Class #13: May 20th, 2009

Shaykh started out by talking about an incident where a teenager girl committed suicide over Facebook or MySpace. She became friendly with some boy that she met over Facebook/MySpace and he would always compliment her. But after a few weeks, the boy inexplicably turned mean; writing her mean messages on her wall. He said some outrageous things that made her commit suicide. But the boy turned out to be a hoax and was an adult that was playing around with a thirteen year old mind. Moral of the story is that we have to control our tongue. Never underestimate the power of good words. A few good words will make that much of a difference.

From last week, we learned the word "buyut" means masajids, but it also refers to the houses of the believers. For the sisters, the house is their masajid.

The Prophet (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) said, "Do not make your houses as graveyards." If we always pray in the masajids, then we should pray our sunnash at our homes, so that prayer is established. Your house is not a hotel. One should carry the spirit of the masajid to their house. We need to make our houses an Islamic environment as much as we can. For the sisters, the house is their masajid.

Ayah 37:

رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ

يَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَالْأَبْصَارُ

[Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about.

men رِجَالٌ
not لَّا
distracts تُلْهِيهِمْ
commerce/trade تِجَارَةٌ
nor وَلَا
sale بَيْعٌ
from عَن
remembrance ذِكْرِ
Allah اللَّهِ
establish وَإِقَامِ
salah (prayer) الصَّلَاةِ
giving وَإِيتَاءِ
alms-giving الزَّكَاةِ
they fear يَخَافُونَ
day يَوْمًا
overturned تَتَقَلَّبُ
in it فِيهِ
hearts الْقُلُوبُ
eyes وَالْأَبْصَارُ

This ayah discusses about those that give priority to obeying Allah (swt) and doing what He wants and pleases Him over doing what they want and what pleases them. The ayah was revealed when Abduallah bin Umar was in the marketplace and the iqamah for prayer was called, so they closed their stores and went to the masjid and the ayah was revealed. They feared the punishment of missing prayer on the Day of Judgement. The reflects on how one should commit to salah ON time and focus on the salah itself (the quality of it). We should worry about praying our five obligatory prayers with the quality and not worry about the quantiy of salah we pray (meaning the extra sunnah).

What determines the quality of salah?

o Intention (niyaa`)
o Khushoo
o Conformity

The Prophet (sallahu alaihyi wa salaam) said "Pray as you see me pray."

Ayah 38:

لِيَجْزِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُواْ وَيَزِيدَهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ وَاللَّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

That Allah may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account.

may reward them لِيَجْزِيَهُمُ
Allah اللَّهُ
best أَحْسَنَ
of what مَا
they did عَمِلُواْ
And increase them وَيَزِيدَهُم
of مِّن
bounties فَضْلِهِ
and Allah وَاللَّهُ
provides/gives يَرْزُقُ
to whom مَن
He wills يَشَآءُ
without بِغَيْرِ
account حِسَابٍ

In the previous ayah, Allah states those that have the fear of Day of Judgment and then in this ayah, Allah states their reward. Its not the quantity of your deeds, but the QUALITY of your deeds. Ahsaan amala. If Allah was to reward us for what we have done, then we have not deserved it.

Ayah 39:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَعْمَـلُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَآءً حَتَّى إِذَا جَآءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئاً وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّـهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allah before Him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allah is swift in account.

And for those who وَالَّذِينَ
disbelieved كَفَرُواْ
Their good deeds أَعْمَـلُهُمْ
mirage كَسَرَابٍ
lowland بِقِيعَةٍ
to assume/to think/to perceive يَحْسَبُهُ
thirsty one الظَّمْآنُ
water مَآءً
until حَتَّى
when إِذَا
he comes to it جَآءَهُ
not لَمْ
he finds it يَجِدْهُ
anything شَيْئاً
and he finds وَوَجَدَ
Allah اللَّهَ
with him عِندَهُ
who will pay him فَوَفَّـهُ
his due حِسَابَهُ
and Allah وَاللَّهُ
swift سَرِيعُ
account الْحِسَابِ


This ayah is full of balagaha!!!

A kafir is one who does not submit or reject the faith (non-Muslims).

There are two kinds of disbelievers that Allah sets forth. In this ayah, we focus on the first kind. The first one is that of the disbelievers who call others to their disbelief, thinking that they have good actions and beliefs. Their likeness is that of a mirage which is seen in a desert plain, looking from a distance as if it is a deep sea. If a person who is in need of water sees the mirage, he thinks that it is water so he heads towards it thinking to drink it. But when he reaches it, he finds nothing. So the disbeliever thinks he is doing something good and that he has achieved something, but when Allah judges him on the Day of Judgment, Allah will bring to account and examine his deeds. H will find that nothing has been accepted either because of lack of belief or that he did not follow the proper ways of Shari'ah.

Narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others, it was reported that on the Day of Resurrection it will be said to the Jews, "What did you used to worship'' They will say, "We used to worship `Uzayr the son of Allah.'' It will be said to them, "You have lied. Allah has not begotten a son. What do you want'' They will say, "O Lord, we are thirsty, give us something to drink.'' It will be said to them, "Do you not see'' Then Hell will be shown to them as if it is a mirage, parts of it consuming other parts, and they will go and fall into it. This is the parable of one whose ignorance is deep and advanced.

Ayah 40:

أَوْ كَظُلُمَـتٍ فِى بَحْرٍ لُّجِّىٍّ يَغْشَـهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُوراً فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُورٍ

Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds - darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah has not granted light - for him there is no light.

or أَوْ
like the darkness كَظُلُمَـتٍ
in فِى
body of water/ sea بَحْرٍ
high seas لُّجِّىٍّ
covers it يَغْشَـهُ
wave مَوْجٌ
on مِّن
top of it فَوْقِهِ
clouds سَحَابٌ
darkness ظُلُمَـتٌ
some of it بَعْضُهَا
on top فَوْقَ
of others بَعْضٍ
if إِذَآ
stretches out أَخْرَجَ
hand يَدَهُ
hardly لَمْ يَكَدْ
he can see it يَرَاهَا
and he who وَمَن
not لَّمْ
made يَجْعَلِ
Allah اللَّهُ
for him لَهُ
light نُوراً
not فَمَا
for him لَهُ
any مِن
light نُورٍ




In this ayah, Allah describes the second type of disbelievers. Those whose ignorance is simple, uneducated, blindly follows the leaders of disbelief, Allah compares them to those he can hardly see it because it is so intensely dark. This is the parable of the heart of the disbeliever who merely follows and does not know the true nature of the one whom he follows or where he is going.