Causes of the Ummah's Empowerment in Surat al-Anfal

Occasion: A transcription of a lecture delivered at Dar al-Hadith in America on August 11, 2024Source: A transcription of a video lecture by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

The host of the gathering introduced it by saying how much the Ummah needs empowerment today, and that empowerment is the promise of Allah, blessed and exalted, to Islam and the Muslims in His Book: ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا﴾ (Allah has promised those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely replace their fear with security; they worship Me, associating nothing with Me)^[14]. So empowerment is a standing promise to this Ummah, and all we need is to realize its causes and take hold of them, so that Allah may bring this empowerment to us. Then Dr. Ahmed graciously took the floor and began his talk.

Thanks to Dar al-Hadith

I begin my talk by thanking my brother Dr. Abdel Hamid, though I do not want us to trade compliments, for hearts hold a love that expression cannot convey. O Allah, to You belongs the praise for this love, and I ask Allah that we be gathered in the shade of those who loved one another for Allah and in His cause. And another matter: Dar al-Hadith has been, for all of us, a great dream for a long time, and as we come to its premises we thank Allah that He has empowered us. I know this is a partial stage in the series of my brother Dr. Abdel Hamid's ambitions, but, God willing, good things and virtues will follow it.

Why this topic?

Why did we choose this title on this blessed night? The answer is very simple. When what has befallen the Ummah befalls it, and when these events whose dimensions you know come upon the state of creation, we ask ourselves: are we an Ummah so weakened that all these events can befall us without reactions that match the situations? Or are we at a degree of strength that is hidden? Or can we do something, but faith has changed and souls have turned, so that there is no response? And we want to return to the Noble Qur'an to find in it answers to all the questions that cross our minds.

And I say that every question is measured by the understanding of the one who asks. The one who asks about the reality of the computer knows there is a thing called the computer, and the one who asks about the reality of space grasps the dimensions of space and what is in it. But one who is ignorant of a thing does not ask about it, because he has no information about it in the first place.

So why Sūrat al-Anfāl in particular? Because it gathers good from two angles: the first is that it was revealed in the wake of a real event, and it wanted to treat for us a real-life logic. The second is that it contains a set of guidelines which, if the Ummah held fast to them, would be in a better, finer and more distinguished condition than the one it is in.

The circumstances of revelation

What were the circumstances in which Sūrat al-Anfāl was revealed? ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ﴾ (They ask you about the spoils). The anfāl are the spoils that were taken in a simple manner; they were not seized by force from each person, but were left behind the enemy when he withdrew, and so were gathered up. Some of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ began to ask: to whom will these resources that entered the Ummah at that time be distributed? And then the Lord of the worlds, glorified be He, comments on the question.

"They ask you": are we a matter of consideration?

Before we continue, I pause at the word ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ﴾ (they ask you). From whom does this question issue? From the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, and to whom? To the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. To bring the meaning closer to you: if I were to ask Dr. Abdel Hamid right now, "Why are your guests sitting at the back?", then I have first of all taken account of the presence of these guests, and then I have asked about their situation: either we offer them something that helps them be at the front, or there is some obstacle that has stood between them and moving further forward. So when the Lord of the worlds asks ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ﴾, there is consideration for the very persons being asked about, and they are the people of faith. So are we, in the first place, a matter of consideration with the Lord of Glory, just as the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ were a matter of consideration for heaven concerning the people of earth? Or are we not at that stage?

If we agree that Allah, mighty and majestic, preserves for all His creation their rights and their being, for all creation, even the disbeliever keeps his being in the hands of the Lord of the worlds, then the only element who does not deserve to be asked about is the one who squandered his right by choice. This is a "neglected" person, as they say, who neglected his right and was brought down and dropped from his standing until he became no matter of concern to heaven or to earth, we ask Allah for well-being and safety. So when the Muslim Ummah is told ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ﴾, we ought to take this sentence into account before we move on to what follows it.

The shock of the opening after Badr

The sūrah was revealed after the victories of Badr, and the natural thing after victory is that there be celebrations, praise and glorification of those who fought the battles and got through such and such. But the sūrah surprised with a strange opening, apparently unfamiliar in the Noble Qur'an: ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ﴾. And when you read it in this context you see it as a shock to the Muslim community that the Qur'an should come to them with this formulation, as the Lord of the worlds says: ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ ۖ قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾ (They ask you about the spoils. Say: the spoils belong to Allah and the Messenger).

And the answer does not satisfy an appetite. Imagine a person who knows all the information about the subject and still keeps asking: why are you asking? There is an instinct within a person, which is curiosity for more information about things. If the question were of consequence and in its place, it would be answered; but if the question is raised out of place, or should not be raised by such a questioner, then neither the question nor the answer to it carries weight, and what comes is guidance. So, for example, a student comes to you sitting at his study desk reviewing his lesson, then asks you: "Father, when will you buy me clothes for the coming Eid, or after two years?" And you say to him: "My son, study, and may our Lord make it easy; that's not our subject right now." As if his mind had wandered away from what he should be thinking about, and he had gone off with the empty space of his mind to another subject.

And so the Lord of Glory says: ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ﴾, so what is the answer? To whom will they be given? ﴿قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾. As if it were not a matter for questioning among you, or should not be.

Setting the direction

And here we ask ourselves: what is being asked about at this stage? Anfāl. And what does anfāl mean? The world, wealth of whatever kind, but a passing good of this world, little or much, being asked about. And then the Lord of the worlds directs us to the very foundation of how orientation is formed, because no one can reach a place unless he has set his direction toward it. If the direction is right and the steps are sound, a person reaches what he seeks, even if after a while. And if a person errs in setting his direction, he is either among the astray, until he reaches the goal of those who incurred wrath, we seek refuge in Allah; for there is a stage of going astray, which is wandering, the absence of a compass and of direction.

So it is as if the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, from the beginning of the story, from the beginning of the sūrah, from the beginning of the discussion about the causes of victory and empowerment, directs the minds of these questioners to say: you are searching in the wrong region, and we should be looking at the goals instead. What are the goals we have in our life of faith? The Lord of the worlds says: ﴿إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ﴾ (if you are believers). And this is the most complete purpose in the life of every person who has known a Lord for himself, and has known a leader for himself in his life, who is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore the answer came matching what the guidance ought to be: for those who wondered within themselves, "Where are these spoils? Where are these gains? Where is this wealth?", Allah says to them: the place of consideration should not be in this direction, but in what is in the hands of the Lord of Glory: ﴿قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾.

Wealth kept safe with Allah

Consider: when your money is kept in a securely locked bank that manages it well to the extent that benefits you, do you burden yourself by asking about it, even for a while? Or are you safe and at ease, knowing that behind you is one who manages and handles this money well, and that he has the ability to return it to you at the proper time in the amount that suits your situation at that time? Agreed? Fine. So if the spoils are placed in the hand of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ: ﴿قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾, does anyone think his wealth will be lost, even after a while? Or is it kept safe in the hand of the Lord of Glory? And what will Allah do with our wealth, our spoils and our allotted shares? He, glorified be He, will increase them.

And the wealth we are asking about now, may Allah protect you and keep you safe, is either in our hands, or is allotted shares that have not yet reached our hands, like a provision that Allah has decreed for us but that has not yet reached me. And I give you an example of a well-known thing in America: education accounts for students. You have your son, and you open for him a dedicated account for university education. Say, for instance, "Abdullah," whose father, may Allah protect the father and the son, decreed for him to save an amount, so that when he reaches the university stage he finds what will be spent on him and we are not in great worry, the worry of universities here. Is this called provision? Yes, it is called provision. Was it decreed for Abdullah or not? It was decreed for him. Has it reached Abdullah's hand? Not yet. When will it reach him? When Abdullah reaches the point of needing this money, so that the money is abundantly available to such a person.

And we say that Allah, blessed and exalted, has decreed for each one of us, in His treasuries, mighty and majestic, which never run out, what He has prepared for us of very much good, very abundant. Allah has prepared much good for us, but perhaps it has reached our hands or perhaps it has not yet reached our hands, and the reckoning is in the hand of Allah, glorified be He.

I learn the lessons though I did not witness Badr

So when the Lord of Glory says ﴿قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾, I now consider that there is provision in public life. I am learning the lessons; I was not there at the Battle of Badr and did not witness the stage of the spoils, but my Lord brought me the story to repeat it in the hearing of those who receive it so that they may learn from it the system of general and particular lessons. The point is that the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, taught us and brought us up to know that we have with Him immense provision, which we should not rush to obtain. And that is the content of the Prophet's ﷺ saying: «إن روح القدس قد نفث في روعي أنه لن تموت نفسٌ حتى تستكمل رزقها وأجلها، فاتقوا الله وأجملوا في الطلب» (The Holy Spirit has breathed into my heart that no soul will die until it completes its provision and its term, so fear Allah and be moderate in seeking)^[1]. And the Prophet ﷺ teaches us not to seek Allah's provision through disobedience to Allah, but to seek Allah's provision through obedience to Allah.

So what is the path to the provision of Allah, blessed and exalted? Obedience. And this obedience may take the form of striving, work and toil, but this striving, this work and this toil lack the spiritual or psychological side, so the servant drops from his connection what stands between him and the completion of provision. You see, for example, many people: two people opened the same business or trade, or the same shops with the same brands, the two side by side, and you find, glory be to Allah the Able, that people enter this place and do not enter the other; same advertisements, same materials, same sizes, whatever. But glory be to Him who makes people's hearts incline toward one place and turn away from another! So you say: what is the reason? I do not want to search for the reason, but I bring the scene to mind in order to realize through it that Allah, blessed and exalted, drives provisions according to what He knows of the states of His servants.

And the Lord of the worlds has taught us that there is a system for completing these provisions: right striving, sound intention, good purpose, diligence and persistence, and so on. So we are before spoils that the Lord of the worlds decreed for each one of us, and provision that Allah has kept safe for every creature, which does not diminish in any circumstance, but a person may not reach it until the end of his affair or his term. So what is in Allah's hands is kept safe, and what is in our hands is demanded of us, so we must perform what is demanded in order to obtain what is guaranteed with the Lord of Glory.

Certainty about provision is a foundation on which the Ummah stands

Perhaps our brothers and sisters attending with us on this Zoom, may Allah bless them, will say that this is a long introduction. But it is foundational, because the Ummah does not set out until the basic rules of life have been established. And among the most important things that have held the Ummah back from many of its achievements is the matter of belief, the matter of certainty, and what has most bequeathed to people… and here is the matter of belief about provision. The matter of provision has made some of those who belong to "there is no god but Allah" steal, or forge, or give false testimony, or swindle. You ask: isn't he a Muslim? He says: yes, I am a Muslim, but the matter of provision has muddled my faith. So you see the liar, the bribe-taker, the usurer, and so on.

So if the Ummah becomes upright in understanding the matter of provisions, which covers the servant's life in length and breadth, and among them the provision of well-being... You say: how is the provision of well-being guaranteed by Allah, glorified be He? So I say: a man who has earned only one thousand and whose health is sound, and who carries the worry of how he will spend next month or the following week; is this person, with his small and simple worry, equal to a man who earned, instead of this thousand, "a thousand million," but is bedridden, laid out on his bed, or stuck in his chair unable to move, and searches the whole world for medical means to return to him the ability to stand or his rising from this bed? Which is richer? And which is more fully provided for? The one with the very large numbers, or the one with the small number and abundant well-being? And there is a man who speaks well to people and persuades them, but his provision in children is small. Is this one better, or the one who has many children but cannot communicate with people because his tongue is unable to convey what he wants? There are rules of provision and very many lists that impose on us the concept of certainty that Allah, mighty and majestic, has given each one of us his full and complete share in the matter of provision.

So if this matter is set upright, you will not find cheating, forgery, diminishing of people's rights, injustice among people, hatred or rancor, and you will not find diseases among the most dangerous in the world of life, gnawing at the foundation. Sometimes a blight comes upon the window and we fix what has befallen it, but there is a kind of woodworm that moves through the timber of houses, what's it called, hajj? "Termite." Which is more dangerous: that an entire wall collapses before your eyes and you realize it, or that you discover this woodworm running throughout the house? The woodworm is more dangerous, because when a structure falls (…) and we are done, but this one gnaws from within. The point is that if you want to establish a whole Ummah, the foundations of its establishment must be free of the most dangerous diseases, which are the worm of hearts and the gnawing at the matter of belief. If the matter of provision and faith in Allah, blessed and exalted, is set upright, and so is the concern for the perfection and completeness of faith and the concern for the causes of its increase, if these premises are set upright we can say: the Ummah is now ready to rise and stand.

And hence we saw many rulers starve their peoples until theft, lying, cheating and fraud spread among these people, indeed the matter develops into the poor person's eagerness to obtain what he can from that rich one, and seeing that the rich man does not deserve what is in his hands, so he takes by the unlawful and by other than the unlawful. Indeed, the matter goes beyond that to committing crimes and indecencies which we can only describe as Allah described them, that it is zinā, we seek refuge in Allah, and so on. Indeed, you see some people go beyond the bounds of endurance altogether, so they head to drugs and what people become addicted to in their lives, and the whole society collapses. Because of what? Because of this particular matter, the matter of belief about provision, or the incompleteness of its conception in the minds of the followers of this religion.

So the opening came suitable for two matters; the first matter is consideration of the human entity: do I exist at all, a matter of Allah's asking about me, or do I not exist? If I exist among the count of the Ummah, then I am a matter of the question, and I am a matter of divine correction of my steps, whether they are right or not right; because if I err in my steps and correction comes, and the one taking these steps responds, then reform is near and swift, by the leave of the Lord of Glory, glorified be He. So we saw the saying of Allah, the Exalted: ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ ۖ قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾.

The good that remains in the Ummah

The point is that when Allah, blessed and exalted, presents this opening, I ask: why does the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, ask? And we said that the question draws people's attention: are we a matter of consideration for Allah's asking or not? Is the Ummah we see before our eyes now a matter of consideration for the question of the Lord of the worlds? Here the transcript has an objection to the effect of: "No, don't do that, the good is very abundant, more than you imagine"^[24], then he counted the good in the Ummah. To find a lecture opened with a supplication for the defeated or the oppressed is in itself an accomplishment. To see nearly all the mosques now opening or closing their prayers with supplication and qunūt, this is a positive point in the life of the Ummah. To see this multiplying number and this density of mosques in America, for example, and this coming to the mosques for the tarāwīḥ prayers, this is a great accomplishment. To see this going out, by Muslim and non-Muslim, in the streets in protest against this injustice that exists, this in itself is an accomplishment. There is very much good in people's souls, which only seeks someone to help it come out in a positive way so that it reaches its legitimate goals. And we ask Allah for the attainment of the goal, O Allah, amen.

"So fear Allah": individual taqwā and societal taqwā

Then the verses began to present to us a description of another matter, the matter of the attributes of the people of faith. Allah, the Exalted, said: ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ ۖ قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾, then it is as if He says: this is not your subject at all, ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾ (so fear Allah). So what is the first place of concern for the Muslim? Taqwā of Allah, glorified be He.

And taqwā of Allah, did it come in the singular form as Allah, the Exalted, said: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ﴾ (O Prophet, fear Allah)^[15], or did it come in the plural form: ﴿اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾ (fear Allah)? And is there individual taqwā and collective taqwā? Let us measure the matter against the question of repentance: is repentance on the individual's path or the society's path? Allah, blessed and exalted, says: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا﴾ (O you who believe, repent to Allah with sincere repentance)^[2], and one of those attending said: ﴿تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا﴾ (repent to Allah, all of you)^[3], and the lecturer did not commit to where it occurs. The point is that there is individual repentance and the repentance of a society, and that there is taqwā at the individual level and taqwā at the level of society.

So the society that constrains a girl until she commits zinā, or a young man until he commits indecency, is in itself an unjust society. You say to me: how? Very simply, we are not speaking of politics now, we are speaking of people who go to extremes in dowries, so the young man cannot reach the point of marriage even if he strives, and where would he get what they demand when his family is of modest means? So if his restraint breaks loose, the blame lies on the society that inflated the dowries, existing before the blame on the one who commits the sin himself. Do we agree on this introduction or not? So there is repentance of a society, and there is taqwā of a society, and so Allah, blessed and exalted, says: ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾.

"And set right what is between you"

Then what is the landmark of taqwā present now? ﴿وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ﴾ (and set right what is between you). Do you imagine that some corruption of hearts occurred among the people of Badr, among the people of faith at that time? I am only asking, and by Allah I have no answer: is it possible that there was corruption in hearts or corruption in the bond among the people of Badr? Then the transcript has, after the words "O our Doctor, professor of ḥadīth" (and it is not clear whether the lecturer said it or the host): the Prophet ﷺ would always intercede for people on the ground that they were of the people of Badr, saying: «دعوه فإنه قد حضر بدرًا» (Leave him, for he attended Badr), as happened with Ḥāṭib, for example, may Allah be pleased with him, and others^[4]. And our master al-Nu'aymān^[5]: all the pranks he played on the Companions and on the Prophet ﷺ himself, «دعوه فإنه قد حضر بدرًا» (Leave him, for he attended Badr). Allahu akbar!

The point is that from the theoretical side there is no consideration of a place for admonition at this time. But if the Lord of the worlds mentions it, then we must look for the place of consideration; not say: there is no consideration here, our Lord said it, so we are the helpless ones! So what is the place? The place is that the arising of possible strife that cuts the bond between people comes only from the search for money (and the word is garbled in the transcript, and the context favors money). Imagine that we are sitting here now as companions and friends, between us bread and salt, food and drink, a shared morsel, shared clothes and everything; I ask Allah to complete upon us the blessing of brotherhood, friendship and love, O Lord of the worlds. But money has begun to come between people! In our simple societies they say to you: don't enter into a partnership, neither with your friend nor with your in-law. Did that talk happen? Right. Well, why? They say to you: because it will spoil both of you, you will lose both, you will lose the money. Allahu akbar! And I say: good people, we are friends, so the principle is that money should carry no weight between us. And he says to you: no, no, no, the matter is settled, if money enters the matter it may bring out the very foundation of the relationship that exists between people.

So when I hear the saying of Allah, blessed and exalted, ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ﴾, it is as if the Lord of Glory is saying: do not open the doors from which corruption of the bond between you may come, and fear Allah, blessed and exalted, in observing the constants and foundations. This shows us that the first consideration, in the station of mental, heartfelt and emotional, indeed even bodily concern, is the place where faith is anchored, increased and developed within all these parts. Therefore you see the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, follow with His words: ﴿وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ﴾ (and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you are believers).

The landmarks of faith: hearts that tremble

So we ask: what are the landmarks of this faith? Allah, the Exalted, says: ﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾ (The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble, and when His verses are recited to them, they increase them in faith, and upon their Lord they rely). Why did this attribute come first, the trembling of hearts at the mention of Allah? And why are these attributes entirely suited to the situation? The situation required (thus in the garbled transcript) that hearts turn to the importance of material things in our lives. For when we study the reality then, we see people who left everything they owned behind their backs and set out from Makkah to Madinah, and we see other people who made those arriving to them partners: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ…﴾ (And those who were settled in the home and in faith before them love those who emigrated to them, and find in their hearts no need for what they were given, and prefer them over themselves, even though they themselves are in…)^[16]; I have poverty here and I have need, and still they prefer those who came and were in need. So both groups are in need, and the need of both groups for money is a matter of consideration.

And when we ask: did the Prophet ﷺ go out to collect wealth that was not his? Far be it from him ﷺ, even though the outward appearance of the matter suggests that to some, so some people think the Prophet ﷺ went out only to collect wealth. So we say: no, pay attention to two points. The first point is that what the Prophet ﷺ did was a drying up of the economic sources of those who were acting like lions against him, meaning the people of Makkah. (Isn't it simply called the Battle of Badr? No, Badr al-Kubrā, the Greater; and if we say the Greater, then there is Badr al-Ṣughrā, the Lesser, and it did take place.) There were very many attempts to attack Madinah, and the Prophet ﷺ placed guards around such and such. So these people who were acting like lions with their wealth and power and wanted to overstep their bounds against this Ummah whose number was still small and whose capabilities were weak, how do we confront this devastating economic power? We dry up some of the sources we are able to. So there is strategic planning from the military side. You know economic boycott now and how it affects the other party? Exactly the same idea was begun by the Prophet ﷺ. And the other point is that what comes from these people may represent some compensation for what these individuals, who made up the Muslim community at that time, had lost.

The point is that the Lord of Glory only said: ﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾, so this trembling of hearts does not occur at the mention of anything else. And is there a mention of anything else? Of course: the mention of the dinar and the dirham when it glitters in people's eyes, and people hear the sound of these dinars when they clink against one another; these drive creatures mad, my dear fellow. The point is that the Lord of Glory wanted to lift from the minds of the Ummah the mention of everything other than Him, so that no mention of anyone remains in the Muslim's mind except Allah, glorified be He.

And so you see that the Prophet ﷺ, when he heard the adhān, would leap up^[6] (and the lecturer asked those around him: is this narration sound?). So when we hear the word "wathaba" (leapt), the natural thing is to say "qāma" (stood), but standing has a kind of calm and deliberateness, whereas leaping is as if a start, we want to jump up for the matter. And the other evidence is in the saying of the Lord of Glory: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ﴾ (O you who believe, when the call to prayer is made on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah)^[17]. The natural thing is to say "walk," and this too, so pay attention, is the command of the Prophet ﷺ: that we come to the prayer "bawdah" (thus in the garbled transcript), not at a run or the like; so if you hear the adhān and come to the prayer, come to it as it is performed, and none of you should rush; so what you catch, pray, and what you miss, complete, or as he ﷺ said^[7]. So why did the Qur'anic and prophetic expressions come in this form? To point to the principle of emptying the mind of everything except Allah, so that nothing remains in the mind to occupy the servant except the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, and thus hearts and minds stay turned, in complete focus, to one matter only: how to be for Allah and not be for anything else, and how hearts, minds and bodies work together in a shared formation so that we may be for Allah, blessed and exalted, and not for anything else.

So when you find this you see that Allah, blessed and exalted, wanted to form a person who truly said "there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," through which you sense the matter of submission; when you say: I have surrendered myself to Allah, then you ask for yourself no need other than Allah's need, or, to put it correctly: other than Allah's command concerning you, for Allah has no need of His creation, glorified and exalted. So our Lord said: ﴿الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾, which came as an emptying of hearts and a removal from them of everything other than the Lord of Glory, glorified be He.

"They increase them in faith"

Then Allah said: ﴿وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا﴾ (and when His verses are recited to them, they increase them in faith). Why did the word "increase" appear here? Why did He use the expression ﴿زَادَتْهُمْ﴾? Because this is what the seeker of wealth intends: that the zeros increase. The extra zero after a hundred makes a thousand, the extra one after a thousand makes ten thousand, then the numbers follow one another until the million comes, and so on. So the increase of numbers means this joy at obtaining more wealth. So the psychological aim in the servant is met by a divine treatment through the Qur'anic speech, and Allah, the Exalted, said: ﴿وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا﴾. So whoever seeks increase has the muṣḥaf in his hands, seeking increase through it.

What of those who recite the Qur'an and do not change?

But we return to a matter, may our Lord forgive me, may Allah honor you and be pleased with you, I ask Allah to forgive us: the matter of increase from the Noble Qur'an. My brother, you see people who recite the Qur'an night and day and their conditions do not change. And we say once more: because it is the reading of a muṣḥaf for its letters, and not a drawing out of remedies through the letters. I do not make this text speak until it comes out with a result for me, and so I treat it as one who writes with a pen that has no ink on white paper: the pen passes, but afterward you see no trace of it. If the servant makes the Noble Qur'an speak for solutions to the problems he suffers, whether at the individual or the societal level, the results of the Qur'an appear.

And so you see, may Allah honor you and preserve your noble knowledge, that the Prophet ﷺ did not charge people with memorizing the Noble Qur'an as text, but charged them with memorizing it as action and production. And you see the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ truly embodied this matter, when one of them narrates that he did not memorize Sūrat al-Baqarah except in how many years, our dear Doctor? In eight years^[8]. Allahu akbar, good people! Sūrat al-Baqarah we memorize in a month; if we take our time we memorize a page or half a page each day and it is finished before long, but eight years is very long, my brother! He says to you: no, pay attention, because the memorization was not memorizing a line, but memorizing the application of the meaning of that line in a person's life. And it came from Ibn Mas'ūd (and it was said in an interjection: yes, in the introduction to Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr) his saying: «كان لكل واحد منا كل يوم عشر آيات، فكان لا يتجاوزها حتى يعمل بما فيهن، فتعلّمنا القرآن والعلم والعمل معًا» (Each one of us had ten verses every day, and he would not move beyond them until he acted upon what was in them, so we learned the Qur'an, knowledge and action together)^[9]. Allahu akbar! We ask Allah, glorified be He, for good emulation of the deeds of the Companions, may Allah, the Exalted, be pleased with them.

So the point, as our shaykh, may Allah preserve your station, graciously told us, is that when the Lord of Glory said: ﴿وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا﴾, the place of consideration is still faith, either as a goal or as a means to attaining it. The goal is ﴿إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ﴾, and the means is that Allah, blessed and exalted, be mentioned so that the hearts tremble, and that the Noble Qur'an be recited as a recitation of text and meaning, a recitation of wording, application and action, so that by it the servant reaches the station of the believers.

"And upon their Lord they rely"

Then you see that these believers who mention Allah, the Exalted, so that their hearts tremble, and who recite the verses of Allah, blessed and exalted, are challenging a fierce, lurking enemy. Hence we needed a moral guarantee before the material guarantee. You need to feel that there is someone protecting you, someone behind your back. Therefore the saying of Allah, blessed and exalted, was fitting: ﴿وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾ (and upon their Lord they rely).

So we say: ﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ﴾, so there is mention, there is trembling, there are hearts; let us pay attention, for there is a heart that is not the muscle that pumps blood; there is a heart that feels the importance of faith in a person's life, and senses its constant need for more faith as its need for more blood. So why does the Qur'anic formulation come speaking of the heart? The heart we know, the pump into which blood enters and from which it exits. So its use here is as something into which the causes of faith enter and from which the product of faith exits. And I tried to say: how much does this heart work in a day, and how much is its rest? And if the heart were to stop in this world… it does not stop at all, it works twenty-four hours, or am I mistaken? For I know nothing about medicine, nor geography, nor engineering, nor chemistry. We ask Allah for safety and well-being. The point is that the causes of faith come to the heart and the product of faith comes out of it, agreed?

Establishing the prayer: maintaining belonging

My Lord, glorified be He, said: ﴿وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ﴾ so that belonging may be arranged fully, without deficiency; and it needs causes of maintenance. And the causes of maintenance are that you come to sign in and out five times a day, so that I keep holding to my belonging to this system, the system of faith. So my Lord, glorified be He, said: ﴿الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ﴾ (those who establish the prayer).

And when we hear the words "establishing the prayer," the meaning is not merely performing the prayer in its place. I am just thinking out loud: do I establish the prayer, or do I stand myself up for the prayer? Do we stand ourselves up to perform the prayer, or do we establish the prayer? How do we establish the prayer? The prayer in itself is a divine command that is performed, yes. So when I stand myself up to perform this prayer, then if I say "establishing the prayer," it is as if the prayer is established not in itself but is established in its effect. So when I come to the mosque to pray and hear the text of the Noble Qur'an recited by Dr. Abdel Hamid in my prayer as he leads the prayer, and the completion of the Qur'an, I come to pray and hear from him a quarter, or two quarters, or five verses, or ten, and I go out into the road to apply these verses that were recited to me. And when I come to remind myself again of Allah, blessed and exalted, "Glory to my Lord the Most Great, Glory to my Lord the Most High," and so on, it is as if I set out with this remembrance into the reality of life to realize it.

And so you saw the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, say: ﴿إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْئًا…﴾ (Indeed, the rising at night is more effective…)^[18], following up on the matter of ﴿قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا﴾ (stand [in prayer] the night, except a little), the matter of prayer, then He mentions after it: ﴿إِنَّ لَكَ فِي النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا﴾ (indeed, you have by day a long occupation). So what is the relation between ﴿إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْئًا﴾ and ﴿إِنَّ لَكَ فِي النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا﴾? The product of the night is applied in the day. We do not deal with people at night, we deal with them in the day. So if we spend our night in obedience, that shows upon us in our day. And so our shaykh reminds us of the effects of night prayer: the radiance of faces that appears for one who has stood the night, truthfulness of speech, retention of ḥadīth, strength of expression, and so on from these indications that many who spoke on this matter pointed to.

A pause for review

And we return once more to remind ourselves of what we had in hand, and review quickly. First: ﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ﴾; the first question, Abdullah, focus with me: are we a matter of consideration for the question of Allah, glorified and exalted, or not? Second: ﴿عَنِ الْأَنفَالِ﴾, so what is it that occupied our minds in place of the first goal, which is to direct our resolve to what has been entrusted to us? Imagine that you hired Ahmad today and said to him: please clean this place, this cloth and these tools, I want all of these things shining in a little while. He said: right away. And after a while, while he is at the stage of cleaning and polishing, he says: what's wrong with the traffic light on the road? And you say to him: what's it to you, and what's the traffic light to you! Stay with your work, my son. The worker's mind should not turn to anything except what he was assigned. So when Allah says ﴿قُلِ الْأَنفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾, this is not your business, my dear, because the matter of provision has been guaranteed by the Lord of the worlds, glorified and exalted: ﴿وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا﴾ (and there is no creature on earth but that its provision is upon Allah), ﴿وَكَأَيِّن مِّن دَابَّةٍ لَّا تَحْمِلُ رِزْقَهَا اللَّهُ يَرْزُقُهَا وَإِيَّاكُمْ﴾ (and how many a creature does not carry its own provision; Allah provides for it and for you)^[19] glorified be He, exalted on high.

Then ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾: what is the place of taqwā here, and why did it come? ﴿وَأَصْلِحُوا ذَاتَ بَيْنِكُمْ﴾: because the matter of wealth is what opens the doors of Satan so that he enters through them and the conditions of the Ummah become corrupt. Then the Lord of Glory mentions: ﴿وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ﴾, so the place of consideration in the life of the people of faith is the matter of faith in the Lord of Glory, glorified and exalted. Then Allah, the Exalted, mentioned for us the system of attributes that complete the matter of faith.

Why did He put remembrance before recitation?

Then He, glorified be He, mentioned His words: ﴿إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ﴾ (when Allah is mentioned), which is the point of evidence, and He put the mention of Allah, the Exalted, before the recitation of the Qur'an. Why did He put the mention of Allah before the recitation of the Noble Qur'an? Because the mention of Allah, the Exalted, in people's minds may differ according to the natures of creatures and their further concerns, while the Qur'an is fixed, that's it. So I mention Allah, blessed and exalted, when I fear Allah in what I say before you now, and my brother mentions Allah, the Exalted, in his studies, and my brother mentions Allah, blessed and exalted, in his shop, and my brother mentions Allah in such and such; so there is a kind of diversity and comprehensiveness. Then the mention of Allah, blessed and exalted, occurs in the servant's mind over the twenty-four hours, right? So there is a preoccupation with a more important matter, as if it were an introduction to turning these minds to the original aim, which is the Noble Qur'an.

﴿أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا﴾

So my Lord, glorified be He, said: ﴿أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَّهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾ (Those are the believers truly. For them are ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness, and noble provision) [al-Anfāl: 4].

And before we continue: are these verses that described the people of faith in this sūrah the only verses that describe the system of faith-based ethics in the lives of servants, or do we have a very large portion of that, our professor? At the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah, Allah, blessed and exalted, says: ﴿هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ۝ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ۝ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ﴾ (a guidance for the God-fearing, who believe in the unseen and establish the prayer and spend out of what We have provided them, and who believe in what was revealed to you and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain) [al-Baqarah: 2-4]. And you see the saying of Allah, blessed and exalted, for example and not exhaustively: ﴿وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ۝ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ۝ وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ…﴾ (And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-fearing, who spend in ease and hardship, and who restrain anger and pardon people, and Allah loves the doers of good; and those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember Allah…) [Āl ʿImrān: 133-135]^[25]; so there is a system that appears in Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, and here in al-Anfāl another set. And when you read, for example: ﴿وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا ۝ وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا ۝ وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ…﴾ (And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth gently, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace"; and those who spend the night for their Lord, prostrating and standing; and those who say, "Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell…"), then those who do not invoke with Allah another god and do not kill the soul that Allah has forbidden and do not commit zinā, and those who do not bear false witness, and those who, when reminded of the verses of their Lord...^[10].

The point is that Allah, blessed and exalted, only mentioned several descriptions in different places of the Noble Qur'an to complete this faith-based ethical entity.

Why "faith-based ethical"?

And why did we say "faith-based ethical"? Because there is a system of ethics not tied to faith, but it has no effect. So we say, for example, even in our own countries: by Allah, I will go and buy from so-and-so who is not a Muslim. Why? Because he does not cheat in the goods he has; so there are ethics present in that man. Or: don't deal with so-and-so the Muslim who does this line of work, because he will not fulfil promises and will not keep to time. We get caught up in this a lot. So there are ethics that result from faith, and there are ethics that result from the need for self-interest. The one who is truthful without believing has no aim except interest: I am truthful so that people form a good idea of me and my customers increase, so I raise my prices and obtain much money through truthfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, good companionship and finding excuses... all of them ethics not tied to faith, so they were superficial and temporary. So this friend of ours, his ethics are not tied to faith, so if an opportunity comes to him to take from you without your knowing, he will take from you without your knowing, and cheat you without your knowing.

The point is that ethics and belief are always inseparable. So there is no belief without effect on ethics, and there are no sincere ethics that are not drawn from sound belief. Agreed? And therefore Allah, the Exalted, combined them, our dear Doctor, always in the Makkan Qur'an, in the stage of founding the Muslim personality; you see that Allah, blessed and exalted, founds the reality of belief and ethics. You see, for example, in Sūrat al-Muddaththir: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ ۝ قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ ۝ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ ۝ وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ ۝ وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ ۝ وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ ۝ وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ﴾ (O you who are covered, arise and warn, and your Lord magnify, and your clothing purify, and uncleanness avoid, and do not confer favor to acquire more, and for your Lord be patient) [al-Muddaththir: 1-7]. ﴿وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ﴾, creed or ethics? Creed, without disagreement, right? ﴿وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ، وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ، وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ، وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ﴾ all of them ethics. So you have one creedal element and four ethical elements, as if the creedal element were the pillar in the middle and the ethical elements surround it to encompass. The point is that the Lord of Glory only wanted for us this integrated ethical aim so that the Ummah stays in its integrated system.

What if faith were firmly settled in minds?

Then Allah, blessed and exalted, said: ﴿كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ﴾ (Just as your Lord brought you out from your home with the truth, while a party of the believers were averse) [al-Anfāl: 5]. We will not go along with the verses explaining them verse by verse, for I have already gone on somewhat, and I apologize for this unjustified length, and I ask Allah for safety.

But if the matter of faith, with its landmarks as described in Sūrat al-Anfāl, becomes settled in our minds, then by Allah, besides whom there is no god, you find the entire Ummah ready for every kind of sacrifice in all forms and colors. What will you weep over? If you are assured of your provision and know that your term is in the hands of Allah, blessed and exalted, you will weep over nothing. And if you know that wealth, however abundant, avails no one anything except by the leave of Allah, blessed and exalted, then at that point the system of numbers and the absence of numbers become equal in your eyes; why do you want them in the first place? And you can imagine in these days that very many people, when we sit with people and talk, say to you: by Allah, I lost a million in such and such a place, in the stock market, or I put it into a project and then the state took... Unbelievable! So you ask yourself: these numbers are very large, built up over years and decades of time in this person's life, and they go just like that! Praise be to Allah for the blessing that our numbers are small, and we have, praise be to Allah, a veil of cover. The only difference between the poor wretch and the one who lost his money is that the latter has a deep wound he cannot treat, but praise be to Allah, our world is sound, in proportion to what came and what went. And I ask Allah, glorified be He, for steadfastness, safety and well-being, that we not be deceived by this world nor be tried by it, neither in our immediate affair nor our ultimate, and that Allah, the Exalted, conclude our lives with good, by the leave of the Lord of Glory.

Allah's selection of those who confront

So our Lord, glorified be He, said: ﴿كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ﴾. The next point is that Allah, the Exalted, selects from His servants those who will be in the confrontations. The people who went out to Badr, these are the choices of the Lord of the worlds, glorified be He. And there came an interjection whose wording appears to be from the host (and the transcript does not state who said it): the words of our professor the Doctor, glory be to Allah, it is as if they have gnawed into my mind. When the Prophet ﷺ says that someone attended Badr, what is the expression? «دعوه فإنه شهد…» (Leave him, for he attended…); no one touches him, and he is not confronted. Why? Because he is the choice of the Lord of Glory, so intercession is made for him on account of this standing. And we have, then: ﴿لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ…﴾ (Allah was certainly pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under…)^[20] so it was known by a standing. Glory be to Allah the Able!

The point is that those who take the lead, the people who speak about the people of Gaza now, say that they are victims. Well, I am very sorry; this term "victim" is not ours in Islam, it is not present with me unless I am ignorant of it, and I ask Allah to forgive my shortcoming. But imagine that the victim is the one who goes for nothing without accomplishment, that is, someone who went and nothing came of it. As for me, I have two terms, which come here in the noble sūrah, Allah, blessed and exalted, says: ﴿وَتَوَدُّونَ أَنَّ غَيْرَ ذَاتِ الشَّوْكَةِ تَكُونُ لَكُمْ﴾ (and you wished that the unarmed one would be yours), then He said: pardon me, ﴿وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ اللَّهُ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ…﴾ (and when Allah promised you one of the two parties…) [al-Anfāl: 7]. So what are the two parties? Either victory or martyrdom^[11]. So where is the victim? I have no victim, I have no victims! I have a person who is attacked and killed and so he is in Paradise.

Our young people who come at Abdullah's age, and the young people who are present, may Allah protect everyone, O Lord of the worlds, one of them comes and says to you: our shaykh, why does our Lord do this to these people? So you say to them very simply: may Allah hasten good for them, may Allah hasten Paradise for them; you are still sitting behind, Allah knows best, and our Lord will write Paradise for us after we die, when, or whatever? So do not be upon them^[12] to the extent that you should exert what is required of you in this. If you are a student of knowledge, then acquire it so as to convey this knowledge to people; if you are a person of wealth, then spend, for Allah, blessed and exalted, will accept it from you; and if you are of the people of teaching, then be sincere in such and such.

"Brought you out": divine selection and no seeking to be excused

The point is that Allah, blessed and exalted, tells us: ﴿كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ﴾ (just as your Lord brought you out). Did the Prophet ﷺ go out or was he brought out? He was brought out, in Qur'anic terminology. The point is that if Allah, the Exalted, chose for me to be sitting here at this time, it is not my choice but the choice of the Lord of Glory, glorified be He. Dr. Abdel Hamid says: we have a lecture for you to give, and I say to him: certainly. It is not my doing, but Allah's guidance, blessed and exalted, to my heart and mind to answer; otherwise excusing oneself is easy and abstaining simple: sorry, by Allah forgive me, I have a bit of a headache, our trip was long^[13], and you find an excuse and get out of the story. But Allah, the Exalted, inspires you with the answer according to Allah's knowledge, mighty and majestic, of what is in your soul.

And therefore Allah, blessed and exalted, says: ﴿اللَّهُ يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ﴾ (Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among the people)^[21], and He, glorified be He, says: ﴿اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ﴾ (Allah knows best where to place His message)^[22]. The point is that if the servant finds himself in a place of work for Allah, let him know that this is the choice of Allah, the Exalted, for him, so he should not ask to be excused, because then he would be asking to be excused from a divine assignment to him. And Allah's, the Exalted, assignment of creatures indicates that Allah trusted you, so He assigned you. So imagine that you return to Allah His trust, saying to Him: I am very sorry, don't cast me in again, don't trust me! And therefore the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, says very simply: ﴿وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُم﴾ (and if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you)^[23].

So here too my word is, of course, to myself and to our brothers who follow: if we are students of knowledge, then that is Allah's decree and choice, so none of us should shirk this great front or excuse himself by laziness, inability or being busy. For if the servant knocks on Allah's doors, He opens them for him, and when the Lord of Glory opens doors, good comes through them without limit or count, glory be to the Able. So seek from Allah help for every matter that is hard for you, but do not make excuses and do not stop a work that Allah, blessed and exalted, has chosen for you. Glory be to the Creator, the All-Knowing.

Why "your Lord" and not "Allah"?

Allah, mighty and majestic, says: ﴿كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ﴾. And the Qur'anic words, truly, we pause at them a little and ask: a matter like the matter of jihād, and the people going out to Badr, and the spoils, and a very, very big story, does it not call for being dealt with by the word of divinity rather than the word of lordship? What do you think, young people? "Just as Allah brought you out," but why did "your Lord" come? Because going out for jihād is a place where destruction is feared, and where destruction is feared, protection is sought, and protection comes only from the Lord. Yes, lordship, so the term lordship suited the setting here, so do not fear; for the task of the Lord is to bring good and to ward off evil. The task of the Lord is to bring good and ward off evil. So if this rule is present in a person's mind, and he responds to it and believes in its meaning and content, he does not fear anything for himself and does not fear anyone in life, but dares the world and what is in it, heart and body; his heart grows strong, indeed his body grows strong through the strength of his heart, and his heart grows strong through the strength of his belief in the One who protects him and wards off harm from him.

And therefore you see the sūrah shortly after: ﴿إِذْ يُوحِي رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ﴾ (when your Lord inspired the angels: "I am with you") [al-Anfāl: 12], «فثبّت…» (so make firm…). Do you know air cover? You hear in wars they tell you: artillery cannot advance without air cover behind it… the air cover (an unclear word), because if an attack happens it strikes immediately, so the people below are safe. Imagine that Allah, blessed and exalted…

Conclusion

So it is as if the Lord of Glory, glorified be He, is teaching us the system of concepts that Allah, the Exalted, poured out in this blessed gathering. And I ask Allah to bless those present, and to grant us and you sincerity in word and deed, and perhaps, God willing, the Most Merciful, glorified be He, will give us a share in a gathering… after we return safely. May Allah reward you well for your trust, and your noble followers, may Allah bless you and be pleased with you, O Lord of the worlds.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer related the ḥadīth by its meaning, and something like it is in Ibn Mājah from the ḥadīth of Jābir, may Allah be pleased with him: «إن روح القدس نفث في روعي أن نفسًا لن تموت حتى تستكمل أجلها وتستوعب رزقها، فاتقوا الله وأجملوا في الطلب» (The Holy Spirit has breathed into my heart that a soul will not die until it completes its term and fully receives its provision, so fear Allah and be moderate in seeking); its sourcing should be checked. ^[2]: al-Taḥrīm: 8. Editor's documentation: the lecturer did not specify the sūrah, and this is its location as far as we know. ^[3]: al-Nūr: 31. Editor's documentation: the phrase is mentioned in the transcript in the words of one of those attending, and the lecturer did not specify the sūrah. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: the story of Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Balta'ah, may Allah be pleased with him, is in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, and in it is his ﷺ saying: «إنه قد شهد بدرًا، وما يدريك لعل الله اطلع على أهل بدر…» (He attended Badr, and what do you know, perhaps Allah looked upon the people of Badr…). As for the wording «دعوه فإنه قد حضر بدرًا» (Leave him, for he attended Badr), it was transmitted as it appears in the transcript, and the name "Ḥāṭib" appears in it garbled (Ḥāt b …), so the name apparently is so. There is ambiguity in the transcript in identifying who spoke at this point, the lecturer or the host. ^[5]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer referred to al-Nu'aymān and his pranks in passing without detail, and we added nothing. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer related the narration as he heard it and did not attribute it, and we did not verify the wording "wathaba" nor its authenticity. ^[7]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer's phrasing at this point is garbled in the transcript, and what is known in the two Ṣaḥīḥs is: «إذا أُقيمت الصلاة فلا تأتوها تسعون، وأْتوها تمشون وعليكم السكينة، فما أدركتم فصلّوا وما فاتكم فأتمّوا» (When the prayer is called, do not come to it running, but come to it walking, with tranquility upon you; what you catch, pray, and what you miss, complete); perhaps the lecturer's aim was to show that the wording of the text empties the mind for Allah. His words were transmitted as he said them. ^[8]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer attributed it to one of the Companions without a name, and the number came in the transcript in the context of a question from the host ("in eight years or in such and such"). It is in Mālik's Muwaṭṭa' as a balāgh report that Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, learned al-Baqarah in eight years. ^[9]: Editor's documentation: the report is in the introduction to Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr from Abū 'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī on those of the Companions who taught them recitation, among them 'Uthmān and Ibn Mas'ūd, may Allah be pleased with them both. In the transcript the lecturer said "Ibn Mas'ūd said" and a speaker (perhaps the host) said "yes, in the introduction to Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr"; it was not clear who recites the wording of the report, so it is not attributed to the host. ^[10]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer mentioned the verses of Sūrat al-Furqān (63-65, then 68-73) in summary and by way of illustration, and did not name the sūrah; so the first were set down to the extent he mentioned, and the rest summarized, and the attribution is the editor's. ^[11]: Editor's documentation: this is the lecturer's interpretation of the two parties as victory and martyrdom; most of the exegetes hold that the two parties are the caravan and the army of Quraysh. ^[12]: Editor's documentation: in the transcript it is "so do not be upon them to the extent that you should exert…", and the connection of its beginning to its end is unclear; so it was transmitted as it appeared and no meaning or verse was composed from it. ^[13]: Editor's documentation: the lecturer mentioned a garbled number of hours for the length of his travel as an example of excuses, so it was not set down. ^[14]: Editor's documentation: al-Nūr: 55. The host recited the verse and did not name the sūrah. ^[15]: Editor's documentation: al-Aḥzāb: 1. The lecturer did not name the sūrah. ^[16]: Editor's documentation: al-Ḥashr: 9. The lecturer did not name the sūrah, and he uttered the verse up to "even though they themselves are in," and its completion "need" came in his explanation after it. ^[17]: Editor's documentation: al-Jumu'ah: 9. The lecturer did not name the sūrah. ^[18]: Editor's documentation: al-Muzzammil: 6 («إن ناشئة الليل هي أشد وطئًا وأقوم قيلًا» — Indeed, the rising at night is more effective and more suitable for words), and al-Muzzammil: 2 («قم الليل إلا قليلًا» — Stand [in prayer] the night, except a little), and al-Muzzammil: 7 («إن لك في النهار سبحًا طويلًا» — Indeed, you have by day a long occupation). The lecturer did not name the sūrah, and did not utter "and more suitable for words". ^[19]: Editor's documentation: Hūd: 6, and al-'Ankabūt: 60. The lecturer did not name the two sūrahs. ^[20]: Editor's documentation: al-Fatḥ: 18 («…تحت الشجرة» — …under the tree). The speaker did not name the sūrah, and his utterance broke off at "under". ^[21]: Editor's documentation: al-Ḥajj: 75. The lecturer did not name the sūrah. ^[22]: Editor's documentation: al-An'ām: 124. The lecturer did not name the sūrah. ^[23]: Editor's documentation: Muḥammad: 38. The lecturer did not name the sūrah. ^[24]: Editor's documentation: it is not clear from the transcript whether the lecturer or the host said this objection and what follows it in counting the manifestations of good; the more likely is that the objection is from the host, and what follows was transmitted in its context. ^[25]: Editor's documentation: in the transcript it is "wa' al-muttaqīn", perhaps "u'iddat lil-muttaqīn", and the third verse was uttered up to "they remembered Allah".