Surah Kahf Recitation & Jumu'ah Khutbah |Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed | 10/24

Surah Al-Kahf Recitation

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Who sent down the Book to His servant, and did not make it crooked — upright — to warn of a severe punishment from Him, and to give good news to the believers who do righteous deeds, that they will have a good reward, abiding therein forever, and to warn those who say, Allah has taken a son. They have no knowledge of it, nor do their fathers. The greatest word that comes out of their mouths is that they say nothing but a lie. So perhaps you will have yourself punished for their actions, if they do not believe in this speech, alas.

Verily, We have made that which is on the earth an adornment for it, that We may test them as to which of them is best in deed. Or do you think that the dwellers of the Cave and the Inscription were among Our wondrous signs? When the young men took refuge in the Cave, they said, "Our Lord, grant us mercy from Thyself, and make easy for us the right course of our affair."

So We struck upon their ears in the Cave for a number of years. Then We raised them up, that We might know which of the two parties was better at calculating what they had spent therein. We relate to you their news in truth. Verily, they were young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance. And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will not call upon any god other than Him. Indeed, if we did, we would have said an outrage."

These are a people who have taken gods other than Him. If only they had clear authority over them — then who is more unjust than he who invents a lie against Allah? And when you withdraw from them and that which they worship other than Allah, take refuge in the Cave. Your Lord will spread forth for you His mercy, and will make easy for you your affair.

And you would see the sun, when it rose, inclining away from their cave to the right, and when it set, passing away from them to the left, while they were in an open space thereof. That was from the signs of Allah. And thus did We raise them up, that they might question one another. One of them said, "How long have you stayed?" They said, "We stayed a day or a part of a day." They said, "Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed. So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city, and let him see which of it is purer in food, and let him bring you provision from it, and let him be kind, and let him not make anyone aware of you. Verily, if they come out against you, they will stone you, or make you return to their religion, and you will never prosper."

And thus did We raise them up that they might know that the promise of Allah is true, and that there is no doubt about the Hour. When they disputed among themselves over their affair and said, "Build for them a structure — their Lord knows best about them." Those who were victorious over their affair said, "We shall surely build over them a mosque." They will say, "Three, the fourth of them being their dog." And they will say, "Five, the sixth of them being their dog" — guessing at the unseen. And they will say, "Seven, and the eighth of them is their dog." Say, "My Lord knows best their number. None knows them except a few." So do not argue about them except with a clear argument, and do not inquire about them from any of them.

And say not of anything, "Verily, I will do that tomorrow," unless Allah wills. And remember your Lord when you forget, and say, "It may be that my Lord will guide me to that which is nearer than this in right conduct." And they stayed in their cave three hundred years, and increased by nine.

Say, "Allah knows best how long they stayed. To Him belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth. How Seeing is He and how Hearing!" They have no protector besides Him, and He shares His judgment with no one.

And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is none who can change His words, and you will not find any refuge besides Him. And be patient with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and in the evening, desiring His Countenance. And do not turn your eyes away from them, desiring the adornment of the life of this world. And do not obey him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, and who follows his desire, and whose affair has been in excess of all bounds.

And say, "The truth is from your Lord. So whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve." Verily, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose walls will surround them. And if they seek to escape, they will be overwhelmed by scalding water, and if they seek relief, they will be burned in the faces. Evil is the drink, and evil is the resting place.

Verily, those who believe and do righteous deeds — We do not waste the reward of one who does a good deed. Those will have Gardens of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk, reclining therein on raised thrones. Excellent is the reward, and good is the resting place.

And present to them the example of two men. We gave one of them two gardens of grapes, surrounded them with palm trees, and placed crops between them. Both gardens brought forth their fruit without any diminishment, and We caused a river to flow through them. And he had fruit, and he said to his companion while conversing with him, "I have more wealth than you, and I am more powerful in respect of men."

And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will ever perish. And I do not think that the Hour will ever come. And if I should be returned to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return." His companion said to him while conversing, "Have you disbelieved in Him Who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then fashioned you into a man? But He is Allah, my Lord, and I associate no one with my Lord. And why, when you entered your garden, did you not say, 'As Allah wills — there is no power except with Allah?' If you see me as less than you in wealth and children — it may be that my Lord will give me something better than your garden, and will send upon it a calamity from the sky, so it will become a bare, dusty ground, or its water will sink into the earth, so you will never be able to seek it."

And his fruits were encompassed with ruin, and he began to turn his hands over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises. And he said, "I wish I had not associated anyone with my Lord." And he had no party to help him other than Allah, and he could not defend himself. There, authority is entirely with Allah, the True. He is the best reward, and the best outcome.

And present to them the example of the life of this world: it is like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, then it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is Powerful over all things.

Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the enduring good deeds are better with your Lord as reward and better as a hope.

And on the Day when We will remove the mountains, and you will see the earth exposed, and We will gather them and not leave any one of them behind. And they will be presented before your Lord in rows. "You have certainly come to Us as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointed meeting."

And the record of deeds will be placed, and you will see the criminals fearful of that which is in it, and they will say, "O woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present before them. And your Lord does not wrong anyone.

And when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," they prostrated except Iblis. He was of the jinn, and he disobeyed the commandment of his Lord. Will you then take him and his progeny as allies instead of Me, while they are to you an enemy? Evil indeed is the exchange for the wrongdoers.

I did not make them witness the creation of the heavens and the earth, nor the creation of themselves. And I would not take the misguiders as assistants. And on the Day when He will say, "Call My partners whom you claimed," and they will call upon them, but they will not respond to them. And We will place between them a barrier of destruction. And the criminals will see the Fire and will be certain that they are to fall therein. And they will not find from it any way of escape.

And indeed We have explained in this Qur'an to the people every kind of example. But man is most of all given to argument. And what prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them and from seeking forgiveness of their Lord except that the custom of the former peoples should befall them or that the punishment should come before them? And We do not send the messengers except as bearers of good tidings and as warners.

And those who disbelieve dispute with falsehood, that they may deny the truth thereby, and they take My verses and that which they are warned of in ridicule. And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth? Indeed, We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears is deafness. And if you invite them to guidance — they will never be guided, then — ever.

And your Lord is the Forgiving, Full of Mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape. And those cities — We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.

And when Musa said to his young companion, "I will not cease until I reach the junction of the two seas, or I will continue for a long period." But when they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its way into the sea, slipping away. So when they had passed beyond, he said to his young companion, "Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, great fatigue." He said, "Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot the fish. And none made me forget it except Shaytan — that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly." He said, "That is what we were seeking." So they returned, following their footprints.

And they found a servant from among Our servants to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a certain knowledge. Musa said to him, "May I follow you on the condition that you teach me from what you have been taught of right conduct?" He said, "Indeed, with me you will never be able to have patience. And how can you have patience for what you do not encompass in knowledge?" He said, "You will find me, if Allah wills, patient, and I will not disobey you in any order." He said, "Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I make to you mention of it."

So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, he made a hole in it. He said, "Have you made a hole in it to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing." He said, "Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience?" He said, "Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not cover me in my matter with difficulty." So they set out, until when they met a boy, he killed him. He said, "Have you killed a pure soul in other than retaliation for a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing." He said, "Did I not tell you that with me you would never be able to have patience?" He said, "If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have obtained from me an excuse." So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so he restored it. He said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment." He said, "This is parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience."

"As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force. As for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy. And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did not do it of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience."

And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite to you a mention of him." Indeed, We established him upon the earth, and We gave him of all things a way. So he followed a way. Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a spring of dark mud, and he found near it a people. We said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, either you punish them or else adopt among them a way of goodness." He said, "As for one who wrongs, we will punish him. Then he will be returned to his Lord, and He will punish him with a terrible punishment. But as for one who believes and does righteousness, he will have a reward of paradise, and we will speak to him from our command with ease."

Then he followed a way. Until, when he reached the rising of the sun, he found it rising on a people for whom We had not made against it any shield. Thus it was, and We had encompassed him in knowledge. Then he followed a way. Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found beside them a people who could hardly understand any speech. They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are great corruptors in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier?" He said, "That in which my Lord has established me is better, but assist me with strength; I will make between you and them a dam. Bring me sheets of iron" — until, when he had leveled between the two mountain walls, he said, "Blow with bellows," until when he had made it a fire, he said, "Bring me, that I may pour over it molten copper." So they were unable to overcome it, nor were they able to penetrate it. He said, "This is a mercy from my Lord; but when the promise of my Lord comes, He will make it level, and ever is the promise of my Lord true."

And We will leave them that Day surging over each other, and then the trumpet will be blown, and We will assemble them in assembly. And We will present Hell that Day to the disbelievers, on display — those whose eyes had been within a cover removed from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear. Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as allies? Indeed, We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers as a lodging.

Say, "Shall we inform you of the greatest losers as to their deeds? Those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work." They are the ones who disbelieved in the verses of their Lord and in the meeting with Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not give them any weight on the Day of Resurrection. That is their recompense — Hell — for what they denied and for what they took My verses and My messengers in ridicule.

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds — they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging, wherein they abide eternally. They will not desire from it any transfer. Say, "If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement."

Say, "I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your God is one God. So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord — let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."

Jumu'ah Khutbah: The Importance of Forgiving for the Sake of Allah

My dear respected brothers and sisters, respected elders and young students. أَسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

The Purpose of This World: Test and Trial

Allah has sent us all into this world for a test and a trial. And on the Day of Judgment, when we will all be presented in the court of Allah, He says:

On that day, neither wealth nor children, nor offspring, nor any of our material assets will come to avail us, will help us, will benefit us. The only thing that will be there to save us on the Day of Judgment in the court of Allah is the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart — بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ.

The Heart: The Central Organ of the Body

This heart must be sound for us to attain salvation on the Day of Judgment. Rasulullah ﷺ, referring to this same heart, this qalb, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 52; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1599)

The Prophet ﷺ says that truly in the body there is an organ — a muḍghah, a piece of flesh. If this is corrected, if this is rectified, the entire body will be rectified — in this dunya and in the ākhirah. And if it is flawed, if it is sick, if it is corrupted, then the entire body will be corrupted. أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ — alā is a particle of attention, to attract our attention — pay attention: this piece of flesh I am referring to is none other than the heart itself.

Sicknesses of the Heart

What is the قَلْبٌ سَلِيمٌ — the pure heart referred to by Allah as قَلْبٌ سَلِيمٌ? It is the heart that is pure from all of the different sicknesses of the heart. Amongst them: بُغْض — hatred, عَدَاوَة — enmity, حَسَد — jealousy, حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا — love of the world, love of material things, and kibr — arrogance. These are all sicknesses of the heart.

The one particular sickness I wanted to focus on today is غِلّ — having hatred and bearing grudges. This is something which is very prevalent amongst us. There are sometimes very minor violations people commit — or perceived violations, perceived insults — and then we end up harboring grudges long-term, for years, sometimes decades, and we are not ready to forgive one another for the sake of Allah. This is something so destructive for us, not only in the ākhirah, not only in the court of Allah, but even medically it has been proven it is harmful for our health.

Allah throughout the Qur'an and Rasulullah ﷺ throughout the hadith and through their practices as well have shown us what are the benefits of forgiving one another for the sake of Allah.

The Story of the Ifk: An Extraordinary Trial

This āyah that I quoted in the beginning is from the incident of Ifk, wherein Rasulullah ﷺ underwent a very great trial — one of the greatest trials in his life. And for those individuals who have غَيْرَة — who have honor — an attack on one's honor is actually more painful than physical pain. And this was an attack on the honor of Rasulullah ﷺ, where it hurt the most, with respect to his own family, with respect to his own wife Aisha Siddiqa رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا. And with respect to Abu Bakr Siddiq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ, it also of course hurt him so much, because this was none other than his own daughter, his beloved daughter Aisha رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا.

The facts of the story perhaps are too long to mention in detail now, but the summary is that when Rasulullah ﷺ was returning from an expedition, and they had stopped to put up camp to rest, and after they had made the announcement to move on to the next position to continue the journey, Aisha Siddiqa رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا had gone out to relieve herself, and then she realized that she had left her necklace, so she went back to look for it. And the servants picked up her canopy, the hawdaj, and put it on her camel. She was so light that they did not notice she was not inside — they couldn't tell the difference — and the qāfilah, the caravan of Rasulullah ﷺ, moved on.

Safwan ibn Mu'attil رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ, who was assigned by Rasulullah ﷺ to be the rear guard — to make sure there was no attack from the enemy from the back, or if anything was left behind to pick it up — when he came upon her, he saw her lying there sleeping, and he just exclaimed إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ. He did not even, beyond that, talk to her or ask her what happened. He put his camel down, asked her to ride upon it, and he joined up with the army in half a day. But this was an opportunity the munāfiqūn were looking for.

Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, created the whole story that this was a planned meeting, a planned rendezvous, and beyond that. So this was such an attack on Rasulullah ﷺ's family that we can only imagine how painful it was. And until Allah revealed āyāt in the Qur'an declaring her barā'ah — declaring her chastity, her virtue, that she was free from this crime — Allah revealed many āyāt. Those who have brought this allegation, they are a group amongst you. And Allah is consoling Aisha Siddiqa رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا: do not think it is bad for you — it is good for you. Because this is an opportunity for Allah to forgive your sins, to elevate your status, and to give you so much reward for your sabr. And so many āyāt in the Qur'an will be recited, till the Day of Judgment, regarding your purity.

And Allah addresses the believers and says:

Why is it not that when you heard this, the first thing you should have said is that it does not befit us to say such things, to repeat such words? SubhānAllah, this is a grave allegation.

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and the Āyah of Forgiveness

Then, when it comes to the āyāt of forgiveness that I was referring to, is the āyah with respect to Abu Bakr Siddiq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. There was an individual from amongst his family — a poor individual, Mistah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ — to whom Abu Bakr Siddiq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ was actually giving a monthly stipend — paying money for him to take care of his expenses. And this Mistah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ unfortunately got caught up in this allegation, repeating this false story with the hypocrites. So when these āyāt were revealed, Abu Bakr Siddiq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ, as a human being, his natural initial response was to swear and say: "I'm not going to continue to pay this individual who repeated such nonsensical allegations about my own daughter."

Then Allah revealed this āyah:

Those whom Allah has given honor and given virtue — they are Ulul Faḍl. And Wasa'ah — Allah has given them money and provisions and has expanded His rizq upon them. It does not befit them to stop spending on their relatives, Ulul Qurbā, and on poor individuals. وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ — as Mistah was also a muhājir, and those who have done hijrah for the sake of Allah. It does not befit them to stop spending. وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا — they should forgive and they should forget and continue on. They should not harbor these grudges.

Then Allah says: أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ — "Do you not want that Allah should forgive you?" This was a question. And Allah is Ghafoor and Raheem.

So when Abu Bakr Siddiq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ heard this āyah — imagine the imān of Abu Bakr Siddiq, imagine the level of ita'ah and obedience — without any hesitation, without any delay, immediately as he heard this āyah, he said: بَلَىٰ أُحِبُّ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لِي — "Why not? Most definitely, I wish that Allah forgives me."

This is very easy for me to say, very easy for you to hear — in fact, easier to hear than to say. But we really have to, for a moment, imagine if we were in such a position, how would we feel? Forgiving somebody even with the tongue is difficult. But there are circumstances in life when a person may verbally say, "Okay, I have forgiven you," but continues to keep that rancor in the heart. And truly forgiving an individual from the bottom of one's heart is difficult indeed.

The Most Rewarding Deed: Forgiving from the Heart

And that is why the ulamā of sulūk say that one of the most rewarding actions when it comes to treating one another for the sake of Allah — more rewarding than giving food while remaining hungry, or giving water while remaining thirsty, or serving people for the sake of Allah — more rewarding than all of the above is such an action which does not cost a single cent. No money is required to be spent. No physical exertion is required.

Most of the time, when we're talking about mujāhadah and sacrifice for the sake of Allah, there is either a mujāhadah badaniyyah — physical sacrifice — or a mujāhadah māliyyah — financial sacrifice:

You sacrifice for the sake of Allah with your body and with your wealth. And in this ibādah, a person does not have to sacrifice with his body, nor does he have to sacrifice with his wealth. Rather, it is something that is absolutely 100% an internal decision. And that internal decision is that a person clears and cleans his heart and says: "I have forgiven you for the sake of Allah."

The reason the scholars say that this is the most rewarding action is because it is the most difficult action. وَالأَجْرُ بِقَدْرِ النَّصَب — and the reward is proportionate to the sacrifice involved.

The Prophet's Forgiveness at the Conquest of Makkah

Rasulullah ﷺ — his own example. We see that when he was entering Makkah al-Mukarramah, we have to remind ourselves: for thirteen years after he declared prophethood, the people of Makkah were torturing him and his Companions. They caused him so much pain, boycotted him in the Shi'b of Abu Talib for three years, spread thorns in his path, murdered and outright killed many of his Companions — Yasir رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ, Sumayyah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا — beating them, torturing them, torment upon torment, for so long, until finally they had to leave. Some of them migrated to Abyssinia — the first time, the second time — and then eventually to Madinah al-Munawwarah. And thereafter they didn't leave them in peace in Madinah — the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud, the Battle of Khandaq — they came and attacked Madinah al-Munawwarah so many times. Finally, when he wanted to come to perform Umrah, they stopped him in the sixth year, when he was a stone's throw away from the Ka'bah.

They gave him so much pain and torture for so long. And now, in the eighth year of Hijrah, when he is entering triumphant and conquering Makkah al-Mukarramah, per the culture of the time, he had the opportunity and the full right to destroy and enslave the entire population, or kill them all. But instead — subhānAllah — look at the forgiving nature of Rasulullah ﷺ. He said:

(Reported in Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kubra and referenced by Ibn Hisham in al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah)

"I will not say to you anything except what Yusuf ibn Ya'qub said to his brothers: 'No blame upon you today. May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.'"

And the scholars mention a very beautiful point here: Rasulullah ﷺ, when he was forgiving them, did not need to give reference to anyone else. Because he is the Sayyid al-Awwalīn and the Sayyid al-Ākhirīn, he is the Afḍal al-Mursalīn, the best of all the prophets, the leader of the prophets. Rasulullah ﷺ was physically made to be the Imam of all the Anbiyā', including Yusuf alayhi al-salām and including Khalilullah Ibrahim alayhi al-salām. He was the Imam of the Anbiyā' on the Night of Isrā' wal-Mi'rāj.

From Masjid al-Haram, when Allah brought him to Masjid al-Aqsa — this was an exercise to physically manifest and demonstrate that Rasulullah ﷺ is the Imam, and all of the Anbiyā' are his muqtadūn, standing in rows praying behind him. And Allah had taken this pledge and oath from the Anbiyā':

Allah took this mīthāq and oath from the Anbiyā': "By virtue of the knowledge and wisdom and the book that I have given you — if that final Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, comes in your time, and he is testifying to the truth of the scripture sent upon you as well — will you most definitely believe in him, and will you most definitely become his supporter and helper and follower?" So all of the Anbiyā' took this pledge. Allah asked them, "Do you testify? Do you take this oath?" They all took the oath and testified: "We will be his Ummah if he comes in our time."

So it is on record that they pledged: "We are leading our nations only because Muhammad ﷺ is not here. If he were here, we would give up our position right away." So Rasulullah ﷺ did not need to quote anyone. He could have said, "SubhānAllah, I am forgiving you." But the reason he quoted Yusuf alayhi al-salām is a sign of his humbleness — a sign that this is an amazing level of forgiveness he is showing. And he did not want it to be tainted with even an ounce of arrogance. Or implicitly, there could be an indication: "This is a level of forgiveness I am demonstrating today that is truly remarkable, unparalleled — can anyone ever forgive the way I am?" Even though he would never mention this, it might seem as if he were making a claim. And so that is why he said: لَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِلَّا كَمَا قَالَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ لِإِخْوَتِهِ — "I am not going to say anything additional or more. I will just repeat the same words that Yusuf ibn Ya'qub said to his brothers."

The Humbleness of the Prophets: Ibrahim and Ismail

This is a level of humbleness of Rasulullah ﷺ. And an example of this humbleness extends to the Anbiyā' who preceded him as well. When Ibrahim alayhi al-salām said to his son Ismail alayhi al-salām:

"O my dear son, I see in a dream that I am sacrificing you — slaughtering you. What is your opinion? What should we do?" He replied: "O my dear father, go ahead and fulfill the command of Allah." Now note: he said سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ — "You will find me, if Allah wills, to be one individual amongst the whole jamā'ah of sābirīn." He could have said سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ صَابِرًا — "You will find me to be patient." Or even سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ صَابِرًا. He didn't say that either. He said مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ — "from amongst the patient ones." Because there may perhaps be others more patient than me, or as patient as me, or less patient than me — but there is a whole group of sābirīn, and I'll just be one of them. So to negate even the potential hint of claiming to be doing something great.

The Forgiveness of Yusuf for His Brothers

So likewise, Rasulullah ﷺ said: "I'll just say something similar to what Yusuf ibn Ya'qub said." What did Yusuf ibn Ya'qub say, and when did he say it? He said this at the end of the long story, when Allah united Yusuf alayhi al-salām with his brothers — the same brothers who plotted to kill him, who threw him into the well, who were so jealous of him. And they had tortured Ibn Yamin as well after him. So finally, when he has full authority and power and is sitting on his throne of Egypt, and they are coming not just like beggars but literally are beggars — they are not merely in a state similar to a beggar, they literally are beggars — and he is controlling all of the finances of the entire country, he is the secretary of the treasury, sitting on the throne, and the conditions have completely reversed.

And what happens? When they ask for forgiveness, he doesn't just say, "You did a lot of crimes and I'm going to forgive your crimes." He literally negates the fact that they even committed a crime. He uses the word لَا تَثْرِيبَ — saying: "There is absolutely no blame upon you. I don't even blame you for anything that happened. May Allah forgive you. I don't even have anything to forgive you for, because there is no blame upon you."

When he makes du'ā to Allah, he is referring to the favors and blessings of Allah. He says to his father:

"O my dear father, this is the interpretation of the dream I had seen. Allah has made it true." Then he says: وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِي — "And Allah has done so many favors upon me." He is remembering all the good points and skipping over all of the challenges. He says: إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِي مِنَ السِّجْنِ — "When He took me out from the prison." Notice: how do you get out of prison unless you first entered it? So he doesn't mention how he was innocently caught up in a scandal, and without any crime was unlawfully imprisoned for years — some narrations say approximately nine years. He doesn't talk about that. He says, "Allah did a great favor upon me when He took me out from the prison." And then: وَجَاءَ بِكُم مِّنَ الْبَدْوِ — "And then He allowed you to come from Canaan, where you were out there in the life of hardship. He brought you and reunited us" — skipping over the fact that they had been separated. And then when he talks about his brothers, he doesn't blame them. He says: مِن بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِي — "After Shaytān had created enmity between my brothers and myself." So he throws the blame on Shaytān. إِنَّ رَبِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ — "Truly, my Lord is Subtle in fulfilling what He wills."

The Prophet's Forgiveness of Abdullah ibn Ubayy

So Rasulullah ﷺ quoted Yusuf alayhi al-salām and said, the way he said لَا تَثْرِيبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ — "I forgive you, there's no blame upon you" — I also repeat the same words. So may Allah also give us tawfīq to follow in the footsteps of Rasulullah ﷺ.

This was not an isolated incident. The same thing happened in Tā'if. The same thing happened with Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul. Going back to the original story of the allegation — the one against his wife — Allah refers to the leader of the hypocrites: وَالَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ كِبْرَهُ مِنْهُمْ — the one who started the whole thing, who took the biggest share of this fitnah — for him there is عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ, a tremendous punishment. That same individual — when he passed away, his son came and asked Rasulullah ﷺ to come and lead the ṣalāt al-janāzah. Rasulullah ﷺ said: "Okay, I will."

Umar رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ — one of the muwāfaqāt of Umar, one of the occasions where his opinion led Allah to reveal an āyah approving it — told Rasulullah ﷺ: "Yā Rasulallah, I don't think this is a good idea, because Allah said:

'If you seek forgiveness for these hypocrites seventy times, I will never forgive them.'" So Rasulullah ﷺ said: "I will seek forgiveness more than seventy times." And then he — looking for any excuse to forgive this individual who had done so much and caused so much hurt to Rasulullah ﷺ — he went and performed the ṣalāt al-janāzah. And after that he could have left, but beyond that, he gave his own qamīṣ — his own shirt — to be his kafan. Then he went down into his grave and placed him in it.

And then Allah revealed an āyah:

"Do not ever dare to lead the ṣalāt al-janāzah of any of these hypocrites after this. And do not stand by their grave and make du'ā for them. Indeed, they have denied Allah and the Messenger, and they died as open transgressors." So until he received this very explicit prohibition — with no wiggle room, no opportunity to get out of that command — he continued to forgive and forgive and forgive.

What Modern Science Confirms About Forgiveness

So may Allah make it easier for us. There were different āyāt and different ahādīth that I had wanted to share, and also as I mentioned in the beginning — modern science proves the same. Modern psychology confirms what was taught 1,400 years ago.

Dr. Everett Worthington says: "When we forgive, we take back control of our lives from anger and bitterness. Forgiveness frees us from the emotional weight of resentment."

Dr. Robert Enright, psychologist and founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, says: "Forgiveness is not excusing the wrong — it's freeing the heart from the control of the one who hurt you." The one who hurt you is controlling your heart. Now you can free your heart.

Dr. Fred Luskin of Stanford University's "Forgive for Good" project: "People who practice forgiveness experience lower levels of stress, lower levels of depression and anger, and higher levels of optimism and physical health."

The Journal of Behavioral Medicine: "Forgiving people had significantly lower blood pressure and heart rates during stressful situations than those holding grudges." And on and on.

Closing Du'ā

So may Allah allow us to give up grudges. May Allah allow us to follow the footsteps of Rasulullah ﷺ and the Anbiyā' alayhim al-salām and the Ṣaḥābah and the Ṣiddīqīn of this Ummah. And may Allah make us amongst those who, by forgiving others, earn the forgiveness of Allah. وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. AstaghfirAllah.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes. Ṣadaqah tadfa'ul balā' — in times of calamity, charity draws the mercy of Allah. Ṣadaqah given on the day of Jumu'ah is more rewarding.

We have some upcoming events: Youth Night for boys and girls ages 5 to 17 on Friday, October 31st — activities, games, a youth talk, and refreshments. This is a program for the children of the community. Please send your boys and girls for this, inshāAllah.

Please save the date for our Annual Winter Intensive — inshāAllah, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday: December 20th, 21st, and 22nd. We will be talking about the evolution of the madhāhib and fiqh, and contemporary approaches to fiqh.

We have weekly programs: every Monday night, Mufti Azimuddin has a podcast-style conversation — a new program — after Ishā'. Tuesday nights is Tafsīr. Thursday nights is Shamā'il Muḥammadiyyah. Saturday is the team Fajr program. There are many sisters' programs as well — Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn and others taking place, including Sisters' Tafsīr.

There are multiple du'ā requests: Du'ā for shifā' for Javed Sharif uncle; for brother Faruk Mirza, diagnosed with cancer; for brother Muhammad Wasimuddin, who is very ill and undergoing heart issues; du'ā for shifā' for Abu Akhtar Muhyiddin, currently admitted in the hospital. Du'ā for maghfirah for Muhammad Minhajuddin Ghuri, who passed away last night. And du'ā for Gaza and the entire Muslim Ummah.

Helping Hand is organizing a Clothing and Blanket Drive for Pakistan Flood Relief. The drive is taking place on Saturday, November 8th, from 11am to 3pm here at Darul Salam.