Yasir Qadhi – Lessons from Surah Abasa

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Today I recited Sudha Abba in the first struck ah, and we are all familiar with the story of Surah Abba. In fact, interestingly some people find it awkward to mention the story and this awkwardness is problematic because ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada revealed the surah about the story, and we should not feel awkward to mention the story and to mention the suburban azul, the mansion, the suburban Rasool about this surah In other words, before I even begin, the sentiment of feeling awkward needs to be removed from our hearts. Because when we feel awkward or some people feel awkward in reality, this awkwardness is an awkward and against Allah subhanho wa taala. We have to be careful here, right?

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Some people I even heard them say, Oh, we shouldn't talk about ABA, as if a stock for Allah speaking about Sudha Abba is disrespectful, but then who spoke about Surah Abba who reveals Surah Abba, why is it in the Quran? So the first thing even before we begin, we need to eliminate this misconception, which is hugely problematic that we should ignore Surah Abba SubhanAllah. It's as if the Iran deal as against Allah Himself. Do you understand when somebody says we should not talk about Surah Abbas up? This means as if suffer Allah, Allah Himself is revealing something we should not talk about. On the contrary, there is a reason why Allah revealed it. And frankly, to be

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brutally honest, if we understood that of SEER we would understand there's nothing to feel awkward about. If we understood the real story and the Tafseer of the surah there's nothing to feel awkward about. Of course, the philosophy the summary of the story is well known. And that is that the prophets ism was speaking with Al Walid the father of Khalid Khalid bin Walid the father already doing the mudra and he felt that it was either close to Islam and Ibn Al Maktoum, the one who was the more than in Medina, heard the voice of the Prophet system he didn't know he was speaking to somebody just heard the voice. And he rushed forward. And he asked a question, he wanted some

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information. And Al Waleed, the arrogant chieftain because I believe is the chieftain of the of the bonobo zone. And when he snorted in contempt, and just like basically said, You want me to follow you, and this person is your follower, because even remember, to him had embraced Islam of the earliest of batches. And he walked away. And the Profit System felt a big loss for the OMA. This is the key point here. The Profit System was not wanting some business transaction. He was not wanting some salon some honor from this non Muslim. He wanted to benefit Islam. The whole story is not a criticism of the Prophet system. It's a teaching moment of the priorities of the one who's calling

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to Islam. Once you understand this, you understand there is no awkwardness. It's not a criticism. It is Taleem it is tarbiyah it is earshot. It's telling the process and what is beneficial for the ummah. The prophets have some thoughts that will lead embracing Islam is more beneficial for the ummah. He's not invested in it personally. He's not wanting some personal transaction and gain he wants the Ummah to benefit one he thought the Ummah had not benefited from this. Allah taught him No, this is not the right way. The OMA is benefiting from the likes of Emil Maktoum. So he as the Quran says abba, abba, he frowned to Allah He turned his face away. Yeah, and he, even when Milton

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was blind, he's not seeing the Prophet system. And when when he walked away the process and and felt that the OMA had lost, and Allah revealed the surah to tell him no, we don't need the likes of Al Walid, the OMA shall win with the likes of Ibn Al Maktoum. That's the purpose of the surah. Once you understand this, you understand the surah is teaching you quality more than quantity is teaching you the right followers like Ibn Al Maktoum are more beneficial than the rich and powerful, arrogant rejecters like Al Walid, so Abba, he found what Allah He turned his face away because he felt the OMA had lost. He felt Islam would have benefited from the likes of Al Walid and Allah azza wa jal

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revealed the surah In this context, now, a number of things to be mentioned. So some benefits about ourselves. First and foremost, the language used is so gentle, it is not harsh. For example, Abba Soto, Allah And Jehovah is mentioned in the third person, he frowned and turned away. Allah didn't say, I busta, whatever later, speaking directly to the process and you frowned and you turned away. It's as if a story is being described. It's as if it's in the third person, not directly speaking to him. He frowned and he turned away when the blind man came to him. Then Allah speaks directly to the Prophet system. What are you the rica now he is being brought in? How do

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You know ya rasool Allah, perhaps he would have purified himself. So when the tarbiyah comes, Allah addresses him directly when the description of what happened occurred, Allah addresses in the third party he found and he turned away, but yeah rasool Allah How do you know maybe he meaning meaning if it will be Maktoum would have spiritually purified himself. So in reality, the language used and read the whole surah. Again, with this point in mind, it is extra extra soft. And this shows us one of the benefits is that when you are teaching somebody when you're even correcting somebody, the default is you use soft language, you use gentleness and wisdom. And here we have Allah subhanho wa

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Taala teaching through the prophet system, all of us because in reality, the goal isn't just the Prophet system, the goal is all of us. That's really the message is for all of us here. So when you are giving advice when you're giving the SIA when you're admonishing, when you're correcting, use the softest language possible, and where possible, don't use the first pronouns you'd or the second, you did this, and you did that try your best to be generic as we find in this surah as well. Of the things that we mentioned here of the benefits that we mentioned as well, is that when it comes to describing somebody who has a defect, for example, he's blind or he's lame or something, context

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matters, and sort of Oh to rot, ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada says, that don't call each other with vulgar nicknames. And in this surah, Allah says, When the blind man came to him, so is it allowed to call somebody blind is it also called somebody's lame response depends on the context, when you use it as a pure description, without any derogatory sense, it is permissible. And when you intend to make fun of somebody, when you intend to put somebody down, the same thing that is used as it as a description will become haram. So we going back to my previous lecture of canceled culture, I said, context matters. Actually, the surah shows that as well. You can describe somebody as being blind as

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being lame as being something in a technical sense, and you're not putting him down. And if you were to use the same word, and the context and the intention is to make fun of and to put down this will become haram. And in this context, actually, Allah subhanho wa Taala is praising Ibn Al Maktoum praising Him by saying Ya rasool Allah, his eyesight might be blind, but his heart wants Nyla who Yasha he wants to come closer to Allah subhanho wa taala, right for a minister, Ghana and as for the one who sees but he's arrogant, so it's still gonna hear, he could see, Al Walid could see but his heart was blind. So by calling him an Omega tune, blind, and then praising him three different ways

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he comes to you rushing, wanting to be pure, wanting to gain admission. So Allah is showing us an outward defect means nothing if the inner soul wants to be purified, so Allah azza wa jal said his blind then Allah praised him in three different ways. Then Allah azza wa jal mentions and Walid and says As for this person is still gonna means he thought he had everything he thought he had no need for you. So Allah azza wa jal criticized what is inside of him. And this shows us a simple fact we all know it. It's a hadith, Allah does not look at your outer forms, no at your bodies, Allah looks at your hearts and at your deeds. And this surah proves this, that Allah said Allah and then he

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praised Abel Maktoum in three different ways. Also, of the benefits we gain from this surah when there is a game that is certain.

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And if there is a game that is uncertain, we must prioritize the game that is certain over the game that is uncertain. How do we get this from the surah even a mimic tomb for certain will benefit? Al Waleed uncertain. So we should prioritize the certain over the uncertain, we should prioritize the pro over the possible Pro. And this is something we should benefit from in the Dawa. When we have two different courses of action, we will prioritize the one that has the maximum impact that is certain, and we shall delay that which is not maximum impact of the benefits of the surah as well is that Allah azza wa jal mentions that Allah Who Yes, Zakah Oh, yes, Kuru, two different things are

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mentioned. Yes. Zeca Oh, yeah, the duck curve. It's a very interesting technical distinction here. Allah says he might, yes, Zakah or he might use that car and that car will benefit him. Yes. Zabka means to be spiritually purified. Yes, that means the brain works and some knowledge is gained and that no knowledge might possibly benefit him. So we learn that there's two types of clicking two types of light

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bulb's two types of benefit. We can say simplistically, raw spirituality and knowledge that is beneficial and causes you to come closer to Allah. Allah Allah who yes Zakka to Ischia to scare turnips, purifying the soul, Oh yes, that girl or he can gain some vicar, some knowledge for 10 Pharaoh who vichara and that knowledge will benefit him. So when we attend Halaqaat when we listen to the Quran, when we go with Islamic gatherings, sometimes as we're all aware, it's just the emotion of being in that gathering is just the emotion of listening to the Quran. It's just the spiritual purity we feel that's this gear. And sometimes something the person says, or a benefit we

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learn that is to have Kira, which of the two is more important? Does Kia How do we know this? Because when Allah says that Allah who yes Zakah there is no clause. And when Allah says, Oh, yes, there is a clause added for 10 Pharaoh who vichara because does Kia is always good spiritual boost. Does Kira is only beneficial if it causes you to become better. With that kid, ineffectively crop, sometimes there is no modifier in the crop, right? Well, that kid for energic Ratangarh. Meaning sometimes the crop does not benefit those who don't have Iman, right? Oh, yeah. Zach Carew. For 10 Pharrell, who's the crop, if the healthcare benefits, then it's beneficial. If that healthcare does

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not benefit, then pure knowledge. And again, many, many weeks ago, I gave a hotter about spiritual knowledge versus secular knowledge. And this goes back over here. There are people who don't believe in God, and they have PhDs in quantum physics, and they know much more than all of us about their fields, and that knowledge is of no use to them. And there are people who don't know anything about quantum physics, but the little knowledge they have about this world is worth more than all PhDs in quantum physics without any spirituality. This is that point here does Kira that benefits so both are beneficial. But what is the goal of knowledge test Kia, what is the goal of test kit that is the

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goal. The ostler the goal of knowledge is test Kia. As for knowledge, that doesn't benefit it becomes a Hoja against you, it becomes something against you. So ya rasool Allah even omit Maktoum was coming to you. Your interaction with him might have benefited him spiritually, or he would have learned something and that knowledge might have benefited him. You see the point here, right. So we learned from this you have this Kia and you have Ted Kira. Another benefit that we gained from this is the real crime. And the worst crime that any person can have is the crime of arrogance. And we know this from the Quran and Sunnah about what stackable this sort of beliefs. And our profit system

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said, anybody who has one ounce of kibble in his heart shall not enter Jannah and Kibber is the worst crime because it causes you to commit every other crime if you think you are better than other people. If you think you're better than the religion if you think or will do better, you don't need God. Well then what greater arrogance is that a man is still gonna, that's still gonna is still gonna means he thought himself a little money. He thought himself I don't need anything. And that's the biggest crime in our city. And the crime of the beliefs was the crime of is still gonna about what stuck Bara he had Kibera and this was the crime of Al Walid and the crime of OMA you haven't

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heard of and the crime of many of the leaders of correlation of the benefits we learned here as well. Is that the goal when we preach Islam, and this is technical, and please don't misinterpret me is not to convert. The goal is to convey why am I Laika? Allah? Yes. Zakka What business is it of yours? If al Walid does not attain this Kia notice? Why am I Lekha? Allah? Yes zakah is it your job that he attains does Kia Your job is to convey Notice he didn't say it as Kira because it is our job to do it as Kira it is our job to give knowledge it is our job to convey the message. But as for a person converting is that in my hand, is that something I have to do? And this is a big issue. If we

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understand it, actually, our data will become easier because a lot of people when they make their goal to convert, firstly, they're willing to change the message in order to call people to convert and we don't change the message. We have a product that we cannot modify. We are salespeople have a product we don't it doesn't belong to us. We are not allowed to modify what you make your goal to convert somebody. You might say, Oh no, that's not true about Islam and it is true

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Oh actually Muslims don't believe that and we do believe it but you want to convert. Secondly, when you make your goal to convert very quickly, you will realize that it's a very difficult job. And you might lose hope when nobody or very few people convert. But when you realize my job is not to convert, my job is to convey in nama la Cal Bella, your job is banal. It's not to make sure he Converse because it's not your power in Nicoletta demon bapta. You do not guide the one whom you want to guide. Allah guides whomever he pleases, pleases. So this early makansutra is teaching the Prophet SAW Selim yada swill Allah, your heart should not be attached to the person's conversion.

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Yes, if somebody can worse we're happy. But the goal is not necessarily conversion. But my goal, we preach the message, why am I they Elias Zakka, whoever doesn't want to accept that's upon them, not upon me of the benefits. He also we learned as the machete points this out in his Akasha very interesting point here, that by mentioning that he is blind, it is as if Allah subhanaw taala is saying that because he had special needs, you should have given him more attention and more love, ie. Unlike most cultures of the past, where people who had special needs were discarded, we're showing harshness, we're showing contempt. The Quran and the Sunnah came with extra emphasis on

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showing kindness to those with special needs, on showing softness to those who need extra care. And this is what as the Russian and others point out that ya rasool Allah be just because he couldn't see you does not give you the right to scowl and turn away Allah is watching and you should have had more compassion because he is blind. So by mentioning blindness, it is as if Allah is evoking for us the emotion that we should have. And because of this, it is said in the books of tafsir had been murdered and others that the Prophet system whenever he saw Maktoum, he would honor him immensely, he would give him cut them because these verses came down. And because of this, Ibn Al Maktoum was

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put in charge of the governorship of being the leader of the city. Every time the provinces have left on an expedition majority of the time more than 12 times more than a dozen times, including the Battle of brother who was put in charge of Medina, Ibn Al Maktoum. And this shows us in our religion, we don't consider an impediment such as a physical impediment or a blindness to be something that should stop you from doing something of use to the community to be in charge of something once upon a time most of the world said, if you are physically unfit, then you cannot hold office you should not be in positions of power. And our Shediac came and said, just because you

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cannot see doesn't mean you cannot do other things. He put him in charge of the city of Medina in his absence multiple times. And in fact, even only Maktoum was appointed as the more than to honor him and he was the official more than along with Bill as you know, there were two more events appointed by the prophet system in his lifetime be that and maybe even a mimic to him and in fact the process and preferred the Adana event will mean back to him as we will mentioned in books of Hadith and Falcon as a separate topic. Point is that just because he was blind, didn't stop him from holding office didn't stop it from being given positions of responsibility. And that's what I share

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the I came with of the benefits of this as well. I should have the law when it is reported. She said that if the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were to have hidden anything, he would have hidden this verse. Now another inch or another report says he would have hidden versus sort of zap. So there are two reports from Ayesha and perhaps both she said it a different times Allah knows best but one of the reports she said if the prophets Assam were to have hidden anything from the Quran, he would have hidden this verse. Why? Because nobody likes to be corrected. Nobody likes that something is not perfect and yet you know, the higher up is coming in guiding him to perfection. But

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still we are reciting these verses. And especially these verses came early Makkah when the Muslim community is small when the Quran are powerful, and these verses instruct the Prophet system to go even higher in his lap and Tobia This is a mortgages and a sign that the Quran is indeed from Allah. Honestly, I don't understand how those who reject the Quran they understand these verses and other verses like this. How can you understand that a stock for Allah you think this is the author of the Quran and then he is reprimanding himself for something like this? It doesn't make any especially in the context early Makkah it doesn't make any sense. But if it is from Allah subhanho wa taala, then

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obviously it makes complete sense. So a number of greats called was even Altea and others and

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the famous North Africans called Mohammed bin Dora is the one who wrote marches little holiday he actually says these were

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says they prove that the Quran is from Allah subhanho wa Taala because it is impossible that a human mind could have done this to reprimand himself or to make himself you know the area of fault. Why would anybody do this so this is another benefit we gain from this section. And finally we'll finish here inshallah to Allah, the beautiful tenacity or parallel the surah is so beautiful. Firstly, the images of the Bulava It is well known and understood. And also look at how the surah ends and begins look at the motifs in the beginning and the end and how they are paralleling up the first ayah Baba Soweto Allah He frowned, he turned away the ending of the surah Allah talks about the real frowning

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and the real turning away when you get your hisab in the wrong hand. Right? When you find out a stock for Allah you're going to not go into agenda that is the real one. We don't want that. What do we want? Boy hackaton was step zero. Would you who Nomade and moose Farah boy Erica Tomaz stop Ciara. What would you who in your maiden Ali ha ha Bara terracotta Katara with comfortable Fedora so Allah begins the surah by Abba so to Allah in this world, then Allah reminds us Don't worry what is important. The next world make sure you're smiling. Make sure your face is bright, and don't be those whose faces are clouded and murky and scared also Anja hola Amma that the the blind man is

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rushing towards him for knowledge for good deeds. Allah contrast this on the Day of Judgment. Yo May a federal model women are happy when a person who doesn't have any good deeds will be running away from his brother running away from his mother and father running away from his wife and children in this dunya run towards knowledge you will be safe if you don't do so in the era, you will be running away from the people whom you love, and that will be a source of punishment also is stocking up he thought he had everything. Allah contrast this on the Day of Judgment.

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Every single person liquid limited immune homeo within shutting down yogini in this world, he thought he had everything in the next world. Everything will be a problem for him shot no new money he's gonna be worried about so many things. Notice the contrast here right? Every point that Allah mentions the beginning it is contrasted at the end, and we find this beautiful Tannaz so beautiful parallel final points about abdomen Maktoum, it would only Maktoum lived a very, very pious and righteous life, he would still pray in the masjid through the process of despite the fact that he was blind, he would walk to the mysteries of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And he was not

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able to participate in and many of us are what in many expeditions, however, towards the end of his life, when he found out that were the Muslims are going to march against the Romans. And they're going to take on the Roman Empire. So he insisted that he wanted to be in that battle. And he marched with them. And they said, What are you going to do? He said, because I'm blind, I will hold the flag. And I will not be scared of any enemy, because I'm not going to see them. So I will be an anchor for the army. And you can put me in the most strategic location. And I'm going to hold the flag so that nobody's going to make me scared and Subhanallah that's exactly what he did, that they

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placed him and that strategic location in the Battle of Odyssey and the 15th of danger. And he stood there like a bracelet of soldier until death came to him and the Muslims were victorious. And he played a seminal role in that victory simply by being the Hallmark and being the flag bearer and that strategic location where he was situated. So may Allah have mercy on Ibn almanac tune and these are some of the benefits from Abba to Allah may Allah Subhana Allah guide us all to the best of all manners, which is optimal located with Santa Monica rahmatullahi wa barakato

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