Reflections On Surah YASEEN – Part 01

salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.

hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam O Allah say the MBI even Muslim Allah Allah He was happy

to be let him in a carnival Jean Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim yacine palparan Hakeem in academical mousseline, Allah serata. Mr. Kim published it so today we are silly Emily White will rock that Amina Sania Coco de manera bellami. So I want to start today in shallow Tyler, first of all, for thanking you for coming in so early. I know this is almost full time for a lot of you on Saturday.

I understand that it's difficult to make the kind of sacrifice and I appreciate the amount of time inshallah that you'll be putting in. Hopefully, the day that we spend together is going to go by rather quickly and we're not going to get born in sha Allah, I'm actually pretty excited to have the opportunity to be here and to be able to teach some lessons from this incredible incredible surah I was actually done preparation, preparing completely and then I decided I need to prepare again. So I just finished preparing a 1030 this morning, I almost didn't sleep last night so but that's just how excited I am about sort of a scene I wanted to do it as much justice as I possibly could. Even

though the best of my efforts don't even come close to the infinite wisdom in every I have the Quran. Now I want to start today inshallah by giving you guys a little bit of a, an introduction to the approach for today's program, not just the schedule, and the breaks and all of that, but actually the what we're going to be doing and how I'm going to be approaching the study of the soul. So when I study a surah nowadays, in depth when I try to study it in depth myself and some of my assistants and research partners, we take on as many as we can we look at different Mufasa rune and what they've said, we look at different linguistic sources, dictionaries, etc, etc. and put all

these massive notes together under each ayah. So there's lots and lots and lots of information under every aisle, what did he even get to say, what did he say about him? Or what? Or who should say, What did Rosie say? What does this have an autopsy, etc, etc, etc. So when you're studying one if there's like 20 pages of notes, okay, and then you have to kind of study all of that and make sense of it. But that's not what we're doing here. That's actually my job. My job as a student is to do that. But my job as a teacher is completely different. I'm not here to tell you, this book says this. And that book says that, and that book says that that's actually not why I'm here at all.

Okay, my job is to study that stuff, process that information, and think about how I would take the best of that information that I've understood. And then talk to my if I had now she's in her 20s, but my younger sister, okay to talk to her who has no Arabic background, who has no, you know, Islamic Studies background, and I want to take all this stuff that these great scholars talked about, and these incredible insights, but I have to talk about it in a way even if there was a non Muslim sitting in the audience, they get it, they understand. So it's a pretty tough job taking, you know, heavy academic stuff, and then putting it in language that is easy to understand. I don't you

know, and I don't want it to come across as even though I'm not quoting a lot of information, because some of you might have I have background in Islamic Studies. So if you hear me talk, and I'm not going to quote a native seed, or tell you which Sahabi said what, or which, which you know, is what's the snout of that Hadith, etc, you might think that it's coming from nowhere. It is actually coming from somewhere. And hopefully, the intention now, because all of that research is being compiled, is that these lectures can be supplemented with all of those notes for those people who want to do the studies. Because the research is already done for those people that want to do the,

you know, the heavy lifting and the geeky studies, and go through the Arabic sources. Welcome to you, and Charlottetown. But that's not for the rest of us. So that's the first thing about the approach of today's program, I'm going to try to simplify things and try to make them as accessible as possible within the law. The second thing is, just to give you an outline, the sutra that we're studying today, sort of your scene is made up of six sections. It's made up of six parts, which means that we're going to try to do at least six sessions, each section will try to cover in one session, that's what we're gonna try to do, even though there are more sessions after that when we

finish the six sections, then we have to look back again and figure some things out that we're missing. So we probably have one or two sections to cover after we're done with all six of the sections of this beautiful surah. So let's just get started right away because we do have a lot of work to cover. It's 83 is it's a lot a lot of work. So let's begin in childhood Allah Sula DRC. This will a half man Rahimi has seen a surah that was revealed in the Macan period before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam migrated to Medina. And in this surah Allah begins with the letters Yeah, and seeing which is the only time these letters occur. You've heard of Alif laam Meem before

or, you know, gaff hyah, inside etc. So there are many suitors of the Quran that begin with these letters, what they all have in common, or at least what most of them have in common is that they all begin with these letters and then they say something about the Quran. Like you get these letters Alif Lam Meem and then Allah says something about the Quran like Vatican kitamura or UEFI or tilka takita

mean something. In some ways, all of these are introductions to the Quran. Like one of the things these letters have in common, for the most part, they are introductions to the Quran. One obvious exception, of course is, you know, holy battle room Alif laam Meem, holy battle room Rome was dominated, Rome was overcome. And in my mind, even though that's an exception, it's actually along the same lines. And you know why? Because even that is the description of a miracle of Allah

when Rome was dominated, and then eventually the Persians, you know, and Persians had taken over them, and Allah said, within 10 years, they're gonna win again, within 10 years, they're going to make a comeback, even though they were completely annihilated. And that was a prediction the Quran made well in advance, it was talking, it made a challenge to humanity. See, if this doesn't happen, it put its entire validity on the line, like, you know, if Allah says in the Quran, that the Roman empire that was defeated by the Persian Empire is going to make a comeback within 10 years. And the only place that's talking about this is a man in the desert in Arabia.

And if he if this doesn't turn out to be the case, then everything about the Quran can be questioned. Everything can be questioned. So you've put the entire credibility of the message of Islam on the line with one statement, you know, with just 111 claim, and actually, that's exactly the same with the Quran itself. Why don't you produce something like this? Or

why don't you show that it's not from Allah, it actually challenges you to question its credibility every time. So in that sense, it does have it in common with all of the other gurus. One more thing about this sort of look at art, even though I don't want to spend too much time on the word Gesine. I know some people you guys have heard that sort of seen as the heart of the Quran, you must have heard that before. Actually, maybe some of you are. Mostly, that's the reason you're here because you're Pakistani, and you've heard that your whole life. So

that's actually not an authentic narration, even though it's beautiful. And we're not rejecting it, because it's part of our tradition, but it's not actually something authentically proven that it's considered the heart of the Quran. It did become famous, though. And it's good. At least we know when we care about one soldier, at least, that's good. You know, it turned out great for the subcontinent. So

but in any case, what did you know, the thing about the letters Is that something to keep in mind is that these letters were unfamiliar to the Prophet himself. So this is really important. Our Prophet, proudly the Quran declares is incapable of reading who

he is as as unlettered, as someone who just came out of their mother. That's where the word means used, you know? And so the one who cannot read where moto Toby and Enoch makuta Tacloban calmly haven Kitab and Roberto Tobia, meaning you didn't write this with your own hands, and you didn't, you didn't read anything, but before this ever, and you didn't write it with your own hands, and someone who doesn't read and write doesn't know anything about the alphabet.

If you only know how to speak a language, and somebody says to you, who

was I mean, do you mean anything to you? So the fact that he's saying, Yeah, a scene which in Arabic doesn't mean anything except to someone who knows what? Reading and writing so they know that's a letter? Yeah. And that's a letter C, for someone who doesn't know that this is completely beyond his capability. So the very use of the letters Yes, scene is telling the audience that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi. Salam seems to be getting an education. Because the only time you learn letters is when you're receiving an education, which makes the question Who's educating him? Because if you say he's new, he knows these letters. That means he's getting taught, and then arrives the question,

well, who's teaching him? And so every time these letters occur, the question pops up, who taught him that one? Who taught him this? And then every time What does he do? Or at least with one exception, what does he do? He answers we taught him.

It's the book. It's the revelation, it's coming from Allah. So that's some some things about the words. Yeah, see, now let's get to the heart of the matter. This is really going to be from the beginning to the end. This is the idea that we're going to keep coming back to what Hakeem Allah swears. He says, I swear by that, so I'm going to translate the word while I swear by the Hakeem Quran. I'm not going to translate it as wise yet. I'm going to say I swear by the Hakeem Koran so even though you guys don't know Arabic, many of you, it's okay. I'm going to try to explain the word Hakeem to you. Because that's going to play a big role. But before I do, what does Allah do with the

the wise Koran or the Hakeem put on Rather, he says he swears by it. So we have to understand what does it mean to swear by something? Why would he do that? The Quran is special in why it swears by something and I'm going to highlight the only the only thing about taking an oath or swearing that is unique to the Quran, because you and I take old stew, oh my god, I swear to God, I'm gonna, you know, we do that too. But when the Quran does it, it does it for a unique reason. And I want you to understand that first. The Quran does it

First of all to get your attention to get your attention. And it gets your attention using something unique.

Something that you want to think about. But there's more. It gets your attention using something. And whatever that is, becomes evidence for what he's about to say. Now that sounds complicated, but let me make it simple. He says, I swear by time when I say yes, I swear by time, so he swore by what time you could call it out. It's not it's not awkward, but your good deeds will not be burnt away. Okay. So he swears by what time which means time he is he it's almost as though he's saying, I am making time itself evidence. I'm turning time into evidence, evidence for what? In an incentive because that no doubt the human being is in loss, the biggest proof that human beings are in loss as

what time you see. So the statement that will come later, is being proven by the earth. So when Allah says one Coronel Hakeem the Quran is being used as a proof

it's being used as evidence just like time was being used as evidence. Now the Quran is being used by evidence for something we'll get to what that is. But right now let's talk about one Quran in Hakim.

Al Hakim actually has three meanings in Arabic. It can have three meanings, and all three of them apply to the Quran. The first of them it slipped out as I was talking to you is wisdom. The Quran is full of wisdom. You know, wisdom comes with old age, wisdom comes in very complicated language. Wisdom is always appreciated by those who it's relevant to like if I talk to you about some wisdom, and it flies over your head, you don't really think that's wisdom. But if I give you some advice that really benefits you, then you appreciate its wisdom. So in order to appreciate wisdom, it has to be relevant. And the fact that every time the Koran that is recited by the Prophet salallahu

alaihe salam, somebody listening can immediately get hit with it and say, Whoa, that's talking about me. It's giving me advice. It's relevant to me. It's giving me counsel that I totally needed. So the Koran calls its wisdom, one of its proofs, its evidence to something something bigger. It's way too wise to be a human beings effort. That's the second now the second meaning. Hakeem also has the meaning of the hokum, meaning the thing that has the power to give verdicts or judgment. In other words, hokum or Hakeem, Hakeem also means ruler or governor. So the Quran that is full of judgment.

Now, the thing is, me as a human being, I can tell you personally, even in my life, have put on studies, there are opinions I used to have that I no longer have. There are things that I used to hold to be absolutely true. I don't see them anymore. That way. As you study, you learn more and your opinions change. Even lawyers that eventually become judges, if they remember back when they were lawyers, they studied the same constitution, but the way they thought about a change or no change, they mature over time people mature and think differently over time. The Quran, however, gives judgments. And over the course of these 23 years did anything change? Is there any maturity?

While you know we used to say that, but we don't say that anymore? No, no, no, no, no. It's constant in its judgment. It doesn't, you know, waver from its verdict. And sometimes when you have an opinion, not even a verdict, when you have an opinion, it can get you in trouble. If the media is coming to your machine asking you for an interview, you have to think really carefully about what you're going to say.

Because you know, they they might outfox you or something. So you have to be really careful. But when the Koran speaks, does it actually consider the consequences? Maybe I should not say this, it might get me in trouble. Maybe we should kind of circumvent it, maybe avoid that question. The Quran just takes it on and gives an open verdict. Like it's in a position of authority. Now, the thing is, you need to understand here there are two opposite things. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is just one man, very few followers. Not really in any political position, not really a military behind nothing.

And allies, the Almighty, all powerful who's in the unseen.

But when when the Prophet speaks Elisa to Salaam, he speaks on behalf of Allah. So he speaks like a judge with hokum. But he's not in a position to talk like that. Because he's not a governor. He's not he's not ruling the people. He's not in a position of power. But when he speaks, he speaks like he's in a position of power, because he's speaking on behalf of Allah. But when someone who is not in a position of power, speaks like they're in a position of power, they get in a lot of trouble.

You cannot talk like that unless you have power. But the Koran says it speaks like this from the mouth of this messengers on the lung or that he was alone.

And it does so constantly, you know, maybe sometimes a student acts out and speaks up against the teacher, or an employee raises his voice against the employer, or, you know, plaintiffs sitting in a courtroom raises his voice against the judge,

or a police officer raises his voice against the police chief, or one of the staffers at the White House raises his voice against the president. But that happens one time, and then he just

didn't realize it got out of hand happens or No.

But with Docker on it raises its voice. And there are those in leadership that get offended. But does it apologize? No, it does it again. And that is again, does it again, this is the second meaning of the word, Hakeem. It's authoritative. It gives verdicts and it doesn't care. And it does it every time. What was the first meaning?

wisdom, it's full of wisdom, constant wisdom. And then the second it gives verdicts without consideration.

And then there is a third meaning my favorite one, it has to do with the word calm or MFG comm in Arabic, calm actually means to tighten something, and to make a weave.

You know, like knitting and things like that there's a pattern. So when you have a long pattern, it's actually called a gun. When things are tight together, they're also called gum, when something is, you know, completely finished. Like, for example, they have some work done on these walls, right? So if this wall if it's unfinished, it's not Muslim, but it's completely finished. And all the corners are perfectly done. And it's completely symmetrical. Then it's called, Hakeem also. That's one of the meanings of it. In other words, the Quran is way too well knit. everything connects to everything else way too perfectly, you know, in sometimes in politicians give speeches,

they have speech writers,

right? Like the president doesn't write his own speeches. He has a speech writer. But his opposition can take a speech from five years ago, take out a clip and say, Hey, in 2010, you said this, and now you're saying this, even though that one had a speechwriter to when he messed up? And now they're, they're holding it against him? Does that happen? But you know, what this hold on is too tightly knit. So you can say, Hey, what about this, you said that over here, but you're saying this over here? It all just connects perfectly. And all of what he what the Quran says connects perfectly with what the prophet himself says some of them, it's completely well knit. That is the third meaning. So

let's review this again. What are the three meanings of well Coronel Hakeem

wisdom, it's, it gives verdicts and it's to well knit. It's perfectly knit together, it's tight together. There's no looseness in it, there's no one word that kind of slipped out everything is perfect and tight and exactly where it's supposed to be. It is way too perfect. Now by all of this is proof of something. What is it a proof of it is a proof of the fact that you no doubt some of the law where it was hidden. You meaning Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam are no doubt from those that have been sent.

This Quran is the ultimate proof that you have to have this could not be yourself. There's no way this is your on your own.

So now we have to understand why is this proof This is way too much wisdom for one human being. It's impossible.

There are way too many authoritative verdicts. No human being ever does that and does it year after year, day after day getting himself in more and more trouble. Any human being that speaks and gets in trouble. The next day they speak more or speak less, they speak less they back off, or they change the subject or they move to another town. He keeps going after the same people offending them more and more and more. There's no way you're doing this because you want to you are being told to do this, you are from those that have been sent. Not even on your own, you have been pushed to go. You've been given a mission sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And the third was it's too tight. In other

words, people know how you speak. But this speech, this Quran is not like any speech. I want you to appreciate that. From a communication psychology point of view. It's really cool. Right now I'm speaking to you, I'm not reading to you.

But if I actually opened up a book, right? Or if I had google glasses or something, and they were just scrolling in front of me, and I was reading the seer book, or I memorize some Shakespeare and I was reading it to you.

Would you know that that's not my speech?

Would you know that I'm actually not talking but rather reading, you will know because the way I speak and the way Shakespeare speaks, or the way the constitution speaks, or the way my own essay speaks is different. Actually, the way I speak is not even the way I write. When I write it's much more formal. And when I speak, it's much more informal. The profits or someone has papers in front of him or no, no, there's nothing he can even if he did, it wouldn't matter. Why not. You can read. But when he starts reciting core on, everybody can tell this is way too tightly knit. There are no there are no Let me repeat that. There's nothing it's true.

Perfect for this to be a human beings speech. This is this is not him this is some other author. So Now in this ayah another thing to understand is that Allah says you have your though you are among those that has been sent. But that creates a question. The question that it creates is sent by who Allah does not say in Mecca. Amina mursaleen, I mean Allah, he doesn't admin ally doesn't say you are the what you are among the sent from Allah. Allah has not yet been mentioned at all. All that's been mentioned in this Koran. It's an incredible recital. It's so full of wisdom. It's so bold in the way it gives vertix. It's so tightly knit, this can't be his he has to have been sent by

somebody. We don't know who that is yet, you understand. So the mystery has been created, but it hasn't been answered. And before we go on one more thing about this.

This are three more things, actually. Three more things about like aluminum or say here's here's a second thing. Who is talking to?

He says no doubt you are from those that have been said. So Who's he talking to? He's talking to the Prophet sighs

instead of talking to the kurush

and tell him no doubt he is from the messengers. He's from the ones that are saying, He's not even talking to them. He's not even talking to the disbeliever. He's talking to the Prophet himself. sallallahu alayhi wasallam You know why? Because the disbelievers call him a liar. The disbelievers called him insane. They call them all these things. And you know, when somebody calls you crazy, how can you do that? But another person calls you crazy, then another person calls you crazy, then 100 people call you crazy. What might you start thinking? Maybe I am crazy. One person calls you a liar. Another calls you a liar. Your uncle calls you a liar. Your cousin calls you a liar. A business

partner calls you a liar. Your neighbor calls you a liar. People who don't even know you on the street call you a liar.

You it might start affecting you, isn't it?

You need someone to say you know what, don't listen to what they're saying. I am telling you, you're not a liar. I am telling you, you're not insane. I am telling you, you're not evil.

You need to listen to me and forget everything else. They're saying.

You know, this is the idea of propaganda. They say on the news, Muslims are this this, this this this. I mean, there's a long list of things Muslims are, you know, we make people really nervous at airports and in elevators, people get even the flight on an elevator is uncomfortable for people.

And just just yesterday, I got in the elevator, and there was a family, and I press the floor for my elevator and they didn't press anything. So I assumed that they're on the same floor. And when I when the time came as a courtesy because they're just women and kids. So I said, you know, go ahead and said no, no, go ahead.

I was like, Okay, and then they press the button and press the clothes multiple times, like, Okay.

Propaganda works, dude.

Propaganda works. It's pretty awesome. You know?

So now what I'm saying is it can even affect you do by the way, or even Muslims affected by propaganda against themselves? Do we start seeing ourselves in a negative image? Sure. We start apologizing for being who we are.

We start asking our own moms questions that usually non Muslims ask us. Why are we like this? Why do we say that? You know, they say why does the Quran say that? And then you could unpack saying this. And you know, like the same question. Why are you asking the same question, as you know, but you know, what the prophets being told some of them, he's being told you don't need validation from anywhere else, I am telling you, you are from those who have been sent. You don't need anybody else's validation, you have mine, that's enough for you. None of the peer pressure counts anymore. But he didn't just say you are this my third point now, he didn't just say you are a messenger. He

said you are from among the ones who are sent.

What does that mean? That means that he's not alone. Because if I tell you you are from among the Muslims, that there's a large group of Muslims, when you tell them you're from among the ones that are sent, then there must be others that are sent. So now the Prophet is being told sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as alone as you feel there are people that I will introduce you to or that I am introducing you to that are part of the same team, you are part of a larger brotherhood.

And you and when you have people that belong to the same group as you, then you find support in them.

Like if you live some people live in United States, there's like they don't see any Muslim in the university or they don't see any Muslim at all at workplace.

Then they're going grocery shopping and you know, they see one guy,

one guy who clearly visibly looks Muslim is like reviewing fat to hell or something.

And they get so happy because I have some support.

Somebody else like me, when the province iclm is the messenger, he's the only messenger. But ally is saying, Yes, previous messengers went back, they're gone a long time ago, but he will bring them back to life with his words, alone will bring previous profits back back to life, when he will talk about them, and you will find your support and your comfort in them. So the first validation or comfort is from Allah, I am telling you, you're from among those who are said. And second of all, he's been given a hint, listen, you're part of a team, you're part of a brotherhood, and you will find support in them. Obviously, you need support when people doubt you. And that's why the word is

used in the beginning, no doubt about it, you are from those who have been sent because there are people who doubt, but you should never doubt. Now, the last point about the word desire in academic University, not all the IRS will be dishonest, don't get overwhelmed. We do have 83 I have to get to. But I do want to establish the the thought process of the surah in the beginning. And I also like to highlight how things are flowing from one to the next to the next to the next to the next. That's part of the job I have in shaba. So the last thing I want to tell you about this ayah

is that the word motorcyle is different from Rasul toward Rasool means messenger. That's an easy translation messenger. And some poor translations of the Quran also say you are from among the messengers. That's actually not correct. More Southern Arabic and Islam of rule means the one who has been sent someone who has been sent now there's a difference between a messenger

and someone who's been sent.

If I'm a messenger, then I could be delivering a message on my own behalf.

I could be, I could be the messenger of my own message. But if I'm someone who has been sent,

then necessarily it means that the message I have is from somebody else, it's not from me. It's been I've been charged with something. So now though, the prophet is being told something.

There is no doubt about it, you are the you are among the group of people that have been given a job, you have been sent with a mission, this is not something you're reciting because you like to or because you want to or because you have another agenda. Your primary objective is to be the slave of Allah, and you are fulfilling his commandment, he started the book with me Robic read in the name of your master from the position of authority you are under as authority when you speak.

Now, this is going to be really important later on, but when it gets actually the next is I'll hold off to them. So this the idea of the profits are sort of having a duty, not just that he's being comforted. He's also being reminded that he's on a mission. So no matter how much pressure he feels, he still has a job to do. And then you know, when you have a tough job, you need two things. You need someone to back you up and support you and say, we're gonna get through this, I got you, I got you. And that's done in the side. But at the same time, you need somebody to remind you listen, you only have four hours left, get the job done. That's done in this ayah to both dimensions of your

what you need to get your job done or are covered, on the one hand, the comforting and the support and the validation. And on the other hand, the reminder that Listen, this needs to get done. I know it's tough, but we're gonna do it. That's it. There's no choice in the matter.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato. Thanks for watching these videos. If you'd like to continue to support Ron weekly, please click the link in this video.