# Those Who Walk on the Earth Humbly | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 1

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Servants of the Most Merciful
**Published:** 2025-11-17
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/e7TzVR84PLc
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/those-who-walk-on-the-earth-humbly-servants-of-the-most-merciful-ep-1
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Description
What does it mean to walk the earth lightly? In this opening lecture of the Ibad al-Rahman: Servants of the Most Merciful series, Dr. Omar Suleiman explores the very first quality that Allah attributes to His most beloved servants: humility. “The servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk...

## Transcript
**[0:00]** Before we talk about this set of verses in particular, I want to contextualize both where

**[0:16]** you find them in the Qur'an and also the period of revelation of these verses because it changes the understanding and the richness of these verses greatly. If you are reading through the Qur'an, you come across three surahs in succession.

**[0:40]** The beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minoon are ten qualities, broad categories. Where Allah takes us through a journey of the qualities that are required of the believers

**[0:56]** and they are very similar to the end of Surah Al-Furqan where we will be with the qualities of Ibadur Rahman, the servants of the Most Merciful. So if you were to read the first ten verses of Surah Al-Mu'minoon and then read the end of Surah Al-Furqan, you'll see much that ties the two things together.

**[1:16]** The focus, the emphasis on Surah Al-Mu'minoon, there's a slight subtle difference that some of the ulama of tafsir mention that the internal is covered more in Surah Al-Mu'minoon, the external is covered more in the end of Surah Al-Furqan.

**[1:31]** And you'll appreciate why that subtlety exists inshaAllah ta'ala about thirty minutes into this lecture. But just for you to remember from now, there's a slightly greater emphasis in the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minoon on the internal programming of the believer whereas there is a slightly

**[1:48]** greater emphasis in the end of Surah Al-Furqan on the external behavior of the believer. And that subtlety will become important inshaAllah ta'ala as we venture through these ayahs. Sandwiched between Surah Al-Mu'minoon and Surah Al-Furqan is what surah? I want to make sure you all are awake and with me inshaAllah.

**[2:05]** Surah An-Nur. What are the verses of Surah An-Nur that immediately come to the mind of the believers when we think about consequential moments in the seerah of the Prophet (ﷺ)? Does anyone know?

**[2:21]** What is it? What are the verses in Surah An-Nur that we think about most as it relates to the seerah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? It's a section. What does Allah allude to in particular in Surah An-Nur?

**[2:39]** Hadithatul Ifk. The slander of our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها). Surah An-Nur is actually famous in many ways for that. And there's so much to unpack in Surah An-Nur. Allah's light and how personal sins and community sins distance us from Allah's light.

**[3:00]** Where darkness overtakes us because of our own doings. Whether it is as individuals or as communities. The darkest time in terms of internal affairs in the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) in Medina. Medina with all of its beauty, with all of its sakinah, with all of its tranquility.

**[3:19]** The most disrupted that it ever was in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) in terms of the house of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) also being on fire. The community being on fire. The hearts once again parting and about to fall back into jahiliyya.

**[3:36]** It goes back to the slander of our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها). In fact it was the least productive period in Medina. Because fitna plagues the community in darkness. Ya'nulun namahu min sa'a fitnat ashfur.

**[3:51]** As Ali (رضي الله عنه) said and Fudayr rahimullah said something very similar. That in one hour a slanderer embroils a community in a fitna for months. And this is what happened with our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها). But unfortunately many good people got caught up in that slander didn't they?

**[4:09]** And so there's even a subtlety in that that had we practiced what is in the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minoon and what is in the end of Surah Al-Furqan, you would not have found yourself in this musiba, in this tragedy where your tongues ended up slandering our mother

**[4:24]** Aisha (رضي الله عنها) and hurting the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with his honour. Imagine, wal ladheena hum anil laghwi mu'ridoon. Right? Those that avoid speech that is idle and not of benefit. To where I don't need to indulge such a grievous claim about our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها).

**[4:45]** Right? So community becomes distanced from the light of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and embroiled in darkness. When it fails to act upon those things that are meant to bring tranquility and goodness in society and what brings goodness to the individual is what brings goodness to families

**[5:01]** what brings goodness to society. You understand the connection here? So there's a slight ishara which is very beautiful, a signal where it is positioned. That had you applied what is here and what is here at the bookends, you would not have found yourself in this disaster.

**[5:17]** And of course there's so much more from Surah An-Nur in terms of the individual pursuit of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the individual pursuit of An-Nur subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah himself, nurul samawati wal arda, the light of the heavens and the earth and a heart that opens itself up to the nur of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and invites that light into it and

**[5:39]** becomes a torch that carries such benefit and beauty to the society that is present and to the generations to come. And so that's the first thing I want you to think about in terms of where the placement exists of these ayat.

**[5:55]** Also I want you to pay attention to the promise that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes at the end of the first set of verses in Surah Al-Mu'minoon and the last set of verses in Surah Al-Furqan. Allah azawajal says in Surah Al-Mu'minoon, الذين يريثون الفردوس هم فيها خالدون

**[6:13]** That those who abide by these qualities, يريثون الفردوس, they inherit, they are granted the highest level of paradise and they will remain therein forever. At the end of Surah Al-Furqan, when Allah talks about Ibadur Rahman, who we will be

**[6:31]** reflecting on, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says أُولَٰئِكَ يُجَزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا Right? That verily they will be given Al-Ghurfa, which refers to the highest level of paradise as well because of their patience and they will be greeted therein, Tahiyyatan wa Salama,

**[6:49]** with greeting and with peace. So Allah Azawajal gives us a high set of qualities, both in the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minoon as well as in the end of Surah Al-Furqan, and then puts the reward right at the end. It's right there for you. You want Al-Firdaws, pay attention.

**[7:04]** You want the highest level of paradise, pay attention to these qualities. You want to just get by as a Muslim, then don't apply the dark qualities. But one of the greatest ways to make sure that dark qualities do not come into your life is to exercise and exert in the pursuit of light and the pursuit of good qualities.

**[7:25]** It's like a person who tries to pray their Sunnah, who tries to pray their Sunnahs. They're very unlikely to ever miss their Fard prayers, right? If a person just prays their five prayers and stops there, it's almost guaranteed that at some point you're going to let a Dhuhr go, then a Maghrib go, and then it becomes

**[7:43]** a habit, right? So to exert yourself in the practice of good is one of the greatest ways, the means by which you remove evil qualities from overtaking you and from darkening the soul. So Allah Azawajal mentions the promise, right?

**[8:01]** If you're pursuing Al-Firdaws, pay very close attention. If you're pursuing the highest level of paradise, pay very close attention when Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala gives us these types of verses where he starts to list out these qualities. And some of the scholars also mention, like Imam Al-Qayyim Rahimahullah Ta'ala, that

**[8:18]** Allah Azawajal always gives these 10, right? And he even cites, of course, in the Torah, the 10 commandments, these 10 rules, these 10 laws, these 10 ways, because it's something that you can remember here, something you can put here, and something you can pursue with everything that you have.

**[8:36]** Also when it comes to the pursuit of the highest level of paradise, because this is who this is for. If you want Al-Firdaws, you pay attention, and this is what you pursue. Wahb ibn Munabbih Rahimahullah Ta'ala, he says something very powerful.

**[8:53]** He says, لما خلق الله جنة عدن نظر إليها فقال أنت حرام على كل متكبر Wahb ibn Munabbih, he narrates that when Allah created Jannatu Adn, should be loosely translated

**[9:08]** the gardens of Eden, right? But the highest of paradise. These are all referring to smaller, smaller, smaller pieces of the highest rank of paradise. Allah looked towards that paradise and said, you are haram for every arrogant person.

**[9:24]** You will not be entered by any arrogant person. Remember it was the pride of Iblis that caused him to be expelled from high levels of paradise to the lowest of hell, right? So there is a lot of heart work and humility work that comes in these verses.

**[9:44]** And so I'm going to say that when you listen to these verses, if it doesn't sting you a little bit, there's a problem. These verses are meant to sting and meant to make you go, I think I do have a little bit of that problem. Because you want it sting here so that you can rest there, right?

**[10:01]** You want to hold yourself to the highest standards to where you're even going to scrutinize the way that you walk. SubhanAllah, think about that. The way that you walk, you know, people who pursue sunnah, they look towards the dhikr,

**[10:17]** the remembrance of the Prophet (ﷺ) for the smallest thing. You are so heightened in your awareness of the sunnah of the messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that you're thinking about which foot you enter here, which foot you exit here, which hand you use here, what do I say here, at what point do I say this?

**[10:34]** You're a highly self-aware, sunnah-aware person, conscious. And the Prophet (ﷺ) said, innama bu'ithtu li-utammima makarima al-akhlaq. I was sent only to perfect the highest level of morals, character.

**[10:52]** When Allah emphasizes the Prophet (ﷺ) sunnah in the Qur'an, the emphasis is on his character. wa innaka la'ala khuluqin azeem. And you are on an amazing standard of character. And that's why every one of the verses you take from Surah Al-Mu'minoon and from Surah

**[11:08]** Al-Furqan, if you cast it onto the seerah of the messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he excels in that virtue, just like everything else. So being so conscious, yes, self-conscious to where I want to know if my walk is pleasing

**[11:26]** to Allah. I want to know if the tone of my voice is pleasing to Allah. I want to know if the way that I tilt my head or the way I enter into conversation is pleasing to Allah. I want to shape all of these realities about myself in a way that al-haq, the reality,

**[11:43]** subhanah, al-nur, the light, subhanah, is pleased with me. I want him to look at me and be pleased with me. And so we come into these verses with that. And I want to also point out that these verses were revealed in Makkah.

**[12:03]** And the scholars say that Al-Furqan in particular, if you look at it, because there are certain conversations that the Prophet (ﷺ) has with some of the elders of Quraysh where he recites the surah. It's at a time when the aggravations of the Mushrikun, the aggravations of Quraysh were

**[12:22]** really increasing against the Muslims. Right? So if you look at the period of persecution, they place this before the boycott, before the Muqata'ah where the severity of the persecution got very, very, very physical, right, where

**[12:38]** people are actually being killed. So it makes sense, that that's the nature of the persecution is aggressiveness, insults, right, annoyances, taunting them, pushing them and increasing the persecution slowly,

**[12:55]** slowly to make it unbearable for the Muslims to live publicly. Right? So that's something I want you to think about, about the context of these verses. And we will remind each other of that context throughout the series inshallah ta'ala because it's an important context. So I want you to put yourself five years after revelation in Mecca.

**[13:13]** No one prays in public. No one prays in public. People have to hide their Islam. You become Muslim, someone in your family hates Islam. There wasn't a single person that made hijrah to Medina other than Ammar ibn Yasir, whose parents were both Muslim.

**[13:29]** May Allah be pleased with them all. Not a single other person whose parents were both Muslim. So someone hates Islam in your family. So you have to hide Islam even from someone in your family. And you're being abused and the Prophet (ﷺ) is being spoken about ill in your presence. You might be spit at and kicked.

**[13:46]** You might be tied up in private, beaten a bit so that you can, you know, hopefully have Islam beaten out of you. This is the context. And I want to give you like a very real life manifestation of this. Okay. They have a civil rights museum in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States.

**[14:03]** I want to give you a little bit of a US context. And there's something that's so powerful. There is an exhibit where you sit in what's a diner, like a little restaurant. And they play a tape where you hear the taunts that African Americans used to hear when they

**[14:22]** tried to sit in a diner in the 1960s, right in the 50s and 60s. So you just sit there and it's almost like they'll even simulate the table shaking. You just imagine like going to a restaurant and someone coming and calling you a name

**[14:38]** or dumping your head into a plate, right? Pushing your face into a plate, cursing you, calling you the N-word, spitting at you, maybe physically getting rough with you, picking you up, throwing you out, doing that in front of your family. All the compounded humiliation.

**[14:53]** The key word here is humiliation. And it enrages you. You just sit there and like, I can't imagine trying to eat my food and deal with this. Because there's something powerful about simulation, right?

**[15:09]** And immersion. And so I want you to immerse yourself in a very aggressive context towards Islam, right? And that's where these qualities are truly proven. Why? الَّذِي يُخَالِطُ النَّاسُ وَيَصْبِرُ عَلَىٰ أَذَاهُمْ

**[15:26]** خَيْرٌ مِّنَ الَّذِي لَا يُخَالِطُ النَّاسُ وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَىٰ أَذَاهُمْ The Prophet (ﷺ) said, the one who mixes with the people and tolerates the abuse is better than the one who does not mix with the people and does not tolerate their abuse. It's like when Allah says, أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ امْتَحَنَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ

**[15:44]** They are the people who Allah tested their hearts for taqwa. And Sayyiduna Umar (رضي الله عنه) mentions that the people that are exposed to hardship are not like the ones that are not exposed. Think of like a zoo animal, right? Like the lion that roars in the zoo versus the lion that lives in the wild.

**[16:02]** Like if that lion's lived there for 20 years, he's just a little different. Throw him into the wild and it's not going to be the same. Right? MashaAllah, you're living here like, I don't have to deal with that. There's a musallah here. I don't have to worry about being a Muslim in public, right?

**[16:18]** I am in a safe country, walhamdulillah, and everyone treats me so well. Put yourself in a situation where you are in one of the most hostile countries towards Islam in the world. Where praying in public is hard. Where wearing hijab means, you know, policies being legislated against you.

**[16:37]** Where you can't visibly demonstrate your Islam without harassment. Put yourself there and then realize that Mecca at the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) it's 10 times or a hundred times or a thousand times more than that. Right? Because institutionally, you didn't even have a Jumu'ah prayer.

**[16:54]** You didn't have anywhere to refuel yourself in order to go out there and deal with the world. This is another part of this context that the sahaba had to do tadabbur on the Quran in a very different way. One of the problems is that you wait for someone else to elaborate on the Quran and

**[17:11]** reflect on the Quran for you. Tafsir is for the specialists. Reflection is for every Muslim. The sahaba had to take the Quran, memorize it, pass it amongst themselves. And then while they would go out there and deal with the abuse, it's not like they then go to a Jumu'ah khutbah.

**[17:27]** Maybe they got into dar al-arqam, right? A small gathering. But they had to all go home and reflect on what the verses were telling them in order to garner the strength to deal with this reality that was around them. You understand how different that is? They didn't wait for a great khutbah or a great lecture or go find...

**[17:42]** No! There was no community to really be able to deal with this. I got to take these verses and develop the strength to deal with the enemies of Islam wherever they are and however they are dealing with me. So one of the ways that a concept is proved, a quality is proved, is when Allah puts it

**[17:59]** to test. Right? حَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ Right? Do people think they just say we believe, we have iman and then they're not going to be tested? Everything that's a subcategory of iman is included.

**[18:16]** Do people just say that we have sabr and you're not going to be tested? Do people just say we have hilm, forbearance and they're not going to be tested? Do people just say we're people of karam, we're generous people and they're not going to be tested? Do people just... You don't make claims with Allah and then don't get tested with those claims.

**[18:31]** Allah will put you to the test with your claims. And so all of the qualities of ibadur rahman, they're in training camp. They have to shine the most beautiful and best of qualities in the ugliest of contexts, which makes them that much more sincere.

**[18:47]** There's another thing to unfold here. There was no nifaq in Mecca. There was no hypocrisy. All the warnings of hypocrisy come later on in Quran, in Medina. Why? To be a munafiq, there has to be some sort of benefit. A hypocrite, you have to be able to benefit from being a Muslim.

**[19:05]** To be a Muslim in Mecca meant getting spit on, beat up, alienated, estranged from your family and nothing good. There was no benefit from being a Muslim in Mecca. So in that sense, some of the ulama reflect and they say all of the muhajireen, all of the muhajireen, without exception, all of the people of Mecca are ibadur rahman.

**[19:27]** They all count in this category, which makes a lot of sense. They truly are, they're the best of the sahaba. They all fit in this category. Because they all had to manifest these realities without exception in order to survive and thrive in the climate.

**[19:42]** And so all of the muhajireen, they fit in this quality of ibadur rahman. The next thing that I'll say in this regard is that the nature of the verses that come by knowing that it's Mecca Quran, if these verses were revealed in Medina, they would still be just as relevant and beautiful and powerful.

**[20:04]** These verses are timeless. These principles are timeless. And it shows you how the Prophet (ﷺ) used to build societies. Whether we are under persecution or we are in power, ibadur rahman are these people.

**[20:22]** Al-mu'minoon are these people. These are the qualities that you exhibit. There is a universality that breaks through all time and place with the qualities that are mentioned in these verses. So whether you're in Mecca under persecution or in Medina in power or you're in Doha or you're in Dallas, it's all the same.

**[20:43]** These are ibadur rahman. These are al-mu'minoon. And subhanAllah, I'll give you one example and then we'll get into the tafsir of this. You look at the hadith of Ubadah ibn al-Samit (رضي الله عنه), where he mentions how the Prophet (ﷺ) set up the society of Medina.

**[21:01]** Before laws came, before tashri' came, legislation came, what was the bay'ah with the Prophet (ﷺ) on? He said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to the ansar,

**[21:29]** Prophet (ﷺ) gave these rules. He said, this is how you establish your society. This is the pledge I'm taking from you when you become Muslim. That you don't worship anything beside Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That you don't steal. That you don't commit zina. You don't commit any of the acts of fornication or adultery.

**[21:48]** That you don't kill your children out of a fear of poverty. That you don't accuse an innocent person with a slander, with an accusation. And that you are not disobedient when you are commanded to do good. Take those six things and then add to it the first inauguration speech of the Prophet (ﷺ) when he got to Medina.

**[22:15]** You'll enter paradise in peace when the Prophet (ﷺ) said spread peace and feed people and uphold the ties of kinship. And pray at night when other people sleep and you'll enter paradise.

**[22:33]** Take the six pillars of the pledge of Aqaba and the four things that the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned as he set up Medina. And then compare it to Ibadur Rahman, the qualities of Ibadur Rahman. And the qualities of the beginning of Surah Al-Mu'minun.

**[22:49]** It shows you these are qualities dear brothers and sisters we have to have. We have to enshrine. We have to manifest. We have to reflect. And they should be consistent for us as Muslims no matter where we are and what Allah ﷻ has put us in.

**[23:06]** And so we come to the verse. And today we will only get through the first half of the verse with Innahi Ta'ala. And then systematically we will cover Inshallah Ta'ala all of these verses and all of the concepts that Allah ﷻ mentions. First and foremost the fact that Allah calls them Ibadur Rahman.

**[23:25]** Wa Ibadur Rahman Alladhina Yamshuna Ala Al-Ardi Hawna. And we will only work with this tonight with Innahi Ta'ala. Allah says the servants of the Most Merciful. And when Allah ﷻ says that you have to think like if you are the audience as in one of the Muslims in Mecca.

**[23:47]** Or you are one of the aggressors against the Muslims. Or you are one of the observers who is kind of feeling this out. Most people sit on the fence. Most people don't become Muslims and don't necessarily become hostile. They kind of wait it out.

**[24:02]** See how this is going to all play out. If you are one of the Muslims and Allah calls you Ibadur Rahman. Allah calls you a servant of the Most Merciful. Ayyu tashrifan haan. What an amazing way that Allah ﷻ honors you.

**[24:17]** Makes you noble. You are one of my Ibad, Ibadur Rahman. When Allah attributes something to Himself, it is one of the most beautiful ways of elevating a person. Ibadi, my servants. Bayti, my house being the Ka'bah.

**[24:34]** Allah ﷻ attributes to Himself. Wa Ibadur Rahman. So that's the first thing. The honor that you feel in Mecca hearing I am from Ibadur Rahman. May Allah ﷻ make us from Ibadur Rahman. Allahumma ameen. So you should want to aspire even before Allah ﷻ mentions the reward of Jannah at the end.

**[24:53]** For Allah to call you as one of His Ibadur Rahman on the day of judgment. Right? Aqbil ya abdi. Come close to Me, My servants. Take shade under My throne. Come near behind the veil as we relegate those last shameful sins that you had.

**[25:11]** Before I hand you your book in your right hand and let you be on your way. Right? Because the best thing about Jannah is Allah being pleased with you. That's the best thing about Jannah. And so to hear Ibadur Rahman gave the Sahaba a lot of comfort.

**[25:28]** Wear Ibadur Rahman. Like that's something you wear not with pride in the negative sense. But with aspiration. I want to be one of those people. Ibadur Rahman. Allah just cited Ibadur Rahman. I want to be from them. And everyone can access being a part of this category.

**[25:44]** You don't have to be rich. Right? It's always like if you go to the fundraisers. You ever go to a fundraiser and they call a number. And then, 100,000. MashaAllah. Allah mubarak. And then you get to like the 500,000.

**[26:00]** One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Right? Ibadur Rahman is accessible to Abu Bakr and Bilal. Sayyiduna. A'taqa Sayyiduna. Our master who freed our master. Abu Bakr who freed Bilal. May Allah be pleased with them.

**[26:15]** It's accessible to everybody. From the believers. Ibadur Rahman. So Allah Azawajal puts that out there. Ibadur Rahman as far as the enemies are concerned. Right? You are aggressing upon a people that are demonstrating the highest level of character and integrity.

**[26:33]** And inside of you, you should feel a little bit nastier with yourself. When you brutalize someone who is responding to you with dignity. Every single time. If you have any decency left inside of you, every time you push one of these people, you punish one of these people, you taunt one of these people, you should feel a little dirtier inside.

**[26:52]** Why would you treat Ibadur Rahman that way? What did they do to you? Do you not see the way that they respond to you? Right? It's like a man who saw Ibrahim Adham. And he said, what is more pure?

**[27:10]** Your beard or this or that dog? Ibrahim Adham said, well, you know, if I'm a righteous person, then the beard. If I'm not a righteous person, then the dog. And the man was in shock. Like, wait, what? I just tried to insult you.

**[27:25]** And that's how you responded? This is the mannerisms of prophets. I'm a Muslim now. So you should feel like a little dirty every time you push one of these people and they respond with Rahman, with mercy.

**[27:41]** Something should be your humanity, your moral conscience. Right? Should be triggered. If you have any decency left inside of you. Right? Otherwise, you become like the Shayateen, like the Zionists. Right?

**[27:56]** Who cruelty makes them want to do more. You delight in cruelty. And that happens to people when they become like devils. They delight in the cruelty. But Allah is speaking to someone who might be a little decent amongst them.

**[28:11]** And look, when the boycott in Mecca happens. The Quraish had some different, they kind of had some differences in their ranks. Some of them like, come on, do we really have to go this far? You don't have to put them under starvation and siege.

**[28:26]** We made our point. Do we really have to keep on oppressing them? Do we really have to go fight them in Badr? Do we have to go kill them now? Right? And even the Prophet (ﷺ), when he saw them coming towards him in Badr. He looked at them and he could identify body language.

**[28:42]** And of course, revelation language. Right? And he mentions that some of them came out. Kurha. Like they were forced out to come fight us. They didn't really want to fight us. So, if there's any good in them, it's in that person over there.

**[29:01]** Like the Prophet (ﷺ) diagnoses. He understands they're not all the same. Not everyone's out there with the Abu Jahl spirit. Right? To come and fight and torture and abuse. So Allah Azawajal is also talking to the enemies. Ibadur Rahman. Why are you treating Ibadur Rahman that way?

**[29:17]** And then the third audience, and this is a huge audience, are the observers. If you walked into Mecca and you knew nothing about what's going on here. But you saw Bilal being dragged through the streets. And you saw Sumayya tied up and crucified.

**[29:33]** And you saw someone beating someone over the head with an idol and spitting in his face. And you saw the class inequality and the racism and the tribalism and this and this and this and that. Even if you had no theology, you would say, I'm pretty sure those people are on the truth.

**[29:50]** And these people are disgusting. So Allah Azawajal is also speaking to the consciousness or the conscience of the observers. Who do you want to be with? Ibadur Rahman? Or those who are aggressive towards Ibadur Rahman?

**[30:06]** Right? Like if you are watching Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam and his father. Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam as a classic, Abdur Rahman. Right? A slave of Al Rahman. When his father is aggressive towards him. Ya abati, inni akhaafu an yamasaka azabun min al Rahman.

**[30:24]** Fatakuna lish shaytani waliya. Ya abati la ta'amud al shaytan. Inna al shaytan kana lil Rahmani asiyya. Like my Lord, inna hu kana bi hafiyya. Ibrahim speaks so lovingly about his Lord. My Lord, Al Rahman, don't be like shaytan who disobeys Al Rahman.

**[30:42]** Look how good he is to us, dad. Look how he treats us. Don't find yourself being punished by Al Rahman. Ya abati, don't do it. Right? He's such a loving and beautiful Lord. Why? Why would you act this way towards him? And so the audience is also being called to ponder.

**[31:02]** And when the Prophet (ﷺ) was walking around Mecca and they were getting aggressive to him, they didn't realize they were doing da'wah to the onlookers. Just like how the Zionists did da'wah

**[31:17]** by bringing out the beauty of the people of Gaza through their ugliness. Because a normal human being looks at that and says, No. You can't brainwash a normal person into thinking this is okay.

**[31:32]** Right? So there's a third audience here. Look at Ibadur Rahman and look at the followers of shaytan. So these prominent characteristics. So basically it's a contrast of the cruelty of an idol worshipping society and how that society acts on its lowest desires

**[31:48]** versus Ibadur Rahman who act on their highest values, their highest ideals. And Allah Azawajal also mentioning Al Rahman. This was a name that was not common to the mushrikeen. Hal ta'lamu lahu samia.

**[32:04]** Allah Azawajal mentions this name in particular because this became the entry point into Islam. This became the entry point into Islam. The way that Allah describes himself first and foremost to a society of idols is Allah Al Rahman.

**[32:20]** He is Al Rahman. And so the brand of the Muslims was Ibadur Rahman. And there are certain names that belong to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala alone. One of them being Al Rahman. There are certain names that are only befitting to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala

**[32:37]** because when manifested in divine attribute, it's beautiful and manifested by human beings, it's ugly. Such as Al Mutakabbir. Subhanah. Right? There are names that only Allah can be, but you can reflect. One of them is Al Rahman. No one can be called Rahman.

**[32:54]** You can be called Rahim. You can be called Ra'oof. But you can't be called Rahman. You can only be Ibadur Rahman because this is the highest and most encompassing name of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. It shapes everything else.

**[33:10]** Allah Azawajal wrote it, prescribed it upon himself. He wrote it upon his throne. He wrote it upon his creation. He wrote it upon his Ibad. He wrote it upon his slaves, his servants. And it is meant for us to try to aspire to rise to that.

**[33:30]** Another thing about the word Rahman, the name of Allah Rahman, it's the broadest category of mercy. So it encompasses the undeserving as well. The undeserving benefit from Al Rahman, right? So Ibadur Rahman will treat people who don't deserve mercy with mercy.

**[33:47]** Not because they deserve it, right? But because you're reflecting Al Rahman. So when the jahidun are there, when people, you have Rahman. Even in punishment and vindication and consequence,

**[34:03]** you always maintain Rahman. Because this is what we get from Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, being Ibadur Rahman, reflectors of the all-encompassing mercy. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, Al Rahman Al Raheem. Right? The Lord of the world, Al Rahman. Wama arsalnaka illa rahmatan lil alameen.

**[34:22]** We sent you as a prophet, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We sent you as a mercy to all of the worlds. So it's most encompassing. And the Prophet (ﷺ) is Nabiur Rahman wa Nabiur Tawbah. He is the prophet of mercy.

**[34:37]** He's the prophet of Tawbah, the prophet of repentance. He's the ultimate Ibadur Rahman. The Prophet (ﷺ) is the ultimate Ibadur Rahman. Al Imam Ibn Al Qayyim Rahimahullah, he says that the more that you reflect,

**[34:54]** Al Rahman, Al Raheem, Al Raoof. The more beloved you become in the sight of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Right? Fadnabi alayhi salatu wasalam, Wama arsalnaka illa rahmatan lil alameen, bil mu'mineena raoofun raheem.

**[35:09]** He has all three of these qualities, (ﷺ). And so when a believer manifests higher levels of mercy, then they will be recipients of higher levels of mercy from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

**[35:25]** Ahabbul Asma'i lallahi ta'ala, the most beloved of names to Allah are what two names? Abdur Rahman and Abdullah. Why? Because they sound nice? Right? Or because they mean something deeper. If they're the most beloved names,

**[35:41]** that means they're the most beloved qualities for us to have as well. To be Abdur Rahman is of the greatest qualities that you can have. This also suggests, as the ulama mentioned, that being Ibadur Rahman means that the slaves connect

**[35:57]** to the rahma of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in a way that they are humbled by his mercy. One of the greatest ways to become a merciful person is to realize someone was more merciful to you.

**[36:13]** Right? Even in human interactions. Generosity is a quality of mercy. It's an attribute of mercy. I want to give back to society because someone gave to me. Someone cared for me when no one else. Someone lifted me up, so I want to lift someone else up.

**[36:29]** So being Ibadur Rahman means that you are so in tune with the fact that Allah Azawajal had mercy on you and has mercy on you. And you want him to have mercy on you in the hereafter. That you want to reflect that. So, won't you forgive?

**[36:45]** Because don't you want Allah to forgive you? Ar-Rahimoon yurhamuhumurrahman. Irhamu man fil ard yurhamukum man fil samaa. The merciful ones, the Most Merciful will have mercy on them. Show mercy to those on this earth and the one in the heavens will show mercy to you.

**[37:03]** And so there is this connection to his mercy. That I want his mercy so bad that I will show it to everyone in my life. I will reflect it to everyone in my life.

**[37:18]** Ibadur Rahman. Allahumma ja'alna minhum. Allahumma ameen. Alladhina yamshoona alal ardi hawna. Those who tread the earth lightly. Those who tread the earth lightly. They walk humble on the earth. The ulama of tafsir, they speak of this in such beautiful ways.

**[37:36]** Imam al-Tabari rahimahullah ta'ala. He said, yamshoona alal ardi hawna. He said, bilhilmi wassakeena walwqaar. ghayra mustakbirin wala mutajabbirin wala sa'eena feeha bilfasadi wa ma'asillah. It means that they walk with forbearance.

**[37:53]** So that's hilm, is patience with other people. They walk with waqar, with nobility. Right? But not the ugly type of nobility. The nobility of religion. Right? Not pretentiously, not boastfully, but with the honor of the deen, with religion. Sakeena, tranquil.

**[38:16]** Like you look at them and you know that they're in another world. There's something different about them. SubhanAllah, if you say that there is nur in their faces, there is light in their faces, seemaahum fee wujoohihim min athar assujood. There's light in their walk. Like they're transformed

**[38:33]** by ar-Rahman. Clearly transformed. Right? The opposite of being possessed. Right? They're overwhelmed by ar-Rahman. So they walk with a certain type of sakeena. Ghayra mustakbirin, not prideful. Wala mutajabbirin, not oppressive. And they're walking to, they're not walking

**[38:54]** towards corruption or the disobedience of Allah. I want to tell you like a very personal story in this regard. One of the most righteous people that I ever met in my life is a man by the name of Abd al-Raqib. He was a convert to Islam. And I remember growing up in the masjid, watching him.

**[39:17]** And subhanAllah, he was just the most, he had the most beautiful sakeena to him. Most beautiful tranquility to him. All right. I remember looking at him. It's like, who is this guy? All right. He walks into the masjid with the biggest smile on his face. He prays and it's like

**[39:35]** you could see his heart smiling when he's praying. When he makes wudu, he's happy. When he greets people, he's happy. It's like, what are you on? What is that? Even as a kid, I was wondering, who is this man? You know, and he was just like a very typical, otherwise, you know,

**[39:55]** African American, Louisianian, probably in his forties at the time, late forties at the time. But he had his turban, he had his beard, and even his beard seemed to have noor in it. It was unbelievable. SubhanAllah. And his job used to be to pass newspapers. He used to throw newspapers

**[40:14]** on people's front yards. Okay. Back when we had these printed things called newspapers. All right. I don't know if half the audience even knows what that is. Newspapers. They used to put the news in print on papers. People used to get them once a week

**[40:29]** sometimes and they'd read them. So his job, subhanAllah, was to throw out the Sunday Advocate. He would throw it out on the lawn. And wallahi, I remember being a kid sitting in my living room and I saw him from my living room walking and he was doing dhikr and it was like he was

**[40:48]** strolling. It's like he's in Jannah or something like that. He's passing out the newspapers and he's doing dhikr and I'm looking at him from my living room like, oh my God, that's Um Abdul Raqib. He looks happy still. He still looks happy. So subhanAllah, look at what Allah Azawajal did for

**[41:06]** this man. He used to say that his one dua was to die in the masjid. That was his dua. And there was a group of travelers that came into town and he said to them that they had a flat tire.

**[41:23]** So he said, I'll stay with you in the masjid. I'll stay with you in the masjid. And tomorrow we'll go get the flat tire fixed. A man walked into the masjid that night, walked straight to Abdul Raqib, pointed a gun at him,

**[41:41]** said, say your last prayers. He said, ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammad Rasulullah. Six shots. Shaheed in the masjid. Unbelievable story of wilayah. Unbelievable story of wilayah.

**[41:56]** Unbelievable story of ustuqillah yastuq. Be truthful to Allah with your dua and Allah Azawajal will be truthful to you in your dua. His wife, sister Aisha, who just passed away, Rahimahullah. Abdul Raqib passed away about 20 years ago. His wife, sister Aisha, just passed away this year.

**[42:13]** Rahmatullahi alayha. And when the newscaster interviewed her, she said, as much as I'm hurting, as much as I'm hurting and I'm in pain. They had 10 kids, by the way. I'm in pain. But he always wanted to die in the masjid. That's what he wanted. Right? So I know as much as I'm hurt,

**[42:33]** he wanted to die in the masjid. By the way, according to some of the community wilayat, he had the niyyah to fast too, which wouldn't be surprising at all. And subhanAllah, by the way, his martyrdom, I know because he's buried, my mother, Rahmatullahi alayha, is buried here. He's buried right here. I always visit his grave when I visit my mother.

**[42:52]** He was martyred on the same day as Al-Hajj, Malik al-Shabazz, Malcolm X rahimahullah ta'ala on February 21st. It's written on his gravestone. And I used to look at him and say, Ibadur Rahman. When I read Ibadur Rahman for the first time, I was like, that man's whole body language was surrounded by sakeena. Rahmatullahi alayh. May Allah have mercy on him. Walked like he was in a different world.

**[43:13]** You know, subhanAllah, who reminds me of him? And I'm being so serious. Like, if you took Khalid Nabhan rahimahullah, in Gaza, the soul of our soul, saw the smile, the sakeena, may Allah azawajal accept him as a shaheed. If you took him and you turned him into a 50-year-old African

**[43:31]** American in Louisiana, they literally look the same. I'm not even playing. Their faces even look the same. SubhanAllah, sakeena. They wore the turban the same way. Their beard was the exact same length. Sakeena. Ibadur Rahman. Who is this guy? You look at Khalid Nabhan rahimahullah, who are you?

**[43:49]** You'd swear the man's an angel on earth. Strutting on the earth like they don't belong here. It's the most beautiful manifestation of kun fi dunya ka anaka ghareeb aw aabilu sabeer. Be in this world as if you're a stranger or a wafer.

**[44:04]** You're such a stranger in this world, it's like you're floating on the earth. Yamshoona alal ardi hawna. Strolling. May Allah azawajal give us that type of connection to him. Allahumma ameen. So the first part of yamshoona alal ardi hawna represents the internal state.

**[44:21]** And when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that anzana alayhimu sakeena, that he sends down the sakeena upon them, the tranquility upon them, and he mentions yuthabbita bihi al-aqdaam, that he makes their feet firm. They're not mentioned. He stills the hearts, so the feet

**[44:39]** become firm. So when they stand in battle, the heart becomes sakeena, it's at ease. And so the feet settle, even in a battlefield. And so here when the heart is in sakeena, yamshoona alal ardi hawna. It's like they're bouncing around the earth. They never become too much of it.

**[44:57]** They never take it as a home for themselves. They're in such ease. Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) he comments, al-lazeena yamshoona alal ardi hawna, qala bil-taa'ati wal-afafi wa-tawadu. In obedience, meaning in acts of worship, so they walk towards good things,

**[45:15]** and bil-afaf, with modesty, wa-tawadu, with humility. But Imam Hassan al-Basri rahim Allah said, qal ayyulama wa hulama, with knowledge and with forbearance. Ilm and hilm. The two qualities that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, that every human being can access.

**[45:36]** Verily, knowledge is through seeking knowledge. You want to seek knowledge, you sit in a chair, you sit in front of a scholar, you learn, you learn, you learn, you learn, until you have knowledge. You want to practice forbearance and patience, you practice the daily annoyances with people. You practice, you practice, you practice, you practice, until you become a patient person.

**[45:54]** Ulama wa hulama, right? They embody these two things. So the ayah actually is divided in this regard into how they walk and what they're walking for. Do you understand? How they walk and what they are walking for or what they're walking to. So it's how and what. Allow me to

**[46:14]** explain. Zayd ibn Aslam, rahimahullah ta'ala, he says, iltamastu tafsirahadhi al-ayah alladheeni yamshoona alal-ardi hawna. He said that I was pondering so much, what does this ayah mean?

**[46:29]** That they walk on the earth lightly. So he says, falam ajidhaa anda ahad. Like I wasn't satisfied with the answers I was getting from people. I didn't find like what I was looking for, because I felt like the definitions they were giving was too narrow.

**[46:47]** So someone came to me in a dream. Those, they are the people who don't seek corruption or elevation, tyranny on earth.

**[47:08]** So it's more about what you walk for. Like what's making you walk? What are you walking towards? It's about the goals that you have in life. What you are going to, traversing to. Not just the way that you are walking, but the goal of what you are going to should be in accordance with how

**[47:28]** you are walking to that goal. Just like how the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned, when you go to the masjid, how should you walk? Calm, catch what you can of the rakat. Don't run, don't push anybody out the way. Don't run in anybody's car. Don't beep at people too much. Don't throw your shoes

**[47:44]** anywhere. Come with hudoo, with sakeena, tranquility, ease. Because you are walking towards something so noble. Come to it with nobility. If you are late, that's your fault. Don't run. Come to it with nobility. You are coming to a noble thing. Walk with nobility and dignity.

**[48:01]** Allah put light on my right, light on my left, light in front of me, light behind me, light on my tongue, light in my heart. Make me a light, make me a light. Walk that way. You are going to something so noble in the salah. So it combines how you walk and what you walk to. The goal

**[48:21]** with your presence, reality. Now why start with the walk? Why start with the walk? What's the word that you typically know for humility in Islam? Someone wants to be humble

**[48:38]** in salah. What do we call that? Khushu. Is khushu an internal reality or an external reality? It's primarily an internally, internal reality that informs the external reality. Right? Like Ibn Al-Qayyim mentions, if the heart is still, it's like a commander and your limbs

**[48:58]** are like the soldiers. So if the heart is still, then you'll pray with some sakeena. If your heart is not still, looking around, moving around. Because your heart is not still, so your body's not going to be still. So it's internal, but it informs the external. Correct? Okay. Stay with me

**[49:18]** because this is very important. Khushu is the internal, primarily an internal reality. Khudur is the external reality. Khushu and khudur. The external reality, external humility and internal humility. Like when Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says,

**[49:34]** وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيَّةً When the verses of Ar-Rahman are revealed to them, they fall in sujud, khudur, and they cry, khushu.

**[49:50]** Okay? So that's the internal reality. The next verse, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةِ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ Okay? After them came a people, they lost the prayer, meaning they lost their external reality.

**[50:06]** They started to delay their prayers. They didn't pray them with the right type of observing the external reality of the prayer. وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ And inside of themselves, they followed lowly desires. So sujud versus aza' as-salat.

**[50:23]** They fell into prostration, external reality. They lost the prayer, external reality. بُكِيَ, crying, and اتباع الشهوات. Low desires taking over you. Internal reality, internal reality. So Allah started with the external because you can't claim to have a

**[50:43]** good internal if your external is bad. Let me put it to you this way. You know, it's like the scholars say that you can't claim that I'm good on the inside if you have a bad tongue. If you're filthy with your tongue, you can't say I have a good heart. No, no, no. You don't have a good heart.

**[51:04]** You don't have a good heart. Don't say you have a good heart. But how can you say that, Shaykh? That's judgmental. Because what did the Prophet (ﷺ) say about that woman that was abusive with her tongue towards her neighbors? قَالَ لَا خَيْرَ فِيهَا She has no good inside of her. هِيَ فِي النَّارِ She's in the fire. Because the scholars mention your tongue is like a spoon,

**[51:24]** your heart is like the plate of food. If your tongue is nasty, your heart is nasty. Don't say my heart is good but my tongue is bad. Does not work that way in Islam. We're a coherent religion. So Allah starts with the observable signs because the observable signs indicate what

**[51:41]** the internal signs are unless there is something called nifaq, hypocrisy, which is you're pretending. Right? But again, we're in Mecca here. Nifaq has not even become a thing yet. Right? We're just talking about clearly the way people observe themselves and the way that they

**[51:59]** move. So Allah started with the external reality versus the internal reality. I know we're getting late inshallah so I'll start to wrap this up, bismillahirrahmanirrahim. The walk in particular says a lot about who you are. وَقْصَدْ فِي مَشِّيكَ وَغْمُضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ

**[52:15]** Right? Luqman al-Hakim speaking to his son, be balanced with the way that you walk. Walk with moderation and lower your voice. Right? Which Imam Hassan al-Basri says that what's really being spoken to here is not just the walk. The walk is the most obvious thing. Right? But it's

**[52:36]** the way that your body language. Allah is talking about your body language. Your body language should suggest that you are عَبْدٌ لِلرَّحْمَنِ You're a slave of الرَّحْمَنِ To the extent that the Prophet (ﷺ), he said (ﷺ) that the angel came to me and told me,

**[52:54]** would you like to be نَبِيًّا مَلِكًا or نَبِيًّا عَبْدًا? Would you like to be a prophet who's a slave or a prophet who's a king? Like Suleiman (ﷺ). قَالَ بَلْ نَبِيًّا عَبْدًا Jibreel (ﷺ) told him, choose أَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ هَا كَذَا. Told him, choose the lower one. So he said,

**[53:10]** no, I'll be نَبِيًّا عَبْدًا. I'll be a slave-like prophet. So Aisha (رضي الله عنها) says when he used to eat his food (ﷺ), he would sit up like a slave. He wouldn't recline and eat his food like a king. SubhanAllah, like that's the amount of humility in his body language (ﷺ). Allah is not addressing

**[53:31]** just the external. He's addressing the body language that's behind it. How do you walk? Do you walk looking down at your nose at people? Do you strut when you walk? Do you walk like someone who owns the place? Or do you walk like a slave? عَبْدًا لِلرَّحْمَنِ Truly think

**[53:51]** about it. I want you to be conscious of that. Allah is going to start with the most obvious thing, the pace that you walk, the way that you walk, what your walk must be giving to other people in terms of body language. And the Prophet (ﷺ) said, بَيْنَنَا رَجُلٌ يَجُرُّ إِزَارَهُ مِنَ الْخُيَلَاءِ خُسِفَ بِهِ

**[54:10]** The Prophet (ﷺ) says that there was a man who was walking and he was dragging his garment with pride and Allah Azzawajal swallowed him by the earth and he said (ﷺ) that he would remain swallowed deeper and deeper into the earth until the day of Qiyamah when the earth spits him out.

**[54:25]** Now it's the attitude. Abu Bakr heard this and Abu Bakr had a bent hip. So his garment, his lower, his izar used to sometimes drag and he was worried. So he said it to the Prophet (ﷺ)

**[54:44]** and the Prophet (ﷺ) said, إِنَّكَ لَسْتَ تَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ خُيَلَاءً You're not doing that out of pride. That's different. You're not dragging, you're not walking like the person who's walking with pride. There is something about the way that you drag your thobe, the way that you walk, the way that you talk and the attitude that that has

**[55:02]** to, that that conveys to other people. How would the Prophet (ﷺ) walk? Did he walk fast? I know you all, I know you want to go home. I'm going to finish now. You're like, let me show you how he walked and just walk out. All right. How did the Prophet (ﷺ) used to walk?

**[55:21]** As if he was walking down a slope. I love this description of the Prophet (ﷺ) by the way. I love this description. Such a beautiful description from the Shama'il. He was always walking like he was walking downhill. What does that tell you about his behavior? I've got to

**[55:40]** get somewhere. Not that I'm too busy for you, but he walked like a man on a mission (ﷺ). He walked like he had important things to do. Not strutting with arrogance. Also not trampling over people. Where did he walk? The Prophet (ﷺ), like on the day of Eid, for example, he would go home

**[55:58]** a different route than the one that he went home. Why? The most compelling interpretation, liyusallim ala ahl al-tariqeen. So he could say salam to the people on both streets. All right. So he walked to the masjid one way, he walked another way, so he could meet people and say salam to them and greet them (ﷺ). So it's not like he did, like if he said salam to him,

**[56:17]** he spoke to you (ﷺ). But he was always walking fast. Not with arrogance, but with a pace of a person who has something important to do. Like a slave. If you think about the image, a slave has stuff to do.

**[56:32]** Right? But he's not a slave to a human who claims to be a master. He's a slave to Allah like I've got stuff to do here. Not that I don't have time for you, but I've got acts to carry out here. Right? So the Prophet (ﷺ), he walked that way and that's how the

**[56:49]** sahaba understood they should walk as well. So Aisha (رضي الله عنها), she saw the opposite of that. She saw these men walking one night and they were walking so slow. She said, what's up with them? Said, you know Aisha, these are people of,

**[57:05]** Ya Umm al-Mu'mineen, there's people mashallah, qiyam, tahajjud, they pray all night. So, you know, imagine someone comes up to you, why do you have back problems? You know, qiyam all night, the last third of the night, my knees, my back, mashallah, you know?

**[57:20]** And you know what she said? She said, rahimallahu umar. May Allah have mercy on Umar (رضي الله عنه). She said, he was one of the most senior of the people who would read at night. Umar (رضي الله عنه), his whole night was in prayer,

**[57:36]** between night patrols and taking care of the ummah and prayer. But she said, When he walked, he walked fast. He wasn't walking slow, I'm tired. All this qiyam and carrying stuff on my back to serve people.

**[57:54]** And she said, When he spoke, he spoke with a loud voice, not in a way that was arrogant, but Umar (رضي الله عنه) didn't say, you know, I lost my voice reading Quran last night. Right? And she said, And when he hit something, he hit it hard.

**[58:10]** There was no weakness in his hit, right? Like he still embodied strength, not arrogance, strength. And so the same thing can happen. There's a walk of riya too, which is a religious type of walk too. That's not what the Prophet (ﷺ) is talking about. It's like how the Prophet (ﷺ) warned

**[58:28]** or when the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned dragging the thawb. And Ibn al-Qayyim rahimullah talks about taqseer thawb as a form of riya. When someone can shorten their thawb and that can become a form of riya too. Right? To where they can use that, but with a bad intention as well.

**[58:44]** Defeats the purpose. Okay? So you walk with grace, you walk like a humble person, your body language should represent that humility. Umar ibn Abdulaziz rahimullah ta'ala. It's very interesting, SubhanAllah, because he's a person that grew up royal.

**[59:00]** He grew up amongst the elites. Umar grew up super rich, Umar ibn Abdulaziz. Right? Then he became the Khalifa and he renounced this world. Okay? So he was always a righteous person, his whole life. He was a worshiper, he was generous,

**[59:15]** but he was very, very, very wealthy. And he had the characteristics of the wealthy, like the clothes that he wore were only of the finest clothes. The perfume was only the finest perfume. And when he became the Khalifa, he did not find that befitting to himself anymore. He didn't find that to be the right approach for him.

**[59:31]** And SubhanAllah, one of the beautiful things about Umar ibn Abdulaziz, he let his mashayikh do tarbiyah of him, even as the Khalifa. So when he became the Khalifa, he went to the house of Tawus al-Qaysan, rahimullah ta'ala, one of the great scholars of the tabi'een.

**[59:47]** And he knocked on the door. Tawus didn't answer. So Umar sat outside. And then after an hour, Tawus opened the door. He said, why didn't you open the door an hour ago? He said, I didn't want you to think that just because you're the Khalifa, you have access now. You can just come knock on the door and I let you in. Still gotta know your place.

**[1:00:03]** And Umar accepted it. So in Hajj, Tawus saw him still walking, because apparently they taught, he said that I was taught as a young man to walk in a certain way. And he mentions that amongst Bani Umayyah, the elites of Bani Umayyah, we had a walk. And I was taught that you should walk this way

**[1:00:19]** and you should dress this way. And Tawus saw him walking and he called him out on Hajj. He said, is this the walk of a person who carries in his stomach filth?

**[1:00:34]** Calm down, humble yourself. And Umar bin Abdulaziz, he apologized. He said, I was taught to walk away and I'm trying to get it out of my system. SubhanAllah, like when I was young, that's how they taught us how to walk. And sometimes subconsciously, that's how he would walk.

**[1:00:49]** Now Allah Azawajal mentions, yamshoona alal ardi hawna. They walk on the earth itself. What's the benefit of walking on the earth this way? The scholars mentioned number one, minha khalaqnaakum wafiha nu'idukum.

**[1:01:06]** You were created from the earth and you will return to the earth. So it's in relation to your own essence, for you to be reminded where you come from. As the Salaf used to say, man yathkur anna bidayatahu mutfah wa anna nihayatahu turab

**[1:01:21]** falan yamshee bitakaburan baynahuma. Whoever remembers that his beginning is a drop of fluid and his end is dirt, will not walk with arrogance between those two states. Allatheena yamshoona alal ardi hawna. Remember you're from the earth. So in your relationship to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala,

**[1:01:37]** humility, and then secondly, in your relationship to other people. Every single person is made of the same dirt. So don't you dare degrade another human being and think that you're better than them because when you go to the earth, you will deteriorate and be consumed by the earth

**[1:01:52]** just like that person. Adam min turab. All of us, kullukum min adam wa adam min turab. All of you are from Adam and Adam alayhi salam is from turab. So in conclusion in this regard, the first lesson that's being given here

**[1:02:08]** is a subtle presence. The ulema mention the following. Don't make people get up for you. Pay attention. This is all under allatheena yamshoona alal ardi hawna. Don't make people expect to get up for you. Don't make gatherings uncomfortable with your presence.

**[1:02:24]** People have to cater to you because you're in the room. Don't let others always serve you. You'll be the one serving others. Don't get yourself used to letting other people always bring you stuff. You get used to serving others. Mujahid rahimullah says that I went on a journey with Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما)

**[1:02:41]** so that I could serve him. And he ended up serving me more than I served him. Don't get used to being served all the time. And don't be an easily agitated person to where people are afraid of making you upset because your presence is heavy.

**[1:02:58]** You know like when people have to walk around eggshells with you because they're worried that they might say something, then everyone has to watch their mouths and watch themselves around you because you don't walk hawna. Your presence is very overbearing. Don't be a person who people are afraid to speak in front of. Don't harm with your presence.

**[1:03:14]** Don't be loud with your presence. Don't disturb people with your presence. Don't pollute physically the gatherings that you sit in. Also from Al-Khudur, the ulama mention, remember external humility. They say number one with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,

**[1:03:31]** sujood is your mark, putting your face on the ground and obeying the command of Allah azawajal fawran, immediately. Imam Malik rahimullah ta'ala, one time he walked in the masjid and it was at a time that Imam Malik rahimullah does not believe that you pray tahiyyat in masjid,

**[1:03:46]** that you pray two rak'ahs entering the masjid. There's a khalaf amongst the scholars in this regard. If you walk in during the times that it's prohibited to pray. Imam Malik rahimullah walked in and sat down and a young boy walked up to him and told him to, aren't you gonna pray?

**[1:04:02]** So he got up and he prayed two rak'ahs. The students were shocked. He said, I didn't want to be one of those people who Allah mentions in the Quran when they're told to pray, that they have istikbar, that they have pride. I was afraid to be of that category. So it's the response to Allah, external humility,

**[1:04:20]** the response to the messenger of Allah (ﷺ), immediate obedience, surah al-hujurat, right? la tarfa'u aswatakum fawqa sawti an-nabi, (ﷺ), don't raise your voices above the voice of the messenger of Allah, (ﷺ).

**[1:04:36]** sam'an wa ta'an, we hear and we obey when the Prophet (ﷺ) says, as if he is still amongst us, alayhi salatu wassalam. We mentioned his name with praise. I'm not seeing many of you move your lips, (ﷺ). You revere him as if he's in your presence. Humble yourself to the messenger of Allah, (ﷺ).

**[1:04:53]** And then there is humility to your parents. wakhfid lahuma janaha adh-dhulli mina ar-rahma to lower the wing of mercy to your parents. Physical humility. There's humility towards your family. kan fi khidmati ahlihi, (ﷺ).

**[1:05:09]** The Prophet (ﷺ) was in the service of his family. He was serving his family, alayhi salatu wassalam. So be in the service of your family. And then there is service to everything else. And Anas ibn Malik rahimahullah mentioned, even the admonishing of the Prophet (ﷺ)

**[1:05:26]** was hawna, was light, right? The way he admonished Anas (ﷺ) was so light, right? That you bring a calming presence wherever you go. So be proactive in asking yourself, do I bring a calming presence

**[1:05:41]** to every environment that I sit in? Do I give salam first? Do I smile at people first? Do I put them at ease? Do I assist them with heavy objects? Do I serve the people in my proximity and vicinity? All of this is included under yamshoona alal ardi hawna. Your presence is subtle, calming, and beautiful.

**[1:06:00]** I wanna give you two quick examples and then I'll end at 8.30 on the dot inshallah ta'ala. There are two exceptions to this. One of them is that people should not feel comfortable doing evil in your presence. You should actually make people uncomfortable

**[1:06:17]** when it comes to evil in your presence. What does that mean? Think of Umar bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه). You were nervous to sin in the presence of Umar. You were nervous. You wouldn't dare backbite in front of Umar (رضي الله عنه).

**[1:06:33]** You should be uncomfortable sinning in front of a person who is not from Ibadur-Rahman. And so this doesn't mean that they let in what is the opposite of makarim al-akhlaq into the gathering. That's the first thing. Number two, to make people shy from your goodness.

**[1:06:49]** This is so beautiful. When you were around Uthman (رضي الله عنه), even the angels were shy around Uthman because he does so much good. You know when someone makes you shy because of how much good they're doing towards you, that's not the most subtle presence,

**[1:07:06]** but it's a beautiful presence. Uthman (رضي الله عنه) with his generosity, Uthman with his kindness towards people. He made you shy because of how much karam, how much generosity and goodness he was showing to you. So those are good types of heavy presence

**[1:07:21]** that you should have. Umar bin al-Ma'ruf an-nahi anil-munkar in a gathering. The second thing I'll mention here in terms of the exceptions, does Allah ever like us to walk proudly?

**[1:07:37]** Yeah, but in a very specific capacity. You walk with your back straights and you show your enemy pride. How? When the Prophet (ﷺ) is about to start the battle, Abu Dujan (رضي الله عنه)

**[1:07:52]** wraps his red bandana and he walks into the battlefield and he starts shredding, starts spinning his sword around, taunting the enemy. And the Prophet (ﷺ), of course the sahaba are loving this, right?

**[1:08:08]** They're cheering it on. And he says, inna hadhihi masyatan yabghiduha allahu azzawajal illa fi haathal maqam. This is a walk that Allah hates, except for in this situation. Allah loves it in this situation. He's not walking out of personal pride.

**[1:08:25]** He's sending a message to the enemies. It's like when the Prophet (ﷺ) taught the sahaba after Hudaybiyyah, when you walk back to the Kaaba, right? That you uncover your right shoulder and you walk fast, show them your pace, show them your strength.

**[1:08:41]** And we still maintain that as a sunnah, to remind and reflect those moments. Look at Ahlul Ghazza, Ahlul Izzah, when they walk back to their homes after their enemies tried to psychologically break them. And they say to the camera, to their enemies,

**[1:08:58]** you still didn't break us. It's not arrogance. It's a different type of pride. So that Izzah is a different type of Izzah, and that's not the type that is condemned here. The overall first quality though, dear brothers and sisters, man tawadha alillah, rafa'ahullah.

**[1:09:13]** As the Prophet (ﷺ) said, whoever lowers himself for Allah, Allah elevates him. May Allah azawajal make us from, ibadur rahman, allathina yamshoona alal ardi hawna. Allahumma ameen. InshaAllah ta'ala we will continue next week. Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

## Other Episodes in "Servants of the Most Merciful"
- [Du’a for Marriage and Children | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 10](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/servants-of-the-most-merciful-episode-10-dua-for-marriage-and-children.md)
- [How To Really Revere the Qur’an | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 9](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/how-to-really-revere-the-quran-servants-of-the-most-merciful-episode-9.md)
- [Silence In The Face of Sin | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 8](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/servants-of-the-most-merciful-ep-8-silence-in-the-face-of-sin.md)
- [How To Wipe Out Your Sins | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 7](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/how-to-wipe-out-your-sins-servants-of-the-most-merciful-episode-7.md)
- [Understanding Major Sins in Islam | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 6](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/understanding-major-sins-in-islam-servants-of-the-most-merciful-ep-6.md)
- [What Your Spending Habits Say About You | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 5](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/what-your-spending-habits-say-about-you-servants-ep-5.md)
- [How Believers Protect Themselves from Pride | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 4](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/how-believers-protect-themselves-from-pride-servants-of-the-most-merciful-ep-4.md)
- [Those Who Bow When the World Sleeps | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 3](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/those-who-bow-when-the-world-sleeps-servants-of-the-most-merciful-ep-3.md)
- [Training Your Temper and Responding to Insults | Servants of the Most Merciful Ep. 2](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/servants-of-the-most-merciful/training-your-temper-and-responding-to-insults-servants-of-the-most-merciful-ep-2.md)