Yahya Rhodus – Reflections on Surah Ya Sin #11 of 19
AI: Summary ©
The transcript describes the concept of the moon and how it will affect the Earth, including its impact on the climate and resources. It also describes the movements of the moon and its impact on resources and resources.
AI: Summary ©
Samina and McMahon and Rahim Al hamdu lillah wa salatu salam ala
Rasulillah what URL he was Sotheby Omen, Lila.
We have reached verse number 37. And our study of yes seen in a
very brief reflections on some of the more outward meanings of these
verses, and that there is no doubt that the meanings of the Quran are
inexhaustible. They are like incessant waves of an ocean. The
Koran keeps giving meanings in more meetings and more meetings in
more meanings. And really, we are just scratching the surface of the
most outward meanings of the book of ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada and
basing these reflections upon some of the very traditional standard
TIF CEOs that have a mobile, Hawaii, my my Razi and I might
even Jeeva and that and others, and we're just trying to develop
an understanding of the book of Allah to Allah, even if it be
basic. And in this regard, we've reached verse number 37.
Where a lot of adequate data says, well I have to normally do in a
sort of home in the hara for either home, motherly moon.
Okay, so that we should keep in mind here is that some of the
previous verses that we were talking about, was that based upon
the disbelievers who denied the messages, the message of the
prophets or the apostles, and then that Allah subhanaw taala, then
addressing them, and that proving to them that he can Tabata Kota
Allah that resurrect them just as he can, that bring the earth back
to life. So in reflecting upon the earth, and it coming back to life
and the various seasons, and that's something that seems to
come from something that something living that seems to come from
something instead is a sign that a lot of other gods can also that
resurrect human beings, he has the power to do so subhanho wa taala.
And then
that in yesterday's session that we talked about the allot of
adequate data, that how he has created all of the pairs or all of
the different types of things we see in creation. And in verse 37,
is that a lot to Anna is going to speak about night and day. Two of
the great signs of Allah subhana wa Tada. So he says, what I told
him a later NUS local woman who Nohara for either homeless, the
moon, the night is also assigned for them. We strip the day light
from it, and behold, they are in darkness. So this speaks about
that night. And that dark night they light and darkness, nighttime
and daytime. And these are really two of the great blessings of
Allah subhana wa Tada upon His creation, in addition to also
being in science, and we'll talk a little bit more how their
blessings but we have to not only that give thanks which we do for
the blessing of night and for the blessing of day we also have to
see them as signs, the power of Allah subhanho wa Taala and
ultimately, he has that above the Divine unity. And so that the way
that we experience night and day, it clearly indicates for the
person of fitrah that is the person who is in touch with their
natural disposition indicates to them the great power, the
omnipotence of Allah subhanaw taala just as indicates his
oneness. All opposites point to his oneness and night and day are
an example of a pair that indicates his oneness upon who
Madonna. So I had to know home. The night is also a sign for them,
I don't know woman led the night is also a sign for them. And then
Allah Allah says NUS Lahore, Minho Nihar, we strip the day light from
it.
And the word that is used here saleha that is local, is the same
word that is used to use to skin an animal.
And if you've ever seen an animal be skinned,
there's certain places that they cut and then that they pull it off
and when they pull it off,
it actually comes off you have to do it very slowly.
But it comes off very easy. So the skin separates fairly easy from
the actual flesh itself. But then the smoothness of as you pull it
off, and you're kind of slowly moving it, little by little,
little by little, little by little, little by little, until
you've separated. And then that if the animals been slaughtered, that
you're going to clean it, and then chop it up, and then eventually
cook it and eat it. But here that this is the same word use Sal is
that skinning an animal
in that, if you've ever seen that happen, is it that smoothness of
how it's being pulled off, and slowly it's suffering until then
it is separated, is it this is a beautiful metaphor of how we
experience night and day. And that the scholars of tafsir say that
awful hail Wilma, the foundation is one of darkness. And then the
night the day rather, enters upon the night. And then but as that
the sun sets, is that then it says if that the daytime is pulled off,
like a skin from the night, and then eventually is that you have a
lot more than you have darkness. And so that it's a really amazing
oftentimes we are so cut off from nature, we don't really get to
experience outdoors the way we really should. And so this is
night and day. And then the next two verses are going to speak
about the sun and the moon. But one of the things that we really
should do is to try to go out of our way to get in tune with
nature.
Because there is a wisdom, many wisdoms behind the creation of the
sun, the creation of the moon, but we want to at least have a basic
understanding of the way that they work. And I remember very early
on, shortly after conversion, and this was amazing, being exposed
through Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and visiting Mortain. And scholars,
the ways traditionally, that scholars and laymen alike found
the times of prayer.
And it's all ultimately based upon the sun prayer is based upon the
sun, and the month in which we're in the bus and until Ramadan, its
fasting is based upon the moon.
And when you start to learn the way that the sun works, we all
know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But how
does that relate to your own shadow? And how does that relate
to prayer coming in. And when you don't have a way to calculate it,
how do you then determine the purpose of entered? What ends up
happening is, is that
towards the mid day, which is where the sun reaches, it's seen
at the highest place in the sky.
Depending upon the time of year, is it whatever object you're using
to measure. So let's say using your body is that the son is going
to cast a shadow,
the sun is going to cast a shadow. And depending upon whether you're
in the northern hemisphere, or in the southern hemisphere, we're
going to be speaking primarily because we're in the United States
of America for the northern hemisphere is that the your, the
shadow of the sun is going to be facing north.
Why? Because that we live in the northern hemisphere. And that the
sun when it reaches the highest point of the day when it reaches
its zenith, depending upon whether you're talking about the summer
solstice, which is June 21, or the winter solstice, which is December
21, is that in December, the sun is going to be the lowest in the
northern hemisphere, of course, that it ever has been in the sky,
and the summer, it's going to be the highest. And then it's going
to slowly move from June 21 to December 21 to the lowest point in
the sky. And depending on how low the sky the sun is in the sky will
be depending upon how long your shadow is, but at the zenith your
shadow will stop or at least will it will appear to stop
for a period of time again depending on where you are in the
face of this earth and depending upon the season.
And when the shadow stops, that is that time this is referred to as
the zenith and it's only when that the shadow first moves away after
having stopped is that the her interest and no doubt that if you
try to calculate that to his shadow, it's going to come in a
little bit later than if you try to calculate it that use
calculations to determine that when the sun first moved away that
from Zenith but that's how we know the her interests. But when you
get out in you, you start to see that the shadows in you
Let's start to that witness these signs that Allah Allah has given
us, it really puts you in touch in a way that that we really
shouldn't be Unfortunately, nowadays, the only thing people
really know about the sun is that it will burn you. So we need to
wear suntan lotion, or is it south facing because people want their
backyards to be south facing, there's a lot more to it than just
that, yes, there's nothing wrong with trying to have a house that
has a lot of sun in it. But it's there's a lot more to it than
that. And the beautiful thing is always a religious dimension. This
is a whole other story how our religion formed our use of
technology. And that, really, that many of these these great
technological that feats of Muslims, things like the
astrolabe, and so forth, and so on, and really the study of
astronomy, and that they came out of the Muslim need to that read
the signs for that acts of worship. And so that it has a
religious nature to it. And there are deep blessings in this anyhow,
is that we should experience nighttime, we should experience
daytime, and we should reflect upon them as signs. And so that
when
the sun starts to set in again, is that the intensity of the sun, the
closer that gets to the western horizon, where it's going to set
will decrease in it will decreasing or decrease. And then
when it sets. And this was actually when we were first taught
this as a side point.
That one of the our teachers first asked the people that how do you
know if the sun is set? And people say, Well, you look to the west.
They said no, you actually look to the east.
Because is that when you if you imagine, just imagine just kind of
a plane. And if it was completely flat and there are no
obstructions, the sun as long as it it just before it sets the
imagine the disk of the Sun, just above the earth,
that there will be a redness that is seen in the eastern horizon. If
there's no obstructions.
As soon as the sun starts to go beneath the horizon, you will look
to the east, you'll start to see a little bit of grayness. So if it
were completely flat, and there were no obstructions, the very
first grayness indicates is that the sun has set.
And so he said, You actually look to the east. And then where we
were in California learning at that time, because there were
mountains, he said, You have to wait a little bit longer, wait for
that green gray patch to be a little bit that wider. Because is
that you have to count for the fact that the mountains are in the
way and what's considered is the actual horizon itself. But just
learning simple things like that, and acquainting yourself with your
particular area, and that how long your shadow is in the middle of
the summer, how long it is in the winter. And when the prayer times
come in and so forth. This is a really beautiful thing. And it's
an act of worship, and it will bring out your fifth or in a
beautiful way. And it will put you in tune with alasa Pontus creation
and allow you to reflect upon it. So next time that we experience
the sun setting, let's think about this metaphor, we can imagine an
animal being skinned and that skin slowly being pulled off. And just
as that the further the sun gets beneath the horizon, as it gets
darker and darker and darker and darker and darker. And then Allah
says, for either home mother the moon, in Behold, they're in
darkness. And other words is that it's such a subtle process little
by little, little by little is it, it's getting darker and darker and
darker until that it becomes that fully dark in most places on
Earth, and then you get into the exceptions when you get to to you
know, closer
to north or to the South Pole.
And you reach a certain point where you reach a, a particular
excuse me, longitude were that the sun might actually not set or that
the sun might actually not rise depending upon the time of the
year. Anyhow, is it for either when was the new moon they are in
darkness. Now, the only other thing there and this is important,
especially when it comes to prayer is that when the sun sets,
eventually that it's going to get that darker and darker and darker
even in on in on the the western horizon and then there will be
what is called that there are what are called as fuck, which is the
playoff chef up and the scholars have said that there's three
different colors that you will see red, in kind of orange and then
orange
Just yellow, and then white.
And then for the two of the schools of law is that when the
redness in the sky goes, so it's no longer red, it's moved to like
an orangish type of yellow, then that's an indication that each of
hers entered, even if there's still light in the sky. And then
after that orangish yellow, it will then that there'll be like a
whiteness, so that for some schools, the person is entered for
the Hanafi school, it's not until all the white in the sky, all the
light in the sky, which is the whiteness will eventually go out
of the sky. And then when it becomes completely dark, that's
when you should interest according to the Hanafi school. But it's
really, it's really neat. You know, when you actually go out and
see this and experiences, he again puts you in touch with your
prayer. And I remember these beautiful days of Mauritania,
actually praying Maghrib as Margaret without any artificial
light, praying, Isha as Isha, without any artificial light. And
then depending upon the time of month, because depending upon the
intensity of the light of the moon, would be depending upon how
much you could actually see it each time, on the dark nights,
which is where the Knights of the new moon, it's pitch black, you
put your hand out, you can't see it. But on the nights of the full
moon, is that you can actually see fairly well, you actually don't
even really need a flashlight to walk out around out in the dark.
And so that that's important for us to have a basic knowledge of
this and we should increase in that knowledge and get more and
more in tune. as we as we progress. So for dat home,
literally moon. So the alternation of night and day, are mentioned
throughout the Quran. These are signs of Allah's power, these are
signs of His Oneness signs of His perfect perfection. Soprano who
want to Allah
know.
And then when we think about night and day, and the needs that we
have, based upon what it is that we do at night, and what it is
that we do by day, is that we have to be thankful for Allah subhanaw
taala. In general, night is a time for rest. And Day is a time for
work. This is generally the case, just as that when things are cold,
they tend to not move as much when things are hot, they tend to move
more. And that's, of course has that not just about the night in
the day, but also about the season. Why do we think see things
growing more in the summer, there's a lot more movement, when
you boil things, it moves quick, when you freeze things, they start
to there's a lack of movement. And likewise, it's cooler at night
than is by day. So this is part of the story. But then also, this is
the nature of light is that when things are light and clear, is
that it's a lot easier to move, you're not going to stumble,
you're not going to you can see. And then that the nature of
darkness is it's harder to move about. So it's it's much more
conducive to stillness. Now, you could just imagine how much our
lives have changed with electricity. Just really, we
should stop and think about that. How much of our lives changed as a
result of electricity? And how good has it actually really been
for humankind? If you think about if you would find a way to measure
this, everything that has happened from the that invention of
electricity until now
you need to put it into scale. How much of that is good? And how much
of that is bad?
What would the proportion really be? The vast majority of uses, it
has actually, that through electricity and other modern forms
of technology is that it's allowed people to have the worst aspects
of themselves get a grip on them.
It's allowed them to do things in that they would never have been
able to do in the premotor world.
And that doesn't mean that we don't use it for the sake of Allah
subhanaw taala we should. But even now that we're being told that
there's some harms to it, like you shouldn't sleep with lights on
that it's actually good to sleep in darkness and nice that we're
actually finding out now some of the harms that are associated that
with this light, even though there's no doubt that things that
are actually a great benefit as well. So we are not anti
technology in that sense. And we use lights but we should have
responsible use and we should all have a time we spend in darkness.
And we should that seek out a time that we spent in darkness, even if
it means we have to put ourselves in a closet, even if there's no
other way than to put something that over your head and to cover
it with like a like a like head covering
Have some sort. Why, because the grave is dark. And the only thing
that is going to bring light to our graves is our righteous deeds.
And we have to get ourselves accustomed now to being placed in
the grave. The more that we come to terms with that now, the more
that we prepare ourselves for that moment where we take our last
breath, and we're going to be buried six feet deep, is that the
less loneliness that we will have in the grave, and the more
intimacy that we will have, just as there are righteous servants
who find intimacy and darkness.
And there was one scholar who said, is it for 40 years, I, the
only thing that brought me grief was Dawn, not that he didn't want
to pray, this is a person who loved to pray more than anything
else. But it was the night was over. Because it was the night was
the time where him where he was focusing on his worship of Allah
subhanho data, and that the night had ended. And so that we find
that there are a number of things that we do at night, just as there
are a number of things that we do by day. And Day is a time that
people are working is the time that we're acquiring or
sustenance, where by which that we live, and all of these other types
of things. And so daytime was important, and that there are
certain things that we do by day, and just apps there are certain
things that we do by night, the general principle you could go
into great detail here, night is a time of tranquility and rest in a
daytime daytime is a time of action and activity.
So ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada that he says, I tend to have a little
nervous lock woman and the harder for either homeless anymore, the
night is also safe. And then we stripped the daylight from it and
behold, they are in darkness.
And then in verse 38,
was shim. So tissue healing was to convince her that he could tackle
the Euro diseases I mean, the sun to runs, it's determined course,
laid down for by the Almighty, the own knowing Subhanallah Donna what
shrimps so now a lot to add to speaks of the son.
And he says Teddy, that he says the sun is running. And this is an
indication of movement. And even though that we know that actually
the earth is orbiting the sun. From our perspective, it looks
like the sun is orbiting the Earth. It looks like the sun is
going around the Earth. We see the sun rising in the east end going
that in through the sky and we're setting in the west. It's it's
going upon a course it runs, it's determined course the Mr. Calvin
Lucha. What is this determined course, there are different
opinions of the scholars. Some say it is that the fact that it rises
in the east and then it on a course and it sets in the west, a
very exact course a very precise course
that you can't tell the difference from year after year after year.
If you're measuring that shadow, it comes up in the exact same
place and sets in the exact same place. And whether it be that some
way for you to that determine that and to that measure that you would
see it comes up according to your experience and how you're
measuring exactly in the same place every year, year in year out
year in and year out.
But others say is that this determined course relates to the
winter in the summer solstice about which that we've spoken.
So if you can imagine is that depending upon how far you are
from the equator, if you are on the equator exactly, is that on
summer solstice, the sun is going to be directly above you. And then
to the degree that you move away from the equator is to the degree
that on June 21 is that it is going to be closer or further from
you. So where we are here in Pennsylvania is that if you look
up on June 21 Is that you will see that it is not directly above you
and that it will just create a shadow and sometimes that the
shadows when you get into the equatorial regions are so small is
that it's very hard very hard to even see until then on Sundays
it's almost as if the sun in some places actually is right overhead
okay.
And so, some say that this determined course it Are they
relate to the northern most in southern most extreme before it
reverses directions. And so in the northern hemisphere where we are,
is that
what ends up happening is
is that
The sun, the closer you get to the winter solstice, the more southern
it is in the sky. Okay? So keep in mind that the sun rises in the
east sets in the west. So if I'm standing there, and this is why is
that if this direction is north, this is East that South, and
that's west, and I'm standing here, okay, and the sun rose here.
So it's coming up. And it's actually going to be over here,
it's going to be coming like this. And that's why when the sun's
here, if I'm standing here is that there's going to be a shadow
towards the north, at the zenith, okay, but then the sun in the
winter is going to be over here. So in other words, that it's still
to the southern side, in the northern hemisphere, even on June
21, and it gets further to the south, until you get to December
21, where it's the furthest most South, and then it moves back. So
some say that it refers to this other say that it refers to the
day of judgment, and that there is a Hadith where I was asked
that
he actually asked the Prophet asked, although, do you know where
the sun goes when it says, And he replied, Allah and His Messenger
knows best, he says, it travels to prostrate itself underneath the
throne, and ask permission to rise again and as permitted, then is
about to prostrate yourself, but as prostration will not be
accepted, it won't ask permission to go on its course. But it will
not be permitted and will instead be ordered to return once it has
come. And so it will rise in the West. And so that some this is the
end result, that of where the they must have heard of the Sun
ultimately, is that beneath the throne, and so, all of these are
different shades of meanings. And then Allah Allah says that it gets
muddled utilize these and Eileen. And so this determined course, of
the Sun is the talk today, this is from the decree of the Aziz, the
Almighty, the in who has he does whatever he wants in his book, in
his dominion subhanho wa taala. And that he is the Alim he is the
All Knowing subhanho wa taala.
And then when we really start to think about how this really works,
and the distance of us from the sun, that exact distance were to
be a little bit more, and we start to think about the degree of the
tilt of the earth axis. And that the speed at which that we are
actually orbiting on our own axis and then orbiting the sun. All of
this precision is what gives us life here on Earth. And it really
is fascinating to think about. And it's actually very humbling to
think that the earth is 93,000 miles away. And we are
simultaneously orbiting on our own axis and orbiting the Earth. That
is incredible if you think about it. And we don't even feel that
we're moving.
The earth is moving extremely fast right now as we speak. But we
don't even feel like we're moving.
That's really amazing.
And we're experiencing that we're experiencing de. And whereas for
some people might think that these details of science that we didn't
know before,
are explaining what religion could ever do. No, that's not the way a
believer sees it. The more details that we have of the means and how
this actually works, creates a deeper sense of on the heart of
the believer, where we say subhanallah the more that we know
exactly how this process is working. And that the speeds and
the distances that we're talking, that should make us Say Subhan
Allah and really be an author of a lot of other common data in terms
of how he chose to partner with other to make this happen.
So then he that moves in verse 39, to speak about the moon
will come out our condemnor home and Zillow had to either kill or
Julian Kadeem
and that we have determined phases or mansions for the moon, until
finally it becomes like an old date stock.
And so this is in reference to the waxing and the waning of the moon.
And so when you have a new moon,
there is a day or two that you don't see it and then it appears
and then the moon waxes ie gets bigger and bigger and bigger until
it becomes a full moon and then it will
veins, ie gets smaller and smaller and smaller, until you can no
longer see it doesn't disappear, it's there, you just can't see it.
And then there is a day or two, until then you'll see it again.
And this is why a lunar month is 29 or 30 days. So they speak of
what are called the Manasa of the moon, the 28 stations or mentions
of the moon. And so every lunar month has that 28 mentions and the
moon moves 13 degrees every single night. So if you would that see
exactly where the moon rises because the moon in a sense rises
when you first see it when it rises if you compare it to the
where it was the day before it's 13 degrees 13 degrees further 13
degrees further until that again it will go around you
and so is that what is referring to is here's that these distances
that the moon is moving that in every day and every night that
Allah Tada is that pointing our attention to the moon and how it
also is a sign like the sun is and it's different than the sun, the
sun and the moon is different than the sun because the light of the
sun of the moon rather is actually from the sun.
And that it as it goes through that its phases, it depends upon
what it actually is that we see that from that very moment.
And so Allah Tala has determined these mentions how he says cut
them now. Allah has determined them meaning that they're there
for a specific purpose. And this is why Allah to Allah says in the
Quran, yes, I don't know. And in a Hila they ask you about the
crescent moons we'll hear more Akita leanness well Hajj, is it
say they are four times for people in for Hajj to determine times.
And we of course go off of the lunar month. And the lunar month
is actually remarkably accurate because it keeps resetting itself
naturally. You don't need a leap year it keeps resetting itself.
And that lunar month again is going to be 29 or 30 days. And
Allah Allah says in Surah Yunus, who will have the jar Allah
shrimps of the year and welcoming a new one neuron. He is the one
who made the sun a source of light Lea radiance in the light in the
moon light will cut determine Azula and that he determined for
mentions Lita animal in order that you may know, either the city when
he saw the number of years and to make calculations. Mahalo kala
Hadelich 11 Huck Aleta only created this in truth you foster I
think he will detail for you His signs, The Omen Yeah, the moon to
a people that know.
And so that the moon that has mentioned, and it that finally
becomes like an old date, stock.
And and what or June, if someone has ever been to the Arabian
Peninsula, and that you've seen the way that dates grow.
And dates grow in clusters, and so that you have the date home and as
you go up, there's a cluster that is attached, and it goes off like
this, and then the dates come down like this. Remember, one of the
first things that happened when I visited the Muslim world is that I
arrived ghetto in Mauritania, and my teacher should hopefully
preserve him, brought me a cluster of dates that were still on that
the actual stock, he just brought me a stock it was during the date
season, it's brought me a stock and we actually pick the dates
from the stock, wash them and then ate them there that fresh.
And that so the the the stocks, what happens to them is that as
they get old, and here, this is why kilojoules per diem is that
they start to bow and that when they start to bow is that they
start to that turn a yellowish type color. And so there is a is
this is a a simile for that the moon. This is what happened. This
is what the moon actually looks like is that it's that little
sliver that's bowl shaped, that if you see this old date cluster that
is coming from the date stock. If you look at the actual stock
itself, it starts to bow in that same moonlight crescent shape, and
that the color is similar as well.
Masha Allah, and then Allah Allah says in verse 40
Let's Shamsi and nothing until the Recon Kumar Allah Lagos said we
can know her or Kowloon fi fellow Kenya Sparrow.
The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day
each floats in its own orbit.
So we're just going to introduce this very briefly. And then we
will come back to this verse.
Tomorrow insha, Allah Allah. But this idea that the sun cannot
overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day, and each one
of them is in its own orbit. And what we see here is, is that
the night and the day serve a function. And Allah to Allah has
determined for the sun to be in a certain way in this moon to be in
a certain way such that it creates night and day for us. And the
point here is, is that, that when we see this happening, we come to
the conclusion this is not just happening by chance, that did not
just come together. This is company this is happening because
Allah decreed for this to happen. And the night will not come until
it's time for the day to end. And the day won't come until it's time
for the night to end. This is how a lot to outer has created it, one
cannot overtake the other and one cannot outrun the other is it it
is how Allah subhanaw taala has wanted it to be. And this is the
way that it is. In other words, is that the sun and the moon are more
Sahara is that they are subjugated. And they do what it is
that they're told. And everything in reality is in submission to a
lot of adequate data. That of course, including the sun in the
moon, they're doing exactly what Allah Allah wants them to do. It's
it we as human beings end up not doing what it is that we are
supposed to do. But through a process of reflection, reflection,
reflecting upon a lot of other signs in his creations, hopefully,
is that we will be inspired to then realize is that we also have
purpose, and there's something that we should be doing and to
direct our attention and direct our spiritual aspiration towards
that which will benefit us in this world and the next we'll come back
to this verse and continue on tomorrow within Hi Tara. Will
Salalah hydroseeding from London on Saturday, Salam Al hamdu
Lillahi Rabbil Alameen