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Allah’s Plans Never Fail
Dr. Omar Suleiman gives an explanation of the verses in the Qur’an that speak of the various ways in which Allah foils the plans of the oppressors.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. to our religion, bid'ah, and enter into our community. And this is something that, you know, in the midst of all of the darkness and all the hardship that we are seeing and witnessing in the world today, there are these bright lights that we can't lose sight of. And so, RJ, I'm going to ask you to repeat after me in Arabic and then English. I bear witness that there is only one God, worthy of worship and unconditional obedience. And that Muhammad is his final messenger. Congratulations. Inshallah. After the khatira, if everyone can please make it a point to greet our brother. Dear brothers and sisters, I wanted to speak to a sentiment. And this is something that inshallah ta'ala will be doing over whatever period of time Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows
us to do this. But there is this concept that truly many folks as we see what is transpiring, this question arises of the plotting of the enemies and the plotting of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So I wanted to reflect just for a few moments inshallah ta'ala on this particular ayah. They plan and I plan. They plan and I plan. And subhanallah there is so much depth to the tafsir of this ayah specifically as it relates to the situation in Palestine and broadly. Obviously you see the most advanced artillery, the most advanced technology, the most advanced PR, a sense of arrogance on the part of the aggressor. And you see our brothers and sisters and you think how are they going to be able to overcome this. And even the battle that we are fighting here of PR, the propaganda against our Palestinian brothers and sisters and subhanallah it might feel like they just have so much that they are able to do and so much scheming. What are we going to be able to do to actually be able to fight back with that. And so I wanted to talk about this and reflect on this inshallah ta'ala briefly tonight. And it is very interesting when you study this concept of the plotting of the enemies of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the plotting of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in return. And there are three different ways in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about plotting in the Quran. The plotting of the enemies versus the plotting of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Three words that are used. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions al-khida' which is deception. Inna al-munafiqina yukhadi'una Allah wa huwa khadi'uhum. That verily the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and in reality He is deceiving them. The second word is al-makr. Wa makaru wa makar Allah. Wallahu khayru al-makireen.
We're going to dive deep into these inshallah ta'ala in a bit. They plot, they scheme. Of course when you look at the English translation these words become interchangeable. But they plot and they scheme and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala plots as well. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the best of those who plot. And then finally the word al-qaid which we recite most frequently in surat al-Tariq. Inna hum yakiduna qaida wa akidu qaida. That verily they plot and I plot. They plan and I plan. Subhanallah when you start to break these three things down you see the wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and how He addresses them. And so let's take the first two inshallah ta'ala and come back to al-qaid. And then we'll sort of build upon that bid'ah. Specifically as it relates to what we are seeing today and the comprehensiveness of the Quran in this regard. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks about al-khida' and al-makr. The two types of deception. Both of these are elements of scheming that involve a surprise attack. They involve the idea of deception in their own way. And there are two types of deception. There is deception in that you have a familiar enemy that tries to catch you off guard, catch you by surprise. And there is deception in that you have someone that pretends to be a friend and then deceives you. So surprise attack and surprise enemy. And you'll see why this is relevant as you're reading through the Quran. As for al-khida' Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala only uses this word in regards to the internal enemies of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam in Medina. He doesn't speak about this in relation to the kuffar, in relation to the disbelievers, the obvious enemies of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. He speaks about this in regards to the hypocrites
and Banu Qurayza, Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadhir in Medina. The tribes that are plotting against the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam and they are pretending to be in covenant with the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. And the people that are pretending to be in community with the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Actually pretending to be Muslims. So you have Muslims that are, or people that are pretending to be Muslims so that they can cause harm to the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam. And that's where Allah azawajal uses these words. So you have people that pretend to be on your side, but they seek to deceive from within. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهِ They think that they are deceiving Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and He is in fact deceiving them. How? The hypocrites plotted and planned and they sought to reap every benefit from being on the side of the Muslims while causing as much harm to the Muslims as possible. And up until the day of judgment, subhanAllah, look at how the ulama speak about this ayah. Even up until the day of judgment, they will think that they still have a chance. Why? Because they see the believers, the Muslims going forth with their light and they try to situate themselves amongst the believers. And then what happens? Those who have light go ahead and the hypocrites are left behind and they say, أُنذُرُونَ نَقَتَبِسْ مِنْ نُورِكُمْ Wait for us, we want to benefit from your light. قِيلَ اَرْجِعُوا وَرَاءَكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُوا نُورًا And the believers, may Allah azawajal make us amongst them, Allahumma ameen, will say to them, go back and kindle your light. Go back to the dunya and see if you can kindle your light over there. فَالْتَمِسُوا نُورًا And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sets up a barrier between them and all they have now is the punishment without the benefits, without the light. Whereas the believers had the sacrifice without the benefit in this dunya. Right? So now the tables have turned and they will
think, subhanAllah, they will think even up until that very moment that maybe we can situate ourselves and we can fool Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is instead deceiving them when they think they are deceiving Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So you have those that pretend to be your friends and at the end of the day they are seeking ways to undermine you. And one of the things that we have seen in this recent catastrophe, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help our brothers and sisters in Palestine and liberate them, Allahumma ameen, one of the benefits is that the masks are falling. The masks are falling. Right? Those who are the enemies from within are being exposed in many different ways. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us. Allahumma ameen. So you have الخداع which is someone that pretends to be your friend but harms you or seeks to harm you in unsuspecting ways. المكر is used more frequently in the Quran so I'm going in order of rare to most frequent. المكر is used to refer to the disbelievers and those that were outward enemies of the Prophets of Allah and of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ما كنت لديهم إذ أجمعوا أمرهم وهم يمكرون. That you weren't amongst them when they were all sitting together and they were coming up with these plots. So they are clearly your enemies but they're trying to catch you off guard. So it's a surprise attack or a deceptive plan even though they are clearly your enemies. You see the difference between the two? Clear enemies versus pretenders and it's not about them deceiving you in who they are but it's about them trying to deceive you in what they're trying to do. So you know exactly who they are, they come together, they plot against you and it also has that element of deception in its secrecy. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala emphasizes every time he brings up المكر in the Quran that he was aware of it all along.
I was aware of it all along. وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرُهُمْ وَعِندَ اللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ They came up with their plan and it was already with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And even if their مكر, إِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُونَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالِ There are two ways by the way that this ayah can be understood and they complement one another. As the ulama mention, even if their plot could move mountains, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala already has it and it's not going anywhere. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will overcome it. And that is some of the scholars of tafsir like Qatada rahimahullah, he said وَإِن كَانَ شِرْكُهُمْ لِتَزُونَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالِ So for example when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions الشرك and he says that it could, you know, that the mountains would flatten. أن دعوا للرحمن وندا That they dare to ascribe to الرحمن a son, right? So their plot, even if it could move mountains, it's with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That's one way to understand it. Another way is that their plan could not even move a mountain even if they wanted to. So لِتَزُونَ لَتَزُونَ Not to get into too much details, but who do these people think they are? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala creates and Allah azawajal destroys. Allah moves and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala holds still. They do not have the capacity to move anything. So what makes them think they're going to be able to move their plan along? When just like the mountains are set firm, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's decree is already set firm. It's a powerful example that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives to us in multiple places in the Qur'an. وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهِ And once again, just like they think that they're deceiving Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and he's deceiving them, likewise, they are making their plans, their مَكَر. وَمَكَرَ اللَّهِ And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is making his plans to undermine them, to catch them by surprise. وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the best of those who plot. These ayat came in regards
to Sayyidina Isa alayhi as-salam, Jesus peace be upon him. So Isa alayhi as-salam, his enemies, when they came together and they said we're going to crucify him. And you can imagine the element of surprise when Isa alayhi as-salam descends upon this earth once again and he never was crucified. But we saw him on the cross. We killed him, right? وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُ They thought they killed him. They thought they crucified him. But it was only made to appear that way to them. So subhanAllah, you notice here a common theme already that as long as it goes, it could go for years, centuries, generations, but the مَكَرَ of Allah subhanAllah will always overcome theirs. The plan of Allah will always be superior to theirs when Isa alayhi as-salam comes descending once again to this earth and Allah subhanAllah grants victory on the hands of Isa alayhi as-salam, even when people thought that they humiliated him and they crucified him on a cross. And Allah subhanAllah shows that their plan failed and his plan succeeded. So المَكَر is this idea that, you know, your enemies think and Allah azzawajal was speaking about them when they're plotting and they're thinking about how they're going to kill the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and they're whispering and they're in, you know, they're in دار النجوة and they're talking to themselves and Allah subhanAllah hears every single thing that they're saying. Their plan is with Allah subhanAllah. And they think if they talk lower, he won't hear them, right? They think if they use sign language then they can deceive the divine. It's not working. وَعِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ. Allah azzawajal already has it with him, right? The third one and this is the one that we're going to spend a little bit of time with is الكيد. Now the ulema mention about الكيد and subhanAllah there have been books written about these three different things by the way and the tafsir is rich on it. الكيد, which is a
plan, is sort of like the comprehensive strategic plan. So it can include an element of الخداع and an element of المكر. So it's sort of like the wholesome plan, the whole strategy. They've got the whole roadmap planned out. It can be hidden or it can be public. The point is that they've got their plan put together. They've got their strategy put together. The scheme is there and it includes the elements of deception, the elements of power and they're ready to execute. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا وَأَكِيدُوا كَيْدًا. They plan their plan and I too am planning. Some of the scholars say that of the power of these ayaat by the way is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala did not say and Allah plans too. Allah said and I too am planning. They're planning and I too am planning. فَمَهْلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رَوَيْدًا. Leave them. Leave them. And subhanallah the next surah is سَبِّحْ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى. Focus on glorifying your Lord. Glorify and praise your Lord because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will take care of them. Leave them to me. And look how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about الكيد. إنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا. That the كيد, the plan of the devil is weak and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says وَأُمْلِ لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِ مَتِينٌ. My plan and مَتِين is a hard word to translate by the way but it is stable. There are no cracks in it. There is absolutely nothing that can cause the plan of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to unravel. So they've got their plan and they think it's bulletproof and at the end of the day it's weak. It will fall apart in places that they don't understand and in ways that they don't understand.
As for my plan, it is مَتِين. It's perfect. Perfect and it cannot be defeated. It cannot be overcome. Subhanallah, the ulema mentioned several benefits of this as well that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala plans against the oppressor and he plans for the oppressed such as the example in surah Yusuf when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that Ya'qub alayhi as-salam said to his children فيَكِيدُ لَكَ كَيْدًا that they will plan against you. لا تَقْصُسْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَى إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُ لَكَ كَيْدًا Don't mention your dream to your brothers because they will plot against you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says at the end of the surah that this is how we planned for Yusuf alayhi as-salam. كِدْنَا الْيُوسِفِ That we were planning against those who sought to harm Yusuf alayhi as-salam and we had a plan for Yusuf alayhi as-salam all along. And so the scholars say subhanallah that Allah azawajal plots against your enemies and he plots for the believers. Plots against the enemies and he plots for the believers at the same time and both of those plans are absolutely perfect. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions what? وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا So long as you are patient and you have taqwa, you have God consciousness. لا يَضُرُّكُمْ That you would not be harmed by their plan in any way whatsoever. Now subhanallah there is so much to benefit from these ayat as you read through them. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is assuring the believers that their plan is going to fall apart and I am already planning against them. And your plan that might seem like it has absolutely no way of coming to fruition, I am planning for you.
So put your trust in me. The scholars say in regards to the prophets of Allah and how we can understand the way that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave victory to the prophets over their enemies. That the plotting of the enemies actually turns out to be against them. That the very things that they did to harm actually come back to haunt them. So for example the brothers of Yusuf alayhi salam threw him into a well to get rid of him because they wanted their father to love them instead. And what ended up happening? Yaqub alayhi salam's love for Yusuf alayhi salam only grew. That's number one. So it failed on that account. Yaqub's love for Yusuf alayhi salam only grew stronger. Secondly they did him the greatest favor. He went and became the king of Egypt. Right? Eventually at the end of that path, at the end of all of that hardship was Yusuf alayhi salam on a throne. They threw him in a well, he ended up on a throne and they ended up at his mercy needing him to give them something. There's a riwayah in Tafsir that Qatada rahimahullah mentions. That Yusuf alayhi salam told one of his sons. This is actually, and of course these are all stories that are not from the ahadith, they're from the Tafsir. And so there's benefit that we can take from them so long as they don't undermine the Quran and the sunnah. That Yusuf alayhi salam told one of his sons, go serve your guests. And he said, and who are these guests? He said, these are your uncles. His son, at this point Yusuf alayhi salam has gotten married in Masr in Egypt and has had his own kids. And his son says, you mean the same brothers that threw you in the well, that tried to kill you, that threw you in the well and got rid of you? And he says to his son that they did a favor to me. They showed ihsan to me without even knowing it. They didn't have the intention to do good to me, but if it wasn't for them
throwing me into that well, and if it wasn't for their plot, then how would this have come into being? So there's a blessing that came out of this. Likewise with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. So whether you're talking about Yusuf alayhi salam, Joseph, or you're talking about Isa alayhi salam, Jesus peace be upon him, right? And the great honor that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bestows upon him as a result. Or Ibrahim alayhi salam. They threw him into a fire and look what ended up coming of him. That with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, they wanted to erase his name from the planet. They wanted to kill him in Mecca, get rid of him. And they ran him out of Mecca. I want you to ask this question to yourself and just think about it. Would Islam really have been the Islam that we have without Medina? Can you imagine Islam without the Ansar? Can you imagine Islam without Medina to Nabi salallahu alayhi wa sallam, the city of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam? But their harming and persecuting the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam built character in the existing companions and then led to the establishment of a city that would give light to the world in Al Medina Al Munawwara. And the Ansar and those great companions that came from there and instead the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam does not just rise on Safa as an accepted messenger with the tens of followers that he has there. He comes back and he stands on a Safa with ten thousand followers from around the world. So their plans that they conduct to try to hurt actually come back to haunt. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling you each and every single time. They plan and I plan they scheme and I scheme. They seek to deceive and I'm deceiving them all along the way. Now what does this mean for us dear brothers and sisters and I'll leave you with this because these are the days that these verses of the Quran really have to be read
with a great level of conviction, with a great level of faith, with a great level of certainty. What it means is that you don't have to see the plan to trust the planner. Just like when you supplicate and you make a du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala وَأَنتُمُ مُّقِنُونَ بِالْإِجَابَةِ And you have full certainty in the answer. You don't have to see that du'a, that supplication show up with any manifest material way for you to know that your du'a was answered. The same thing is true when it comes to the plans, the plans. I want you to understand that as you're watching what is unfolding in Palestine right now that every single plot against the believers in Palestine will actually come back to be in favor of the people of Palestine and the Ummah of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. That their plans will actually backfire. That their plots will actually backfire. Not because of us. Not because we know what we're doing. No, we do our part. We try our best. But it's not because of us. It's because of Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. Whether that shows itself in 10 days or 10 years. You focus on your sabr, on your patience. You focus on your taqwa, on your God consciousness. You focus on your tasbih, on your glorification of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You focus on your planning. But know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's plans are greater. And He plans for the believers. And He plans against those who seek to harm them. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala be with our brothers and sisters in Palestine.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala support our brothers and sisters in Gaza in these difficult times. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala foil the plans and the plots and the scheming of those who seek to harm them. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala foil the plots and the plans and the schemes of the hypocrites around them. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow them to find shahada and death. And to find greater meaning in life. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala restore to them their land. May Allah restore to them their dignity. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us all to pray in a liberated Masjid al-Aqsa. Allahumma ameen. Wasalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
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