is
the first one without a beginning.
And the last one without an ending.
So Allah is first without a beginning and
the last one without an ending.
Meaning that Allah SWT always existed but our
scholars say the word always is still connected
to a notion of time.
Always meaning hundred years, thousand years, million years
and so forth.
So we can't say about Allah SWT always.
He was and He is and will always
be.
Is that clear?
So we don't say Allah started.
No, He was and always was, always is
and will always be.
So Allah SWT being the first, there is
no beginning point.
So this is the first thing we need
to know.
Allah SWT being the first one and the
only one.
We need to know that Allah was and
is and will always be perfect.
Meaning that Allah SWT didn't derive His names
from His creation.
He was not called Khaliq after creating.
He was always Khaliq.
He was not called Al-Aleem before, I'm
sorry, Razzaq just after He started providing for
people.
He was always Razzaq.
The other thing, He didn't become Ali, the
most high, after creating the earth and then
being, and I'm going to explain this of
course, and then saying that He is now
above the sky so now He is Al
-Ali.
So the names of Allah SWT, Allah doesn't
go through an evolution like now I am
this, then I become that, now I'm creator,
now I'm provider.
No, Allah SWT is, was, is and will
always be.
So now to come, the first thing which
Allah created, they say, was the Arsh and
water.
The Arsh and water.
Allah SWT says that He created everything from
water.
So the first thing, وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ
The Arsh of Allah SWT was above water.
The first thing you need to know from
Ahlus Sunnah is that we don't say that
Allah has a throne to sit on it.
Allah is unique.
In no way He can be compared to
creation.
So His throne is to manifest His majesty,
to show that He is majestic.
Like this is a throne, I am a
king.
And this is why a lot of people
say, like Ali RA said the Arsh, the
throne of Allah SWT being expanded over the
seven earths and the seven skies is not
for him to sit on because Allah doesn't
sit.
That's a characteristic of human beings.
And the anthropophistic view that some Muslims have
of Allah, meaning that Allah is like a
human being with eyes and ears and a
face and we are going to explain all
of this and feet and a shin and
so much more.
We are going to see that this came
actually from the Jewish community and that it
found its way to the Muslim community.
So the Arsh of Allah SWT is not
something for him to sit on.
Is that clear?
It is just the stamp, a stamp of
the king.
There I am, this is my Arsh.
I rule over everything which is under my
Arsh, meaning all of creation.
So now the first thing we need to
know is when we talk about the characteristics
of Allah, like when we read in the
Quran things like the eyes of Allah.
Or we read in the Quran the face
of Allah.
Or we read in the Hadith the foot
of Allah.
Or we read in a Hadith the fingers
of Allah.
We read in a Hadith the nails of
Allah.
We read so many different things that now
the Muslims have differed.
How should we understand this?
And this is why people fight with one
another.
You know the Muslims?
Like the ones who say that it's figuratively
speaking and then the other ones who say
it's literally meant.
So how does this work?
That's what we are going to look at
today.
Because Allah is Al-Wahid, He is unique.
Meaning nothing resembles Him and He doesn't resemble
anything we know.
Not at all.
So now what we need to know is
we need to go back to the Arabic
language.
The Quran was revealed in the Arabic language.
And figuratively speaking or a metaphor is one
of the most difficult things for someone to
learn when learning a new language.
For example, in Belgium we say I have
an operation behind my back.
You don't say this in English.
But it means I was operated.
I underwent an operation.
We say I have an operation behind my
back.
It's behind my back.
Do you say this in English?
No.
Imagine you say this in English.
So in Belgium when you say I have
an operation behind my back someone who is
just learning Dutch he will look at your
back and he will say where is it?
No it's in my leg.
He says why do you say behind your
back?
Well it's figuratively speaking.
When I would say somebody doesn't know.
I say guys roll up your sleeves.
It's going to become difficult.
Someone who doesn't know the English language might
say okay yes what now?
Rolling up your sleeve means to be prepared
for something.
That something might be difficult.
Do we agree or not?
Roll up your sleeves.
Give me another example.
What?
To get your hair down.
It's meant to relax.
Okay.
Yes.
Very good.
Another example would be how do you say
when you are really exhausted?
How do you say this in English?
Shattered.
But shattered means like dispersed.
Yes.
Okay.
Like if you were to say to a
small child in Belgium we say I'm torn
apart.
I'm torn apart.
This means that you are very tired.
If you tell your small son or daughter
when she is 3 or 4 or 5
years old and you say I'm torn apart
it might go running to its mom and
say daddy you need to fix daddy because
he's torn apart.
Why?
Because the last thing a aqal can do
is understand figurative speech.
This is the last thing someone will understand.
So a child when you talk to it
it will take everything literally.
And this is when the Quran was revealed
in the Arabic language now the non-Arabs
who embraced Islam like myself they didn't understand
the Arabic language.
So they started giving a literal interpretation of
everything which has to do with the sifat
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Like Allah says in the Quran وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ
الْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ And He descended from the
sky eight pairs of cattle for example.
But did they really come from the sky?
I mean was there all of a sudden
the cows coming down and the sheep?
No.
Anzala in the Arabic language is a metaphor
for saying Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave
the command from the sky so it came
down to the earth.
But it was not the cattle that were
sent down it was the amr, the divine
command.
Is that clear?
Is it clear?
Yes.
Another thing for example is when you look
in the Quran Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ That day the
shin will be unveiled.
The shin, this is a shin right?
Okay.
So Allah says that day the shin will
be unveiled.
Now the people who take this literally they
say Allah will unveil his shin.
So Allah has a shin.
But if we are going to look at
the etymology of unveiling the shin we need
to go back to the Arabs.
And the Arabs they used when they would
go to war they would mount their horse
and what happens when you wear a dress
like this?
Your shin becomes unveiled.
So after a while if they would go
to war they wouldn't say mount your horses
we will engage in war.
They would just say unveil your shin.
Unveil your shin.
So that's shorter than come on guys it's
time to unveil your shin.
Roll up your sleeves.
Same thing.
So there was nothing literal about it.
This was the language of the Arabs.
So now afterwards unveiling your shin was an
expression that was used for everything which was
difficult.
So now it's time to unveil your shin.
So Allah speaks about Yawmul Qiyamah and says
يَوْمَ يُكْشَفُ عَنْ سَاقٍ That day the shin
will be unveiled.
Meaning it will be very difficult.
Are you still with me?
Okay.
Now Allah says in the Quran وجه الله
Allah's face.
We already know that Allah says in the
Quran لَيْسَ كَمِثْنِهِ شَيْءٍ There is nothing like
him.
In the time the Arabs when they were
angry with one another they would turn their
faces.
They would not look at that person.
They would go like this.
And then you would know that the person
in front of you would be angry with
you.
So you would say please give me your
face.
Meaning turn your face to me again.
What does this mean?
You don't want him to turn your face
but turning the face was showing that the
person in front of you was happy with
you.
So when you say يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ They
want Allah's face.
Well we need to understand it like the
Arabs understood it.
Not the literal interpretation because nothing is like
Allah.
I'm not going to describe my Lord like
myself.
Now I'm like he has a face and
he has eyes and he has hands and
he has nails and fingers.
So how did the Arabs understand this?
Like يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ They want Allah's face.
يعني They want Allah to be pleased with
them.
Is that clear?
They want Allah SWT to be pleased with
them.
Another thing for example فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُونِنَا Because you
are in our eyes says Allah SWT.
So now what are people going to say?
Well Allah has eyes.
But they say he has no nose.
He has no nose, he has eyes.
So now eyes, well wherever you go I
will be watching you.
My eyes are all on you.
My eyes are on you.
If you go out, my eyes are on
you.
Now if we go the same way like
they go with the aqeedah.
My eyes are on you that would mean
your eyes would be on me.
And then I would be walking, you see.
With your eyes on me.
So I mean why do people now when
it comes down to Allah who is from
العالم الغيب from the world of the unseen
they make everything literal.
Now they make it literal.
Like eyes on you, ok.
You are in my eyes, meaning Allah has
eyes.
And then when the Prophet ﷺ he mentioned
so many different things and it's not a
class of aqeedah.
I just want you to understand that the
majority of Muslims were going for an interpretation
of these characteristics that seem to be human.
95% of the Muslim scholars they had
this opinion, ok.
And the people that would hold on to
this opinion they would be described as people
holding on to the aqeedah of the asha
'ira.
And there are 95% of all our
scholars.
Then on the other hand you had and
this is what today the salafiyah say but
they don't say that Allah literally has a
hand like mine.
They say Allah has a hand but his
hand doesn't look like my hand.
He has fingers but his fingers don't look
like my fingers.
He has feet but his feet do not
look like my feet.
Those who say Allah has a hand, a
true hand like the hand of humans they
are declared to be non-Muslims.
As for the salafiyah, they are Muslims.
Because why?
Because they say Allah has a hand but
not like mine.
What his hand looks like?
I don't know.
So they take a step back and they
don't 100% compare the attributes of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala to the attributes of
the human beings.
But Muhammad bin Salih al-Faymin who was
one of my teachers and I love him
a lot.
He was a man with a lot of
taqwa but I disagree with him with regards
to the aqeedah.
So he gave an example in his aqeedah
hamawiyah which makes you understand.
He said rahimahullah wa rahmatan wasi'a, ameen.
He said, look, it would be the same
like a blind person and you ask him
to touch the feet of an elephant and
then you ask him to touch the feet
of a of a, how do you call
that?
The one that makes the sound in a
rooster.
And then you ask him to touch the
feet of a rooster.
If the blind man never touched it before
and doesn't know what he's touching this will
be very fat and soft and big.
And this would be very hard and dry
and thin.
He wouldn't know what it is.
But both, he said, even though that they
are the same, they are different.
And he says in this way, our hands
and the hand of Allah, they are used
for the same thing, but they are different.
And the majority of the scholars say, look,
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, if he were
to be in need of hands to do
something, then he would have a need.
He would be dependent on having hands to
create, for example, eyes to see.
You understand what I mean?
So they say Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has no limbs.
He's that, he's one, he's being, he's one.
Meaning it's not constructed, it is not composed
out of things.
He's oneness, he's that, he's being, he's one.
You understand?
Like we are composed, we are constructed of
different limbs and all these kind of things.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala isn't.
So when we say that Allah is one,
the first thing we are referring to, he
is one in his being.
He's one in his being.
That's one.
Then he's one in his names.
This is a very important one.
One in his names.
They call wahdaniyatu, or in his sifat, wahdaniyatu
sifat.
For example, we say Allah is al-'alim, right?
What is al-'alim?
The all-knowing.
Now, if he's one in his knowledge, he's
one in his characteristics, meaning.
If I were to ask you, what am
I wearing?
Tell me.
Yes, a Moroccan thobe and a white hat.
Okay.
What is the brother behind you wearing?
A what?
Purple hoodie.
Okay, a grey tracksuit and a blue shirt.
Okay.
What is the person next to you wearing?
And so forth.
So you, if I were to ask you
at the same time, what is he wearing,
he wearing, and I'm wearing?
You could only concentrate on one thing.
And you couldn't pay attention to the three
at once.
Because your sifat, there is no wahdaniyat.
It's divided.
Your power is divided.
If you're helping this person, you cannot help
that person.
If you look there, you can't look there.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't have this.
He is wahd.
He is one in his knowledge, for example.
And look, his knowledge, like if I were
to say, how many hairs do you have
on your head?
You don't know.
You need to count.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is one in
his knowledge, meaning his knowledge is not in
need of doing something to know.
He knows.
He doesn't need to count.
This is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says, and he knows everything in number.
That would be the most strange possible things
for us.
Like how many bricks are there in that
wall?
And how many hairs in my mustache?
And how many nails do we all together
have in this room?
We don't know.
Allah knows.
He knows everything separately and all the possible
combinations at once.
If you now say, computers even, can't do
all of that at once.
Even though they can do so many different
things, but there is still a process going
on.
Allah doesn't need to process things.
He is one.
One in his knowledge.
Is that clear?
Also, what is happening now for us, it
is not when it happened that Allah knew
it.
This is one of the aqaids of the
Shia.
Some of the Shia, they believe in al
-budaa, meaning that Allah only knows when it
happens.
So when it happens, now he knows.
And then they say, and when it happens,
he has the power to change it.
So it happens, oh, I don't like this,
I will change it.
So this is one of the aqaids of
the Isna Ashariyya, of the people of the
most extreme form of Tashayyirah.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is one.
His power is one.
Meaning, when you look, when you go on
a journey, what do you say?
Does anybody know the dua of the journey?
No, okay.
One of the things you say is, anta
sahibu fil safari, wal khalifatu fil ahli.
Subhanallah.
You, Allah, are my companion while I am
travelling, and you are the one taking responsibility
over my family that I left behind me.
How can this be?
Either you are here, either you are there.
Allah is one.
You see this?
So He doesn't only do this for you.
The one going on hajj, he is his
companion while he is on hajj, and he
is responsible for his family there.
The one going to Madrid, same thing.
Everybody.
And this is why, even when we call
upon Allah jalla wa ala, He can listen
to all of us at the same time,
without being confused, and replying to everybody at
the same time.
I can just reply to you now.
And then say, wait a little bit, thank
you.
Like this, no.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when we say
He is al-wa'id, He is ahad,
this is what we mean.
Okay?
And this is why, subhanallah, we worship Allah.
Because He is the only one who has
this.
When we say He is one, His power
is one, meaning His power never decreases.
Like we, the strong man, the world's strongest
man in these competitions, they go like this,
they take 150 kilos here, 150 there, at
the beginning they are there, they are being
stubborn, and then it goes down, then they
take it up again, and it keeps on
going down.
Because their power decreases from the moment they
use their energy.
Your phone, the same thing.
You charge it, from the moment you take
the charger out, it is de-charging.
The same with the flowers, the same with
the plants.
There you see, it's growing, then you see
the fruits, and then it goes away, and
then it comes back, and then it goes
away.
The same thing, human being, very weak, grows
stronger, weak again, and dies again.
When we say Allah is wahid, meaning He
doesn't go through these stages.
He was perfect, is perfect, and will always
be.
He was strong, is strong, and will always
be.
So this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, when we say He is wahid, He
is One, this is one of the names
that should actually make us true worshippers of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Because everything is in pairs.
Everything.
Allah says, and we created everything in pairs.
So, a minus and a plus, or whatever
you say, I don't know.
So anyway, everything in pairs.
Allah.
So Allah is al-wahid.
So we said Allah is wahid wahdaniyatul zhat.
Meaning He is what?
His being is One.
It is not composed, not constructed.
It is One.
Everything else on the world, on planet earth,
is not One.
And also, His being is so One, that
His oneness of His being is not something
which can be divided.
Now I'm into different parts, because His oneness
is One.
Everything else can be divided into different parts.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, His oneness is
so One, that He can't be divided, or
He can't be split up.
What do I mean by that?
I'm not talking about physics and stuff.
I'm talking like we, Allah doesn't have a
partner, and He also doesn't have a child.
A child is something which is derived from
you, isn't it?
But Allah's oneness, nothing is derived from it.
Because He is One.
You see this?
So, we are the proof that we are
not One.
When we have a child, for example, something
is derived from us.
So, we are being multiplied through us.
Subhanallah, ajeeb.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is One.
lam yalid walam yulad And this is why
lam yalid walam yulad is connected to qul
huwa allahu ahad You see this?
Because He is One, in His oneness, He
is not in need of anything else.
Because He is One.
And if you are One, you are ghani.
You are rich.
Yani, needless.
We say needless?
Not in need of anything.
And this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala said, qul huwa allahu ahad, allahu assamad.
Assamad meaning, the One whom everyone is in
need of, but He is in need of
no one.
This is the meaning of assamad.
Okay?
The One whom everyone is in need of,
and He is not in need of anyone.
And this is why, in some African tribes
before, they used to say, He is the
One who doesn't eat.
The One that doesn't eat.
Actually, that means a lot.
Yani, if He doesn't eat, meaning He is
not in need of creation.
He is not in need of anything.
So they would say, We worship the One
who doesn't eat.
And usually when you don't eat, Yani, you
don't have to go to the toilet, you
are pure.
So just by saying He doesn't eat, meant
actually He is pure and not in need
of anything.
So that is the way that they, some
of these tribes would describe their Lord, and
the One that they would worship.
But because Allah is so One, as One
as it can be, He wants your heart
and your intention to be only for the
One.
And that's the Ikhlas.
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينِ
In Suratul Bayyinah.
And they have only been ordered and commanded
by Allah to worship Him purely for His
sake only.
So Allah doesn't want your intention to be
divided.
He says, I am One, so why are
you doing things for those who are many?
And this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala says, a person having one master, or
a person having two masters, who is better?
He said, whatever a person with two masters
does, the other one will always be angry.
Allah says in the Qur'an, whatever you
do, if you make that one happy, you're
making that one angry.
That's the way it goes.
And this is what you see with people.
Very often by pleasing someone, you are displeasing
another.
By making a choice to do something with
someone, that other someone might be angry with
you.
And this is why they said, رِضَ النَّاسِ
غَاۤيَ لَيُدْرَكِ Yani, the contentment of people is
a goal you can never achieve.
And this is why when you believe that
Allah is the one, well, He's the only
one that can provide you.
The only one that can protect you.
Your only companion.
Your only guide.
Your only light.
Your only force.
Your only energy.
He's the only one.
And this is why He wants us to
connect to Him.
Because we have needs.
But we need to put them in front
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and He
will take care of them.
And the reason why very often, our needs
are not being satisfied, is because we are
giving them to creation.
And Abu Hassan, shahadini rahmatullahi alayhi wa radiyallahu
anhu said, when people asked him, subhanAllah, they
said, why don't you ask people to help
you?
He said, will I ask those who can't
help themselves to help me?
Why will I ask people who are in
need themselves to help me?
And this is where we very often go
wrong.
And this is why magic, between brackets, doesn't
happen.
Because we knock on the door of creation.
When I feel sad and depressed, or my
marriage is not going well, my husband doesn't
like me anymore, whatever.
Then I knock all the doors.
Sister, wallahi, I'm going through so many different
things in my life.
You know, with my children, my husband is
never home.
He comes home very late.
He doesn't like me the way he used
to like me.
He doesn't take care of the children.
Ok, that's good, they're listening.
They won't change anything.
They will just say, oh, poor you, inshaAllah
Allah will make it easy.
Allah will make it easy.
So why not directly to Allah?
This is what the father of Yusuf alayhi
salam said, innama ashku bassi wa huzuni ilallah.
I only complain and turn with my worries
to Allah.
Because people at the end, they're just listening
to be polite.
When you have problems, you come the first
time, they like to listen to you.
Second time, again.
Then third time, oh no, it's her again.
What should I tell her?
Well, try to make it short, ok?
Ok, it's short.
Next time, number again.
Do you think I should change my number?
Allah never has this.
You can talk to him 50 million times,
tell him exactly the same thing.
Ya Rabbi, my heart hurts that this and
that.
He will listen to you.
And he wouldn't mind.
He won't be bothered.
He will be as interested in you the
first time as he will be after 50
million times.
Because he's one.
You see?
So this is why we need to hand
over our worries to Allah.
Stop knocking on the door of creation.
As I said, very often they just listen
to be polite.
They give you some advice.
And then when you come back, like I
already told you, I mean, what do you
want me to add?
You know, they become agitated after a while.
You feel it.
I mean, you're always asking me the same
thing.
Why do you keep on asking that?
Just try to do what I told you.
This is a human being.
Allah is not like that.
Tell me again.
Every time you ask me, I will answer.
Every time.
But the problem is, when you really do
it from your heart, Allah, you will see
Allah responding.
And you don't need to be a very
pious believer to have this experience in your
life.
Allah is there for the sinner as much
as he is there for the pious person.
Because he's one.
The one is there for everyone.
You see this?
So he's there as much for that person
as that person.
So now, try it.
And try to really say, I am a
Muslim and I believe this.
And I will talk to Allah as someone,
if you were to have as much faith
in Allah responding to you as you have
right now that whenever you would call your
mother that she would answer you.
If you would call in the middle of
the night, you would say, Mama, I'm hungry.
You know, she would say, Ask your wife
to make some food.
But imagine that you're not married.
So, whatever.
That was just a joke.
So, whenever you call your mother, whenever, wherever
you are, whatever situation you are in, however
old you may be, your mother will always
be there for you.
You don't even doubt this.
If she has five pounds and you are
in need of five pounds because you can't
pay your bill, she will give it to
you.
You know this.
You don't doubt it.
If we have the same strength, only this
strength, I'm not even saying more, the same
strength when we ask Allah something, the same
strength we have when we ask our mothers,
Allah will respond.
You see this?
So, the problem is not in it not
happening.
The problem is not in Him not responding.
The problem is within our hearts, the weakness
of trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah made it very clear.
ادعوني استجب لكم.
Ask me and I will definitely, without any
doubt, respond and answer.
You see this?
So, that's the first thing when you believe
in the One.
That's why you say, أُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِي إِلَى اللَّهِ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ I rest my case
with Allah.
That's one.
So, if you know that Allah is the
One, you will also consider Allah to be
sufficient for you when no one believes you
and you know that you are on the
truth.
This is the most difficult thing on the
face of the earth.
When someone is falsely accused of things that
he is free of or she.
You know, people accuse you.
People start believing.
Imagine a husband, this has happened, accusing his
wife of being unfaithful.
And the husband is religious.
For the people, in the eyes of the
people, he is a very religious man.
And he said, No, I found proof that
my wife was untruthful.
And then he calls her parents.
Are you sure?
And they know him as the perfect what?
Son-in-law.
Never problems, always respectful.
Then he calls her parents.
Then he tells his brothers, her brothers, everybody.
And they all know him as a good
person.
So what now?
It starts to boil.
A story comes into existence.
But actually, the husband, Yani, became weak in
his heart.
He wasn't as pious as the people thought
he was.
And now, this person, that lady, is pushed
outside of the community.
Because they say she was unfaithful.
She was untrue.
She was not honest.
She was betraying her husband.
Subhanallah, all like a tsunami, she's pushed away.
This happens.
So now, if she now doesn't find strength
in the one, when you say he's the
one, that means that all the rest is
inexistent.
He's one, the rest doesn't matter.
This is what you believe when you say
he's the one, then you only do what
pleases the one.
And if the rest is displeased, but you
know that the one is pleased with you,
that's sufficient for you.
You see this?
So you believe in the one.
But this is difficult.
And this is why I want to mention
you, that on your way to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala, try to listen very carefully.
When you are at the very beginning, on
your path to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
you will want to focus a lot on
extra deeds.
You know, at the very beginning, you say,
I want to pray more, I want to
fast more, I want to memorize more, I
want to read Qur'an more.
You're focusing on deeds.
But then what happens, because you are worshipping
Allah as much, your soul starts to shine.
And where your soul is shining, and Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala sees it, He wants
you to become His gem.
He wants you to become His pearl.
His wali.
You see this?
So, when you shine after this worship, then
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants to clean
the remaining filth of dunya and wrong thoughts,
which still reside in your heart and your
mind.
And this is through tests of life.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam made it
very clear, that the test of the mu'min
is like gold being placed in an oven,
right?
To remove the filth of the gold.
So now when you are beginning on your
path to Allah, your worship, worship, worship, worship,
that's you wanting to connect to Allah.
But when you shine, Allah wants to connect
to you.
And when that happens, well, the majority of
people will see that they will go through
tests.
One test after the other.
Your honor, crushed.
Maybe your job, gone.
Maybe your wife or husband, divorce.
Maybe your whatever.
So many things that can happen.
Why?
Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala now wants
to connect to you.
And when He connects to you everything, which
is an obstacle to get to you, will
be what will be removed.
So now when this happens, people very often
stop.
Say, I can't, it's too much.
As we said last time, because they disconnect
tests from Allah.
They disconnect tests from Allah.
But actually, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wanting
to connect to you through the tests of
life, He wants you to get to know
His names.
Like here I am the crusher.
Here I am the one that takes away.
Here I am the one that humiliates.
These things are also names of Allah.
These are names of Allah.
Remember when I said Asma'ul Jamali and
Asma'ul Jalal?
The names we like to connect to the
provider, the one that takes care, the one
that protects me, the one that purps.
But when it comes down to the one
that humiliates, that takes things away that I
like and love, this is your second step
towards Allah.
The first one is a lot of worship.
And now because you are so occupied with
these tests, a lot of these forms of
extra worship will leave your life.
And then you will think that you're a
bad Muslim.
Because now you have so many tests, your
extra prayers might be a bit less.
Your reading of the Qur'an might be
a bit less.
Not your fard, we're not talking about fard.
But in reality, your biggest worship in the
times of tests, is patience, gratitude, perseverance, and
trust in Allah.
And when you want to worship a lot,
that's you choosing how to worship Allah.
But when tests come, it is Allah choosing
how He wants to be worshipped.
You see this?
Through the tests of life.
So He wants to get to know you
through the tests of life.
He wants to get you to know Him.
Is that clear?
So that's the second thing.
So when things go wrong, look at them
as a worship.
As a form of worship.
Connecting to Allah through these tests.
This is your biggest form of worship.
Everything is a worship.
I'm going to give you an example.
Like for example, as I said, my wife
is sick, she had to go to her
mother.
May Allah cure her.
So now for the moment, I'm alone with
Laith.
So now I know that when I'm alone
with Laith, there's a lot of things I
can't do.
I like to research.
I can't do this now.
When he's awake, he's awake.
I like to read.
Then in the evening, I like to write.
I like to do all of these things,
which I just can't do.
In the morning, I woke up at 6
.30. I had to bake some eggs, make
some bread, wake him up, clothe him, everything.
We came here.
Which is normal, I'm a dad, right?
But usually you are with two doing this.
So now, Shaytan wants to come to me.
Right?
And he would like to say like, okay,
aren't you losing time now?
What about your research?
What about books?
What about this?
What about that?
But actually for me, the biggest worship now
are two things.
One, taking care of him.
That's my biggest worship.
Two, when my wife is better and she's
back, not complain and mention what I have
done.
And that's even more difficult than taking care
of the little one.
Yeah, when you were gone, you know, you
were sick, it was like very difficult.
SubhanAllah, I didn't want to sleep.
I wasn't able to read, even my worship.
So two things now.
So this now, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
wants to be my worship.
So meaning that I should now enjoy, you
know, wiping his face after he had his
food, or his tears after he fell down.
I should look at it as being a
worship as much as I look at praying
during the night as being a worship.
And then by wiping these little tears, my
iman can increase.
You wipe away the tears of your child,
you do all of this lillah, because of
the one.
Because the one is the one who possesses
everything.
So my child is not mine, it's Allah's
possession.
It has been given as a responsibility.
And I'm responsible over it, but it's not
mine.
So now, I need to take care of
it, like Allah wants me to take care
of it, so it's a worship.
And this is why Al-A'udha said,
when I wake up during the night, to
tuck my child, we say tuck in, or
how do you say it?
Tuck in?
To tuck in my child on a cold
night, is more beloved to me than praying
all night.
And he used to pray all night.
He said, this is more beloved to me.
And just going and watching, okay, is he
or she feeling cold?
Bismillah habibi, tuck.
Why?
Praying at night is your worship, your egoistic
form of worship.
But when your worship is connected to taking
care of other people, that's the biggest and
strongest form of worship.
And this is why the Prophet ﷺ said,
خيركم خيركم لأهله The best one amongst you
is the one that is best for his
wife.
So sometimes, when you say, okay now, I
want to read a bit, and all of
a sudden your wife says, can we go
to Aldi or Lidl or whatever, Sainsbury's, Tesco,
you name them, so can we go now?
You say, really now?
I just wanted to read right now.
Why can't we do it?
Your worship, the best form of worship, is
being good to her.
And just say, okay, yes, hasanat.
But the problem is, we human beings, and
that counts as well for the wife as
well, being the best wife for her husband.
Same thing, it's not only for husbands.
So this is the biggest form of worship.
But apart from the fara'at, your prayers,
your five prayers, whatever people ask, when it's
time to pray, you pray.
And this is why Aisha radiallahu anha said,
the Prophet ﷺ used to serve his family.
She said, في مهنة أهله He turned it
into his profession.
And in taking care of his family, she
said, مهنة أهله.
And al-mihna is a profession.
His profession at home would be serving his
family.
He would clean the floor, he would cook
the food, and he would what?
Sue the clothes.
Sue?
Suing someone is taking to a lawyer and
court?
Okay.
So, isn't suing this?
Now I'm lost.
And how do you call taking someone to
court?
Sue.
Why do you say ooh like this?
Okay.
So, he wouldn't sue.
He would...
Is that with an O?
Really?
So...
Allah Akbar.
Okay, and this one?
You guys, you should change your language.
Subhanallah, Arabic is so much easier.
Okay.
So, whatever it is, he used to sew
his own garments, and his own socks, and
whatever.
So, this is what the Prophet ﷺ used
to do.
So, he would turn serving his family into
his profession.
Okay.
But she said, but when it was time
to pray, he would get out, and he
wouldn't know anybody.
But he wouldn't forget to give a kiss
to say goodbye, before going to the mosque.
You see this?
But he wouldn't.
If you would ask him anything, it's like
qiyamah.
I'm done.
I'm called by Allah.
So, anyway.
So, if you believe in the One, you
also believe that everything you do should be
for the One.
Being it worship, being it working, being it
sports, being it eating, being it whatever you
do, you do it to serve the One.
Is that clear?
So, even Abu'l Hasan said, he said,
I hope for the reward, for being rewarded
for my sleeping, as I hope for being
rewarded for my praying in the night.
And to be rewarded for fasting, as I
hope for the reward for eating, taking care
of your body.
And this is where the majority of people
get frustrated.
Muslims say, I don't have time for Allah.
No, it's not Allah.
Every time is for Allah.
Even when you go and you play some
basketball, well, it's for Allah.
Because Allah SWT, like the Prophet SAW said,
Allah loves the strong believer more than He
what?
Loves the weak believer.
Not weak someone who is weak due to
sickness.
Someone not taking care of himself.
So, if you see this, become, do everything
in your life for Allah, and then even
the thing you like to do most, will
turn into a worship.
As long as it's halal, Ibrahim AS was
ordered to say, قُلْ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةِ وَنُسُكِي That's
the worshipping part.
Say my prayer and my sacrifice.
وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي And my life, entire life, and
my death.
لِلَّهِ فَرْعَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَا
He has no partners, because he's one.
There is no partner.
Nobody can participate with him.
وَبِذَارِكَ أُمِرْتِ And this is what I have
been commanded.
So, turn everything in your life into a
worship.
Like, you see these garbage bags who were
there in the kitchen already a day, they
become heavier and heavier every time you look
at them.
And you're just hoping that an angel will
come from the sky and take them away.
Well, that won't happen.
So, it's either you or someone else.
So, when you take them and you don't
feel like it, you say, Ya Rabbi, for
you.
Because I want to remove a burden of
someone else.
If you educate your children like this, they
will want to run forward to be the
one to remove the burden of someone else.
Because they're doing it for the one.
Why should I do this for my brother?
You're not doing it for your brother.
You're doing it for Allah.
You see this?
But, of course, we need to start very,
very early.
Like, when they're 17, they're already fighting because
that sister doesn't want to give trousers to
the other one.
No, that's mine.
Well, then you have a problem.
Then it will be very difficult to change
things.
But when you start early enough and you
create this concept in the minds of the
children, then, subhanAllah, they won't fight.
And this is what happened with the Sahaba
radhiAllahu anhum when there was a war and
they were on their way and they were
being attacked, so they were about to defend
themselves.
And then the Romans came and they looked
at the Sahaba radhiAllahu anhum, the Muslims.
And then they went back to their leader,
they were spies, and they said, we can't
win against these people.
And they said, why?
He said, well, one of them, and he
dropped a cup, his cup fell out of
his hand into the river.
And all of his friends dived into the
river to be the first one to take
the cup.
It fell out of his hand.
There they were, looking to be the first
one.
Here you are.
He said, so they, in battle, they said
they will put themselves in front of their
brothers to be a shield to their brothers.
He said, while we, our legs are being
attached.
The legs of one soldier would be attached
to the soldier next to him and that
one next to him so that they couldn't
flee and couldn't flee away and run away.
And then they, he said, go back and
see what they are doing.
Then they came back and then they went
back to their leader in panic.
He said, these people are going to eat
us.
He said, what do you mean?
He said, I saw they brought out sticks
and they were sharpening their teeth.
They were just using the siwak.
But they didn't know this because that was
an Arabic custom, right?
So they used the siwak to go like
this.
So the Romans thought that the Muslims were
actually preparing themselves to eat the Romans.
So then they say, we can't win against
these people.
That was with Khalid ibn Walid.
So they went and then they went to
Khalid.
They say, so we hear that you are
one of the messengers of the messenger of
God.
He said, yes, on the path of God.
He said, well, we have one thing.
If you prove it and if you do
it, then we will submit to you and
become a Muslim.
He said, what?
He said, this is poison, drink it.
As in the books of Sira, drink it.
So now Khalid ibn Walid, he said, we
are people of Allah, sent by the messenger
of Allah, on the way of Allah.
Allah will never humiliate us.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي
الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَالِيمُ بِسْمِ
اللَّهِ We are not allowed to do this.
Don't do this.
He did it.
And they were waiting.
It was one of the strongest kinds of
poison that you could get into your body.
Nothing happened.
He said, do you have another one?
And then they looked at him.
And one said, maybe it was a wrong
one.
They gave a second one.
It did the same thing.
And then when nothing happened, they submitted themselves
to the army of Khalid ibn Walid, رضي
الله تعالى عنه, who we call Sayfullah.
Khalid ibn Walid is the same one who
went with his horses and they walked over
water.
They just walked over water.
We say, this is impossible.
No, it's not impossible.
I mean, do you say that it's impossible
for Allah?
It's not impossible.
And then one of the Sahaba was crying
or one of his soldiers was crying because
he lost his cup.
When they were walking over the water, his
cup fell and he drowned.
And then when they arrived and he was
crying, they said, why are you crying?
He said, I think Allah doesn't like me.
He said, why?
He said, because my cup drowned.
He said, but you just walked over water.
He said, yes, but I was the only
one to lose something.
And then he went to the shore and
raised his hands to the sky and said,
Ya Rabbi, if you really like me, please
bring me back my cup.
And then with the tide, the cup came
back, had it in his hands and was
the most happy man ever.
So these things, barakAllahu fikum, we believe, there
are laws of nature, but they are created
by Allah, they are ruled by Allah, and
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the one
who is the true master of everything.
And this happened in the time of Umar
ibn al-Khattab, radhiAllahu anhu, like Ibn al
-Mulaqim, rahimahullah azawajal, mentioned in his book, al
-i'laam bi fawa'idi umdati al-ahkam.
He said, at the time, the earth was
shaking.
Earth was trembling.
And Umar radhiAllahu anhu went like this, earth,
stop, haven't I been just?
And it stopped.
And then he called the people, and said,
next time, I will let her do what
she wants to do.
It's not that they control nature, it's that
they believe that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
submits things to the human being.
Like your horse, you say, stop.
It stops, right?
A donkey, a donkey maybe not.
Whatever, so even your cat, or your dog,
roe, jump, bark.
They didn't see a difference between a dog
doing something for you, or the earth.
You see this?
And this is why things like that used
to happen to these people.
He said, next time, I will let her
do what she wants.
He said, because my ruling has been just,
so there must be people amongst you who
are not just, not correct.
And then, like Ibn al-Mulaqim says in
the same, is when Umar ibn al-Khattab
r.a was giving a khutbah.
And this is also mentioned in all the
books of Sira.
And then he saw his army, or no,
his troops being followed.
And then he said, behind the mountain, behind
the mountain.
But his troops were a month distance away.
And a month later, they came back, they
said, Ya Umar, we heard you yelling, the
mountain, the mountain, go behind the mountain.
He said, was that you?
He said, yes, that was during the khutbah.
So even the wind, would what?
Be at their disposition.
So you see, when you are close to
Allah jalla wa'ala, things happen.
And the problem is, it is not because
you do not experience them, that they don't
exist.
It is not because you doubt it, that
it's not true.
Is that clear?
It's all from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
You know, one of the strangest things, what
is the time now?
Okay.
So, at ten past, we have a break
inshaAllah.
One of the strangest things, what happened to
me, it's nothing to do with me, is,
once I had a dream.
I'm not going to say, like, I'm not
in love with him.
So, I had a dream.
And in my dream, I was in a
plane, and the plane was about to crash.
And I felt that I was frightened.
And then someone behind me, gave me a
book.
And he said, read it.
So, I opened it, and it was a
dua of Abu'l Hasan, radhiAllahu anhu, which
was Hizbul Bahr.
So, I read it.
And then the plane landed on water, and
then there was the adhan.
Now, four years later, there is a man,
that I know very well from Belgium.
He's a professor, a Muslim.
And he went to Morocco, and then he
came back.
He said, Suleyman, I have a question.
One of the brothers in Morocco, he asked
me to ask you a question.
And I said, what was the question?
This is in real life, right?
And he said that in his dream, he
was on a plane with you.
And that the plane was about to crash.
And he gave you a book.
He said, but he never saw the title
of the book.
And he said, this book saved the plane,
bi'ithnillah, so he wants to know the
title of the book, so that he can
read it.
I said, ya Rabbi, does this really happen?
SubhanAllah, I have a dream, that person in
a dream, giving me a book, and then
asking me, what book did I give you?
It's ajeeb.
This is why, as I told you, I
wrote a book about fiqh of dream interpretation.
But it's in Dutch.
So it's not in English.
It's the fiqh of dream interpretation, not just
words, and then trying to figure it out
yourself.
So anyway, when we say Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala is the One, then we also
know that everything is submitted to the One.
Everything.
It's submitted to Allah jalla wa ala.
And so, as I said, so one thing
is, when you believe in the One, then
you lead your life for the One, in
everything you do.
The second thing, and that's what we are
going to talk about in the second part,
is when you believe in the One subhanahu
wa ta'ala, you don't expect anything from
people, and you need to be sincere.
And what that exactly means, we're going to
mention, bi'ithnillah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in
the second part.
Now we have ten minutes.