Surah Ghafir - Ep.10 - Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed | 7/23

Opening Supplications

The Verses Being Discussed — Sūrah Ghāfir, Āyāt 41–46

Introduction

Beloved respected brothers and sisters, dear elders and listeners. Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed me and you to all be here today in our gathering of tafsir of the book of Allah.

We ask Allah that He allows all of us to tremendously benefit from whatever is being shared. We ask Allah that He allows the secrets of the Qur'an to become apparent to all of us, and the applicability of every single word of the Qur'an to become open upon all of us. And allow us to have the conviction that the book of Allah is meant for us — that at this given time, all the problems of the world and our own lives will find their solutions in the book of Allah as explained to us by Rasulullah ﷺ.

Insha'Allah we renew our intention that whatever good we hear, we shall practice on it, we shall propagate it, we shall invite others towards it. And we also make du'a to Allah that whatever type of issues we are going through in our lives and whatever our community is going through, we ask Allah to allow all those issues to be addressed, insha'Allah.

Recap: The Mu'min of the People of Fir'awn

We've been speaking about the Mu'min Āl Fir'awn — the believer from among the people of Fir'awn. Last week, of course, there was a very long tafsir between 'Asr and Maghrib. And since it was the day of 'Āshūrā' as well — the 10th of Muharram — there were a lot of reflections on that, along with some aspects of my journey overseas.

So now we move on to āyah number 41, continuing with the statement of the man who accepted Islam from the people of Fir'awn. He was so blessed that Allah named the entire surah after him — that is Sūrah al-Mu'min. Sūrah al-Mu'min is named after that individual because of the fact that he was going against the tide and chose to become a Muslim, and then gave da'wah and invited people as well. This is what Allah is highlighting in this entire surah.

Tafsir of Āyah 41: "I Invite You to Salvation, You Invite Me to Fire"

Allah says: وَيَٰقَوۡمِ — "O My people." This is the man who accepted Islam from among the people of Fir'awn, addressing them.

مَا لِيٓ — "What is wrong with me? How is it that..." أَدۡعُوكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلنَّجَٰةِ — "I am inviting you to salvation." وَتَدۡعُونَنِيٓ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ — "While you, on the other hand, are inviting me to fire."

نَجَاة means salvation. How is it that I'm trying to look out for your best interest, and on the other hand, instead of you reciprocating that, you're doing something completely opposite — you're pushing me towards fire?

تَدۡعُونَنِي لِأَكۡفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ — "You are inviting me to disbelieve in Allah." وَأُشۡرِكَ بِهِ — "And to associate with Him." مَا لَيۡسَ لِي بِهِ عِلۡمٌ — "That of which I have no knowledge." The reason I have no knowledge of Allah's partner is because Allah doesn't have a partner. There is no partner. It's not that a partner exists that I'm unaware of. You're inviting me to associate with Him something of which I have no knowledge, because there isn't anything out there that could even remotely be called a partner of Allah.

وَأَنَا۠ أَدۡعُوكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡغَفَّٰرِ — "While I am continuously inviting you to Allah, al-'Azīz — the Almighty — al-Ghaffār — the Most Forgiving."

لَا جَرَمَ means "There is no doubt." أَنَّمَا تَدۡعُونَنِيٓ إِلَيۡهِ لَيۡسَ لَهُۥ دَعۡوَةٌۭ فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَلَا فِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ — "All that you are calling me to worship has nothing worthy of invocation — no backbone, no strength, no say, no value — not in this world, nor in the hereafter."

وَأَنَّ مَرَدَّنَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ — "And our inevitable return is to Allah alone." مَرَدَّنَا means our return. We all have to go back to Allah. And then we're going to realize: أَنَّ ٱلۡمُسۡرِفِينَ هُمۡ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ — "That those who are exceedingly rebellious are the companions of the fire."

إِسۡرَاف means to be excessive — we know excessive spending is also called إِسۡرَاف. So مُسۡرِفِينَ refers to those who are excessively rebellious. It does not merely say they will enter the fire — it says they are the companions of the fire. صُحۡبَة — companionship — meaning they are going to be in the fire forever.

Āyah 44: Tafwīdh — Entrusting Matters to Allah

Then the Mu'min Āl Fir'awn tells the people: فَسَتَذۡكُرُونَ مَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمۡ — "Soon a time will come when you will remember all this advice I'm sharing with you. Right now you may not be taking me seriously. Soon you will remember what I'm saying to you."

وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمۡرِيٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ — "I entrust all my matters with Allah." What can I do? I tried, I tried, I tried. Not only are you not listening, you are actually trying to harm me. إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَصِيرُۢ بِٱلۡعِبَادِ — "Indeed Allah is all-seeing of His servants."

Āyah 45: Allah Saved the Believer

فَوَقَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِ مَا مَكَرُواْ — After he gave his speech and tried and tried and tried, his du'a for safety was accepted. وَقَى يَقِي means to save. Allah saved him from the great evil that they had plotted.

For the students of knowledge present today — سَيِّـَٔاتِ here: what is its grammatical state (إعراب)? Although it carries a kasrah, it is in the state of نَصۡب — it is the مَفۡعُول of وَقَى. Allah protected this man from the evil — مَا مَكَرُوا — of what they plotted.

وَحَاقَ بِـَٔالِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ سُوٓءُ ٱلۡعَذَابِ — While the worst type of punishment overwhelmed and surrounded the people of Fir'awn from every side. He got saved — the Mu'min of Fir'awn had the last laugh. While the entire army of Fir'awn and Fir'awn himself were done.

Some of their bodies have been saved, as comes in the Qur'an:

"Today We shall save your body so that you may be a sign for those who come after you." The pharaoh has visited the Field Museum here in Chicago — mummified, peacefully resting for people to purchase tickets to see.

Āyah 46: Punishment in the Barzakh and on the Day of Judgment

ٱلنَّارُ يُعۡرَضُونَ عَلَيۡهَا غُدُوًّۭا وَعَشِيًّۭا — Moreover, to the fire are they exposed. عَرَض means to be exposed. Every single day — غُدُوًّۭا وَعَشِيًّۭا — morning and evening, fire is being presented to them — meaning they are being grilled on fire every morning and evening. This is while they are still in the world of the grave, the Barzakh — the world between this life and the next. This is just the waiting lounge.

وَيَوۡمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ أَدۡخِلُوٓاْ ءَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ أَشَدَّ ٱلۡعَذَابِ — Then on the Day of Judgment, it will be said to the angels: "Commit them, the people of Fir'awn, into the most severe torment." Meaning they got punished and destroyed in this world. They are being punished as we speak in the life of Barzakh. And then the worst of it is going to come in the hereafter.

Lessons and Reflections

1. The Courage of One Man Speaking Truth Before a Tyrant

This man is not a prophet — that's the amazing thing. He's not a prophet. But look at the desire he has to guide people, the firm belief he has in his speech, and the fact that he is so unfazed by what he is watching.

Think of yourself — put yourself in his position. You are one man surrounded by the entire army of the most ruthless people who are out there to destroy and kill anyone who claims that anyone is a god besides Fir'awn. And you know you're going to die and get tortured. You see what Fir'awn did to his own wife Āsiyah, as we discussed in Sūrah al-Tahrīm. What he did to the Māshitah — the hairdresser of the daughter of Fir'awn — how he threw her into a scalding vat of oil and literally fried her alive.

And now in front of that type of person and that nation, you are not scared. You are speaking the truth. That is why it is called أَفۡضَلُ الۡجِهَادِ:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 4011; also recorded in Musnad Ahmad)

"The most virtuous struggle is to speak the truth in front of a powerful oppressive tyrant." Because this oppressive tyrant, if he says "I'm gonna cut your tongue off," he'll do it. "I'm gonna cut your limbs off," he'll do it. Now to go stand up and speak the truth in front of that type of person means you have absolutely no fear of death, and your commitment to Allah is beyond anything else. That is why it is called the highest level of struggle.

2. When the Truth Cannot Be Heard

When the truth is spoken with such power, how is it that someone can listen and not be affected? Fir'awn has no response. The Qur'an doesn't mention any response from Fir'awn, because what could he possibly respond? He kept quiet. But it's as though when the truth is spoken, there are corks inside the ears of certain people — a deafness — and they simply cannot hear the truth. And if anything, their hearing is so corrupted that what you say is misconstrued into the opposite of what you intended.

A good example of that is what we are seeing in the genocide taking place. No matter how many videos, no matter how many facts, no matter how many reporters, no matter how many politicians from different parts of the world go on the ground and say what's happening — a vast majority of this country simply cannot get it. All we're asking is for people to say: if you had the control, would you be against this bloodbath? Just say, "Yes, I want this to end." And unfortunately, it's so hard to even get that type of resolution passed. May Allah protect us from becoming people who cannot hear the truth.

3. We Are Invited to Either Jannah or Jahannam Every Single Day

How is it that I'm inviting you towards Jannah, and you're inviting me towards Jahannam? My dear brothers — this happens to us all day. Every moment, we are being invited to either one or both.

Right now, on this Tuesday evening, someone reminded you of this tafsir gathering. But at this very moment, there are so many other gatherings of heedlessness and ḥarām taking place in driving distance. Either you received only this invitation today, or you received both, and you chose this over that. Every single day we get an invitation.

For example, when someone says: "Come on, life is short. You're young. You'll make tawbah when you grow up. When your beard gets white and you get arthritis and you're in a wheelchair — then you can repent. Right now, coming to the masjid is for old people. Let's go enjoy life." That is an invitation towards Jahannam.

When you are invited to a mixed gathering — sushi with friends, hookah with friends, bowling, movie night — with young couples, married couples, unmarried couples, everything mixed together — you are not being invited to bowling or sushi or ice cream. You are being invited to Jahannam. Every single time someone says, "Let's go to this type of wedding" — where there is dancing, loud music, men and women inappropriately dressed, sitting next to each other — that is not an invitation to a wedding. That is an invitation to إِلَى النَّارِ — to fire. The one who invites you is inviting towards fire, and the one who accepts is going towards fire.

And dare you say you're busy, dare you say you're going to the masjid, dare you say you're committed to a program somewhere else — the way you will be lambasted for "how dare you not accept an invitation of a brother" — all of a sudden Islam shows up to the scene on this one occasion. SubhanAllah.

Very truly, in the summer people fly to the other end of the country — thousands of dollars in tickets, hotels, rental cars, tuxedos — for what? For a wedding. But the daily fardh salah happening five minutes from your home — not once did that thought come across.

A brother was telling me about young men and women doing extremely inappropriate things. I asked how he ended up with that crowd. He said he went to a childhood friend's destination wedding on one of the islands. Ya akhi — you have brains. You don't think that's going to happen? People disconnected from the deen invite you to a destination wedding — why are you jumping with excitement? The only reason you should go is if you have the power to actually bring change. But if you go as a spectator and get sucked in, how will you answer Allah that you were there in the first place?

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith 4345)

"Whenever a sin is committed on earth — whoever is present but hates it in his heart, Allah will treat him as though he was never there. And whoever was not there but was pleased with what happened, he will be treated as though he were present."

Imagine — not even being present in a place of sin, but being okay with it, gets you as though you're in the middle of it. We have become extremely relaxed on this issue: "I don't commit ḥarām myself, but I have friends who do, so I show up to their events." My beloved friends — this is all دَعۡوَة إِلَى النَّارِ. This is all invitation towards hell. Any gathering in which the laws of Allah are being broken is a gathering that will take a person towards hell.

4. Misery Loves Company — Shaytan Wants Company in Hellfire

You see — misery loves company. When a second-grader gets kicked out of class, he doesn't like being alone in the hallway. So he makes faces through the window, gets another kid thrown out. Then they need a third. Shaytan wants company in hellfire. Those who are committing sin don't feel content committing it alone. It feels nice to have people from the masjid — people who pray, who fast, who recite Qur'an — present in a messed-up gathering. It's as if they can tell Allah: "He was there too."

It's like wanting someone careful about whether a restaurant is ḥalāl to join you. If Mawlana is eating there — poof, it feels legitimate. Deep down you know it's probably not right, but having someone else there takes the weight off your shoulders. People holding gatherings of sin feel their conscience gnawing at them, so they grab as many people as possible.

You have to be smart and say: "No, my friend. I need to love for my brother what I love for myself. I don't want hell for myself, and nor do I want it for him." Use your intelligence. Don't make rash decisions accepting any and all invitations.

5. The Allure of Ḥarām Wealth and the Reality of Happiness

Many people are going to invite you towards investment schemes that are clearly ḥarām — Ponzi schemes, defrauding the government, and so forth. Yes, you can make a lot of money. But after making a million — is there any billionaire in the world who doesn't have to go to the toilet? Doesn't have to brush his teeth? Doesn't have to worry about blood sugar, heart disease, upsetting his spouse, disobedient children? Find me one person like that. Everything you and I worry about, they worry about too. And on top of that, their relationships aren't real — they can't trust anyone. Life can be quite miserable when a person is in that situation.

Someone was asked — a king once asked his wazir, "Who is a king?" The wazir said, "You are the king." He said, "No — what are the attributes of a real king?" And the king himself answered:

"The king is a man who has a house sufficient for him, a wife that keeps him happy, and he doesn't know us and we don't know him. Because if I knew him, I would try to bring him down. And if he knew me, he would spend his life trying to please me instead of enjoying his life with his wife and children." True happiness comes from simple things. It really doesn't come from fame and name. Ask anyone who has become super famous — they'll tell the crowd "this is amazing," but deep down they'll tell you how horrible their life has become.

So is it really worth it to indulge in ḥarām investments? Is it worth it to steal from your siblings in the distribution of inheritance? To cheat a business partner out of their rightful profits? Whatever mistakes we do — Allah says in the Qur'an:

"Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil shall see it." ذَرَّة in Arabic means the smallest particle in existence. In the ākhirah, it is not about pounds or tons or grams or ounces — every single thing is being measured. That is why the 'ulamā' say this is the most intimidating and scary verse in the entire Qur'an. "It was just a wink, just a comment under my breath" — every smallest comment, statement, thought — Allah says, you're going to see its consequence.

And simultaneously, the most hopeful āyah is that whoever did even the smallest amount of good — you're going to see its reward. Allah encompasses and remembers everything while you forget. لَا يَضِلُّ رَبِّي وَلَا يَنسَى — "My Lord neither errs nor forgets." (Qur'an 20:52) Allah will ensure every single good deed is rewarded and appreciated.

One of the most useless sins — out of many — is backbiting. What do we get out of it? The person is not even here. You're telling person A about person C. What did you benefit in dunyā or ākhirah? You're not making any money off of it. Yet:

(Reported by al-Bayhaqī in Shu'ab al-Īmān; see also related narrations in Musnad Ahmad)

"Gheebah (backbiting) is worse than fornication." And it has been compared in the Qur'an to eating the flesh of your dead brother:

Two major things are destroying the ummah: the misuse of the eye and the misuse of the tongue. Sitting there looking at ḥarām — astaghfirullah — there is absolutely no benefit in it. This is how shaytan and our nafs get to us without us even realizing we are being misled.

6. Accept the Invitation to Jannah

When someone says, "Let's go for 'Ishā' salah together" — go ahead. "There's a conference of a scholar" — go ahead. If Allah facilitates the desire. My dear brothers — if any of you are blessed to have a friend who messages you and invites you to something good, thank Allah that you are surrounded with people who remind you. Those are beautiful reminders that Allah is giving us through such friends.

Allah said to Rasulullah ﷺ:

"Do not obey and do not listen to the one whose heart We have turned away from Our remembrance." Of course Allah is addressing Rasulullah ﷺ here, but we are the intended audience. So we learn: do not follow the person whose heart has been turned away from the remembrance of Allah.

7. Look at the Big Picture — Do Not Be Deceived by Shaytan's Packaging

Shaytan is so clever and slick. He will never invite you to something he knows you hate and know is absolutely ḥarām. His game plan is always to present evil and ḥarām packaged very nicely.

For example — a person hears about a gathering where men and women sit together and says, "That doesn't sound right." But then: "SubhanAllah, the speaker is powerful. The talk is about the hereafter." I remember many years ago, around 2006–2008, when I used to speak very regularly at universities — I had a Jahannam series, a Jannah series. And I remember sometimes getting really upset because I would see people walk into the auditorium holding hands, and after one hour of tears about hellfire — "Amazing, sheikh!" — they'd hold hands and walk off. I thought: why did I waste my time? It is like standing in a pool of urine and pouring bottles of perfume over yourself. You'll still stink. You have to move out of that puddle first.

When you are sitting in filth and sin, no matter how powerful a talk you listen to, it's not going to change you — unless you make a move to get out of that environment of sin. I still go to such places once in a while, but my goal is like a firefighter entering a burning house. You don't sit down and sip tea. You go in and out, extinguish what you can, and drag out whoever you can. And then pray for the building if you can't save it.

This is also how shaytan gets people to use their platforms for the wrong things. A person starts off with TikTok lectures — no problem. But then, to get the algorithm working in their favor, music gets thrown in the background. Then the wife. Then the daughter. Used as clickbait. And if you ask that person, they'll say, "No, I'm spreading the deen. I'm trying to get the word out." But in what manner?

Similarly, shaytan won't tell you to skip witr salah outright. He'll say: "Brother, mashallah, you're pumped up. Let's begin tomorrow at 3 a.m. with 8 rak'āts of tahajjud — and pray witr at the end with tahajjud. So tonight, skip witr." He will never say "just go to sleep without witr" — because you'd say astaghfirullah immediately. He always presents the ḥarām in a way that appeals to you.

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned from the signs of the Hour:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 3385; also Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5590 with related wording)

People will use intoxicants but call them by other names — recreational or medicinal marijuana, non-alcoholic malt beverages. I asked one store owner why he sells such things, and he told me: "Our customers want to get the feeling of holding a beer bottle. So this is the ḥalāl option." Look at what that reveals. From 0% alcohol to 0.01% to 0.5% to 1.2% — who's going to be reading the labels? This is how shaytan gets in. Slowly but surely.

And some people say: "We need to get men back into the masjid. How? Through women." I kid you not — this is actual documented strategy in some places. This is how shaytan plays a trick on the planners. They genuinely think they're serving deen when they're serving the efforts of shaytan. Be careful.

8. The Believer Has the Last Laugh

We should always be thinking: what will grant me the ability to have the last laugh? Allah says in Sūrah al-Inshiqāq, regarding the believer who receives his book of deeds in his right hand:

The believer on the Day of Judgment, when he receives his book of deeds in his right hand, goes back to his family — مَسۡرُورًا — happy. What a success that is — فَلَاحٌ لَيۡسَ بَعۡدَهُ رَسَبٌ — a success after which there is absolutely no failure. May Allah bring that day for all of us. Ameen.

And the disbeliever — Allah describes him with the same word مَسۡرُور:

He used to be happy, sitting there enjoying life in the dunyā. And now today is payday. So — you can laugh either here or there. You choose. You want to laugh here, or you want to laugh there? Allah is saying the believer is going to have the last laugh.

Similarly, Allah says in Sūrah al-Mutaffifīn:

"Today the believers will be reclining on couches, laughing at the disbelievers who used to make fun of them in the dunyā." The people of Gaza — they're going to have the last laugh. There is absolutely no doubt about it. How long does a genocide last? How long does it take a bullet to demolish a masjid? Five minutes. But Jahannam is not going to be five minutes, not five hours, not five centuries — it's for eternity. And Allah will allow the people of Jannah part of their enjoyment to be witnessing what happens to those who oppressed them.

9. The Meaning of Disbelief and Shirk in Everyday Life

تَدۡعُونَنِي لِأَكۡفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ — "You are inviting me to disbelieve in Allah." Disbelieving in Allah is not only to say Allah doesn't exist. One form is to say: "Allah exists, but I am not going to follow His commands." And that is what the ummah is doing today. Ask someone: "Are you Muslim?" "Of course I'm Muslim — I eat biryani, I eat kabsa, I eat maqluba." Culture. But why are you involved in ribā? Why are you listening to music? Why are you eating ḥarām? "I don't need to follow His deen because it's not applicable anymore." He may not say this with his tongue — but some do say it with their tongue as well. This is kufr in practice.

People sometimes come to me and say, "Sheikh, I need help getting married," or parents say, "Please find a good girl for my son." And then: "But please make sure she is not hijābī." Or: "Please make sure he's not too religious." Wallahi, I cringe. You're speaking to someone whose job is to explain what is ḥalāl and ḥarām, and you're asking me to facilitate that. Anytime you receive an invitation in which the orders of Allah are being broken, it falls under تَدۡعُونَنِي لِأَكۡفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ.

وَأُشۡرِكَ بِهِۦ مَا لَيۡسَ لِي بِهِۦ عِلۡمٌ — "And to commit shirk." You may not be actively bowing down to something besides Allah. But if you feel someone else has full authority over you or your life — that you are willing to break the order of Allah in order to please your manager, your boss, your partner, your spouse, your children — because otherwise they will get upset — that is shirk. You are giving preference to the pleasure of someone else over the pleasure of Allah, because you believe that person has full authority over you and can harm or benefit you beyond what Allah can. How is that not shirk?

10. Al-'Azīz al-Ghaffār — Almighty, Most Forgiving

The Mu'min Āl Fir'awn says: أَدۡعُوكُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡغَفَّٰرِ — "I am inviting you to al-'Azīz — everyone needs Him, He is all-powerful, almighty, absolutely overbearing — and to al-Ghaffār — He is most forgiving, He loves to forgive."

You might think: "Al-'Azīz — He's got no time for me. If He sees me making one mistake, He'll destroy me." No. Al-Ghaffār. He loves to forgive. Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3540 — declared Hasan Gharīb)

"O son of Adam, as long as you call out to Me and have hope from Me, I shall forgive you of any and all sins you have done — and I could not care less." No one can ask: "Ya Allah, how dare You forgive such a person?" The day you and I repent, the day we feel remorse, the day we shed a tear out of remorse — it's game over. Everything we've done, no matter how horrible, as long as it's not oppression against people, Allah will forgive all of it. And if it's oppression against people, we simply have to ask their forgiveness.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3540)

"O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the expanse of the heavens, and then you sought forgiveness from Me — I shall forgive all your sins, and I do not care."

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3540)

"O son of Adam, if you come to Me with an entire earth full of sins — as long as you do not ascribe partners with Me — I will come to you with an entire earth full of forgiveness." For every sin, one forgiveness on His side. That is al-Ghaffār.

Allah says:

"O My servants who have transgressed against themselves — do not become despondent from the mercy of Allah." You are still called "My servant" even after transgression. So this is what the Mu'min Āl Fir'awn is saying — listen to what I have to say.

11. Be a Key for Goodness and a Lock for Evil

How lucky are we if we accept the invitation towards goodness and reject the invitation towards evil. That is why Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 237)

"Glad tidings for that servant of Allah whom Allah has made a key for goodness and a lock for evil." This is the du'a we should make — wherever I go, I am an agent of goodness. Because of me, people get motivated to do good things. And because of me, Allah uses me to close doors of sin.

When you're in an ice cream shop, look at the employee's name tag — say "As-salamu alaykum, Hamza." If he's local, say: "We have a great program this Friday evening." Don't be afraid. You're giving him business, he's earning money from you — just mention your local masjid. I did that once at a burger shop, I saw a bunch of kids there on the weekend of our retreat, and I said: "As-salamu alaykum boys, this weekend at Dar-us-Salam just down the street there's a retreat, you know about it?" They were shocked. They couldn't believe I was inviting them to the masjid. If the Jehovah's Witnesses are inviting people in the masjid parking lot, you should be surprised. But in a Muslim restaurant, you should not be surprised by a Muslim inviting you.

Ever since the ummah neglected inviting towards good and forbidding evil, we've been getting whipped left and right. The whole idea of a child being raised by the entire neighborhood — any child doing something wrong, you didn't have to wait for the father, the neighbor would correct him, and the father would say "thank you." We lived as one family. And ever since everyone said "I don't want to intrude on your parenting," the ummah started deteriorating. When we lost the ability to correct our neighbor's son, we lost the ability to correct our own son. Who can correct his son or daughter today? Seriously. Many parents know exactly what their kids are involved in but say, "Sheikh, my hands are tied."

I tell my colleagues and fellow teachers: if we as scholars and 'ulamā' don't look out for each other, who will? Average people will feel shy or awkward to say, "Sheikh, you're making a mistake." But if we don't correct each other either — game over. We are all prone to mistakes. We need to create an environment where we say: I'm here to learn, and so are you. If I see something wrong, I'll tell you. You see something wrong, you tell me. That is the brotherhood and sisterhood Islam invites towards.

Rasulullah ﷺ also said:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 222; Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2681)

"One true scholar is more difficult and harsh upon shaytan than a thousand worshippers." You might have all the voluntary prayers going — salāt al-ishrāq, awwābīn, duḥā — mashallah. And a hundred dollars in the donation box. But left and right, someone is breaking the deen: "Not my problem, I'm doing my ibādah." Shaytan loves that. "Just focus on your ibādah and don't correct anyone." But one proper scholar — who not only knows the truth and practices it, but is also willing to speak it at a time when people don't want to hear it, even at the cost of losing his audience, his sponsors, his support — that scholar, shaytan hates.

12. The Boundaries of Allah

What is he referring to by الۡمُسۡرِفِينَ? Everyone who crosses the boundary — the boundary of doing good and the boundary of sin. There are two verses in the Qur'an. Sūrah al-Baqarah āyah 229, Allah says:

"These are the boundaries of Allah, do not cross over them." This refers to the مَأۡمُورَات — the things you are commanded to do. Do not neglect them.

And Sūrah al-Baqarah āyah 187, Allah says:

"Those are the boundaries of Allah, do not even come near them." This refers to the مَنَاهِي — the prohibited things. Notice the difference. When it comes to things you must do: don't surpass it. When it comes to things you must stay away from: don't even come near it. Because we are tempted. When you smell a Cinnabon, even if you're not hungry, you say, "Let me just go inside." The history of Cinnabon is that they deliberately chose mall locations — closed spaces — so the smell would spread and draw in people who hadn't even planned to buy anything.

That is why: don't go close. Because before the Day of Judgment, the Prophet ﷺ said regarding the various trials and Dajjāl:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2886 — with related wording)

"Whoever peeks at it will fall into it." "Let me just go check it out." "Let me just Google this." Brother — that search is game over. We are living in exactly that era. And during the time of fitnah, Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 7081; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2886)

"The one who is sitting is better than the one who is standing, the one who is standing is better than the one who is walking." The more you can put yourself low during the era of fitnah, the better you will be.

Think about our mashaykh today — the true 'ulamā' whose names you don't know, whose videos you have never seen, whose lectures are not online. Our giants of knowledge and spirituality — it's like a barrage of bullets, and they're not standing on top saying "bring it on." During a barrage of bullets, you duck. These 'ulamā' and ṣulaḥā' say: it's an era of fitnah, stay low, stay away from places where a lot is happening. But they are powerful sources of spirituality and knowledge, doing what needs to be done in a low-key manner.

We need to seek out such people. I think of each of my teachers — outstanding mountains of knowledge and spirituality, but unknown to the average person because they are not on social media. And it would be such a disservice to think: "I haven't heard him on TikTok, so I'm not going to his talk." Fame online is not a criterion of someone being accepted in the eyes of Allah. May Allah give us the understanding of this.

13. Tafwīdh — Entrusting Matters to Allah — and Never Giving Up

The Mu'min Āl Fir'awn says his days are numbered. He's spoken the truth in the face of a tyrant. If you want to take me out, go ahead. But I am entrusting all my matters with Allah. I tried everything I had to. Now I hand it over to Him.

What is the final ending in this world? فَوَقَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِ مَا مَكَرُوا — it seems as though you're in the lion's den, in the mouth of the serpent, speaking straight to Fir'awn and his people. Yet Allah saved him. We should not be surprised. فَوَقَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ — Allah saved him. If someone else says "we saved him," you ask how. But when the statement is Allah saved him — the savior is Allah. When Allah chooses to save someone, He can pull him out from the very fangs of death.

Many times we come across difficult situations in our lives. There's no situation that is difficult for Allah. The situation may seem difficult for me and for you. But don't flinch. Allah is testing you and me every single day. The test is: are you going to blink or not? The one who doesn't flinch, who doesn't blink — wins. Allah will put obstacles on your path. And you literally have to say: "I'm not flinching, I'm not moving. I'm going to stay on this path until death comes to me."

Like when you're locked out of your house at 11 o'clock at night — does anyone say, "The door isn't opening, let me go to my neighbor's house instead"? You'll sleep in your car, knock on the bedroom window, do whatever you need. But this is your house and only your house. You will not sleep in a random person's house. Similarly — we only have the door of Allah. There is no reason to look left or right. If it seems like there is a locked door, your wife and kids are inside — you just have to knock harder. Allah is sometimes waiting for you to knock harder. Keep knocking, keep knocking.

I hate statements like "it's never gonna happen" or "maybe it's not meant for me." You're copping out. Allah wants you to increase your du'a, your nāfil salāh, your ṣadaqah. If you haven't woken up for Fajr for 50 years — today is the day you start. If you haven't read Qur'an for 40 years — today is the day. If you haven't paid zakāt for 30 years — today is the day. You can never say "I guess that's what Allah meant for me." Never give up. Allah says:

"And that is not difficult for Allah."

Once I was in Makkah al-Mukarramah with one of my teachers after Hajj — the most packed Jumu'ah of the year, 12th or 13th of Dhul Ḥijjah. It was already 12 o'clock and the sheikh asked if we could make it to the Ḥaram for Jumu'ah at 12:30. I said, "Never — impossible. The roads are all closed." And immediately he corrected me: "Never say this is impossible. It may seem impossible for you, but nothing is impossible for Allah. If the governor of Makkah wanted to go, would he make it? Of course — everything would open up." We must remove these words from our vocabulary.

There's a saying: دير وأندهر — delay and darkness. Allah may delay things, but He will never give you darkness. The tunnel may be long, but there is always light at the end. There is no such thing as a tunnel that never ends.

And why did Allah save the Mu'min Āl Fir'awn? Because of this very āyah — وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمۡرِيٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ. When you say, "I entrust my matters with Allah" — and you do your part: du'a, ṣadaqah, fasting, all your a'māl — then He takes care of it. Just like 'Abd al-Muṭṭalib when the Abyssinian army came to destroy the Ka'bah — he said:

"The Ka'bah has a Lord who will protect it." I'll do what I can do — the camels are my responsibility. The Ka'bah belongs to Allah. You have to play your part, and then leave it to Allah.

One of the most powerful things we have is two rak'āt — Ṣalāt al-Ḥājah. Along with ṣadaqah, some fasting, and asking righteous people to make du'a. Through these means, insha'Allah, your needs will be taken care of.

Closing Remarks and Announcements

Insha'Allah, there is a beautiful statement of Ja'far al-Ṣādiq rahimahullah on this āyah. It is a powerful statement. We will start off with that next week on this āyah, and hopefully we will all join together for that.

Additionally, a reminder: this Friday, we have an introduction to Imam Abu Hanifah and his methodology by Mufti Mu'ādh from the UK, who is joining us for the first time in the United States. Please join us for Jumu'ah at 1pm, and join us for his one-day workshop after Ṣalāt al-Maghrib. He will also insha'Allah have a Q&A session after 'Ishā — Friday, July 26th, insha'Allah. It will be live streamed, of course, like the rest of our programs for those from out of state.

Additionally, alhamdulillah, our Essential Arabic course began this Monday. If you still want to come join for a day or two and audit — alhamdulillah, you have a three-week program. Colleges and high schools are starting soon. This program is ideal for boys and girls age 12–13 and above, 18+, 20+ — come through, insha'Allah you'll benefit from the beautiful environment.

Additionally, the Tanweer One-Year Immersion Program — we have extended the deadline for our sisters. High school age girls, college age girls, and beyond — working women, homemakers — who would like to take a year off to study Islamic studies and Arabic: please learn about the program online, reach out to us, connect with some alumni, and apply soon, insha'Allah. The program begins August 12th.

If you are joining us for the first time today and do not receive WhatsApp messages for all our programs and links, please scan the QR code so that you can receive live stream links to all upcoming programs, insha'Allah.

After the remaining ṣalāh, we'll have a short Hadith as we usually do after 'Ishā, and then enjoy some tea from Kahwa House and some refreshments from Buns and Fire, insha'Allah ta'ālā.

This Saturday, we will be restarting full-fledged homemade hot breakfast — we paused because of summer break and early Fajr times. Insha'Allah, we are restarting full-scale breakfast with a talk as well. We are looking for hosts — we have run out of hosts. Starting this Saturday, if you would like to host a breakfast, please reach out to the brothers outside by the office, there is a sign-up sheet — meet Moulana Farhan or one of our volunteers. The cost is approximately $500 for the breakfast. We don't just request you to pay for it, but also to invite your family and friends to attend in person, insha'Allah. We have the next several months open with no one signed up — I encourage you, if you have the ability, or if you want to partner up with a friend and do it together, that is also insha'Allah recommended.

And we have our Ijtimā' coming August 16th to 18th at Jāmi'ah Masjid, insha'Allah — also a reminder for next month, August 16th to 18th.

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.