Guidebook to God
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Ep. 3: When There Is a Doubt, Ask | Guidebook to God
Last episode, we learned about the importance of seeking knowledge to increase faith. However, there is a difference between attaining knowledge and being certain of our knowledge.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Yaqeen, certainty. There's a difference between knowledge and being certain of our knowledge. And certainty is one of those important aspects that builds the character, the ethics, the morality of us as believers because it makes us certain of our accountability to the higher power, to the almighty Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We come to appreciate that it's not just I know that Allah is there, I know that he sent us our Nabi Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasalam but he gives us something greater. It gives us the certainty that yes, the reward that has been promised is true. And sadly for some, the punishment that is deserved will also be a reality and true. Al-Yaqeen is something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has established in the Qur'an in different levels. There's ilm al-yaqeen, there is the knowledge that leads to certainty, things that we know that can make us certain about Allah. And yaqeen, this certainty is something that is witnessed to. And it's something that is known because we have seen its reality in our life. And I want you to understand that for many of us as Muslims, the reasons we are finding it difficult at times to be complete in our relationship with Allah is not that we don't know enough about Allah or that we haven't heard enough about Allah and his messenger salallahu alayhi wasalam or we are not familiar with verses of the Qur'an or particular texts and hadith of the prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam or that the answers to our questions haven't been answered well. But the reason we're not able to translate our knowledge into practice is the issue of certainty.
So the person who lays in bed at 5.30 in the morning when they should rise and wake up to answer the call of hayya ala as-salah, hayya ala al-falah, as-salatu khayrun min an-naum. Prayers are more significant, more important, better for you in your life, in your existence now and in the next life than the sleep that you're going to have for this one hour that's left in your sleep. That the reason we're unable to push off our blankets is because certainty. It's not that we don't know the obligation of the prayer. It's that at times in our heart there's this doubt that Allah will hold us accountable. That there might be this entrance of the statement of the shaytan in our heart that makes us believe that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be forgiving even though he has warned us of being of those who is going to take us to task. At the same time it might be that in our hearts, yes I believe in Jannah but you know that there's this lingering doubt that remains in there. And therefore I wish to speak to myself and you honestly through a dictate of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that he received it in the Quran as a way of mentoring him and the sahaba Ridwanullah alayhim about how to consolidate faith, how to achieve iman, how to increase yaqeen in Allah. And that is in a very simple way. First and foremost is that when there is a doubt that is crept in our heart in the form of a question that we ask the people of knowledge. And Allah tells us in the Quran فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ Ask the learned if you are not aware of the answer to the question. If you do not have knowledge about a particular issue. You see this as being a constant habit of the elite of the Prophets of Allah. So I want you to consider in Surat Al-Baqarah
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells us about Ibrahim Alayhi As-Salam. Who is Ibrahim? Ibrahim he is referred to by Allah in the Quran as the one who became the best friend of Allah. He took Allah as his best friend so Allah took him. وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا Allah allowed Ibrahim to become an intimate friend of his. Ibrahim was aware of Allah. وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ Allah says I allowed Ibrahim to see the realities and the dominion and the majesty of the heavens and the earth. Ibrahim was able to witness so much that gave him knowledge of God. But there comes that point even amongst the elite where they demonstrate. Allah uses them to demonstrate to us the importance of asking a question. Now this isn't a sign when you ask a question like this that you are lacking in faith. Hasha wa kalla that Ibrahim alayhi as-salam doesn't have in his heart certainty. But I want you to see the way the question is phrased and how Allah's response is it as being a lesson for you and I to pursue knowledge of things that at times if we were to leave them they would undermine our yaqeen, undermine our certainty in Allah, undermine our knowledge in Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala quotes Ibrahim by saying, وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحِيِي الْمَوْتَةِ Ibrahim says, oh my Lord, show me how you will bring the dead to life. قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنِ Allah says Ibrahim, is it because you lack faith? Is it because you're uncertain? Is it because you don't believe in me completely? قَالَ بَلَا وَلَكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي My Lord, I do believe in you with certainty. I do have iman that is complete in you in Allah. But I want my heart to have no agitation. I want my heart to be tranquil with tuma'neena, with completion.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't respond by saying, well since you believe and you've admitted you believe, then wait until the day of judgment. Why do you need to see how I will bring the dead to life? Allah rather indulges Ibrahim and says, ya Ibrahim, take khud arba'atan minat tayyir, fasurhunna ilayk Take four different types of birds, shapes, sizes, feathers, colors, and slice them up, dice them into fine, mix them into different categories. waj'al ala kulli jabalin minhunna juz'a And surround the mountain sides all around you with different clumps of their mixed flesh. thumma da'uhun ya'teenaka sa'ya And then call them to you, they will come to you, put and manufacture back into each other. wa'lam anna Allah And know that Allah is the one who is all-knowing, the one who is all-wise, the one who is all-mighty, subhanahu wa ta'ala. Musa alayhi as-salam Could you imagine Moses alayhi as-salam, he speaks to Allah directly. wa kallam allahu musa taklim Allah speaks to Musa and Musa responds to Allah. Musa stands on the mountain, Turi Sayna, and he says, rabbi arini anzur ilayk in surat al-a'raf Oh Allah, allow me to look upon your blessed face. qala lantarani Allah says, you will not be able to see me in this life, oh Musa. walakin anzur ilal jabal But look to the mountain over there. Allah doesn't just simply say no, but Allah demonstrates to Musa why. And that's why it's important for our families, our children, for ourselves, that we don't just hear the text, but we also seek to understand as much of it as we can. There will be certain things that we will not be able to understand. And there are certain things that we simply have to say, sami'na wa ata'na But for a vast majority of aspects in our life, we should come to a point where we ask questions and seek their answers. Allah says, look to the mountain over there at the great distance, that massive structure, ya Musa.
fa in istaqarra makanahu fasawfatarani If that mountain remains firm, upright, as you remain to see it now, you'll be able to see me. falamma tajalla rabbuhu liljabal When Allah allowed some of his majesty, some of his beauty, some of his countenance to become known to that mountain, an iota of the majesty of Allah became unveiled to that mountain. It was destroyed from the blessedness of Allah. It came to an end and it turned into pulverized dust. wakharra musa sa'iqa And from that sight and experience, Moses fell down to unconsciousness and death. Allah brought him back. And Moses came to know that this is an unreal expectation. Isa as asked Allah on behalf of the hawariyeen, people who believe in Allah, bring down a table spread, suratul ma'idah, the fifth chapter of the Qur'an, that we can eat from the fruits of Jannah, from the food of Jannah. nuridu an na'kula minha wa tatma'inna quloobuna We want to eat from it so that our hearts are at ease. Everything you have said, we believe in it, but we want one more sign. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, inni munazziluha alaykum I will bring it down to you and the one who eats of it and disbelieves in me, I will punish them in a way that they will never be punished amongst mankind. Let us be from those who seek to build our certainty in Allah by asking the people of knowledge, by not allowing our questions to remain unanswered, by approaching our children and giving them an opportunity. And I hope that this is a function that I and many of the people of influence and knowledge within our communities can seek to address it. This is one of the reasons that we seek to hold these kind of summits and meetings, even if it's virtually behind your screen today, to increase our iman, our children's iman. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala consolidate our faith, give us knowledge, but also increase our certainty
by being able to engage with that knowledge with the premise of sami'na wa ata'na We hear and we obey. Subhanaka Rabbana maa abadnaka haqqa ibadatika Allah, we always acknowledge that you are the most mighty and you are the most complete and we will never worship you as you deserve to be worshipped. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala increase our yaqeen in heart and give us knowledge that is practiced. Wa sallillahumma wasallim wazid wabarak ala sayyidina wa habibina wa nabiyyina Muhammad your brother Yahya Ibrahim Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh
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