Conviction Leads to Action

35. A Thematic Overview

Summary (3e)

Surah An Nisa: Conviction Leads to Action

“But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.” (Sahih International) (4:65)

 We aren’t considered Believers if we do not make the Prophet (S) the final judge in our every affair

“And if We had decreed upon them, "Kill yourselves" or "Leave your homes," they would not have done it, except for a few of them. But if they had done what they were instructed, it

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would have been better for them and a firmer position [for them in faith].” (Sahih International) (4:66)

•  Suicide? Self-inflicted homelessness? Who would choose to do these things?!?

•  “لو” : If/had... shows that this is a theoretical statement

•  إلا قليل منهم : even among the Believers, very few would be willing to follow this commandment if the Prophet (S) told him

•  تثبيتا : it is firmer, it makes more sense

 Allah challenges us...if you really believed in this message, regardless of what you thought, if the Prophet (S) says something, you don’t question it...it is by default the wisest thing to do because the Prophet (S) said so.

1. 1. Stand by what you believe: confidence is intellectual and emotional. Intellectual confidence is fortified by Allah’s ayaat, and the emotional confidence to stand with the Prophet (S) is through studying the Seerah.

2. 2. Normalcy (what we are surrounded by) vs. Islam... Muslims have never fit in, and we never will. We aren’t simply different, we are distinguished.

3. 3. We can’t think anything that Allah or the Prophet (S) said or did is negative or strange...Islam = Submission, you are either IN or OUT.

4. 4. Understand what the Prophet (S) did clearly

   1) I don’t know if it’s true, but if it is, I LOVE it

   2) If it’s true, I want to learn about it...not to justify the actions of my Prophet (S), but simply because I want understand his wisdom and grow my love for him.

5. 5. Avoid two scenarios:

   1) Quoting the Prophet (S) without context (ex. Cut off his tongue)

   2) Falsely attributing practices to Islam (ex. the more religious you are, the angrier you have to be)

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“And then We would have given them from Us a great reward.” (Sahih International) (4:67)  من لدنا : from vaults especially from us

“And We would have guided them to a straight path.” (Sahih International) (4:68)

 When you show a little guts, when you stand with the with the Prophet (S), than Allah will give you the strength to walk the path

“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.” (Sahih International) (4:69)

•  و : can mean “and” or it can be a “عطف بيان” which means “that is...”, so the ayah can also be translated as “And whoever obeys Allah – that is – the Messenger...” which makes sense because the 65th ayah was about obeying the Messenger

•  رفيقا: come from رفق = to recline, to chill... we will be so tight with other prophets and righteous people that we will just kick it with them

  “That is the Ultimate Favor from Allah, and Allah knows what’s up” (4:70)
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Surah At Tahrim (66): Family Business

“O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Sahih International) (66:1)

•   The Prophet (S) is constantly under a microscope, so if he gave up honey then other Muslims may misinterpret that to mean that it is haram. This places the responsibility on all public figures to make very clear when they are espousing personal opinions as opposed to explaining objective Islamic principles.

•   Jealousy sprouted even in the most noble of all families, May Allah be pleased with them. The context of these ayaat is that the Prophet (S) would divide his time equally between his wives. One wife knew that the Prophet (S) loved honey, so she would give him some exotic honey just before he was about to leave her home so that she could spend more time with him. As a result of eating the honey, the Prophet (S) would come a few minutes late to the next wife’s home, and he would smell of the honey he just ate. The other wife was jealous that the first wife was getting extra time with the Prophet (S), so she said “I don’t like that smell.” So the Prophet (S) decided to give up eating the honey despite the fact that he liked it, because he wanted to keep his wife happy. He didn’t realize that the honey wasn’t the issue, but that the time he spent with the previous wife was the real issue. Allah revealed these ayaat to lovingly teach the Prophet (S) how to deal with jealousy in a family.

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  

 

“Allah has protector,

“My parents like my brother more...”
“I hate it when you spend time out with your friends...”

We need to communicate our feelings... “Silence is not sabr.” – Ustadh. Silence causes anger to boil up inside you until you explode. Sabr is to talk about what is bothering you without losing control of your emotions.

When we are jealous, we don’t speak honestly...when we get upset, we speak unclearly

We need to be open about our feelings and actions to foster trust

already ordained for you [Muslims] the dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your and He is the Knowing, the Wise.” (Sahih International) (66:2)

 Allah is giving the Prophet (S) permission to break his oath to never eat honey...”already” shows the loving relationship between Allah and His Messenger (S)

“And [remember] when the Prophet confided to one of his wives a statement; and when she informed [another] of it and Allah showed it to him, he made known part of it and ignored a part. And when he informed her about it, she said, "Who told you this?" He said, "I was informed by the Knowing, the Acquainted.” (Sahih International) (66:3)

 This sharing of secrets is something almost innocent. “I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone...” Soon everybody knows! This ayah highlights trust within a family...when a husband tells a wife a secret, than only the wife

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is supposed to carry that secret! If a son tells mom a secret, then Mom shouldn’t tell Dad! That’s how you destroy trust in a family, and all families are built upon trust! We have to bear our family’s secrets.

“If you two [wives] repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you cooperate against him - then indeed Allah is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants.” (Sahih International) (66:4)

•  Allah didn’t explicitly say “If you two wives repent to Allah it is best...” He left it at “If you two wives repent ________” because Allah knows the wives feel sorry

•  و إن تظاهرا : even though I know you want to repent, just in case you would try to gang up on the Prophet (S) and say you didn’t do anything wrong after you know what you did is wrong, know that the Prophet’s (S) entourage rolls deep

  “Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you [all], would substitute for him wives better than you - submitting [to Allah ], believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshipping, and spiritual - [ones] previously married and virgins.” (66:5)

•  Allah is reminding the Prophet’s (S) wives that he has a lot of options...if they try to gang up on the Prophet (S), they can be replaced

•  The fact that they weren’t replaced shows that all of them met fit all of these descriptions! May Allah be pleased with them!

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“O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.” (Sahih International) (66:6)

•   In context, we understand that families consumed by jealousy and unable to build trust among them will go to Hell

•   We have to protect our families! Communicate! Build trust, and trust each other!

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