Surah Qasas - Ep. 3 | Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed

Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ – Episode 3

Please move forward and come close together, inshāAllāh. Brothers in the lobby who are planning to attend, come forward inshāAllāh — the brothers in the back of the masjid as well. Allāh reward you for every step you take.

Please sit as close as possible. Sisters as well, please sit inshāAllāh in the prayer hall, as close as possible to one another. The way we perform our ṣalāh together, let us inshāAllāh sit in the gathering of ʿilm and dhikr also.

And let us renew our niyyah and intention — that we are here only to please Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā. That we are here as ṭālibīn, looking for Allāh's assistance, looking for Allāh's help in guiding us towards what is right. In all the various issues that all of us are going through in our daily lives, we know that the solution only lies in the deen. And the solution only lies with Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā. For us to be able to pick up the muṣḥaf and look for the solution which is already present there — that is where the tough part comes in. So our coming here inshāAllāh is very well a possibility of Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā deciding for us the best, and allowing us to find the solutions to our issues in the Book of Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā.

And when we listen, we should listen with the intention of practicing whatever khair and good we hear, and with the intention of propagating it. We seek protection from Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā from making this ʿilm — that we are sharing and listening to — a proof against us. And we ask Allāh azza wa jalla that He makes it a proof for us on the Day of Judgment. Āmeen, Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn.

Recap: Āyah 9 – The Wife of Firʿawn

There was one āyah — āyah number 9 — that we will begin from:

Just to recap: last week we started from the āyāt where Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā mentions the blessings He is going to place upon Banī Isrāʾīl, and then Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā explained how this blessing came about through the beginning of the story — the story of Firʿawn making a decision that the children would be killed, and how that decision ended up becoming a means of some unbelievable khair coming into this world. This is how we began last week, and inshāAllāh we will reflect on a few points of the past few verses before we move on.

The Types of Waḥy

Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā in this passage brings in the word waḥy, and He says we have revealed to the mother of Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salām. So this waḥy is known as Waḥy Ilhām.

One is the Waḥy of Irsāl — the waḥy that is sent to a messenger, to the prophets. Then there is a Waḥy of Ilhām, which is an inspiration. A non-prophet can receive this as well. And the Waḥy Ilhām which a non-prophet receives — a friend of Allāh or anyone else for that matter — this is something that a person may practice on themselves, but you cannot force someone else to practice on it. You cannot say, "I just received this waḥy," because it is not waḥy for others. You might share some advice with others, but you cannot make it binding upon others.

Additionally, if a person feels an inspiration of some sort, he can follow it as long as it does not directly contradict a clear command of Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā. So there is a Waḥy Tashrīʿī — a prophet has said Allāh has ordered five daily ṣalāh for you to pray. But if a person says, "I am getting an inspiration that I only need to pray three from now on," then there is a contradiction between this type of waḥy and the Tashrīʿī waḥy. We are not allowed to follow this personal, so-called ilhāmī waḥy when it contradicts the sharīʿah. We have to give preference to what the Prophet said.

But no doubt there is something called Waḥy Ilhām. That is why the mother of Mūsā was not a prophet, yet Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā has used the word waḥy for her. People who are pious and righteous can definitely get inspired, and Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā can guide them.

And then you have another type — Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā mentions, for example, the waḥy that He sent to the honeybee:

Allāh inspired the honeybee. This is called Waḥy Gharīzah — the waḥy of nature. Allāh inspiring the honeybee to act in a certain manner, Allāh inspiring the ant to act in a certain manner. This is also called waḥy — the natural instinct is also a type of waḥy.

The Importance of Spiritual Companionship

That is why the ṣuḥbah of the pious is one of the greatest things any of us can be gifted with. One of the greatest things we can have is the companionship of pious people.

Today in class we were studying the story of Salmān al-Fārsī raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu. I am sure most of you have read it — if not, go ahead and read it on your own. It is the story of him traveling from one place to the other, for tens of years, many decades, just trying to find a pious person to stay with. And he would stay there, and after the scholar passed away, in his last moments the scholar would say, "Okay, you are dying, but where do I go next? You may pass on, but I am alive. And as long as I am alive, I need a pious person's company."

This is why we have seen that mashāʾikh, even if they were students of a certain shaykh, when the shaykh would pass away, they would immediately turn to another scholar who might have been many years junior to them. They would still say, "We are going to be your student in spirituality." SubḥānAllāh — you are my shaykh's age, you are twenty years older than me — doesn't make a difference. It is not safe for me to not have someone to call a teacher.

I had my iṣlāḥī taʿalluq — my spiritual-reformative connection — with Qārī Amīr al-Ḥasan raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh. And subḥānAllāh, he was in his nineties. When his shaykh passed away, he went from one to the other, to multiple ʿulamāʾ, including Shaykh Zakariyyā raḥmatullāhi ʿalayh and others. And at the very end, he went and spent time with someone who was much junior to him — Ḥakīm Kalīmullāh. He is still alive. He spent time with him near Aligarh. Their temperaments were very different. But he said: it does not matter if you are junior to me or different from me. The fact is that I cannot say I have no teacher now that my teacher has passed on.

Being teacherless makes you vulnerable. Such an important point, my brothers — we must always find someone to be spiritually connected with. There is no such thing as "all the pious people are dead." If you are alive, alḥamdulillāh, there are other pious people around as well.

On my trip to England this past summer, right before I boarded the flight back — just half an hour before — someone told me there is a shaykh here, go visit him. So I had the opportunity to go visit Mawlānā Ismāʿīl Ghānī in London. His son opened the door, I went all the way upstairs, and just the appreciation and love he granted me was very moving. He took my number, I shared with him whatever little work is happening here at Dāruʾs-Salām, asked him for his duʿāʾ and his guidance. I said I was running to the airport, so I needed to get going. He gave me a few dates and some snacks. I barely made the flight.

Then, thinking afterwards — subḥānAllāh — to meet a walī and a friend of Allāh, it is worth it. Lo and behold, about six weeks later, I could not believe it — on the day of Jumuʿah — I received a message that he had passed away. When I met him, he did not look sick at all. He was elderly, but nowhere near death, apparently. But on Friday he passed away. So I was very shell-shocked — appreciative that Allāh had given me the opportunity to meet him, but shocked that subḥānAllāh, how did he go away so soon?

When I inquired about him more, people said that Mawlānā, although he was weak and could not come down the stairs and go to the masjid on a regular basis, he made a point to keep his iṣlāḥī taʿalluq connected — even with juniors. He maintained his spiritual relationship with Mawlānā Sālim from Leicester. Whenever Mawlānā Sālim would come to London, Mawlānā Ismāʿīl would make a point to go visit him, to sit in his majlis — someone who was far junior to him. He said: no, I do not feel right not having someone above me.

The last Friday, there was a Qurʾān graduation. Mawlānā Sālim came from Leicester, and Mawlānā Ismāʿīl attended the gathering, although he was sick. Then he said to Mawlānā Sālim: "We are going to meet in the Hereafter." Mawlānā Sālim took notice of that. He told Mawlānā Ismāʿīl's sons: "Your father mentioned something today — be very careful, stay with him extra closely this entire week." Because he said something he had never said before: "I will see you in the Hereafter." And sure enough, by the next Friday, he had passed away.

A couple of things to point out here. One is ilhām — how does a person know their time is coming? There are many awliyāʾ till today who, a week before or a day before their death, will take it upon themselves to bathe. They say: we do not want to give extra hard work to the brothers doing the ghusl. They take their own bath, put on their best clothes, apply their itr, and prepare to go to Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā. I know of certain individuals who asked for their very best clothes, went out after Ṣalāt al-ʿAṣr on Friday, lay down on their cot, and in a matter of minutes — before Ṣalāt al-Maghrib — they were gone. What is guiding them? That is called Waḥy Ilhām.

The second thing: the importance of always having someone above us. This is where we make huge mistakes today. Everyone considers himself an expert in his field. If you think of yourself as perfect, then the only next step is to go down. As the saying goes:

When something becomes complete, the only way forward is for it to start going down. This is not the way we should live our lives. We need to show a little humility. Even in business, medicine, law, engineering — whatever field you are in — if a person always has the motivation to learn and ask questions, he will always be growing. As soon as a person regards himself as the guru who needs no one else, he will start making major mistakes.

Allāh's Promises to the Mother of Mūsā

Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā says: do not be afraid. We will bring him back to you, and We will make him among the leaders — among the prophets. Two promises Allāh made with her. Allah is going to bring him back to you safe, and not only that — you are going to see him become a prophet.

Why is Allāh telling her to feel safe and not worry? Because Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā is with her. And I want to take a moment to reflect on this. The believer has something that a non-believer can never have. A muʾmin has a gift that a non-muʾmin can never have — that is the sense of Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā being with you. That is such a strong, powerful feeling and reality that it will assist a person to overcome everything.

The most lowly moments in your life — when you are absolutely alone and no one is supporting you. Whether it is the story of Maryam, alone. Whether it is the story of ʿĀʾishah raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhā, alone. Whether it is the story of Āsiyah — three women, three amazing stories of them being alone. And of course thousands of other women, thousands of other men, and many among those listening to us right now. You might feel lonely in your life. You might feel you have hit rock bottom. You might feel the whole world is against you. But honestly, the one who has faith in Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā — Allāhu Akbar — is able to handle anything that comes his way.

And as we have been speaking for the past few weeks — reflections from Ghazzah can rejuvenate your īmān. Reflections from Ghazzah can rejuvenate our belief in these verses. You might say, "Where is Allāh's help?" But you do not hear them saying this. Every single day the atrocities are only increasing in intensity. The death toll is only increasing. The genocide is only getting larger. And the news is only becoming more depressing and more frightening by the moment. But whatever does make it out — although there is such a strong effort to suppress every piece of news from those who are being killed — whatever news does come out, we see that the hope and the faith and the conviction of the men, women, and children of Palestine has not wavered.

We have gotten tired of the news. We say, "Brother, I need to move on. I cannot look at this. I cannot handle this." Over there, they have not gotten tired of shedding their blood. They have not gotten tired of losing their innocent babies, one after the other, every single day, every single night. And what do we see? We see manifestations of absolute valor and strength. Where is that coming from? That is from the maʿiyyah of Allāh that they feel — that Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā is with them.

The Special Maʿiyyah of Allāh

There is a general maʿiyyah of Allāh — Allāh being with everyone — and then there is a specific maʿiyyah of Allāh, a specific assistance. Allāh says:

Know very well that indeed Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā is with those who have taqwā. If you have taqwā, you have a degree of closeness with Allāh that others do not have.

In another place Allāh says:

Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā is with those who remain patient. This is āyah 249 of Sūrah al-Baqarah, where Allāh speaks about the fight between Ṭālūt and Jālūt. Even the oppressors today are quoting this story and applying it to themselves — subḥānAllāh. Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā mentions that when the fight took place, Ṭālūt's people said:

"We have no way to fight Jālūt and his army. We are too weak." But then Allāh says:

Those who had conviction that they were going to meet Allāh said: "How many instances have there been where a small group of people has been able to overthrow and been given victory over a large group, bi-idhni Allāh — only with the permission of Allāh." And Allāh will be with those who have patience.

Here يَظُنُّونَ does not mean "they thought" — here ẓann carries the meaning of yaqīn, absolute conviction. Those who had conviction that they are going to meet Allāh — if you and I have that conviction, then our lives will be different. The people of Ghazzah have that yaqīn. That is why they are able to say what they say.

So: if you are in a state of being oppressed, my beloved brother and sister — be patient. Do not overdo the vengeance, lest you become the oppressor in the eyes of Allāh. And Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā says:

If you avenge yourself, then avenge yourself only to the equivalent of however much oppression was done against you. And if you do more than that, then you are the oppressor. So: if you want that special closeness with Allāh, one ayah says it is with those who have taqwā, and the second āyah says وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ — Allāh is with those who are patient.

Lessons from Sūrah Yūsuf

The crux of Sūrah Yūsuf is in āyah 90, where Yūsuf ʿalayhi al-salām says regarding his brother Binyāmīn, at the end when the story concludes:

"Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā has been so kind to us. Indeed, whoever has taqwā and whoever has patience — Allāh will not waste the reward of those who do iḥsān." Did we not just talk about these two things? Taqwā and ṣabr — Yūsuf ʿalayhi al-salām confirms the same.

My beloved friends — again to our quarreling couples or our oppressed husband-and-wife situations: if you have ṣabr and taqwā, Wallāhi you will win. You will win in the court of Allāh, and maybe in the court of this dunyā as well. But make sure you do not become a transgressor. Be patient, and take on whatever you need to take on.

Allah could have created the mango tree to give fruit in one season, in one month even. But we know that is not how it works. Many years pass before a date tree gives dates and a mango tree gives mangoes. Allāh willed it. Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā wills that His help and assistance comes, but it comes after some time. He wants to see how much you are willing to ask from Him, how much you are willing to beg from Him.

All of us here are begging Allāh for something in our lives. Something is bothering you, something is heavy on you. It might be a year, it might be two years, it might be a decade since you have been asking. And you might ask: when do we stop? The answer is — you do not stop. You keep on asking, you keep on asking, you keep on asking. That is what Allāh wants.

If it were not for that situation in your life, would you seriously be making extra duʿāʾ when everyone rushes home after ṣalāh? Would you be sitting there praying extra rakʿahs? Would you be sitting on the muṣallā praying an extra four rakʿahs? Would you be sitting till ishrāq making duʿāʾ after Fajr? Would those things have happened if you did not face the difficulties you are facing? So this is a success in itself. Whatever is making you worried and pushing you to make duʿāʾ every day — thank Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā that you have something in your life pushing you towards the muṣallā. Honestly, this is the best possible thing that can happen to you.

And inshāAllāh, Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā will one day give you what you are asking for — either in this world, or a calamity of equivalent difficulty will be removed from your path, or Allāh will reward you in the Hereafter with so many things that you would have wished none of your duʿāʾs had been answered in this dunyā. So we do not give up.

The second profound āyah from Sūrah Yūsuf — the crux of the entire sūrah — is āyah 21:

Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā is all-powerful over His affairs. But the majority of people do not know that at the end, Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā will have victory. The story of Yūsuf, the story of Mūsā and Firʿawn, and the story of the oppressors and oppressed ones today — they are all the same. The oppressor thinks he is winning. But Wallāhi al-ʿAẓīm — he is not winning. We know that. Our faith is incomplete if we think he is winning.

Allāh says:

The truth has come. And falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is bound to vanish. Falsehood has to come to an end.

It is mentioned that when the people of Makkah al-Mukarramah wanted to kill Rasūlullāh ﷺ, as Allāh says:

When the disbelievers sat together and consulted how they would harm Rasūlullāh ﷺ — would they tie him up, imprison him, expel him, or kill him — and they plotted against the Prophet ﷺ, they were almost minutes away from killing him. But then he left for hijrah. They attacked, but it was ʿAlī raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu in his place. Allāh allowed His Prophet to be in that house while the disbelievers — fully armed, every tribe sending a man so that Banū Hāshim could not take vengeance from fifteen or twenty tribes — surrounded it. And then miraculously, Allāh chose to get him out.

When you feel like it is over, done, there is no way out — that is when Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā pulls it off. He will take it to where بَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ — where your heart reaches your throat, meaning you are so scared you think there is no way out. But you always have hope in Allāh. And that is when Allāh comes to assist.

The Victory at Badr and Allāh's Maʿiyyah

Two years after the Hijrah, at the Battle of Badr — the Prophet ﷺ left the bodies of those who were killed for three days, then came to them, stood before them, and called out to them. He said:

(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Maghāzī; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Paradise)

"O Abū Jahl ibn Hishām, O Umayyah ibn Khalaf, O ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah, O Shayba ibn Rabīʿah — did you not find what your Lord promised you to be true? For indeed, I have found what my Lord promised me to be true."

Then ʿUmar raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu heard this and said:

"O Messenger of Allāh, how can they hear? And how could they ever respond? They have already become putrid corpses." The Prophet ﷺ responded:

(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Hadith 3976; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Hadith 2875)

"By the One in Whose Hand lies my soul — you are not able to hear any better than they are. They can hear me as well as you can. However, they are not capable of responding." Then the Prophet ﷺ ordered for them to be pulled and dragged, and they were thrown into the well of Badr.

It took time. It took many years for the Prophet ﷺ to witness this. But what are we speaking about? We are speaking about Allāh's maʿiyyah. When you and I cannot control anything else, we can control our relationship with Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā.

My beloved brothers and sisters — all those complaining about oppression in their lives — understand that the chain of these things is in Allāh's Hand. Ask Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā to remove it, and He will take care of you sooner than later.

Āyah 8 – Lām al-ʿĀqibah

We talked about this last week as well. The lām here is one of the few lāms in the Qurʾān that we will not call lāmu al-taʿlīl — the lām of cause — but rather lāmu al-ʿāqibah — the lām of outcome or consequence. The family of Firʿawn picked him up. Their intention was of course not to make Mūsā an enemy — but it ended up becoming exactly that. The ʿāqibah, the ending, was such.

This is the lesson: many things we do which we think are good for us, in reality they may end up being bad for us. And many that are apparently bad for us — the ʿāqibah, the ending, is good. That is why we should make the duʿāʾ:

"O Allāh, make the ending in all my affairs the best, and protect me from being forsaken in this world and suffering punishment in the Hereafter." So do not get excited and overjoyed when you see something good happening. Always ask Allāh for a good ending. Some things may start good but end in the wrong place.

In this āyah, Firʿawn's wife said:

"He will be the joy of my eye and yours. Do not kill him — perhaps he will benefit us, or we shall adopt him as a son." We spoke about qurrah — qarār means settled or set in one place. When your eye is set, meaning you are so happy that you do not look at anyone else. She is saying, we will be so happy with this boy that we will never need to look at any other child. Little did Firʿawn know that yes, Mūsā would indeed benefit Āsiyah — she would accept faith through him — but he would definitely bring Firʿawn down.

This takes us back to:

Many things you dislike are in reality good for you. Many things you love are evil for you. So whatever situation we are going through — just ask Allāh for the best of it. And this is why every morning we are supposed to make the duʿāʾ:

"O Allāh, I ask You for the good of this day — its fatḥ (conquest), its naṣr (assistance), its nūr (light), its barakah (blessing), and its hudā (guidance)."

And similarly at night:

And there is also this beautiful duʿāʾ:

"O Allāh, make the first portion of this day righteousness (ṣalāḥ), the middle of it success (falāḥ), and the last of it salvation (najāḥ)." These duʿāʾs are not for us to just recite mechanically. We need to memorize them and read them with meaning. Get a duʿāʾ book like Ḥizb al-Aʿẓam or Munājāt Maqbūl and read through it. Over a period of seven days you will complete over 200 duʿāʾs from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

Āyah 10 – The Mother of Mūsā's Heart

This āyah speaks about how the mother of Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salām could think of nothing besides Mūsā. Her natural motherly instinct would have prompted her to speak up and say, "He is my son." But she did not do so. How? Because Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā made her strong and quiet.

The ability to speak the truth when no one else is speaking comes from Allāh. And the ability to remain silent when everyone else is screaming also comes from Allāh. The ability to remain silent at the time of anger comes from Allāh. The ability to speak the truth loudly when there is fear of oppression and loss of life or wealth — that strength also comes from Allāh. That is why it is mentioned:

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith 4344; Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2174)

"The most virtuous jihad and struggle is the ability to speak the truth in front of a tyrant." Why? Because the tyrant who says "I will kill you" means it. When an oppressor says he will kill you, he will easily do it. Yet you speak the truth — not merely for the sake of speaking, but because if this king understands, if Allāh grants him hidāyah through your words, then everything can change. So we do not speak just out of emotional outburst. We speak when there is benefit in speaking. Speak when there will be some long-term benefit. If there is going to be no long-term benefit and rather harm, then do not speak just because you are angry.

The Story of the Hairdresser of Firʿawn's Daughter

Here I want to share the ḥadīth of the hairdresser of Firʿawn's daughter. According to the narration, Firʿawn's daughter had seen a dream that she had a skin disease and that a box would come from which she would get her cure. When the baby Mūsā was found, she placed her finger on his mouth and took the saliva and placed it on the skin — and Allāh cured her. So she became a believer that this was a special baby. Thus Allāh placed the level of īmān in the daughter and in the wife of Firʿawn, although Firʿawn himself was deprived of it.

Now, what is the story of the māshiṭah — the hairdresser — of Firʿawn's daughter? I want to share with you the ḥadīth here. ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhumā narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith 2821; Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, Hadith 2903; al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim, Vol. 2, p. 496; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr of al-Ṭabarānī)

On the night of Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj, a very beautiful fragrance came to the Prophet ﷺ during his journey. He asked Jibrīl: "O Jibrīl, what is this beautiful fragrance?" He replied: "This is the fragrance of the hairdresser of the daughter of Firʿawn and her children."

The Prophet ﷺ asked: "What is her story?" Jibrīl said: "One day, while she was combing the hair of the daughter of Firʿawn, the comb fell from her hand. She said: Bismi Allāh. The daughter of Firʿawn said: 'My father?' She said: 'No — rather my Lord and the Lord of your father is Allāh.' The daughter said: 'Shall I go and inform him?' She said: 'Yes, go ahead.' So she informed him. Firʿawn called her and said: 'Do you actually claim to have a Lord besides me?' She said: 'Yes — my Lord and your Lord is Allāh.'"

So Firʿawn commanded a cow made of molten brass to be heated and ordered that she and her children be thrown into it. She asked: "I have one request." He said: "What is it?" She said: "I wish that you gather my bones and the bones of my children in one cloth and bury us." He said: "That is your right upon us."

Then he ordered her children to be thrown in one after another in front of her — to increase her torture. There could be nothing more torturous than a mother watching her children burned alive before her own eyes. Until all the children had been thrown in — and one last suckling, nursing baby remained. It is as though she had second thoughts because of this one. That moment when a nursing child's love for its mother — as Allāh mentions in Sūrah al-Ḥajj:

That is the Day of Judgment — when every nursing mother will forget her nursing child. And we spoke about how the relationship between a mother and her nursing child is like no other. And Allāh says even that relationship will cease on the Day of Judgment when the trumpet is blown.

So it was as though she had second thoughts because of this nursing child. Then the baby spoke up. He said: "O mother, jump in — for indeed the punishment of this world is far less severe than the punishment of the Hereafter." So she jumped in. SubḥānAllāh. The baby was saying: "Mom, you go first. Just jump in. I will go after you." Allāhu Akbar.

And then ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhumā, the narrator of this ḥadīth, says:

(Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith 2821; Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān)

Four children spoke up: (1) ʿĪsā ibn Maryam ʿalayhi al-salām. (2) The infant in the story of Jurayj the monk — who had been accused of fornication. A woman gave birth and accused the monk of fathering her child. When his mother had once called out to him, he was in prayer and chose to continue praying. His short-tempered mother cursed him in that moment of frustration: "May you not die until you see the face of evildoing women." He never did anything wrong, but he was falsely accused. Allāh made the baby speak up in front of the villagers and say that the father was not the monk but a certain farmer. Allāh thus saved him. There are many lessons here: the importance of caring for our mothers, being dutiful to them, and a warning to mothers not to take their tongue lightly, especially at times of rage. A mother who curses her child will hurt herself more than her child. (3) The witness in the story of Yūsuf ʿalayhi al-salām, who spoke up when Yūsuf was being falsely accused by Zulaykha, saying: if the shirt is torn from the back, she is the liar. (4) The son of the hairdresser of Firʿawn's daughter.

SubḥānAllāh — and Rasūlullāh ﷺ smelled the fragrance of these burned children. Imagine: the smell of burnt human flesh is among the worst imaginable things. Yet Allāh replaced that with a fragrance in Jannah that the Prophet ﷺ smelled during Miʿrāj. And he was asking Jibrīl: "What is this?" I want you to understand — the people of deen, throughout the history of mankind, have suffered to a degree you cannot even imagine. People of the truth have always suffered. This is the dunyā. The one who does what is right ends up paying a higher price in this world. And it is all calculated by Allāh. Allah wants the reward to be in the Ākhirah.

If you just think about a mother watching each of her children being burned to death in front of her, and then saying: "I am not going to give up my īmān. No. If this is the price of īmān, I am ready to pay it." Ask yourself: are any of us ready to pay that price? That is where we realize how weak we truly are.

Do not ask difficulty from Allāh. Do not ask fitnah from Allāh. Do not ask punishment from Allāh. Do not ask tests from Allāh. But always ask: Yā Allāh, give me a level of īmān that I can handle whatever You choose to send me.

Āyah 11 – The Sister Trails Mūsā

The mother of Mūsā then said to his sister: Quṣṣīhi — trail him. The word qaṣṣa yaquṣṣu — you remember Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ? What does qaṣaṣ mean? A story. We said: why is a story called a qiṣṣah? Because a storyteller walks back through the footsteps of the incidents. So quṣṣīhi is the imperative form — meaning go back along the trail, follow behind him.

So she watched over him from afar — and those who had retrieved him did not sense her presence. The mother said: now that he has gone away, go and see where this box is going, who picks it up, what happens. Go and see. And she started walking along to see where the box goes. Eventually she saw it was picked up by the people of the palace. But she was smart — she knew she should not go nearby.

A poet said:

"If you need to send someone as a messenger, then send a wise person — one whom you do not need to give additional specific instructions." When you assign tasks to others, make sure you assign them based on the strengths of the person. Do not get upset at a person when you assign something to him that he cannot handle — that is your fault. Here, the sister was the right person — and the Qurʾān says she watched from afar, so that those at the palace would not suspect. She had wisdom, ḥikmah. She had tadbīr — careful planning.

This is what we see sometimes lacking in our youth — a lot of josh (excitement), but not enough ḥikmah. Excitement without wisdom harms them and everyone else. We have to have both: the desire and the wisdom of how to channel it correctly.

Āyah 12 – Allāh's Army is Vast

Allāh says: وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ — no one knows the army of Allāh besides Allāh. Allāh's army is so vast — it covers the sea, the earth, mankind, the jinn, the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, the angels, the heavens — everything. Now Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā works through the nursing system and desire for food of Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salām. Mūsā is hungry, starving — but he simply does not want to drink anyone's milk. This is all in the control of Allāh. Who eats, who does not eat? Who sleeps, who does not sleep? Who is moody, who is not? All of that is 100% in the control of Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā.

Think about how deep Allāh's system works. You wonder why someone is acting mean with you today — he is acting mean because Allāh allowed him to act that way. You wonder why the next day he is acting so nice — that is because Allāh allowed him to be nice. You wonder why someone is being helpful toward you, and why another person is forsaking you even though you are old friends. No one does anything without the permission of Allāh. So instead of wasting time running after people when you face difficulty — run after Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā. And He will not keep you chasing. As soon as you knock, He is there. As soon as you raise your hands, He is there.

The word ḥarramnā here does not mean ḥarām in the sharīʿah sense. It means Allāh made it as though it were ḥarām for him. No matter how hungry Mūsā ʿalayhi al-salām was, he did not want to drink milk from any wet nurse. Khalāṣ.

Then, as described in Qaṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ, everyone was perplexed. Firʿawn's household was panicking — the baby is not drinking. They were searching for wet nurses. And then the sister showed up — as though randomly. She said to them:

"Shall I direct you to a household who will foster him and who will be sincere well-wishers for him?" Someone — perhaps Hāmān — became suspicious. He said: what do you have to do with this baby? Are you connected to his story? She said: No. I am just a well-wisher for the king. That household, I know, will treat him well. And they are well-wishers for him. That is why I am suggesting them.

Āyah 13 – The Reunion and Allāh's Fulfilled Promise

This is an amazing reflection of how duʿāʾs get accepted. Allāhu Akbar. Fararadanāhu ilā ummih — thus We did restore him to his mother. Who restored him? Firʿawn? No — Allāh used Firʿawn for it. Allāh used the sister for it. Allāh moved all the moving parts. But He makes the ascription towards Himself: I did it. All of these are merely means — but the One who moved them and pressed the button was Allāh Himself.

What are the chances of throwing a baby into the river and having him come back alive? And then on top of that — caught by Firʿawn — and still coming back alive? Zero chance. But when Allāh wants to do it, it will happen.

Kay taqarra ʿaynuhā — so that her eyes may find joy and comfort. Wa lā taḥzana — so that she may not grieve. Allāh does not want to see her sad. Wa litaʿlama anna waʿd Allāh ḥaqq — and so she may know that Allāh's promise is ever true. I sent him back to you for you to know: I meant it when I said I would bring him back to you. I do not go against My word. SubḥānAllāh. When Allāh says something, He means it.

Wa lākinna aktharahum lā yaʿlamūn — but most of them who disbelieve do not know that Allāh's will is ever done and what Allāh promised is always true. And honestly, I think we are part of that group of people for the most part — we do not have that level of conviction that Allāh's help is with īmān, with ʿamal ṣāliḥ, with Sunnah. This is where our īmān is weak. We ask Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā to grant us absolute conviction and yaqīn in Allāh's power and qudrah. And may He grant us His maʿiyyah.

We will continue from āyah 14 next week, inshāAllāh.

Reflections on Sacrifice and Dedication to Deen

Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā will always return the rewards of your sacrifice, brothers — here and in the Ākhirah. Think about the mother of Mūsā. She had to bite the bullet — she said, what is going to happen to my baby? I cannot believe this is too much of a sacrifice. But if she had not done so, they would have come and killed him. Game over. But she made that sacrifice, trusting in Allāh. And then Allāh brought Mūsā right back to her house — with the safety of Firʿawn, with perhaps even a guard standing there protecting the supposed adopted son of Firʿawn. And on top of that, she was being paid to take care of her own son.

All those fathers and mothers who send their children to study the deen — to madrasahs overseas and here as well — it is a big sacrifice. The child is too young to understand what he is getting into. But the parents are the ones making that sacrifice. And today, every single father and mother who has made their children ʿulamāʾ — alḥamdulillāh — they are so thankful to Allāh that they were allowed to make that decision. Whether they are here or they have passed away, the rewards are always with the parents.

For those fathers and mothers who are listening: yes, the world will tell you — are you crazy? Why would you put your son or daughter in the ʿĀlim program and make them a scholar? But if there is one child who has the capacity to serve the deen, there is nothing more you could ask Allāh than to give you a child willing to study the deen. And I promise you — He will make you a trillionaire in the Ākhirah.

How much can you eat today? If you have a 25-bedroom home or a 1-bedroom home, you can only sleep on three feet of one bed. If you have 14 bathrooms or 1 bathroom, you go to the bathroom in one place. You can only wear one shirt at a time. It is the shayṭān and the nafs that make us feel we need all of this. SubḥānAllāh.

And as for living humbly — Charlie Munger, the billionaire who recently passed away, lived in the same house in California for 75 years. His best friend Warren Buffett has been living in the same small house in Omaha for about 60 to 70 years. These two, among the wealthiest people on earth — who have statistics and data that none of us can have — said that every person they spoke to who built mega-mansions and bought mega-yachts did not get any happiness from that. He said the level of happiness from their meager simple homes is something data confirms. And he said: those mega-mansions are only good for entertaining guests. For your own comfort, they do not give you comfort — they give you headache.

As they say: الْحِكْمَةُ ضَالَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ — wisdom is the lost property of the believer; he is most deserving of it wherever he finds it. Sometimes Allāh allows even those who disbelieve to say the most amazing things. And he also said: by leading a humble life, it protects you from the envy of others. He is talking about ḥasad. He is talking about the evil eye. He said it protects you from all of that — because no one cares if you live in a small home and drive a simple car.

We encourage all of you: make the niyyah to dedicate your children — not just for memorization of the Qurʾān (that is wonderful too) — but what we need most urgently today is ʿulamāʾ. We need male and female scholars who are going to serve the community. And those whose children are 18 or 19 years old — I implore the fathers and mothers listening: send them. We have our beautiful one-year program here. Send your daughters, send your sons for one year. And if the teachers say your son or daughter has the capacity to become a full-time student of knowledge — then thank Allāh and pray two rakʿahs of shukr.

When you send your sons and daughters to study the deen, I promise you Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā will take care of you and take care of your children. And do not just put everything on your kids — you yourself become a student of knowledge to the best of your ability.

Stories of Sincere Duʿāʾ and Allāh's Response

I want to share with you a beautiful story. One of our colleagues traveled to the West Coast this weekend. He shared the story of a young 16-year-old he came across from India. The boy said: "I was in India playing video games. A friend from America was playing video games online with me. He said, 'I am at university in America.' I said, 'I wish I could go to an American university too.' He said, 'You should apply.'"

The boy went home and spoke to his parents. His parents said: "Are you crazy? America? We are not going to let you even go out of this town." So he went to the masjid that day. The imam gave a talk about the importance and benefits of tahajjud. The boy had never heard of tahajjud in his life before. He went home and started performing tahajjud ṣalāh. He made duʿāʾ: "Yā Allāh, I want to go study in America. Make it easy for me." The very next day, his mother was on the phone, hung up, and said: "I was speaking to my friend — her child is studying in America and she says it is very good. You know what? I changed my mind. Bismillāh, go apply." He said: "This is unbelievable." And sure enough, subḥānAllāh, he ended up here — a 16 or 17 year old, on a student visa in America, doing very well in school. Then he said: "I made it over here, but now I need to learn the deen." He made duʿāʾ for that. Very next day — he met our Mawlānā. And he said: "SubḥānAllāh — my duʿāʾ got accepted. I ended up spending the whole day with him." And now he is making duʿāʾ to come study at Dāruʾs-Salām.

Another story — a young Afghani boy. After the American forces withdrew from Afghanistan, intense fighting broke out. He said: "It was so bad — I was hiding under a car for two full days. Did not eat, did not drink, did nothing." Eventually he heard a commotion — people running. He looked out and saw people rushing toward a plane. Someone grabbed his hand and said: "Just say you are my brother." So he ran, and they got him onto a cargo plane. He had nothing — no ID, no passport, just the clothes he was wearing.

He landed — thought he was in America — but he was in Qatar. Then Germany. Then finally, America. He lived in shelters across multiple states — Washington D.C., Virginia, Washington State, Chicago, Arizona — being moved around with thousands of other Afghani refugees. No mom, no dad, no one. Eventually placed with non-Muslim foster care. This 16 or 17 year old started public high school, learned English, and — living in immigrant camps with people mostly from Central and South America — he learned to speak fluent Spanish as well.

Then he said: "I know English and Spanish — what about learning Arabic for the Qurʾān? How am I going to answer Allāh if I do not know Arabic?" SubḥānAllāh. He found out where the nearest masjid was — one hour by bike. This 17-year-old, a senior in high school, going through all of this, living with non-Muslims — he got a bike. Every single day, one hour biking to the masjid. He said: "I will go for Dhuhr ṣalāh, stay till ʿIshāʾ, then bike back home." And along with that, working eight hours a day to save money — all of which he sent back overseas to his parents who have no source of income. After many weeks, the Jamāʿat brothers found him, shared his story, and said: "No problem, we will send someone to pick you up." This boy also met our Mawlānā and said: "My biggest desire is to study the deen. Can I come to Dāruʾs-Salām?"

These two stories both came from Denver, Colorado this past Saturday. When people are sincere and making duʿāʾ — it could be 2024, it could be in the midst of fitnah, you could be surrounded by only non-Muslims, you could be the only young Muslim man around — look at the jazba and desire in the hearts of these two young men. This is baffling — how Allāh subḥānahu wa taʿālā takes care of His awliyāʾ and places the jazba and desire of deen in their hearts.

And when I travel to these cities, I always think: who is the person through whose ṭalab and desire Allāh brought us here to speak? It is not always the president or the imām. There is someone sitting in that crowd — maybe the one in the back who was crying, or the one in the front taking notes — whose concern and fikr paves the path for us to arrive wherever we arrive. This is the system of Allāh's hidāyah. He will bring whoever He wills.

Closing Duʿāʾ

O Allāh, we ask You for forgiveness — from what we know we are committing and what we do not know we are committing. O Allāh, forgive us for our past and our present sins. O Allāh, forgive us for our major and minor mistakes. O Allāh, forgive us from any and all actions and sins committed from any part of our body.

Yā Allāh, we ask You to protect us from hypocrisy — from any and all forms of disbelief, from any and all forms of insincerity. O Allāh, fill our hearts with īmān. O Allāh, bring ḥayāʾ to our eyes, our ears, our minds, our hearts, our hands, and our feet. Bring taqwā to every limb of our body. Bring ḥayāʾ to every limb of our body. Bring Sunnah to every limb of our body. O Allāh, bring Sunnah into our homes and into our lives.

O Allāh, we ask You to allow us to love that which You want us to love, and to dislike that which You want us to dislike. O Allāh, unite us and unite the Muslim Ummah. Join our hearts together in truth. O Allāh, allow all of us to see the truth as truth and enable us to follow it. Allow all of us to see falsehood as falsehood and enable us to stay away from it.

Yā Allāh, grant every single one of us the ability to strengthen our relationship with You. O Allāh, grant every one of us a special maʿiyyah and special relationship with You. O Allāh, grant us ṣabr. Grant us taqwā. Make us worthy of Your friendship. Make us worthy of Your help.

O Allāh, we ask You to descend Your special help upon the Muslim Ummah — especially our brothers and sisters in Palestine and across the entire globe. O Allāh, and all those brothers and sisters who are living a life of peace and comfort but turning their backs towards the deen — yā Allāh, guide them back. Bring an awakening within the Ummah.

O Allāh, protect us all from ever being entangled with hypocrites. O Allāh, we ask You to grant us tongues that are moist in remembrance, hearts that beat with Your love, eyes that well up with tears out of Your love and fear. O Allāh, grant us such love that will inspire us to do great work, and such fear that will become a barrier between us and Your disobedience.

O Allāh, we ask You to grant us the ability to honor, respect, care for, and love our parents — to earn our Jannah by serving them. O Allāh, those who have lost their parents, allow them to continuously remember them every single day in their dhikr, their duʿāʾ, and their ṣadaqah.

O Allāh, we ask You to grant love and muḥabbat between all husbands and wives and between parents and children. O Allāh, make every one of our homes harmonious. O Allāh, those looking for a righteous, pious spouse — open up the doors of Your treasures and provide every young man and woman an absolutely matching, loving, caring, traditional spouse that will bring khair and barakah to their home. All those suffering in their marriages — remove their difficulties. Remove the effect of Shayṭān from their marriages, and bring love between them.

O Allāh, whoever is suffering from cancer or any other disease — from our community, from our relatives and beyond — grant them all shifāʾ. Make their sickness a means of their forgiveness and a means of their status being elevated.

O Allāh, we ask You to accept this gathering of tafsīr. Allow this ḥalaqah to grow and to be consistent. O Allāh, allow those who come to continuously keep coming, and allow our numbers and quality to grow. Allow whatever we hear to be put into practice and shared with others. O Allāh, allow a revival across the globe to begin from this ḥalaqah — a revival of deen, īmān, and Sunnah, yā Allāh.

O Allāh, grant all of us, yā Allāh, such friends and such a group of people who constantly make duʿāʾ for one another. O Allāh, whatever khair the Prophet ﷺ asked You of — grant us that good. Whatever evil the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from — grant us refuge from that.

O Allāh, grant victory to all the brothers and sisters across the globe who are going through oppression. Grant them victory in this world and the next. Grant them safety. Grant them hope. Grant them, yā Allāh, more than what they are asking. O Allāh, allow their sincere duʿāʾs to be accepted on behalf of the entire Ummah as well.

Āmeen. Wa al-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatu Allāhi wa barakātuh.