Juz’ 9 Qur’an 30 for 30
The many lessons in juz 9 of the Holy Qur’an, one crucial one is that we come to an
understanding about the nature of revelation: it is only through understanding and
accepting revelation that we find purpose, understanding, and the essence of life itself.
Belief, like fasting, protects and shelters us from the trials of life. Dr. Jihad Saafir joins Sh.
Abdullah Oduro and Dr. Omar Suleiman to reflect on these themes found in Surahs Al-Araf
and Al-Anfal..
Welcome back to Qur’an 30 for 30. Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salam wa rasulullah wa ala
alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala. I am here. I’m in an undisclosed location. Working on some
ping pong reps. I’m at the office, Sheikh Abdullah. This is the step where I just say, you
know, inshaAllah. Ahla wa sahla. You’re welcome to join inshaAllah over here. But
alhamdulillah, we are blessed to have Dr. Jihad Safir. Once again, alhamdulillah, from the
West Coast, Islah, LA. Honestly, probably the most memorable episode from last year. I
won’t forget what Sheikh Jihad spoke about when he talked about Musa alayhi salam and
the idea of being on the run. And I know Sheikh Abdullah is inshaAllah going to pick up on
that in the night today. But I remember that was probably the most memorable episode of
last season, alhamdulillah. So, Sheikh Jihad, it’s great to have you again, man.
Alhamdulillah, you know, it’s great to be”back. You know, I’m definitely, I’m always excited
just watching the, you know, 30 for 30. So it’s definitely always a dream come true to be
with my brothers. And I miss you all. So, you know, I look forward to this moment. And it’s
here, alhamdulillah. We miss you too, Sheikh. For real. I’ve got a question for you, Sheikh.
You’ve been watching. I need you to just, you know, we’re fasting. You can be truthful. Am I
funny or not? You know, I saw one episode and you were breaking down, I guess, that Fresh
Prince song. So, you know, you got skills, man. We’re going to allow you to get away with
some things. But, you know, I enjoy watching that, you know, and I enjoy the laughter. You
know what I’m saying? It’s always good to laugh. You know, you’re funny. We get, you know,
you’re funny. That means that was the only one that was funny.
01:57
All the other ones, yeah. I don’t know, man. I thought there were a couple of other really
good ones. But alhamdulillah, Sheikh Jihad is fasting. Dr. Jihad said it. It’s certified now.
Alhamdulillah. I mean, Sheikh Abdullah doesn’t think I’m funny, Sheikh. People think
Sheikh Abdullah is like just taking it. But the types of texts that he sends me after the show.
You know, the text that had the little icon. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thumbs down. And then
before we got started today, Sheikh Abdullah, you asked. I mean, this was really interesting
before we hit go. You asked for your daughter, for Ottawa to come in and take the birds, the
cats. The birds and the cat. Yeah, we have almost a zoo up in here, man. So yes, yes. Take
them in the room unless you want a good, nice little ambiance. If I’m talking about, I don’t
know, gender or something, you know, you just hear the. But, you know, you just there’s
birds singing and then the cat meowing and jumps up here sometimes and wants to type
and get known or something. I don’t know. So just you know, the barrier, though, right?
You’re not a Habib level yet, are you? Say it again. You’re not a Habib level wrestling with a
bear or anything yet, are you? No, sir. No, no, no. With a tiger. No, not yet. You just fight birds
and cats. Fight birds and cats with my feet. My daughter doesn’t like jokes again. So, all
right, so, Jihad, before we we start, honestly, I wanted to use this as an opportunity
because, mashallah, Islah, what you guys do, what you do in particular.
And what your father, Sheikh Sadiq, one of the pioneers, mashallah, has done for decades
to build that community is absolutely phenomenal. I think it’s a model for the rest of us to
work a lot. So, you know, Sheikh Abdullah and I were just talking about how much we
appreciate you and the work that you do over there. We love you for the sake of Allah,
subhanahu wa ta’ala, and we appreciate it. And we want people to actually check that work
out. So here’s you’re here’s your 30 seconds to talk about Islah Al-Alay, Sheikh, before we
get started. OK, so you will never forget these two organizations, Islah Al-Alay and Islah
Academy. So Islah Al-Alay, I mean, imagine like we’re serving the community. You know,
faith has to travel beyond the walls of the masjid food pantry, feeding over 150 families per
week. We have transitional housing and we also we also offer for our families and the
people in the neighborhood mental health services for our school. We have a full time
Muslim school like none other. So imagine the young children learning how to recite Koran
and then learning about their history. So it’s contextualized learning on how, you know,
really that fits the inner city. So if you know about Crenshaw and Slauson, we’re going to
have to have a conversation later. But Crenshaw and Slauson is where we are at. And if
you’re ever around in South L.A., we’re on Slauson and we’re putting it down for the
Muslims. So Alhamdulillah, we appreciate your support. MashaAllah, that’s the best
elevator pitch I’ve ever heard, MashaAllah. Sheikh Jihad, may Allah bless you. And you’re
also, of course, a Alhamdulillah, we’re blessed to have you. And you’re working on
research right now on adolescent identity development. Alhamdulillah, we are we’re talking
about confident Muslims and inspiring contribution through conviction. MashaAllah, you
guys have have done that. Alhamdulillah, you’re a model community.
Alhamdulillah, we’re blessed to have you. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. We’ll get started
inshaAllah. Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salatu wa salam wa rasool Allah wa ala alihi wa
sahbihi wa man wala. So Sheikh Ismail, Kamdor is not here, but I’m going to have to poke at
him a bit. Sheikh Ismail actually jumped into the ninth juz. And that’s by the way, Sheikh
Ismail, if you’re watching this, it was Sheikh Abdullah who texted and said Sheikh Ismail is
in the ninth juz. He’s not in the eighth juz. So Sheikh Ismail went a juz ahead, so he got us
started. Alhamdulillah, Rabbul Ameen. But I’ll go back to Surat Al-A’raf and then we’ll jump
into Al-Anfal inshaAllah ta’ala. So verse 188, we’ll start there inshaAllah ta’ala where Allah
Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says, Kulla amnikuni nafsi naf’an wala dharra illa ma sha’ Allah.
Walaw kuntu a’lamu alghayb lastaktartu minal khair. Wa ma masani yasoo’ in ana illa
nathirun wa basheerun li qawmin yu’minoon. Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says, say, and
he’s saying say to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, say I have no power to benefit or
protect myself except by the will of Allah. And if I knew the unseen, then I would have used
it to my benefit. I would have found ways to use it to my benefit and I would have never
been touched by harm. But rather I am one who warns and one who delivers the good news
for those who believe. Now the scholars say a few things here. Number one, Allah
Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says, a’limu alghaybi fala yulhiru ala ghaybihi ahada. Allah alone is
the knower of the unseen and he reveals to none his knowledge of the unseen. And of
course what that means is that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was only shown of
the unseen. What gave him a greater affirmation of course, in the Surah Al-Mi’raj on the
night journey, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was shown of the unseen what he
was teaching the people. Which gives the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam something
greater when he says, I saw this, I saw these prophets. I saw Al-Masih Dajjal, I saw the
Messiah.
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam could actually describe what he had seen of AlJannah Wal-Nar, Paradise in the fire and the scenes from the grave. However, even the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam does not know the unseen. And so when Allah
Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says, Alladheena yu’minuna bilghayb, an-aamila ar-rasoolu bima
unzeela ilayhi min rabbihi wal-mu’minoon, that the believers are the ones who believe in
the unseen. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam himself only knows of the unseen what
Allah has revealed. And this is an ayah that can be read wrong, which is why I wanted to
start with it. Because if you read it and you think, you know, lastaktartum min al-khayr, I
would have done more good. This is not talking about doing more good deeds. Because the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam already was doing as much as he could have good. He’s
the human perfection, right? When it comes to reaching your potential in terms of doing
good. What this is talking about, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is saying as Ibn
Abbas radiAllahu ta’ala anhuma says, or rather Allah is telling the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam to say, that don’t you think that if I knew the unseen, I would have, you know, had
knowledge of what to do here and what to do there in terms of the worldly things, right?
Wouldn’t someone who knows the future in particular, and this is the particular element of
the ghayb that is being highlighted here, the future. If I knew the future, you know, I’d always
sell what I would make profit from and no harm here. The su’ut here that the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is talking about are things of this world. Why? Because the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was showing to us already that you should maximize
your effort for the hereafter and your future in the hereafter, even though you can’t see it
because it is inevitable. And that’s why the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says, I am
only a warner and one who delivers good news for those who believe. Now, the benefit of
this to start this off is to say that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is saying, that’s not
my priority. And I’m only giving you what Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la tells me to give you
for a reason.
And I am just warning you and giving you glad tidings of the future and that which is to
come. But then look at Surah Al-Anfal verse 24, one of my favorite verses in the Quran, truly.
Ya’ayyu allatheena aamanu istajeebu lillahi walirrasool itha da’akum lima yuhyiikum O you
who believe, respond to Allah and His Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam when he calls
you to that which gives you life. As if to say, SubhanAllah, this is verse 24 of Al-Anfal, all the
spoils, all the material goods, everything that you want of this world, all the promises that
you are seeking through becoming believers, all of that doesn’t give you life. Why? Because
a person was dead. Fa-ahyaynahu wajAAala lahum nubha We gave him life through
revelation. And so you’re not really alive. It’s not just that you don’t have anything of this
world. You don’t even have life if you don’t have guidance. SubhanAllah, I mean that is the
implication of this ayah, lima yuhyiikum. This gives you life. It gives you life in the hereafter,
a life of good, eesatan wadhiya, a good life. And it gives you a good life here as well because
you have certainty and you have perspective and you’re pleased with what you have. And
you are directed in your pursuit towards that which is going to get you to paradise and that
which is going to give you the good of this life. So listen to Allah, respond to Allah and
respond to His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. The next part of
this ayah, wa’lamu anna allaha yahoolu bayna almar’I wa qalbihi wa anna hu ilayhi
tuhsharoon And know that Allah stands between a person and their heart and that to Allah
you will all be gathered. The scholars here mentioned Allah standing between a person and
their heart or Allah coming between a person and their heart means that Allah Subhanahu
wa ta’ala protects the believing heart that is seeking Him from going astray. And Allah seals
the disbelieving heart from that which will give it life and that which will give it goodness.
This is a very important part here and it’s really contextualized in the few verses that came
before. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, his most frequent du’a was Ya muqallibal
quloob thabbit qalbi ala deenik O turner of hearts, make my heart firm on your religion.
Make my heart firm on your religion. And what we understand as believers is that those who
seek guidance, Allah turns their heart towards guidance. And that those falamma azaaghu
azaagh allahu quloobahum Those that turn away, Allah turns their hearts away as well. And
so here Allah stands between a man and his heart. It’s bushra for the believer, it’s a glad
tiding for the believer. And it is a condemnation and admonishment of the disbeliever. Here
it’s a glad tiding for the believer in what? If you’re seeking Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la,
Allah will protect your heart. And if you’re seeking other than Allah, Allah will seal your
heart. But all of you will be gathered back to Allah. And of course this is contextualized
most so by the two ayahs before it. And then I’ll hand it off to Dr. Jihad inshaAllah Ta’ala.
Right before it, the two verses before this verse in the anfal. Inna sharra dawabi aind Allah
as-summu al-bukmu allatheena la ya’qiloon Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says, indeed,
sharra dawab, the worst of all existent beings, not even human beings, the worst of all
beings, things that walk, are those who willfully shut off their hearing and shut off their
perception and refuse to think. Right? SubhanAllah, they are the ones who shut off their
sight, shut off their hearing and they refuse to think, they refuse to comprehend. And that is
the worst type of existence to have when there is absolutely no purpose whatsoever. Not
just of human beings, of existence period. Because you have certain faculties and
opportunities as a human being that other beings don’t have. But you choose to shut off
your sight, you choose, you willfully turn away from Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la. And Allah
says, you know because someone might say that that seems unjust, Allah says,
Walaw a’alimallahu feehim khaira la asma’ahum walaw asma’ahum la tawallawahum
mu’aridoon If Allah knew any goodness in them, He would have certainly caused them to
hear anyway. But even if He made them hear, at the first opportunity they would have
turned away from Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la heedlessly. So Allah does not wrong you.
And then Allah says, ya’ayyu wa ladheena aamnu istajeebu lillahi wa lil-rasool Right? So
now it makes sense. If Allah was the one that sealed off their hearing in an unjust way, then
why would the next ISA respond to the call if they can’t hear it? No, don’t willfully turn away
from it. This is a gift for you. This is a blessing for you. And this is what gives you true life.
And inshaAllah ta’ala with that, Shaykh Jihad Bismillah, take us away. You’re on mute
Shaykh Jihad, sorry. A’udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim. Bismillahir rahmanir rahim.
Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen. Wasalatu wasalamu ala khairun mursalin Muhammadin wa
ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma’in. Amma ba’a rabbishrahli sadri wa yasalli amri wa ahlul
uqdatamil lisani yafqahu qawli. Alhamdulillah, such a beautiful reminder. And I think we
can jump right into the ayat that I want to discuss. And it really supports with what has been
said previously. Just going into this particular ayat in 175 in Surat al-A’raf, Allah Subhanahu
wa ta’ala beautifully says, Watlu alayhim naba’al ladee aataynahu aayatina. So Allah
Subhanahu wa ta’ala, He begins this particular ayat, He says, and recite to them the news
of Him who we gave knowledge, who we gave our signs.
And here, many of the commentators say that this is referring to an individual named
Bal’am bin Ba’ura. And this is during the time of Musa alayhi salam. And this individual, he
was a alim. Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala gave him gifts. He gave him the treasures. Some say
that he was from Banu Israel. Others said that he was from Yemen. You know, scholars
have said that he’s representing the Canaanites, Canaaniyin. And this was during this
particular time, he had been given the favor. He was well versed in the shari’ah of his time.
He knew the scripture of his time, memorized the books of his time, and he was a devout
scholar, giving immense favor, giving immense knowledge. And one perhaps gift that stands
out is that he knew Ism Allah al-‘Azam. He knew Allah’s greatest names and he had the
ability to invoke Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala by his greatest name. And his supplication was
responded to immediately. So this is what they would refer to, mustajabu da’wa. So he was
an individual whose his supplications were answered. And in the narrative of Ibn Mas’ud, so
Ibn Mas’ud mentions that Musa alayhi salam, he sent this individual Bal’am to the king of
Median to give him da’wa. But when he went to the king, the king offered him luxury. He
offered him land and offered him plenty of gifts. So the individual decided he made the
choice that he was going to turn away from the religion of Musa and follow his desires,
Follow his hawa’a, follow shaitan, essentially. So here, this is one narrative attribute to that.
And then you have the narrative of Ibn Abbas, who says, well, Bal’am, he was an individual
that Musa took a large army and went to his people. All right. The people, al-Kan’aniyin, the
Canaanites. He took, he went to that particular land and the people became fearful. And
they went to Bal’am and they asked him to make dua against Musa and his army. And he at
first refused. And eventually he made dua. And from there he was cursed. There’s another
narrative. We don’t we’re not offering the details. We don’t have enough time. But the other
narrative is that from Amr ibn al-‘As, he mentions that this is referring to an individual
named Umayyah ibn Abi Salti. And this was during the time of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam, who he was well versed in the scripture. He knew that there was a prophet that
they were awaiting that would be sent. And when Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam, arrived, he became jealous of him and he refused to follow his his prophethood.
Pretty much whoever it’s talking about, it’s there’s a common theme here. And the common
theme is that they were favored by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. They were given gifts by Allah
subhanahu wa ta’ala, but they decided to follow their base desires instead of following
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, instead of following the insight of the scripture of their
particular time.
Now, this can be any one of us. Like imagine the scholar, imagine the scholar who’s
destroyed by fornication. Imagine the person who has been given the favor of this dean
who’s been consistent in their worship, but they’re destroyed by illegal money. Right.
Imagine the person who would stands in the way from them and really actualizing their full
potential in the dean is the consumption of alcohol or drugs. Right. Is the person who
chooses their their lower desire, their base desire over the gifts that Allah subhanahu wa
ta’ala has presented them with. And it reminds us, even myself being an imam, that what
I’ve been given is a test. I’ve been given a test. That I shouldn’t be arrogant and look down
upon people. You have individuals such as Umayyah and Bel’am who they were on top.
They had, you know, at one point they had a lost favor. Then with a series of episodes, find
themselves now with the lost curse. They were at one time blessed. So none of us should
look down upon each other, knowing that at any moment that we can fall weak and Allah
subhanahu wa ta’ala can remove all the favors and the gifts. Beautifully in this particular
ayat, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentions about these individuals. They detached, right, he
detached himself from these gifts. He detached himself from the ayat. Right. And this this
verb, if we look at this verb, in salakha, it’s used to describe an animal when they shed their
skin. So, you know, for example, it says,
Right, the sheep sheds its coat. The sheep sheds its coat. This is a removal of clothing,
removal of skin. So Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, this deen clothes us, right, just as the
clothes of the animal or the coat, the fur of the animal protects the animal from cold and
heat. This deen protects us. These gifts protect us, offer us shelter. This is our armor, right?
Allah’s deen protects us. Our iman protects us, offers a shelter. And this is our armor. And
we look at, right, our fasting. Our fasting is a shield. This is our protection. So why would we
separate from what Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has given us in regards to this, this excellent
protection of this deen of what Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has given us? And in closing, I
want to mention as it mentions in this particular ayat, Fa atbaahu shaytaanu fa kaana mina
al-ghaween That Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, he mentions that so shaytaan pursued him
and he became of the deviators. Shaytaan pursued him. So notice that it mentions that first
he detached himself. He removed himself from the protection of Allah’s ayat, from Allah’s
signs. Then shaytaan found him weak and vulnerable, then went and attacked him. He
pursued him. So a lot of times we’re blaming shaytaan constantly. But the first step is
detaching from Allah’s protection, from Allah’s shelter, from Allah’s coat of armor that he
gives us. Taqwa is compared to clothing. Taqwa wiqayah is the shield.
We remove the shield, we let go of the armor, then it opens ourselves up for shaytaan to
pursue us. So may Allah protect us from becoming like the individuals, Bal’am bin Ba’ura
and also this individual named Umayyah. Ameen. JazakAllah khair, Dr. Jihad. Beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful. SubhanAllah. If I was to give a second khutbah to my khutbah about
the shields, I talked about taqwa as wiqayah and sawm wa junnah, fasting as a shield on
top of the armor. And I would have used that example, but that’s beautiful. You get weak
and shaytaan pursues you. He knows when to pursue you. So he’s going to pursue you
when you’re detached. And so the idea is that if you’re attached, then you have a fortress
that can’t be penetrated. Beautiful, beautiful words. JazakAllah khair, Dr. Jihad. Bismillah,
Shaykh Abdullah. Fadhal. Bismillah wa salatu wa salam ala Rasulullah wa ala alihi wa
sahbihi wa man wala amma ba’d. We ask Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala to yulbisana libas al
taqwa. May Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala bless us with the, may He clothe us and envelope us in
taqwa inshaAllah ta’ala. Because we as human beings, there will be things that emanate
from us, from sadness, from anger. And we may do things that may not be befitting for us in
our stature or the position that we may have. But we are human. And it’s important for us to
realize the reality of us as human beings. And that’s what I want to talk about inshaAllah, is
the reality of a human being, but Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala being the forgiving and the
merciful. And you’ll notice throughout the Quran, Allah mentions al-ghafur al-rahim. And
subhanAllah, some scholars mention al-ghafur lima sabq, and al-rahma, ya’ni, fima allahiq, or yalhaq, or what comes after. Or al-rahma, mercy, in the way that you deal with me
for my future actions or what I’m currently doing by asking for forgiveness.
Have mercy on me. So the ghufran is from what we did having redemption. So subhanAllah,
when looking at the story of Musa alayhi salam, we see that Musa alayhi salam is from the
ulu al-azm, from the five prophets of what they would say of determination. If you were to
go in the index, you would see that there are many different snippets of Musa’s life, and
Allah gets very descriptive on the life of Musa. As Shaykh Jihad even talked about last year
about Musa alayhi salam, if you look at last year’s 30 for 30 as well. But what I want to
capitalize on is when Musa came back from Jabal al-Tur, from Mount Sinai, when he was
with Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala for 40 days, and subhanAllah, he received the Torah, and
Allah gave him the assignment to tell the Torah to the people, and that he has become a
prophet this time. When Musa alayhi salam goes back to his people, Allah Subhanu wa
ta’ala in chapter of al-A’raf, verse number 150, subhanAllah, Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala
mentions after I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, ماَّ
َو َر َج َع مو َس ى ى لَ
لَ
ْو ِمِه َغ ضبَا َن ِ
إ قَ
ِسفًا
َ
َم مو ِن بِئْ ا أ قَا َل ًسا
ْم َخل ِمن بَ ْعِدي َ ْفت
ت
ْ
ْع ِجل
َ
ْمَر أ
َ
ْم أ
كِِّرب َMusa comes back to his people. Imagine, he told
his brother Harun, who was a prophet at that time, there were prophets, excuse me, he told
his brother Harun, who was older than him, to watch the people, Banu Israel. Now Banu
Israel were a group of people, they were very, let’s say it was a challenge to deal with them
because there were a number of things that were done. One of the things that were done is
when Musa saved them from the sea, and then they came, and then they saw that people
were worshipping other than Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala, and they said, ل ْاَنَ جعِ ْا
ًه ا ل ا َ
هْم َكَم آِل
ًه ل ا َ
آِل
And he said that very, very, you are people that are acting very ignorantly, ن َو
they So تَ ْج َهل
wanted to, SubhanAllah, as soon as they were saved and they saw the ayahs from Allah
Subhanu wa ta’ala, they resorted back to the actions of polytheism and the desires that
they had. Also taking their ornaments as a calf.
They took their gold that they have from the remnants of the people of Qutubiyyah that
were around Fir’aun, and when they were seized, they still had their belongings. They would
borrow from, as some scholars mentioned, they would take from their gold and borrow
from them for Tazin to beautify themselves. So when they were saved, they still had their
gold with them. And an individual named As-Samiri, he was an individual, may Allah
Subhanu wa ta’ala give him what he deserves, that he was an individual that told them, no,
this gold, it’s haram for you to have it. I am an expert. I will take this gold, and some
scholars say I will melt it, or I will ornament a calf. A calf is a small baby cow. And they did
so, and they started to worship it. And this calf had a khawar, Ijal al-jasad lahum khawar, as
Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala mentions. If you see this in the chapter of Taha as well, verses 83,
starting from verse 83, Allah gets a little descriptive on this as well when talking about how
the people of Banu Israel started to worship the calf in Musa’s absence. That’s the picture
painted. Harun is amongst them while they’re doing this, and he’s calling them against this,
trying to fulfill the mission and the assignment that his younger brother Musa told them. So
Musa comes back after 40 days and 40 nights with Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala. He comes
back, and he comes back angry. He comes back angry as Allah Subhanu wa ta’ala says,
walamma raja’a Musa ila qawmihi, when Musa came back to his people, ghadbana asifan.
And as some scholars say, he said he came back angry and saddened. Or angry and
furious. Because asifan can mean saddened, or it can mean furious. And scholars differ.
But the stronger opinion that Allah knows best is that he was a level above ghadab. He was
shiddat al-ghadab. He was very angry. Ya’ni, furious. Why? It comes after that. He says, bi’
samaa khalaftamuni min ba’di. He said, how foul and evil is what you have done in my
absence.
I trusted all of you to fulfill this tawhid in my absence, and I come back and this is what
happens. So it could even look at it from a psychological standpoint, whether he was angry
and saddened, or angry and furious. So he says, how could you have done this in my
absence? And scholars mention that he said ba’di to show that he was not responsible for
this. That it was something that took place after him. And Harun alayhi salam was not
responsible for it either, alayhi salam. But what happens after that is it’s a proof that Harun
was not responsible for this. When Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says after that, or Musa
says, a’ajiltum amra rabbikum? Were you so impatient of your Lord’s judgment? Because
Musa was going to come back with the judgment. He was going to come back with more of
the al-wah and the legislation from Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la. He said, a’ajiltum amra
rabbikum? Were you not hasty and impatient on your Lord’s judgment? So that’s the
dialogue, that’s what Musa says to his people upon his return. And some scholars say that
he was angry before he even got there, because Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says in the
chapter of Taha, as he was leaving, he said, inna qad fatanna qawmaku min ba’du wa
adallahum as-samiri He said that verily we have caused a trial for your people. Min ba’di wa
adallahum as-samiri But, excuse me, that we have caused a trial for your people, and assamiri has misguided them. He has misguided them. So he was already angry on his way
back, and then he sees this, imagine what takes place, what he says. After this, it shows
the action of Musa. Listen closely. Allah Subh’anaHu Wa Ta-A’la says, wa alqal al-waha wa
akhada bi raasi akhihi ya jurruhu ilayh SubhanAllah. Just visualizing this is amazing. He
says, he threw the tablets, alayhi salam, he threw the tablets down and seized his brother
by the hair, pulling him towards him. So Musa comes back, they’re worshipping a golden
calf, and he sees this, he talks to his people, he says what was just mentioned,
How could you do this, are you being hasty? Then imagine, he turns to his brother Harun.
He turns to his brother Harun, and he says that, you know, he throws the tablet, and he
turns to his brother Harun, and he grabs him by his head and his lihya and his beard.
There’s another portion of the Quran in the chapter of Taha as well, he tells him, la ta’khud
bi lihyati wa la bi raasi don’t take me by my beard and my head, and not by my head. There’s
a difference of opinion, was he taking him angrily? Some say it was a custom that they
would take someone by their head to ask for what is going on, or to talk to them about
something. In any case, many scholars mention that this was a sign of anger, that he was
angry with his brother. He was angry with Harun in this fashion, but he doesn’t blame him
for doing this. After that he says, qala minna umm inna alqawm istad’afuni wa kadoo
yakatuloonani fala tushmit bi al-a’daa wa la taj’alni ma’al qawm al-dhalimeen So now
Harun is speaking, Aaron alayhi salam, Aaron says, son of my mother, these people
overpowered me, they almost killed me. Do not give my enemies reason to rejoice, do not
include me from the evildoers. Listen to Harun’s answer, this is amazing. Firstly, Harun
says, son of my mother, and this is what they call isti’ataf. It is a statement that is trying to
soften Musa’s heart. Musa is very angry. So Harun is like, oh son of my mother. They are
from the same father and the same mother, but it is like Ibrahim alayhi salam saying what?
Ya abatee, when he’s calling him to tawhid. He tells him, you know, Harun is saying, oh son
of my mother, we’re related, son of my mother, think of your mother, think of our relation.
These people overpowered me. Istad’afuni min da’eef ja’alini da’eefan They overpowered
me. Wa kadoo yakatuloonani And they almost killed me. But listen to what he says here. For
us in Muslim communities, when we have differences amongst each other, SubhanAllah,
especially in front of those that don’t know about Islam, wa laa tushmit biya al-a’dah..
Do not give my enemies or our enemies a reason to rejoice. SubhanAllah. That’s what
Aaron, look at how he reminds Moses. We’re on the mission, let’s stay focused.
Hypothetically speaking, if there was a mistake from him, do not allow the enemies, don’t
give them an opportunity to say, look at the Muslims, look at them. I knew it. Look at the
Muslims, how they’re acting. I knew it. I knew it. We as a community should not give them
that opportunity. We have given adab and ways to handle our differences in the Sunnah,
and the Quran and the Sunnah. To give advice from behind a veil. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, laa
taghdab, three times. These are forms of advice for us to stay together. I’tisam bi hablillah,
holding firmly to the rope of Allah, and do not include me from the evil doers. Do not make
us look bad. So this is important here when we see this from Muthu alayhi salam. And I
want to conclude with a beautiful Latifa. SubhanAllah, it’s so beautiful. When reading the
next verse, Moses, you know, I don’t want to say it comes to his senses, but SubhanAllah,
he’s human. We don’t worship Moses alayhi salam. What does he say after that? Qala
rabbighfirli wa li akhi wa adkhilna fi rahmatika wa anta arham arrahimi Moses alayhi salam,
what does he say? He says, my Lord, forgive me, forgive me and my brother, accept us into
your mercy. You are the most merciful, who show mercy. Al maghfirah war rahma Where
else do we see that? With Adam alayhi salam. Qala rabbana dhalamna anfusana wa illam
taghfir lana wa tarhamna lanakunanna minal qawmin alqasileen lanakunanna minal
qasileen SubhanAllah. And also we see with the people that, SubhanAllah, the Banu Israel,
the verse before 150, verse number 149, when Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala says, walamma
suqata fee aydihim wara’u anahum qad dallu qalu la illam yarhamna rabbuna wa yaghfir
lana lanakunanna minal qasileen…
When with the much wringing of my hands, the people they say, they perceived that they
were doing wrong. This is Banu Israel. They said, if our Lord does not have mercy and
forgive us, we shall be of the losers. We shall be of the losers. Mercy and forgiveness. Or as
many times, ghafoorun raheem. Forgiveness and mercy. SubhanAllah. Musa said it. Adam
said it. The people from Banu Israel that regretted worshipping the calf said it. What is our
dua that we say? Ya rabbi inni dhalamtu nafsi dhulman kathiran wa la yaghfiru dhunuba illa
anti faghfir li maghfiratan min indika warhamni innaka anti ghafoorun raheem Oh my Lord,
you have wronged myself many times. We forget more sins than we commit. And there is no
one that forgives sins except you. For forgive me for verily, forgiveness from you, for verily
you are the all forgiving, the most merciful. So this beautiful story of Moses alayhis salaam,
it shows the human side of Moses that he is a prophet, but he is still a prophet because of
his sacrifice and what he has done for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. We should look at
ourselves and see what are we doing for Allah and when, not if, but when that shortcoming
happens, do we immediately, as was mentioned, seek tawbah from Allah subhanahu wa
ta’ala, taking the advice from the people we love and we know that want good for us and
knowing ultimately that Allah is the all forgiving, the most merciful. Inshallah. Ahsan alSheikh Abdullah. Barakallah fi-llahi. Ahsan allahu alayk. I would tell you to drop the mic,
but like I’m worried that it’ll break. We need it for tomorrow, inshallah. But that was
beautiful, man. Tabarakallah. That was beautiful. I never thought of that. Subhanallah. And
truly, the idea that, I mean, honestly, what was playing in my mind was just a bunch of
examples of real life, which is the point that the Quran, this is a story about two prophets
from Bani Isla’il,
But like 10 incidents just flashed in front of my eyes. Let’s not be the joy of our enemies, nor
treat each other like enemies. Subhanallah. Sheikh Jihad, do you have something you want
to share, just sort of a going home advice? I know you probably had a lot of incidents,
mashallah, reflecting on as well while Sheikh Abdullah was talking. Is there anything you
want to sort of send us away with, inshallah? No, I always think about this figure, Assam
Edee. We have to, as imams, you always have your antagonizer in the congregation, but
none of us have an Assam Edee to come in. So imagine that. I mean, we have to just be
grateful. I mean, you always have somebody that’s going to sharpen you, but none of us
have an Assam Edee, a figure such as that. May Allah protect us from the Assam Edee.
That’s some reflection, Sheikh. That is some reflection. At least you’re not Assam Edee. I’ll
be like, what did you just call me? A samurai. At least you’re not a samurai. Yeah, you know,
it’s always, you know, my father, alhamdulillah, may Allah have mercy on him. You have
people who came up under his leadership, and they want me to bring back some of the
things that my father, you know, which he did was appropriate for that time. But Assam
Edee, he want them to bring back some of their old acts of worship that was inappropriate
for all times. So I’m grateful. At least he’s not an Assam Edee, right? That’s going to be my
new motto. You know, you could have been worse, you know. That’s beautiful. Sheikh, when
are you going to come visit us in Dallas? Oh, I need to get there soon. I was going to come
see you in LA at Islah.
We need Islah in every city. No, no, we have to definitely, maybe we do a, not an exchange,
because I want to be there. And when you’re in LA, I want to be here at the same time. And
then when I’m in Dallas, I need you to be there too, you know. So whenever you’re in LA,
utmost hospitality, we go into the, you know, best restaurants, man, you know, you’re going
to get the luxury red carpet treatment. And, you know, both of you, my brothers, I mean,
whenever you come to, you know, in LA, in this part of town, you know, Sheikh Abdullah,
you get the best treatment. And we’re here, man. I enjoy this platform. And you all keep,
continue doing this beautiful work, most definitely. Allah’u’ma a’laikum, Sheikh. Allah bless
you. We’re going to need you to come on more often, inshallah, Sheikh, outside of this
Ramadan Quran 30 for 30. We’re going to need you more frequently, inshallah. But we
appreciate you. We admire the work that you’re doing. We make du’a for you. Please,
everyone, inshallah, make du’a for the work that they’re doing out there and support it,
inshallah. And we can’t wait to see you back, inshallah, Sheikh Jihad. JazakAllah khair for
being with us today, Sheikh Abdullah. JazakAllah khair. You brought the A++ game today,
mashallah. That was a beautiful reflection, Sheikh, beautiful reflection. May Allah preserve
you and protect you. Everyone, inshallah. We’ll see you all tomorrow with the night a’la.
TarikAllahu feekum. Wa’alaikum salam..
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