Quran Study 28 Jan 1983 By Dr Rashad Khalifa
Transcript
0:00 Now, I just looked at it and said, do we really have any usury?
0:16 Those who consume usury stand like one who is struck by the devil's touch.
0:23 This is because they claim that usury is the same as trade.
0:26 And God permits trade and prohibits usury.
0:29 Whoever heeds this admonition from the Lord and desists, may keep his past earnings, and his judgment rests with God.
0:41 As for those who return to usury, they are dwellers of Hell; they will abide therein forever.
0:49 God diminishes usury and augments charity.
1:03 So, we're being punished for this vicious cycle of inflation, and wages go up, and inflation
1:16 goes up, and it's all, it's all, everybody recognizes that it's tied to the usury economy.
1:21 And this is one of the strongest statements against something in the Quran.
1:27 It's struck by the devil's touch.
1:30 Some of the other things that are forbidden, alcohol, gambling,
1:35 people point out there may be some good in them.
1:37 There's actually no good that can come at all from usury.
1:42 Only evil.
1:44 And the next verse says: God diminishes usury and augments charity.
1:48 So, here we have in the middle of the section on charity, something about, um, about usury.
1:54 Um, let's see.
1:58 They're the opposite of each other.
2:01 One of them means that not only do you give a man money, not only do you want it back,
2:07 but you want more of it back than you gave him.
2:10 Charity means you give a man money and you don't even want it back.
2:13 So, you forget about it.
2:15 So, it's economic, it's the underlying economic philosophy of Islam, I think it's given right
2:25 here in this ayah.
2:27 Trade is permitted, usury is forbidden, but our capitalist society is based on borrowing
2:39 money with the idea that you borrow money from somebody who's got it, at interest, with
2:45 with the idea that through your trading you're going to make more money and be able to repay
2:50 it.
2:51 But we can see the result.
2:56 So really in between the one extreme of having no free trade, which is what communism is,
3:04 and having free trade with usury, we have what sometimes is called socialism, where
3:10 where you have free trade, but the basics of the society are provided for.
3:16 So you can have free trade and you don't have to worry about usury.
3:20 So it's for me an indication that Islam is based on a type of socialism.
3:31 Socialism permits free trade, but it doesn't permit excessive wealth.
3:35 And it's only through usury that we have this excessive wealth.
3:39 Now people are in a position that they can make more money from usury than they
3:44 can through employing people at certain businesses. If you can make
3:49 20% loaning your money out, and there's no risk because you've got a
3:54 guaranteed piece of paper, it's better to do that than to set up a business and
3:58 employ people to make the same amount of money. So it's a real disaster.
4:17 When you buy a house for, say, $50,000, by the time you are finished after 30 years of
4:29 paying for it, the interest and everything, the total price is $150,000.
4:52 Well, I take this myself to the extreme that I don't like to walk in a bank. I don't...
5:04 I have no bank accounts. I get paid by a paycheck. I usually go to the drive-in window. It seems to me that banks are great houses of sin. Worse than taverns, because after all, alcohol is supposed to have some good. At least some poor guy is making some money.
5:21 At least there's some production of something.
5:24 Yeah, but at least there's some, you know, there's some work involved.
5:28 Basically, usury is a great sin. I really oppose it.
5:33 I don't see them opposing it at all.
5:35 The people who are insuring it,
5:39 that means they win when you lose.
5:43 Exactly.
5:47 This business is a bet against you.
5:51 What is this business's name?
5:54 I mean, insurance, an insurance company.
5:58 I can see another one.
6:00 And it's a company for employees who produce nothing.
6:04 They just administer something, you know, paperwork.
6:09 For example, if you have a bank that is very ill, you can't take out your money for 5 or 10 days, maybe even more.
6:25 No, no, that's it.
6:27 For example, if you have a policy and you get very ill, you can't get your payout for 5 or 10 months, maybe even more.
6:39 Isn't it true that some of the Arab banks themselves, you know, the big Arab banks, they're not insured these days?
6:49 You know, the offshore funds, they're the worst.
6:54 All the people who are working for them, are partners with them.
6:59 They're partners with them.
7:11 If you work as a bartender, are you committing a sin?
7:15 It's the same question.
7:17 You don't drink yourself.
7:20 I think the question is, do you partake? Do you drink? Do you have any share in making money
7:23 from usury for yourself?
7:24 If you work in the bank and you have no money in the bank and you make no money from interest,
7:28 What is the judgment on you?
7:31 The judgment is for the usurers.
7:40 And if you work in a bank that deals in usury,
7:46 you have to study the difference.
7:50 The large capital companies that produce it,
7:54 they are on the rise.
7:56 Is it a business that produces? Or how does it get produced?
8:02 Islamic economy is a productive economy.
8:07 Now you have a verse from God: God condemns usury and augments charities.
8:14 Now God works in strange ways, to us they are strange ways.
8:19 And today I am giving you an example of a lottery in Arizona.
8:25 The state of Arizona last year started the lottery, and for the first time in the history of Arizona,
8:32 they have a hundred million dollar deficit in the budget.
8:36 And those who devised the lottery, which is a non-productive gambling prohibited by Islam, by God,
8:43 in the Quran and in the Bible,
8:46 what did they come up with in the end?
8:49 They were supposed to earn money,
8:51 become rich, reduce the burden
8:54 of taxes on the people,
8:56 but they became a burden on humanity.
8:58 God commands simple earnings,
9:00 not gambling or usury.
9:04 So the state ended up with a hundred million dollar debt.
9:07 Does the government's math make sense to you?
9:10 But for us, we understand it perfectly.
9:15 Because they resorted to sinful gambling,
9:20 breaking God's law, whether it is usury or gambling,
9:27 we have been forewarned.
9:30 Even though on the table we are making money, under the table.
9:45 One thing that I learned today was that last week they had a program about Ma'rib.
9:52 Anybody know of that?
9:55 It was about the breakdown in the Ma'rib dam.
10:00 I don't know how many movies, how many couples, how many people lived in those two gardens.
10:11 And then, God was showing them in advance what was going to befall them.
10:18 I don't know what to do with that.
10:20 But they should know.
10:21 They should know.
10:24 I know it.
10:25 I know it.
10:26 Saba', you know.
10:28 All the houses.
10:31 I saw the street and the house.
10:33 I saw the street.
10:35 Why?
10:36 Why can't any of those things happen in New York?
10:40 Oh, I saw it.
10:41 I didn't have to be there.
10:43 They took care of it.
10:45 We can't be like this anymore.
10:46 I just want you to think about something.
10:48 Try to believe in God.
10:51 God is doing all these things.
10:54 If you're not in awe,
10:55 if you feel in a way that you need to get started,
10:58 not with wrongdoing,
10:59 but with a relationship with God,
11:02 then I think you're in a good relationship.
11:05 That's the greatest idea.
11:07 I want to just say,
11:09 I'm really excited for you guys to know that.
11:10 I love you.
11:13 I love you.
11:51 Now, we get to it.
11:56 Now, we get to it.
12:05 Quran 13, verse 31 says,
12:13 Even if a Quran could cause mountains to move,
12:18 or the earth to shatter, or the dead to speak,
12:22 they would not believe.
12:23 That is because the whole matter is up to God.
12:26 Is it not time for the believers
12:29 to realize
12:31 that if God willed, He could guide all the people?
12:33 However, those who disbelieve will continue to be struck by disaster for what they have done, or it will descend near their homes, until God's promise comes to pass. God never fails in His promise.
12:49 But we have to take them one after the other.
12:53 And if you look at how people end up in Hell,
12:58 make sure that you don't
13:01 go through all kinds of temptations and go astray.
13:07 But back to this verse we were studying,
13:09 Just to name a few, usury and gambling.
13:12 You can add that to it.
13:14 Any simple illness.
13:18 Somebody steals something from someone, robs a bank.
13:25 Now, for example, it appears like they made money, but really they lose money.
13:32 They end up losing.
13:35 Any simple argument, you can draw from the ministry, and you see these things in practice.
13:42 This was the state of Arizona. There was a repeal of insurance.
13:49 There was a repeal of insurance. The law required insurance.
13:56 The guy wasn't even insured.
14:00 I'm not sure if they were. I took a look at it.
14:04 I took a look at it.
14:27 Those who believe, work righteousness, observe the Salah, and give the Zakat, have their recompense with their Lord.
14:34 They have nothing to fear,
14:36 nor will they grieve.
14:37 O you who believe,
14:39 beware of God and refrain from all forms
14:42 of usury, if you are really
14:44 believers.
14:44 If you do not refrain,
14:46 then expect
14:50 If you do not refrain,
14:52 then expect a war
14:54 from God and His Messenger.
14:55 But if you repent, then
14:59 you
14:59 may keep your capital without
15:02 inflicting injustice
15:03 or suffering injustice.
15:05 If the debtor is unable
15:07 to pay, you shall wait for
15:09 a better time. If you remit the
15:11 debt as charity, it would be better for you,
15:13 if you only knew. Beware
15:15 of the day when you are returned to God,
15:17 when each soul is paid for whatever it
15:19 has earned; no one will suffer
15:21 the least injustice.
15:23 Again, speaking of
15:25 the sin of usury and the justice
15:27 of God.
15:28 So even if you have a
15:31 bank account or
15:31 in a money market
15:34 account,
15:35 $25,000 or more, you know, you think you make a lot of money,
15:37 but that money will just be lost;
15:39 is what it says.
15:41 There's no way you can win from usury.
15:43 Even if you win in this life,
15:46 someday you're going to be held
15:47 accountable. You'll return
15:49 and you'll have to answer.
15:52 There's another
15:54 story in the end of the
15:55 Quran which talks about the rich being
15:57 questioned for what they did. They'll actually
15:59 be interrogated.
16:03 They will be interrogated for what they did, the wealthy people.
16:08 Do you know which part it is? At-Takathur, do you know?
16:11 Which part is next?
16:12 You know which one I mean about the...
16:17 Almost at the end.
16:19 It says they will be interrogated for what they've done.
16:33 Alhaakum at-takathur. You're preoccupied with hoarding until you go into your graves.
16:38 Indeed, you will find out. Yes, you will indeed find out. If you could only find out now, you
16:44 would envision Hell. You would envision it with an eye of certainty. You will be asked about your
16:49 blessings, interrogated about your blessings. So this relates to that. People will
16:56 return to God and they will be questioned about their luxuries and the
17:02 excesses of wealth they have.
17:05 People, unfortunately, can become worse than they've always been; they can become very uncharitable.
17:16 They could actually be charitable to the country and save it from the economic problems it has.
17:22 The biggest problem in this country is the deficit.
17:26 A 100 billion dollar deficit.
17:28 This 100 billion dollar deficit could be wiped out in a week.
17:34 Now, a 100 billion dollar deficit for 200 million people,
17:49 if the people are charitable to the government and give the government $500 each, the
17:58 deficit would be wiped out, as charity for our success.
18:02 But they don't want to do it.
18:04 Now $500, I cannot pay $500 for it.
18:08 I'm not going to say $500 per person, but there is a new trend now where you can pledge, say, for $10 a month, right?
18:18 20 million. How many people in this country can give only $5,000 per person?
18:23 What I'm saying is, with all the rich people in this country,
18:28 of $10 million, five percent will be given to the government,
18:35 would solve the whole political problems, because all of these are interest problems
18:39 going on in the community.
18:41 But, the rich people who want the interest to be high, they can't stand to see it go
18:47 down to 5% because it is usury.
18:51 They're avaricious.
18:53 They have $200 million, but that's not enough.
18:56 Somehow it increases their hunger for more money.
19:01 It's just, it's amazing.
19:02 What about 2:279? "A war from God...
19:06 ...and His Messenger."
19:07 That's right. That's exactly what I mean by the 100 billion dollar deficit I outlined.
19:13 They'll just toss it aside.
19:15 Oh, yeah?
19:17 You're gonna make money?
19:19 I'll tell you about it.
19:22 Then the collar went on. The collar went to the throat, and I'm just saying.
19:34 expect a war from God
19:37 and from His messenger.
19:38 Does that mean only when Muhammad was alive?
19:40 Did he just ask them to go out and
19:43 make war on people who didn't
19:44 listen to him?
19:46 It says, "Expect a war from God
19:48 and His messenger."
19:52 It says right here.
19:54 You mean at that time?
19:56 No, no, no. This one is not confined to Muhammad.
20:01 But isn't there a messenger?
20:03 Anyone who speaks, anyone who speaks on behalf of God will speak against usury.
20:09 You speak on behalf of God, you will be against usury.
20:21 Right? You are speaking against usury.
20:33 I think that most people interpret the word "messenger" in the Quran to exclusively apply to Muhammad.
20:40 to Muhammad.
20:45 They ignore all the statements in the Quran that Muhammad was not allowed to interpret.
20:59 Well, look in 33:40, it says "seal of the prophets," not that there is no messenger after him.
21:07 So, the answer is two.
21:09 Two, three, four.
21:10 Two, three, four.
21:13 Two, three, four.
21:15 Two, three, four.
21:16 Four.
21:17 Four.
21:18 Four.
21:19 Four.
21:19 Four.
21:19 Four.
21:40 What is the difference between the word "Nabi" and the word "Rasool?"
22:04 He is the final prophet. This is a fundamental principle. If you believe the Quran, he is
22:10 the final prophet.
22:13 Every nation has a messenger. The Quran says every generation, every village, every community.
22:23 When you go out in the market and meet somebody and tell them about Quran, you are a messenger of the Quran.
22:47 So when it says obey God and His messengers, it doesn't say obey God and His scholars.
22:57 So, you're going to come to many conclusions from this one point, the very first point.
23:04 So, it is very clear. Any person who comes to you and says,
23:09 "Obey me," because his own argument is worth more than God's word,
23:15 you are idolizing someone besides God.
23:20 So, if anyone comes and tells you what you are doing and what you should do and what you should not do,
23:28 and when those people say that they want it to be that, that, that, this, this, this, this, that,
23:39 So, if I am a follower of some imam, for example, or if I'm an Arab, I have some privileges? For example,
23:51 I mean, I should not be put up on a pedestal, but there are other people, and I am to be involved with them.
24:00 Because you don't know what's in it.
24:02 The words 'Nabi' and 'Rasool' define a different function.
24:07 It's like a car and a scooter.
24:11 In this comparison, it's not saying you don't need one; it's defining their roles.
24:16 Right.
24:16 That's from your manual, the Quran.
24:19 Prohibition.
24:20 Prohibition.
24:21 Your...
24:22 local custom.
24:23 Local custom.
24:23 Yeah.
24:24 And they say that you are not.
24:28 Not.
24:29 Not.
24:29 Right.
24:29 And then if you get upset, say 90% of the time you get upset and you feel pressure, I need to
24:37 I used to be a Sunni. And, thank God, you know, I used to be one of them.
24:43 It was a war.
24:46 Yeah, one person would be fighting.
24:55 Yeah.
24:56 They'd be at war on that.
24:57 Right.
24:58 Right.
25:00 That person was creating gods besides God.
25:11 No, I made it easy for all of you.
25:18 The "Final Messenger"... that's the final straw.
25:22 He said, "If there is anything in the Quran that says he is the final messenger, I will be the first to submit."
25:27 Because they use the term "the first and the last" in the Arab countries,
25:30 for the final messenger; they made it up.
25:35 So, I'm going to take it and look it up.
25:38 You got it?
25:39 .
25:41 .
25:42 .
25:43 .
25:43 .
25:43 .
25:43 .
25:43 .
25:44 .
25:45 .
25:45 Does that mean that for the last 1400 years we were all lost?
25:51 Yes.
25:52 I wouldn't disagree.
26:00 See, you have nothing.
26:02 You're deceived.
26:04 Look at this.
26:06 And think about this.
26:15 So this country's deficit can be wiped out, but the rich people who can do it, don't want to do it.
26:24 The government borrows money from the rich to cover the deficit, and gives them 15%, 20%.
26:33 Let us read the footnote to 2:275.
26:38 The usury forbidden here is the fixed interest charged on loaned money.
26:46 Earnings that fluctuate with investment, profits and losses do not constitute usury.
26:53 It should be noted that the Quran condemns only those who charge usury,
26:59 while those who are forced by circumstances to pay are not guilty of sin.
27:05 than sinners, as we see in verse 2:280.
27:08 Look at verse 2:280, it says, if the debtor is unable to pay, then wait for a time of ease.
27:16 If you give up the debt, it is better for you, if you only knew.
27:21 So the debtor, the person who took the debt is the victim.
27:25 If you buy a house, the only way to buy a house is to have a lot of dollars and pay
27:32 exorbitant interest, exorbitant interest, then you are a victim.
27:44 That's what your hadith will tell you, anybody who pays interest is also a sinner.
27:49 That's hadith, that's wrong.
27:59 Any of you get some other people and say, like, if you can't answer, is this how?
28:04 Yeah, yeah.
28:05 Good.
28:07 We'll do it.
28:09 But if you have to say it, it's a little bit.
28:15 It's a little bit.
28:17 Any other ideas or feedback?
28:21 Yeah.
28:31 They're sort of an in-between kind of deposit, I suppose it's really usury, though.
28:37 The interest you're paid varies with the prevailing interest rate, but it's fixed at a certain
28:45 time.
28:47 But actually profit means there's a risk involved. You could lose everything, you could double your money, if you buy something and the price of it goes up for some reason, that's great.
29:01 You made a good business decision. Whereas with usury you're guaranteed the money. It's like you say, it's not productive.
29:11 I remember we were discussing this the last time when we were at the Tucson Masjid, and
29:17 after we discussed it, some lawyers came to me, and Lisa Spray came to me, and they said,
29:22 not one of the seven, but one of the people in the department said,
29:27 Hey, can you recommend something?
29:31 I said, recommend something, and the person said,
29:53 I think even though there's no usury involved with checking accounts, I think they're banned.
30:02 Just because you're dealing with the bank.
30:06 The post office has a very good way of paying your bills.
30:10 You can buy a postal money order.
30:12 You have to send checks sometimes for your bills.
30:14 Your electric bill and your gas bill, you can pay them at drugstores.
30:23 That's just my opinion.
30:28 It's like going into a bar and having a Coke, well, is it okay to go to a bar and have a Coke?
30:33 If you've got any of the cash in your pocket, the subject is locked.
30:36 You can move it from the front, you know.
30:40 There are other ways of protecting your money besides carrying it in your pocket.
30:45 It's your problem if you lose it.
30:47 At times, there's only too much of it.
30:49 Then you just leave it.
30:57 or a business I guess
30:59 it's a question of convenience
31:01 what are you talking about
31:03 I don't know
31:06 what's up
31:09 you don't need to know
31:10 I don't need to know
31:12 I don't need to know
31:34 Thank you.
31:51 You can go to the clerk, hand in your money, and that's it.
31:58 What's this institution?
32:01 It's the stock market. So to get a profit, you're depending on luck.
32:07 Some people do use it for gambling.
32:09 Yeah, I see, I see.
32:11 Right? So people, they buy and sell anything.
32:15 This is not a business.
32:16 Just moving the money from here to there. That's gambling.
32:20 Because it is all that kind of gambling that's been going on these days.
32:24 It's idle energy, because it's idle energy.
32:26 There's no work getting done, but there's a lot of betting getting done.
32:30 And you're not productive.
32:32 And gambling is gambling.
32:34 And gambling, for believers, is off-limits.
32:37 I guess we need to be productive.
32:39 Don't envy them. We are supposed to earn money, as much as we need to live.
32:42 I don't think that's supposed to be money.
32:53 What about, like, buying gold and holding it, thinking the value would go up in a year?
33:05 If you had bought gold a year ago, you would have made about 30% profit.
33:14 Gold happens to be a standard. For example, 15 years ago, for an ounce of gold you could buy a good suit.
33:22 Today, for an ounce of gold you still buy a good suit. An ounce of gold 15 years ago was $35, and a good suit was $35.
33:32 Now, an ounce of gold is $500, and a good suit is $500. What I'm saying is that you're stabilizing your money.
33:42 Well, let's contrast that point of view.
33:45 You kept your $35 in your pocket about 15 years ago.
33:49 It would not be worth the paper it's printed on.
33:51 This is where gold comes in, you know?
33:54 Yes.
33:56 Hmm.
33:59 It doesn't have gold.
34:01 Why?
34:03 Well, you can't liquidate it easily.
34:07 That can be a problem with gold.
34:10 Why do they do it?
34:12 Why do they do it?
34:14 They don't back it with anything.
34:15 They don't back it with anything.
34:17 No, no.
34:17 They're in cahoots.
34:20 What's happening now?
34:25 What's happening?
34:26 What's happening?
34:29 What's happening?
34:30 No, wait, Tom.
34:31 I'm not here to debate more.
34:33 I'm not an economist, you follow?
34:36 Okay, so here, the commandment gives the details of our financial life, everything. 2:282.
34:51 Thank you.
35:06 O you who believe,
35:11 when you transact a loan for a specific period,
35:15 you shall write it down.
35:21 Let a scribe write it down between you.
35:24 This is Kathryn, she's been a Submitter for almost a year now, and
35:28 she has been a friend of mine since 1981.
35:31 She is a sincere seeker and very interested in the message.
35:35 Thank you.
36:09 I'm going to read a verse to you, and then I will take your questions.
36:35 These questions are very important to you.
36:39 If you are interested in the future of your soul,
36:42 and you are ready to know,
36:44 please write your questions on the cards.
36:46 If you want to hear from a fellow Submitter
36:49 about these crucial matters,
36:52 please join us again tomorrow at 9 a.m.
36:57 You may also get a chance to hear
36:59 about your future in the Hereafter
37:01 in our next session.
37:24 This is a really good example for the people who say you need Hadith and Sunna for jurisprudence.
37:33 The points of the law are not covered in the Quran, so how much more detailed is that?
37:40 In any event, it says if you observe God, God will teach you, so you don't have to go anywhere else, even if there is something that is uncovered.
37:50 It definitely is that they don't believe God, and this is what this means.
37:57 You know, the one who feels financially stable, you know,
38:03 A hadith from Aisha, you know, the story about Aisha,
38:08 tells us about this faith.
38:12 Otherwise, how would Aisha know?
38:44 the
38:44 the
38:45 the
38:47 in
39:01 in
39:17 So, you know, I remember a story about the chest, the Tabut.
39:26 and she was commanded to take a chest to throw into the river.
39:29 I didn't have the pledge.
39:30 The chest was the pawn.
39:32 It was something of value.
39:33 It was actually the pledge.
39:36 That's the pawn.
39:38 It's the same thing as a pawn.
39:40 It will make you
39:41 come back to give him the pledge.
39:45 Sometimes that's the problem.
39:46 See, I don't have a pledge.
39:48 You don't have a pledge?
39:48 I know.
39:49 I think that's not the right thing to do.
39:52 You're traveling in the desert somewhere
39:54 and you don't have any money
39:55 and you meet somebody and you need $10,
39:59 and there are no scribes or witnesses, nothing, just this setup.
40:04 and you owe $10, you can give him a pledge,
40:08 or a pawn.
40:10 If there's trust, you do nothing.
40:15 What if a witness is not from the locality?
40:19 Oh, it is very much the same, whether he comes from afar.
40:22 Oh, I see.
40:28 I mean, what was his case?
40:31 I don't know.
40:32 I think the point is a little bit weak.
40:33 I think it's a little bit weak, but let's say a witness is needed.
40:34 Let's say he's a local student, but he's not from here.
40:36 I know, but, why does it matter?
40:37 He's not from here.
40:40 So he's from here, but he's not from here.
40:41 Oh, I don't think that's the point.
40:42 There's a lot of people from the other side.
40:46 The point is you cannot forget. The verse says that if one of them errs—in other words, gets confused or forgets—the other one reminds her.
40:53 This is a great mercy from God.
40:58 The money is on the line, people, and you want not to take it seriously.
41:13 This commandment, folks, is very important; you actually do it.
41:16 Any time you lend money, you will not lose your money, unless you want to.
41:21 Write it down and have it with you.
41:24 Because we tend to forget.
41:28 You know, somebody pressures the other, and when the time comes you say, "I can't go on."
41:34 For some reason you don't think you can keep asking.
41:39 You can feel the same thing, but it's written down.
41:45 Then there is no question about it, there are witnesses.
41:49 The idea of one man and two women, why?
41:52 Why? Because a woman is emotional?
41:56 The idea is that if you have a man and a woman,
42:01 there is a possibility of an emotional pull.
42:05 If one of them errs, the other will solve the problem.
42:12 You have one man and two women,
42:15 even if the polygamy is applied,
42:17 The man marries two women. He has to be so just that you cannot find a speck of dust of injustice between his wives.
42:24 Deceit comes from the weak.
42:27 People get taken advantage of, people from the weak.
42:33 But this is God's law and we have to stick with it.
42:37 What do you do?
42:40 Do you know that in the beginning it says, "O you who believe, when you contract a loan..."
42:43 "...uphold the laws of justice with peace. You will stand firm for God, not for money."
42:51 Is there any other idea on Shahada?
42:56 Well, we are going to finish this Sura today, insha'Allah.
43:00 Are you ready to finish it?
43:02 These are your covenantal obligations.
43:04 They happen to be covenantal blessings.
43:08 It's very important.
44:01 The conspiracy against Christ by the Jews in the city of Jerusalem.
44:09 God did not permit the Jews.
44:12 The Jews did not kill him.
44:15 God did not permit the Jews.
44:21 God did not permit the Jews.
44:22 They tried to do it, but they did not pull it off.
44:28 We have lost count of our rounds, and rounds we have done, how many we have done.
44:34 We have lost count of our rounds, rounds, rounds,
44:38 especially when we are at the Ka'bah.
44:42 We have lost count of our rounds, rounds.
44:44 We are still at the Ka'bah.
45:19 There is a very good way to solve this if you have a calculator.
45:27 You don't have to guess at the number at all.
45:30 You just have to get a counter.
45:33 You don't have to do this guesswork.
45:35 There are a lot of options.
45:39 There are tons and tons of options.
46:11 how it would work for my family.
46:13 They had a really, really good way of communicating with me,
46:19 and they got in touch with me,
46:21 and they're like,
46:24 "Hey, you want to get in with us?
46:25 We want you to come to a meeting."
46:29 And then, they, they, they, they,
46:32 they came to their first meeting.
46:36 It was really cool.
46:38 That was really, really good.
47:16 Thank you.
47:41 I'm very happy for all the people that took part in the process.
47:45 I know that people will learn a lot of things from this conference.
47:50 I want to take this moment to thank everyone that's part of this event.
47:55 We are very grateful to all the people that took part in the conference.
47:58 Thank you so much!
48:03 Thank you also for all the people who helped us, who took the trouble for our guests, and for the wonderful support that they have been receiving.
48:10 Yes, it's nice to be here.
48:15 I never thought that you would be here.
48:23 I never thought that I would be here.
48:26 By the time I left, I was a different person.
48:29 You are here.
48:47 So, we have a God who turns to us when we turn to Him. He turns to us to forgive us.
48:55 But if people set up idols beside God, they do not enjoy that.
49:06 But what do you mean, forgive or give up?
49:08 See, when you're forgiven, you don't have any more sins.
49:16 I'm saying God is the God who forgives us.
49:20 He forgives us.
49:30 Only believers.
49:33 Idol worshipers are not believers.
49:37 Now, idol worship, we can repent from it,
49:40 we can repent from it,
49:42 and it will be wiped out.
49:45 Idol worship is not forgiven if the person dies in a state of idol worship.
49:50 That's the meaning of this verse.
49:52 What do you mean by that?
49:57 The left and the right.
50:00 Belief in God automatically determines where you will end up.
50:04 The gift is forgiveness and repentance.
50:09 It is very important for you to make no distinction among the Prophets.
50:15 This is the gift of the Quran.
50:17 We cannot make distinctions among the Prophets.
50:19 This is why in this Masjid, we make no distinction.
50:24 We don't mention Muhammad in addition.
50:28 We don't mention Moses in addition.
50:30 We don't mention Jesus in addition.
50:31 We also don't mention Noah in addition.
50:45 I made an analogy to someone the other day about radio, you know, it's like, well, you
50:52 heard this message on a certain brand of radio, Sony, and you heard this message on a Yaesu,
50:59 and you heard this message on a Sony, I mean, you know, what are you going to do, get all
51:04 involved with the radio, the name of the radio, or are you going to listen to what the
51:08 message is? I could mention some other names, you know. Can one of them say, "Oh, it's all about me?"
51:16 All of these are only means. It's the source that counts, the glory which comes from the One.
51:26 It's like... it's like receiving a message, like receiving something on the radio.
51:35 It's an intermediary, or you might say it's the angel, and you can use that as a very
51:44 detailed analogy if you please.
51:46 That's a very good point.
51:48 Most of the people are more concerned with the brands of radio, you know.
51:52 I remember when we were talking, we were talking about Moses one time, and I was asked,
51:56 "Is it the same if I am praying to God, and praying to Ali for safety?"
52:02 I am praying to Muhammad and I am praying to Allah.
52:07 O God, please save us.
52:09 O God, please help us.
52:12 O Lord, please be on our side.
52:14 O Lord, please help us.
52:15 I pray to Allah that He would help us in this whole world.
52:20 O God, please do what is right for us in this whole world.
52:43 You are describing, for example, the story of Ibrahim.
52:51 When he saw the idol-worshipping in the community, he did not start with force, but he debated it.
52:59 Because we are all born with this message.
53:04 You look up at the sky, and you see up there, and there is one powerful thing.
53:12 No.
53:15 It is a powerless thing.
53:24 172.
53:25 See?
53:26 What's the name of the tool?
53:27 Yes, it's called...
53:31 When we testified in 7:172?
53:39 It's called...
53:40 Just watch what I'm going to do.
53:43 Yes, alright.
53:44 It's called...
53:46 It's called...
53:48 It's called...
53:51 It's called...
54:09 So, all those people in a tribe, they are in isolation.
54:14 They already bore witness that God is their Lord.
54:17 It doesn't matter who teaches them what.
54:19 They have this knowledge inside them, instinctively.
54:23 There is no excuse.
54:26 Do not think that you are not a Christian.
54:31 Knowledge will show that you are a Christian.
54:34 Of God, yes.
54:39 It doesn't matter who thinks he is God.
54:41 The only reason people wander astray in Christianity
54:44 is because they deserve that.
54:47 This is what they actually believe.
54:51 And if there are individuals in that community who believe in God alone,
54:55 who actually make it through Christianity,
54:58 they will reject the doctrine of Jesus being God, or God being Jesus,
55:02 or the Trinity, and will believe in God alone.
55:06 Abraham is a very good example of this.
55:12 Okay, I'm going to close, and then we'll pray and drink our tea,
55:15 and I've had a good time, and I'd like to thank you for the great, great dinner for all of you.
55:20 This was a wonderful moment.
55:22 Thank you.
55:23 Thank you.
55:26 Thank you for having me.
55:28 I'm so glad to be out here in North Carolina right now.
55:33 I feel, you know, it's been a long day for me, and I'm tired,
55:39 and you don't see how much we're studying.