Qur'an 30 for 30 | Season 4
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Juz’ 17: Sh. Joe Bradford and Sh. Yousef Wahb | Angels and Messengers
There is so much we can learn on how to conduct ourselves from the stories of the prophets, particularly when it comes to our Creator.
Sh. Yousef Wahb and Sh. Joe Bradford join Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Abdullah Oduro in reflection on the 17th juz of the Qur’an and how, by keeping Allah central to our worldview, we can live more patient, humble, and intentional lives.
0:00 Introduction
6:20 Dr. Omar Suleiman reflects on honoring the sanctity of rituals & the symbols of Allah.
12:21 Sh. Abdullah Oduro reflects on having patience in du’a.
18:45 Sh. Yousef Wahb reflects on the etiquette of calling upon Allah through the examples of the Prophets.
27:40 Sh. Joe Bradford reflects on the parallels between Surah al-Anbiya and Surah al-Hajj.
36:37 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 Rabbil Ameen. We're now in Juz 17 and we have too much barakah in the room, mashaAllah. Shaykh Joe Bradford, Shaykh Yusuf Wahab, and Shaykh Abdullah Aduro. This is like a dream session of Qur'an 30 for 30, Alhamdulillah. So we're blessed to have two beloved brothers and scholars, Alhamdulillah, joining us today. I feel like it should become a zakah Q&A, like something, because I think both of you, mashaAllah, are experts in zakah. Shaykh Joe, I actually, subhanAllah, I have your book on my desk in the office at Yaqeen. I plugged it in my double take episode, but I was hoping to plug it today, but forgive me. What's the name of the book again? It's 40 Hadith on Wealth and Earning. 40 Hadith on Wealth and Earning. Amazing book, mashaAllah. And where can they find it, Shaykh? It's available on Amazon.com and links on my website as well. Nice, nice, mashaAllah. So Shaykh Joe is like the zakah, inheritance, anything to do with money, mashaAllah. You know, he does just a phenomenal job, and of course more than that, Alhamdulillah, just someone we always benefit in terms of insights, and we're really looking forward to having you with us, Shaykh Joe. And Shaykh Yusuf is our director of Quranic studies at Yaqeen, Alhamdulillah, and Shaykh Yusuf is a blessing from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. Shaykh Yusuf, before you, I'm going to actually introduce you with this tweet. I want to put something on screen. Put it up? There it is, alright. So this is like the greatest compliment. Like I saw this, I was like, man, mashaAllah, that's love for the sake of Allah. So Shaykh Joe tweeted,
I want to be Yusuf Wahab when I grow up. So I think that's how we know, Alhamdulillah, you're Wahab. I was actually going to ask you to introduce me as the person you want. And then it turned out you all were on the same episode, Alhamdulillah. Yes, alhamdulillah. That was, you know, too much ner in the room right now. So Shaykh Yusuf, as our director of Quranic studies, Alhamdulillah, all of the incredible work, especially, honestly, groundbreaking work on qiraat, like on understanding the recitations and the depth of the Quran. Shaykh Yusuf sees that through an amazing article that just got published as well on how the Quran engages Jewish and Christian literature. Click that tab on the website. Shaykh Yusuf, what's coming up with Quranic studies as well? BarakAllahu feekum. So the, actually, in a few days, inshAllah, we're having a piece on Laylatul Qadr. It's a mix between tafsir and also some hadith about Laylatul Qadr. It's a translation of a work by Al-Hafidh Waliuddin Al-Iraqi, one of the greatest scholars of hadith, with a little bit of commentary. So inshAllah, it should be released in a few days. It's a timely piece, and Laylatul Qadr, everybody now is getting ready for Laylatul Qadr. The book actually opens the horizons for our perception of Laylatul Qadr, starting from the opinions that Laylatul Qadr can be any night of the entire year, as it's a common opinion attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa, rahimahullah, to the people who admit it limited to the last 10 days or the odd nights, or particular nights, actually, in the last 10 nights. InshaAllah, hopefully, that would give us a boost of energy to exert more effort in Ramadan, inshaAllah. We have another article that should be published soon, inshaAllah, on the universality of the message of the Qur'an, how the Qur'an, including the verses that are addressing particular individuals or people, or even the ayat that are talking about ancient peoples or the stories from the past, they are still relevant to us today. There's also a paper that has some reflections on
racial conflicts from Surah Al-Hujurat, drawn from tafsir from a North African Muslim, a scholar of tafsir, who dealt with the idea of racism in their tribal context, and how they associated that in their tafsir of the Qur'an, of Surah Al-Hujurat in particular, the surah that we know that talks about the manners of ikhtilaf and conflicts between Muslims. So inshaAllah, these two pieces should be released soon. We have another piece on approaching the Qur'an from the lens of Asma'ullah Al-Husna, from the names of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. This one should be also released soon, bi-idh-illah. There are more, inshaAllah, to come, but those are the ones that are pretty ready, inshaAllah, to be released soon. MashaAllah. JazakAllah khair, Shaykh. May Allah bless you and all the brothers and sisters that are working in that department in particular, and this will be a good plug for everyone to please donate to Yaqeen, inshaAllah. We're getting into that part of Ramadan, inshaAllah, especially as we get into the last 10 nights. Join us for the webathon on Tuesday, inshaAllah, and please do, inshaAllah, continue to contribute to the work. And I want to be Shaykh Abdullah Dura when I grow up, so we got Shaykh Dura that wants to be Shaykh Yusuf. I want to be Shaykh Abdullah, you know, inshaAllah. But before we start, just, Shaykh Dura, I got a riddle for you, and Shaykh Yusuf, you're welcome to chime in, all right? It's a tax question that's been Islamified, all right? So, what do you call, or why does a skunk not pay zakah? Why does a skunk not pay zakah? Oh, man. Why does a skunk not pay zakah? Can't Google it, Shaykh. Oh, yeah, yeah. Why does a skunk pay zakah? Why doesn't he pay zakah? Why doesn't he pay zakah?
So, a negation. Why doesn't he pay zakah? Oh, I don't know. I'm stumped. I want to say something about Nisab, but that's not going to work. You got me. All right, because he only has one cent. Oh, that was good. You have to give that, inshaAllah. That's a good one. You're getting closer to being like me. Closer. One day. One day, I'll be like you. One day. One day. InshaAllah, Shaykh, let's go ahead and get started. Bismillah wa alhamdulillah wa salatu wassalamu ala Rasulullah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala. Truly, subhanAllah, I want to keep things very short on my end, because I know we're going to have a lot of rich reflections, but as we get into al-Anbiya and al-Hajj and the different things that come into play here, the lives of the Prophets and their their struggles and the way that they came close to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la through everything, they were the greatest example of people that understood their purpose in life because their purpose was divinely revealed and their mission is divinely supported. SubhanAllah, I was looking at just these few verses in Surah Al-Hajj where Allah Azawajal says in verse 31, and I've spoken about this before, the imagery of this verse, that they are exclusively devoted to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, the oneness of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, never attributing a partner to him. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says that the one who attributes the partner to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is like someone who falls from the sky and then is snatched away by a bird or the wind blows him away into a distant unrecognizable place. SubhanAllah, the imagery of that person
that doesn't have tawheed, that doesn't have true religion to ground themselves in, is like a person that is falling from the sky and getting picked up from bird to bird to bird to bird and many of the speak about this in multiple ways, the false idols, some of them talk about the different the different desires that capture them at different points of their lives, these different addictions that take them from place to place to place to place, these different philosophies that are incoherent and unsatisfying and think about this person compared to a person who's holding on to the trustworthy handhold, right? You have something so stable in tawheed and you're grabbing on to that trustworthy handhold and you're grounded in this profound perfect religion where you have clarity and you know exactly why you're here and why you are supposed to be doing what you are doing versus someone who doesn't have those things and you know oftentimes you'll find that the people that do not follow Islam or do not follow you know organized religion and mock this concept of organized religion of course as we're moving into the era of spiritual not religious and people making and fashioning their gods and their religions in their desires is that they mock the ideas of symbols, they mock the idea of prohibition and what does Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la say also in this surah right afterwards that such is the fact that whoever venerates, whoever honors the sanctity of those symbols of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la that that is a sign of the piety of the heart and so you see someone that doesn't believe in this and looks at hajj and mocks it right, mocks people in salah, mocks the fasting of the believers, mocks the way that we honor those symbols of Allah and by the way some Muslims even may fall victim to this idea of mocking ritual and mocking symbol and saying it's about the spirit,
it's about the character, yes it's about the spirit, it's about the character but that's manifested as well in the ritual and in the practice and there is a healthy marriage between those two things in Islam and that is taqwa in the heart as well, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says that's also part of piety in the heart but then after Allah Azawajal says that they are people who do ta'aleem, who honor the symbols of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, Allah Azawajal says a few verses later, that it's not the flesh of the sacrifice or the blood of the sacrifice that reaches Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la but it is your taqwa that reaches him SubhanAllah so you see that perfect once again coherence of those two things and as this plays out later on even in the surah this idea that those who embark on this effort to honor what Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has honored that they are rewarded no matter what happens along the way so in verse 58 Allah Azawajal says that those who migrate in the way of Allah whether they were slain or they died Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la will give them their promised rizq their promised sustenance and their promised reward and he is the best of those who provide so you really start to see the way that the surah is shaping up and this juz speaks to as a whole in fact this idea that religion is coherent that tawheed is clarifying and grounding that the symbols matter and the symbols testify to the spirit in the heart and what you are exerting yourself towards and that is what actually reaches Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and it is the effort at the end of the day that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la demands of you and that Allah Azawajal will hold you accountable to and so it's one of those things where you read this juz and you say
honestly that was the key reflection I had when I read this juz Alhamdulillah for the blessing of Islam and you'll see that whether it's in the story of Ayub A.S. or Ibrahim A.S. that we have something that is so legitimate, so clarifying, so grounding, so true Alhamdulillah and so with that InshaAllah Ta-A'la as I said I don't want to take too much time today because I really want to hear the rich reflections from of course Shaykh Abdullah as always but Shaykh Joe and Shaykh Yusuf so I'll pass it on quickly in fact to Shaykh Abdullah InshaAllah BarakAllahu Fikum Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen Wa Sallallahu Wa Sallam wa barak ala nabiyyina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in amma ba'du SubhanAllah we've already reached the middle of Ramadan and you know sometimes we we ask ourselves what are we rushing for you know sometimes we see the Eid come and we wish that Ramadan would have stayed but then at the beginning of Ramadan we you know are waiting for the end of it sometimes as human beings and that's what I want to touch on today because you know SubhanAllah we our theme is the Quranic worldview and the view of ourselves as human beings what's so beautiful about Islam what's so beautiful about Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and Tawheed particularly the oneness of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and his Rububiyyah his lordship is that he knows us because he created us he knows us better than we know ourselves therefore within the Quran and within the Sunnah of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that has been given message by Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala therefore being the messenger he tells us about ourselves and the reality of ourselves but he doesn't leave us he doesn't leave us out of you know by ourselves with our own agency rather he gives us a methodology he gives us a practice he gives us a framework and that is the Sharia within this within this uh knowledge of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala there's one thing I want to share with all of you in the chapter of the chapter of Al Anbiya where Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about the human being and it's it's very interesting because we we may know this but SubhanAllah he gives us the formula as well
Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says after Audhu Billahi minash shaitanir rajim in the context uh as some scholars call it a Jumla Itiradiya that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is is is is mentioning a thought which within a framework of another mentioning he's talking about the Mushrikoon uh more he's he's not Itiradiya he's inserting a thought here when he's talking about uh the reality of the human beings before that he was talking about how the Mushrikoon would make istihza of the Prophets Alaihimu Salaam particularly the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and due to their istihza and making fun of the Prophets Alaihimu Salaam they made the statement is this the one that uh mentions your gods and they disbelieved in the Rahman the Rahman of the oneness of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala because they had another understanding of what a Rahman would be so here when they mention that they make istihza of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam is this the one that you are talking about making istihza and belittling him Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala comes after that he says he says that mankind was created from haste mankind was created from haste then Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says after that I will show them verily my signs so do not be impatient so one may ask how is it that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala creates us from being as being human beings that are impatient but then after that tells us not to be impatient this is important because understanding the creation of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala he creates us with certain awsaf the certain with certain characteristics that is ingrained and there if you will they are features of our fitrah of our carnal self of our natural self our natural inclination that from that we may be impatient and we want things now even the mushrikun of their time particularly in this context they
wanted to see the signs of Allah jahratan they wanted to see them in in front of them yes it's from their from their their their characteristic of being impatient but also of making fun of the messengers but we as human beings may be impatient with the duas that we make we may be impatient when our duas are not answered when someone we have an expectation from them and they don't reach that expectation and from the lack of them reaching our expectations we may be impatient with them or impatient with Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala this is why it's important for us as human beings to realize Allah gives us the raw material and characteristics but he also gives us a framework to work with that is why after that he says I will verily show you certainly show you my signs do not be hasty although this was particularly for the mushrikun that made fun of the messenger of Allah messengers of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam alayhim wasalam the generality still stands being that we as human beings have the characteristic of being impatient at times and that's why the prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam he said in a beautiful that's that he was distributing his wealth and sadaqa to to a certain group of people and then he said well I what I have I will give you and then he says after that the prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam he said whoever seeks chastity and modesty Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala will make them that and whoever seeks self-sufficiency Allah make themselves sufficient from others and then Allah and then he says after that and whoever seeks to be patient Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala will make them patient and then he concludes by saying there is nothing better that a slave has been given than patience which is the wisdom that Allah creates us from our characteristics is that we may be impatient but then he says do not be impatient don't rush towards things don't be hasty that's why he prescribes us to be patient as well
and this sharia what he gives us in Islam he gives us the formula through different practices that we may do that we may you know as human beings within practicing the sunnah the message of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam for something to strive for to be of those that have the jihad the nafs striving against ourselves which may call us to do things that are hasty and not being patient with the predestination of Allah or being patient with the way Allah predestines throughout his creation with other individuals as Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala also said concluding here with us as human beings in our communities he says and i've made you and i've made one of you to each other will you not be patient so remembering that we in this month of Ramadan hoping for the Laylatul Qadr hoping for this night of power that we are patient with what comes in front of us and we are not hasty in our dua whether it is waiting for the answer or the answer has not come to us showing manners that are not befitting for us as Muslims may Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala make us those that are patient with whatever is predestined and that is the key to guidance inshallah JazakAllah khair there are two main points that i would love to reflect on inshallah from Suratul Anbiya the first one it's a continuation of a thought that Sheikh Abdullah just mentioned about the dua and in particular in the story of Ayyub Alayhis Salaam in the verse when Ayyub Alayhis Salaam may Allah send his blessings and greetings upon him calls upon his lord and says my lord suffering has afflicted me and you are the most merciful when we think of the story of Ayyub Alayhis Salaam who is known to be
like the best embodiment of patience that we ever knew in our history Sayyiduna Ayyub Alayhis Salaam was a prophet of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala just to begin with he was a chosen as a prophet that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala granted him the blessing and the gift of prophecy it is said that he was very rich Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala granted him a large family but all of a sudden Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala took all of this away from him he lost almost all of his property and wealth he lost seven sons and three daughters on the same day he lost 10 of his children on the same day and not just that all these different kinds of illness started attacking his body and all these all these sores started to be all over his body and the only thing he exemplified was just like patience and forbearance and it's SubhanAllah it's something that is actually denoted in the name that he's given Ayyub, the word Ayyub is actually derived from the Arabic verb Aba Ayy Raj'aa which means to return back and it's an emphatic form it's a Sighat Mubalagha that means or that denotes that somebody is repeatedly returning back to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala he was always returning back to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala imagine a prophet of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in this situation for a number of years actually has been suffering from this and now he wants to raise his dua to raise his hands and ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for something he wants to ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to alleviate his pain or to grant him healing or recovery and the only thing he could express about this was this statement Inni massani ad-dur, suffering has afflicted me if we want to rhetorically analyze the sentence it is not actually a request because dua is a type of request and from a grammatical point of view you're actually requesting something when we make dua to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala we say oh Allah give us something uh prevent us from doing something oh Allah grant us something so
there is this imperative amr in the context of dua that is known to be a talab to be a request when we examine the sentence of Ayub alayhi salam it is actually a jumla khabariya it's a declarative sentence it is doesn't even qualify in a literal sense to be a request because he wanted to exemplify and embody this concept of adab of being polite upon asking Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for something even though he's in this very bad situation and it is very legitimate and valid for him to just say oh Allah grant me healing or Allah grant me a speedy recovery or something that is more direct than just telling Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and of course it's not just a declaration because Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala knows that suffering has afflicted him but that was the only thing that came out of his mouth Inni massani ad-dur, suffering has afflicted me and then he's just telling Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala that he's praising Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala that he's the most merciful he didn't want to add something to this this reflects a prophetic adab when it comes to communing or talking to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and you can actually find this consistent throughout the entire Quran and one of the beautiful topics that I would encourage everybody to pursue upon doing tadabbur of the Quran is to examine the way the prophets of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala are talking to Allah or if you want to be more specific to examine the ways in which the prophets of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala are asking Allah for things or they're making dua to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala from Adam alayhi salam until Isa and Sayyiduna Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasalam every single request or dua every prophet is making the Quran reflects one aspect of this adab from the day that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala asked Adam alayhi salam and Sayyida Hawwa to leave Jannah and the and the way they responded back to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala they were shy they replied to ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for things they just said that they just admitted saying that our lord we have we have wronged ourselves
if you do not forgive us and show your mercy upon us we will indeed be among the losers so imagine again the prophet the first of the prophets is talking to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in this language Nuh alayhi salam he spent almost a thousand years inviting his people to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala he suffered a lot from them even from his own some of his own family members and then after the flood and we all know the story and his own son died in the flood after he tried to the last moment to just invite him to come aboard with us and he refused and then he just wanted to tell Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala or to ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to show his mercy upon his son he was not even able to say it literally he just said that Nuh alayhi salam called upon his lord and he said my son was one of my family that was the only thing he was actually able to say you promise is true you are the most uh just of all judges that appeals that what ayub alayhi salam said they are just praising Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala again a declarative sentence my son is one of my family Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala knows this and he is his son but he couldn't directly ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to like just forgive my son or at least alleviate the punishment of my son and when Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala would know because it's the Qadr of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala will deal with everybody equally he apologized to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in the most humble manner ever because Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala told him ask me about things of which you have no knowledge and then Nuh alayhi salam I seek refuge in you, I take refuge with you from asking for things I know nothing about the same statement that Adam alayhi salam said if you do not forgive me and have mercy upon me I shall be among the losers as well
Sayyiduna Musa alayhi salam after all that time he spent with all with the Bani Israel with the Bani Israel the children of Israel and then when Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala willed the punishment to happen to them oh my lord if you willed you could have destroyed all of us including myself it is only your trial that you guide whoever you will and you misguide whoever you will Sayyiduna Isa alayhi salam you can find all these exams throughout the Quran when Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala told him did you tell people to take me and my mother as deities or as gods alongside Allah and he said I would never say what I had no right to say so try to detect this polite attitude or adab that the prophets alayhi salam employed upon making dua to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and then let's reflect on the way we are making dua to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and of course we're not comparing ourselves with the prophets those are the best of mankind but when we raise our our hands to make dua to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala the prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam warned us against the concept of the concept of the transgression in dua to ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for uh to to ask too much in detail or to ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for things that do not really concern you or to ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in a language that shows that you're not very certain or you do not have enough trust in Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for example he says none of you should say oh Allah forgive me if you want it should be determined in the way we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala there are many etiquettes and adab of dua that the prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam taught us all these etiquettes you can learn them as reflections of the adab that the prophets of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
embodied upon talking to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Quran we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to teach us adab and we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to fill our hearts with adab when we approach him and we ask him Subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant us the light of knowledge and the wisdom that's incredible parallel may Allah bless you uh what I'd like to reflect on today and I think it's quite fitting that we've passed the halfway mark in Ramadan and we're now passing the halfway mark in the Quran and the 17th juz' contains two surahs surat al-anbiya and surat al-hajj and I want to focus on the parallels that are in here that are in here as the story of the ummah um Sheikh Omar had mentioned earlier about how you know the the one of the messages that you walk away with is the greatness of Islam the if you look at these two surahs you'll find that surat al-anbiya is a surah that mentions 16 of the different prophets and messengers along with Maryam alayhi salam it was revealed before surat al-an'am and it is about the 71st when it was revealed meaning that it is one of the last surahs to be revealed before the hijra of the prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam so this is a this is a surah that was given to the prophet alayhi salam at a very close time to a major event in Islamic history then we have surat al-hajj surat al-hajj some scholars have said that it was it was revealed in Mecca others said it was revealed in Medina others said that it was
between the two meaning that it is some use the word that it's mixed of some verses from Mecca and Medina and I like to think of it as a transitional surah in that some scholars of had mentioned that it was revealed when the prophet alayhi salatu wasalam had set out to Medina or set out when he was traveling and therefore it is somewhat of a transitional surah it begins in the traditional manner of surahs in Mecca however it contains almost a prologue to the types of rulings that the Muslims are going to be expecting when they reach al-Medina so what are some of the parallels that we find in surat al-anbiya and surat al-hajj number one in surat al-anbiya Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala starts the the surah by saying that the accountability of mankind has come near to them but they are in heedless heedlessness rejecting that so there's this idea of hisad this idea of the day of judgment which is coming closer in surat al-hajj we have the same thing we have ya ayyuha al-nasu ittaqoo rabbakum inna zalzalata al-sa'ati shay'un azeem oh mankind be fearful of your lord be mindful of your lord indeed the quake of the hour is an immense thing so these two parallels start off warning us of the akhira and yeah given that it is revealed in Mecca then starts to tell the prophet there's almost a a dual purpose of who's being spoken to one is the prophet alayhi salatu wasalam is being given solace as to how he's being
treated in Mecca and the mushrikeen the disbeliever the polytheists of Mecca are being warned that if you treat your prophet this way then the ways that the people of the previous prophets were were treated is going to happen to you as well and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala clarifies in the the first say first to 1 to 35 the message of all of the prophets and messengers and we never sent a messenger from from before you except that we revealed to him that there is no one worthy of worship of worship but me therefore worship me we find this uh paralleled in surat al-hajj but with a different caveat with a concentration on the story of Ibrahim alayhi salatu wasalam and the start of the hajj and when we showed Ibrahim the place of the house and that you shall not commit any partners or omit any partners in worship with me and to purify my house for those who stand and bow and prostrate and make a stand and bow and make tawaf spent stand and bow in prayer and make tawaf so tawheed and tawheed but what's happening here Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in surat al-anbiya is telling the Prophet alayhi salatu wasalam you have been treated by this uh this way by the the people they've rejected your message the day of judgment is nigh but in the second set of verses that we find in surat al-anbiya he says they're only taking you in jest
and indeed prophets or messengers that came before you were made fun of they were ridiculed and that which the people who ridiculed them uh that which they ridiculed them with overtook them so we find that the stories of the prophets that were mentioned the punishment that were sent against those people that was all uh that was all uh clarified to the people of Quraysh similarly we have in surat al-hajj Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says what do you get the book if I could be but Russell in the public of what you can see book if I could be but common or him while adding with the mood and if they reject you then they had rejected then the people of new and the people of new and they had rejected their people uh their prophets and messengers as well so we start off with a parallel on the day of judgment then we start off a parallel on the way that the prophets are treated and then this is the very last point and there's so much more that could be said about this but this is to me the most important point for the understanding the role of the prophet and understanding our role as believers number one is in surat al-anbiya Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala he mentions he says in the have a level of an equal mean I'll be Dean well I'll send that guy in law rahmatan al-alameen after mention all of the punishments that were going to come to the people he then says the special status of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is that he was not sent except as a mercy to all worlds and so the function of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is that he is he he puts he is there to act as mercy for all of those
who are animate inanimate inanimate all of those who are believing in dead until the judgment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala comes in the next life and therefore as if not best for the Allah who commented on this saying that the Prophet alayhis salam was a mercy in that those who should have been punished their punishment was delayed now here's where it's important for us as believers Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says at the end of surat al-hajj who was a macum Muslim who was a Mac who was a Mac who was the minimum in Kabul what he had a Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says when I jala alaikum fit dini min haraj he has not placed any hardship on you in your faith milla to a beacon Ibrahim the way of your father Abraham who was a macum Muslim minimum in Kabul what he had that he has mentioned you as Muslims in this and in before as well as this meet a coon who should had a ananasi way a coon a Rasul wa alaikum Shaheeda so that you might be witnesses to mankind and the messenger be a witness over you so it's almost as if we're saying we've moved out of the Meccan period we've transition transitioned into them the the the Medina in period the Medina in period if you read this last page of surat al-hajj it actually mentions salah zakah jihad and a number of the things that were going to be legislated for the Medina in period but most importantly that every Muslim now has the charge to embody the prophetic character and a prophetic example and be the ones who are now carrying Islam to the rest of the people so that they can be witnesses to mankind and on the Day of Judgment the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam will be witnesses over us so it's as if we've been given our charge as an ummah through these two surahs and it's as if we've been given the history of all of Islam from the beginning of
creation until the end of time it's like Allah I know you you have more more reflections panel but I can't help but think when you're talking about surat al-hajj hajj is not just the ritual of ummat Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam but I think what I always love to reflect on when I'm there is Musa alayhi wasallam doing hajj as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam mentioned Ibrahim alayhi wasallam, Musa alayhi wasallam, Hud alayhi wasallam, Isa alayhi wasallam coming in the last days and doing hajj as well so subhanAllah this is the place where the prophets and their message of tawheed is ritualized and crystallized in the most beautiful of ways and we're still taking part in that ritual today so how about this this ever ever long ritual you know one thing one thing that in you you know it brings to mind as well is that the the idea of hajj it's almost like it's almost like a dry run for yawm al-qiyamah right so if you think about it you know we go to the mawakit you know there's so many different parallels here and I can't help but think that both of these surahs start with an idea of the ba'ath and the and the resurrection of the day of judgment and then we lead into the ideas of hajj in the way of Ibrahim and it's almost to say that you know if if you want to be safe on that day you follow the the the way of all of the prophets that were there that were mentioned and and think of of the way that they themselves understood that and made hajj and and and kept that at the forefront of their minds maybe one last thing I would love to uh to share is in surat al-anbiya the ayah that talks about
when his people decided to throw him in the fire granted him that miracle that will the fire to be cool and peace for Ibrahim as usual he gives very interesting and subtle parallels between different verses in the quran he made a parallel between this verse highlighting the word salam and the word salam in surat al-qadr talking about is full of peace or filled with filled with is filled with peace and as we know from the tafsir that the angels of allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be greeting muslims who are worshipping allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and laylatul qadr with peace so he was uh uh saying that imam razi was saying that this idea of salamun hiya that the night of al-qadr is filled with peace shouldn't be taken lightly it is not something that you might say okay sure the angels are giving me it's not a big deal he was saying that when a few angels greeted Ibrahim alayhi salam with salam when they came to his house and they greeted him with peace and and then he called it in in the story of the roasted calf he said Ibrahim alayhi salam was happier with their greeting with their salam more than with even being the king of the entire world he said in fact Ibrahim alayhi salam was probably saved from the fire because of the salams of the angels to him and that salams were reflected in allah subhanahu wa ta'ala using the same word and be cool and safe for Ibrahim alayhi salam and then he he made a beautiful statement uh showing his hope in the mercy of allah subhanahu wa ta'ala he said that so allah subhanahu wa ta'ala may make the hill fire cool and safe for us by the blessing of the angels giving us salam and exactly as he made the fire uh cool and peaceful for Ibrahim alayhi salam then he made a beautiful comment saying the only difference is that Ibrahim alayhi salam offered the angels a roasted calf
and the angels are expecting from us to offer a roasted heart instead of actually offering a roasted calf he said this is what we need just to offer and so it's it's a beautiful meaning that he actually also concluded with saying that it's actually a great honor from allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that in that story the angels came to a prophet of allah in surat al-qadr angels are coming to us to the followers of the prophet alayhi salatu wassalam that that prophet who is in that very high proximity in terms of his relationship with allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to be among the best of the prophets allah sent him angels lessening us just like ordinary people uh by by the barakah of following the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam angels so may allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all and may allah subhanahu wa ta'ala enable us all to worship him as he's due inshallah if we can and if he shows that we are able to beautiful reflection sheikh abdullah sheikh joe and if i want to let the conversation go i know sheikh yusuf just gave us uh that that mind-blowing uh jump to sit with barakah any final thoughts oh there's there's so much there's so uh so much that could be that could be said i mean um yeah uh you know whether it's the whether it's the the the the the evidences for the the infeasibility and the the the fallibility of of shirk and and ascribing others you know to allah subhanahu wa ta'ala i mean one of my favorite verses yeah you and yeah you when that's the method of method in the end of surat al-hajj a parable has been struck and so listen to it you know that the parable of the fly um to all you know all of the other things that are that are in in these two surahs you can read these two surahs and actually not realizing and finish the whole deal of the quran
because everything is is so tightly wound together um of whether it is you know affirming affirming towheed um uh negating shirk uh informing us of the prophets and the messengers and their struggles affirming that the he whoever follows the prophets and the messengers will be in there will be will struggle as well those who have the strongest struggles are the prophets and the messengers then those that follow them those that follow them um oh you know until you know and then it's to you know following that following them in the manner that they pray and fast and make jihad and and you know hold fast to the rope of allah um the the the whole idea is always going back to uh to you know take taking staying on the straight path that you've been set on um and and i and i think that the more that we reflect on the the not just the beauty of guidance but on the the blessing of guidance i think that a lot of us we don't think of ourselves as guided as guided we don't think of ourselves as allah having named us muslims when you when someone gives you a name that means that that name is special to them and so allah subhanahu wa ta'ala named us that because he wants from us just that from us submission he give he gave us the path uh you know in in these two surahs of how to submit you have any final no i'm just thinking about an ambia now this is many stories of the prophet
16 this is the comfort to the prophet and to all of us so just seeing the example of the of torheed and in action you know with the with the ambia uh mashallah it's beautiful a lot to think about and a lot to look forward to for a data in particular make us amongst those that observe it please look out for the paper that shaykh yusuf is talking about in a few days inshallah on yakin's website and we look forward to seeing you all for the webathon on tuesday inshallah shaykh joe and shaykh yusuf uh shaykh abdullah as always we're blessed to have you all with us
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