Zia Sheikh – Tafseer of Surah AnNahl Ayah 93 onward 02182016
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The speaker discusses the issues of guidance and mis admitance in Islam, emphasizing the importance of accepting guidance and avoiding mis admitance. They stress the need to accept guidance and accept it without disclosing it. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of being flexible and not held accountable for one's actions, and the importance of not being afraid of slipping and not giving up on promises. The community is causing problems with money and cheating, and rewarding small profit through cheating and small profit sales.
AI: Summary ©
If Allah willed, He would have made you
one nation, but He misguides whom He wills
and guides whom He wills, and you will
be asked about what you used to do.
And do not take your oaths as an
intrusion among yourselves, lest a foot should slip
after it has been set down, and you
should taste evil because you have turned away
from the way of Allah.
And for you is a great punishment.
And do not buy with the covenant of
Allah a small price.
Indeed, that which is with Allah is better
for you, if you only knew.
That which is with you will be taken
away, and that which is with Allah will
remain.
And surely We will reward those who are
patient with their reward for the best of
what they used to do.
To achieve something.
This will, inshallah, be discussed today, later on
in the lesson.
There will be another mention of that from
a different perspective.
And the outcome and the consequences of making
false oaths.
But firstly, we are going to be discussing
a very important ayah.
And that is the ayah which talks about
the issue of guidance and misguidance.
There are many people who say that if
Allah wanted to guide me, He would guide
me.
So, because He hasn't guided me, I'm not
guided.
If He wanted me to pray, I would
pray, but He doesn't give me the tawfiq,
so I don't pray.
If Allah, and again disbelievers can say the
same thing, that if Allah wanted to give
me iman, He would give me iman, but
He didn't, so it's not my fault.
So, I shouldn't be held accountable for it.
So, this ayah talks about that issue, and
we need to understand what is the reality
of that guidance, and how we should understand
guidance from Allah SWT.
First of all, let's read the ayah, and
then after that, we'll explain and make the
tafsir of it.
Allah SWT says, وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً
وَاحِدًا If Allah SWT wanted, He would have
made you into one nation, meaning that He
could have guided all of you.
He could have guided all of you, you
could have all become Muslim.
وَلَكِنْ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَىٰى But He misguides whom
He wants, and He guides whom He wants.
So, this is something that we need to
understand, that the human being, he has something
which is known as ikhtiar, a choice.
As for other creations, animals, birds, the sun,
the moon, the mountains, the trees, they have
a procedure that they follow, and they're not
allowed to go outside of that procedure.
They're not allowed to go outside of those
norms.
You will not find, for example, that a
cat or a lion is going to eat
vegetables as a diet.
And you will not find, for example, a
cow or a goat that is going to
eat meat for a diet.
They will eat what they're supposed to eat.
However, the human being, he is given the
full choice to eat haram or halal.
He is given the choice to eat vegetables
or meat, and from the meat, which is
halal, and the meat, which is haram, he
has the choice to do that.
So, the human is actually the only creation,
or you can say the jinn also, that
have the choice of obeying Allah SWT or
disobeying Allah SWT.
This is the ikhtiyar that we've been given.
And similar to that is the issue of
the ikhtiyar, the choice to take up guidance
or not to take up guidance.
So, if we reject the message of Allah
SWT, if we reject the message of the
Prophet SAW, that means we are not choosing
guidance.
And if we reject, if we accept the
message of Allah SWT, the message of the
Prophet SAW, then we are accepting guidance.
So, this is what actually guidance is and
misguidance is.
It is not that Allah SWT pushes a
person into a corner and forces him into
misguidance.
And the other way also, that He doesn't
push a person into a corner and force
him into guidance.
Both things we have equal opportunity to accept
or deny.
So, nobody can force us really to do
anything.
We have our own choice to accept or
deny.
So, we need to understand that when we
say that Allah SWT is misguiding somebody, it
means that that person doesn't want guidance.
And because he doesn't want guidance, then Allah
SWT doesn't give him guidance.
And as for the person whom Allah SWT
is guiding, that person wants guidance, so Allah
SWT is giving him guidance.
Allah says in Surah Al-Layl, فَأَمَّا مَنْ
أَعْطَىٰ وَاتَّقَىٰ وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَةِ فَسَنُ يَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ The
person who gives and he has the Taqwa
of Allah SWT and he believes in Al
-Husna, the good message, then Allah says, we
will make Al-Yusra, the straight path, easy
for him.
And the opposite is mentioned, وَأَمَّا مَنْ بَخِلَ
وَاسْتَغْنَىٰ وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَةِ فَسَنُ يَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَىٰ The person
who denies, he is stingy and he denies
the message, the true message, then Allah SWT
says, we will make the other path, the
path of misguidance, easy for him.
So really, it is up to us to
do what we want to do.
So a person, most people object to this
issue, that if Allah misguided somebody, then it's
not his fault, then why should he go
to Jahannam?
Why should he be punished?
But then, those same people, they need to
ask the same question to the people whom
Allah SWT guided and put them into Paradise.
So if he forced them into Paradise, then
he should be held questionable too, but they
don't think about that from that perspective.
So in any case, this is what we
need to understand about guidance and misguidance.
Guidance is what we adopt, what we accept,
and misguidance is what we deny.
And that is why Allah SWT says, immediately
after that, وَلَا تُسْأَلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ Most
certainly, you will be questioned about what you
did.
So if Allah is guiding and misguiding, why
are we being questioned then?
Why should we be questioned?
In fact, Allah says very clearly, not only
will you be questioned, but there's a lot
of emphasis in this word.
There's a lot of emphasis at the beginning
of the word, وَلَا تُسْأَلُنَّ And then at
the end, the ن تأكيد.
لَتُسْأَلُنَّ Most certainly, you will be questioned.
عَمَّا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ About what you used to
do.
So when this is the case, we'll be
questioned, that means it is our responsibility to
look for guidance, to seek guidance, and then
to accept that guidance, and we will be
held accountable for that.
The issue of اختيار, we need to understand.
When we have a choice to do something,
it requires, it has a certain criteria.
And that is, the Prophet ﷺ said, رُفِعَ
الْقَلَمُ عَنْ ثَلَاث That there are three kinds
of people who are known as مرفوع القلم.
Meaning that they are not held accountable for
what they do.
They are the child until he becomes بالغ,
until he becomes mature.
The sleeping person until he wakes up.
And the مجنون, meaning the person who is
mentally ill until he becomes well again.
So in these three situations, what we find
is, that a person really doesn't have much
of a choice, and he doesn't have عقل
to guide him to what is correct and
what is incorrect.
And add to that a fourth thing, somebody
who is forced to do something.
Somebody puts a gun to your head, and
he says, Denounce Islam, otherwise I'm going to
shoot you.
So in that case, a person is مكره.
He is being forced into denouncing Islam, forced
into rejecting Islam.
So in this case, that person is not
going to be held accountable for the fact
that he says anything against Islam.
So اختیار requires that a person is, a
person who is عقل, بالغ, and a person
who is not being forced into doing something.
So that is again an extension of what
we're talking about, about having a choice.
Also, in the human being, this is a
wonderful thing that we have, that is kind
of miraculous.
That we have our senses and our abilities
that make us want to and choose what
we want to adopt, or reject what we
want to.
This is what Allah SWT enabled us to
do.
But even within our own bodies, there are
things that we really have no control over.
And they are also subservient to the command
of Allah SWT.
All of our body parts, our blood, which
is running through the body, our heart beating,
our breathing, our internal functions, the liver, the
kidneys, the digestive system, it all functions without
us having to do anything.
And that's a wonderful thing.
That is the most amazing thing, that on
the one hand, Allah SWT gave us اختیار
and the choice to do what we want
to do and what not to do.
But then even within us, He made a
creation that is غیر اختیاری and that doesn't
have a choice.
That is what the Mufassireen call تسخیری.
تسخیری means that Allah SWT just gave it
to us to serve us.
So otherwise, if we needed to be awake
to breathe, if we needed to consciously breathe,
then we would never be able to go
to sleep.
If we're not off, then our breathing would
stop and we would basically become suffocated.
One or the other will happen.
Either we will become suffocated or we wake
up to be forced to breathe.
Or if we go to sleep and our
heart stops beating, like we turn off the
engine of a car, everything in the car,
it actually stops.
It doesn't continue after that, right?
So if we turn off our engine and
our heart stops beating, then are we going
to survive?
So again, within us, there is this miracle
of things which Allah SWT has put, which
are also غیر اختیاری.
So again, one of the miracles that we
should appreciate that Allah SWT has given us.
After that, we go back to that issue
of ایمان, which is the قسم, the lies
that people have.
And they use the name of Allah SWT
to give out those lies and to make
people believe, taking false oaths, false testimonies.
So Allah SWT goes back to that issue
and says again, وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا اَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ
فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا Do not make your
oaths as an interference between you.
دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ Don't make it an interference between
you.
And I mentioned last week the different meanings
of دَخَل that people insert the oaths so
that they can cheat other people, so that
they can lie to other people, so that
they can make people believe something that is
incorrect.
To, for example, do a trade.
I swear by Allah, I got it for
$5 and I'm selling it to you only
for $6 and I'm just making $1 profit.
Please don't make me discount that $1 otherwise
I'm not going to be making any profit.
I swear by Allah, this is the truth.
And the reality is that maybe he bought
it for $2 but he just wants to
make the sale and he wants you to
buy with this intention that, you know, the
person took an oath maybe he's telling the
truth so I'll buy it for $6 and
give him $1 profit.
So, this is what is دَخَل taking oaths
as a دَخَل between you inserting them for
your own objectives.
So what happens فَتَزِلْ لَقَدَمٌ بَعْدَ خِبُوتِهَا The
feet slip after being firm.
So when a person, he is firm-footed
what happens, he is basically he is walking
along, trust everything around him and then suddenly
he slips.
So this is what Allah SWT is giving
an example of a society that will not
remain firm if people start taking false oaths.
You know, for the most part in this
country when we go shopping you know the
price that is there, it's there.
And we don't even think twice about buying
something when the price is written on the
label we take it to the counter sometimes
if it's on sale we are surprised to
find that there's actually more of a discount
than actually what's written on the label.
So we tend to pay even half price
of that particular price.
So this makes society firm, trusting, steadfast that
a person doesn't feel that he has been
cheated out of his hard-earned money.
As opposed to when a person goes to
a marketplace he doesn't know who's lying he
doesn't know who's telling the truth he doesn't
know which way to tread he doesn't know
he is always afraid of slipping up and
giving his money to a person that doesn't
deserve it.
So this is basically this very small ruling
that Allah SWT is telling us it is
actually the foundation of a firm society not
to lie and not to cheat.
It's something that we would never even think
about but the reality is that this is
the truth that when there's honesty around us
when we are sure that when we give
a loan to somebody that person is going
to give that loan back to us when
we know that the person who's selling us
the goods is telling the truth then that
makes a very firm, strong society the economy
improves the economy becomes good money circulates in
people's hands and that makes a flourishing and
good economy that means people are firm on
their feet.
If we pay attention to the news of
the economy there's always jitters in the economy
that makes the stock market go up or
down and this is all based on people's
fears.
There's a fear, for example, that the oil
prices might go up so people start selling
their shares they start panicking.
This is what it means to not be
firm in their belief about a particular transaction
that they're committed to.
So, this is what Allah mentions So, وَلَا
تَتَّخِذُوا أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ Don't make your oaths
as an intervention in between you otherwise فَتَزِلَّ
قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا otherwise the feet are going
to slip after being steadfast.
And there's another meaning of this also there's
a very deep meaning.
One of the meanings is that a disbeliever
a disbeliever interested in Islam learns, reads books,
reads the Quran, reads books of Hadith and
he reads all the material available to him
learns about Islam and then he goes and
makes a transaction with a Muslim.
He makes a transaction with a Muslim.
At this point, his view about Islam is
so positive.
To such a degree that he's about to
accept Islam.
His feet are firm.
His feet are firm in his acceptance that
Islam is the truth.
Suddenly he makes a transaction with a so
-called believer, a Muslim and in that transaction
what he does he finds that that person
is cheating him.
Oh, is this what Islam teaches?
That firm-footedness that he had about Islam,
it slips.
And when it slips he says, no way.
I cannot accept a religion that prevents me
or that cheats me of my hard-earned
money.
That is not good for society.
I cannot accept this.
So this is another meaning that when people
cheat each other then people that are interested
in Islam they will leave Islam.
Their feet will slip up.
وَتُذُوقُوا سُوءَ بِمَا صُدَدْتُمْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ And
what will happen is Allah SWT is threatening
the people that take false oaths.
Allah says, you will taste the bad effect
of the reasoning that you prevented people from
the path of Allah SWT.
So this is in the case of the
disbeliever.
The person came, was impressed about Islam suddenly
he loses interest in Islam.
He goes away from Islam.
You, the cheater, is the one who is
responsible for it.
And you will feel the consequence of that
on the Day of Judgment because of the
fact that you prevented somebody from adopting the
path of Allah SWT.
Very dangerous situation and a very powerful warning
that Allah SWT is giving us here.
Now if we take it back a bit
and take the non-Muslim out of the
picture.
But take another example of society again.
When people cheat and how that prevents people
from coming close to Islam.
Say for example, you give money to an
Islamic project.
In good faith that this is a project
for a masjid.
It's a project for a school.
It's a project for an Islamic institution.
And then you find out that the people
that were taking the money they are basically
cheating and they are pocketing half the money.
So are you going to donate next time
to that institution?
You are not going to donate.
So those people that are pocketing this money
which was waqf for Allah SWT and they
are, you know, not fearing the consequence of
that.
Not only will they see the punishment of
that in the hereafter in front of Allah
SWT but they will also have the consequence
have to deal with the consequence of preventing
people from giving more in charity and to
giving in good causes.
And we see that all the time.
Unfortunately, many masjids where the community gets together
and they start accusing the board or one
of the members of the board of pocketing
the money and cheating people.
Then obviously in the next time they are
not going to donate.
So ultimately the person who cheated the people
he is becoming a means of preventing people
from the path of Allah SWT.
This is something very serious to think about.
So Allah SWT says you will taste the
bad effect of the fact that you prevented
people from the path of Allah SWT and
specifically for you there will be a huge
punishment.
A huge punishment in the hereafter also.
After that Allah says This again goes back
to the same issue.
Do not buy with the covenant of Allah
SWT a small price.
So when you take an oath and you
try to do a trade you made some
profit.
What happened with that profit?
You used it.
You bought a shirt with it.
You bought some goods with it.
What happened?
So it was a feminine qalila.
It was a very small meager price that
you gained by selling the name of Allah
SWT.
Selling the covenant of Allah SWT.
You sold your iman.
You sold your ethics.
You sold your morals for the fact that
you wanted to make a little bit of
a profit.
Allah says Indeed what is with Allah SWT
that is better for you if only you
knew.
And there is a word here in the
middle Hua Allah SWT uses an extra word
inserts a word for emphasis.
The real word is sufficient for Allah SWT
to say Indeed whatever Allah SWT has with
him is better for you if only you
knew.
But Hua it gives more emphasis.
That is indeed better for you if only
you knew.
So what it means is that if you
are honest in your dealings if you are
honest in your trade if you are honest
in borrowing and giving back money that you
borrow from to the people that you borrow
from.
So this the small profit that you make
from it the small money that you make
by being honest that is better for you
if only you knew because Allah SWT is
going to put barakah in that small amount
for you.
The people of Shu'aib AS they were
told by Shu'aib AS they were businessmen
they were traders but they used to cheat
people.
He said to them What is remainder what
the remainder of Allah SWT meaning that the
thing that you use observing the law of
Allah SWT that is better for you if
only you knew.
So this is again the same thing that
is mentioned here.
And how so?
The next ayah is very powerful.
Ajeeb The comparison between the worldly life and
the hereafter it is nothing.
You cannot compare something which is eternal with
something that is limited.
There is no comparison.
So Allah is saying here whatever you have
with you that is going to finish.
The profit that you made by cheating people
that is going to finish.
The money is going to finish is going
to be spent is going to be wasted
and there will be no barakah in it
whatsoever.
And it will finish immediately.
But the fact that you remained honest and
you didn't cheat people and the reward for
that that is baq.
That is going to be eternal.
Whatever is with you it is going to
finish and whatever is with Allah SWT that
is going to last forever and ever.
Baq It is baqi.
It is not going to finish.
So again whatever Allah SWT is reserving for
us and the investment that we make with
Him that is much better than the small
profits that we are willing to make by
cheating other people.
And then finally Allah SWT says وَلَنَجَزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ
صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ Most certainly
we are going to reward those people that
make sabr.
And sabr is needed in these very difficult
times when everybody in the market is cheating
to get a profit.
Everybody in the market is you know using
interest to grow their business.
Everybody in the market is doing haram and
you see them getting more and more and
driving nicer cars and building a bigger house
and you are right there where you were
because you are adamant that you are not
going to cheat.
You are not going to bribe.
You are not going to do anything which
is against the command of Allah SWT.
But that requires sabr.
That requires sabr, patience.
وَلَنَجَزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ Allah SWT says Most
certainly we will reward those people that have
sabr, perseverance, patience.
We will give them أَجْرَهُمْ We will give
them their reward بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ in
a better way than what they used to
do.
So this is the reward that we should
be hoping for.
But that comes with not just wishy-washy
ideals but by remaining steadfast on the principles
that have been laid down to us by
Allah SWT and His beloved Prophet.
And that requires sabr as I just said.
It requires perseverance.
It requires a person to make sacrifices.
And if and until we are not willing
to do that and we just go with
the flow and we jump on the bandwagon
for easy and quick profits whether we cheat
people or we lie to people then you
know that is not what sabr is.
It requires sabr, patience, honesty and then we
will see خَيْرًا بَرَكًا in this world and
also in the hereafter.
وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ أَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَرُونَ
Most certainly we will reward those people that
did sabr in a better way that they
used to practice.
With that we finish inshallah this week's lesson
and pray that Allah SWT gives us taufiq
to understand and practice what has been said
and heard.