Yasir Qadhi – Wisdoms in the Quran #13 The Hidden Power Of Honesty
AI: Summary ©
The concept of bal is discussed as the ability to be fully transparent and to not give excuses to others. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and apologizing for one's actions to avoid mistakes, and gives examples of past mistakes as a way to eliminate a mistake. He also discusses the power of forgiveness, including the importance of honesty and forgiveness, and offers a summary of the importance of forgiveness.
AI: Summary ©
Today's wisdom from the Quran, Surat Al Qayamah
verses 1516.
Every single person is well aware of your
own soul.
Walawalkama
athira.
Even if you can give excuses to other
people.
You can give excuses to other people, you
cannot give excuses to yourself.
In this profound verse,
Allah reminds us
that our conscience,
our inner soul,
you cannot deceive yourself
even if you deceive other people.
And the word bal, balil insanu,
this word doesn't have an English translation,
but it is meant to emphasize,
it is meant to bring forth as if
we say, this is the truth, this is
the real truth, bal. Every time the word
bal occurs, it is a type of emphasis.
So Allah is saying, Know one thing, O
man, that
you know your own inner
soul, even if your tongue gives excuses to
other people.
SubhanAllah.
You can fool your friends. If you're caught
in an act you're not supposed to be
doing, if something, you know, that is incorrect
happens to you, if you are caught in
a crime, you can give an excuse to
the police, you can wiggle your way out
of your family, your friends, your children, but
you know in your own soul. You know
your inner conscience. Balil insanu ala nafsihi
basira.
You are well aware. Basirah means your basar
knows inner thoughts. You know fully,
transparently
what is going on. Walawalkama
adhira.
Even if the excuses are coming from your
tongue, you know in reality
who you are. And this ayah is applicable
in so many situations and circumstances.
And if you look at the works of
tafsir, you find so many beautiful examples that
illustrate this point. For example, when you're searching
for the truth, when you're searching for a
correct opinion, the fiqh opinion, for example. Our
scholars mention,
if you go to multiple ulama
asking the same question,
you have to ask yourself, what is your
niyyah for doing so?
If your niyyah is to just find the
easiest one and follow it, that is not
the right attitude.
But if your niyyah is genuine research,
if you want to find out which opinion
makes the most sense according to what you
know, the same scenario,
in one side, it is hunting for excuses,
in another side it is searching for truth.
You know inside what is in your heart.
Also, in this context,
some of our scholars mentioned, balil insanu alanafsihi
basira walalqama adhira. When people praise you, when
people praise you for something, you don't deserve
that praise. You accept that praise, but you
know in your heart, well, I'm not worthy
of that praise. So Allah is saying, you
know your own inner reality.
Don't give excuses
about who you really are. And katada also
gives an interesting tafsir of this verse, is
that every insan
is so eager
to find false in others,
and they know their own false and they
ignore their own faults. They give excuses for
your own faults. Right?
You
always
find an excuse for the same mistake. If
somebody else did it, you would make no
excuse for. So this is another phenomenon
that this aya is preaching against, and that
is the phenomenon
of concentrating on the faults of other people
as you ignore your own faults, of making
other people's mistakes your primary concern, even though
you yourself know your own weaknesses.
And Allah is pointing out the double standards.
When you make a mistake, when you act
in an irrational manner, in an angry manner,
when you fall and you slip, you give
every excuse for yourself.
And the same act if somebody else does,
your cousin does, your brother does, your friend
does, you don't find a single excuse for.
So Allah is saying, look, you will find
ma'adeer for yourself, you're not gonna find ma'adeer
for your brother. And our prophet salallahu alaihi
wa sallam told us, find an excuse for
your brother. However it might be, find an
excuse and make an urdur for him. Another
manifestation of this aya, which is, of course,
the spiritual manifestation,
and that is
on the day of judgment,
you will not be able to excuse in
front of Allah what you know that you
have done.
This world, you might excuse. This world, if
the police catch you, the IRS catches you,
your friends catch you, you might be able
to wiggle out. You might have a slippery
tongue and give excuse, but you know in
your heart what is truth and what is
falsehood. And on the day of judgment, there
shall be no excuse accepted.
No is gonna be accepted because you know
you had the capacity to do. You know
the
from we learned from the Quran
that the best excuse
is to admit you have no excuse. The
best excuse is to own up and to
confess to Allah that I have made a
mistake. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is criticizing
the concept of finding an excuse when you
are actually guilty. This is one of the
meanings of this verse. And of course, we
have a saying in English, honesty is the
best policy. This is a reality in this
dunya and the akhirah. It is a reality
amongst family and friends, and it is a
reality in the eyes of Allah. Honesty is
the best policy. You made a mistake, own
up to it. Don't find an excuse for
it. You made a mistake, don't wiggle out
and make an udur. You know you're guilty.
You know you did something wrong, and so
do not take the path of finding your
way out. And we learned this from the
Sira as well in the famous incident of
Tabukh in the Sahabi. When he realized he
made a mistake, he said, You Rasulullah,
Allah has blessed me with a tongue. And
if I wanted to, I could find a
way out, but Allah knows I am guilty,
and I don't wanna make any excuse. I
made a mistake because he was honest,
because he was honest, because of this Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala forgave him. And this is
what the ayah is talking about. Honesty in
front of Allah, honesty in front of family
and friends, honesty in front of society. Nobody
is perfect. And when you make a mistake,
don't wiggle out and find an udur because
you know who you really are. You know
what mistake you fell into. And we learned
this most importantly from our father Adam alayhi
salaam. When he made the mistake,
when he made the mistake,
he confessed.
He owned up. He said, Rabbanah
walamnaanfusana.
You Rabbi, I made a mistake, and I
wronged myself. I have no excuse, You Rabb.
I have no excuse, You Rabb. And this
is what we learn from the sunnah as
well. What is the most powerful du'a of
forgiveness? It is called Sayidu,
duaalistighfar,
the queen or the master of all duas
of isighfar. What is that dua that you
say? Oh, Allah. I
Oh, Allah. I have made a
mistake. O Allah, I admit and I confess
You have given me everything.
I admit you gave me everything,
and I admit I made a mistake and
I fell short. This is this is the
beginning. It's a much longer dua. I don't
have time to go into all of it.
The beginning is basically an admitting, You Rabbi,
you gave me every opportunity.
You Rabbi, you gave me health, you gave
me wealth, you gave me izah, you gave
me everything, and I admit
I made a mistake and I didn't live
up to that. And then the du'a goes
on, but the beginning is what? No excuse.
No excuse. Just like our father Adam, rabbanavalamnaanfusana.
Contrast this to Iblis. When Iblis was caught
in his mistake, when Iblis was challenged, Iblis
says, It's not my fault. You're the one,
You Rabb. You're the one who deceived me.
He blames Allah for the circumstances he himself
did. So this aya is powerful, and the
summary of it is don't find excuses when
you know you're wrong. Don't try to wiggle
out. And this is why on the day
of judgment, SubhanAllah,
those who reject Allah, this will apply to
the evil people, inshaAllah, will not apply to
the righteous or those that were sinners amongst
the Muslims. Those who rejected Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala, Allah says, on that day, yawmatashhadu
alayhim alsinatuhum wa idhimwarjuloomimaqano
yaksiboon
That on that day, their own limbs, their
tongues, their skins, their hands will testify
against them.
And they will say, how are you testifying
against us? And their own body is gonna
say, the one who gave you the power
to talk has now given us the power
to talk. You will not be able to
wiggle out with your tongue on the day
of judgment. Your tongue will not save you
because your body will testify to what you
have done. There is no excuse on the
day of judgment. And so Allah is saying,
You know yourself,
you know your inner heart. Don't wiggle a
way out. Don't give excuses. If you make
a mistake, own up to it and confess
because that is the only way of salvation.
Oh Muslim, the only way to be forgiven,
eliminate excuse.
Confess your sins to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
Beg Allah for forgiveness.
Recognize,
rabbana valamnaanfusana.
And when you eliminate excuses,
that is your chance of salvation, and inshallah,
we'll continue tomorrow.