Qur'an 30 for 30 | Season 2
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Juz' 15 with Dania Tbakhi | Qur'an 30 for 30 Season 2
At the halfway point of the Qur'an, two surahs offer a glimpse into important events in the seerah. Surah Al-Isra describes the Night Journey and Ascent of the Prophet ﷺ, while Surah Al-Kahf offered answers to questions posed by Jewish scholars. Both proved the truthfulness of Muhammad ﷺ to believers and skeptics alike. Ustadha Dania Tbakhi joins Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Abdullah Oduro to explore the themes of this juz and how it demonstrates the veracity of the Prophet's ﷺ testimony.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh everyone. Welcome back to Qur'an 30 for 30. Alhamdulillah, today we are blessed to have a first time guest, alhamdulillah, sister Dania Tabakhi, who alhamdulillah recently joined Yaqeen as a fellow and is based in Canada. And you can read her bio on Yaqeen's website. Alhamdulillah, she completed her degree in Usul al-Fiqh from the University of Jordan in Amman. She holds a Master's of Education with specialization in Societies, Cultures and Languages from the University of Ottawa. And she does just wonderful work with the public education system and refugees. But also, alhamdulillah, she's been working on a research paper regarding Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa. And we're very excited, alhamdulillah, for that paper to come out this year, inshaAllah ta'ala, which will shed some light on some of the hidden gems with Al-Aqsa. And we're very happy to have you with us, Ustada Dania. Welcome to the show. Wa alaikum salam. Wa alaikum salam. And you were telling us about the painting behind you. Would you mind sharing that with the audience? Because it's beautiful, mashAllah. My grandmother, mashAllah, may Allah give her a long life. She's an artist and she always paints for masjid al-Aqsa. So she does not sell them. Even though we always tell her she should, she does them all for charity work. And her and my grandfather, Allah ya'rhamu, they were ambassadors for the Quds. And actually the book that I'm kind of translating through, it's not a translation, but it's a loose translation, my grandfather's last project he did before he passed away about masjid al-Aqsa. SubhanAllah. Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward her. And you said she's 90 years old, mashAllah? MashAllah. 90 years old and still painting on al-Aqsa. Allahu akbar. So I connect our hearts and minds and actions and deeds to al-Aqsa. And honestly, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what's happening in Jerusalem right now and in Quds right now.
You know, it is a difficult and horrific situation where that nastiness is really materializing of the occupation in the worst sense. We have these gangs, state sanctioned gangs running through the streets, you know, chanting out death to the Arabs. We ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to liberate it and we ask Allah subhana wa ta'ala to place its importance in our hearts and to also make it a priority for our activism, for our advocacy inshaAllah ta'ala and connect our du'as and our deeds to it always. Allahumma ameen. And that is of course something we, one of the intentions we have with the research that you're publishing on al-Aqsa is to really, is to put that weight in our chests once again so that the weight of the issue is always front and center for us. So JazakumAllah khair. Thank you for being with us, Sheikh Abdullah. As always, JazakumAllah khair. Good to have you, mashaAllah. It's good to be here. And it fits with Ustadh Dania as we are getting to Surah al-Isra as well. So it matches the theme of al-Aqsa. So I'll give inshaAllah ta'ala just a brief overview of the seerah of the two surahs that we primarily cover within this juz' which is al-Kahf and al-Isra and what the connection between those surahs are. So first and foremost, we know that when it came to al-Kahf that it was the Prophet ﷺ being asked certain questions about that which came before him to test whether or not he was a prophet. And these surahs are still Mekkan surahs. And you might wonder how is it that Jewish scholars from Medina are asking the Prophet ﷺ questions and it is Mekki Qur'an which is Surah al-Kahf. And there are multiple narrations that sort of speak to this incident.
But one of them we find from Ibn Abbas ﷺ that the Quraysh seeing the influence of the Prophet ﷺ in Mecca and being afraid of the rise of the Prophet ﷺ actually sent two of their men, Nadhar ibn Harith and Uqba ibn Abi Mu'it to some of the Jewish rabbis in Medina to ask them about some of the questions of the Torah and the Injil that they could see how to basically undermine, you know, the people of Mecca are looking for a way to undermine the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ. So they're saying maybe the Jewish rabbis can give us something that can undermine his knowledge of that which came before him. So the Jewish rabbis tell them to put three questions before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and they say if he answers these questions correctly you should know that he is a prophet and a messenger of Allah. And if he fails to do that then you should know that he is a pretender and he is not a messenger of Allah. So it's very interesting that they're giving these questions to the people of Mecca and saying look if he passes this he is indeed the foretold prophet in our scriptures. If he fails to answer these questions he is not the prophet that is being foretold in these scriptures. So they asked the Prophet ﷺ first about the young men who had left their city in the distant past and what happened to them. And this is of course referring to As'ab al-Kahf, the people of the cave. Secondly they asked the Prophet ﷺ about the man who traveled through the east and the west of the earth and what had happened to him. This is talking about al-Khadr ﷺ. Thirdly ask him about the ruh and what the ruh is. What is the spirit? What is the soul? So they come back, Nadhar ibn Harith and Uqba ibn Abi Mu'idh and they say that we have these questions. So they come to the Prophet ﷺ and they ask the Prophet ﷺ and the Prophet ﷺ was accustomed to
yas'alunak when they ask the Prophet ﷺ anything Allah ﷻ sends the revelation. So he told them that he would answer them tomorrow. But Jibreel alayhi salam did not come to the Prophet ﷺ with the answers except after 15 days. And of course the reasoning as we take in our own lives is that the Prophet ﷺ did not say insha'Allah that God willing the answers will come to them. And so it is important for us to understand that everything happens insha'Allah by the will of Allah ﷻ. And because of that the revelation came later than it typically would have come and the Prophet ﷺ was taunted as a result of that. However, the precise detail with which the answers did come when they came about who Ashab al-Kahf were, who the people of the cave were, about Khadr alayhi salam and Musa alayhi salam, about Dhul Qarnayn were so decisive that even though the delay was there in the answer, the Prophet ﷺ in fact informed of details that were to the point, that were accurate, that fulfilled everything that had been said. On top of that they also, they answered details that people did not even know about, even those that were learned in the scripture. So the Prophet ﷺ answers that question, or answers those questions rather by the will of Allah ﷻ. And then you have the story of al-Isra wal-Mi'raj, the journey of al-Isra wal-Mi'raj. And of course the connection between the two surahs I recommend you read in the companion guide. I know that Ustadh Dania inshaAllah ta'ala will be talking about this as well. But one thing to keep in mind from a surah perspective, there is another deep connection as it relates to the Prophet ﷺ. The journey of Musa alayhi salam and al-Khadr alayhi salam, where he is asking him questions and he does not yet know.
The Prophet ﷺ, if you read the journey of the Prophet ﷺ in al-Isra wal-Mi'raj, these are just some things to pay attention to. When Jibreel alayhi salam takes the Prophet ﷺ from point to point and shows him scenes, and the Prophet ﷺ is asking Jibreel alayhi salam, what is this, what is that? SubhanAllah, this journey of showing him things that he had not seen prior to that ﷺ. So that is happening on the night of al-Isra wal-Mi'raj. We have the Prophets being gathered behind the Prophet ﷺ. So after this long slate of surahs that comes with the stories of the Prophets to affirm the Prophet ﷺ, what greater affirmation to the Prophet ﷺ than to lead the Prophets in prayer? SubhanAllah, I mean after these surahs have come down to him ﷺ affirming his heart, and now they are gathered for him in al-Quds, in Jerusalem, and the Prophet ﷺ leads them in prayer, that is the greatest affirmation to the Messenger ﷺ. And just as the Prophet ﷺ was questioned with those questions that no one would know, except for a Prophet that was foretold in the scriptures, we know that when the Prophet ﷺ came back from the night journey, from the journey to Jerusalem, to the heavens and back, that the Prophet ﷺ was able to tell them things that he had seen along the route. They said, how could it be that you had gone from Mecca to Jerusalem in one night and come back? And SubhanAllah, one thing that happened is that the Prophet ﷺ was able to recount the things he saw along the way that were happening at that time. And so when they go back and they speak to the people, or when the Prophet ﷺ speaks to the people about what he saw along the way, the people of Mecca could then go out and they could speak to those that were between Mecca and Jerusalem
and find out if what the Prophet ﷺ had said indeed happened at those times, and that was the case. So the Messenger ﷺ was able to speak about the movements of people between Jerusalem and Mecca on that night, who was settled where, what was happening where, some of the sights and scenes that he saw ﷺ on that night. And then when they asked the Prophet ﷺ about Al-Aqsa, SubhanAllah, Allah ﷻ raised the sight of Al-Aqsa in front of the Messenger ﷺ, so he started to describe Jerusalem exactly, and he was looking at it while he was describing it to the people. So even after he came back, Allah ﷻ blessed the Messenger ﷺ to have Al-Quds, to have Al-Aqsa in front of him, so he could actually point out what he had seen ﷺ and then express that to the people. We also see, SubhanAllah, that with the Messenger ﷺ in this regard, that the questions that were being asked to him, the Prophet ﷺ was answering them on the basis of knowledge, on the basis of what was being told to him. But then after Al-Israa' wa-l-Mi'raj, the Prophet ﷺ was able to answer questions based on what was shown to him. And this is of course a transition that the scholars mention, from ilm al-yaqeen to a'ina al-yaqeen, from the certainty of knowledge through learning, through the certainty of sight to actually being able to see things. And the challenge for us in the Quran from the very beginning is, alladhina yu'minuna bilghayb, those who believe in the unseen. With Musa ﷺ, with Al-Khadir ﷺ, of course all by the power of Allah, Musa ﷺ was being given access to one element of the unseen, which was the way that Qadha and Qadhar work, the way that the Divine Decree works. And that was only by Allah's permission to give him a window into that. With the Prophet ﷺ being raised on the night of Al-Israa' wa-l-Mi'raj,
with Jibreel ﷺ explaining to him the sights that he was seeing, he was being given a window ﷺ into what he had been preaching about, what he had been told about ﷺ, to where Allah ﷻ gave him such access that no other human being had been given before of the unseen, that he could then speak about ﷺ after having seen it himself. So this journey of Musa ﷺ and Al-Khadir ﷺ, this journey of the Prophet ﷺ done with Jibreel ﷺ, I think is one that is often lost upon us, this journey of the culmination of the Prophets praying behind the Prophet ﷺ, affirming the Messenger ﷺ, welcoming the Prophet ﷺ as he goes through the heavens, you can imagine what this brought to the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, and indeed, subhanAllah, the change would happen as a result of that. The last thing I'll mention in this regard is that the scholars mention a benefit in this regard, with Surat al-Kahf. Surat al-Kahf was a group of people that went to a cave to escape fitna, and that the Muslims were about to leave Mecca to escape fitna, to escape trials and tribulations from the people of Mecca. The fitna that the people of the cave, the tribulation that the people of the cave were escaping was different in its nature, but it still speaks to the willingness and the idea to depart from the comfort of your homes as a result of conviction in your beliefs, and to endure the struggles and the trials that come with that, and in both situations you had sincere supplications that were made, and then eventually victory that is given from Allah ﷻ to a believing people, to a righteous people, in this case the most righteous generation that has ever walked the face of the earth, the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. We ask Allah ﷻ to send his peace and blessings upon him,
and to be pleased with his companions and to join us with them. Allahumma ameen. InshaAllah ta'ala I'll invite first and foremost Ustadha Dania, if she wants to share any reflection, and then we'll move on to Shaykh Abdullah bi-idhna. InshaAllah khair Shaykh Muhammad. What's interesting about Surat As-Sura is it's a Meccan surah, except for three verses, and it was revealed around a year and two months before the hijrah. So it has the characteristics of a Madani surah almost, and it's structured with long verses, in the beginning of the Quran as we read it now, but in the content it's still mostly about an aqidah. And it's almost like the scholars would say a transitionary surah between these two periods, because it deals with a lot of topics such as the start of marriage and the perfection of the risalah, but also the themes of blessings and thankfulness that we see in Surat An-Naml, and kind of touches over commandments of social dealings and justice and Islam. MashaAllah, mashaAllah. I can't wait to hear some of the further reflections you have. BarakAllahu fiqi. So indeed SubhanAllah, it is just like it's a transition point for the Prophet ﷺ, it's also a transition point in the Quran as well. SubhanAllah, as you say, it takes on the style of both periods as well, and some of the themes and incorporates them as well. BarakAllahu fiqi. Tadla Shaykh Abdullah. Yes, SubhanAllah, with the Surah Asra, what we know of the name of one of the illustrious companions, Siddiq Abu Bakr radhiyallahu anhu, he was called the voracious one, the truthful one, is because huwa sadaqa nabi ﷺ, he really believed in the Prophet ﷺ and believed that what he said was true to the degree that he believed that he ascended the heavens, asra bi abdihi laylan, that he went from masjid al-haram to masjid al-aqsa, and then he urija alas sama'a, that he went up to the heavens,
and SubhanAllah, what happened, happened. He encounters that took place to the degree that the Quraysh and the people were, they didn't believe this khabr from the Prophet ﷺ, this news, and they came to Abu Bakr, and Abu Bakr radhiyallahu anhu at this time is where his name, his nickname was given, as-Siddiq, because he believed and he said, if it is as he said, then this is the truth, this is what has happened. And this SubhanAllah is directly and indirectly a reassurance and an encouragement for the Prophet ﷺ, being that he sent him up to the heavens, SubhanAllah wa ta'ala, and he showed the Prophet ﷺ that which was unbelievable for him. But this was a huge, a huge encounter for the Prophet ﷺ, which would strengthen him at the same time by showing him ra'ya al-'een, as we mentioned earlier, ayn al-yaqeen, which is a different level of surety. Not to say that he was never sure, but when you see it, ayn al-yaqeen, it is something that is ma'soos, something that you can, with your senses, you can actually see. And SubhanAllah, that is something that is amazing, for lack of better words, and encouraging for the Prophet ﷺ for him to persist on this message, which will be filled with trials and tribulations. And throughout this message, and throughout these encounters, and throughout this comfort from Allah ﷻ, this love and protection and honor that Allah ﷻ gives him, at the same time, throughout all of this, there will still be a level of sadness, to the degree that he may want to, not literally, but feel like he wants to yuhrika nafsahu, to destroy himself, out of sadness for wanting guidance for people. And that's the verse that I want to speak about in the chapter of al-Kahf. At the very beginning, where Allah ﷻ mentions a reality for him, and some scholars say a prohibition for him, where Allah ﷻ says here,
falAAalaka baakhi'un nafsaka ala atharihim illam yu'minu bihadhan hadithi asafa And this is the sixth verse in the chapter of al-Kahf, where Allah ﷻ says here, perhaps you would kill yourself in grief over their footsteps, or over their athar, over what they left, because they did not believe in the narration, they did not believe hadhil hadith. And some scholars say the hadith, the narration, is the Quran. What is interesting here, is that Allah ﷻ, as scholars mention, that this is a form, some would say, of a prohibition. That it is not befitting, and not for you as a messenger, which has been given a message. You have no ultimate control over their guidance. So do not, don't be sad to the degree to where it will cause you stress, to the degree that you may want to kill yourself. Not literally, but that much stress which could alter your risalah, or your giving the message to the people. It's human to be sad. And as a matter of fact, it's important for us as Muslim human beings to love people, and to ultimately want guidance for them, because that is the right of Allah ﷻ upon them. But it's just upon you, as Allah ﷻ says in the chapter of Raqqa, that verily upon you is al-balaagh wa alayna al-hisab. It is upon you just to relay the message to the best of your ability, in a conducive fashion, that which they can totally understand, and with that being the case, you have fulfilled your amal, you have fulfilled your responsibility. If they choose not to take the message, if they are belligerent upon you, still have mercy on them, but do not let that sadness bring you to the level of grief. And what is an interesting point is, some scholars say that the word asafa illam yu'minu bihadhan hadithi asafa this is an explanation of his
abuqa, that he was someone that was stressed to the degree that it brought him severe grief. And grief rather than anger, because there is another verse in the Quran where Allah uses the same word asafa, when Allah ﷻ says in the Quran, after I've been learning astrology, where He says, falamma asafoon antaqarna minhum faaghraqnahum ajma'een. Where Allah ﷻ talks about the people of Fir'aun, when they were the ones that angered Allah ﷻ. falamma asafoon antaqarna minhum faaghraqnahum ajma'een When they deserved and caused our anger, antaqarnahum faaghraqnahum ajma'een and we caused them to drown, faja'alnahum salafan wa matan lil aakhireen and we made them an example for the future nations to come. But here it is grief, it's not anger, it is grief. So understanding that firstly, the love of the Prophet ﷺ for his people and the love for an-naas jami'an, for all of mankind. It's important for us to look at that aspect of his lifetime, that aspect of his message. But this religion, as we know, is a religion that is wasif. You can be sad, it is upon you, you know, to be sad if you are trying to call someone to the message as he tried to call his uncle, you know, as he tried to call certain people to al-Islam. Many of us may try to call our family members that may be Muslim, but they're not praying, they're not practicing. We have family members that may not be Muslim, and they have no desire to be Muslim. As a matter of fact, they may be belligerent to the message of Islam. And this saddens the human being. So when we read this verse, it's important for us to remember the human side of the Prophet ﷺ, that he was saddened by the people. And throughout this seerah, it is numerous, numerous events that we talked about earlier, when he left from Ta'if and he was, you know, throwing pellets and things of that nature to where
it was a level of sadness to him, and he even asked for Allah ﷻ to forgive them, فَإِنَّهُمْ قَوْمُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ that they don't know. So it's important for us to remember the human side of the Prophet ﷺ, to look at our lives and see those people that may not understand this message, or those that may understand it and are belligerent and defiant against it. Do not let that sadness take you away from continuing on this message, to call the people to goodness, to call the people to their Creator. So looking at the encouragement from Allah ﷻ to the Prophet ﷺ, comforting him and realizing just as that was with the Prophet ﷺ, he will never leave you as well, as long as we stick to the message that Allah ﷻ wants us to emulate and to exemplify. Allah ﷻ is the best. JazakAllah khair Shaykh Abdullah, beautiful reflection, subhanAllah and I couldn't help but think like Abu Bakr radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, once again he passes the first ayah of the Quran like in Surah al-Baqarah right, like I mean, yeah if the Prophet ﷺ said it, it's true. The Prophet ﷺ had full certainty in what was being given to him, and Abu Bakr radiAllahu anhu had full certainty in what was being given to the Prophet ﷺ, and any window that Abu Bakr was given was just extra affirmation for him, radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, but he manifests just the perfect sithq, like truthfulness, like what you said is true, I don't need to see it Ya RasulAllah, because I see you and I know you, and the same thing with the Messenger ﷺ, that is the reward for the believer, is that the affirmation is increased, li azdadu imana, so that they can grow in their faith. So barakAllah for the beautiful reflections. Ustadh Dania, tafadhali, you can reflect on Shaykh Abdullah's said and then go into your topic and take your time inshAllah, I'm sure everyone is very interested to hear what you have prepared for us for the night, ta'ala, barakAllah fikir. JazakumAllahu khair, BismillahirRahmanirRahim, so a common name of the surah as we know is
Surah As-Ra, but it also has two other names, Bani Israel and Subhanah, and today I want to focus on the word Subhanah for the surah. The surah is involved between two types of praises, the surah before, Surah An-Nahl, Ata amrAllahi falatista'ajilu, Subhanahu wa ta'ala amma yushrihoon, the command of Allah is coming, so be not impatient, for exalted is He and high above all they associate with Him. So the word tasbih is mentioned here. And the praise that comes after in Surah Al-Kahf is Alhamdulillah all praises for Allah who has revealed the book to His servant. And Surah As-Ra starts with Subhanalladhi asra bi'abdihi laylan minal masjidil harami ilal masjidil aqsa, alladhi barakna hawlahu yinuriyahu min ayatina inna huwa al-sami'u al-basir, glory to Him who made His servant travel by night from the secret place of worship to the furthest place of worship, whose surroundings we have blessed to show Him some of our signs. He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. So the surah starts with the word Subhanah, and that's why it's named Subhanah after His name is Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. And no other surah in the Quran actually begins with the word Subhanah. And there's actually no other surah in the Quran that has the word Subhanah or Subhanah who mentioned as many times it is in Surah Al-Isra. And there's other surahs that start with Sabaha, which is a verb, but unlike them, Subhanah is a noun. And when we say the word Subhanah, the word Subhanah just is, and it's not restricted to time or place like a verb. And it's, Subhanah means Allah is exalted before creation and after creation, and whether or not creation even makes His speech, His glory is independent of whether our tongue says Subhanah or not. And when you think about the event of Isra and Mi'raj, this miraculous nature of the journey, it defied all the normal physical rules of time and distance. And to reflect on that, it's kind of the same way that the word Subhanah is not restricted to time or place. And just trying to contemplate that
makes us in awe of Allah. And this is a lesson for us here in Dhikr. It's very accessible. Dhikr to Allah is very accessible and it's within reach for us. When Allah describes Tasbih like saying Subhanallah wa bihamdihi, He calls them light upon the tongue. And being able to utter Subhanallah in any time or place wherever you are is a true blessing. So what does Tasbih mean or to say Subhanallah? When we say Subhanah, we're declaring and affirming the perfection of Allah, by negating any deficiency from being attributed to Allah. Not only is He free from any flaw, but He is above all flaws. This is a core element of our understanding of Allah. This is our core to our aqidah. As we said, this is a Meccan surah, so this is part of our aqidah. And He is nothing like humans, He is above anything to be compared to His creation. In Arabic we use a word called tamzeeh, which means both exalted and above any false claims. So circling back to the beginning where we start with Subhanah, Ibn Ashur mentions in his tafsir that surah Isra starts with this word without anything preceding it. It kind of alerts the listener that they're about to hear something great. It's on a smaller scale, it's like when we read a news article and it says incredible and exclamation marks, we already know that there's something great that we're going to read, something of great importance. And starting this also proves the magnificence and unmatched ability of the speaker, who is Allah. And also it shows us that the person that he's going to be talking about has a high status, which is the Prophet peace be upon him. And again, also thirdly, the announcement of the miracle of the surah Mi'raj is prefaced by the word Subhanah, guiding the listener to our ideal reaction when we hear this. Like we said, Sayyidina Abu Bakr, his reaction was immediate belief. But most people, they immediately disbelieve when they hear something that their minds can't wrap around. And we see this unfolding in the Sira when the disbelievers of Quraysh who tried
to dismiss this event as a dream. And the word Subhanah wouldn't be mentioned here if it was just merely a dream, because it deserved a big type of announcement. So this ayah actually confirms that the Prophet peace be upon him went on this night journey, he went awake and not in a dream, and he went both jasad and ruhi, he went both soul and body. And we know this because Allah says, He uses the word servant, and this quote has both the body and soul. So again, we see that the form of praise of Subhanah means Allah's perfection by negating any sort of imperfection in his attributes as essence, and again, his actions, which is al-isra' al-mi'raj. And the word Abd, I just want to focus a little bit on that because Allah doesn't refer to our Prophet's name here, he doesn't say bi Muhammad or bi Rasulihi, he says bi Abdihi because whenever Allah refers highly of the Prophets, he mentions they're abudiyyah, he mentions that they are servants of Allah. And we are taught here that the highest status and honor one can achieve is actually abudiyyah, and Allah calling you as an Abd, his servant, is more valuable, more honorable than being called by your title or by your name. And second of all, as Sheikh Abdullah was talking about the Prophet still being a human, the Prophet went on this incredible and unique journey, al-isra' al-mi'raj, but he still remained an Abd, and he didn't become superhuman. And it's amazing because later on in the surah, in the ayahs describing how Quraysh challenged the Prophet with numerous things as bringing them face to face with Allah or with the angels as proof of his prophethood, Allah instructs the Prophet ﷺ, say, qul subhanah rabbi hal kuntu illa basharan rasoolah, say, exalted is my Lord, was I ever but a human messenger. So the surah really focuses on the fact that no matter what miracles occurred at the time, it does not deduce the Prophet's humanity at the end of the day. So later on we begin with as-asra bi abdihi laylam min
al-masjid al-haram, so going from Mecca to Jerusalem to al-masjid al-aqsa, allathee barakna hawlahu, we have blessed its surroundings. So we notice that the ayah, when Allah talks about masjid al-aqsa, it's a place that Allah put barakah surrounding it, not just the masjid and not just the surrounding walls, but the city is and the lavat area. It's almost like a ripple effect. And when it circles the barakah, it emits from the core. And barakah in Arabic means to grow and to increase. And when we have barakah in something, it's almost like a gift that keeps on giving. It just stretches beyond the ordinary gift. When Allah puts barakah in something, it itself is a miracle. And when Allah mentions that He put barakah in everything surrounding masjid al-aqsa, it's another wonder that should stimulate our hearts to say subhanAllah. And the miraculous journey of the Prophet, he embarked on, as-Salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, really reflects the status of masjid al-aqsa. As part of our doctrine, as part of our aqeedah, visiting masjid al-aqsa does not only tie our hearts closer to the current issue on hand, but also bestows upon us the many rulings and virtues. And there's many narrations and hadiths about the Prophet, alayhi salatu wa salam, that magnify the value of masjid al-aqsa in our lives. It's blessed by being the first qiblah to the Muslims, and being the sacred, and being a sacred mosque over any other mosque, being one of the three sacred mosques in our religion. And it's a direct connection with masjid al-aqsa, their second pillar of Islam, makes it an undeniable element of our theology. And the magnificence of as-Sira' al-mi'raj is centered in the blessed land of masjid al-aqsa. Al-aqsa is emphasized as a center point to our belief in the miracles of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Later on in the surah, we talk about the Quran and the effect it has on us. And again, this is the perfection of Allah, is also in its essence, but also in His speech, which is the Quran. And right in the beginning of the Quran, we know from surah al-qar'ah that this Quran came down without any doubt, without any flaws, reflecting on Allah's perfection
and majesty. And between the ayahs 40 and 46, where the pagans of Mecca, they talked about, they had statements of shirk, of attributing angels as daughters to Allah. And in ayah 43, Allah completely refused these statements, saying, subhanahu wa ta'ala amma yaquluna wa nooman kabira. Pure is He, and exalted immensely above anything that they say. Because for Allah to have partners or offspring would take away from His divine perfection. And after that, in ayah 44, it doesn't start with subhanah but to sabih, explaining that the seven skies and the earth and everything between it makes tasbih to Allah, and forms that we do not know. Because the form we know is by our tongue. So it's really important to kind of have this in mind, that the creation around us, at any time of day, is also making tasbih. And to tie up the end of the surah and the beautiful passages between 105 and 109, Allah talks about how the Quran came down with al-haqq, and in verse 107, Allah says that there's two options regarding how we react to the Quran. Either we believe or we disbelieve. And those who have ilm, those who have the knowledge of the previous books, when the Quran was recited upon them, Allah tells us they fell in sujood. They yaquluna subhana rabbina, glory to our Lord. Our Lord's promise has been fulfilled. And here, subhana, in the tanzeef manner, in regards to negating any perfection that's attributed to Allah, being Him not being, for Him to break a promise. And the promise in this ayah is Sayyidina Muhammad coming, because that was a promise that was in the previous books. And Allah always and consistently fulfills the promises. And we know that they kept crying in their sujood out of khashiyah and awe of Allah. And the more they heard of the Quran, the more they increased in khashiyah. JazakumAllah khairan. SubhanAllah, that was absolutely profound. And I think inshallah, my request of you is going to be, we need
to take those notes and turn them into an article, because that was really profound, mashaAllah. I think that it really helps when you're saying subhanAllah to actually think about the way that it's used in the Quran, and particularly, I think what you just did, inshallah, and situating it in the historical context and the way that these surahs flow. Very very powerful, very thorough, tabarakAllah. May Allah bless you, Ustadh Dania. I know that we all benefited from that tremendously. May Allah reward you. SubhanAllah, I was just thinking about the Surah al-Kahf is also setting the Prophet, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, for the questioning he's going to get from the Jews in Medina, and maybe some of the Christians that he will encounter afterwards being people of the book, whereas Surah al-Isra is the questioning now that he's going to get in Mecca from the pagans, sort of this last line of questioning. So it's the questioning coming from both ends, and Allah subhanAllah elevating our Messenger, alayhi salatu wasalam, in both of those situations. I really, I think appreciated more than anything else, honestly, how you tied the tasbih to the isra, that someone says how is it possible he went from here to here, how is it possible that you did this and this and that, and it reminds me of a narration about the Day of Judgment where some of the Sahaba ask the Prophet, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, and I'm paraphrasing, about how will people be made to walk on their faces on the Day of Judgment, and the answer of the Messenger, alayhi salatu wasalam, was the one who made them walk on their feet will cause them to walk on their faces. May Allah subhanAllah take us amongst them. Allahumma wa alaikum wa rahmatullah. But it's something, right, like Allah is not subject to our dimension of time and space, and the fact that subhanAllah, I mean, he can do whatever he wants, and the name of the surah, and as we mentioned in the beginning of the series, that sometimes the surah has multiple names, so the name of the surah is in fact subhanAllah, and there's no other surah like that, it's truly something to marvel at, so barakAllahu fiqi for those
wonderful insights. Shaykh Abdullah, do you have anything, last comment you'd like to share inshaAllah? One thing that comes to my mind is subhanAllah, the word subhanAllah, I mean, mashAllah, may Allah reward us for just mentioning his name every time, and giving salams from the Prophet, salAllahu alayhi wa sallam, inshaAllah. How he says subhanAllah li asra bi abdihi, and it's interesting how, you know, mashAllah she mentioned how abd is a tashreef, being a servant is one of the most noble ways to be called. Other than that, for creation, it is the total opposite, right? It's the total opposite, but with the Creator, that is the most noble of names, as the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wa sallam even mentioned, you know, that one of the most beloved names to Allah subhanAllah. So when we look at the name Abdullah, it was the same thing that subhanAllah, Isa said, with the first thing that came out of Isa's mouth, qala inni abdullah, ata li an kitaba wa ja'alani nabiyya. And also, what was Isa's response to Allah subhanAllah wa ta'ala when Allah subhanAllah said, anta qulta linnas ittaqiduni wa ummiya ilahayni min duni Allah, qala subhana. The response of tanzeeh is no shape, form, or fashion are you associated with any of that, because you are far from that. That's what glory means, to glorify, to magnify. And whenever Allah subhanAllah talks about waqalu ittaqadallahu walada, subhana. You know, it's always subhana. So jazakAllah khair for capitalizing on that. Just the connection with this subhanAllah and being an abd, and then you see it with the story of Isa alayhi salam kind of joining the two, is miraculous, as all of the Quran is miraculous. But just looking at that beautiful connection of being an abd and being proud of being an abd for Allah subhanAllah wa ta'ala, and at the same time, by being an abd it is magnifying Allah in the way that mayalikubihi, that is to His majesty.
JazakAllah khair. Once again, Ustaz Addaniya, jazakAllah khair Sheikh Abdullah, and to everyone for tuning in inshaAllah ta'ala. Reminder, yaqeeninstitute.org slash Ramadan. You can download the Quran 30 for 30 companion guide which talks about some of the structure of the surahs and inshaAllah it will be enriched by what's coming in this season as well in the future, but not as well as the du'a a day by Dr. Taha Wyatt. And a reminder to please consider contributing to yaqeen amongst the other organizations and wonderful efforts that you support this Ramadan. BarakAllahu feekum, wa salamualikoum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. It's your brother Yahya Ibrahim. It gives me great pleasure to share with you this series, A Muslim's Guide to Righteousness, to Good Deeds and Good Conduct. And I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes it centered and focused around the words of Allah, the scripture sent to our Nabi Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that it is a clear path of the sunnah of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and that it is something that is of a beneficial knowledge that you and I can practice in all parts of our life in our privacy and our public being. Allahuma ameen.
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