Session 2: Tafsir Surah Taha | The Journey of Musa (AS) |Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed |Knowledge Retreat

Session 2: Tafsir Surah Taha — The Journey of Musa (AS)

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. So in the first session we ended off at the ayah of وَهَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ. So we'll just continue from there, inshallah.

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. So Allah began this surah discussing and informing the Prophet ﷺ and all of us that the Qur'an is not a burden — it's a form of comfort and solace. And then he continues and says: where is this Qur'an coming from? And who is the source of this beautiful divine word? And he refers to himself through the different descriptions, and at the end of it he says:

"I am just giving you a snippet into who I really am. But if you truly wish to discover me and understand me, I have all of my beautiful names that you can understand who I am through those beautiful names of mine."

And then he starts giving the example of the story of Musa ﷺ — to inform the Prophet and all of us: "This Qur'an that is being given to you came from me. Let me give you an example of how this really takes place." And he begins and opens up the beautiful story of Musa ﷺ. And we stopped off where Allah said:

And we mentioned the word hadith is fairly unique because it refers to something which is new, something which is originated. And we know from the Qur'an that this story is mentioned more than any other story, but Allah still used the word hadith.

Why Does the Story Begin at Revelation?

Now, how does this story begin? Not from his birth, not from him going to Madyan. But the story began from him receiving prophethood. There are different parts in the Qur'an — the story comes in 17 surahs, and in each surah Allah begins the story and ends in different places. So he begins the story of Musa in Surah Taha and how he received revelation. Why does he not begin from how he was born, from how he went to Madyan? Why does he begin from the start of his revelation?

That's exactly what was relevant to the Prophet ﷺ. Because we're discussing the Qur'an, we're discussing how the Qur'an came down. So the most relevant part of the Prophet's journey with Musa ﷺ at this point was: how did Musa ﷺ receive revelation? Did he also find it to be difficult? Did he also find it to be a challenge in the beginning? Because I find it to be a challenge in the beginning. So Allah begins the story from how he received revelation.

The Fire — إِذْ رَأَىٰ نَارًا

Allah begins his journey by describing how he is traveling back from Madyan. After 10 years of living in the city — getting married, having children — he is going back. He has not received prophethood yet. So why is he even going back? What's the benefit of him going back? He's enjoying life in the city that he finds to be home. His family is there, he has his work there, he has his children there. Why is he going back?

The first opinion is he is going back to meet his mother — he wants to spend time with his own mother. The second opinion, which is the more dominant opinion, is that he's actually going back because he wishes to clear his name. He doesn't want to live with this cloud above his head that "I killed someone accidentally and because of that I can never go back to my same city." So he decides to go back to clear his name.

And on the way back he loses his way. It's dark, it's cold that night. And Musa's journey of getting lost happens multiple times — on the journey of Khidr, when he was with Khidr, he also got lost. On the journey where he took Bani Israel to leave Egypt — what happened over there? They also got lost, to the point that they reached in front of a sea and the people started saying, "Oh, we are now destroyed." So we find in his journey that he got lost a few times. And it's perfectly fine. Sometimes a wrong turn is the best turn that we make. Sometimes meeting people that we weren't trying to meet is the best thing. This was a wrong turn that he took.

The Meaning of Ānasa — آنَسْتُ

And when he takes his turn, he is lost. And he says to his family, "You stay here." Ānasa doesn't simply mean "I saw." Ānasa means "I know for certain that there is fire there." Ānasa comes from the same word as insan, which comes from uns. Uns in Arabic refers to a sense of compassion, a sense of comfort. This is why the harshest punishment that can be given to a human being is solitary confinement — because you are stripping them from their most essential need, which is the need of feeling loved and giving love, the need of feeling compassion and giving people compassion.

When the believers of Mecca, the Muhajirun, entered into Medina, the first statement of the Prophet was: spread salaam. Because these are strangers that are coming, and if you want them to feel that this is home for them, give each other salaam, show each other love, and feed each other.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 93)

The hadith that says that a person who says salaam first has a sign of more belief and stronger iman — this does not refer to friends meeting each other. This means meeting someone you don't know, and in the initial phase of saying salaam there is some awkwardness. That person has more iman.

So he says ānastu nāra — it doesn't just mean "I see fire," it means "I feel that there is comfort for me in going to this fire." There is something special about this fire. Then he says: "Why should I go there? If I go there I can come back with some light, it's dark — I can light a lantern and I'll come back, and then we'll continue our journey. Or at least I'll find some guidance there." And the word that he used was huda — that I'll find some guidance. Huda is the same word that is used for hidayah. And hence the mufassirun say that Musa ﷺ, like the Prophet ﷺ, already had a feeling and intuition that something unique was going to happen to him.

The Prophet ﷺ before receiving nubuwwah — two years — was continuously going back and forth from Ghar-e-Hira, because he felt that there was going to be a calling for him. So he wasn't confused or in doubt when he was given nubuwwah. He was just a little scared because it's very natural. Similarly, Musa ﷺ had a feeling and understood that all of this did not happen for no reason.

So he said, "I think there is something special here." Therefore he used the word ānasa — "I find comfort in this fire." And it was a unique fire. Ibn al-Qurtubi says it was a fire that did not burn the entire area. Because normally a fire would burn everything around it. It was a light that emitted from a branch or a tree and went directly up to the heavens. Ānastu nāra — this fire makes me feel comfortable. No one normally feels comfortable around a fire — anything can happen to you. But this fire is unique.

The Fire of Ibrahim and the Power of Allah's Will

And this is why we understand that nothing in itself can be harmful or beneficial. Yes, things have properties that are given by Allah that make them harmful or beneficial. But at the end of the day, Allah can keep what is what it is, remove the properties of it, and make it beneficial — like the fire of Ibrahim. They lit that fire for 40 days, such that even if a bird were to fly over it, it would fall and scorch and die. And now Ibrahim ﷺ is thrown within that same fire. Allah could have saved Ibrahim by removing the fire. But people would have said, "Oh, the fire isn't there anymore." Allah kept that exact same fire — such a fire that they didn't even know how to put Ibrahim in it, so they had to catapult him into the fire. That same fire, which was seen to be the harshest, became the coolest place for Ibrahim:

"Be a place that is cool and safe for Ibrahim ﷺ." Same fire, different effect. Same fire, different impact. Just because something looks the same doesn't mean it will have the same effect.

The effect of wealth bringing us richness belongs to Allah. Just having money doesn't make us feel comfortable. The effect of a home feeling safe comes from Allah — just because there is a home doesn't mean we feel safe. Just having children isn't the source of the coolness of a person's eyes — Allah putting that feeling in the children is the source of us feeling comfortable and at ease when we see our children. The act or the thing itself does not give the effect. Allah gives the effect. And Allah can change the thing and give the effect elsewhere. Allah can give someone comfort and peace without a large home. Allah can make someone feel rich without wealth. But Allah can also give it with it — but it's not necessary.

Seclusion and the Meeting with Allah

He saw a fire, and that fire made him feel comfortable. So he climbed this mountain and told his family to wait behind. Because we need our own journey to Allah, and it's only in seclusion where we understand what our relationship with Allah is like. Every prophet received their prophethood when they were alone with Allah. Seclusion allows a person to understand what their relationship with the other person is really like.

We're sitting in a room — let's say there's 20–30 of us, just talking to each other, having a nice conversation. Everyone feels like we all know each other because the conversation is just flowing. One conversation leads to the next, everyone loves me, I love everyone. And then you're on a car ride with only one of those people, and you have a six-hour journey. And as you're driving, you thought that you knew the person, you thought that you and that person were really close because you felt close in that gathering. And now the car drive begins — and conversation becomes very stale. And then you realize: "Oh, I don't really know the person. It only felt like I knew the person because we were in a group of people. But now when I move away from everyone else and it's just me and that person, I can tell where our relationship really is."

There's a reason why interviews are done one on one — because we want to know whether or not this person can be used correctly at our company. There's a reason why even in marriage one is allowed to sit with the opposite gender, so they can see whether or not there's compatibility.

Jama'at is beautiful. So we can feel comfortable with Allah, so we can feel a sense of pride that we all love Allah and Allah loves all of us. But if a person truly wants to build a relationship with Allah, they must find some time alone with Allah in seclusion. And then we begin our conversation. And majority of us — if not all of us — will be surprised to see that it's better than what we thought it was. Because Allah is a friend that doesn't ask for much, that doesn't judge. It's easy to be vulnerable in front of Him. It's easy to speak in front of Him. It's easy to share the pain in your heart with Him, because He already knows about it.

What is a sign of a good friend that we are very close to? They know everything about you without you even saying it. You share all your secrets with them. They know what you're going through without you even saying it. That's Allah. And a sign that I am close to Allah is I can speak to Allah in that manner. And in those seclusions, and in those moments of being alone, is where miracles take place.

Maryam ﷺ did not give birth to Isa in Bayt al-Maqdis, though it was a place of sanctity and purity. She gave birth to Isa when she left everyone and she was alone. And in that situation of being alone, Allah gave her the miracle of Isa ﷺ.

Being alone and being lonely are not synonymous. How many people are out there that are living within the masses — people around them — but they feel lonely? And how many people are out there that spend time alone but don't feel lonely? Because they're not synonymous. If we have Allah with us, with or without people, we'll never feel lonely. And we'll actually find comfort in being alone. Just like sometimes when you have so many people in your home and you're like, "Man, I just can't wait for everyone to leave so I can just spend time with my own family" — that's how we feel with Allah. When can everyone leave and settle, and just give me my space with Allah? And that's where tahajjud comes in.

So he went alone to the mountain so he can find and build his relationship with Allah. The Prophet went to Ghar-e-Hira alone. The journey begins with us and then it becomes contagious.

يَا مُوسَىٰ — The Call

As he reaches the mountain, he hears a voice: يَا مُوسَىٰ. And when someone calls your name like that, initially it's alarming. يَا مُحَمَّدُ، يَا فَاطِمَةُ، يَا مُوسَىٰ. And remember this because it's going to come again in a few verses.

إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ — I Am Your Lord

And the announcer says: إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ — "Verily I am your Lord." There is no small talk. There is no "Hey man, how are you doing first?" Because the most important message at this point for Musa and all of us was understanding who Allah is.

In the introduction of Allah, it does not begin from Allah being the most merciful. It does not begin from Allah being the most wise. It does not begin from Allah being the most patient or grateful. Our relationship with Allah begins in understanding that we are Allah's slaves. إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ.

How does Allah introduce himself to the Ummah of the Prophet ﷺ through Surah Fatiha? He says الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ — then we understand الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ. When a person limits their relationship with Allah on any specific quality, what happens to that individual is: when they don't feel that quality, they feel like Allah has abandoned them. "Why is Allah not showing me love? Why is Allah taking a loved one? Why is Allah being so harsh to me?" The slave does not have the right to ask the master why. إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ.

"Oh Musa, our relationship — the foundation of it — begins in you understanding that I am your master. And that makes you my slave." And the moment we understand that Allah is the master and we are the slaves, submitting to the master of the heavens and the earth is fairly simple. Allah doesn't give him a reason why He is his master. Doesn't give him rationality to it. Doesn't give him evidence to it. إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ — "I'm your master, I own you."

The Four Meanings of رَبّ

رَبّ has four meanings. The first meaning of رَبّ is مَالِك — that Allah owns us. Not everything you own you have complete access to. You can own something and not have access to it — such as your pension. Allah is مَالِك. Allah is also قَيِّم — رَبّ means Allah has complete access to us and he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. This is very empowering, because it reminds us that regardless if we reach the highs of the highs, Allah still has access to us — that he can pull us down:

"They were at the highest peaks of success and We pulled their kingdom from them." And it also teaches us that even when we reach the lowest of the lows:

Allah can still give that person honor. Like how Yunus ﷺ was locked inside the womb of a whale — "I can still give you honor over there." تُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ. That's رَبّ.

Remove Your Shoes — فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ

Allah gives a direct command: فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ — "If you want to show me that you're my abd and you've accepted me, take off your shoes." And the first command had nothing to do with appeasing the logic of Musa. The first command had everything to do with setting the precedence. "I want you to take your shoes off." Why? What's the purpose? "I'm standing on a mountain, it's cold, it's dark." فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ — set the precedence.

Was there a reason? Of course there was a reason. The mufassirun state the first reason where Allah told them to فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ — to remove the shoes — is because this was a place that was pure, الْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى. It was sanctified, it was purified, like how a masjid is. Others say that there were different types of fabric within his shoes that were impure — so remove your impurity. But the most dominant opinion is:

فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ means: anything that you have that you think can give you value in the eyes of Allah — remove it when you come to meet me. "I am the prize. I am the source. I am what gives you honor." فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ — take your shoes off. You don't need those right now. Remove that ego, you don't need that right now. Remove the sense of 'I', you don't need that right now. Remove the sense of your lineage, you don't need that right now. Remove the badge that you wear in front of Allah — Allah doesn't need that. Remove the sense of pride because of our affiliations — Allah doesn't need that.

فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ — remove everything that we feel gives us honor when we stand in front of Allah. Then and only then will we feel that that prayer is truly beneficial. Because that prayer gave me honor. Standing in front of Allah gave me honor. فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ — take your shoes off. Come to me with only you and me.

"You're in a very pure place." Tuwa means "wrapped up." مَطْوِيَّةٌ بِيَمِينِهِ — that the whole world is wrapped up in Allah's hand. Tuwa means that all of the barakah and all of the sacredness of the world has been wrapped up in this mountain, has been placed for you over here. "You need to be here right now." And for us that is the masjid. The companions of the cave had a cave. Maryam ﷺ had Bethlehem. Musa ﷺ had the mountain. We have our masjid. And regardless of what it's like and who's there and who's not there, purity and blessings have been reserved for those areas.

I Have Chosen You — وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ

Allah continues and says وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ — "That I have chosen you." That today if we are sitting here, or tomorrow if you go to a masjid, or you're sitting in a gathering — this is for us. وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ means that you have been chosen to be standing here. You have been chosen to come to me. Your being present here is no coincidence.

Allah is telling Musa: "You got lost because I wanted you to get lost." وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ — "Oh Yusuf, you being thrown into a well is because I chose you. If you didn't get thrown into a well, that would not lead you to the journey of going to a prison, and that would not lead you to the journey of me making you a prophet and you becoming the king of Misr." وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ — there are no coincidences when it comes to Allah's decree. Every single person that is sitting in a gathering such as this — it's by Allah's choice, it's by Allah's design. Some of us planned it a few months ago, maybe even a year ago. But there are many of us that just a few days ago decided to come. وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ — Allah chose us. It's not a coincidence.

So Allah says: "If I chose you, فَاسْتَمِعْ — listen up." Listen up to what? فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰ — "Listen attentively to what I'm about to say to you."

And Allah gets Musa. And up till this point Musa ﷺ has not said a word. Because the inception, or the starting point, of understanding who Allah is — is to simply first listen. فَاسْتَمِعْ.

The people of Jannah will say سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا and the people of Jahannam will say سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا. They both acted like they listened. One listened to apply, and the other listened to deny and to respond. Listening in itself is no virtue. Listening for the sake of application is virtuous. سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا.

فَاسْتَمِعْ — "Oh Musa, you made it to the mountain. I'm not even asking you who you are. I'm not even asking you what your challenges in life are yet. I know you've been through a lot. I know that you were born without a father. I know that you were thrown into a river. I know this. But you have to believe that I know it. You don't have to ask me, 'Oh Allah, don't you know what I've been through? Why don't you ask me how I'm doing first?'"

"Oh Musa, you have to believe that I already know that you were sent to the palace of Firaun. I already know that your mother struggled and lost you. I already know that you hit someone and they died and you ran away as a fugitive in a foreign land. I know that you were the one that called upon me:"

"Oh Musa, you have to believe that I already know what you're going through." And the moment we internalize that Allah already knows every detail of our life, then فَاسْتَمِعْ becomes easier. He already knows. He already understands. مَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ — He already feels us before we speak to him.

A child does not have to write an essay to the mother for the mother to know how the child feels. All the child has to do is walk inside the home, and the mother can tell from the footsteps that the child is uneasy. We don't have to come in front of Allah and just speak and speak. All we have to do is come and present ourselves and sit in front of Allah.

فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰ — and let the commands of Allah dictate the turns of our life. Let the commands of Allah become the frame of reference of everything we do. Let it become the paradigm in which success is defined.

إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ — I Am Allah

And a person will think: now he's gonna drop the ball, he's gonna give a unique command, he's gonna tell him what to do in life. Sometimes when the teacher says, "Hey, listen up, I'm about to tell you something that will change your life," and the student is listening, and all the teacher says is: "I'm your teacher." And you think, "I already knew that, it's not that important." Yes it is. Yes it is. Because if you understand that he is the teacher, now what he says — you won't ask too many questions about it.

So before Allah even gives the command to Musa on what to do and what not to do, He first once again clarifies who He is. Before we want to understand why we do certain aspects or certain deeds in our life, or why we stay away from certain things in our life, the foundation of allowing us to ask those questions is first understanding who Allah is to us. إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ — "I am Allah." That's who I am. And once you understand that, Allah is telling Musa: everything else that I will tell you will become easy for you to apply into your life, because you've understood who I am.

إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ — He doesn't say إِنَّنِي أَنَا رَبُّكَ again. إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ — because there is no name of Allah that can fully include the meanings of Allah. Every name of Allah is an attribute of Allah. There is no word in any other language that can explain what Allah is. Allah is Allah.

In gatherings we say "God," we say other words. But walk somewhere and say "I believe in God" — they'll say "I also believe in God." So we clarify, we say "No, we believe in Allah." When the magicians of Musa saw the miracle of Musa ﷺ, they said "We believe in the lord of the worlds." And Firaun did not flinch or respond, because he thought that they were bowing down to him — because he also would say "I am your lord and your master and savior." So the magicians said, "No, you fool, we're not bowing down to you." رَبِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ — "We're bowing down to the Lord of Musa and Harun." Not even to Musa and Harun — to their Lord.

When Allah introduces himself to us in Surah Fatiha, He doesn't say الْحَمْدُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. He says الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. Allah is Allah. Every letter in the name of Allah refers to Allah. In the Qur'an there are places where Allah's name is taken in a form where the first alif and the first lam are removed — لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ — but it still refers to Allah. There are places in the Qur'an where the alif is omitted — لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ — it still refers to Allah. There are places where one lam is omitted — إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ — it still refers to Allah. There are places in the Qur'an where the entire word is omitted, all that is left is هُو — لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ — and that also still refers to Allah. Understanding Allah's name is the beginning of our journey.

The First Call to Action — فَاعْبُدْنِي

إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ — "I am Allah." Okay, you are my Lord. What is the first call to action? The first call to action is لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا — "You have not understood what believing in me is until you understand that there's no one like me, there's no one that can resemble me." And once we understand that, فَاعْبُدْنِي — "Now you start worshipping." It wasn't "worship me" first. It was "first recognize who I am."

And this is why even as parents when we talk to children, the beginning of the journey of a child is first allowing the child to recognize the greatness of Allah. We often find gatherings in which we sit and speak about the technicalities of the commandments of Allah. How often do we sit with our children and our families and speak about Allah as only Allah? Allah is the creator. Allah is the sustainer. Allah is the nourisher. Allah is the provider. We build within that child's mind and heart that Allah is the source of all goodness. And when the child is able to build up and grow up with this in mind, then you tell them فَاعْبُدُوا — "Worship Allah." It's an easy gateway to worship.

We have gatherings of technicalities, but we don't have gatherings of recognition. We are aiming to recognize the command. Rarely do we aim to recognize the commander. We put the command in the prism of our intellect. Rather, we should be putting the command in the prism of who's giving us that command. And when a person identifies that, فَاعْبُدْنِي becomes easier.

Salat — وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي

And what's the first type of worship? Just like how it is for us — the most important worship is salat. وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي — "Apply salat into your life, establish the prayer into your life." For what reason? Allah gives the first reason why we pray. Why do we pray? لِذِكْرِي — "For my remembrance" is the translation. "Oh Musa, you establish prayer to remind yourself about this conversation. I'm your Lord. Five times a day we pray to remind ourselves that we have a Lord." لِذِكْرِي — we remind ourselves that there is someone who can tell us what to do.

Why does the boss once in a while call the employee into the office, or why does he have monthly checkups or quarterly reviews? To remind the employee: "This is my relationship with you. You are the employee and I am the boss." Similarly, Allah is saying to Musa: وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي — "You establish prayer to simply remind yourself that I am who I am and you're my abd." And that's why you pray — there's no logical rational need for you to think about why. This is why: because you need to remind yourself that I am your Lord, or else you'll forget about it, and you'll start thinking that you are the Lord.

And the second reason why Allah says وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي — it's like a person meeting someone really famous, a celebrity, our teachers, the elders, whoever it may be. Let's say someone finally meets LeBron James. And you leave after meeting LeBron and you go to your friend and say, "Hey man, guess who I met." "Say who?" "I met LeBron James." What is your friend going to say? "No way. Show me a picture. Show me proof you met him. You have a picture?" "No I don't." "Yeah, you never met him man. I met him, I promise." "No you didn't, you have no picture." وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي — as Allah telling us: when anyone ever doubts who we are, we say "We have proof through our prayer that there is an Allah. We have proof through our prayer that we are an abd." This is a proof that we have met Allah.

This is why the Prophet when he was given salat, it was known as the ascension of the believer. Because it proves to the rest of the world that we have someone to speak to and that is Allah. And that reminds us that we met Allah. The Prophet met Allah — so every time a prophet met Allah or spoke to Allah, they were given salat. Because it is a key to conversation.

The Day of Judgment — إِنَّ السَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ

Then Allah reminds Musa that you don't have much time. When the boss gives the employee the task at hand — go ahead, do the task — no task is given without a timeline, without a due date. It's not open-ended. "Hey man, knock it out whenever you can." No — the sign of having a due date is that we have a boss. So Allah says, "Oh Musa, you have a due date. And the harshest part of the due date is no one knows when it is except for me. So you have to live your life in a way that you think every day is the due date."

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 37, Hadith 4171)

The Prophet says: "Pray each prayer as if it is the last prayer."

How Abu Bakr used to make this beautiful du'a: "Oh Allah, make the best day of my life the day that I meet you. Make the best salat of my life the last one I pray. Make the best interaction with my family the last one that I have."

As my brother once said, first impressions were known to be lasting impressions. But the reality is the last impression is a lasting impression. First impressions can be manufactured, first impressions can be made up. But no one can fake their last impression — it's who they are, it's what they believe in. That's your last impression. But you could not fake it, because we didn't know it was our last impression.

"The Day of Judgment is coming, and very soon I will reveal it, and everyone will find out what they struggled with in this world, everyone will realize what their effort was worth in the Akhirah — what it really brought them in the Hereafter." بِمَا تَسْعَىٰ — their effort. Not their mistakes. Not their once-in-a-while slip-ups. تَسْعَىٰ refers to something that you do on a daily basis.

The Meaning of سَعْي — Hajar Between Safa and Marwa

The word سَعَى is used for the journey of Hajar between Safa and Marwa. What are the constant variables of this journey? Number one: back and forth. Number two: repetition. Number three: consistency. Hajar had many mountains around her. She could have run from Safa to Marwa, and from Marwa to another mountain, and then to another mountain, seeking that perhaps another lifestyle will be better for me, another "ism" can save me, another culture can protect me.

سَعَى is realizing: "Till the job is done, I will not change the frame of reference of my life." سَعَى is going back and forth to Allah — there is no other need to go anywhere else. سَعَى is going back to salat and coming back in life. سَعَى is putting our head down and leaving the sajda, saying to ourselves, "I didn't get what I needed," but going back straight there. سَعَى is making du'a and getting up from your du'a, living life and realizing that my du'a was not accepted, but going straight back there.

There is no need to change a blueprint that has been formulated for the entirety of this world and has been proven beyond any Newtonian law that anyone can ever speak of. It's a proven concept. Our سَعَى is to Allah:

We don't have to change a route to reach Allah. The route has already been destined for us. We go back and forth, we go to Allah, we struggle, we come back to Allah. Where else can we go? Where else can we turn? Who else can we seek refuge through?

بِمَا تَسْعَىٰ — people will be given their reward based on their daily struggle. Our highs will not be what is seen to be a highlight. There is no athlete that has made the all-star game because of one good game. No athlete becomes a superstar because of one good night of playing sports. No employee is given a promotion simply because they had one good month. It's the start — but it requires a سَعَى. It requires a continuation of the same effort.

And the unique aspect of سَعَى is that a person will continue doing it until they reach their outcome, until they reach the results that they had intended to reach. When did Hajar stop running? When she got the water. When will we reach the intended objective?

We can only reach the ultimate objective when we leave this world. So a person continues to go back and forth, struggle, until we reach our objective which is Allah in the Akhirah. That's سَعَى.

Beware of Those Who Follow Their Desires

Then Allah says: "On this journey, the boss tells the employee — number one, I'm your boss, you're my employee. This is what you need to do. You need to fulfill this task. Then the boss gives a deadline. And then the boss will give you reasons why you can get sidetracked: 'Hey man, don't let that person bother you, don't let this person get in your way.'"

Allah is not saying Shaytan. Allah is not saying a person's name. Allah is not calling out an individual. Allah is calling out qualities. Allah is calling out people who personify these qualities. Stay away from people who stop you from doing good. Don't let them get in your way. Don't let the highs of people make it seem like you're missing out on something that is worth missing out on. It's okay if we miss out. وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ فَتَرْدَىٰ — and the only reason they're able to do this is because their god, or their caller, is not any consolidated frame of reference. It is hawa — it is just themselves. Whatever they want to do, they want to do it.

The easiest way to justify that a person is not failing is to continuously change the definition of success. If we keep changing the definition of success, then who is a failure? We only know that we failed in school because success is defined by a certain percentage. We only know we failed at work because success is defined by certain promotions. But if we don't have a defined definition of what success is, then who really failed in life? Everyone seems like they made it in life.

And because of that, an individual will keep changing their definition of what brings them comfort. A youngster will start college and say, "Education is everything, I have to get educated." And then a few years later, they drop out and they start working. You ask them: "Didn't you say a few years ago that college is life, education is everything? And now you dropped out?" "But you don't understand — the real objective of life is the grind. You gotta make money. I know I don't have an education but I'm making money. That's all that really matters." He changed his definition of success. So failure has not been found, because they changed their definition of success.

A few years later you come to that same youngster who lost his job and you say, "What's going on man, no job?" He says, "No man, success is in the heart. غِنَى النَّفْسِ — I just feel content, I don't need anything man, I'm successful." And a few years later he's found a new thing that he's connecting to. Because a person keeps changing their definition of success.

So Allah reminds us: stay with people who have a consolidated reference of success. And the only reference of success that has never needed to change is Allah. Because it's the constant variable of success. A system that continues changing is a sign of its flaws — or else why would it need to change?

So Allah says don't be with people who don't share the same point of reference as you, because they will change your definition of success. We can argue in this world what success means — people have become millionaires arguing the definition of success. But the moment we leave this world, no one will be able to argue what success looks like:

That will be success.

Small Talk with Love — وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ

So Allah continues, and then He changes His tone and He asks the question: وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ. In the beginning, how did Allah call Musa? At the start of the conversation, the name came first and then the statement: يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ. And over here, what has happened? The statement came first and then the name. Think about it in life — when someone says, "How are you doing, oh Muhammad?" — there's a difference.

وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ — this is what we call in our lingo "small talk." Small talk brings love. Small talk builds relationships. وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ — does Allah not know what is in his hand? Of course He knows. He wants him to feel comfortable. Because if the employee doesn't love the boss, he will never really do his job. So Allah is teaching all of us in our systems of giving da'wah: you have to also use other things. Ask people how they're doing, ask them what's going on in their life, ask them how their education is going, ask them what their family life is like.

وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ يَا مُوسَىٰ — to make him feel comfortable. Because until now it was straight fire: "Hey, I'm your Lord, you're my slave, worship me, pray salat, Day of Judgment is coming right now, jahannam, shaytan, haram." Oh my god. Then Allah shifts the gears. وَمَا تِلْكَ بِيَمِينِكَ — "It's alright, chill out, it's okay. What is in your right hand?"

You know when you tell someone "How's your day like?" and then you say their name — what's their response? "You know my name?!" Imagine someone that you look up to randomly comes to you and says: "What's life been like, Zaid?" "My life is great now — you know me?!" Imagine Musa, who has just been exposed to Allah, the greatest of the greats, and Allah says: "I know your name. How you been? What's in your right hand?"

When Ubayy ibn Ka'b heard the Prophet saying to him that Allah asked me to ask you to recite Qur'an to me, he broke into tears saying: "Did Allah mention my name?" In every single moment we say Allah, He says our name. Every single moment we say in a gathering like this and mention Allah, our names are mentioned in the gatherings of angels.

And when we leave this world and we seem — or we think — that nobody knows us, because going into a gathering and being unknown is very scary. No one wants to go to a wedding where they don't know anyone. But the moment the mother says "Guess what, Fatima is also there" or "Ahmad is going too" — "Okay, I'll come." Because now we know someone. Similarly, the idea of leaving this world is not as scary as we think when we understand that people there are actually waiting for us and they know us. Where the angels will say:

"We were your best friends in dunya, and we continue to be your best friends in akhira." It becomes less intimidating because now we know Allah knows us.

Musa's Response — هِيَ عَصَايَ

So he calls his name, so he continues. And then Musa ﷺ is excited because who just asked him a question? Allah asked him. Allah didn't ask him what it does. But he's so excited because Allah knows his name. Imagine a person you look up to says "How are you doing?" and you talk about your whole life story. He says: "Brother, I just asked you how you were doing." But you're so excited.

He's speaking to Allah. "Oh Allah, I have this stick. أَتَوَكَّأُ عَلَيْهَا — I lean upon it. وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَىٰ غَنَمِي — and I use it for my animals where I take different types of fruits from the trees." And he says, "Oh Allah, this is just the beginning — وَلِيَ فِيهَا مَآرِبُ أُخْرَىٰ — I have so many benefits, I can go on and on and on."

This is a sign that Musa ﷺ did not need rational reasoning to love Allah. He didn't ask "Who are you?" He just fell in love with Allah. Because anyone that is exposed to something as pure as a lover like Allah will respond with nothing but love. He didn't need to ask, "Oh Allah, but do you really love me?" And Allah didn't need to tell him "I love you." Because just like how sadness can be felt from a person without them saying that they're sad, and happiness can be felt from people without them saying that they're happy — love can be felt without us being told that we are loved. Though it's good, Allah does not need to tell us that He loves us. The fact that He is speaking to us through the Qur'an is a sign that He loves us. Musa ﷺ understood the moment Allah said إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ — "This is someone who loves me and I want to speak to him." You only continue blabbering on and speaking to someone because you love them.

Allah says: "Well, you find it to be beneficial. You find the staff to be the greatest source of your benefit — that it gives you everything in life. Your intellect benefits you, your wealth is a source of benefit, your resources are something that you find to be valuable. Do me a favor, Musa:"

Drop the Staff — أَلْقِهَا يَا مُوسَىٰ

أَلْقِهَا — with love. "Throw it away. Drop it. Let it be." And Musa drops it right away. فَأَلْقَاهَا — he drops it right away. And then he sees فَإِذَا هِيَ حَيَّةٌ تَسْعَىٰ — that it becomes a large serpent that is slithering and moving. And Musa ﷺ — the moment he sees this — just like how the Prophet was frightened and was trembling with fear, just like how every single one of us when we decide to make specific changes in our life, there will be a sense of fear.

He ran away and didn't even look back. Though he knows it's who? Allah. He knows who Allah is. We know it's Allah, we know it's Allah's commandments. But it's normal to feel scared. It's normal to have that sensation within ourselves. He runs away.

Allah says: قَالَ خُذْهَا وَلَا تَخَفْ — "Don't be scared." Nine times in the Qur'an Allah says to Musa: "Don't be scared." And it's quite oxymoronic that the prophet that we see to be the most courageous and powerful — who killed someone — that same prophet in front of Allah's command is scared. Not because of the command, but he's afraid that he won't be able to uphold the command the way Allah wants him to.

خُذْهَا — "Don't be scared, I got you. سَنُعِيدُهَا سِيرَتَهَا الْأُولَىٰ — I'll return it to what it was." Now Allah gives rationality. But in introducing himself there was no rationality — "I am your Lord" was all there was. But when giving the command, there was rationality.

Grab it now. Why did Allah not end with this? Why did Allah inform him, or command him, to leave his staff? Something so simple. Just a staff. "It's just a friend. It's just one song. It's just one sight. It's just one habit. It's just one thing." Allah says: "When you come to me, everything else takes a backseat." Imagine speaking to your loved one and texting at the same time — they say "Hey man, I'm right here, I'm right here." Allah says: "You think your staff is beneficial? I'm right here. Drop the staff. And then let me show you what it really is."

When a person lets go of those things that become barriers between them and Allah — and just lets them go for a moment — that extra dollar that is haram, that extra moment of pleasure which is impermissible — when a person lets it go for a second, Allah shows them the reality of what it really is.

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 23074)

"Any single person who leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah will always reciprocate it and replace it with something that is better for that person." Allah and the Prophet didn't say something that is more — they said something that is better. More and better are not synonymous. It could be less in value but better for us.

"That Allah's rizq and sustenance is better." It doesn't have to be more.

So he makes him drop it, to remind him that benefit comes from Him. Then he is shown what it really is. And then He says: "I'm gonna give it back to you anyway. I don't need your money — when you give me your money, I increase it and give it back to you. When you give me your time, I increase it and give it back to you." Ibn Hajar says under the hadith "Whoever gives charity, Allah increases it" — he says that whoever gives any of their time, talent, energy, wealth, or resources to Allah, Allah will always increase it. So Allah doesn't need it. He's gonna give it back, and it becomes better for us.

The Same Staff — A New Impact

That same staff that was a staff turned into a serpent becomes a staff once again. And now he has the same staff in his hand. It looks the same, he holds it the same way — from a distance, nothing has changed. We always refer to change to physical change: "Oh you've changed so much, look at you now." The staff didn't physically change. But every aspect of the staff's usage changed.

That same staff which was simply being used to take fruits off the tree and to lean upon is now a staff that is used to hit the basin of the sea with, and twelve different pathways are opened. Same staff, different effect. That same staff is used to hit a rock, and that rock creates twelve different springs for his tribes to drink from. Same staff, different effect. The staff didn't change. The effect changed.

How did the effect change? The child doesn't change. The home is the same. The income is the same. The job is the same. The family is the same. Impact changes. When does impact change? When we leave it for a moment and re-engage with that blessing within the commandments of Allah's paradigm. That same staff is taken with the lens of Allah in mind — now that staff has changed completely.

That same child which was a source of pain now becomes a source of blessing. That same job which brought us difficulty — long hours, difficult days — now becomes a sense of fulfillment, because now we've changed our intention and why we engage with it. So Allah doesn't need to change the exterior of anything. We need to change why we have internalized those things in our hearts. And the moment we change that, the impact of life will be much different in every aspect.

This was a staff. We have so many talents and so many resources. We leave them for a moment, engage with Allah's command, and understand that we have family because Allah allowed us. We have wealth because Allah allowed us. So now we will earn it through Allah's commandments. We have everything we have because it fits within the framework of deen. And now we will engage with it through that same framework. The impact will change at every level. But the thing itself will never change.

May Allah allow us to understand the beautiful journey of Musa, and understand that benefit and harm comes from Allah. The exterior of things don't change, but the impact of everything can change when we realize that the impact doesn't come from the thing — but it comes from Allah.