Qur'an 30 for 30 | Season 4
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Juz’ 23: Sh. Furhan Zubairi | Balancing Hope and Fear
In the twenty-third episode of this Ramadan series, Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Abdullah Oduro are joined by special guest Sh. Furhan Zubairi, as they explore gems from the twenty-third Juz’ of the Holy Quran.
0:00 Introduction
4:10 Dr. Omar Suleiman reflects on the mention of angels in Juz 23.
13:00 Sh. Furhan Zubairi reflects on loving Allah through hope and fear.
23:03 Sh. Abdullah Oduro reflects on the dialogues in Juz 23 that help us balance hope and fear in Allah.
32:40 Reflections
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh everyone. Welcome back to Qur'an 30 for 30. Alhamdulillah, we are now in Juz 23. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to accept this Ramadan from us, to accept our sacrifices, to accept our prayers, to accept everything that we put forth and to forgive us for our shortcomings and to allow us to be amongst those who catch the Qadr. Allahumma ameen. Alhamdulillah, I think we're all sleep-deprived but we're all trying to hide it pretty well. Shaykh Abdullah, you're pretty sleep-deprived, right? Yeah, somewhat. But we have a beloved friend and brother and shaykh that we respect and love, Mufti Farhan Zubair, Alhamdulillah, from California, from IOK. He's got the California sun, as Shaykh Abdullah said, mashaAllah, it's always shining over there. But that's just the nur from Mufti Farhan, mashaAllah. I personally, what I love most about Mufti Farhan is I think I've seen him more in Umrah than in California. I think I bump into you every single time I'm in Umrah, subhanAllah, I bump into you either Medina or Quba, or whatever it is, just somewhere I'm gonna bump into you, Alhamdulillah. How's everything, Shaykh? Alhamdulillah, very nice, very nice. I think this is the last time we bumped into each other in Baqiya. In the Baqiya, subhanAllah. Alhamdulillah, it's beautiful. Which, yeah, it's very profound, subhanAllah, that's right, that's right, Alhamdulillah. How's everyone at IOK, Shaykh Norman Baig? Everyone's doing great, Alhamdulillah. We have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. It's just, you know, the yearly Ramadan grind, Alhamdulillah. Absolutely, absolutely. So, one thing that we can't see Mufti Farhan right now wearing are his sneakers. But I'm pretty sure he's got smooth sneakers on, even if he's at home.
I've never seen anyone pull off the, like, Jordans and Nikes, like, with, like, the full-on, like, fit. MashaAllah, you always have the sneakers. And there's, this is actually, you know, there's, this is a dad joke, but it's very true, alright? This one is, you know, how do you know who the billionaire is at the black tie event? It's the guy who's wearing the shirt tie and the sneakers. He's always the billionaire in the event. You know, you're the billionaire, right, amongst the shuyukh, you know, and you're walking around. MashaAllah, you got those really smooth shoes, so. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. Speaking of billionaires, I have a dad joke. These sisters from San Jose, they gave it to me. Just reminded me of it, if you don't mind. No, it's alright, go ahead. How does it go? What does Jeff Bezos do before he goes to sleep? What? Before he goes to the Amazon? I mean, I don't know, he goes to the wilds. He puts his pajamas on. Do-do-psh. Alright. You got drum rolled by Mufti Farhan. That was definitely a dad joke. Yeah. So successful. Alhamdulillah. There you go, you got it, the drum roll. You're going to have a lot of people trying to figure out what that means, but that's alright. Be merciful with the people, Shaykh. People are tired, it's the last ten. So, Mufti Farhan, really quick, mashallah, IOK Institute, and I just want to shout it out. 25 years, mashallah. I came to the seminary 25 years, Alhamdulillah. People need to go and to check out, mashallah, all the stuff that y'all are doing. It's absolutely beautiful and incredible, and we're very, very proud of our brothers and sisters there at IOK. Alhamdulillah. The 25 years I've seen my beard, mashallah, grow gray. Alhamdulillah. But your sneakers are still the same.
They're still the same, Alhamdulillah. There you go, Alhamdulillah. Alright, so we're going to get started, inshallah ta'ala. I think people are logged on now. Bismillah walhamdulillah wa salatu wa salamu ala rasulina wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wana. SubhanAllah, I think anyone that has attended Juz 23 in the previous seasons, you know that this Juz is especially one that I love and connect to because it's the Juz of the malaikah. It's the Juz of the angels. It's so much emphasis on the malaikah, on the angels within these surahs, and there is so much to be gleaned from just the lessons of how they're even brought up. So you may remember, you know, yesterday when we had Dr. Owaimer, this Juz actually cuts in the middle of Surah Yaseen. So the end of Juz 22 is that man who is killed and is told, Qila dkhulil jannah qala ya layta qawmi ya'lamun bima ghafara li rabbi wa ja'alani man almukramin. If only my people knew, as he's told to enter into paradise, the angels say to him, Qila dkhulil jannah, enter into paradise, and he says, if only my people knew of how my Lord has forgiven me and has made me one of those who are honored. That's the end of the last Juz. Like SubhanAllah, when you think about reading the chapters, and then suddenly look at this stark turn. Wama anzalna ala qawmihi min ba'dihi min jundi minas sama'i wama kunna munzilin in kanat illa sayhatan wahida faithahum khamidun. SubhanAllah, this is so powerful that suddenly you go from this beautiful scene of this man in Jannah, like he was killed, but he went to Jannah. And think about the saying of the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam in Uhud, through Umar radiAllahu ta'ala Anhu, that our dead are in paradise, your dead are on the fire. So they killed this man unjustly. And just like that, he's in Jannah.
And he is being told by the angels, go ahead and enter into Jannah, see your new palaces, see all of these things that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has promised you. And the only thing he's saying he wishes, I wish my people knew. I wish my people knew. So he's pleased. He has no regret. He's not even worried about the way that he was killed right now. He's not worried about the shahada. He doesn't remember any of the pain of the martyrdom. He doesn't remember the mockery. He's in Jannah, and he is strolling, and he is pleased. And he's saying, if only my people knew. And then suddenly, what happens to his people? Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la starts off here. This juz starts off with, Wa ma anzanna AAala qawmihi min jundi min as-sama'i min ba'dihi min jundi min as-sama'i We did not send any soldiers from the heavens against his people after his death. Wa ma kunna munzileen We didn't need to send any soldiers. We didn't have to send those angels down against his people. Now, remember when we talked about the Battle of Badr, we said that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la sent the angels as a comfort and as an affirmation to the believers. But at the end of the day, Allah Azawajal could have handled all of them without sending the angels. But this was a means of giving a greater sense of mercy, a greater sense of joy, a greater sense of courage, affirmation. Like when you're in the Battle of Badr, and you can see the mala'ika fighting on your side. Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, what more do you want? What more do you want in terms of strength, and in terms of tranquility and affirmation? But look what Allah Azawajal says, In kaanat illa sayhatan wahida faithahum khamidun It was one shout, one blast, and all of them were extinguished just like that. So they killed this man quickly, and he ends up in Jannah immediately. And Allah Azawajal is saying, he wiped out the people as a result of this, the transgressors, with one shout, and they're completely extinguished. Ya hasratan ala al-ibad What pity, what pity upon these people.
ma ya'tihi min rasoolin illa kaanu bihi yastahziyun Every time a messenger came to them, they mocked him. So Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, here we have a shout of an angel, and most of the Mufassirun, they say this is Jibreel Alayhi Salam, as Ibn Abbas says, Jibreel Alayhi Salam, with one shout, extinguished the entire people that killed this man. And where are they? They're in hellfire. Ya hasra, what a pity, regret, remorse. So it's one angel who blows, and they're gone. One angel who blows, and they're gone. Now Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, you go through the rest of the Juz, you have As-Safat. And As-Safat, Surah As-Safat, literally means the rose. Was-Safati Safa, the angels lined up in their rose. Was-Zajirati Zajra, those who are driving the clouds. So Allah Azawajal is talking about the way that they're carrying out his commands in regards to the worldly domain. And Allah Azawajal is talking about the recitation of the reminder, At-Tariyati Dhikra, verily your God is one. And Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la begins to praise himself, Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. So the angels, once again, are mentioned in regards to following the orders of Allah, here in the capacity of Ar-Rahma, in the capacity of mercy. You get to Surah As-Sa'd, and you have the story of Ayyub Alayhi As-Salam. It's a really powerful, once again, story of how a person who is pleading with Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, who's turned back to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, is never suffering for no reason. Because Ayyub Alayhi As-Salam, there's recourse. When he enters into that Na'im that Allah has promised him, that blessing, it's as if nothing happened before that. But I want to stick to the angels here, and the worldview here that's happening. And sort of how our view of humanity is being adjusted, literally in real time. Surah Az-Zumar, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la talks about the regret of the people who failed to take up
that call to turn back to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and not despair. And they're literally saying, Ya Hasrata, you know, woe to me. What a pity. Ala ma farratu fee janbillah. For what I associated with Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. Wa in kuntu lamina sakhireena. And I was amongst those who used to mock. Now, compare this once again to the beginning of this juz, and those people, right? What a pity on them. No messenger came to them, except that they mocked him. And in many cases, they even killed that prophet and that messenger from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. But look at the end of Surat Az-Zumar. So, in the beginning of this juz, with the end of Yasin, you have the blow of Jibreel that extinguishes the people. That extinguishes this transgressing people. And then you come to Surat Az-Zumar, verse 68, wa nufiqa fissuri fasa'iqa man fissamawati wa man fil ardi illa man sha' Allah thumma nufiqa feehi ukhra faithahum qiyamun yanzubun. The trumpet will be blown, and all of those in the heavens and the earth will fall dead, except those who Allah wishes to spare. Then it will be blown again, and then they rise up, and they're looking on in anticipation. SubhanAllah, the scene. Jibreel blows, and all these people die. That were the transgressing people. But the trumpet, of course, Israfil Alayhi Salam, blows at the command of Allah. All of mankind dies. He blows once again, and then everyone comes back. And right away, it's like they're realizing their reward or their regret. And Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions to us, wa wufiat kullu nafsima aminat wa huwa a'lamu bima yafa'aloon Every soul is paid in full for its deeds, for Allah knows best what they have done. And finally here, Allah Azawajal mentions the entrance of the people of Hellfire into Hellfire. The entrance of the people of Paradise into Paradise. Zumara, as groups. The people of Hellfire entering in, horrified by the angels, cursing one another,
expressing remorse. The people of Paradise entering, being told, congratulations, salam, just like that man in Surah Yasin, enter into Paradise, salamun alaykum, peace be on to you, you did it, congratulations. And as they're entering into Paradise, how does this end? Surah Zumar, the angels celebrating with the believers. All collectively, subhanAllah. All of the mala'ika, all of the believers, all celebrating together, around the throne of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, praising Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for their entrance into Jannah. This is such a beautiful way to really tell the entire story in such a short period of time. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala make us amongst those that enter into Paradise together, and that celebrate with the angels together, and that are neighbors of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, and that gaze upon Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala day and night. Fulfil dawsul a'la, Allahumma ameen. May Allah enter me and my brother, Shaykh Abdullah and Mufti Farhan, and all of us, bismillah ta'ala, together as a group into Al-Jannah. Allahumma ameen. And with that, inshallah ta'ala, I'll pass it on to Mufti Farhan, inshallah. Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salamu ala rasulina wa ba'd JazakAllah khayran for that very beautiful overview of this entire juz. You know, Juz 23, every single surah, every single chapter in it, is classified as Meccan Revelation. And Meccan Revelation is that which was revealed to the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam before migrating from Mecca to Medina. And all of Meccan Revelation, it shares common themes, ideas, concepts, common subject matter. And when we analyze Meccan Revelation, we find that it deals primarily with two things. It deals with Iman, with faith, belief in Allah, His Prophets and Messengers and the Last Day, as well as character, refining people's character, refining people's speech, behavior,
refining their conduct. And when we look at this Juz, there's a heavy emphasis on the idea of Iman, especially in terms of our relationship with Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. You know, as human beings, the absolute most important relationship we have is our relationship with our Lord and Creator. And that relationship is built upon the foundation of love, that we are supposed to love Allah more than anyone and anything else in this world. And the only way for us to truly love Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is if we know who He is. One of the best ways of learning about Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is through His divine names and attributes, especially through His own divine speech, through the Quran. And love is a very interesting, it's a very unique emotion. It has varying degrees, it has varying levels. All of us experience, feel, and express love in different ways. The love I feel for my parents is very different than the love I feel for my daughters, which is very different than the love I feel for my wife. Our love for Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is supposed to be unique. It's supposed to be amazing, it's supposed to be strong. And two of the ways in which we express our love for Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la are through hope and fear. That we have this immense, real, amazing hope in His pardon, His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy, His rewards and blessings. But at the same time, we fear Him. We fear His punishment, we fear displeasing Him, we fear standing before Him on the Day of Judgment and being held accountable for everything we've said and everything we've done. And it's this balance between hope and fear that is the real true essence of Islam. As the scholars say, Al-eeman bayna al-khawfi war-raja That real true faith,
it lies somewhere in between fear and hope. So we have this hope, which is real, which is deep, but we balance it with fear. So we are constantly oscillating between these two feelings and that is one of the ways in which we express our deep love for Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. And when we recite the Qur'an, when we engage with the Qur'an, those feelings of hope and fear are naturally developed within our hearts. That we come across certain passages in the Qur'an that when we read them, we get this immense sense of hope. That we understand that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is Al-Ghafoor and Al-Raheem. That He is the All-Forgiving, the Absolutely Most Merciful. And at other times, we're going to come across verses that really shake our hearts. They pull on our emotional strings. They send a shiver down our spine. They give us goose bumps. It creates this deep sense of fear, this real sense of fear. And this style is actually common throughout the entire Qur'an. It's known as At-Taghib Wa At-Tarheeb. At-Taghib is encouragement to do good. That Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la will give us these beautiful descriptions of paradise and the reward we earn for having faith and being patient and being steadfast and going through the struggle and the sacrifice. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la gives us this encouragement and He creates this immense sense of hope in our heart. But then it's balanced with a description of punishment, of these very horrifying descriptions of hellfire and some of the horrors that people will experience on the Day of Judgment. So oftentimes in the Qur'an, when we come across a description of the believers in paradise, it will be followed by a description of the non-believers in hellfire. And the opposite is true as well. When we come across a description of the non-believers in hellfire, we will also come across a description of the believers in paradise. And this happens throughout Juz' number 23.
This happens in Surah Yasin, it happens in Surah As-Safat, it happens in Surah As-Sa'd, and it happens at Surah Az-Zumr as well. So just to highlight, in Surah Yasin, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la begins by describing the Day of Judgment. In kaanat illa sayhata wahidatan fa-ithahum jamee'un ladayna muhtharoon That it's only one blast of the trumpet, one sounding of the trumpet. And all of a sudden, everyone is present. Everyone is gathered on the plane of resurrection. fal yawma laa tuzlamu nafsun shay'an wa laa tuzzauna illa maa kuntum ta'maloon And on that day, no soul will be wronged in the least, and they will only be rewarded with what they used to do. inna as'habal jannat al yawma fee shughulin faaki'oon That the people of paradise today, on this day, they are busy enjoying themselves. hum wa azwajuhum fee thilaadin ala al-araiki muttaqi'oon Them and their spouses will be underneath cool shade, reclining on these couches. lahum feehaa faakihatu wa lahum maa yadda'oon They will have fruits, and whatever they ask for, whatever they desire, salaamun qawlam min rabbin raheem And they will be greeted with salaam from Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala, from their Lord, who is Ar-Raheem, who is the absolutely most merciful. But then Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala switches, and He says, wamtaazu al yawma ayyuha almujrimoon That O criminals, O wrongdoers, separate yourselves on this day. And then Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala scolds them, and He reprimands them, and then He tells them, hadhihi jahannamu allati kuntum tuAAadoon That this is the fire that you were promised. Islawuha al yawma bima kuntum takfooroon Enter it today because of your rejection of the truth. Enter it today because of your ingratitude. al yawma nakhtimu ala afwahihim watukallimuna aydihim watashhadu arjuluhum bima kanu yakseboon
On that day, we will place a seal over their mouths, and we will cause their hands to speak, and their feet will testify against them for what they used to earn. So this is a nice comparison and contrast, where Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala begins by describing the people of paradise, and then it's immediately followed by a description of the people of fire. The same thing happens at the beginning of Surah Saad. The same thing happens in Surah As-Safat as well. In Surah Saad, there's a very beautiful passage near the end, where Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says, that this is the ultimate reminder. And for the people of taqwa, for the people of God-consciousness, is the best return, is the best of endings. And then Allah describes the rewards and all the pleasures they're going to enjoy in paradise. Then Allah says, This is again a reminder, and for the tagheen, for the unjust, for the wrongdoers, is the worst of returns. And then Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala describes their punishment, their humiliation, and disgrace. So when we engage with the Qur'an, we naturally develop this sense of hope, along and coupled and balanced with the sense of fear. Now, just to kind of close. Off the discussion, you know, hope and fear, they go hand-in-hand. That yes, we have hope in Allah's mercy, His grace, His forgiveness. We have this belief that Allah will shower us with His mercy, but we balance that with a real, grounded sense of fear. But both of these tools are used at different times and different places. We are in the month of Ramadan, and Ramadan is a month of immense hope. This is a month of forgiveness, that by engaging in our worship, by fasting, by praying at night, by catching Laylatul Qadr, inshallah, we are receiving Allah's mercy and His forgiveness.
That every single evening, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala is freeing and emancipating people from eternal punishment. And there's one very beautiful hadith that really captures how much hope we are supposed to have in Allah's mercy and His forgiveness. It's a hadith Qudsi, where Allah says, Ya ibn Adam, the O son of Adam, innaka ma da'watani wa rajawtani, ghafartu laka ala ma kana minka wala ubali The O son of Adam, as long as you continue to make du'a, and as long as you have hope, I will forgive whatever you have done, and I will not mind. Ya ibn Adam, law balagha dhunubak anan assama, thumma istaghfartani ghafartu lak The O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the sky, and then you ask me for forgiveness, I will forgive you. Ya ibn Adam, innaka law ataytani biqarabi al-ardi khataya, thumma laqeetani la tushriku bi shay'a, la ataytuka biqarabiha maghfira The O son of Adam, if you come to me with an earth full of sin, and then you meet me on the day of judgment, without having associated anything with me, I will come to you with an earth full of forgiveness. And that just brings immense hope, that no matter what we've done, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala will always forgive, as long as we come back. Jazakallahu khayran, what a beautiful reflection, a beautiful hadith qudsi, jazakallahu khayran Sheikh Abdullah, tafadna sheikh Bismillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasoolillahi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala amma ba'd Now this is one of my favorite ajzaat, you know, particularly surat al-safat and Zumar. Zumar is, subhanAllah, you know, that powerful verse that Sheikh Omar mentioned, yeah, after I was with Abdul Rashid Tanajeem, ya hasra ta'ala ma farratu fi janbillah You know, the verses of regret really, really, it really hits me hard, because, you know,
we have to take a step back and look at the basics of God, when we talk about God, and particularly the Quran, God and Islam, is that Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala knows everything. I mean, we already believe that, sometimes it can be a challenge when talking about predestination of Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala for some, but it's important to have that yaqeen and that certainty in Him and what He decides and what He chooses, because it's based on His complete comprehensive knowledge and wisdom. That Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala actually tells us what people in the past have said, like the actual dialogue, and then in the future, what they will say, ya'ani, on yawm al-qiyamah, in hell, in heaven, I think we should just take a step back and just think about that. That God is actually telling us what is going to be said. So when Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala gives you a formula or gives you a way of living, what we should try our best to do is to try to be our best by living up to those standards that He has set for us, for our own benefit and not for His, because He is al-Aziz. As was mentioned, SubhanAllah, and it is nothing for Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala, if we were to come with the earth full of sins, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala can easily erase that and forgive us for our shortcomings. And Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says, wa la'ubali, and it doesn't matter to me, it's not difficult for Him. wa maa thalika AAala Allahi bi-Aziz, this is not something that is difficult for Him, or it is a task for Him, or it takes away from some created power that He possesses. Subhanahasha wa kalla, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala is the creator of all things and He has authority, He is al-Ghalib, He has authority and He is irresistible. So when talking about, as was gracefully mentioned, mashaAllah, that Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala uses the technique of what is termed as iltifat, you know, SubhanAllah, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala will talk about a description of people and then talk about the polar opposite.
So it is as though you see them and then He says, now look at these people over here. These are the people of heaven and these are the people of hell. These are the good doers and these are the evil doers. These are descriptions of the people of heaven and these are descriptions of the people of hell. This is what they will say, listen, now this is what they will say, iltifat, turn and look and see. Allah is creating this, showing this, comparing and contrasting for you to have hope in being of the people of Jannah, may Allah make us among them and then to fear from being the people of the hellfire. So Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala is showing you both sides, which shows you again that Allah from His justice and His love for you and His justice for all of creation is that He is showing you how to be of those people of Jannah. What are the things that they will say? What are the actions in this life that the people of Jannah do? And on top of that, He has given you a messenger and on top of that, He has given you disciples and people, the sahaba that were around them. What were the things they said? What were the things they did? And it's just up to us to follow them. It's up to us to follow them to the best of our ability and that is religiosity. Someone that tries their best to be their best, following the best. May Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala make us among them. So Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says in verse number 33 in the chapter of Zumar, when He talks about, He just previously talked about those that denied the message of the Qur'an and they were from the disbelievers because of their takdheeb, because of their belying the message of the Qur'an and not accepting it, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala makes iltifat, He turns and talks about the people of sidq, of truthfulness. He says, أَبْتَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ وَالَّذِي جَاءَ بِالصِّدْقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ But those, but he who brought the truth and those who confirmed it as true, such are the ones who shall be guarded against the chastisement. He here, scholars mention, is referring to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam or
he could be that which is Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala coming with the truth. In any case, some scholars say that it is a generalization, even though it may be a specific particular situation or person or thing that he's talking about, that the عِبْرَةُ بِالْعُمُومِ اللَّهِ لَا بِخُصُصِيَةِ السَّبِقِ As the scholars of the understanding of tafsir, of the methodology of explaining the Qur'an, they say sometimes, even though it's a specific reason for the revelation, the ruling is general. So here, when talking about the one that comes with the truth, being the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, and the one that صدق به, scholars mention that it is As-Siddiq, that it is Abu Bakr, because he was known to be the one that was truthful and voracious because he believed in the صدق and the truthfulness of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says after that, what is the reward for those people that brought the truth and those that confirmed it as true, لَهُمَّ يَشَاءُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ ذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ He says, they shall have from their Lord all that they wish for, لَهُمَّ يَشَاءُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ, which is with their Lord, and that is the reward of those that do good. Let's just think of a name for this particular verse. I mean, every verse, we can think of a name of Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala. So for instance, the first one we talked about, the truthfulness, الحق, that Allah is the truth, He is the truth, and what He brings is the truth. The next verse talking about لَهُمَّ يَشَاءُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ, for them is what they wish from their Lord, Allah is الواسع, He is the abundance, and He gives in abundance. Allah is الغني and المغني, Allah is the self-enriched and He enriches others. So when we, مَا يَشَاءُونَ, whatever they wish for, it means that whatever your heart desires, Allah has it and He can give it to you tenfold in infinity, however He wills, whenever He wills, to whoever He wills. So when saying لَهُمَّ يَشَاءُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ, and عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ, when Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ, or
with His Lord, it shows that whatever is associated with being around His Lord is magnificent and it is great and it is noble. So the one that wishes for whatever is with their Lord means the person that has the wishes that is going to be granted their wishes is a noble person. And here, it's talking about the person that believes and affirms the truth that has been given and displayed and shown to them. Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says after that ذَلِكَ جِزَاءٌ مُحْسِنِينَ, and this is the reward for the مُحْسِنِين. For the people of perfection, no. I want to stop here and remind ourselves that the person that is quote-unquote religious is not perfect. They're not supposed to be perfect. The person that is quote-unquote religious is the one that tries their best in hoping for Allah's mercy, fearing His punishment. Firstly, they understand and learn about Allah. After they learn about Allah, they implement that within their heart by having their heart connected to the knowledge of Allah. That is why the scholars are the best of people after the prophets because they dedicate their lives to learning about Allah and telling people about Allah. But most importantly, because they've learned so much in reading from the Qur'an and the Sunnah and the lives of the companions and those that follow them, that their hearts become attached to that. So the ones that are the مُحْسِنِين are the doers of excellence. And the doers of excellence are the ones that always try to give 110% to Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala, which is ultimately giving to themselves. The last verse that I want to capitalize on here is where Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says for those, the reward is, that is the reward for the doers of good that they, whatever they wish, they get from Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala. Allah says,
يُكَفِّلَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا وَيَجَزِيَهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَنُوا Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala says here, so that Allah may remit the worst of their deeds, يُكَفِّلَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا So this is important because Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala will expiate, will remit the worst of their deeds. You notice I said, أَسْوَأَ And this is, if we were to make a comparison, like to be comparative, the worst, meaning that there are deeds that are at levels, but Allah says, look, the worst of your deeds, we're going to take them away. We're going to eliminate them. We're going to do takfir of them. We're going to expiate. There's going to be an expiation. And then he says after that, وَيَجْزِيَهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ Again, أَسْوَأَ أَحْسَنِ بِأَحْسَنِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَنُونَ So then he's going to remit their worst deeds and reward them according to the best of their deeds. You know, those days that you really felt in tune and present with your actions, those days in Ramadan, those nights, Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala is going to reward you for that. He's going to take away the worst of what you've done on your quote unquote bad days. So just think of that. Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala, the manifestation of expiation is in this verse. And if we look at this verse, الغفور, العفو, you know, the name of Allah being the all-forgiving, the one that pardons his slaves. Look at these beautiful names and attributes. Brothers and sisters, when you read a verse of the Quran, think of a name of Allah that is showered upon you, that is in tune with the context of the verse. And then make dua, oh Allah, oh the one that forgives me, the all-forgiving, forgive me for my sins. At that moment, be in tune, and that is the essence of khushur, undivided attention when
you think about Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala to where your heart cries and you shed tears. And inshallah, may Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala make us of those people, one of them being under the shade of Allah on the day where there is no shade, the one that is thinking about Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala alone, حَتّ مَفَاظَةْ عَيْنَهَا and his eyes shed tears. May Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala make us of those people of tears, people of sorrow, people of regret, and people of... JazakAllah Khair Sheikh, I love that reflection, SubhanAllah, Aswa and Ahsan, what a beautiful way to look at the mercy of Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala as he gives it to us, that Allah will forgive your worst and judge you by your best. I mean, SubhanAllah, think about how, like what I think about is how we make appeals to mercy for each other, and you know, you want to treat, رِيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تَحِبُّنَا يَخْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ let them forgive and pardon, don't you want Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala to forgive and pardon you? As human beings, we tend to judge each other by our worst and overlook the best, and Allah's rahmah, it's literally the opposite of his mercy, that he judges you by your best and he forgives your worst, so long as you seek his forgiveness, right? That condition is made clear throughout, that you have to seek his forgiveness, that you have to seek his mercy. JazakumAllah khair for the beautiful reflection. Mutifarhan, you got any last reflection, word for us? MashaAllah, that was very beautiful, may Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala, you know, grant all of us this connection with the Qur'an, that when we recite it, we engage with it, we reflect upon it, and we really feel that connection with Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala. You know, anyone that engages with the Qur'an, their heart will be overcome with hope. Of course, you have that fear which is healthy, and that makes you feel that regret, that remorse, but that serves as a catalyst for you to turn back to Allah, to go to him and ask for his forgiveness, his mercy, to repent to him, and you know, I just want to mention that in our chaplaincy work, dealing with a lot of the college students, when they make a mistake, when they make a poor decision, sometimes they make that a barrier between
them and Allah, and they feel like they're not worthy. This is something that, when you connect with the Qur'an, is totally, totally against Allah's mercy. That our sins should not be a barrier, that we can always turn back to Allah, and he will definitely forgive us. Right? وَمَا يَعْمَلْ سُؤًّا أَوْ يَضْنِمْ نَسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهِ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا That whoever does something evil, they do something wrong, or they wrong themselves, ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهِ, and then they seek forgiveness from Allah, يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا They will find Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la to be the most forgiving, the absolutely most merciful. And I really like that point that Shaykh Abdullah mentioned, that you know, the religious people, the people of ihsan, the people of excellence, they make mistakes. Right? They make mistakes. They're not perfect. They're trying their best, they're struggling, and in that struggle, in trying their best, they will make mistakes. But what makes them the people of ihsan is when they make that mistake, they turn back to Allah. They come back to Allah. Yes, so Pahlav Shaykh, you mentioned something very important, especially that you mentioned the college students and the youth. You know, sometimes certain generations, people don't want to be judged, right? So it's important that we make the differentiation between Allah's mercy and people's mercy, because just as you mentioned, someone may commit a sin, and they may feel that they're not worthy. But that is the process. You're on your way. If you imagine, if you feel that you're not worthy, and then you raise your hands, feeling that you're not worthy of Allah's mercy because you feel so bad of what you've done. And that's exactly what Ibn Qayyim talks about when he talks about how sins is the musabbab li rahmatillah. It's a means for the rahmah of Allah. Because when you feel so bad for what you've done, you're going to call on Allah with the utmost sincerity, and that's the best way, and that's what Allah subhana wa ta'ala wants. And that all is within his predestination, subhanAllah. Jazakumullah khair. Beautiful reflections.
May Allah grant us His forgiveness and mercy and protect us from the shaitan and from our own evil doings. Allahumma ameen. BarakAllahu feekum for the reflections and for coming on, Mufti Farhan. Always lovely to see you. Jazakumullah khair. My honor, my pleasure. May Allah accept all the great work that everyone's doing, especially in this beautiful month. Ameen. Ameen. Allahu feekum. Jazakumullah khair. Shaykh Abdullah, let's go get some rest, man. It's the last 10 minutes. Jazakumullah khair. It's like mada'a ahd al-nawm, right? The time for sleep is gone. That's how it feels, you know. Jazakumullah khair. May Allah bless everyone. Just a reminder to everyone, as we're in the last 10 inshaAllah ta'ala, to please consider contributing, bismillahi ta'ala, at the link, tiyaqeen. I know a lot of people like to give in the last 10. It's a time, certainly, of blessed deeds. So we pray that Allah opens your heart to this cause and to the many other great causes that are out there. BarakAllahu feekum. Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Wa min Allah at-tawfiq.
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