Reflect & Connect: Surah Al-Mursalat - Ep.01 - Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed | 5/13

Opening Supplications

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad and upon the family of our Master Muhammad. Blessings and peace be upon you.

O Allah, open my heart and ease my affairs. And solve the knot in my tongue so that my words remain. Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us.

O Allah, teach us what benefits us and benefit us with what You have taught us. And increase us in knowledge and action. O Allah, enlighten our hearts with knowledge and use our bodies for Your obedience.

And guide us to what You love and are pleased with — from speech, action, intention, and guidance. Indeed, You are Able to do all things.

Introduction to Surah Al-Mursalat

Alhamdulillah, we begin a new surah today — Surah Al-Mursalat, inshallah, the last surah of the 29th Juz. And not a very long one either, so hopefully we'll cover that in the next few weeks. As we begin this surah, we also ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we seek His assistance and help in making us all connected with the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

We ask Almighty Allah azza wa jal that He does not allow our past and present mistakes and sins to become a barrier between us and the Book of Allah. We ask Almighty Allah azza wa jal to grant us all a deep understanding of the meanings and the teachings of His Wahy. And allow all of our hearts to be inspired and to gain nourishment through the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

May Allah grant us shifa from all of our physical and spiritual illnesses through the barakah of the Qur'an. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow all of the issues that we are dealing with in our own personal lives and the questions that we have — may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala remove those worries, those concerns, and allow us to find answers through the barakah of the tafsir and the dars of the Qur'an. Ameen, Ya Rabbal Alameen.

The Oath (Qasam) at the Opening of Surah Al-Mursalat

In this surah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala begins with taking an oath. Al-qasam. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has a sunnah in the Qur'an that He takes an oath in many different places on different things. And the purpose of the oath is for all of us humans to attract our attention towards something that Allah azza wa jal wants to highlight. The purpose of the oath is to attract our attention, get our attention, and focus on something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala would like to highlight.

So Allah azza wa jal usually takes an oath on such things that are huge — creations that are huge. And then the purpose of that is: if something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is taking an oath on is huge, is massive, something that we recognize, then we can probably make the connection to the second thing. That if Allah is taking an oath on something so physically huge, then another thing that Allah is speaking about — that may not be in front of us, usually ghayb, usually things of the unseen — you can grasp its magnitude. You can't see the Day of Judgment. You can't see the coming of the Day of Judgment, the breaking of this world. We can't see it. But for us to understand what a big event that is, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala takes an oath on things that you can see, so that you may appreciate what you can't see.

Five words describing something. What is that something? There are multiple opinions.

First Opinion: The Winds

One tafsir is that الْمُرْسَلَاتِ is describing الرِّيَاحَ — the winds. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is describing five qualities of the winds: that are sent forth in succession, that are blowing with vehement gales, that are spreading the clouds, that are sending certain clouds in one direction and sending another group of clouds in another direction, and then those clouds bring about rain and winds that become a means of us thinking and remembering Allah. So all of these five ayahs are referring to the winds. That's one explanation.

Second Opinion: The Angels

Another explanation is that all of these ayahs are referring to angels. That the angels are the ones who are coming with revelation and visiting the prophets on a regular basis. And the angels are the ones who are spreading wahy, the Qur'an or the Book of Allah at different periods in the past nations. They are the ones that are spreading it. They are the ones that are separating truth from falsehood — meaning those who believe the revelation and those who don't. And obviously they are the ones who are bringing the reminder from Allah.

Third Opinion: The Prophets

The third opinion is that this is referring to the prophets themselves. That the prophets are the ones that are coming in succession, and the prophets are the ones who are bringing goodness from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Fourth Opinion: A Combination

And the fourth tafsir is that these five things are not all about the same creation of Allah — they are different. That is the tafsir you can see in the translation here:

Here he is referring to winds. But then look:

Here it brings in angels — he's speaking about angels.

Also angels. So you can see the fourth tafsir is that some of these verses are referring to angels, some may be referring to the winds, and some may even be referring to prophets.

The Strength of Multiple Layers of Interpretation

The fact that the Qur'an is open to so many different types of interpretation — that is not a weakness but rather a beautiful, powerful strength. It is multi-layered. And people in different eras, different times, different places, they can understand the Qur'an that is relevant to them for that time. And it has the ability to be understood in a different manner for a different time. That is the strength of the Qur'an, not the weakness of it. That it has multiple layers of interpretation, multiple layers of understanding. If it was extremely rigid in its understanding and explanation, then the effectiveness and the widespread benefit of it would be limited.

Hence when you go into a library of tafsir, you'll see volumes upon volumes. And it's amazing — how has this one verse been explained in so many different manners? That's why tafsir honestly is a very intriguing subject. And when you connect it with science, when you connect it with modern revelations in different fields, it's even more beautiful. Because we have already studied a lot of these things in school, and then when you see it being reflected in the tafsir of the Qur'an, it's like — SubhanAllah! Allah azza wa jal has truly kept all the secrets of all knowledge within the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But it's our own weakness that it takes us thousands of years to understand that. It's all present there.

The Significance of the Winds (Al-Mursalat)

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala took an oath on the mursalat. If we take the meaning as the gusting winds — that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends in succession, back upon one after the other. You study the weather patterns; that has such a huge effect on our crops, such a huge effect on our health, such a huge effect on layers upon layers of the economy. Of course if you have everyone snowed in, or the temperature is too cool in the summer, what happens to the ice cream stores? What happens to all the swimming pools? If the temperature gets way too hot, what happens to those outdoor businesses? Everything — we're so dependent on the weather. And what is making that weather come in the way it does? A huge portion of that is the winds.

That's why you have people who spend their entire life studying weather patterns, studying clouds. We think of it as — just when you look up, oh it's a nice beautiful sky today. Do you realize there are thousands of people in the world whose entire life rotates around this creation of Allah, which is just a small little thing we glance at once in a while? How many of us looked at the sky today? How long? And thought — was it a cloudy day? Was it a clear day? What type of cloud formations are there? But there are people who spend their entire lives, and billions of dollars of research goes into this.

So winds are a huge thing. Through the barakah of that, pollination is happening. Through the barakah of that, you've got fruits and vegetables. Through the barakah of that, you've got all sorts of plants and vegetation. Because if it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have rain. If it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have food. We are so dependent on these winds. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends them back to back. Allah azza wa jal sometimes sends them as a blessing, and sometimes sends them as a punishment.

And that's also a very beautiful, powerful thing. That in itself the wind cannot do anything. If the wind itself were always beneficial, then you would always benefit from the wind. But that's not the case. Sometimes the wind is destroying homes, destroying the crops, uprooting the trees. And that same wind at other times brings in a cloud that brings much needed rain. So we learn from here that the wind itself is nothing. The rain itself is nothing. Because sometimes the rain comes just at the right time to bring a much needed spring rain. But then sometimes that same rain brings in a flood that destroys whatever crops you already had. We see that every day — these things are happening across the globe. SubhanAllah.

So from here we understand that all goodness —

All good lies in Allah's hands. Wherever we see benefit and harm apparently coming from, benefit and harm is not truly coming from there — it is coming from where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants it to be. This is the basic aqeedah we have to strengthen. That whatever, in Musa alayhi as-salam's story of the staff — the staff does not benefit, the staff does not harm; it is what Allah wants it to be. Including economy, including a certain president, including everything else.

Honestly, look where things were last week, and where we are today. So much has happened from last Tuesday to today. Last Tuesday, we were at the brink of a war starting — it had just begun. And SubhanAllah, things for the past at least few days have settled. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — and I'm speaking about India and Pakistan naturally — may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bring khair.

And how did it happen? If Allah had left it to the hot-headed people over there, everyone is just in so much excitement. I mean this because I spoke to people, especially our Pakistani brothers — excitement. And I'm like, listen brother, no one is going to win this. Both sides we're Muslims. This side you have more Muslims than the whole Middle East and more than Indonesia. And that side of course you're all Muslims. There's no such thing as winning this.

Okay, let's not get into politics. But let's just sort out our house. Stop fighting. Just restore electricity in this heat. Try to get 18 hours of electricity, maybe from 8 hours — let's get everyone 18 hours. That would be a good achievement. Let's work on these things. Why are you itching for a fight? You know what that's gonna do to your country? But there's excitement.

Can Allah help you? Of course Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can most definitely — He is the only one who can assist and help. But Allah is going to help you if you help yourself. Are you helping yourself right now? Let's just look at our own economy. Let's just look at the prices of things. Look at inflation. Look at people's living conditions. It's very tough. Every single thing is becoming harder — the poor are becoming more poor, and the upper 1% is becoming wealthier and wealthier. So may Allah azza wa jal protect the believers wherever they are across the entire globe, and have mercy upon us.

Who gets used for this type of musalaha — this type of ending of the war — is interesting. You might think someone can only do harm, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala may use him to bring some benefit. Nothing is as it seems. Every single thing is what Allah wants it to be. And so our yaqeen and conviction should not be on our fighter jets, should not be on our generals, should not be on our soldiers, should not be on our diplomacy. Our yaqeen is on Allah. Ya Allah, You please bring khair for us — from within us and from outside. Just bring khair. Because we are in need of Your khair. We are not able to live and survive even for one second without You glancing at us with the eyes of mercy. We are most in need.

So wal-mursalat — again these are the winds that are coming back to back. And in them lies so much khair: every single thing that we are eating is coming through the barakah of those winds, which bring clouds, which bring rain, which carry seeds, and which germinate those seeds and so forth.

Second Meaning: The Angels Bringing Revelation

The second meaning is that Allah has taken an oath on the angels that come back to back with revelation. In that revelation, there is a constitution for our life. In that revelation, there is a beautiful explanation of how a person should treat his mother, his father, his spouse, his children, his family, people he knows, people he doesn't know. All of that comes through revelation.

That's why it is said: the difference between living a life as a human and living a life as an animal is through sunnah. Sunnah is what it is. If we don't have sunnah, then procreation, eating, drinking, and sleeping — which animal doesn't do this? And that is why the further the ummah gets away from the sunnah, the more we get closer to something even worse than animals — because the things we're getting involved in, even animals don't do. Even animals have hayaa. They have some sense of ghairah, some sense of bashfulness and modesty.

I remember we had a cat when we were growing up. And as a child, those of you who have cats know how this is — that a cat, if the litter box was not covered, the cat would have such a hard time relieving himself if someone was nearby. The cat would clearly need to go, but would not want to go because I would be there. Look — the cat has got hayaa.

And then on the other hand, you have schools with no doors in the bathrooms, no shower curtains. They say, "Be comfortable with your body." But no — it is against hayaa to expose yourself. And I feel so bad every year when summer comes, when I see how that hayaa is literally scratched out of little kids. If you look at three-year-olds — little beautiful makhluq of Allah — that if they were to die in that state, they'll go to Jannah in a state of fitrah, inshallah. But then their parents, they also scrape out any sense of hayaa. Look at the clothing, the swimwear for three-year-olds. What are we doing?

That is why we should not even say we're becoming like animals, but rather —

More lost and more astray than animals. And someone recently told me about one of the local school districts where there are people identifying as cats, and they have litter boxes in the school for those. And someone showed me a video of 10,000 people in the UK who identified themselves as dogs. I could not believe it. They actually sit in cages. They lock themselves in. A 30-year-old, holding on to a bone, a collar on himself, giving the leash to another person. They walk around the streets on all fours in suits that cost thousands of dollars — demonic, definitely demonic. 10,000 people like this. And more.

If this is not shaytani, what is? SubhanAllah. The dog has got business class seats. The dog has got insurance. The dog has got a babysitter. The dog has got a spa. They have life insurance policies on dogs. I saw full private airlines for dogs. So the dogs are becoming humans, and the humans are becoming dogs. What's going on? This is the ajeeb world we're living in. The cats have hayaa, and the men and the women have lost their hayaa.

What happened to our desi and Arab Muslim parents? Why would you have your three-year-old or four-year-old daughter dressed like that? "Everyone at work is doing this. This is the cool thing to do." So we want to be more Christian than the Pope. We don't know what's going on with our Muslim parents. Where are you getting these ideas from that this is something good for your kids?

If we cannot break the mentality of just copying whatever everyone does — but that is exactly what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam prophesized that we would do. I remember 24 years ago, when I studied in Pakistan for one year. At that time they said, the sign of being sophisticated in Islamabad is that you have a dog and you go take the dog for a walk. 24 years ago. I don't know what's the sign of sophistication now. But the idea that you need to act more like the kuffar than the kuffar themselves to be considered sophisticated — that is what's still happening.

We have to bring back the izzah of Islam in our hearts. The izzah of sunnah in our hearts. That this is what should make us proud. This is what is going to make us feel excited and happy — not that we are trying to copy those who have no connection with Allah. And until we don't change this perception in our heart, we will never have victory of any sort. Even an external victory will still result in an internal loss. Victory is the victory that you achieve on your own terms. When you had to compromise your deen to get it, there is no victory in that.

Tafsir of the Five Verses (77:1–5)

Verse 1 — Al-Mursalat: The Winds Sent in Succession / Revelation Sent Back to Back

I was talking about the anbiya who are bringing wahy, and the angels who are bringing wahy — عُرْفًا — back to back. That this wahy is what keeps us alive. This wahy is what allows, as long as the ummah is on wahy and following the wahy, we will be going towards our guidance. Otherwise, we'll be heading towards our destruction.

Verse 2 — Al-Asifat: Blowing with Vehement Gales

Allah azza wa jal here is also taking an oath on those winds that blow in such a strong manner that they bring fear to people. A storm. You have the tsunamis, you have the hurricanes, you have all those things. What is the natural disaster supposed to do? It's supposed to motivate us towards the house of Allah.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's hadith — all of you have heard — whenever he would see a storm coming in, whenever he would see the weather pattern changing, he would resort to salah, resort to the masjid. None of us should ever think, "The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam didn't understand. He got scared. Now since we have meteorologists and scientists, we don't need to be worried." We may never say this, but our actions speak like this — that why do you get scared of winds? Why do you get scared of dark clouds? Come on, there's nothing big to get scared about.

But you know why there is something to be concerned about? Because we are the most ignorant, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was the greatest aalim of all those who have ilm. He knew. He was not scared of the clouds. He was not scared of the storms. He was in awe of the One who was bringing that into motion.

We did that in Surah Al-Ahqaf some months ago — how the people of 'Aad were destroyed. They saw:

They said, "Come! There's a cloud! We've been waiting. We've been suffering heat for so long. At last we've got some respite." They all came out of their houses and stood under this dark cloud. They were so excited it was going to bring rain. Allah says:

"Rather, this is what you were asking to hasten — a wind in which is a painful punishment. It destroys everything by the command of its Lord." And at the end there was nothing left. Every single person and every single being was destroyed.

So a prophet knows what is behind this storm. And we don't know what's behind it — we think that we have science to explain. What is science? Science explains the mechanism, yes. But the unleashing of the power of nature — with all the horrible natural disasters that are continuously happening all around us, every single morning, afternoon, and evening, in some portion of the world — we cannot even keep up with it. It doesn't even make the news when a hundred or two hundred people die. Because it's just too much. Too many natural disasters.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not — Allah forbid — ignorant. He was the most knowledgeable. And that's what we have to train ourselves to understand. I feel like this is the problem — that since we think we have some scientific knowledge and explanation of why weather patterns happen, why certain storms take place, we think knowing the explanation of it somehow saves us from the disaster. There's nothing further from the truth than that. Use that science to protect yourself — lock up, go to the basement, don't travel, depending on whatever the situation is. But when natural disasters are coming our way, the solution must be: go back to the house of Allah, or at least go back into sujood. Start making du'a. That's what we need to do. And then we will see the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala come.

Another explanation of الْعَاصِفَاتِ is that it refers not just to winds, but rather to how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's revelation stirs up the world. That's what happened when Makkah was hit by revelation — what did that do to Makkan society? And what did it do to any society across the globe that received Islam? Whether it's Northern Africa, whether it's the Roman Empire, whether it's the Persian Empire, whether it's Indo-Pak, or Southeast Asia — wherever Islam came, mashaAllah, it brought in such a huge change. All those people who were imprisoned unjustly, the rights of women, the rights of children, the rights of others who were being trampled — it was all released. It caused an upheaval where the downtrodden people, alhamdulillah, were able to move up. The oppressed ones had their day in court. Justice was met.

It was a storm, it was a wind that came in and shook up the place. And that's what the deen of Islam does when it comes into our hearts. It brings in a storm in our heart. Allah says in Surah An-Naml:

"Indeed, when kings enter a village, they cause corruption in it and make the honored of its people humbled." You see that happening all the time. When armies come in, they put the oppressive ruling class at the top. And the ones who had just gotten freedom and were trying to bring some order — you saw what happened in Egypt, in North Africa, in all these places. Zulm, zulm, zulm.

So one other tafsir of this is that similarly, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mahabbah and love enters the heart, it causes this upheaval in the heart. All of those things that you used to erroneously care about and give priority to — which you should not have — Allah's love comes into that heart and flips it. The things that you're supposed to prioritize, you begin to prioritize. And the things that you were involved in and indulging in which you should not have, they go back to their place. The love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, when it comes into a person's heart, it brings that change.

And now you also understand the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam where he says that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends down nafahat — breezes. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends down from time to time beautiful, calm breezes. And then he said:

(Reported by al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; also referenced in various collections of hadith and narrations from the Companions)

"Indeed your Lord has these special moments of beautiful breezes that are blowing — so make sure you stand up to that wind and allow that breeze to hit you. Don't hide from it."

Like today, what a beautiful day it was, right? MashaAllah. Don't be stuck inside your room unnecessarily. Enjoy the weather outside. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says: Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from time to time sends these winds, and when the wind comes, stand up to it. Let it hit you. Embrace it. What are those winds? For example, the days of Hajj are coming. In the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, we should be fasting, spending extra time in Qiyamul Layl. Those who are going for Hajj — that entire journey is a beautiful wind of Allah's mercy.

Yes, it might be 118 or 120 degrees there — hot air. But trust me, behind that hot air is this beautiful breeze of rahmah of Allah. That if you spend your time properly, you and I can truly gain immense benefit. You have Ramadan. You have other occasions. When such special moments come, don't say, "I'm busy now." Change your schedule. Call and make adjustments. Tell people, "Brother, I'm very sorry, I can't make it — something more important has come." It's all about priority.

Doesn't it all happen? A lot of times brothers say, "My schedule is filled." May Allah never test you and I with a sudden death in the family. What happens to that schedule that was filled up for the next three weeks? How instantaneously — even tonight's dinner plans get canceled and you're on a flight out. What happened? Priority. So when we say, "I don't have time," it's not the issue of us not having time — it's the issue of us not giving priority to the deen. If we start giving priority to the deen, we'll be able to find time for anything and everything.

So when we have beautiful programs happening in our communities, I encourage all of us to remember this hadith:

(Reported by al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; also referenced by Ibn Hajar and others)

"Indeed your Lord has special moments of beautiful breezes — so make sure you stand up to them and benefit from them." I give the example of Mina itself during Hajj. When it's 110, 115, 120 degrees outside, and you have ACs blowing in a tent the size of this masjid. Now I'm not very good at handling heat — so when I enter, I go straight to where the AC is. The idea is: yes, you could sit on your spot, but if you're not in the direct line of the cool air, you don't benefit that much. If you make a little bit of sacrifice and stand up and walk to where the AC is — you show your own talab, your own desire — then you walk away with something much more than those who are just lying down.

So when you have a program happening, or Eid happening, or Ramadan happening, there are two types of people. One says, "Yeah, whatever, it's another weekend in Chicago." And another says, "Let me look at the events groups and see which masjids have what program this weekend." At least take your kids and pray Maghrib in one masjid and Isha in another on Saturday and Sunday. This is what we should be doing — not which banquet hall can we get ourselves into. Instead, see what dini programs are happening in this blessed city of Chicago. You cannot attend all of them — fine. But at least take your kids. A lot of these events have food too. That's how our mindset should be.

I always hear the type of statement, "MashaAllah, I live near Darussalam." But living near Darussalam doesn't do you any good unless you come into the masjid. Living in Chicago doesn't do you any good unless you participate in the programs. If anything, living so close might be asked about even more — that you were right there, and how come you didn't benefit? Like the one who says, "I live in Makkah," but hasn't gone inside the Haram Sharif for years. There are people like that. The barbers who are there, shaving heads non-stop, 16 hours a day, of people who have performed Umrah — if you ask them when's the last time they went inside, they can't tell you. So by us living near the masjid or in the city of Chicago, and thinking that we're doing ourselves a favor — it won't help. We will be asked not about where we live, but about how much we benefited from that.

Verse 3 — An-Nashirat: Spreading the Clouds / Angels Spreading Mercy

And by those angels who spread the clouds, spreading wide Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mercy. So either this is the oath on angels, as the translation alludes to, or it's again an oath on the winds that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses to spread the clouds.

Verse 4 — Al-Fariqat: Making Distinction Clear

And by those angels who make Allah's criteria distinct for people, with the clearest distinction. The angels make it very clear — this is the sharia, this is the deen, this is the revelation. If you follow it, you go to Jannah. If you don't follow it, you're going somewhere else. It's very clear. Or it is the winds that separate the clouds in different parts of the sky.

Verse 5 — Al-Mulqiyat: Casting Reminders

And by those angels that cast Allah's revealed reminders to His messengers. الْإِلْقَاء is to cast. The angels that bring down wahy onto the prophets. And dhikr is a reminder. Or it is the winds that bring about such weather patterns that wake up a person, and he starts thinking about Allah.

The nature and the weather — a person starts thinking about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. There are outdoor groups where, mashaAllah, from time to time or daily, brothers send pictures of the sunrise, the sunset, a bird, a squirrel. And it's so true — why did Allah create this, if not for our reflection? Why are there millions of birds every morning doing tasbih? The post-Fajr walk, just even in the parking lot, is so beautiful. Especially now in the early morning, right before sunrise. You simply listen and wake up with all the animals, the birds, and all the different makhluqat of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You see the nests being built, the robins at work. This is supposed to create within us an awareness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's qudrah.

We have a porch fan, and the other day I looked up and there was a full nest on the blade. AllahuAkbar. Over the weekend, someone accidentally turned on the fan. A few minutes later I came out — I was shocked. But mashaAllah, look at the engineering. The fan at full speed, but that nest — solid. It's moving. And the robin is just sitting there looking at the house: what's going on? How do I get into this thing? The babies or the eggs got a free carnival ride! But look at the engineering — how do you build something like that? Without super glue, without duct tape, in such a manner that the fan can rotate at high speed and the thing doesn't fall off. Who taught this robin how to do that? Small little tiny brain. MashaAllah.

That is mulqiyat-e-dhikr. All around us, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is casting reminders. Every sunrise and every sunset is a reminder. Every moonrise and moonset is a reminder. Every rise of the stars is a reminder. Every single robin pecking a worm from the ground and feeding it to its little ones is a reminder. All of these things — the angels are casting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's revealed reminders, or the winds are bringing about Allah's reminders through the rain.

Verse 6 — 'Udhran aw Nudhran: Glad Tidings or Warning

Proclaiming glad tidings or forewarning of His retribution. When a person looks at nature and all of these five things that the oath was taken upon, there are two responses. One is that you come right and say, "Allah, forgive me. I'm not going to disobey you anymore." That is 'udhran. Or it is a warning that since you have not decided to change, wait till what happens to you in the hereafter — nudhran. Whenever we see these signs, we can either respond positively, or we can respond arrogantly and say, "We're not worried. We're going to continue to lead our life the way we want to."

Talking about rains — there is an interesting narration. Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه says:

(Reported by al-Bukhari in his Sahih, in the chapter on tribulations; also referenced in collections of athar of the Companions)

"There isn't a year except that every year after it will be worse. I don't say that one year there is more rain than another year, and one year gives more greenery than another year, and one leader is better than another leader. What I'm talking about is: as every year goes by, the good people from amongst you will start dying. And your ulama, pious scholars, will start dying. Then a group of people will arise who will decide their affairs and give judgments based on their own opinion — based on how they feel, how it should be. And the entire Islam will be destroyed, torn apart by the opinions of those who don't have ilm."

What's interesting is that many of those who study rainfall today say the total amount of rain every year is roughly the same — however it is distributed differently. In some parts more, some parts less. And now here is Abdullah ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه saying this from that time — that every year is worse than the previous year, but not necessarily in terms of more or less rain. SubhanAllah. How is he saying this? The statements of Rasulullah ﷺ and the statements of the Sahaba have such depth that you say: honestly, how did you figure this out 1400 years ago? That is the barakah of wahy.

Education vs. Schooling: The Barakah of Qur'an and Sunnah

I want to mention something extra. We, as a community, value education — hopefully. But we have to differentiate between education and schooling. They are two different things. Going to school is not necessarily education. The purpose of education is that you should have a solution when faced with difficulty.

And I have witnessed this — some of you may have as well — that people of ilm of deen, who have ta'alluq with Allah and a relationship with Allah, Allah inspires them with answers on technical issues as well. A person of deen will come up with a solution for an engineering issue — and the engineers will do the math and say, "Oh my God, where did you get this idea from? This works out." I've witnessed this. Truly, when the heart is connected with Allah and enlightened with the nur of Qur'an and Sunnah, Allah will inspire you with things that will baffle you and baffle others — when it comes to public policy, political engagement, diplomacy, war theory, and all other things.

You will see sometimes people who have never gone to any official school give such opinions that baffle experts. And you see this from the Sahaba. From Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and Umar رضي الله عنه, to Khalid ibn al-Walid رضي الله عنه, to Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah رضي الله عنه, to Amr ibn al-As رضي الله عنه, and the many other great Sahaba. When you read their seerah and their stories, you see they did not graduate from Harvard, Yale, Oxford, or Stanford. But how did they present such solutions to difficult situations? There are battles fought under Khalid ibn al-Walid رضي الله عنه whose strategies have been studied by historians, you can find full YouTube videos on them. And they marvel at how he came up with such an amazing war plan. I've heard from one professor that the strategy of Khalid ibn al-Walid رضي الله عنه is actually taught at West Point. SubhanAllah — this is coming from the nur of Qur'an and Sunnah. We should not undermine that.

And I want to mention to our fathers and mothers: if your son or daughter is studying the deen, please support them. Don't constantly nag at them — "You're wasting your time. Your cousin already finished from 4-year undergrad and you just finished the Dawrat al-Hadith." All the time I have to hear it from my students. One of my students prayed next to me after Asr today and said, "Sheikh, can you give me some du'a? My mom is just nagging me to leave madrasa and go into the dunya." And I was thinking: if only you realized what your son or daughter is gaining by studying the deen.

I know you love your kid — I'm not going to doubt that. But SubhanAllah, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas's mother loved him too when she said, "I'm going to starve myself to death unless you leave Islam." So love alone is not sufficient. You also have to have faham — understanding of deen. Pure love is not sufficient. Otherwise, the Sahaba's moms and dads who were opposed to them being Muslim — what are you going to say about them? All those reverts whose parents are non-Muslim — what are you going to say about them? So love is not sufficient. You also need the correct understanding of deen.

So please — do not demotivate our youngsters and youth who are studying the deen by constantly comparing them with people who are doing things that, in the long run, amount to much, much less. If you pair them together and throw a difficult situation upon them, the maturity that you will get from a student of knowledge will shock you. I look at myself — when I went to madrasa, I was 13 years old. And I went to Africa. May Allah reward my parents. Now I don't understand the sacrifice they made until now when my own son is 13. If you asked me, "Will you send him to Africa?" — it's a very big question. That was 28 years ago, long before smartphones and WhatsApp. May Allah reward immensely all those mothers and fathers who send their children abroad to study the deen.

But studying the deen brings you a level of maturity that literally puts you ahead. The subjects you're studying, the time required, the studiousness required, the discipline required, the adab required — it really changes you. I came back as a different person within 3 months. You're on an afterburner of maturity.

So when summer is coming around, I encourage all of us to spend at least one month studying the deen — whether it's abroad or over here. If you study 7 to 8 hours a day for one month, you'll come out with a much higher level of maturity than you had. Even adults. It will sharpen your mind. When the Qur'an and Sunnah enter your mind, you get sharp. Your mentality, your approach to things, will be very different. That is the barakah of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

And it becomes so obvious that unfortunately people started misusing it. I've heard things like: "I sent him to Hifz school because I've heard that anyone who does Hifz becomes very smart. I need him to get into medical school. This is the quick route." They figured out that in three years of Hifz you gain enormous IQ, discipline, and focus by engaging with the deen. So brothers, please make niyyah. Sisters, please make niyyah. We have here at Darussalam an amazing set of summer programs — the Deen Intensive and the Arabic Intensive. It's been happening every year for the past 18 years, mashaAllah. I want all of you to please benefit from this. Working adults, see if you can adjust your work schedule. Even if you can't do the whole day —

If you can't do all of it, that doesn't mean you should leave it all. Study something. One thing is you listen to tafsir like this — mashaAllah, this is great. But a classroom setting where you're sitting in front of an ustad the way a student sits, covering a syllabus and a book — that is a whole different experience. So make niyyah, inshallah. Look at those college students, working adults, sisters, mothers — whoever you are. Try your best to take some time out. And at least your sons and daughters who are already off from high school and college — I encourage you to please make niyyah for them.

The Great Promise: Surah Al-Mursalat, Verse 7

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, after taking these oaths — either these signs will make you worthy of Allah's Jannah ('udhran), or they will serve as a warning of Jahannam (nudhran) — this is all qasam. Then what is the point? What is being sworn about?

"O humankind, indeed that which you have been promised shall most surely come to pass." This is the statement Allah is wanting to deliver to all of us, and it must hit in the heart. Whatever you have been promised most definitely shall happen. What is that we've been promised? Resurrection and the Day of Judgment.

There is a similar ayah in Surah At-Tur:

"Indeed the punishment of your Lord shall come to pass. There is none that can repel it." It is mentioned in Tafsir Ibn Kathir that Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه recited this verse and became so ill, so sick after reading this ayah, that people came to visit him for the next 20 days. Till 20 days he was receiving visitors due to the sickness that befell him when he read the ayah of Surah At-Tur. May Allah grant us the khashiyah that Umar رضي الله عنه had. May Allah grant us the khawf of Allah the way he had. After achieving this amazing status — where it was said that if there were a prophet after me, it would be Umar — yet look at the love, look at the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala he had.

Surah Al-Waqi'ah comes from the same word — waqi'ah — the incident that will happen. There's doubt about all sorts of things, but one thing there is no doubt in is the Day of Judgment.

Signs Before the Day of Judgment (Verses 8–11)

How will the Day of Judgment come?

When the stars are extinguished. Imagine you shut off the lights here. You still have the exterior. Imagine I shut off the exterior lights too — you'll feel an eerie sensation. You go in your own house basement, shut off the lights. That's what happens in attacks — they hit out the electricity. A city in darkness is far worse. So the Day of Judgment will come with the lights shutting off. The sun is going. The sun is one of trillions of stars — the sun is included in the stars. All the stars are extinguished. Lights off.

When the heaven is breached wide. A huge hole. Imagine if this dome started opening up. How would you feel if it started opening up? Allah says the entire heavens are going to open up. And He says:

The heavens will open up and doors will be formed — for the angels to descend. Billions and trillions of angels descending. Because we're wrapping up the world. You know how a police force comes to wrap things up, to move away the people — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is sending down the angels to wrap the world up. And it comes in another verse of the Qur'an:

The angels will be on all the sides of existence, and on that day eight angels will be lifting up Allah's Throne. I want you to think for a moment — the strength of these angels. The Throne of Allah: just to remind you of the hadith, everything we see is the first heaven. Everything — all the telescopes, all the satellites taking pictures — that's all the first heaven. And the first heaven compared to the second is like:

(Referenced in Ibn Hibban and related narrations regarding the vastness of the heavens and the Throne)

A ring in an open field. And the second to the third is just like the first was to the second. And the third to the fourth is just like everything else was to the third. Four to the fifth, fifth to the sixth, sixth to the seventh, seventh to the Kursi, the Kursi to the 'Arsh. That 'Arsh — which none of us can even comprehend how massive it is — Allah says eight angels will be carrying it. What must be the power and the breadth and the width of these angels? And that is all still makhluq. And who is the leader of all of these eight, and everyone else? Jibreel. And Jibreel told Rasulullah ﷺ in Mi'raj, "Ya Rasulullah, this is where I have to stop. If I go beyond this, I will be burned by Allah's Nur." And Jibreel has to become like a small little bird whenever he communicates with Allah azza wa jal. AllahuAkbar.

Truly, how magnificent, how great Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is. May Allah allow us, these teeny tiny little human beings, to understand His Majesty and His Greatness. And try to act the way a teeny tiny, insignificant, dirty human being should act in front of a magnificent Creator like this. May Allah allow us to truly understand who we are. We don't deserve anything. The fact that Allah has given all the wealth, the health — SubhanAllah, we don't deserve any of it.

I was in a city this week giving a khutbah, and SubhanAllah, I met an African-American brother afterwards. He was sitting there. I went to go meet him — I get really excited when I see seniors. He was 84 years old and had accepted Islam decades ago. It was nice speaking with him, and he was crying. I said, "What are you crying about?" And he said, "I'm just looking at my life and I honestly don't deserve the kalimah. I don't deserve to be a Muslim. I'm such a person that I don't deserve Allah's mercy — to be given the kalimah, to be given the ability, inshallah, to get into Jannah. I'm just crying over the fact that why and how Allah chose me to get iman when I don't deserve this." And this should be all of us — thinking, "I don't deserve to be a Muslim. I don't deserve to be sitting in the masjid at this moment. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given me this."

When the mountains are blown away. Brothers, mountains — SubhanAllah, look at the Rockies, look at the Appalachians. When you look from an airplane, they're intimidating. They're huge. Most of us have seen them from far away. They are the example of something immovable, extremely strong. The heaviest, most solid thing in the world that we see is the mountains. Allah says:

When the mountains are blown away. And in another place, in Surah Ta-Ha:

Allah says: "And you see the mountains — you think of them to be solid and fixed. But in reality they are floating and moving the way clouds float and move." There are two tafseers of this. One is: a day will come when they are going to be moving like عِهْنٍ مَّنفُوشٍ — like cotton wool that is blown. You have cotton wool, and you blow it, and how it flows — that is how these mountain ranges are going to flow. That is one meaning.

Another meaning is: it is not speaking about the future — it is speaking about now. The earth is moving. And as the earth is moving, you don't realize that these mountains are also moving. Just like clouds have their movement which you might not notice at times, similarly the mountains on any given day are also moving on the axis of the earth. And you think of them to be solid.

So how can you, if the mountains are not solid, think that anything on earth is solid? How can any kingdom be solid? How can any home be solid? Nothing is solid. There's always motion. A day against you and a day for you. A day of happiness, a day of sadness. A day of tears, a day of smiles. There's no such thing as consistency in this earth. The only consistent thing is Allah. Allah doesn't change. And besides that, every single thing must change. And there is no sukoon in this world. The sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth itself — as we sit here listening, all of us are also moving:

Every single thing is moving. So the only constant is Allah. Every single thing beyond that is in movement. And movement is a sign of change. Change is a sign of weakness. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — there is no change. He is perfect. There is no possibility of becoming more perfect. Everything else that's moving means it can exist and then cannot exist. A time will come when it will not exist. And since Allah is not moving and Allah doesn't change, He has always been and He will always be.

When the appointed time for the messengers comes to pass. The prophets had a certain time that they were sent in this world — 80 years, 100 years. Prophet Nuh, Prophet Adam, Prophet Sulaiman, Prophet Dawud, Prophet Musa, and so on. All of their times have now come to an end.

The Appointed Day for the Messengers (Verses 11–15)

To which day have the messengers, those who convey Allah's message, been deferred — to bear witness? Allah is saying: the prophets did everything they possibly could to invite their communities towards Islam. Their time has come to an end. But when is the payday? When is the day of retribution for those of their nations who did not listen to them? When do we say "case closed"? You hand in your file — officially your assignment has come to completion. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: that day hasn't come yet, it's coming. Assignment completion day for the prophets is still coming.

When are they going to come and do their debriefing? Ya Allah, I worked 80 years, this many people accepted Islam, this many people didn't. Give testimony. Interesting little point here I want to share. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned in Surah Ash-Shu'ara:

That the magicians were gathered for an appointed time on an appointed day. This is the story of Fir'aun and Musa alayhi as-salam. And regarding the Day of Judgment, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in Surah Al-Waqi'ah:

They will all be gathered for the big meeting day, on the known day. The miqat — the set time — for the known day, which is the Day of Judgment.

This is an interesting point for the Arabic students. Look at the difference between the two ayahs. In the Surah Al-Waqi'ah reference about the Day of Judgment, it is إِلَىٰ مِيقَاتِ. In the Surah Ash-Shu'ara reference about the magicians, it is لِمِيقَاتِ. One is لِـ and one is إِلَىٰ. لِـ is obviously shorter than إِلَىٰ. And the ulema say:

(A well-known principle of Arabic rhetoric and Quranic linguistic analysis)

The more letters there are, the more meaning there is. The difference between لِـ and إِلَىٰ is that إِلَىٰ is for a longer period of time. Because the Day of Judgment is still much further away than the time that was set for the magicians to meet with Musa alayhi as-salam. So in the story of the magicians, لِمِيقَاتِ is used. And in the Day of Judgment instance, إِلَىٰ مِيقَاتِ is used. Because the time between now and the Day of Judgment is obviously much longer than the few days or weeks between Fir'aun telling the magicians they have such and such a day to face Musa alayhi as-salam.

So what is the day that the prophets are waiting to come and give their debriefing?

To the Day of Decision. And what will make you know what is the Day of Decision? O Rasulullah, O Habibullah, O Nabiullah — do you realize what the Day of Decision is? If Allah is telling this to His Prophet, where are we? We have no idea. This is the reason why we're leading a life of absolute heedlessness — because we have no idea what Qiyamah is about. If we knew even a millionth of what Rasulullah ﷺ had — if we had that yaqeen — my life and your life would be completely, completely, completely different. The reason we are leading a life of heedlessness is because the reality of the Day of Judgment is not dawning upon us.

Allah is telling the Prophet ﷺ: and do you realize what is that Day of Decision? When Allah will decide between those who warred with each other, those who differed about the truth. As Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah:

Indeed, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will pass judgment on the Day of Judgment between them in those affairs that they had a difference of opinion in.

Woe that day to all the beliers of faith and judgment. Woe that day to all those who belied and did not believe in the Day of Judgment, did not believe in iman — they're going to have a really, really tough day. This ayah has been repeated in this surah ten times. Ten times. Allah repeats the exact same ayah, sending a strong message: Come right! Stop belying the promises of Allah. One day it's going to hit you.

Inshallah, starting next week, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give barakah in our time. We will cover the ten times this ayah is repeated, and we'll cover this entire surah. May Allah ta'ala give barakah. Inshallah we'll now take a few questions, as Isha is at ten.

Announcements

This Saturday will be our Hajj Workshop from Maghrib till after Isha. Anyone you know across the country or even across the globe — the program will be live streamed. If you know anyone from your family or community is going for Hajj, kindly please spread the word. This Saturday, Mufti Sa'ad Rauf and Mawlana Farhan Sharif, inshallah, will be discussing the spiritual and the fiqh dimensions of Hajj. Inshallah I'll be visiting Tampa this Friday and Saturday, so if you know anyone out there, ask them to come. The flyer is also being shared on the WhatsApp groups.

Then there is the Summer Program that I was encouraging all of you to sign up for. Three weeks of the Deen Intensive, and then two weeks of Quranic Arabic Intensive. Open to men and women, all different ages — one group for ages 13 to 17, and one for 18 and above, both on the women's side and the men's side. The Tanweer Summer in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Honestly, 25, 40, 50 summers have gone by. This summer will also go by. Let's make it beneficial. Just a few weeks, inshallah, will hopefully have a very powerful effect on our deen as well as our dunya.

There is also our One-Year Program starting August 11th. Applications are closing soon, in the next month or so. I encourage you inshallah to please share the message. There are many boys and girls who've been thinking about taking time off to study the deen. This is your opportunity.

Every Thursday, we have Kalam and Coffee for boys 18 to 30 years old in the men's banquet hall — every Thursday with Mawlana Muhammad Omar or Mawlana Yusuf Sulaiman. Kalam means discussions on Islamic philosophy — a beautiful, relaxed setting for college students to come and connect with a young scholar and discuss issues of faith.

And then Team Fajr — we're looking for some sponsors for the breakfast for the next few months. It's about $500 to serve about 150 people. And beyond being a donor, more importantly, we want you to invite people for the Fajr program. Alhamdulillah, we are doing different 99 names of Allah every single Saturday — all recorded and live streamed. Inshallah Sheikh Tahseen will give the talk this Saturday.

For children's programs over the summer: ages 6 to 13, it's called QIS — Qur'an, Islamic Studies and Sports Program, which is very popular. It usually fills up quite early, so I encourage you inshallah to please sign up. You have an AM session and a PM session. For younger kids, ages 3½ to 5, it's called Tarbiyah for Tots, with a morning session and an evening session.

We will do Surah Al-Kahf after Salatul Isha — the first 10 and the last 10 ayahs of Surah Al-Kahf, which we've been reading after Isha every night. We encourage all of you to please stay and join us. It takes only 3 to 4 minutes. And also make a habit — if you're not praying Isha here on regular days, please make a habit of reading this at home.

Q&A Session

On Speaking with a Non-Mahram with Marriage Intentions

Is it okay to speak with a non-mahram if you have good intentions and want to marry that person? MashaAllah, good intention. So if you want to marry that person, you definitely should get married — but go about it in a proper manner. Just chit-chatting online is not the best way. Go through proper channels. That's why we have the Darussalam matrimonial here, to facilitate marriages between brothers and sisters.

On the Woman Who Tortured an Animal but Prayed Salah

The person that tortured an animal but was pious otherwise — why did she go to hell when it's been said that whoever prays Fajr and Asr will go to Jannah? If a person actually prays Fajr and Asr, or in another hadith Fajr and Isha — Salat al-Bardayn — they'll go to Jannah. If they actually prayed it properly, they wouldn't be going around killing cats. So this person was not properly praying their salah. If you properly prepare your salah, then this type of violation will not take place.

On Parents Not Permitting a Gap Year for Deen Studies

My parents are not letting me take a gap year for the Tanweer program. One of the things is that they may not know what the Tanweer program is and what benefits it provides. They should meet the fathers and mothers of other Tanweer students who took a gap year between undergrad and medical school, or between undergrad and law school. There are so many of them this year here. So I would suggest that you connect with the current students, and they can get their parents to speak to your parents and discuss that. Plus read Surah Yasin and Surah Ar-Rahman to soften their hearts, and dedicate the reward to them.

On Returning Property to an Unknown Owner

If someone has taken the property of another but is unable to reach that person to return it, can they give the value of it in sadaqah? Yes. If you absolutely do not know who that person is, then give that away in sadaqah.

On Tajweed Programs Over the Summer

Regarding a Tajweed program over the summer — at the moment, no. They might be starting a summer Hifz program for kids. We're trying inshallah to get that sorted out soon and are looking for a good teacher for that. But for adults, at the moment here, we do not have a Tajweed-specific summer program.

On Waking Up for Tahajjud and Fajr

I want to pray Tahajjud but I get lazy and sleepy. Give guidance. And another person said they're having a hard time waking up for Fajr. SubhanAllah — there are some basic things we have to do:

First: Read Surah Ad-Duha before you go to bed, and ask Allah azza wa jal to make it easy for you to wake up. All of you know Surah Ad-Duha.

Second: Read the last ayahs of Surah Al-Kahf with the niyyah of waking up.

Third: Read Surah Al-A'raf, ayah 187:

Fourth: Drink lots of water before you go to bed.

Fifth: Sleep in the state of wudu.

Sixth: Sleep in a slightly uncomfortable position — on the floor, on a sofa, with one less blanket. Make it a little bit uncomfortable.

Seventh: Put an annoying alarm and keep it far away from your bed. Nowadays you have apps that require you to type in a math equation in order to turn it off. Make it annoying — something you don't like at all. Keep it farther away from you so you have to get up. One person has a short clip of an imam exhorting people to wake up and pray — he said that clip wakes him up every morning. MashaAllah.

And definitely, have people in your own house tell them: "Hey, I'm trying to wake up. Please make sure I'm awake." And give them permission to sprinkle water on you. The hadith says that:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1308; also reported in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1336)

May Allah have mercy on that husband who wakes his wife for Tahajjud, and may Allah have mercy on the wife who wakes her husband — and if the other does not wake up, they sprinkle water. The Nabi ﷺ made du'a for that type of husband and wife. So don't start sprinkling without permission — get their agreement first. Tell your spouse or sibling: "This is something I need your help in."

On Knowing Right and Wrong in the Nuances of Life

How do we know what is right and wrong within the nuances of life? Even if you study the ilm, it's hard. Taqwa can be stricter than fatwa sometimes. This is when you need a mentor. That's why you're supposed to have a sheikh or a mentor. You ask them: "I know the fatwa says this, but what should I be doing? I'm not motivated to do it. Can you give me some spiritual strength or some adhkar that makes me motivated to do what I need to do?"

On Bringing Qur'an and Sunnah into the Heart

How to bring Qur'an and Sunnah into the heart and deen so you can transform — I come to events but I'm not there yet. Good. The fact that you recognize you're not there yet is a number one achievement — that itself is an achievement. Number two: I would focus on dhikr of Allah privately. Just doing dhikr quietly in your heart. Make a habit every single day. Push yourself towards istighfar and salawat. Just do some more dhikr and du'a. Private du'a and dhikr — these are things that are extremely beneficial in building your relationship with Allah. Number three: read the stories of the salaf, the pious predecessors — biographies and stories of their mujahadah, sacrifice, and piety. That's also very effective on the heart.

So we'll do dhikr for a few minutes, inshallah.

Also, regarding the issue of doubting wudu after a couple of hours: this is an issue of waswasa. Don't repeat your wudu simply from doubt. Instead, read أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ, or read your Mu'awwidhatayn, read Manzil, and blow on yourself. If it's still not being resolved, do the sevens that I recommend. And inshallah, that should definitely take care of it. Break the back of shaytan by not giving in to that waswasa.