Introduction and Announcement of Competition Results
In the name of God, all praise is due to God, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of God. Brothers and sisters, may God keep you, peace be upon you and God's mercy. We welcome you to this sixteenth session of our competition "Tibyanan Lakull Shay'."
Today we have some important announcements; the competition today will include questions with many points, which may help in determining the results between the close brothers and sisters. Whoever finishes today as the leader in points will be honored with a prize for the first half of Ramadan, leaving the rest to compete for the second half.
The current leading names are: Sister Hanan Abu Ruman (6 points), Sister Esraa Mahmoud (7 points), and Brother Eshaq Sandouqa (9 points) who is currently leading. We will see today if Brother Eshaq will remain at the top or if the ranks will change.
Question One: The Excuse of Ignorance in Surah Al-Kahf
Question: Three consecutive verses raise a question and answer it, but according to the division of the verses, those who argue for the excuse of ignorance in matters of creed and those who argue against it use them as evidence. If the question is asked with the first verse, those who argue against the excuse use it, and if only the second verse is mentioned, those who argue for the excuse of ignorance use it. The verses are from the sixteenth part, and there are two marks on them.
Explanation of the Issue:
The issue of "the excuse of ignorance" is well-known among scholars of creed. Let us assume that a person in a remote village seeks help from the owner of a grave based on a wrong fatwa from an ignorant sheikh; is he excused for his ignorance or not?
The verses are from the end of Surah Al-Kahf:
- Say, "Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in deed?"
- Those whose effort is lost in this worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work."
- Those are the ones who disbelieved in the signs of their Lord and in meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless. Therefore, We will not give them any weight on the Day of Resurrection.
Evidence:
- Those who argue against the excuse: They say that the third verse mentions their disbelief even though they thought they were doing well, so they are not excused for their assumption.
- Those who argue for the excuse: They read the first two verses as one question: "Who are the greatest losers in deed whose effort is misguided while they think they are doing good?" The answer comes in the third verse: "They are those who disbelieved in the signs of their Lord and in meeting Him" (i.e., they disbelieved out of obstinacy and denial). Based on this, one who does not disbelieve in the signs of his Lord and in meeting Him but errs out of ignorance may be excused. This opinion may be the more likely one, and God knows best.
Question Two: The Etiquette of Supplication and Seeking Help Through God's Good Deeds
Question: One of the kind manners of supplication is to seek help from God, the Almighty, saying, "O Lord, you have not let me down in the past, you have accustomed me to your generosity, so respond to me now." Mention a verse that carries this meaning from today's part.
Answer:
God, the Almighty, says, narrating about Zechariah, peace be upon him: "And I was not, my Lord, in my supplication to You, wretched" (Surah Maryam: 4).
Zechariah, peace be upon him, made a difficult human request (a child in old age and his wife's barrenness), so he sought help from God through His previous kindness: "O Lord, I have always experienced Your response and You have never let me down, so do not let me down this time." This is a great supplication seeking help through God's previous favor upon the servant.
Question Three: Purifying the Prophets from What the People of the Book Attributed to Them (Without Malice)
Question: Mention a verse that includes an addition of three words that purify a prophet from a defect attributed to him by the corrupted books of the People of the Book.
Answer:
The three words are: "without harm."
They are found in the story of Moses, peace be upon him: "And put your hand into your bosom; it will come out white without harm, as another sign" (Surah Ta-Ha: 22).
Explanation:
In the corrupted "Bible" (Exodus), they claim that when Moses, peace be upon him, took out his hand, it was "leprous as snow." Leprosy is considered impure and requires the isolation of the afflicted and their crying out, "Unclean! Unclean!" The Quran emphasizes that the whiteness of Moses' hand was a miracle and light, not a disease or leprosy, saying: "without harm"; meaning without disease or defect, in response to their fabrications.
Question Four: Interpreting the Quran with the Quran (The Story of Aaron, Peace Be Upon Him)
Question: A verse from today's part is mistakenly interpreted by some, but another verse from a different part clarifies and explains it.
Answer:
The verse from today's part: "He said, 'O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, 'You have caused division among the Children of Israel, and you have not waited for my word'" (Surah Ta-Ha: 94).
Some people (including famous figures) use this verse to argue for prioritizing "national unity" or "the interest of the group" over "the word of monotheism" and the denial of shirk.
However, the verse that explains it is from Surah Al-A'raf: "Aaron said, 'O son of my mother, indeed the people have weakened me, and they were about to kill me. Do not let the enemies rejoice over my misfortune and do not make me among the wrongdoers'" (Al-A'raf: 150).
Therefore, Aaron, peace be upon him, was not a choice; rather, he was denied by them until they weakened him and almost killed him, so he remained among them awaiting Moses, peace be upon him, and preserving those who remained upon monotheism, and he did not compromise in the essence of religion.
Question Five: The Miracle in the Counting of Years (Surah Al-Kahf)
Question: A verse in which the Quran dates an event with a phrase that combines the counting of solar years and lunar years.
Answer:
God, the Almighty, says: "And they remained in their cave for three hundred years, and they added nine more" (Al-Kahf: 25).
The People of the Book (the Romans) date using solar years, and the Arabs use lunar years. The difference between the two is that every 100 solar years equals approximately 103 lunar years. The three hundred solar years equal exactly 309 lunar years. Thus, the Quran addressed the People of the Book with what they know (300) and added the increase for the Muslims according to their calculation (9), and this is from the miracle of the Quranic system.
Question Six: Warning Against the "Path of the Corruptors" and Materialistic Philosophies
Question: A verse containing a word that indicates the need to beware of imitating the holders of false creeds even in matters where corruption may not be apparent, because their sciences stem from materialistic philosophies.
Answer:
The word is "path" in God's saying: "And do not follow the path of the corrupters" (Al-A'raf: 142), and His saying: "And do not follow the path of those who do not know" (Yunus: 89).
Explanation of the Benefit (from the words of Ibn Ashur):
God did not say, "Do not follow the corrupters," but He said, "Do not follow the path of the corrupters." This means warning against everything that leads to corruption. The corrupter may do an act that does not appear corrupt at first glance, but since it comes from a corrupter, we must beware of it because it may be based on a false philosophy (such as materialism) that denies the Creator.
Contemporary Examples:
- Psychological Sciences: Such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); it is very beneficial, but it must be scrutinized. They may classify "jealousy" or "modesty" as mental illnesses based on their Western standards, while they are virtues for us.
- The Law of Attraction and Neuro-Linguistic Programming: It mixes truth with falsehood, and much of it is "new witchcraft" disguised in Islamic attire.
- Materialistic Interpretation of the Sunnah: Such as attempting to explain the prohibition of "plucking the beard" by the presence of nerves under the hair; we obey God out of worship and do not wait for a material reason to accept the legislation.
Conclusion and Answers to Audience Questions
- About Dr. Raghib Al-Sirjani: The man is very distinguished in history and biography (such as the series on the Tatars, Al-Andalus, and the Prophet's biography). We advise benefiting from his historical output, while noting that we may disagree with him on some political stances or later ijtihads.
- Children's Stories: I have projects for children's and youth stories aimed at instilling conceptual ideas in a simplified way and far from materialism. I ask Allah to bless the time to complete them.
- Tafsir Ibn Ashur: I have read it and made many notes. I hope Allah makes time easy for me to share them with you in the future.
We ask Allah, the Almighty, to benefit us with what we have learned. May Allah reward you well. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.