Calls to Faith in Surat al-Ma'idah: Seeking the Means and Repentance

Occasion: A transcription of an Isha lecture delivered at AIA on October 6, 2026Source: A transcription of a video lecture by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the servant of Allah, His Prophet and Messenger, our master and our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and upon his family and Companions, with abundant peace. Then he made a supplication: "O Allah, we ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise, and we seek refuge in You from Your wrath and the Fire. O Allah, keep us safe, make us steadfast, guide us, and make us content; mend our hearts, ease our affairs, and decree for us the means of happiness and salvation in this world and the next, through mercy, pleasure, and generosity from You, O Lord of the worlds."

The Call: Be Mindful of Allah and Seek the Means to Him

Then he came to the verse around which the talk revolves, one of the calls to the believers:

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ (O you who believe, be mindful of Allah, seek the means to Him, and strive in His cause, so that you may succeed)^[11]

He repeated ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ (and seek the means to Him) and the word "the means" several times, then said: "Sayyid said", and repeated the call.^[1]

Verses He Mentioned Afterward

Then he mentioned:

﴿إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا﴾ (The penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive to spread corruption in the land)

﴿مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ﴾ (Because of that, We decreed for the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul other than for a soul)

After that, the transcript has some broken English remarks about corruption, which were not clear.

Then he mentioned a hadith in which someone says: «يا رسول الله، دُلَّني على أمرٍ أعتصم به» ("O Messenger of Allah, direct me to something I can hold fast to"), and the Prophet ﷺ said: «اتقِ الله ثم استقم» ("Be mindful of Allah, then stay upright").^[2]

Then he recited:

﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لِيَفْتَدُوا بِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا تُقُبِّلَ مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُم بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ﴾ (Indeed, if those who disbelieve had all that is in the earth and the like of it with it, to ransom themselves with it from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them, and theirs is a painful punishment. They will wish to come out of the Fire, but they will not come out of it, and theirs is a lasting punishment)

Then he recited:

﴿وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَالًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾ (As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands, as a recompense for what they have earned, a deterrent from Allah; and Allah is Almighty, Wise)

Then he mentioned the saying of the Almighty: ﴿فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا﴾ (…a successor on the earth. They said: Will You place therein one who will spread corruption in it), then His saying: ﴿أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ﴾ (Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth).^[3]

A Report About Intending to Disobey

Then he said: "My dear," and mentioned that a servant wanted to disobey Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and suddenly the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, was speaking to him, or "one of the righteous," and then he said: "I mean, very weak." And he related its text: "If you want to disobey Allah, Mighty and Majestic, then look for a land other than His land, and eat from a provision other than His provision…" and so on.^[4]

With the Mind That Allah Gave

Then he moved into English and said, in meaning: even if you try to use your intelligence and say, "I am a smart person," who gave you this intelligence? Who gave you this mind to think through matters and find solutions? Allah created for me my mind, my tongue, my muscles, my body, and all the organs that we use.^[5]

Other Calls

Then he said: "But when we look," and recited:

﴿أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ﴾ (Fulfill your contracts)

﴿لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ وَلَا الشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَلَا الْهَدْيَ وَلَا الْقَلَائِدَ﴾ (Do not violate the rites of Allah, nor the sacred month, nor the sacrificial animals, nor the garlands)

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ … وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ﴾ (O you who believe, when you rise for prayer, wash your faces … and wipe your heads) and so on

Then he said: "The right of Allah," and recited ﴿كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (be steadfast for Allah, witnesses to justice) and ﴿اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ (remember Allah's favor upon you).^[6] Then he returned to ﴿اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ (be mindful of Allah and seek the means to Him).

The Means

He mentioned the sacred hadith (ḥadīth qudsī) in which Allah the Almighty says:

«ما تقرَّب إليَّ عبدي بشيءٍ أحبَّ إليَّ مما افترضتُه عليه... ومن تقرَّب إليَّ شبرًا تقرَّبتُ إليه ذراعًا، ومن تقرَّب إليَّ ذراعًا تقرَّبتُ منه باعًا، ومن أتاني يمشي أتيتُه هرولةً» (My servant draws near to Me with nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him… Whoever draws near to Me by a hand's span, I draw near to him by an arm's length; whoever draws near to Me by an arm's length, I draw near to him by a fathom; and whoever comes to Me walking, I come to him running).^[7]

Then he said: "Be mindful of Allah and seek the means to Him," and said: "Scholars, a means," and that, it seems, when people try to understand the words of Allah ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾, they understand them in different ways; and he repeated ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ﴾ and "the means" several times, then said: "Parents are a means," and mentioned "means" in the plural.^[8]

"A Righteous Deed"

Then he said: there, in Sūrat al-Furqān, Allah, glory be to Him, says:

﴿… وَلَا يَزْنُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾ (… and who do not commit adultery. Whoever does that will meet a penalty; the punishment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated, except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous work; for those, Allah will replace their evil deeds with good deeds. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful)

And he asked: "Just one deed? Why is that? Except for one who repented, believed, and did a righteous deed." Then he asked, wondering: well, if someone repents and does righteousness, then it seems we no longer need to work, that's it? Then he mentioned that Allah, glory be to Him, said: "Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you."^[9] And he said in colloquial speech, in meaning: you put the two badges on your shoulder and that's it, you've become one of the big men, and never mind, walk down whatever street you like.^[10] Then he said: we ask Allah for safety, O Lord, we ask Allah for safety.

He concluded by repeating the call: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ (O you who believe, be mindful of Allah and seek the means to Him), and said: "May Allah the Almighty be pleased with you".

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: "Sayyid said" (قال سيّد) appears in the transcript exactly this way without completion, and it is not clear who is meant or what was quoted from him, so no statement has been attributed to him. Broken English remarks followed, which were not recorded. At the start of the transcript there is a colloquial phrase «وجينا آية» ("and we came to a verse"), understood as moving on to the verse. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The wording here is as reported from the lecturer. What is established in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim is close to it: «قل آمنتُ بالله ثم استقم» ("Say: I believe in Allah, then stay upright"), from the hadith of Sufyān ibn ʿAbdillāh al-Thaqafī (may Allah be pleased with him). The hadith is not attributed to a source in the transcribed segment, so it is not asserted that this is the one. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: The verse numbers are the editor's. It is not clear from the transcript how he used these scattered verses as evidence (the verse on armed rebellion, then the disbelievers, then theft, then the angels' words in al-Baqarah, then the dominion of the heavens and the earth), nor what he elaborated on in them, so only the mention is recorded. The verse was cut off in the transcript at «اتجعل فيها من ويسبس» (audio distortion), so only what was discernible was recorded. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: The text is as the lecturer pronounced it. The judgment «ضعيف جدًّا» ("very weak") is his own, and it came immediately after his words «أو أحد الصالحين» ("or one of the righteous"); it is not clear whether the judgment applies to the whole report or to its attribution. The quotation ended with «إلى آخره» ("and so on"). ^[5]: Editor's documentation: The English segment is rendered by its meaning, and it is fragmentary; it is not clear whether it is a comment on the preceding report or independent speech, so it is presented without linking it to what precedes. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: The verse numbers are the editor's; and it is not clear where his phrase «حق الله» ("the right of Allah") fits in the speech. ^[7]: Editor's documentation: The first sentence «ما تقرّب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه» is in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, and the second («شبرًا... ذراعًا... باعًا... هرولة») is in the two Ṣaḥīḥs in similar wording; the lecturer combined them in one context, as in the transcript. ^[8]: Editor's documentation: The segment is disjointed, mixing colloquial Arabic and English («because we have somebody... some of the people understand the issue this way»). The phrase «الوالدين وسيلة» ("parents are a means") is established in the transcript but its completion or argument is not known; so the editor has not composed an explanation of "the means" of his own. ^[9]: Editor's documentation: The transcript attributes the statement to Allah, glory be to Him («الله سبحانه وتعالى قال اعملوا ما شئتم فقد غفرت لكم»), after mention of the Prophet ﷺ, so it is not attributed to anyone else. This wording appears in the two Ṣaḥīḥs concerning the people of Badr: «لعل الله اطلع على أهل بدر فقال: اعملوا ما شئتم فقد غفرت لكم» ("Perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr and said: Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you"). The lecturer did not relate it in this context in the transcribed segment. The answer to his question «عملًا صالحًا» ("a righteous deed") does not appear in the transcript. ^[10]: Editor's documentation: The phrase «حطيت الدبورتين» is Egyptian colloquial, said of military rank (the insignia on the shoulder), and its wording here is an approximate interpretation; that the lecturer rejects understanding the hadith as a license is inferred from the tone of the speech and from his saying «نسأل الله السلامة» ("we ask Allah for safety"), so it should be checked against the audio. ^[11]: Editor's documentation: The verse numbers and locations are the editor's and were not pronounced by the lecturer; they are: «يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ …» (al-Ma'idah 35); «إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ …» (al-Ma'idah 33); «مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِي …» (al-Ma'idah 32); «إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُم …» (al-Ma'idah 36-37); «وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَاءً بِمَا …» (al-Ma'idah 38); «فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا …» (al-Baqarah 30); «أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ …» (al-Ma'idah 40); «أَوْفُوا بِالْعُقُودِ» (al-Ma'idah 1); «لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ وَلَا الشَّهْرَ …» (al-Ma'idah 2); «يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ …» (al-Ma'idah 6); «كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ» (al-Ma'idah 8); «اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ» (al-Ma'idah 11); «… وَلَا يَزْنُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ …» (al-Furqān 68-70).