# Juz 20: Allah’s Loud and Silent Revelations | Sh. Hisham Abu Yusuf

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Qur’an 30 for 30 | Season 7
**Published:** 2026-03-09
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/-XWH3NIfdTA
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-20
**Topics:** Faith, Quran

## Summary
This episode of Qur'an 30 for 30 covers Juz 19, featuring Ustadh Roohi Tahir alongside Shaykh Omar and Shaykh Abdullah. The discussion centers on the profound question of what gives a person value in the sight of Allah, anchored by the verse from Surah Al-Furqan: 'Say, what would my Lord care for you if not for your du'a?' [Al-Furqan 25:77]. The speakers explain that du'a is the outward manifestation of iman, and Ibn Abbas interpreted this verse to mean that it is one's faith that gives them worth before Allah. A key distinction is drawn between Allah's general love for all of creation and His specific love reserved for the believers — with iman being a gift Allah grants only to those He loves. The episode also explores Surah Al-Furqan's description of 'ibadur-Rahman (servants of the Most Merciful) and the verse 'Sufficient is your Lord as a guide and a helper' [Al-Furqan 25:31], emphasizing that hidayah (guidance) and nusrah (divine support) together empower believers to withstand any opposition. The discussion transitions to Surah An-Naml and the example of Prophet Sulayman (عليه السلام), who recognized his extraordinary blessings as a test and responded with gratitude, acknowledging 'whoever is grateful, is grateful for their own good, and whoever is ungrateful, my Lord is Self-Sufficient and Most Generous' [An-Naml 27:40]. The speakers connect these themes to contemporary suffering, particularly in Gaza and Palestine, affirming that Allah is with the believers in their hardship, and encouraging those in positions of privilege to reflect on how they use their blessings in service of others.

## Key Points
- Du'a is the manifestation of iman — you would not call upon Allah if you did not believe in Him, and it is what gives a person value in Allah's sight.
- Ibn Abbas interpreted 'if not for your du'a' [Al-Furqan 25:77] as meaning 'if not for your iman,' equating supplication with faith.
- Allah gives worldly blessings to both those He loves and those He does not love, but He grants iman only to those He loves — making faith the true marker of divine love.
- There is a general love of Allah for all creation and a specific, elevated love earned through faith and righteous action.
- The combination of Allah's hidayah (guidance) and nusrah (support) together is what empowers and protects believers against all forms of resistance and oppression.
- Every prophet faced enemies and tyrants — this is a universal principle — but Allah's guidance and help are always sufficient to overcome that resistance.
- Prophet Sulayman (عليه السلام) exemplifies the correct response to immense blessing: recognizing it as a test and responding with gratitude rather than arrogance or tyranny.
- Those in positions of privilege should reflect on how they use their blessings, knowing that even small sincere efforts are not wasted by Allah (Al-Karim).
- The steadfastness and resilience of those suffering the most intense oppression, such as in Gaza, is itself a sign of their connection to Allah through du'a and iman.
- Gratitude to Allah is ultimately for one's own benefit — 'whoever is grateful, is grateful for their own good' [An-Naml 27:40].

## Chapters
- 0:00 Introduction
- 2:06 Sh. Hisham Abu Yusuf’s favorite name of Allah
- 2:48 How to make the most of the last 10 nights of Ramadan?
- 3:38 How Allah talks about Himself in Juz 20
- 7:49 Understanding tests and trials
- 12:35 The theme of Surat al-Naml
- 16:30 Sh. Hisham Abu Yusuf recites from Surat Al-Naml
- 19:23 Understanding Surat Al-Naml
- 27:00 Sh. Abdullah Oduro’s final thoughts

## Transcript
**[0:05]** Your tests are temporary, but Allah Azza wa Jalla is permanent. You cannot have perspective in test and trial unless you have du'a and unless you understand the nature of your test and trial is temporary. But Allah has created us this way in order for us to retreat to Him in those times of hardship, and that's the whole

**[0:21]** point. We're tested with the qadr and the choices of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. What we wanted to happen in life after doing so many good deeds, but we still didn't get what we ultimately wanted. The one who responds to the desperate when He calls. Not anybody, but you have to show the desperation, al-muḍṭarr. And most of us

**[0:38]** think we're self-reliant, but Allah is saying, "I want you to beg Me." السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته everyone. Welcome back to Quran 30 for 30. Alhamdulillah, we are in Juz 20. As we come into the last 10 nights, dear brothers

**[0:55]** and sisters, we want to invite you, bi'idhnillahi Ta'ala, to, of course, make du'a for us at Yaqeen, insha'Allah Ta'ala, but also to support the work at Yaqeen. This is an opportunity, insha'Allah Ta'ala, for you to go ahead and automate your donations for the last 10 nights. And insha'Allah Ta'ala, with all the good work that you're doing

**[1:10]** and all the good deeds and supporting the many good organizations that are out there, we hope that you're seeing that Yaqeen is leveling up. Alhamdulillah, we're constantly growing, we're constantly expanding our team, our resources, and we do that after the help of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala with your support, insha'Allah Ta'ala. And these

**[1:25]** last 10 nights of Ramadan are crucial. So the general rule of thumb is that whatever you've donated in the past, if you have, donate the same amount or more. And if you're a first-timer to Yaqeen, insha'Allah Ta'ala, then donate, insha'Allah Ta'ala, and make it a recurring habit. May Allah

**[1:41]** bless you all and accept from you all and allow you to observe Laylat al-Qadr and all of us. اللهم آمين. We have a very special guest for the first time, alhamdulillah, Shaykh Hisham Abu Yusuf. حياك الله, Shaykh Hisham. الله يحييك، السلام عليكم ورحمة الله. كيف الحال؟ Alhamdulillah, lovely to be here. الله يبارك فيك. It's lovely to have you, masha'Allah.

**[1:58]** Masha'Allah, you have the Roots Academy, alhamdulillah rabb al-'alamin. I remember when you came up to me and introduced it to me, you said, "We use a lot of Yaqeen curriculum," right? Alhamdulillah, we've benefited a lot from Yaqeen, alhamdulillah. Yaqeen is doing some amazing work, alhamdulillah. الله يحفظك. So you do curriculum for college students, alhamdulillah, free curriculum for university students? It's a whole end-to-end

**[2:16]** delivery of free Islamic studies classes on university campuses, on 70 campuses. So 70 instructors every week turning up on 70 universities across the UK, Canada, Australia, and the US. It's incredible. And we want to transform the entire generation with a structured but contemporary approach to learning Islam. insha'Allah Ta'ala.

**[2:34]** Masha'Allah, that's incredible. Alhamdulillah, may Allah give you tawfiq in that. Shaykh, before I start, what is your favorite name of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala at the moment? In this particular moment, Allah's name Al-Wali. لماذا؟

**[2:50]** SubhanAllah, obviously I'm traveling at the moment and I'm on my own, away from my family. And as I'm on my own and traveling, in travel there's a lot of uncertainty, a lot of challenges. Things go out of plan sometimes. But Allah's name Al-Wali reminds me, no

**[3:07]** matter where I am, what I'm going through, how much uncertainty, what goes out of plan, Allah is close, Allah is protecting me, Allah is watching. Amazing, masha'Allah, tabarakAllah. And is there any, you know, if someone were to have an elevator conversation with you and say, "We

**[3:23]** got 10 nights coming up," what's the advice that you give them? Like, Shaykh, how do I make the most of these last 10 nights? The most important thing I think is to have raw conversations with Allah at night. So a lot of us have scripted conversations or we have very formal conversations with Allah, and a lot of us

**[3:40]** are going through the motions. But if that was the case the first 20 days, in these last 10 nights, this is your opportunity. فَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِبْ Really, really have a raw, long sujood, raise your hands and have long conversations with Allah. وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ

**[3:55]** عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ If my slaves ask you about me, O Muhammad (ﷺ), tell them I'm near. So this is the opportunity to ask and to ask ambitiously. Allah yahfazak, ya Shaykh. So insha'Allah, for everyone that's tuning in, I'm going to actually ask Shaykh Hisham to read in a bit, insha'Allah

**[4:10]** Ta'ala, to recite, which will be unique, but insha'Allah we'll benefit from his recitation as well as his reflections. We are in Juz 20, and I'm going to give a very short overview because I think that the section that you're going to comment on that's going to guide our conversation, bi'idhnillahi Ta'ala, is such a rich

**[4:28]** section. I think it's, you know, I remember SubhanAllah praying in the Haram and the Shaykh reciting this, and I think it's probably my most memorable salah in the Haram was the recitation of these verses from Surah An-Naml. So Juz 20 obviously goes from An-Naml to the first

**[4:46]** part of Al-'Ankabut. And there's just one connection when we talk about how Allah talks about Himself that I immediately was just thinking of, SubhanAllah, is in verse 62 of Surah An-Naml. أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ

**[5:01]** وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ that who is the one who answers the desperate one when He calls upon him and removes harm? Okay? And of course, this is one of the verses you're going to be commenting on. That's one of the أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ the verses, is there any God with

**[5:16]** Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala? And of course, there is no God with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. But the one portion of this verse, I won't even like comment on the verse, but connect that to the beginning of Surah Al-'Ankabut. أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا

**[5:32]** وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ Right? Do people think that they simply say, "We believe," and they'll be left alone? They won't be tested. We have tested those that came before you. Through that, we make known who amongst you

**[5:50]** are truthful and who amongst you are amongst those who have belied the covenant with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, that are not truthful to your covenant with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. This is an incredible idea because it shows you you have the desperate human being, the desperate

**[6:06]** believer calling out to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and then you have Allah giving the reason for the desperation. What was the point of the desperation in the first place? Like, you would think like, "Okay, who's the one who responds to you when you call out to Him in your desperation?" Right? And it's Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

**[6:21]** And then Allah Azza wa Jalla gives you the answer. He did that actually to make known your belief, to make you shine, your faith shine, and to further pronounce your position amongst humanity. So He elevated you through that trial, and that was the purpose.

**[6:37]** It was to test not your capacity, but to test your faith. And so that's one thing that I really took as Allah Azza wa Jalla speaking about Himself. He doesn't just give His side, right? He gives the other side of it as well, which is what's the intention of bringing

**[6:52]** you to these tests and through these tests, right? And Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala talks about those who are able to stand the tests in Surah Al-'Ankabut. And Allah Azza wa Jalla gives us in Surah An-Naml the way to withstand the test, which is du'a. So the du'a that you find in Surah An-Naml, that regimen of du'a,

**[7:11]** that personal conversation with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is what is able to get you through your most difficult trials. And Allah Azza wa Jalla mentions the opposite side of that as well, which are the hypocrites who will pretend to be with Allah

**[7:26]** Subhanahu wa Ta'ala when things are good, right? But when they are tested جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللَّهِ, right? وَلَئِن جَاءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ ۚ أَوَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِي صُدُورِ الْعَالَمِينَ, right? Allah Azza wa Jalla mentions that these are these same people

**[7:42]** who جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللَّهِ I'd actually love for you guys to comment on this, insha'Allah Ta'ala. But then وَلَئِن جَاءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ when Allah Azza wa Jalla's help comes to them, they will say, "We were with you the whole time." Doesn't Allah Azza wa Jalla know what's in the hearts of the people?

**[7:58]** So you don't make du'a with an empty heart, a heart that is ghafil, a heart that is heedless. And you don't pretend belief when you are actually heedless. You don't jump on the bandwagon while things are good. And then forsake, when things are hard, you call out to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in comfort and in pain

**[8:16]** throughout all of these states with the different names, knowing that it's the same Rabb that will deliver you in each of these situations. The last thing that we find in Al-Qasas, I was just thinking about this when Allah Azza wa Jalla mentions كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ everything will perish إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ except

**[8:35]** for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala's face كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ that verily to Him belongs judgment and to Him you will return. Your tests are temporary, but Allah Azza wa Jalla is permanent. Your blessings are temporary, but the Bestower of those blessings

**[8:51]** is permanent, right? The feelings that are evoked through those hardships and through those blessings are temporary feelings, but your standing in front of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and your relationship with Him is a permanent relationship, right? So you cannot have perspective in test

**[9:09]** and trial unless you have du'a and unless you understand the nature of your test and trial as temporary. And you can't appreciate how temporary test and trial is unless you appreciate the permanence of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. And so this is, I think, a beautiful way that this juz just comes together in such a beautiful way between

**[9:27]** these suwar. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala allow us to be amongst those that call upon Him with desperation, whether we're in hardship or whether we are in ease. Allahumma ameen. Shaykh Abdullah, I'd love to hear your thoughts before insha'Allah we go to Shaykh Hisham. بِسْمِ اللَّهِ. I mean, it's beautiful how you mentioned tests

**[9:43]** and trials, and you know we look at the word fitnah and how fitnah literally, you know, results in that, or fitnah can mean that which brings you to a hard situation, and how you're allowing that to mold you into the results of the trials that you're facing. But even

**[9:59]** the trial in and of itself, you know, sometimes when we're involved with the dunya and we're involved with things that can take us away from our main focus, and that's the nature of the human being, because we are neglectful as human beings. We're some nas that we can be neglectful at times. But Allah has created

**[10:16]** us this way in order for us to retreat to Him in those times of hardship, and that's the whole point. Because sometimes we think, okay, when the times of rakhaa' and ease are there, the times of fitnah come, the times of trial come. Someone passes away that we love dearly, and they were a righteous person, and we

**[10:32]** may ask why. We're tested with the qadr and the choices of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, what we wanted to happen in life after doing so many good deeds, but we still didn't get what we ultimately wanted. We've made du'a these many times, and the people that are disbelievers are not, or they're Muslims and they're not worshiping Allah

**[10:49]** the way that I know that I'm worshiping. They're getting what they want and I'm not, right? It's very, very important that that trial and tribulation is a huge opportunity for you to be vulnerable and to call on Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, even to complain to Him about the affliction that you're going through, but to ultimately ask Him to

**[11:07]** alleviate the pain, to alleviate the suffering, to alleviate the worry, to alleviate the sadness, because we don't want the sadness to turn to despair, but you cut it off when you have those emotions that are very, very, very intense. When you feel that, it's an

**[11:23]** opportunity. Allah is putting it in front of you. What choice are you going to make? And that's what's so beautiful about Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala saying, فَتَنَّا we have put this in front of you for a divine opportunity. It's an opportunity, and what strengthens

**[11:40]** you using the opportunity for your advantage is the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. That's why dhikr of Allah is so important, remembering Allah and remembering His names. And you mentioned His names. You know, from the wisdom of Allah having different names is

**[11:55]** because of different events that you'll face in your life. If you remember the event of you losing your job, you remember Ar-Razzaq. But if you've never learned or if you never knew the name Ar-Razzaq exists, it may be a little more difficult for you to call on Him in a very intense way that has a lot of passion

**[12:13]** when understanding the context of Ar-Razzaq and the name and the stories that He's given. So it's beautiful how Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala used it in this verse and, and you know, particularly in Surah Al-'Ankabut, one of my favorite verses in the Quran, the last verse of chapter of Al-'Ankabut, you know, وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا

**[12:30]** لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا that they strive for Allah. You know, the scholars mentioned the two conditions for an action to be accepted is the intention and the following of the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ). جَاهَدُوا فِينَا they strive, they act, but for what reason?

**[12:45]** For what intention? For what ultimate goal? فِينَا then Allah makes numerous forms of surety from the linguistic standpoint, we will surely guide them to our way. So it's beautiful this juz is really talking about fitnah and trials and the purpose behind it. And I like how you mentioned how Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is Baqi,

**[13:01]** basically. He will always be there, and how your trials are something that's temporary, but there's a key for you to always rely on the One that will always be there, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. So it's beautiful. تفضل شيخ إن شاء الله any thoughts you have on the Juz itself or this overview? It's a beautiful juz. Surah An-Naml

**[13:17]** specifically, if you were to zoom into Surah An-Naml, it has this theme, this running theme of civilization and kingdom. So you have this, the clash of two civilizations. You have Bilqis and Sulayman (عليه السلام). Sulayman (عليه السلام), the Hudhud is impressed, is shocked by the advancement of

**[13:33]** what Bilqis has done. But at the same time, what's the point of the material progress of the kingdom if at the same time they're worshiping the sun? And so there is a thread throughout Surah An-Naml. The people of Fir'awn mentioned, the story of Thamud mentioned, and Sulayman's mentioned.

**[13:50]** But Sulayman (عليه السلام) is put forward as the example and the title of the surah, Surah An-Naml, this incident where he, you know, comes across the ants, and this is part of his kingdom. But instead of me, I've progressed, etc. His attitude is always

**[14:07]** وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ عِلْمًا ۖ وَقَالَا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. When he sees the ant, he can hear the ants talking to each other, and he's so surprised at this blessing Allah gave him. رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ. So one of the beautiful things about Surah An-Naml is the words "الحمد

**[14:22]** لله" are repeated. So قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَىٰ. The last ayah. وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ سَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ فَتَعْرِفُونَهَا. So this recurring theme, say "الحمد لله," like, I'm going to give you, there are two tests, right? Surah Al-Qasas is the

**[14:39]** opposite test, the test of oppression and weakness of the ummah, of individuals. I've lost, I don't have much going on for me. Surah An-Naml is the opposite. It's the test of kingdom and power and might and status and prestige and comfort. And Allah's saying, "You better thank Me, or I will take it away from you," and you'll

**[14:54]** be at the beginning of Surah Al-Qasas, you will be at the very bottom of the hierarchy again. There's another beautiful thing about these three surahs in this juz. It's a cluster of three surahs that start with طس. طسم، طس، طسم. The second ayah, تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ

**[15:12]** الْمُبِينِ. تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ. With the exception of An-Naml. An-Naml, Allah adds the word "Qur'an." تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَكِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ. The Qur'an comes again at the beginning and end of the surah as well. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says, at the end of the surah, وَأَنْ أَتْلُوا الْقُرْآنَ. Beginning of the surah, وَإِنَّكَ لَتُلَقَّى

**[15:30]** الْقُرْآنَ. O Muhammad (ﷺ), in this world where I'm going to, at some point, give your ummah might and power and civilizational progress, etc., don't forget, what's going to ground you in shukr, what's going to ground you in humility, it's the Qur'an. There's nothing else for you. This is, I think, some of the subtleties

**[15:46]** of this surah. بارك الله فيك، جزاك الله خيرا. SubhanAllah, beautiful, very beneficial. SubhanAllah, like when you think about the spectrum, one of the things that, you know, I used to teach on Ayyub (عليه السلام), pretty extensive course on Ayyub (عليه السلام), and even looking at the way, like, this Prophet is spoken about biblically, actually, he's one of the most spoken

**[16:04]** about Prophets in the, you know, in the Bible, right? And the Qur'an, his section is very short, right? Um, and both of the times he is mentioned, he's mentioned right after Sulayman (عليه السلام). And there's something actually amazing about that, that Sulayman (عليه السلام) is the

**[16:20]** example of a person who has been blessed in ways that you will never be blessed. And Ayyub (عليه السلام) is an example of a person who will be tested in ways you will never be tested. So here's your roadmap of sabr, here's your roadmap of shukr. Choose your roadmap. You're somewhere on the spectrum, but you have to

**[16:36]** act like one of these two Prophets in bala' or in hardship or in ease. And that's, you know, SubhanAllah, something that's deeply beautiful and profound about the Qur'an, that the order of the stories, it always gives you the contrast.

**[16:52]** Because through that contrast, you really get to understand the depth of what Allah Azza wa Jalla is trying to convey to you. So Shaykh Hisham, there is this section, Surah An-Naml, I believe verse 59 to 65 or 64, أإله مع الله. Would you please recite it for us, insha'Allah, then give

**[17:08]** us an explanation of it? أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم قل الحمد لله وسلام على

**[17:25]** عباده الذين اصطفى آللَّهُ خَيْرٌ أما يشركون أمن خلق السماوات والأرض

**[17:41]** وأنزل لكم من السماء ماء فأنبتنا. فأنبتنا به حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ

**[17:59]** مَّا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُنبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ بل هم قوم يعدلون

**[18:14]** أمن جعل الأرض قرارا وجعل خلالها أنهارا وجعل لها رواسي وجعل بين البحرين حاجزا أإله مع الله

**[18:33]** بل أكثرهم لا يعلمون أمن يجيب المضطر إذا دعاه ويكشف السوء وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ

**[18:55]** مع الله قليلا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ۗ أَمَّن يهديكم في ظلمات البر والبحر ومن يرسل الرياح بشرا بين

**[19:12]** يدي رحمته أإله مع الله تعالى الله عما يشركون أمن يبدأ الخلق ثم

**[19:30]** يعيده ومن يرزقكم من السماء والأرض أإله مع الله قل هاتوا برهانكم إن كنتم صادقين

**[19:49]** قل لا يعلم من في السماوات والأرض الغيب إلا الله وما يشعرون أيان يبعثون

**[20:06]** These beautiful ayat from Surah An-Naml, after telling the story of Sulayman, of Musa and Fir'awn, of Lut, it's almost the pause in the stories to step back and take the key lesson. And it begins with قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ.

**[20:24]** Sulayman, when Allah gave him all the blessings, he said الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, he was grateful. But Fir'awn was the opposite. It was, it was all me. Bilqis, the opposition of Sulayman, نَحْنُ أُولُو قُوَّةٍ وَأُولُو بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ, it's us, it's me, it's I, we've been,

**[20:39]** this is all of us. So it begins with قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. In this passage, there's two unique things that stand out that's pretty much unparalleled in the Qur'an. The first is, five times Allah asks, "Do you have an ilah, an ultimate one worthy

**[20:55]** of worship, the one ultimately in control? أإله مع الله؟ Five times He asks the question. The other thing is that in this, in these few verses, there are 15 actions of Allah, 15 verbs, that Allah responds and He takes and He gives and He

**[21:10]** reveals, etc., etc. And He creates and He sends. Because, you know, for many of us, when we think about the name, knowing Allah, we think about His names and attributes, right? We think about names. Names are consistent. This person's a driver. They're always driving. But an action, uh, it indicates something that's

**[21:27]** happening right now. It indicates presence. For many of us, when we think about Allah's names and attributes, oftentimes there's this distance from Allah where, you know, human beings have developed so much technologically. And, uh, this person brought me the food, and that person paid my paycheck. And we're so many layers removed from the

**[21:45]** actions of Allah. Here, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala repeatedly emphasizes, "It's Me who's doing all of this." It might look like your boss is paying the paycheck. It might look like, you know, somebody brought your food to you, but it's Me. It's not them. Look beyond the layers, look beyond the superficiality, and see that I am the

**[22:01]** ultimate doer. I'm the one in control. So قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, say Alhamdulillah. وَسَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَى, greet my select slaves, the Prophets who we just mentioned. أَللَّهُ خَيْرٌ أَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ,

**[22:17]** is Allah better or the other false gods that you've put up, you've propped up? And then He begins to mention one of the beautiful things about this passage. Allah begins by talking about the physical universe, and then He begins to talk about His interactions with human beings. When He's talking about the physical universe, He

**[22:35]** talks in the past tense. خَلَقَ أَنْزَلَ جَعَلَ, these are all past tense verbs. I created, I sent down the water, I did, etc. When He's talking about human beings, He talks in the present tense. يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ, I respond now. I'm responding to

**[22:51]** you as you ask. وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ, I'm removing your difficulties. وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ, I'm currently giving you establishment and making you my representatives on this earth. He's present in our lives. But when you look at the universe around you, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is present in every snowflake, in every raindrop.

**[23:09]** Allah's actions, His intervention is constantly present in the world that we look at. So Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala highlights, "Look at, I have sent down water" from the sky. فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ, through this water, I have planted. It's an interesting thing. Of all the verbs He mentioned, خَلَقَ أَنْزَلَ

**[23:28]** جَعَلَ, He never said, "I did." He says, "He did." He sent down, he, he, he. But when He gets to the planting of plants, He says, أَنْبَتْنَا, I did it. Because human beings think that they're the ones doing the planting, whereas all the other, all the other verbs

**[23:43]** sending the water from the sky. These are all things you know are supernatural. But you plant a seed, you water the seed. So you have this illusion that, "Hey, it's my garden. I've done it." Allah's saying, "No, Habibi, it's not you. فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ, I am the one who made it happen. مَّا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُنبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا, just in case you

**[24:00]** thought it was you doing the gardening and you doing the mowing of the lawn. You know, it wasn't you guys who did it. أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ؟ Can there be an ilah with Allah? So if we zoom out of this passage in context, there's two contemporary themes that I think are really relevant.

**[24:17]** The first is material progress. So the world's gone through an industrial revolution, it's gone through a technological revolution, and we've gotten to the point where everything's convenient. Everything's same-day delivery, next-day delivery. Human beings seem to be in so much more control than they were before. 300 years ago, most of the world

**[24:33]** was based on agriculture. People were waiting, you know, for plants to grow. They were more dependent on Allah. Now human beings depend on themselves. أَرَآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ. And so here, this passage reminds us that to reconnect with Allah, we have to get off our devices and reconnect with Allah's creation. We have to get out of the concrete

**[24:50]** jungles that we live in. We have to take time to withdraw, as the Prophet (ﷺ) withdrew in the cave of Hira. أَمَّن جَعَلَ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا, what about the one who made the earth stable or flat? وَجَعَلَ خِلَالَهَا أَنْهَارًا, and He mirrored it with rivers. وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ, and He made in it

**[25:07]** peaks. So the terrain that He's designed. وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزًا, and between the two seas He's created a barrier. أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ, is there an ilah other than Allah? And then He comes to the human being. You have to zoom out of yourself and observe Allah in the universe. See, the Qur'an is the loud revelation,

**[25:24]** but the creation of Allah is a silent revelation. Allah's names and attributes are present in every single piece of the living world, if only we connected and saw them. And then He talks about Allah, His actions in our lives. The one who responds to the desperate when He calls,

**[25:39]** not anybody, but you have to show the desperation. Al-muḍṭarr, and most of us think we're self-reliant, but Allah's saying, "I want you to beg Me." أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ. Then Allah talks about His guidance. أَمَّن يَهْدِيكُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ

**[25:56]** وَالْبَحْرِ, in the darkness of the sea and the land, who shows you the way? Who gives you stars for navigation and compasses? وَمَن يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ, and I send the wind as a congratulation, as a glad tiding before My mercy. أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ, and then He ends the passage

**[26:15]** by talking about the beginning and the end. أَمَّن يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ, go back to where it all came from. I start it and I end the creation. And I provide you. وَيَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ ۚ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ, give me evidence if you are truthful. But all of this is to say what? What's the conclusion of all of this?

**[26:32]** Why do you guys not see Allah's attributes? Why don't you recognize His names? Why aren't you constantly living in the remembrance of Allah? There's one problem. بَلِ ادَّارَكَ عِلْمُهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ, you guys are detached from the afterlife. You guys are mired and obsessed with this world and your progress and your devices and your

**[26:47]** shopping and all this whole world that's this consumption that's overwhelmed you. The materialism has clouded you from the reality of Allah. You don't see the Akhirah. Worse, بَلْ هُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهَا, you're not even realizing it. You don't even—you're not even certain about it. بَلْ worse, بَلْ هُم مِّنْهَا عَمُونَ, you've been blinded. Mm-hmm.

**[27:06]** So this surah, there's a running theme of blindness and seeing. Allah talks about Pharaoh being blind, but He knew it deep down. آيَاتُنَا مُبْصِرَةً, He says. There's a theme in this surah. In the last ayah, قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ سَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ

**[27:23]** فَتَعْرِفُونَهَا, my ayat are everywhere, but you guys, you don't see it. My names and attributes are everywhere, but you're not connected to them. This is my understanding of this passage. Masha'Allah, beautiful. Masha'Allah, felt like I was swimming.

**[27:40]** Allah yajzik khair. Jazakallah khair. May Allah make you from the people of Qur'an. Beautiful. Ameen. Shaykh Abdullah, insha'Allah, just your remarks, insha'Allah Ta'ala, sort of take us home. No, I think this is beautiful because the rhetorical questioning is so profound in exactly what you mentioned, jazakallah khair,

**[27:56]** Shaykhana, you know, mentioning aspects of creation, then the human being themselves, then the hal internal, you know, is what's so profound. And I think it's even a good method of da'wah to those that may not know Islam, you know, family members, when just going through these questions that with their fitrah, they can

**[28:13]** acknowledge. But then at the very end, قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ, what do you have to present after I've presented all of this? Like, what can you really, you know, answer that is sufficient, even within yourself? So that's just—it's so beautiful. Jazakallah khair, how you illuminated on those beautiful verses, all those ayat,

**[28:32]** the ayat that talk about the ayat. Yeah, SubhanAllah, all communication, all communication. It reminded me, Shaykh, of the very famous narration when the Prophet (ﷺ) spoke to the father of Imran ibn Husayn (رضي الله عنهما), and he told him,

**[28:47]** "How many gods do you worship?" He said, "I worship seven, six on earth and one in the heavens." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Which one do you really turn to with your hope and fear?" He said, "The one in the heavens." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Then leave the six on earth and focus on the one in the heavens." And that's really what this set of ayat is. Like, at the end

**[29:03]** of the day, what do you actually anchor yourself in? And it is Allah Azza wa Jalla. May Allah Azza wa Jalla help us all come to that crystallization of tawhid and realization, experiencing of tawhid in our lives, and guide others to it as well. Jazakallah khair,

**[29:20]** Shaykh Hisham, it's a pleasure to have you. Jazakumullahu khayran, insha'Allah Ta'ala, we'll hope to have you again, bi'idhnillahi Ta'ala, over and over again. جزاكم الله خيراً. 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 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 13: What Is 1% of Allah’s Mercy? | Dr. Mohamed AbuTaleb](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/quran-30-for-30-season-7/quran-30-for-30-season-7-juz-13.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)