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This content has been automatically translated. View original in Arabic
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His blessings, and welcome to the ninth session of the "Clarification for Everything" competition. As usual, we will have with us today, God willing, a set of questions. The session may be short today; because I have a lecture after it honestly, but God willing, it will be beneficial.
We start by mentioning the names of the brothers and sisters who are leading in the past days:
Masha Allah, Muhammad Abdullah collected many points yesterday, and he was also one of the active participants last season. With God's blessing, we begin.
The question states: The caller to God abhors retreating from his call and acknowledging the ignorance that it is; because thereby he is as if he is proving to himself a charge before the people that what he was calling to was nothing but a lie to God the Almighty, what he did not say. Whoever dares to do that with God, how can people trust him? Mention a verse that indicates this meaning.
Answer: The answer is the saying of God the Almighty, narrating about Shu'aib, peace be upon him: "We have invented a lie against Allah if we return to your religion after Allah has saved us from it."
When we stand with this verse, we find that the people of Shu'aib, peace be upon him, threatened him and those who believed with him: either you return to our religion or we will expel you from our village. Ibn Ashur made a beautiful and convincing remark about the meaning of this speech; that is, if we return to your religion, this means that my call and the following of the believers to me was all a lie.
This meaning is indicated by the use of "qad" (a particle that emphasizes the past tense) and its placement before "in" (a conditional particle); the meaning - and God knows best - is that if we return to your religion, this proves that the claim of prophethood was a lie. This means that there is no turning back in the path of calling; whoever retreats by denying what he was saying will fall from the eyes of the people; for he who forges lies about God is not trusted by the people. A person may weaken or be cowardly, but to change his call by 180 degrees and acknowledge falsehood, this is an acknowledgment that he was forging lies about God in the past.
Arrogance and ignorance lead some tyrants to believe that the people under their rule are their property; their bodies, their time, their money, and even their hearts. Mention a verse from today's portion that indicates this meaning.
Answer: The answer is His saying, the Almighty, in Surah Al-A'raf, narrating about Pharaoh: "Pharaoh said, 'Have you believed in him before I have given you permission? Indeed, this is a plot you have plotted in the city to expel its people therefrom; you will soon know.'"
Abu Bakr Al-Jaza'iri, may God have mercy on him, said: "Before I have given you permission" in faith in Moses, and this is an expression that carries the scent of defeat and foolishness; does faith need permission? Faith is an inner submission that has nothing to do with permission except from God the Almighty. Look at how arrogance leads tyrants to imagine sovereignty even over the works of the heart.
The caller to God is merciful to people and loves guidance for them, but his heart hardens towards the rebellious to the extent that he exerts effort in conveying his call; because he knows for certain that their excuse has been cut off. Mention five words from a verse that contains this meaning.
Answer: The answer is His saying, the Almighty, about Shu'aib, peace be upon him: "So he turned away from them and said, 'O my people, I have certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you; so how should I grieve for a people who disbelieve?'"
It is as if he is affirming his heart not to grieve for them; for they do not deserve grief after he has established the proof upon them. The caller must be merciful, but to the extent of dealing with the deniers and establishing the proof upon them and seeing their rebellion, the heart hardens towards them.
This reminds me of a previous statement of mine titled "China is not the first," where I said that as Muslims we value the human soul, and every person is a project of a believer worthy of the call as long as he is alive. However, this does not mean showing mercy to those who have died from the stubborn rebels who fight the religion; for these, our hearts harden towards them because their excuse has been cut off, unlike the simple people in remote areas who have not received Islam except in a distorted form; these, we feel compassion for and strive for their guidance.
A verse that indicates that understanding the speech of God and pondering it is a blessing from which those who have no good are deprived.
Answer: The answer is His saying, the Almighty: "And if Allah had known in them any good, He would have made them hear; but if He had made them hear, they would have turned away, being averse."
Al-Sa'di, may God have mercy on him, said: "And this is evidence that God the Almighty does not prevent faith and good except for those who have no good in them." This confirms that the heart is not entirely in your hands, but "And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart." Therefore, man must beware of rejecting the truth or justifying sin; for that may lead him to a stage where he no longer understands the verses of God nor is guided to the truth. They understand the words linguistically, but they are deprived of the "beneficial hearing" that guides.
There is a hadith that testifies to this meaning (that whoever God knows good in him, He makes him hear), and it is the speech of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to a companion who embraced Islam after a period and did not hasten to Islam. Who is he?
Answer: The hadith is directed to Hakim bin Hizam, may God be pleased with him, where he said to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him): "Have you seen the things I used to do in the days of ignorance, such as charity, freeing slaves, or maintaining family ties, is there a reward in them?" The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "You have embraced Islam on the basis of the good you have done before."