Qur'an 30 for 30
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Juz' 16 with Roohi Tahir
Sh. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Abdullah Oduro, joined by special guest Roohi Tahir, explore gems from the 16th Juz' of the Holy Quran.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. I've been asking my Aiman al-Shaytanu al-Jami, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. I want to welcome you all back to Qur'an 30 for 30. InshaAllah tonight we have a special guest, Mr. Abdul Waheed Tahir, who's with us today, who's written some of the beautiful pieces on spirituality, Alhamdulillah, Yaqeen, on tawbah, on repentance, on tawakkul, on reliance on Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, and how to really bring those concepts into our lives. And so I think those concepts are very much so intertwined with the surahs that we're covering in this particular juz. So looking forward to hearing your insights, bi-bindayat ta'ala, as well as Shaykh Abdullah Wadooroo, as usual. InshaAllah ta'ala, I'm going to, inshaAllah ta'ala, elaborate on some of the beautiful ayat that we have tonight. InshaAllah, before we get started, I want to just point everyone to the link, inshaAllah, where we want to invite everyone, inshaAllah ta'ala, to put in their sadaqah, to automate their charity over the last 10 nights. So if you click the link, you'll see an option to donate one time or to donate over the last 10 nights, inshaAllah ta'ala, or to become a recurring donor, inshaAllah ta'ala. So make the niyyah from now, inshaAllah, go in there, put your sadaqah in from now, inshaAllah ta'ala, bi-bindayat ta'ala, we'll distribute over those nights, bi-bindayat ta'ala, and we'll have the Finish Strong webinar telethon that's going to be on May 13th, inshaAllah ta'ala, from 3pm to 8pm Eastern, five hours where we're going to be showcasing the entirety of our team, getting everyone ready, inshaAllah ta'ala, for those last 10 nights,
as that night will be the 21st night of the night, inshaAllah ta'ala. So we pray that Allah Azza wa Jalla accepts what has already passed the Ramadan from us, and that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la allow us to be geared up in the best way possible for what comes. Now, as we get into Juz 16, inshaAllah ta'ala, I do want to carry where Surat Al-Kahf connects to this. Of course, Juz 16 comes in the middle of Surat Al-Kahf, but if you remember with Dr. Hassan Alwan, he mentioned the beautiful ayah, the context between inna nahnu nazalna dhikr, that we are the ones who reveal this reminder, wa inna lahul hafidhun, and we are the ones that will preserve it. And he talked about the context of, imagine the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and his companions at that time persecuted, and you don't have rapid means of communication. The Quran is only preserved, written on a few bones here and there, some skins here and there, and the memory of those people who are likely to be killed and massacred, and Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la swearing in those moments that he will preserve the Quran. Surat Al-Kahf, subhanAllah, which is the very next surah, builds off of that how, how Allah preserves a group of young men that are escaping with their faith, and not just this group of young men that went to escape with their faith, and Allah Azawajal protected them from a tyrant of their times, but also gave us in the surah a gift that could protect our faith at a time when faith will be extremely volatile. That is the time of Dajjal. So the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam of course mentioned to us that one of the benefits of Surat Al-Kahf is that it is a protection, the first 10 ayahs in some narrations, the last 10 is a protection from Dajjal. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la protect us in those times and at all times. Allahumma ameen. We mentioned how this sort of connects to the story of Musa Alayhi Salaam. So Musa, a different layer of Musa Alayhi Salaam, is in Surat Al-Kahf, and then Surat Al-Isra, Surat Al-Kahf,
Surat Maryam, and then Surat Taha. And you see a different side of the story of Musa Alayhi Salaam, how Musa Alayhi Salaam was learning about the Qadr of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la as it was unfolding. And Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la the culmination of that journey in Surat Maryam and then in Surat Taha in particular, which gets to the ultimate test of Musa Alayhi Salaam with all of the generating of that knowledge, of that wisdom, and understanding the power and wisdom of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. And when he's given that command to go forth to Fir'aun as Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la commands him to do, and he's shown the wonders, the miracles of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and what's been given to him. As we get into Surat Maryam, and I know that Sister Ruhi is going to talk about du'a, so I'm not going to focus too much on that inshaAllah Ta'ala. Though it's a beautiful continuation of the idea of miracles and the way that du'a works. And it's not just that, but it shows you how Allah answers du'a. So in the case of Imran, the father of Maryam Alayhi Salaam, and his wife Hinnah bint Faqud, the mother of Maryam Alayhi Salaam, they made du'a for something specific, which is they asked Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la for a boy that they could dedicate to the temple, and Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la gave them Maryam, a girl. And if you remember, just two ajza' ago, Allah Azawajal talked about kufr al-ni'm, to belittle the blessing of a young girl. And so here you have Surah Maryam, subhanAllah. So just in the previous juz, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la mentioning those people that would bury their daughters alive out of shame. And now you have a whole surah named after Maryam, who when she was born, her mother wondered why she wasn't a boy that she could dedicate to the temple. So how Allah answers the du'a of a person in a way that they did not anticipate, but look subhanAllah, Allah gave through the descendants of Imran and his wife, Maryam as well as Isa.
What an amazing lineage to have. Mary and Jesus come from your lineage, subhanAllah. So Maryam Alayhi Salam was an added gift. In the case of Zakariya Alayhi Salam, Zakariya Alayhi Salam calling upon Allah in his old age, at a time when no one would expect to have a child, and Allah not just giving him any child, but Allah giving him Yahya, already customized with a name, with special traits, with everything that you could possibly want in a child in Yahya Alayhi Salam, even in his old age. So Allah perfecting a du'a beyond what Zakariya could have even imagined when he asked his Lord for that blessing. And then you have the story of Maryam Alayhi Salam, who was given a child and she didn't even ask for a child. And I think there is something to be said about how the previous surah, surah Al-Kahf, talks about the death of a young child and the pain that that brings to the parents of that young child, and Musa Alayhi Salam having trouble understanding why Al-Khadr took the life of that young child, or Allah Azawajal commanded that the life of that young child be taken. So in the previous surah, it could be deemed that it was a curse that the baby was taken. And in this surah, it's that the child being given is looked at as a curse. SubhanAllah, so Maryam Alayhi Salam sees the child that's being given to her, or sees that she becomes pregnant. Of course, once she saw Isa Alayhi Salam, once she was assured by her Lord, it's different at that point. But when she's given the news of a child, why? I didn't ask Allah for a child. So in the previous surah, why would Allah take away the child? In this surah, why would Allah give this child? Which shows you that truly the blessings of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala are still beyond our comprehension. And in both of these situations, it was better for the one that was being given that blessing. And so Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala gives us the ni'mah of Isa Alayhi Salam,
the bushra of Isa Alayhi Salam, of Jesus, the son of Mary, peace be upon them both. And you have Isa Alayhi Salam and his declaration of tawheed, his declaration of monotheism, his declaration of the innocence of his mother, and continuing that noble prophethood. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala send his peace and blessings upon him. Allahuma ameen. I know Shaykh Abdullah will be talking about some of those themes as well. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala then mentions the methodology of da'wah with Ibrahim Alayhi Salam. So the story of Ibrahim Alayhi Salam with his da'wah and the grace that he showed, and how Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala blessed him with another nation. Now realize that just as Ibrahim Alayhi Salam is speaking to his father, and he would be rejected, but Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala would put his rizq in terms of his da'wah, his sustenance in terms of his da'wah elsewhere. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, this is in Makki Qur'an, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is dealing with slander, and this also ties into going to Medina and being received by another group of people. Allah talks about Musa Alayhi Salam, nadaynahu min janabi al-toor, that we called him from al-toor, just like the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was called to Hira. And Musa Alayhi Salam is given Harun as a gift, just like the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is given the great companions, the sahaba that would assist him in his mission, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And then you have the story of Ismail Alayhi Salam, innahu kana sadiqal wa'id, that he was truthful to his promise with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and enjoined his family in good, which is the initial message of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, to command good with his family, to start with his family. And that's what Ismail Alayhi Salam is being praised for, for what he did with his family. And then you have the story of Idrees Alayhi Salam, who's given the most beautiful ni'mah, the most beautiful blessing of just being raised. That Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, rafa'naahu makanan aliyya,
and if Allah elevates you, then no one can disgrace you. If Allah has given you that place, who's going to disgrace you? And then as we go into Surah Taha, and inshaAllah Ta'ala I'll just share a few thoughts on this, and then I'll leave it to Sheikh Abdullah and to Sister Ruhi to talk about this. Once again, the story of Musa Alayhi Salam. And this message is very intimate to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, and it focuses more on the journey of Musa Alayhi Salam than the reaction of Fir'aun. Why is that important? One of the mistakes that you would make if you memorize Surah Taha and Surah An-Nazi'at is that you always mix up the part where Musa Alayhi Salam, idh ra'a na'wa, when he saw the fire and he was called, and in Surah An-Nazi'at, the emphasis is put on the rejection of Fir'aun. Here, the emphasis is put on the journey of Musa Alayhi Salam. So in Surah An-Nazi'at, faqul halaka ila anta zakka wa ahliyaka ila rabbika fatakhsha focusing on speaking to Fir'aun and then how Fir'aun responds. Here you have the way that Musa Alayhi Salam is being raised by his Lord. The tarbiyah of Musa Alayhi Salam, the way that Allah prepared Musa Alayhi Salam for that moment. And SubhanAllah, it's so special for so many reasons. Again, the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam has seen Musa Alayhi Salam and interacted with him most on the night of As-Salat wa-l-Mi'raj. Musa Alayhi Salam is the Prophet who is most similar to the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam. Okay? So there's similarities there. But I want you to just pay attention to this inshaAllah ta'an to think about it, right? That we're seeing Musa Alayhi Salam learning how to deal with oppressors, learning how to deal with the situations that he cannot understand, to trust Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala with Allah's decree in regards to other people as they don't pertain to him. But at the same time, understanding that Allah's decree
is always wise and always blessed and always in the favor of the believer. And now Musa Alayhi Salam here, that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is showing him his wisdom and his decree in his own personal journey. When he was talking to Al-Khadir, he was learning about the decree of Allah Azawajal as it pertains to other people. Here the personal journey of Musa Alayhi Salam, understanding that, that decree of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, and understanding that Allah Azawajal would not forsake him. And one of the things that we have here in Surah Taha is that Musa Alayhi Salam was never forgotten by Allah even when he was forsaken by the people. Musa Alayhi Salam was never forgotten by Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. He was always bi a'ayunina, he was always in the sight of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, always in the care of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. And that too is true for the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Never forgotten by Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, never out of sight in regards to his Lord. And we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to allow us to also have that connection with Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala where we understand and we find that tarbiyah, that mentorship and being raised in understanding the decree of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, being pleased with the decree of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and then doing well with it. Allahumma ameen. Tafadhal Sheikh Abdullah. Bismillah wa salatu wa salamu ala rasool Allah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi man wala amma ba'd. As he mentioned, jazahallah khair, the chapter of Maryam and that is Mary. Earlier we spoke about in the chapter of Surah Al-Ma'idah, the last, the chapter of the table spread, the last page when I spoke about the dialogue between Allah and Isa and it was really Isa answering the questions that Allah asked him, not out of lack of knowledge, but to teach you and me. So here it's going into the story of Maryam, hence the chapter's name Maryam. Honor and honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus Alayhi wa Salam. SubhanAllah, the story is so beautiful and I just had to confine it to a couple of ayats,
even though there are many more ayats. So I'll kind of start at the first third and end at the last, before the last third inshallah, or fourth actually, start at the second fourth and end at the second to last fourth inshallah. So here Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is talking about the story of Maryam. He says, wathkul fee l-kitabi Maryam and mentioned in the book of Maryam, the story of Maryam, when she took, she went far away in a portion of the east and she went far away from the people and some mentioned because she was a mutabbit, she used to worship Allah muhararan, as Sheikh Omar alluded to, that she was someone that was always in a state of worship and seclusion and worshiping Allah, the exalted. But what I want to skip to, because there's verses where it talks about, Allah sent the angel in the form of a man and she said, inni ya'udhu bilrahmani in kuntatakiya that really I seek refuge from the Rahman, the merciful, if you are someone that is mindful and fearful, she didn't know it was an angel. Then the angel congratulated her and said, look, I'm an angel and I came to bless you, to give you glad tidings of a child. And she was perplexed by that. And then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la mentions, qala kadhalhi qala rabbuki huwa alayya hayyin He said, and that is the case, that is as it will be and it is hayyin, it is nothing difficult for me. wa lina ja'alahu ayatan lil-nasi wa rahmatan minna wa kana amran maqadiyya And we will make him a sign for mankind and a mercy from us. And it was something, it's an order that has been decreed. Then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la goes on to the story. And what I love about this in the verses of 22 to roughly 30 is what I will be covering. Allah paints a picture for you. SubhanAllah, so descriptive. He says, fa-hamalathu fantabathat bihi makanan qasiyya That she conceived him. Now it's a different scene now. You see one scene, then it goes to the next scene. Right? Hamalathu, she carried him and conceived him. Now she's pregnant. Fantabathat bihi makanan qasiyya
Then she withdrew to a far place. Okay? So now you picture Maryam, she's pregnant with Isa Alayhi Salam. She doesn't know at the moment. Then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la gets more descriptive. fa-aja'a hal-makhaadu ila jiz'in nakhla SubhanAllah. The Arabic usage here is so deep because the morphologic makeup, fa-aja'a ha ja'alaha tajee' ila makaanin mu'ayyin He made her go to the trunk of a palm tree. So basically what it translates to mean is the pains of childbirth pushed her to the tree. In other words, if you can picture, she's holding herself and then she grabs a palm tree. And then what does she say? Allah tells you what she says. qaalaat ya laytani mitu qabla haadha wa kuntu nasyan mansiyya And then she says, Oh, would that I have died before this and had become a knot, something that is forgotten. You know, something that is forgotten and insignificant. Why? Because Maryam is pregnant. How is she going to explain this to the people? She doesn't have a husband. It's known she doesn't have a husband. She's single. How is she going to explain this, that she is pregnant? This is, made her feel, you know, I just, right now, the pains of childbirth, I'm holding onto this tree. She's in a, she's distraught at the moment. fanaadaaha min tahtihaa allatahzani qada ja'ala rabbuki tahtika sariya Then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la mentions here, fanaadaaha min tahtihaa And someone called her and it was Isa, some scholars say Jibreel, but the closest opinion is that it's Isa inshAllah. Someone called her from below and told her, la tahzani, do not be sad. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has made for you a stream, tahtika sariya, a stream of water. Then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says, wahuzzi ilayki bijith'in nakhlah
So now picture, she's distraught, she's scared, she's, you know, she's pregnant. And Allah tells her, or the voice from below her tells you, shake the tree. This is so important for us. A pregnant woman in pain, distraught, scared, doesn't know, she doesn't even want to be remembered. She said, I just want to be insignificant, totally forgotten from my people. I want to leave. Then Allah tells her, shake the tree. This shows us, look, you still have to make the effort. You trust in Allah, but you take the means. And then Allah says, tusaqit alayki rituban janiya Shake the tree, and from there, it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So you work, and it's a conditional sentence. Shake, you will receive. Shake will fall upon you these ripened dates. wakuli yuwashrabi waqarri a'ina And eat and drink plentifully. Plentifully. If you said, eat and drink plentifully, and if you were to see anyone from mankind and say that, verily, I made an oath to the Rahman, falan ukallima alyauma insiya inni nadhartu lilrahmani sawman That, verily, I made an oath to Allah, sawman. And sawm here means to make imsaq, or to withhold myself from speaking, because during their time, as a suddi mentions, that it was from speaking to people, and also not to speak. And that's what Maryam alayhi as-salam did. Abstaining from eating and talking. And it's interesting, Ibn Kathir, he mentions a point that he says, but our shari'ah, we abstain from eating and vile speech. We can speak, but vile speech. So in Ramadan, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, when you wake up in the morning, if anyone wants to say any vile speech to you, do not respond with that which is more evil, or any language that of ignorance. And if anyone slanders or quarrels you, then you should say, inni saam, inni saam. Verily, I am fasting. So then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, mentioning this with Maryam alayhi as-salam, fa-atat biheen qawmaha tahmilu
qalu ya Maryam laqal jitte shay'an fariyya And then they said, when she brought Maryam, now Maryam conceived Isa alayhi as-salam, and she's coming back to her people. And then they said, oh Maryam, you have come with something that is unprecedented. Ma kana abuk ya uqta Haruna ma kana abuk imra'a saw'in wa ma kana umuqayyim. Oh, the sister of Aaron, the sister of Harun, your father was not someone that was a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste. So they're already, they're understanding like, how did this happen? You did not come from a bad family. Now the sister of Harun is not Harun, the brother of Musa alayhi as-salam, which is mentioned because a companion came to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, because one of the Christians, they asked him at that time, you know, you recite this in your book, and we know that the time between Moses and Isa was, you know, a long period of time. So then he asked the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said, it was the manner of the people to name their children after righteous people from before them. So they said, uqta Harun, it's not Harun, but it was the name of a righteous individual at that time that they would say, uqta Harun, the sister of Harun alayhi as-salam, sister of Harun. So in any case here, at this time, she's holding Isa alayhi as-salam, and this is what they say, fa-asharat ilayh, because she couldn't speak, asharat ilayh, qaluu kayfu nukallimu man kana fil mahdi sabiyya. They said, how can we speak to anyone that is in their cradle, or that is in their, you know, their little cradle as a child, sabiyyan. And subhanAllah, the next verse, Allah flips the da'la, he flips it, qala inni abdullah Allahu Akbar. This verse is so profound, because you see, as you can see the description, the pains of birth brought her to a tree, you can picture someone grabbing the tree, not wanting to be there, because what am I going to say to my people? She ends up going to her people, and then she says, she fulfills the oath, she doesn't
say anything, she doesn't try to acquit herself, she obeys Allah, and she just points to Isa. And what's interesting, she pointed to him, and that's a proof that scholars say that Isa was the one that was calling her and speaking to her. So she points to him, and then Isa says, inni abdullah, I am a slave of Allah. The first thing that comes out of his mouth is a statement of servitude. The first thing is that I am abdullah, I am a slave and servant of Allah. Subhanahu wa ta'ala, ataani al kitaba wa ja'alani nabiya. He has given me a book, and he has made me a prophet. And then he goes on to mention his qualities, not to belabor the time, but what's beautiful about these ayat is the experience of Maryam, the trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and to know that rizq, provision, comes with righteousness, wa yarzukam min haythu la tahtasib. And he provides for you from manners and places that you would never even anticipate. And that ultimately is a manifestation of the name al-Razzaq, the manifestation of the ultimate provider. So just remember this beautiful story of Maryam, and allow that to encourage you to be one that thanks Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala through this beautiful story. Jazakum Allah khairan. Jazakum Allah khairan. As-salamu alaykum everyone, pleasure to be here. Bismillah walhamdulillah wa salatu wassalam, Allah rasool Allah wa ala a'la al-mursaleen wa al-mursaleen wa al-mursaleen. So just, I'm still reflecting on what I just heard from both Sh. Omar and Sh. Abdullah. And my choice here was to really focus in on the opening passage of Surah Maryam. I think we all love this Surah so much. And speaking to what Sh. Abdullah just said about the means, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave her the means. And subhanAllah, du'a, which is supplication, prayer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, asking from Allah, indeed is probably the first place to start when it comes to the means, this part of the means.
So I just wanted to be able to share a few gems from these first verses, the first nine verses of Surah Maryam inshallah, and try to tie this all together, that between that trust and then ultimately where, and we just saw sort of this beautiful description in the story of Maryam, all of that is connected and central to that is really the miraculous means of du'a that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us. So to dive right into this, just as I was looking at this Surah as a whole, before we get into these verses, du'a in and of itself is what? We're asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to provide. And when I looked at this Surah as a whole, what we see is that this entire Surah, it's so beautiful to think of that it was given as a provision at a very critical time to the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam and the early companions who were, you know, obviously in the heat of persecution at a very, very difficult time in their history and basically trying to survive. This became, these verses became a catalyst. The Muslims as refugees took this to Abyssinia and subhanAllah, the king becomes a Muslim and the rest is history. So we see the beautiful provision that this entire Surah provided for them and obviously it's timeless. So for all of us as well, inshallah, with so many gems. Du'a itself is a sign of divine mercy and another important gem that we can extract from this Surah is it is surrounded in mercy. In fact, it is often referred to as rahmat or mercy. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mercy is emphasized continuously and numerous times throughout the Surah and this opening passage, in fact, I'll start with ayah number two, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, he begins with, this is the mention of the mercy of your Lord to his servants Zakariya.
And of course, these opening verses, I would encourage everyone to read them. We won't be able to go into every little detail here, but it's the narrative. It's the story of Zakariya making du'a as Sheikh Omar already said for a child. This is a very elderly couple that by all conventional wisdom would not be able to have a child at this stage of their life. And I just want to extract in the way that he's inspired. We go back to Al-Imran where this story is mentioned, ayah 35 onward, he's inspired by whom? By his niece who's in his care, Mariam, the young girl in her private prayer quarters, he's just seeing how she's continuously being provided by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, again, provision. And what does she say? She says, Allah provides for whom he wills without account. When he asked, this is an inspiration for him. So this du'a comes right after that. And so looking at these verses, Zakariya is calling out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in private. Ayah number three, This khafiyah, this sort of privacy, this being able to speak to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in a whisper, no one else has to know. We can look at this and understand that seclusion at times, and this is a recurring theme through this surah, seclusion is necessary at times for us to be able to truly reflect and connect to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, void of all the distractions around us. And what a beautiful time right now in Ramadan to take advantage of that. And particularly where here we are in circumstances beyond our control with this forced quarantine, this is a time to really take advantage of this. But he's teaching us through this du'a and the way that he approaches Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the way Maryam does, as we've already discussed in ayah 17 in the surah again, and
she took in seclusion from them a screen. Musa alayhi salam is called to the sacred valley in ayah 52 by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Conversation in privacy. So it gives us a sense that this is something that's crucial for us to really make that connection. He's unburdening himself to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, confiding. The way in which he describes his situation, the way that we would confide with the one that we love the most, that we trust the most, that we know will understand and not tire of hearing from us. You know how it is for me. I mean, this is what he's saying. He's saying, my Lord, indeed my bones are weakened and my head is filled with white. This is giving us a way to develop a relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Sometimes we think of worship as its ritual, its prayer, but actually the most heartfelt du'as from your heart are what reaches Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in a way that, you know, you don't know that that perhaps has more impact than something that we might utter that we were thoughtlessly uttering or that didn't have the focus at the time. So really connecting with Allah. He's asking for a miracle and we've been seeing now since last night, this is a string of miraculous events in these surahs that are unfolding as Shakoomar has pointed out. This really, I think for all of us is a point to think about that, you know, how much do we limit our du'as? What is he asking for? He's asking for a child at this stage of life, but it's a more noble and lofty du'a than just that. He's looking for someone to take over after him. He's a prophet and there's a mission here at stake. You know, it gives us a sense that be sincere in our du'as, ask from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the dunya, but for the world, but also for the hereafter. Take it to the next level of ihsan and think beyond yourself, but don't be afraid to ask.
And what we really need to remind ourselves of is that it is us that has limits. We are the ones that are limited. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is limitless and we forget that many times. So don't limit your du'a to your own capacity and perception of reality because every du'a is promised to be answered by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. At least that and maybe so, so much better as we're seeing unfold in these beautiful stories. The one thing that really touches me a lot in ayah number four, he says, ولم أكن بدعائك ربي شقيا that he says, he's so confident that his du'a will be answered. He says that, you know, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has, you know, never have I been in my supplication to you, my Lord, unhappy. And this is something that we again need to think about for a moment is that how much confidence do we have in our du'as. The Pharisees told us pray when you pray, pray with certainty. This is a repeated theme. Ibrahim alayhi salam, as he's parting ways from his father later in this surah in 47 and 48 verses, he says, you know, he's having to leave. His father has threatened him and he says, I'm going to continue to pray to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the words he uses is he's always gracious to me. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is always gracious. He's taken care of me. I will pray to my Lord and trust that my prayer will not be in vain. It's teaching us how we find certainty when we're in situations of uncertainty. And I thought this was particularly relatable to all of us right now, but in general, through life that whenever we're faced with situations that are beyond our comprehension, anchor yourself in that certainty, which is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Really no one and nothing else is certain, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the one who is certain. So anchor yourself in that yaqeen. And that was said deliberately, by the way.
So Allah answered his dua right away. As we've been seeing all of these duas being answered. This is again, a recurring theme here, answered in ways that are miraculous, in ways that are way beyond comprehension. And when Zakariya is so overwhelmed with the response, he's told Kabbalik, you know, this is it's just like that. And it's easy for him. And so again, we don't have to understand the hows and the whys. We just have to do the asking and recognize and keep Allah's wisdom and power in front of us that that should be the driving factor for us to continue to keep on going back to him going back to him. And of course, all of the duas that have come so far have all been answered. And each of these prophets is given far more in blessings and reward than one could have imagined. As I wrap up here, do I have a minute, Shafaamer, to wrap up? Have we got time? First, yeah, Bismillah. Okay, Jazakumullahu khair. So, you know, this we've been talking about, and Shafaamer has mentioned this common thread of Musa alayhi salam in each of these surahs, starting with Isra last night. And so I noticed that same thread as I was looking at these surahs that appear in this dua side by side. And I noticed that we could really connect, you know, his the portions of his story that are in each of these to this central theme of connecting to Allah Subhana wa ta'ala and the power of dua. Because again, if we go back to Kahf for a moment where he is being shown things beyond his comprehension, the lessons in the infinite wisdom of Allah Subhana wa ta'ala and the qadr as Dr. Zuhair was talking about last night, you know, the qadr of Allah here being shown to him, the things that, you know, relate this to our own lives for a moment, that we're going to face situations that sometimes we don't understand. This is a training ground. We can take that. And then he's briefly mentioned in Surah Maryam, of course, in a couple of ayahs, 51 through 53, where Allah Subhana wa ta'ala calls into the sacred valley and we'll have that beautiful
conversation which is really elaborated in the next surah, in Surah Taha, in verses 11 through 48. And that is a beautiful passage for everyone to make some time to read, because we see all of what we've just talked about, the essence of how to really put your trust in Allah Subhana wa ta'ala, to ask from him that beautiful and epic du'a, that's where it's from, and how Allah Subhana wa ta'ala provides for him, and then to put it into action, taking those means that he's given. So yes, he's gifted with his brother, which is what he asked for, but he's also given the other miracles, the staff and his hand, and then he's sent on his mission. And at the center of all that is going to be the remembrance and prayer, the remembrance of Allah Subhana wa ta'ala and prayer, it's front and center through the whole process. And so for ourselves, as we, you know, I always say, find yourself in these verses, and they're relatable, even though yes, these are stories of prophets and their historic accounts, they're relatable because these are human experiences and emotions at play. And we can find hope and purpose, just as the Prophet, Sallallahu alayhi wasalam, and the early companions did at that time, when they were confronting the harshest of circumstances. So for us, where we're in a situation right now with this uncertainty around us, many people are facing challenges. Last Ramadan, we could not have predicted that we would be sitting in quarantine this Ramadan. So yes, things happen beyond our comprehension, beyond our logic. And miracles do also happen. And just, you know, we may not be able to perceive them, but they're going on all around us. And so, SubhanAllah, if we just turn to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala here with that kind of conviction, and stay firm, and look to his infinite wisdom and blessings, then inshallah, dua is a tremendous and very powerful tool for us. Jazakumullah khair. Wa barakallahu fiqhin. Allah bless you.
And I think one thing that you mentioned, very important, SubhanAllah, Zakariya al-Islam only asked Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, some of the salaf, the scholars actually mentioned Zakariya al-Islam only asked Allah for a child when he feared the loss of prophethood. He didn't see a successor, right? Inni khiftu al-mawalia, or khaffatu al-mawalia in some qiraat. I see that I don't have an inheritor of prophethood. That's when he asked Allah. And Musa al-Islam only asked Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, rabbi shrahli sadli wassili amri wahlin uqrata min isani yafqa huqawiyihi. He only asked Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant him a flow in his speech when he was tasked with the mission of speaking to fir'aun. And so, SubhanAllah, a blessing is only a blessing when it's used for Allah. And these people would never just ask for a blessing for the sake of pleasure, but they would ask for a blessing so that it could be a means of bringing them closer to Allah's pleasure, which is the ultimate blessing. And you also mentioned Surah Maryam was SubhanAllah, a means of a miracle for the prophets Sallallahu alaihi wasalam, which is that Ja'far radiAllahu anhu recited it to Ashamah in Abyssinia. And that was the reason for changing the heart of a man who had taken the first group of people fleeing with their imam in Abyssinia. So SubhanAllah, it was a miracle to the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasalam and his community as well and gave important support at those times. JazakumAllahu khayran for the beautiful reflection, Sheikh Abdullah Ustad Ruhi. And inshAllah ta'ala we'll see you all tomorrow night. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
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