Rahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Bismillah walhamdulillah wa salatu wasalamu ala rasulullah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man walah. Alhamdulillah wa abdullahi wa ameen. MashaAllah there is so much just nur coming through the screen with Dr. Nazer, mashaAllah. We are blessed to have Dr. Nazer. Dr. Nazer, Shaykh Abdullah, this is too much, mashaAllah. There is too much, there is just too much style right now, mashaAllah. So we have Dr. Nazer, alhamdulillah, from Canada. What's going on, Shaykh? MashaAllah, look at you. I'm trying to be like you, Shaykh. I was hoping if I wore it, I was hoping that I'd get the same muscular definition too when I put it on, but it didn't happen. So I'm still making du'a that it will happen. Yeah, you gotta make a lot of du'a for that one, man. The rest of Ramadan, inshaAllah, the last 10 days. Yeah, two more weeks, I think I'll get there, inshaAllah. I'm almost there. Dr. Nazer, alhamdulillah, we're very happy to have you. Dr. Nazer, of course, Director of Research Strategy in Yaqeen, Canada. He called my jokes cringe before we got started, and Shaykh Abdullah agreed with him. So for that reason, I guess I just have to take it to the next level. But no, Dr. Nazer, alhamdulillah, I can't list all the credentials that you have, alhamdulillah, but you do something with people's brains, and you also have ijazat and the qiraat and the books of hadith, and you write, inshaAllah, quite a bit on the Qur'an. You're Desi, Canadian, married to a Palestinian, dressed like Moroccan. I have no idea what to ask you about your suhoor today, Shaykh. You know what? It was the tradition of North America, leftovers. What was it, like baba ghanouj, poutine, like...
I don't know. I keep the lights off in the morning for that reason. I don't even want to see. Kus kus with... I don't know. Where does it go? Where does it go from here? MashAllah, I'm very happy to have you. Alhamdulillah, ibn Ameen. Shaykh Abdullah, how's it going, man? Alhamdulillah, I'm good. I'm very good, alhamdulillah, thankful. Did you have a healthy iftar last night? A healthy iftar? Yes, I did, alhamdulillah. I did. Are you willing to share what it was or just leave it like that? No, yeah, it was... Was it protein? No, it was watermelon, dates, electrolytes, and yeah. And then I had some chicken. Oh, yeah, some chicken and kebab. With rice? No, no, actually, with some salad, some green iceberg lettuce, but it's okay. MashAllah, mashAllah. I'm glad I taught you well, Shaykh. Yes, JazakAllah khair. I quit the course recently, alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah, ibn Ameen. We are at Juz 14 today, I believe. Or 13. Are we on 14? 14. Alhamdulillah, ibn Ameen. We're on Juz 14 today. Alhamdulillah, wa salatu wa salam wa rasool Allah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala. InshaAllah, we're actually going to start with Dr. Nadir. We have, alhamdulillah, ibn Ameen, quite a bit in regards to Surah Al-Nahl. And of course, inshaAllah ta'ala, as we get into this surah and some of the other themes of this Juz, I think what Dr. Nadir has to offer, inshaAllah ta'ala, will help set the tone, ibn Ameen. So, Dr. Nadir, tafadhal. Alright, bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salatu wa salam wa ala rasool Allah. So, Surah Al-Nahl is also known as Surah Al-Ni'm. And it's a chapter on blessings. And this surah contains the most detailed description of all of the different blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has provided.
It tells us about, you know, the animals that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has subjugated to human beings. It tells us about the alternation of night and day, the sun and the moon, seafood and sailing, honey, and the gifts of marriage, children and grandchildren, the gifts of memory and knowledge. All of these are blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given to us that we take for granted. And the surah mentions, wa in ta'uddu ni'matallahi la tuhsuha, inna Allaha la ghafoorur raheem. If you tried to count the blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you would be unable to. Verily, Allah is most forgiving and most merciful. This surah reminds us that, you know, two fundamental aspects of our iman are sabr and shukr, patience and gratitude. Patience and gratitude are like the two legs with which a believer walks through all of the challenges and difficulties in this life. Patience and gratitude are the mindset that are critical for every believer to take whatever life experience comes their way and to turn it into something positive, to turn it into a positive experience of coming closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. As our Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, a'jaban li amri almumin fa inna amra hu kullahu khair, wa laysa dhaka li ahadin illa lilmumin. The situation of the believer is amazing, the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam said. For verily, no matter what's happening to him, it's always ultimately good for him. And that's only the case for someone with proper iman in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. If some goodness or prosperity comes to him, he turns to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in gratitude and thankfulness. And in that the ultimate result is good. And if he experiences some calamity or some adversity, he turns to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with patience. And in that there is ultimately good. So no matter what is happening, the believer is coming closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and benefiting regardless. And this surah reminds us of gratitude throughout the surah. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions after enumerating several blessings at the beginning of the surah,
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, wa li tabtaghu min fadlihi wa la'allakum tashkurun So that you may seek the bounties of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and so that you may be grateful to Him. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also tells us, there's an interesting verse in the surah which Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, he used as a proof that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created us for the purpose of showing gratitude. Part of the reason for which we have been brought into existence is to be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And that is the verse where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, wallahu akhrajakum min butooni ummahatikum la ta'lamuna shay'a wajAAala lakum assamAAa walabasara walafidata la'allakum tashkurun That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers, not knowing anything. And Allah gave you the faculties of hearing, sight and cognition so that you may be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us that, washkuruniAAmatallahi in kuntum iyaahu ta'budoon Be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for His blessings if it is truly Him that you worship. And finally, towards the end of the surah, after mentioning the blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and contrasting the attitude of those who are grateful with those who are arrogant and deny the favors of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala by associating others with Him. At the very end of the surah Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us the ultimate role model. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us to follow in the example of Prophet Ibrahim alayhi salam. And he mentions various virtuous traits about Ibrahim alayhi salam, that he is devoutly obedient to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, that he was a monotheist, he worshipped none besides Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And what does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala seal the description with? He says, shakiran li an'umeh That he was grateful for the favors and blessings we bestowed upon him. As a result of which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, ijtabaahu wa hadahu ila sirat al-mustaqeem That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose him and guided him along the straight path.
Something that all of us are aspiring to and praying to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for that guidance. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows us the importance of gratitude in the surah. That gratitude is not just a nice trait to have for a believer out of a set of optional traits. Gratitude is part of our theology. It is the part of the foundations of our faith as Muslims. And you know what's interesting about gratitude is there's a lot of attention on gratitude in contemporary psychology and specifically in positive psychology. There's a lot of research highlighting the physical and mental health benefits associated with gratitude. So for example, people who keep a gratitude journal where they write down everything that happened to them during the day that they're grateful for. All the positives of their day, they write it down in a journal and they do that on a consistent basis. They experience a 10% reduction in stress related illnesses. They experience a reduced risk of high blood pressure. They experience reduced risk of anxiety and depression. So there's all these physical and mental health benefits associated with something so simple, which is just practicing gratitude towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Now at the same time, we as Muslims should also be aware that there is an attempt to try to secularize gratitude. Because people want to have all these benefits associated with gratitude, but they don't want to bring God into the picture. So they try to dissociate God from gratitude and they say things like, you know, I just want to thank the universe. And this kind of thinking even starts to affect Muslims. Muslims tend to accept these secularized understandings of their own religion that strip the religion of any theological content or moral teachings. And it's important for us to be aware of that and to realize that there's a few reasons why it doesn't make sense to just say you want to thank the universe. You want to thank atoms and molecules. That makes about as much sense as saying that you want to thank the pots and pans for the delicious meal that you ate instead of thanking the chef who cooked it. Wa lillahi al-matthil al-a'ala. To Allah belongs the best example. Which, by the way, is also a phrase that comes from Surah an-Nahl.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows us the importance of gratitude in this surah. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows us the importance of not taking even the smallest blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for granted. So in this surah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the example of the bee. And that's why it's named an-Nahl. It's named after the bee. And of course, we know about, you know, that the bee is the only insect which produces food for human beings. This small creature, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made it a source of food and sustenance for human beings. But not only in terms of honey, we know about the blessings related to honey and the amazing facts related to honey. But look at as well in this verse about the bee, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ Then go forth and eat of every plant bearing fruit. The bee is also extremely important to humanity because it is a critical pollinator. It transfers pollen from the male plants to the female plants in order for them to bear fruit. So out of, you know, the 100 or so crops that feed the vast majority of the world's population, roughly 80 of them are pollinated by bees. Anything from fruits like apples, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, or vegetables like eggplants or asparagus, or even things like almonds, or even if you're eating a bowl of hummus, the chickpeas are pollinated by bees. In fact, one in every three meals eaten by humans is pollinated by bees. Think about that when you're looking at the food on your iftar table, or when you're talking about suhoor. One in three meals is brought to us through the blessings of Allah subhanu wa ta'ala in this tiny creature, something that we tend to take for granted. So the final thing I want to mention is that Ramadan is a month in which we are supposed to train ourselves to be more grateful to Allah subhanu wa ta'ala. It's actually part of the purpose for which fasting was legislated, as Allah subhanu wa ta'ala mentions in the Qur'an,
وَلِي تُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِي تُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ So that you may complete the month of fasting, and that you may declare the greatness of Allah subhanu wa ta'ala, and so that you may be grateful for the blessings that Allah subhanu wa ta'ala has provided. So when you're going through that day of fasting and you're feeling that hunger and that thirst, you know that at the time of iftar, when you break your fast, the most delicious sip of water is that first sip of water that you take. The time that you're most appreciative of the blessings of Allah subhanu wa ta'ala is when you break your fast. And Allah subhanu wa ta'ala will ask us about that on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told us, أَوَّلْمَا يُسْأَدُ عَنْهُ الْعَبْدِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنَ النَّعِيمِ The first thing that the servant will be asked about on the Day of Judgment, from the blessings that Allah subhanu wa ta'ala has given him, is that it will be said to him, أَلَمْ نُصِحَّ لَكَ جِسْمَك وَنُرْوِيَكَ مِنَ الْمَاءِ الْبَارِضِ Did we not give you a healthy body and provide you cool water to drink? Two blessings that we tend to take for granted. May Allah subhanu wa ta'ala make us from amongst the grateful. JazakAllah khair. Ameen. MashaAllah. That was absolutely beautiful. JazakAllah khair. Dr. Nadir. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. As-salamu ala alayhi wa sahbihi wa ma'ala ala. Once again, subhanAllah, it's always amazing to me how we don't actually coordinate, you know, the topics. We do let each other know what ayat we're going to speak about, but the way they build on one another. SubhanAllah, this juz' of course has two surahs, Al-Hijr and Al-Nahl. I'm going to focus on Al-Nahl, and I think we all are. But as it's talking about gratitude for the various blessings, there's also this constant emphasis on guidance being the greatest blessing that Allah subhanu wa ta'ala has sent to a person. And how that guidance will continue to yield blessing upon blessing upon blessing, fi dunya wal akhira, in this life and in the next.
And so you're transitioning. And of course, you know, just for the sake of historicizing this once again, that this is Maki Qur'an, right? This is just reminding people about Allah, about the Day of Judgment, about the Hereafter, and the various blessings that have been given to them and connecting them to the creed at its core. And this is going to be the case for the next few abza' for the next few chapters of the Qur'an. But here in the very beginning of Surah Al-Hijr, Allah subhanu wa ta'ala says, Rubbama yawaddu alladhina kafaru law kanu muslimeen Right? That there would come a time, and this is the time, that those who disbelieve would wish they were believers. Because all they're seeing now is that being a believer yields persecution and hardship, and it is primarily the weak that are embracing this faith. And so these are not the blessed people when you look at them in Makkah, right? They don't seem to be the people of na'im, the people of blessing, but they are the blessed people because they've been blessed with guidance, and that is going to yield far more than any of the material wealth that is in fact distracting these people from accepting Allah subhanu wa ta'ala. So, Rubbama yawaddu alladhina kafaru law kanu muslimeen, the very beginning of Surah Al-Hijr, they would wish one day that they could have been amongst the believers. And I'm going to focus on three ayat in Al-Nahl, but before that, to preface it, verse 28, Allah subhanu wa ta'ala in Al-Nahl takes us to the end of the life of this person that was stubborn, that was rejecting guidance, that was constantly acting in aggression and oppression. And Allah subhanu wa ta'ala is telling us when the angels are coming to them, and they've wronged themselves, right? The angels are coming to them and they have wronged themselves, and at that point now, they are in the full grasp of the mala'ika and full submission, and they say, ma kunna na'malu minsoo, you know, we weren't doing anything wrong. We were not doing any evil. So, they're still trying to deny that they did anything wrong,
and that they turned away from righteous guidance and failed to act righteously. And Allah subhanu wa ta'ala says that the angels will say, bala inna Allaha alimun bima kuntum ta'maloon, rather Allah knows fully what you used to do, right? So don't even try to use the excuse anymore, because at this point now you're going back to the one who sent you guidance and who knows you, and you chose to reject it. So you can't simply say, ma kunna na'malu minsoo, we weren't doing anything wrong. We did not do any evil. It was very apparent to you what it was that you were turning your back on. And now you move to verse 30 of Al-Nahl, and this is so beautiful. SubhanAllah, it has so many themes of Ramadan, and I'll try my best to cover them inshaAllah ta'ala. And it builds so beautifully off of what Dr. Nadir just spoke about. Wa qeela lilladheena taqaw maada anzala rabbukum qaalu khayra And what it is said to those people of taqwa. I want you to note in these few verses how often the word taqwa comes, which is of course the purpose of fasting. And taqwa yields shukr, because Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says, kutiba AAalaykum al-siyam kama kutiba AAala latheena min qablikum laAAalakum tattaqun Fasting was prescribed on you as it was prescribed on those who came before you so that you could gain taqwa, God consciousness. And then, li tukminu al-iddata wa li tukabbiru Allah AAala maa hadhakum wa laAAalakum tashkurun At the end of Ramadan, you become people who are grateful to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, particularly for guidance. And so Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying that when it's said to those people of taqwa, maada anzala rabbukum? What did your Lord reveal to you? And you know, when you're told, you know, what did Islam come with? What did Quran come with? Some people could say, man, it's a lot of prohibitions. It's a difficult lifestyle. It's making me an outcast in my society. It is putting, you know, all sorts of difficult barriers in my life. It's restriction. It is fasting.
You could cite the prohibitions. And if you are living amongst a group of Muslims who are in fact being persecuted for their belief, then you could have cited the persecution. But here, notice that they don't do that. Right? What do these believers say? What do these people of taqwa say when they're asked, what did your Lord reveal? They say khayrah, just goodness. It's all good. Everything that has come is good. It is all the best. Right? And Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la continues in this ayah, lilladhina ahsanu fee haabihi dunya hasana, wala daaru al-akhirati khayr, wala ni'ma daaru al-muttaqim. That for those who have submitted themselves, for those who do good in this world, there is nothing but goodness in return to them. For those who do good in this world, there is nothing but goodness in return for them. But far better is the eternal home of the hereafter. Right? That's even khayr. That's even better. Right? So they're already living the blessing of this guidance. But what awaits them is even better. And how excellent, how amazing indeed is the home of daaru al-muttaqim, the home of the people of God consciousness. jannatu adnin yadkhulunaha tajree min tahti al-anhaar lahum feeha ma yasha'oon kathalika yajzid la al-muttaqim. Once again, these gardens of eternity which they enter, beneath which rivers flow. In it they have whatever they desire. Okay? And of course here mentioning that they have whatever they desire is in response to those who were turning away from guidance because they were worshippers of their desires. And so here people who enter into paradise with the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, after having lived the pleasure of being obedient to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in this life, they have whatever they want in jannah. kathalika yajzid la al-muttaqim. And this is the way that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala rewards al-muttaqim, once again the people of taqwa.
And Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says finally here, alladhina tatawaffahumul malaika, that they are the ones who the angels take their souls, tayyibin. And they are in a state of virtue. yaqooluna salamun alaykum. They say to them, salamun alaykum, peace be on to you. udkhulul jannah bima kuntum ta'maloon. Enter into paradise for what you used to do. And SubhanAllah, I'll end with just one benefit in regards to this verse here and in the response here. You know, Allah Azawajal was telling us about those who are being, you know, received by the angels in a negative way. And they say, we didn't, you know, they expressed a complete lack of self-awareness, right? We didn't use to do any evil, we did nothing wrong. And the angels say, inna Allaha alimun bima kuntum ta'maloon. Allah knows what you used to do. Allah knows what you used to do. For the people of taqwa, they are people who are people of hyper-awareness, great self-awareness, because they're aware of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the one who forgets Allah forgets themself. Also the opposite of that, the one who remembers Allah remembers themself. And so they are not people who are caught off guard. They are not people who are heedless. They are not people who are, you know, taken by surprise when it comes to the angels coming their way. They're people who are ready because they have embraced the gift of guidance and they are fully aware of how amazing that gift of guidance has been. And they acted in accordance with it. So the angels, when they come to them, what do they say? You know, they say, enter into paradise, bima kuntum ta'maloon, by what you used to do. Like you already know the good that you used to do. Here's the reward, we're coming to you. You've been living your entire life waiting for this moment, or at least the last part of your life, because some people make a turn in life. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la grant us chisnul khitab, a good ending either way. Allahumma ameen. But this is what you were expecting. Here's the paradise. You're already going to see it.
Here's the paradise in response to that, that which you used to do, which you know that you used to do, which you embraced wholeheartedly and which you called khair, which you called a blessing and nothing but good. And indeed there is no greater blessing. There is no greater blessing than the blessing of guidance. Alhamdulillah lathee hadana lihada wama kunna linahtadhi laula an hadha Allah Alhamdulillah, all praises be to the one who guided us to this. We would not have been able to find this on our own, nor would there have been any replacement for the gift of this guidance, the blessing of this guidance. And all of the worldly blessings around us, like the ones that Dr. Nader just spoke about, all of them lend themselves back to the proof of a creator who has put us on this earth with a greater purpose. And guidance is what lends us to that greater purpose and that greater reward in the hereafter. May Allah Azawajal allow us to realize that together. Allahuma ameen. Shukr Allah, tafadhal. Bismillah wa salatu wa salam wa ala rasulullah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala amma ba'du. Just as was mentioned, gratitude and guidance. It reminds me, it just hit me now when you were talking. I remember when I was at a masjid, the masjid that I embraced Islam at, it was about a couple of maybe two years after that, there was another individual that embraced Islam, Mustafa. And upon leaving the masjid, I asked him, how do you feel? You know, you're always asking the brother or the sister, how did they feel? What were you going through? You know, some of them are crying, they can't even explain. I remember he was on cloud nine. He was like 220 volts. He said, I wanna go tell the world. I wanna tell the world about this treasure. That was how he viewed it, that it was a treasure. It was something that he embraced. And that's why I love the term embracing Islam because it's something you hold firmly, you know, you hold tight to, you hold on to tightly.
Being that you embrace Islam and you embrace this faith of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and believing in Him by Himself and not saying that He is like His creation. So him wanting to tell the world, quote unquote, that should be the generic position of the Muslim is that they want to let people know about this faith. Now, how we do it is where we fall short or we hit the mark. But in actuality, that mark is a universal mark, but in different ways of getting there. What do I mean by that? Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la in the chapter of Nahl, at the very end of this Juz, he talks about it in verse number 125. A couple of verses before 125, he talks about Ibrahim Alayhi Salam, when he mentions in verse number 123, when he says, thumma awhayna ilayka anittabi' millata Ibrahim hanifan wa ma kani minal mushrikeen. Then we reveal to you, O Muhammad, follow the creed of Abraham, millata Ibrahim, a man of pure faith, and he was not an idolater. Tahir ibn Ashur, he mentions, the Tunisian scholar mentions a couple of verses after that. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la basically tells you the methodology in calling people to the millata Ibrahim. What is the way that you do it? What are the circumstances that may take place that you may have to consider one way over another way? Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la mentions it here, after audhubillah minash shaitanir rajim, when he says, ud'u ila sabili rabbika bilhikmati walmaw'ilatil hasanati wajadil billatihi ahsan inna rabbaka huwa a'lamu biman dhalla AAan sabilih huwa a'lamu bilmuhtadeen Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says, call the people to the way of your Lord with wisdom. Let's stop here for a minute. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la firstly gives an imperative verb, ud'u, that's from da'wah, so call. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, all of the prophets, the rasul, the rusul,
they were given a message and they were ordered to be, nabiyyin, to be the ones that relay the message, to give the news, basheeran, to give glad tidings, wa nathiran, and to warn as well. This was their lifelong mission. So when it comes to us as human beings, we have to understand that that mission is the mission to tell people about our purpose of life, which is to show gratitude to God, recognizing that hidayah and continuously show gratitude. This gratitude, the best way to show gratitude is the way that God has given you, the framework, the blueprint, the sharia, Islam. Praying five times a day, being good to your neighbor. All of these are manifestations of gratitude. When recognizing that hudah, which is the best gift that you can be given, to recognize and to see the smoke is clear, thank you, Allah. And how do I want to thank you? I want to start praying five times a day because I know you love that. And that's what I'm going to try my best to do. And on top of it all, you know if I'm real with this or not. You know my intention. This clarity that you have, if it is a jewel to you, if it is something that you cherish, if it is something that you love the most because you know God has given it to you, do you not want to tell other people about it? When we realize that someone, if you realize and you know that someone has told you something and they cherish that news that they have given you, and the only reason they tell you is that they want you to win, they want what's good for you, how do you feel about that person? If somebody tells you about a job opportunity, you know many times with people that come to America and they may, you know, people from their same culture, nationality, may reach out to them and say, I know a job opportunity here, I know this here. Or when you're in school, somebody tells you about a great teacher, a great tutor, you know, they didn't have to. But the fact that they did, you sit back and think, they didn't want anything for that, they just wanted good for me.
What about your purpose of life? Dawa, calling people. So Allah orders us to do that because He knows the results of it internally and externally. Internally, that you're doing something that Allah loves and is pleased with, and it increases your iman the more you talk about Him. And externally, for the people that are around you, they see that you have a genuine love for them. To the degree, when you look at elements of misguidance, immorality, it creates a sense of disgust in your heart, and you get saddened, and sometimes even angry to a certain degree, for the sake of Allah. Subhanahu wa ta'ala. So Allah says, Ardu'u ila sabili rabbika Call to the path of your Lord, bil hikmah, hikmah, wisdom. This is so important when telling people about anything, when you want them to do something that you know is beneficial for them. So when talking to fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, grandparents, grandmothers, you know, those that have authority over individuals, bigger brothers and sisters, it's important to understand that we have to have wisdom in the way that we call to Allah, in the way that we act, in the way that we speak about how we act to people. SubhanAllah, when we look at hikmah, hikmah is important because it's doing everything at the right time. You're doing the right thing at the right time. And this is important when one has hikmah, they have what we know as wisdom and the experience. There have been many times at a time in your life where you did something, you didn't like it. You didn't understand it. But later in life, you say, now I understand. To where when someone you see, your child, your neighbor, your classmate, or your student, you say, you know what, I've been through that before. Sit down, let me tell you a little something real quick. You're gonna save them years of anguish, years of sadness even. The anguish and sadness of confusion, of darkness, of not knowing why you were put on this earth.
One has to be wise and understand who they are talking to. And this is why it's important in regards to fatawa, or speaking to people of a different culture, to understand their culture, to understand what they may view as respect. And it's within the hudud and bounds of the sharia, to understand what they may view as a beautiful way of acting. And it's important for us to understand that because when we want to tell people about God, as one, SubhanAllah, mentor of mine, he said, call people to the sunnah with the sunnah. Call people to the way of the life of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam by you acting as a Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. We don't call them to the sunnah with an attitude of anger, with an attitude of belittlement towards the others. So when we talk about with hikmah and maw'idatin hasana, then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says, you're calling to wisdom and good teaching. And the maw'idah is, SubhanAllah, is to call people to that which they may not be doing, or that which can be done better, is a maw'idah. It's a reminder and somewhat translated as an admonishment. As a companion said about the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam when he was giving the khutbah of hajjatul wada' he was giving the last sermon, that he said that, wajilat minhun quloob, wadharafat minhur uyun. That when he was giving this sermon, the hearts trembled and the eyes shed tears. That's the maw'idah. The khutbah that you give on Fridays should be a maw'idah. It should not be a lesson, but it should be a maw'idah, a reminder for the next jum'ah. To get them motivated to hopefully be disciplined in a particular act. And Allah says, hasana here, because SubhanAllah, you know, al-Qurtubi mentions, a Spanish scholar, he mentions that SubhanAllah, when one gets a reminder, an admonishment, it can be reminding them of something that they should be doing or should not be doing. So naturally, the individual may have a level of prohibition. They don't want to do it. That's why it's important for the caller,
the one speaking, your father to your son that's a teen, or to your daughter that's a teen, or if you're an Islamic studies teacher, or you're a neighbor, or someone that is trying to call someone, do it with hasana, do it with ihsan, hasana. Make it something that is beautiful. Hasana, and the word hasana, if we look it up in the Arabic language, it means that which is beautiful, because that which is done with excellence. Because when you see someone doing their best, that is a beautiful thing. How many times do we see with people that we teach them something, and we know that they didn't arrive with the mark that we would expect, but you can look on their face that they tried their best. That's what's beautiful. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la continues on to say, wajadilhum billatihi ahsan, and argue with them or dispute with them in the most courteous way. And them in the context of this verse is with the mushrikeen, the idolaters at that time. But then Allah says again, billatihi ahsan. If you see the Islamophobes, for example, of those that are mildly Islamophobic, they're not being so vulgar against Islam and Muslims. You see those that SubhanAllah, maybe off of the path, they're still Muslim, but they're not really practicing or giving what you know as a person that they could give of their best to the deen. Some may have misconceptions about Islam, and may say things in the name of Islam that is not from Islam at all. It's important for you that has the lofty manners, inshallah, that is trying to display and protect the deen of Islam, to do it with ihsan, with good manners, with a smile. You know, not speaking badly about them, in front of them or even behind them, but to do it with goodness and justice, inshallah. And Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala concludes by saying, inna rabbaka huwa a'lamu biman dhalla AAan sabeeri huwa a'lamu bil muhtadeen. Verily, your Lord knows best who has strayed away from his path and who is rightly guided. The scholars mention here, and this is beautiful, because when we make the effort of da'wah, and may Allah bless the brothers and sisters, especially those that are at their work or in the colleges especially, that are doing the Islamic Awareness Week, and they're doing their best.
Well, Allah, if you're a Muslim in the campus, please don't walk by the table. Stand at the table and see what you can do to help. Go through those trial and errors. Make those mistakes for the sake of Allah. Allah loves it. So Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala knows who is rightly guided and who is misguided. The scholars mention here, it is not in your hands. The person you thought may be guided wasn't guided by what you said, what you rehearsed, what has helped other people. It is not in your hands. Allah is the most knowledgeable. What's important for you is the balagh, balagh is to relay the message to the people. That's your responsibility. And in actuality, when you relay that responsibility, when you relay that message, that it can be with your intention or form of gratitude, recognizing the guidance and doing this action as a form of gratitude. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala make us callers to Islam, callers to the purpose of life in the way that is most conducive to the people that we are calling to. Barakallahu fikum, salamu alaykum. Barakallahu fikum, Jazakallahu khair, Shaykh. I think SubhanAllah, one of the things that just stands out here is that if you're going to present the gift of guidance to someone, make sure you're presenting it like a gift. If you present the gift of guidance like a curse, then even if you have the right content, the method of delivery is going to cause anxiety and distress. You want to call people to this way, like I found something amazing and I want you to find it as well. I found a gift and I want you to find this gift as well. And it's a blessing and I want you to enjoy this blessing as well. And sometimes, SubhanAllah, we just don't do, we do a disservice to the religion and to this beautiful message by our own shortcomings. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala guide us to that which is best in delivering this guidance. May Allah make us amongst those that are guided themselves and that are a means of guidance for others. Allahumma ameen. Doctor, now that I have a question for you, SubhanAllah,
you mentioned some beautiful facts in regards to the bee, an-nahd. And Alhamdulillah, one of the blessings is that we do have people that are uniquely trained in different areas. And it just occurred to me to really ask you this. As someone who has obviously studied the deen and is deep in the text, but you're also a neuroradiologist, right? And so is there a moment, I hear this often from people in their medical careers, is there a moment where you just thought, wow, Allah is so merciful to us, what a blessing. And this blessing is such a proof of the existence of God. Yeah, SubhanAllah, I get that feeling all the time studying some of these natural ayat that Allah SubhanAllah describes and reflecting on the ayat of Allah SubhanAllah in nature. Allah SubhanAllah tells us his signs are in scripture, ayatul qurania, but there's also ayatul qawniya, the signs of Allah SubhanAllah in nature. And just reflecting on, Allah SubhanAllah says about honey, feehi shifa'u an din nas. And it is healing for humanity. And we know that honey contains within it hydrogen peroxide. It has antibacterial properties. It has anti-inflammatory properties. There's a lot of meta-analyses being done talking about many different benefits associated with honey. And SubhanAllah, it's always something that increases a person's iman and makes a person realize all the profound blessings that Allah SubhanAllah has placed around us in the creation, SubhanAllah. JazakAllah khair, absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed having you, Dr. Nawaz, JazakAllah khair, Allah SubhanAllah bless you and increase you. JazakAllah khair, Shaykh Abdullah for those beautiful reflections, inshAllah ta'ala. A reminder to everyone, a few things. Number one, to subscribe to the channel. I know some of you, Alhamdulillah, keep up but are not subscribed, perhaps subscribe, inshAllah, to donate, to benefit from the free resources that are there, to subscribe to the Yaqeen Podcast channel, which is still releasing, Alhamdulillah,
I mean, podcasts in Ramadan. And we have some very exciting podcasts that have just come out, as well as some new papers that have come out on the Yaqeen website. So subscribe to Yaqeen Podcast, subscribe to Yaqeen's channel, inshAllah ta'ala. Donate and inshAllah ta'ala, we will see you tomorrow, bi-billahi ta'ala. JazakAllah khairan, Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Wa'alaikumussalam wa rahmatullah.