Sūrah al-Ḥashr (59) Session 8

Sūrah al-Ḥashr (59) Session 7

Sunday Tafsīr - Sūrah al-Mujādilah (58) Session 1

Surah Shūra (42:1-6). The Rabb brings things to their perfection gradually. In this lecture: Al-‘Azīz and Al-Hakīm; ownership versus trusteeship; the greatest crime of shirk; the Throne of Allah (S); spiritual pollution.

Surah Fussilat (41:47-54). We are often blinded to the truth by self-imposed stipulations. The truth in revelation is plain for those who heed it. In this lecture: failure and rejection; the Arabic of the Quran; the Quran as a cure for intellectual deficiencies; the reformation of the nafs; Ikhtilāf that is celebrated and ikhtilāf that is detrimental; the role of the mujtahid; the double standard in conceding to expertise.

Surah Fussilat (41:43-45). We are often blinded to the truth by self-imposed stipulations. The truth in revelation is plain for those who heed it. In this lecture: failure and rejection; the Arabic of the Quran; the Quran as a cure for intellectual deficiencies; the reformation of the nafs; Ikhtilāf that is celebrated and ikhtilāf that is detrimental; the role of the mujtahid; the double standard in conceding to expertise.

Surah Fussilat (41:37-42). There are clear signs in creation of Allah’s existence (S). In this lecture: the sun and moon as means of measuring time; the earth and life-giving rain; recognizing The Creator behind creation; revelation as the final authority; the understanding of the sahabah.

Surah Fussilat (41:34-36). The source, form and effect of a good deed are different from those of a bad deed. In this lecture: hasanah and sayyi’ah; ihsān and ‘adl; true kindness; forgiving from a position of strength; effecting social change; the infallibility of prophets is despite their humanness.

Surah Fussilat (41:26-33). The negative forces that attempt to counter the positive force of the Quran are engaged in a futile struggle against the Divine. In this lecture: The Rahman, The Rahim; rejection by concealing or distorting revelation; the enemies of Allah (S); the constancy and steadfastness of believers; angels; the highest form of ni’mah in Jannah; prophets as the greatest benefactors to mankind.

Surah Fussilat (41:13-25). Allah (S) protects His Anbiyaa and those who believe as part of the order of this world. In this lecture: the punishment of this world and the punishment in the Akhirah; the choice of misguidance; the rules of the Day of Judgment; speech outside of time; the effects of companionship; the role played by the Jinn.

Surah Fussilat (41:9-12). There is a design, intent and purpose behind everything Allah (S) does and it is for the believer to ponder upon this. In this lecture: Yawm; the yield of the earth; Dukhān; understsanding and belief; the heavens, ma'ārij; the language and purpose of wahy.

Surah Fussilat (41:1-8). The Arabic language is the Divine choice for the last and final revelation for all times and peoples. In this lecture: note on translations; the versatility of Arabic; glad tidings and warnings; the tension between human volition and Divine injunction; consistency in observances and practices; perpetual reward for perpetuity in imān.

Surah Ghāfir (40:82-85). Human knowledge and intellect is limited to the five senses while prophets offer much more. In this lecture: travel for the right reasons; the limited pursuit of knowledge; the Divine as the first resort; life after death; repulsion by angels; necessary knowledge and its tools; kufr and loss; conclusion.

Sunday Tafsīr - Sūrah al-Ḥadīd (57) Session 9

Surah Ghāfir (40:75-81). The believers are a source of tremendous assistance for the prophet (S). In this lecture: the prerequisites of da'wah; ṣabr as a shield on the battlefield of da'wah; the measure of a prophet's performance; the function of prophets within the bounds of cause and effect; 'aqidah al-Tahawiyyah; utilization and exploitation.

Surah Ghāfir (40:65-74). The human intellect is not capable of determining how the Supreme Creator wants to be worshipped. That can only come through a means of communication from the Creator to the created. In this lecture: the universal modes of worship; submitting to the Lord of the worlds; every world has a process and an order; the world of the womb; istikharah; the choice of kufr and the confusion in it; the sophistication with which Allah (S) creates.

Surah Ghāfir (40:59-64). The cycle of night and days is a natural gift from Allah ﷻ, and disrupting the cycle comes at a price. In this lecture: sukūn and the night; proofs of tawhīd; the disease of consumerism; the earth and the sky; multiplicity from the One; resurrection in the form of khuluq; 'aql, science-inspired versus Divine-inspired; tarbiyah and the Rabb.

Surah Ghāfir (40:52-58). Muslims doing the work of dīn today should not assume that they will not face resistance, rejection and trials along the way. In this lecture: huda and dhikrā; ṣabr in the face of rejection; the subjectivity of tawbah for prophets; the power of 'ibādah and the need to harness this power; the spiritual energy of the prophet (S); the tools and rules of debate.

Surah Ghāfir (40:46-51). Those who turn people away from Allah (S) are given to bickering and this condition plagues them in the Hereafter as well. In this lecture: the stability in following a madhab; the geography of Madina in the time of the prophet (S); the angels of Jahannam; the disease of secularizing Divine assistance;

Surah Ghāfir (40:36-45). The evil of Fir'awn's actions were made pleasing to him. In this lecture: the call of the mu'min to follow him; the meaning of matā'a; equal access to salvation; the ākhirah as a lens for legal theory; Al-Azīz Al-Ghaffār; the value of companionship (ṣuhbah).

Surah Ghāfir (40:28-35). The Mu’min presents a compelling defense of his Nabi. In this lecture: respecting authority; the Prophet (S) as the ultimate mu’jizah; belief finds expression; the ‘Aqidah of justice; the means of guidance and Divine guidance; the prerequisites of da’wah; xenophobia and the unifying force of Islam.

Surah Ghāfir (40:21-28). Allah (S) draws our attention to the man who hailed from the family of Fir'awn but hid his iman only to reveal it when an opportunity arose to defend his prophet. In this lecture: the destructive effects of sin; the mu'jizaat of the anbiyaa; Fir'awn, Haamaan and Qaroon; the apparent statesmanship of Fir'awn; disbelief in the aakhirah; help from an unexpected quarter; formal education under prophets.

Surah Ghāfir (40:16-20). The main task of the Nabi is to warn people of the Day of Meeting. In this lecture: exposure to the elements; the elements of the Day of Judgment; intercession; the language of warning; intentions and what hearts hide; Truth and Judgment.

Surah Ghāfir (40:10-15). Worshipping Allah (S) only because He bestows His favors upon you is not really worship. A Muslim cannot afford to worship God conditionally. In this lecture: Tauhīd, shirk, tanzīl, ikhlās; unconditional worship and shirk in intention; the whole point of worship; an understanding of success; the ranks of sincere worshippers and the Raiser of ranks.

Sunday Tafsīr - Sūrah al-Ḥadīd (57) Session 8

Surah Ghāfir (40:7-9). The highest point of creation is the Throne of Allah and the prophets mirror the niżam of the angels who carry the Throne. In this lecture: the ‘Arsh of Allah; Maghfirah amd taubah; Rahmah and ‘Ilm; the primary function of prophets; the system of materialism; trials and taufīq; the reward of sabr.

Surah Ghāfir (40:4-6). The believer does not argue regarding the āyāt of the Qur’ān from a standpoint of skepticism and doubt. In this lecture: understanding and submission; the spread of Islam; the intellectual superiority of the Anbiyā; the companions of the Fire.

Surah Ghāfir (40:1-3). With respect to the Qur’ān, its utility is ‘ibādah, and the ‘ibādah is in its recitation. In this lecture: eternal reward; lessons for poets; the letters of revelation and their components; tanzīl; the inimitability of the Qur’ān; sins and taubah; the Names of Allah.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:70-75). It is from the niżam of Allah (S) that He does not send His punishment without warning and without time to heed it. In this lecture: arrogance in rejecting prophets; the gates of Jannah; the phenomenon of constant praise in Jannah; maqām and visitations in Jannah; the ‘Arsh of the Rahmān and the angels around it; energizing Tasbīh; the futility of analyzing inevitable truths; submission through acceptance.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:65-70). By the principles of tawhīd, no matter how many good deeds a person does, if they commit shirk,then they become ineligible for salvation. In this lecture: wahy-based knowledge; after death; ‘ibādah and shukr; seeing the Divine above all creation; intellectual freedom; the trumpet; Shafaa’ah.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:60-64). Allah (S) protects us from the fire if we protect ourselves from sin. In this lecture: the preservation of the Quran; the treasures of the heavens; rizq and du’ā; Tawhīd as the essence of intelligence; stupidity as the essence of shirk.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:52-59). We must ever keep God‘s will in the back of our minds and bring it to the forefront as and when things come to pass. In this lecture: acquiescence in submission; reconciling āyāt in tafsīr; taufīq for taubah; organization in revelation;

Surah Al-Zumar (39:46-51). In the view of the servant, the shahādah is a testimony that Allah (S) knows everything there is to know, whether the servant knows it or not. In this lecture: resolution and closure in the ākhirah; tauhīd and ethics; the resilience and stamina of prophets; the pursuit of eternal happiness; the test in a ni'mah; a result-independent definition of success.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:39-45). Those who seek guidance or misguidance do so only to their own individual benefit or detriment. In this lecture: seeking the Truth amid tribal and societal affiliations; faith as an independent choice; sleep and death; the destructive psyche of resenting the mention of Allah; dhikr brings bashārah.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:32-38). Arrogance and pride often stop human beings from accepting the Truth. In this lecture: universal truths; the role of the Siddīq; a mindset of looking for the Truth; servanthood; seeking solutions with tawakkul.

Sunday Tafsīr - Sūrah al-Ḥadīd (57) Session 7

Surah Al-Zumar (39:27-31). Human beings can't match the Speech of Allah (S) because their knowledge and imagination is limited. In this lecture: Eternal Speech; the coining of similitudes; Arabic as the Divine choice for Quran; Taqwā and intellectual submission as a prerequisite to understanding.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:23-25). Allah (S) reveals and the prophet (S) repeats. And when the prophet (S) repeats, Allah (S) responds to his recitation. In this lecture: the best of discourses; the effects of recitation; khashyah; punishment as an effect of sin; active submission.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:19-22). The Quran encourages and exhorts human beings to goodness. Honor for those who heed Allah’s (S) promise is in this life and the Hereafter. In this lecture: the promise of Allah (S); creation as a vehicle to reach the Creator (S); true intellectual freedom; Tawḥīd in telling the Artist from the art; the mood and mode of submission; dhikr and ghaflah; the most active act of submission.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:11-18). The objective of creation is to serve the human being. This is something that the human being must observe. In this lecture: the purpose of man; Al-Ghaffār; submitting the intellect; creation in Jannah and creation on earth; acknowledging Tawḥīd; intellectual night and day.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:7-10). The objective of creation is to serve the human being. This is something that the human being must observe. In this lecture: the purpose of man; Al-Ghaffār; submitting the intellect; creation in Jannah and creation on earth; acknowledging Tawḥīd; intellectual night and day.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:5-6). The objective of creation is to serve the human being. This is something that the human being must observe. In this lecture: the purpose of man; Al-Ghaffār; submitting the intellect; creation in Jannah and creation on earth; acknowledging Tawḥīd; intellectual night and day.

Surah Al-Zumar (39:1-4). There is nothing in Islamic forms and modes of worship that does not lead you to Allah (S). ‘Ibādah in Islam is equal-opportunity. In this lecture: Al-Din al-khālis; the ābid and the ma’būd; finding inner peace; Al-Wāhid; Al-Qahhār; the Word of Allah and its recipient.

Surah Sad (38:86-88). It is not in the nature of prophets to expect something in return for what they do. In this lecture: the mukhlas; family ties; the dhikr of the prophets; the dhikr of the cosmos; the path of nubuwwah; measuring the success of the prophets and understanding the maqām mahmood; appreciating the role model that is Muhammad (S); the dhaakirūn as benefactors of mankind.

Surah Sad (38:73-85). It is not always in the rejection of God that one becomes a kāfir. Kufr can also come about by the rejection of God’s command. In this lecture: istikbār and kufr; the hukm and its rationale; the myopia of Iblīs; rajm and rajīm; the evil genius of Iblīs, his stratagems and his insinuations: al-nafs al-lawwāmah; the apparatus of dhikr; the Haqq as the reason for every ‘why’.

Surah Sad (38:65-72). Being the Rabb means that Allah (S) organizes the system and the rules that govern the working of the seven heavens and the earth. In this lecture: Divine command, control and participation; sins and the environment; the higher council of angels; the nizām of nubuwwah; the perception of angels; the creation of Ādam.

Sunday Tafsīr - Sūrah al-Ḥadīd (57) Session 6

Surah Sad (38:55-65). Allah (S) addresses the arrogant with a description of the sordid sustenance given to the dwellers of Jahannam that enables them to withstand the suffering there. In this lecture: sin and punishment; earning Jannah; insights into revelation; submission and rejection; the words of indhār and the words of bashārah.

Surah Sad (38:45-54). The Qurān is a book that is above the intellect. It encompasses every phase of human existence. In this lecture: the effect of wahy on a person; branches the two of Ibrahīm’s descendants (AS); the language of the Qurān as the language of dhikr; the continuum of life; the gardens of everlasting bliss; rizq.

Surah Sad (38:41-44). The minds of prophets area always engaged in the dhikr of Allah (S). They follow Allah’s lead in all affairs. In this lecture: horses likened to the arwāḥ; the awareness of Dawūd and Sulaymān (AS), and how they responded to their tests; understanding wahaba; the kingdom and authority of Sulaymān (AS); Sulaymān (AS) as a role model for those engaged in and with the world; a higher ʿadab.