# Juz 13: What Is 1% of Allah’s Mercy? | Dr. Mohamed AbuTaleb

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Qur’an 30 for 30 | Season 7
**Published:** 2026-03-02
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/I56bg4keshE
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-13
**Topics:** Faith, Quran

## Summary
This lecture explores the themes and divine names found in Juz 13 of the Quran, which spans the second half of Surah Yusuf, Surah Ar-Ra'd, and Surah Ibrahim. The speakers reflect on Allah's names Al-'Alim Al-Hakim (the All-Knowing, the All-Wise) as expressed through Prophet Ya'qub's (عليه السلام) unwavering trust in Allah despite decades of separation from his son Yusuf (عليه السلام), compounded by the painful reality that his own sons were responsible for his suffering. The discussion highlights how moments of adversity in Yusuf's life — being thrown into the well, enslaved, and imprisoned — were all part of Allah's perfectly orchestrated plan. A thematic connection is drawn between Ibrahim (عليه السلام), Ismail (عليه السلام), and Yusuf (عليه السلام), showing how tests and trials run through prophetic families as a sign of Allah's love and elevation. The speakers also discuss the names Al-Kabir Al-Muta'ali (the Most Great, the Most High) from Surah Ar-Ra'd [Ar-Ra'd 13:9], connecting Allah's supreme greatness to His intimate knowledge of what is hidden in the wombs, reminding believers of their utter dependence on Allah. The lecture emphasizes that all mercy experienced in this world — whether a father's love, angelic protection, or human kindness — is merely 1% of Allah's total rahmah (mercy) that exists on earth. Ultimately, the discussion calls believers to practice tawakkul (trust in Allah), instill faith in their families, and recognize Allah's signs in both creation and personal trials.

## Key Points
- All the mercy and goodness experienced in this world — including parental love and human kindness — represents only 1% of Allah's total rahmah (mercy) that He placed on earth.
- Surah Yusuf transitions into Surah Ar-Ra'd, which opens with signs of Allah in creation, connecting the theme of ignoring divine signs [Yusuf 12:105] to the detailed natural ayat in Ar-Ra'd.
- Prophet Ya'qub's (عليه السلام) invocation of Al-'Alim Al-Hakim (the All-Knowing, the All-Wise) reflects deep trust in Allah despite not knowing the outcome of his son's disappearance for decades.
- Yusuf (عليه السلام) is the great-grandson of Ibrahim (عليه السلام), and Ibrahim's du'a for his offspring is reflected in the elevated status and trials of his descendants.
- Both Ibrahim (عليه السلام) and Yusuf (عليه السلام) were harmed by those closest to them — Ibrahim thrown into fire by his people, Yusuf thrown into a well by his brothers — yet Allah protected them both.
- The names Al-Kabir Al-Muta'ali (the Most Great, the Most High) in Surah Ar-Ra'd remind believers that Allah's greatness encompasses even what is hidden in the womb, beyond all human control.
- Tawakkul (trust in Allah) is an act of worship, and recognizing Allah's names Al-'Alim and Al-Hakim should lead believers to rely on Him fully during hardship.
- The forgiveness of both Yusuf (عليه السلام) and Ya'qub (عليه السلام) toward the brothers who wronged them is a profound lesson in patience (sabr) and mercy.
- Just as a child in the womb is entirely dependent on Allah, human beings remain equally dependent on Allah throughout their entire lives, though outside the womb they are accountable for their deeds.
- Teaching children the names and attributes of Allah instills faith that can sustain them through trials, as seen in the prophetic lineage of Ibrahim, Ya'qub, and Yusuf.

## Chapters
- 0:00 Introduction
- 1:15 Dr. Mohamed AbuTaleb’s favorite name of Allah
- 5:20 Reflections on Surah Yusuf
- 9:37 Ya‘qub (as) finding Hope in Al-Aleem and Al-Hakeem
- 17:39 The most underestimated part of Yusuf (as)’s story
- 19:19 Reflections on Al-Kabeer, Al-Muta'ali
- 24:28 Dr. Mohamed AbuTaleb’s most moving experiences

## Transcript
**[0:05]** Looking at Prophet Yaqub, the fact that he trusted Allah سبحانه وتعالى, that he relied on Him, especially the return of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, seems in every human measure impossible. But it's not impossible for Allah سبحانه وتعالى. The characters that show up

**[0:23]** in your life, that do not project cruelty but in fact bring about goodness in your life, are also doing so as a manifestation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى's mercy. Allah سبحانه وتعالى told the fire to be peaceful and to be cold upon Ibrahim. So it's always important for us

**[0:38]** to rely on the One that created all of these things that we know that can physically harm us, but the One that has control over all of that has authority and can change it at any time in any way.

**[0:53]** السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته everyone. Welcome back to Qur'an 30 for 30. الحمد لله رب العالمين. We are on Juz 13. We are right in those middle days. We want to remind you بإذن الله تعالى to support the work of Yaqeen, to keep up. Don't fall behind in your Qur'an

**[1:09]** goals بإذن الله تعالى. Keep up with the series so that you can keep up with your ajza' إن شاء الله تعالى, and you can finish the Qur'an this month. May Allah عز وجل facilitate it for each and every single one of you. And also to benefit from all of the resources we have on the names of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Um, obviously we're just scratching the

**[1:25]** surface here and doing our best to contemplate on these names, especially in the context of the Qur'an, and how Allah سبحانه وتعالى talks about Himself, uh, with His words, سبحانه وتعالى. We are blessed to have with us, Dr. Muhammad Elshinawy, والحمد لله رب العالمين. How are you, Sheikh? الحمد لله شيخنا. الحمد لله،

**[1:42]** الحمد لله. I remember you did a series on the names of Allah سبحانه وتعالى as well. الحمد لله رب العالمين. Yes, such a beautiful topic. Masha'Allah, you are a sabiq, masha'Allah. He's like always a forerunner, masha'Allah. Before Yaqeen, he had like a no doubt course. And, uh, alhamdulillah, he was doing the names of Allah سبحانه وتعالى very early on. May Allah عز

**[1:58]** وجل bless you. Amin. And accept it from you. Allahumma amin. So, Dr. Muhammad, if I was to put you on the spot, your favorite name of Allah at the moment. My favorite name of Allah سبحانه وتعالى at the moment is Al-Wahhab. The giver of gifts. As human beings, we, uh, always

**[2:16]** appreciate the blessing of Allah سبحانه وتعالى giving, although there is wisdom in His withholding. But at this moment, I really appreciate how sometimes what we think of Allah giving us, those material things in a very consumeristic culture, I find myself, uh, at this stage of

**[2:32]** life reflecting on those gifts that maybe are under the radar, those mentors, those teachers, those friendships, those relationships that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has granted us from the vastness of His mercy. And you appreciate that's some of the most special things that Allah سبحانه وتعالى placed in our lives. That's beautiful.

**[2:49]** That's a unique, unique name that you chose, masha'Allah. Masha'Allah. You know, there's a lot of repetition, uh, you know, from the mashayikh. Masha'Allah, Al-Wahhab is very unique. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى gift you with more and more and all of us, bi'idhnillahi ta'ala, with that which is pleasing to Him. Allahumma amin. So we are

**[3:06]** in Juz 13, uh, continuing with Surah Yusuf. We were very disciplined with the last Juz to not jump into Yusuf because a lot of times, you know, we jump past some of the other surahs in Juz 12 in particular. But Juz 13, obviously we

**[3:22]** go from, uh, Yusuf, the second half of Surah Yusuf, into Surah Ibrahim. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى continues to speak of Himself in terms of His lutf, in terms of the way that He is present and His gifts are present and His decree is present, uh, with

**[3:38]** beauty, with wisdom. And subhanAllah, I was noticing, you know, as I was going through the ayat and the names, uh, خَيْرُ حَافِظٍ، أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ. He's the best protector. Last Juz we talked about Al-Hafiz. He's the best of protectors. He's the most merciful of those who

**[3:54]** show mercy. And in that actually is a gem that the characters that show up in your life that do not project cruelty but in fact bring about goodness in your life are also doing so as a manifestation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى's mercy, right? They are one

**[4:09]** piece of 1% of the rahmah of Allah عز و جل that exists on this earth. And so even when Yusuf عليه السلام is finding good characters and people that are taking care of him and people that are showing him love, like the love of Yaqub to Yusuf is from the rahmah of Ar-Rahman, 1% of the rahmah

**[4:26]** of Ar-Rahman. But Allah is the best protector and Allah is the most merciful of those who show mercy. So this is something that we see here constantly. And as I was going through, you know, Surah Yusuf into Surah Ar-Ra'd, it's very interesting. Allah سبحانه

**[4:43]** وتعالى mentions in Surah Yusuf: وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ. How many times do they walk right past the signs of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the heavens and the earth and they don't pay attention? They're indifferent to it. And Surah Ar-Ra'd is probably one of the most beautiful

**[4:59]** surahs in terms of opening up with those signs of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that you're ignoring, right? There's a lot of detail of all of these signs that Allah عز وجل has given to us. In fact, the second verse of Surah Ar-Ra'd: اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمٰوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى

**[5:15]** عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمَّى until the end of the ayah. It is Allah who has raised the heavens without pillars, um, as you can see, then established Himself on the throne. He has subjected the sun and the moon, each orbiting for an appointed term. So it's like these signs

**[5:33]** are all around you and clearly you can't appreciate the beautiful wisdom and power behind the decree of Allah سبحانه وتعالى when things don't make sense, if you can't make sense even of the signs that are around you. And the pillars, just like there are pillars of qadr, pillars of decree, pillars behind this creation with

**[5:50]** Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Finally, uh, one other thing, uh, that, uh, you can connect, uh, the dream of Yusuf عليه السلام as it plays into this Juz. So Yusuf عليه السلام sees a dream of what? The sun and the moon.

**[6:06]** In fact, it's right at the beginning of Surah Yusuf, prostrating towards him. And here Allah سبحانه وتعالى mentions particularly the sun and the moon and their orbit and the connection of the dream of Yusuf عليه السلام to the dream of Ibrahim عليه السلام. I think people forget that Yusuf عليه

**[6:22]** السلام is the great-grandson of Ibrahim عليه السلام. There's something poetic about that. Ibrahim عليه السلام in this Juz is thanking Allah سبحانه وتعالى and is making du'a for his offspring. And this is the result, right? This is the result of that du'a. But we're

**[6:39]** moving back in time to show how Allah عز وجل has planned this perfectly. It's really interesting because the offspring of Ibrahim عليه السلام, like first you have Ismail عليه السلام being sacrificed by the hand of Ibrahim عليه السلام, or so it appears to be. And then you have Yusuf عليه السلام being thrown into,

**[6:56]** uh, the well by his brothers. And Allah عز و جل has a grand plan for all of them. And it all comes back so beautifully and forms what we see today. That is Allah سبحانه وتعالى. So just any big picture comments about

**[7:12]** this Juz and the way that things flow with this Juz before we get into the specific ayat. As we look at, I mean, Surah Yusuf is so dear to our hearts, right? And I love the way you were discussing, Sheikh, the connection with the manifestation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى's ayat in different ways, right? The

**[7:27]** surah itself, sometimes we make the mistake of fast-forwarding to the end and knowing how it ends. But as you look at the surah, many things that we think are positive and desirable, they come about with tests for Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام. And the opposite, some moments of adversity or difficulty that are not, you

**[7:44]** know, something we would desire, then that brings about great openings, great opportunities for Prophet Yusuf, things that wouldn't have happened had he not passed through that adversity. So the connection of that story and that human experience right alongside the discussion of Allah's

**[8:00]** magnificent ayat and signs in creation, right alongside what happened before it, that connection is really striking. The Qur'an takes us in a way that we may not anticipate, but the One that is the master of this is also the master

**[8:16]** of that, is the designer of this. He سبحانه وتعالى shows His ayat in so many remarkable ways for He knows and we do not know. Yeah, that's beautiful. I mean, when you mentioned Ibrahim and Yusuf, subhanAllah, you said Yusuf was thrown into the well and Ibrahim was thrown into the fire.

**[8:31]** Into the fire. Yeah, subhanAllah. From their own people, from the closest people to them, just showing how Allah سبحانه وتعالى will test you. And in those severe situations, يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ, يعني, Allah سبحانه وتعالى told the fire to, uh, be peaceful and to be

**[8:49]** cold upon Ibrahim. So it's always important for us to rely on the One that created all of these things that we know that can physically harm us, but the One that has control over all of that has authority and can change it at any time and any way. There's a Jibreel connection here too عليه السلام that, you know,

**[9:06]** the آثار of Jibreel عليه السلام, the narrations of Jibreel عليه السلام and the angels waiting for an order to cool the fire, right, on Ibrahim or to help him with the fire. And then when Yusuf عليه السلام is thrown into the well, the softening of the blow that Jibreel

**[9:21]** عليه السلام is at the bottom of that well, like the angels are waiting, you know, for Allah to these pious, beloved servants of yours, these anbiya', these prophets of yours. But subhanAllah, like it's really interesting because, like I think about Gaza, and I think about people

**[9:38]** that are tested. It feels like there are certain families that Allah عز وجل chooses for test. It's like the test comes to the whole family, subhanAllah. And just like the Prophet (ﷺ) mentions that with individuals, that the more righteous that Allah

**[9:53]** عز وجل tests them, right, out of love. And so just to think like Yusuf عليه السلام, I wonder if at some point Yusuf عليه السلام, as he's thrown into the well, made that connection, like my grandfather was once thrown into a fire and Allah عز وجل took care of him, even though Yusuf never met Ibrahim عليه السلام for what we

**[10:10]** know, subhanAllah. So it's like the test comes to the families, and that is actually a manifestation of Allah عز وجل's love and His elevation for people. So let's get into two sets of names as they relate to the story. Dr. Muhammad,

**[10:26]** I'll start with you, insha'Allah ta'ala, you can maybe lead us in this discussion. Verse 83, where Allah عز وجل mentions in Surah Yusuf الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, but specifically the All-Knowing and the All-Wise, as it relates to Yaqub عليه السلام,

**[10:43]** he is the one responding, right? So you go to the beginning, and we talked about this in the first Juz, right? إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ، سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا، like the expression of tawakkul, of trust from the angels is that, well, you are the All-Knowing and the All-Wise. At the end of the day,

**[10:59]** if we don't understand what you planned with the creation, then إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, you are the All-Knowing and the All-Wise. But here it's Yaqub عليه السلام. It's a lot harder to say that when it's your son that's been conspired against by your other sons and thrown into a well and perhaps murdered, and you're

**[11:16]** saying that he is الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, so how do you see this within the capacity or within the context of Yaqub عليه السلام finding hope in الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ? You know, in interacting with the stories, some of us grew up with these stories or were introduced to it

**[11:31]** as we embraced Islam. It's really important to imagine ourselves in that moment and not fast-forward to an ending that we know. And so the mentioning and the remembering and the affirming of Prophet Yaqub عليه السلام, connecting to these two names at this moment, there are many

**[11:48]** answers that he does not have. He عليه السلام, Allah in His wisdom, did not tell him how the story is going to end in terms of where Yusuf عليه السلام is right now. And his problem, which is a problem now that has gone from days to weeks to months to decades of separation from his beloved son, has now

**[12:06]** multiplied into three, that he's missing three of his children. And facing an enemy is never easy. But you imagine on top of that test that the conspiring and the plotting that he's mentioning is from his own blood, it's from his own children. It's a level of family

**[12:22]** hardship that just shows us layers and layers of difficulty. And then he mentions الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, and so this pairing comes often in the Qur'an. It's come, as you mentioned, Sheikh Omar, earlier in this series. But in this mentioning that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is All-Knowing, Prophet Yaqub عليه السلام is asserting that the One that

**[12:40]** has decreed this knows exactly where Yusuf is, knows exactly where his other children are, is able to bring them together. Some of the great mufassirun of the past, they mentioned that in this, Prophet Yaqub, excuse me, attaches to the knowledge of Allah and attaches also to His wisdom in His decree and His

**[12:58]** power to be able to gather them no matter how far away they are, no matter how overwhelming the circumstances are, no matter how impossible it seems from a human perspective. And so, you know, it's important to note Ramadan is a time of celebration. Ramadan is a time

**[13:13]** of plenty. But as we go through life, none of us finds every Ramadan with overjoying circumstances. Sometimes we face a Ramadan where the ummah is in pain or where a person has parted from their loved one or they're facing some adversity, but they don't have all the answers. They don't know quite how it fits

**[13:30]** together in their life trajectory and the fullness of Allah سبحانه وتعالى's wisdom. But looking at Prophet Yaqub, the fact that he trusted Allah سبحانه وتعالى, that he relied on Him, uh, especially the return of Prophet

**[13:45]** Yusuf عليه السلام, seems in every human measure impossible. But it's not impossible for Allah سبحانه و تعالى. It's not impossible for الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, and uh, it is very beautiful and amazing how the story shows us step by step that this was all part of a

**[14:01]** beautiful plan. Uh, I connect actually this pairing. You'll notice that his son, uh, Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام, mentions it at the end of the surah: إِنَّ رَبِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, that as Yusuf عليه السلام is looking back in a beautiful way at all of these incidents from the desert

**[14:20]** to the Shaytan coming between the brothers and all of this, he says, Allah is indeed subtle in achieving His aim. He's Al-Latif. It connects it to another attribute of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. And again, he's الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ, He is full of knowledge, All-Knowing,

**[14:36]** ever-knowing in every little detail, every part of our lives, every part of His creation. And He is wise, full of wisdom, absolute in His wisdom, in His decree. Just thinking about inheritance and characteristics

**[14:51]** of the father or the relatives, as we talked about with Yusuf and Ibrahim عليهما السلام and then Yaqub as well, when looking at subhanAllah, you come from this lineage, from this family, and how you were raised, you know, there has to be some dawr or there has to be some type of effect

**[15:08]** in that regard. And this is a message to those that have family, those that have their, those that are under their guardianship, to ensure or to try our best to instill those values of the faith and trust in Allah سبحانه وتعالى. So when you teach the names and attributes, you're giving them knowledge of Allah, but

**[15:24]** the actualization of it, we see in the lives of the prophets, which demands from us to respond to that. And you mentioned this word numerous times, trust, tawakkul, which is an aspect of worship. So if we know that Allah is All-Knowledgeable and we know that Allah has wisdom and that wisdom is from His

**[15:42]** knowledge as well, when we face those dire situations that Allah has predestined to put in front of us and we know that He doesn't put anything in front of us more than we can bear, that is where we have to have that introspection. Where am I falling short? And Allah loves the fact

**[15:58]** that you're turning to yourself and you're asking yourself those crucial questions because I chose a haram path when I know there was a way that I could have gotten, I could have taken the right way or the optimal way in front of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. I mean, even you look at the story of the mother of Musa in Surah Al-Qasas, when he was, she

**[16:16]** was ordered to put him in the tabut and put him in اليم، يعني the deep sea. What did Allah tell her? إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ. يعني even on top of that, وَأَصْبَحَ فُؤَادُ أُمِّ مُوسَى فَارِغًا. So Allah told her, we're going to return

**[16:35]** Musa back to you and make him from the مرسلين, to, you know, soften her heart. He's going to be someone that's going to be granted something great, but she still missed him. But she had that trust. And then what happened? Another relative of Musa, his sister. So you're

**[16:51]** seeing how this family connection of tawakkul and this family connection of living what they know from Allah سبحانه وتعالى. So I think that's what's, that's what's so beautiful of what you were mentioning in that regard. You know, what came to mind also is

**[17:06]** وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ, don't think that Allah is unaware of what the oppressors do. Like Allah عز وجل could have used any way to describe, you know, His acquaintance with our affairs, especially when there's oppression. Don't

**[17:24]** think that Allah is unaware. And ghafla could be either in 'ilm or hikmah, right? It could be in knowledge or in wisdom, right? So Allah knows, and Allah has a wisdom for allowing إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ, right? لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ, right? Verily Allah is just delaying

**[17:41]** them, and that's the wisdom part. So Allah knows, and Allah is wise in these things as they unfold. Because at the end of the day, subhanAllah, what makes, I think, the situation of Yaqub and Yusuf different, عليهما السلام, between

**[17:56]** like Ibrahim عليه السلام being commanded to sacrifice Ismail عليه السلام or, in the case of the mother of Musa, putting her son in the Nile, is that there are people involved in this. Like these are your own sons that are plotting against you,

**[18:13]** plotting against your son, right? Like they are, the zalama are your other kids. That's really hard to swallow. I think that's probably the most underestimated element of the story, by the way, is Yaqub عليه السلام, the pain of him having to live with

**[18:31]** his son's murderers, you know, the assumption being a murder, and his son's murderers are his sons. Yeah, and I've got to live and be like a normal dad and father to them for two decades while waiting for Allah عز وجل to return my son back to me.

**[18:47]** Like the hurt and the pain of that, that's, like how do you, how do you have breakfast? Like you just think about like the family affairs. Like how do you just go about your daily life, right, knowing that they did this? And subhanAllah, that's part of the sabr of Yaqub عليه السلام and then the forgiveness. Like you

**[19:04]** think we always praise the forgiveness of Yusuf عليه السلام, but the forgiveness of Yaqub عليه السلام to his sons as well, right, for putting him through this. I cried myself blind because of what you did to my son, right? Like this all came because of you, you know? And the irony,

**[19:23]** subhanAllah, the irony is that they were jealous of Yusuf عليه السلام, right, because the attention that they felt like Yaqub عليه السلام was giving to Yusuf عليه السلام. So what did they go do? They caused their father all that pain and all that hurt. Yeah, subhanAllah, like it just shows you how Shaytan can twist,

**[19:38]** you know, like instead of thinking, how do we rise to the occasion to be more beautiful in the sight of our father? What do we do? We're going to cause our father the worst type of pain. You know, يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهَ أَبِيكُمْ, you know, like instead of turning the face of your father towards you, think about how hard it was for Yaqub to look at his kids,

**[19:56]** yeah, knowing what they did and probably imagining that scenario, subhanAllah. But I do want to move on, Sheikh Abdullah, maybe you can lead us into the next discussion and pairing. SubhanAllah, Yusuf, Surah Yusuf dominates Juz 12 and Juz 13 in our memory. But Surah Ar-Ra'd, Allah عز وجل then mentions الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ,

**[20:16]** and Allah's greatness in His knowledge of what's hidden in the womb starts with that. So like in Yusuf, Allah's greatness in His knowledge of what's hidden in decree. But here, Allah's greatness in what's hidden in the womb and how Allah عز وجل formulates the human being in

**[20:32]** the first place and without limitation and then raises him to the position that He does, right? Allah عز وجل is the one who elevates. Allah is the one who debases at the end of the day. So talk to us about الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ, Sheikh, what are

**[20:48]** your first reflections as it relates to this? I mean, just really the greatness of the Creator over creation. You know, in speaking to people that don't know Islam, and that's what I always tell even my children, I tell the youth especially, when you're in your college class or

**[21:04]** you're even in high school or speaking to your friends in the locker room, non-Muslim, whatever the case may be, you start with the beautiful names and attributes. And one of them is that He's the Creator and everything else other than Him is creation. And using that name Creator is very, dare I say strategic, but it's fitri.

**[21:21]** The human being naturally knows that there's something that is greater than everything. So that name Al-Kabir, Al-Kabir, that He is Al-'Azim, He is the Great One and He is the Supreme One over every single thing, reminds you that the opposite of that is

**[21:37]** saghir, that which is minute, that which is small. So when it comes to the knowledge of Allah سبحانه و تعالى, He says, عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ, He knows both what is hidden and what is manifest. He is the Supreme One, the Most High. عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ, being that He has the knowledge of the

**[21:53]** unseen. You notice before these ayat, He talks about His creation, and then He talks about some of the manifestations of some of His creation. So from here, the verse before that, mentioning that He knows what تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنْثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ الْأَرْحَامُ, Allah knows what every female bears and what the wombs fall

**[22:11]** short of. And speaking about this, this is something that is very important to the human being. When they're about to have a child, they want to know what sex the child is. They're able to find out, and sometimes it may not come out as they expected. But again, the name of Allah سبحانه

**[22:26]** وتعالى, mentioning Al-Hakim, Al-'Alim, Al-Hakim, and then also being Al-Kabir, that He is the Great One that has the greatness. And from this greatness is that He creates all of these things that were previously mentioned. Number one. Number two, He brings it about in a way

**[22:42]** that He is pleased with. So children, being that due to the fact that He is Al-Kabir and He is Al-Khaliq, He is the Creator, and because of His greatness, He creates it in this way, just as He does the earth

**[22:57]** mentioned earlier and the sama', and the skies mentioned in the earlier verses. When we look at Al-Kabir, that expresses complete authority, particularly in that which is even inside of you, which you have no ultimate control over. And I think that's what's so humbling

**[23:13]** to the human being, particularly of even the mother and the father, when she is about to deliver or those nine months or whatever amount of months that she's carrying her child, she has no ultimate control even over that. Mm-hmm. That's why it's important to remember the Creator of these things. He is Al-Kabir and He is Al-Muta'al. Because

**[23:30]** He is the Kabir, because He is the Supreme One, He is the Most High, and the Most High in all of the names and attributes in actuality. في كبره, in His supremacy, in the way that He is supreme. And also when we look at His 'ilm, His knowledge, He is Al-Muta'al in that. He is the Most High.

**[23:47]** It does not mean that there are people that are not knowledgeable, but when it comes to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Al-Muta'al على كل شيء, upon every single thing and every single name and every single attribute. And I think that's what's important for us to remember. When we may feel a level of supremacy at times within

**[24:04]** ourselves, it's important to remember Allah سبحانه و تعالى is the epitome of that, which should cause, إن شاء الله, us to humble ourselves particularly, and particularly in this month of Ramadan, when we go through these struggles, lack of better words, or these challenges, in actuality there are opportunities when we turn it back

**[24:21]** to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. So I think that's, I think that's huge. You know, Surah Ar-Ra'd is full of natural ayat of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, and they remind us of these attributes you mentioned, Sheikh, of Allah سبحانه وتعالى being supreme, high over everything. But I'm amazed, Sheikh, and moved by your comments about how

**[24:37]** much depth there is. And we're just scratching the surface at this one ayah that sometimes we take for granted, the bringing about of life, the coming into this world, the growing, as if Allah سبحانه وتعالى is reminding us of an infinite series of miracles for that to occur

**[24:53]** that we're not in control of. And this is a reminder for all times and places. But you know, I feel like in our times, age of technology, age of knowledge, it's amazing how the Qur'an, you know, puts us in that perspective, right? That one of the most moving experiences I ever had in my life was after a training

**[25:12]** on Islamic ethics for a hospital staff. The medical staff took me on a tour of the neonatal ward. Mm. Okay. And the levels of emotion of seeing these children that are born before term. Mm. And, of course,

**[25:27]** the families, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى, many of our, you know, families here in Ramadan gathered may have been tested with seeking a child for some time. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى ease for them, just the test of Prophet Ibrahim or having a child born before term. And so that was one, you know, just layers

**[25:43]** of emotion. But then also seeing how all of the work of modern medicine and all of this intervention is trying to help, insha'Allah, continue this life. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى reminds us that our creation, it started from what? خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ. And from what

**[26:00]** the scholars mentioned, is this clinging form, like a form that we started smaller than the tip of our fingers. And if that link with the womb that is smaller than a nail or a finger severs, then really there is nothing in creation that can bring it

**[26:16]** back without the permission of Allah. It's even beyond, much of it is beyond the reach of even asbab, our abilities, even with all of the inventions that have happened. And so Allah عز وجل, you know, manifesting and showing His greatness in this, that not only is He free in His names from the defects and shortcomings

**[26:35]** and blameworthy attributes, He is also, as you mentioned, Sheikh, unlike all other things, even in those things that are not blameworthy but are a reminder of our limitations, that we sweat on a hot day, that we have to relieve ourselves, that Allah is different and unlike all

**[26:50]** of His creation. He is not limited in these ways. He is not susceptible to these weaknesses. And the experience, I think, of childbirth and of seeking a child is one of those reminders that you're just, you feel that utter reliance on Allah سبحانه وتعالى. And the

**[27:08]** reality is, every time we get into a car, every time we go to sleep, every time we want to wake up, our reliance on Allah is no less than this. But it's as if this really brings us into focus, our utter need of Him سبحانه وتعالى. SubhanAllah. As long as you're in this world, you're

**[27:24]** in the womb. You just, the visual of it, right? Like even if you just look at the image of the womb and then the image of earth, like just think of yourself still just like that baby in the womb. You're just as dependent on Allah سبحانه وتعالى as you were in that womb. And it's amazing that Allah عز وجل constantly brings us back to يَعْلَمُ مَا

**[27:41]** فِي الْأَرْحَامِ, like He knows what's in there. And like you said, it's so beyond the access of any of us, right? Like you, you look for just this image of what's in the womb, you know, these devices to try to get what you, you know, as much as you can. And subhanAllah, when you pray Janazah on a miscarried

**[27:57]** fetus or you hold like a miscarried fetus, like subhanAllah, it looks like a little—oh wow, it's something, right? When you, when you carry that, right? Like you can put it in one hand, you know, these, and you're like, that could have been me with just one, and I'm severed, and that could have easily been me, right? And one thing

**[28:15]** that also just comes to mind in terms of the hikmah of it, right? Like that, that the womb becoming a place where life actually comes to be, like why delay the womb of Sarah for 13 years, according to the mufassirun, right? So that Hajar gives birth to Ismail

**[28:35]** almost instantaneously, right? There's a plan for Ismail. And then suddenly Sarah's womb comes to life, like, wait, what now? Right? ضَحِكَتْ, and she صَكَّتْ وَجْهَهَا, like, wait, what's going on here? You know, why now? Like she'd given up hope. Yeah, imagine the mother

**[28:50]** of Yusuf when she was carrying Yusuf, and when Yusuf was born and she looked at Yusuf the first time, then Benjamin is, you know, most scholars say that Yusuf and Benjamin عليهم السلام, had a different mother than the other ten children. Did the mother of the other ten, right, think that these ten will come out and one

**[29:08]** day kill their brother? Like there's so much, right? And at the end of the day, as dependent as we are on Allah عز وجل in the womb, we are likewise dependent upon Allah سبحانه وتعالى outside of the womb. The only difference is now we're accountable, right? We're accountable at this point for our

**[29:24]** actions, and we give birth to our deeds, and that's what will confront us. May Allah عز وجل give us the best of deeds and forgive us for our shortcomings. اللهم آمين. We're out of time, but we could talk to you all day, Sheikh. جزاك الله خيرا for being with us. May Allah عز وجل bless you and elevate you for your beautiful reflections. And Sheikh

**[29:42]** Abdullah, جزاك الله خيرا for your beautiful reflections as always. We'll see you all tomorrow, إن شاء الله. والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.

## Other Episodes in "Qur’an 30 for 30 | Season 7"
- [Juz 30: Love Al-Razzaq More Than Rizq | Sh. Navaid Aziz](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-30.md)
- [Juz 29: Your Spiritual Report Card  | Dr. Nazir Khan](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-29.md)
- [Juz 28: How To Truly Be Conscious of Allah | Dr. Jinan Yousef](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-28.md)
- [Juz 27: The Night You Give Everything | Sh. Abu Bakr Zoud](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-27.md)
- [Juz 26: Don’t Run From Struggle | Sh. Mikaeel Smith](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-26.md)
- [Juz 25: God Is Not A Mystery | Sh. Ibrahim Hindy](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-25.md)
- [Juz 24: Candid Conversations with Allah | Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-24.md)
- [Juz 23: Facing Your Trials With Honor | Dr. Farah Islam](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-23.md)
- [Juz 22: Appreciating Muhammad ﷺ | Sh. Omar Hajjaj](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-22.md)
- [Juz 21: Allah Is The Author of History | Sr. Sarah Sultan](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-21.md)
- [Juz 20: Allah’s Loud and Silent Revelations | Sh. Hisham Abu Yusuf](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-20.md)
- [Juz 19: What Makes You Valuable to Allah? | Ust. Roohi Tahir](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-19.md)
- [Juz 18: The Qur’an Is A Cure | Dr. Tesneem Alkiek](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-18.md)
- [Juz 17: When Allah Chooses You, How Will You Respond? | Sh. Yousef Wahb](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-17.md)
- [Juz 16: Can You Be Patient With Allah? | Ust. Lobna Mulla](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-16.md)
- [Juz 15: Join the Heavens in Glorifying Allah | Sh. Mohamud Mohamed](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-15.md)
- [Juz 14: The Surah of Blessings | Ust. Taimiyyah Zubair](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-14.md)
- [Juz 12: Allah Is Not Far | Sh. Omar Hedroug](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-12.md)
- [Juz 11: Stop Playing Games | Dr. Ovamir Anjum](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-11.md)
- [Juz 10: When Allah Goes To War For You | Dr. Suleiman Hani](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-10.md)
- [Juz 9: How To Memorize Allah’s Names | Dr. Haifaa Younis](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-9.md)
- [Juz 8: Whose Validation Do You Need? | Sh. Shabbir Hassan](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-8.md)
- [Juz 7: They Know Al-Lateef in Gaza | Dr. Farhan Abdul Azeez](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-7.md)
- [Juz 6: Signs of A Hypocrite | Sh. Asim Khan](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-6.md)
- [Juz 5: You Can’t Fight Fire with Fire | Ust. Fatima Lette](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-5.md)
- [Juz 4: The Final Moments of This Life | Ahmad Hraichie ( The Muslim Undertaker)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-4.md)
- [Juz 3: How The Qur’an Makes You Rich | Dr. Tahir Wyatt](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-3.md)
- [Juz 2: The Lord of Rituals | Mufti Menk](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-2.md)
- [Juz 1: Allah’s Names in the Qur’an | Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-1-mohammad-elshinawy.md)
- [TRAILER | Qur’an 30 for 30 Season 7 | Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Abdullah Oduro](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-trailer.md)