Introduction to the Twenty-First Council
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. May Allah keep you alive, my brothers and sisters, in this session, the twenty-first day of the blessed month of Ramadan. Today, with Allah's permission, we have nine questions. We will begin with the first question.
The First Question: The Sufficiency of the Quran in Indicating Prophethood
Question: The Quran is sufficient in indicating the truth of the prophethood of the Prophet peace be upon him to every person with a sound heart. Mention a verse from today's portion that indicates this.
Answer: Sister Bint Al-Aqsa from Libya answered; the verse is Allah's saying, the Most High, in Surah Al-Ankabut: "Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book which is recited to them? Verily, therein is a mercy and a reminder for a people who believe."
Is this not a sufficient argument and conclusive evidence for the truth of Muhammad's prophethood peace be upon him? But for whom? For those who believe, for those who have the capacity to believe, who are not those who have already made a decision with arrogance and obstinacy. Then the verse follows: "Say, 'Sufficient is Allah as a witness between me and you. He knows what is in the heavens and the earth.'" And this Quran was revealed with the knowledge of Allah, and whoever hears it knows that it can only be by divine inspiration.
I wanted to emphasize with this verse that it is not appropriate for a Muslim to turn away from arguing with the Quran to anything else besides it, from the evidence of the doubter in its sufficiency to establish the argument. Some say that this is an age of science and linguistic miracle no longer works, and this is a mistake. And we will talk in the "Journey of Certainty" series about the divinity of the source of the Quran and the evidence that refutes every person with a sound heart.
The Second Question: The Indication of the Preposition on the Welfare of the Servant in the Narrowness of Provision
Question: The material condition may be in the interest of the servant. Mention the preposition that indicates this in a verse from today's portion.
Answer: Brother Alaa Mustafa and sister Riyah An-Nasr answered. The answer is in verse 62 of Surah Al-Ankabut: "Allah extends provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts it. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things."
There are many verses containing "and He restricts" (meaning narrows), but here it came "for him"; and the preposition "for" here feels that this restriction and narrowing is in the interest of the servant. And it can be understood in the light of His saying, the Most High: "And if Allah were to extend provision to His servants, they would surely rebel in the earth." And Ibn Ashur mentioned that the preposition "for" indicates that this narrowing may be in the interest of the believer, for in the hadith: "How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for indeed all of his affairs are good for him."
The Third Question: The Meaning of "We Will Restrict Him" in the Story of Prophet Yunus
Question: Understanding "the restriction" (meaning narrowing) helps in negating a wrong understanding about Allah's Prophet Yunus peace be upon him. Mention a verse from outside today's portion that clarifies this.
Answer: Brother Hamza Lifad and brother Ahmad Qasim answered. The verse is: "And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not restrict him."
Many of the common people mistakenly think that Yunus peace be upon him thought that Allah would not be able to hold him or punish him, far be it from a prophet to think that. The correct meaning of His saying "that We would not restrict him" is: We would not narrow upon him. Either he thought that Allah would not narrow upon him by forcing him to stay with a people who did not respond to him, or he supplicated to Allah, certain that Allah would not prolong his trial and would not narrow upon him after this supplication.
The Fourth Question: The Wisdom Behind "Provide for Them Therein" and "Provide for Them Therefrom"
Question: The Quran used different prepositions after the same word, inviting to the investment of the wealth of orphans to preserve it from depletion. Mention the word and the prepositions.
Answer: Sister Rula from Canada answered. The word is "Provide for them," and the prepositions are (in) and (from).
- The first verse: "And do not give the foolish your wealth which Allah has made for you a means of support. But provide for them therein and clothe them."
- The second verse: "And when the division [of inheritance] takes place - then the relatives and the orphans and the needy should be provided for therefrom."
The rhetorical subtlety: In the first verse, He said "therein" and did not say "therefrom," and the secret of that - as mentioned by Al-Kashaf and Ibn Ashur - is that "in" indicates making money a place for provision through investing and trading in it, so that spending on the orphan is from the profit, not from the capital, so the money does not decrease over time. This agrees with the saying of Umar ibn Al-Khattab may Allah be pleased with him: "Seek in the wealth of orphans, do not let charity eat it." As for the verse of division, the provision is by direct deduction from the inheritance, so it is suitable for the preposition "therefrom."
The Fifth Question: Following Guidance and Community Security
Question: Some rejecters claim that following Allah's command threatens their security and puts them in confrontations they are not prepared for. Mention a verse from today's portion that refutes them.
Answer: Sister Israa Mahmoud answered. The verse is Allah's saying, the Most High: "Have they not seen that We have made [Mecca] a safe sanctuary, while people are being taken away all around them? Then do they believe in falsehood and deny the favor of Allah?"
Allah responds to those who claim that following the religion causes destruction and loss of security; Mecca was an oasis of security amidst a sea of blood and wars in the Arabian Peninsula. This security was not by political alliances, but it was a grant from Allah. And in Surah Al-Qasas (from outside today's portion), their saying was mentioned: "And they said, 'If we follow the guidance with you, we will be taken away from our land.'", so the response came: "Have We not made for them a secure sanctuary to which are brought the fruits of all things?" So true security is derived from Allah, the Most High, and not from anyone else.
The Sixth Question: Ensuring Guidance in Times of Fitnah
Question: People complain about the unclear path of truth. Mention a verse that contains a command and a guarantee that ensures success in the right path.
Answer: Brother Mazmul Abdullah from Japan answered. The verse is the conclusion of Surah Al-Ankabut: "And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our paths. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good."
The command is "striving for Us" (exerting effort in the way of Allah), and the guarantee is "We will surely guide them to Our paths" with emphasis by the lam and noon. In times of confusion, striving and doing good are the path to attaining Allah's guidance and His companionship.
The Seventh Question: The Quran and the Great Jihad
Question: Mention a verse from the previous portions that shows that confronting the disbelievers with the Quran and presenting its arguments is one of the greatest jihads.
Answer: Brother Ahmad Qasim and Kun Lillah answered. The verse is from Surah Al-Furqan: "So do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with it [the Quran] a great striving."
Jihad is not limited to fighting (with weapons), but establishing the argument with the Quran and refuting doubts and falsehoods is named by Allah "a great jihad." This type of jihad is required in every era to refute the arguments of the rejecters.
Question Eight: Justice in Dispute and Distinction Between Worldly and Religious Matters
Question: One of the justices of Islam is that when it forbade taking the disbelievers as allies, it made a distinction between the causes of religious and worldly disputes. Mention a verse that contains this distinction, and specify the location of the evidence in two words.
Answer: Brother Ahmed Ayash and brother Luay Khalil answered. The verse is from Surah Al-Mumtahanah: "It is only forbidden for you to take as allies those who fought you because of religion and expelled you from your homes and supported your expulsion. [They are the ones] whom you [may not] take as allies."
The location of the evidence is the two words: "because of religion."
This addition carries a great meaning; not every dispute with a non-Muslim is a war against religion. Disputes may occur for purely worldly or legal reasons, and in such cases, it is not permissible for a Muslim to dress the dispute in the garb of Islam and claim that the other party is fighting him for the sake of his religion while he is the aggressor. This is from the absolute justice of Islam that distinguishes between creation with truth.
Conclusion and Follow-up
At the end of the session, we reviewed a suggestion from sister Duaa Rajab to hold direct weekly meetings after Ramadan to guide the Muslim and enlighten him with the truth in times of trials. We welcome this cooperation in righteousness and piety, and we will try to coordinate that as time permits, by the will of God.
May God reward you for your kind follow-up, and we will meet again tomorrow, God willing. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings.