Quran Study 26 Nov 1982 By Dr Rashad Khalifa
Transcript
0:01 But then I think there comes a time in your life where you really accept that, you know, because like, I went through a night where I went through everything, and I was feeling that I had to do it, but then I couldn't accept none of it, because now I'm where I'm at now, and a lot of times, like, before I knew, I used to argue with people going on about the Bible, I used to tell them, "It's stupid, it's dumb," because I didn't want to hear about the Bible, but now I know today,
0:30 and I was hesitant to express it, because I felt it would run out.
0:34 But now I've accepted that I'm supposed to know enough about the Quran.
0:38 And see, I don't even have to refer back to the Bible or what we've been hearing, you know.
0:43 Because I'm not dealing with any of that other stuff.
0:46 Because I don't know about it, but all I know is the Quran.
0:50 And so that's what I'm believing now.
0:52 And people just would argue because I don't know the other stuff.
0:56 That's why a lot of times I've been working with, you know, with orange trees, with grass, you know,
1:02 It's not just that you can see it, it's actually that you can feel it.
1:05 You know, I actually took note of some of that.
1:08 Like, you see, to me, down here, I always focus on that, that's my thing.
1:14 And a lot of people try, you know, to confuse you, you know, they try to throw you off the straight path,
1:50 You know, well, I was going back and forth with the priest at school.
1:55 Then I come to find out a lot.
1:58 Well, if you need to say your Salat, then God will guide you what to do.
2:02 Because it can happen at any time.
2:04 Like you said, it can happen.
2:05 Try it.
2:07 You know, if you can talk and you sincerely get all the way to God,
2:11 He'll take care of everything.
2:13 So, in situations I've been in, I've seen that happen.
2:16 People tell you, "No, you can't have this job."
2:19 And then
2:19 here,
2:21 God
2:26 says,
2:26 "I
2:28 will
2:28 give
2:30 it to
2:32 you."
2:33 Yeah.
2:37 But, and that's why a lot of people don't understand what the mission is.
2:42 They want to follow their food prohibitions, and not follow what God says.
2:46 Because, you know, you need to get that out of your mind.
2:51 And, you know, that's what you're taught.
2:53 The name of God is on your mind.
2:56 That's beautiful. I just saw the kids on the video.
3:00 You can't help it, you know.
3:04 Can or cannot? Cannot. Cannot. That's the law of God.
3:14 My most recent recollection of Murt is an example to us in the video. Once he stood on a table,
3:20 and I recalled a practice from the past, when I taught him to stand,
3:24 it's a foreshadowing that he will come to Submission, you understand.
3:27 He's only little, and he smiles at me every time I see him.
3:30 So these are God's personal mercies that He holds, and you can see the connections.
3:35 So let us, we're going to resume next week with subtlety, insha'Allah, with these same verses.
3:40 We'll make an opening then, and we're going to read, insha'Allah, until we have the tea and the cakes.
3:46 May God be with you.
3:49 Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.
3:50 Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'Alamin.
3:53 Ar-Rahmanir-Rahim.
3:56 Maliki Yawmid-Din.
3:57 Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in.
4:00 Ihdinas-Siratal-Mustaqim.
4:06 Siratal-ladhina an'amta 'alayhim,
4:09 Ghayril-maghdubi 'alayhim wa lad-dallin.
4:12 Amin.
4:23 We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of good news, and a warner; and you are not responsible for the dwellers of Hell.
4:34 Neither the Jews nor the Christians will accept you unless you follow their creed.
4:40 Say, "God's guidance is the true guidance."
4:44 If you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you,
4:48 you will find against God no ally nor a helper.
4:51 Those to whom We have given the scripture, who recite it as it should be recited,
4:56 they are the ones who believe in it. And as for those who
4:59 disbelieve in it, they are the losers. O Children of Israel,
5:05 remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you,
5:07 and that I have preferred you over all the nations. And be mindful of a Day when no soul will avail another in the least, nor will any ransom be accepted from it, nor will intercession benefit it, and they will not be helped.
5:25 Okay, um, verse 120 is a real, I would say, a mouthful. It takes up your time and a great deal of your energy,
5:38 that you can't go and do whatever you feel like you want.
5:42 You have to be honest with other people, you know, and before your God.
5:59 And it's also stated, as we have seen, whenever, you know, guidance comes down or whenever a message hits you,
6:05 the Quran also tells you, well, the Quran also tells you that those who
6:11 hear it are the ones who will appreciate it. And then those who are not meant to, may hear it, but the person who is speaking is not the source; it's the spirit that talks to them through the messenger. But the message is for the person that needs to hear it. And it's something that they have been asking for, believing that they're supposed to go on in their life. And so, a lot of this is what it means to be guided. This is my understanding, as we may think it's just a human being speaking. Because a lot of times I find myself when I hear
6:40 and I don't realize what I'm about to say, but then it comes out. And then for that person, it is something that makes them go, "Aha!" you know, something that they finally understood.
6:56 You know, you don't have to have a grand argument, nor are you the one coming up with this. There's nothing difficult in conveying it, just in being a teacher, a teacher and knowing that we are going to get there.
7:07 I always tell them that, you know, people are coming for what we have, you know, for their eternal life.
7:13 And it's a good, it's a very good thing for the soul to just touch it, to believe it.
7:19 Because it's really good news. Because you know, a lot of times when you're feeling flat, you know,
7:24 you're going to be in a lot of good, good connections.
7:26 And you're going to be in a lot of good relationships.
7:29 So it's something really important that you don't have to worry about.
7:34 It's good news.
7:36 And that's also the thing that we...
7:40 I know that too, and I understand a lot of it firsthand, you know.
7:45 And a lot of times, it's our thinking that we're not responsible,
7:50 and that nobody else is responsible,
7:52 And we deserve to know, you know,
7:55 with all that we've been through,
7:57 that we must ask for forgiveness.
8:00 We ask for it for ourselves.
8:03 We know what we deserve, and we ought to be grateful,
8:06 and that we earn what we get.
8:11 And, uh, it's also saying that this is perfect guidance, perfect religion, it's just perfect.
8:20 I mean, you know, it's just perfect and it lets you know that you're saved.
8:26 Remind them of the blessings that are now with you.
8:29 And, um, it also tells you in verse 122 and verse 123,
8:34 and they were so great and so special that they should not forget it.
8:42 You know, because a lot of what We told them about it, they just disregarded it.
8:47 And there's a lesson for us to remember from the data of 19 and 82.
8:53 This guidance, did it come from a person?
8:58 Because the divine message is not something that comes from the people.
9:04 It is not a fabrication from him.
9:06 and believe it.
9:07 The issue is, this is how it is.
9:10 This can happen.
9:11 It's not only to them.
9:12 It can be you.
9:14 It can be me.
9:14 Because, for me, that's a dividing line that I will not go after.
9:20 Let's move on.
9:29 The Jews and the Christians will not be pleased with you unless you follow their religion.
9:37 Say, "God's guidance is the true guidance."
9:40 This is significant, in that the Jewish scriptures and the Christian scriptures were tampered with, with some kind of distortion.
9:49 At least here we have physical evidence that this is from God.
9:55 And God's guidance is different from their guidance.
9:57 That's what we believe.
10:01 This is why we are Submitters.
10:02 That we have a scripture that we know comes from God.
10:06 We don't want to take any chance.
10:09 We don't want to hang our salvation on a corrupted message.
10:18 And this is confirmed by verse 121, which says,
10:23 "Those to whom we have given the scripture, recite it as it should be recited, they believe in it."
10:28 They believe in it.
10:30 They have no trouble whatsoever accepting the worship of God alone.
10:36 No questions there.
10:40 As for those who disbelieve in it, they are the losers.
10:44 That's their problem.
10:45 All the prohibitions shown in the Quran are for our benefit.
10:47 It tells us not to commit murder, not to commit adultery, not to lie, not to cheat,
10:53 not to break a law.
10:55 So if anyone has any objection to this, they are the losers.
11:03 I mean, what in the world are the reasons to object to the Quran?
11:08 Why do we not do what is right?
11:08 We do what is right.
11:13 It's prejudices
11:14 or wrong-mindedness.
11:19 We look at everything,
11:20 and we accept what is,
11:22 what is pure, right?
11:23 We accept the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran.
11:29 So we accept
11:32 whatever is right.
11:36 So why should any Christian or Jew object to the Quran?
11:40 Why should they find an objection to it?
11:47 Certainly, all this, "you know, the Arabs are awful people,"
11:49 or, "I know this Arab is a terrible person,"
11:52 all that has nothing to do with the Quran.
11:55 It is just racial prejudice, after all.
12:01 So you see, the Quran is surrounded by all kinds of fences.
12:05 And what is supposed to be right? That you are a deserter, or that you sell out?
12:12 You are a deserter, but you are a Palestinian terrorist, for example.
12:23 That fatwa from Khomeini, a decision that divides the people of Islam, is bad.
12:30 They do not believe in Safawiyya, nor can they be corrected, because they are corrupt.
12:36 They get buried in there.
12:39 That's why they're still in Tunisia, and I don't know if you can imagine that.
12:43 They do not like to spend their lives there.
12:45 I've seen them live there, I have, been there, and it is amazing.
12:49 Yeah, that's a good example.
12:51 You know, originally, when I went to Morocco, the first time, I really hated it.
12:55 I hated it a lot. These people have no religion, you know, they don't measure up.
12:58 Right, and all the Ukrainians are Muslims.
13:01 So you think this is what it is?
13:03 This is a sin, no?
13:06 But you have to look at the Torah, you know, that's right.
13:09 So without digging, the Torah is by no means the Torah.
13:16 Okay, about Abraham, as long as you're still with us,
13:19 we're going to start with his story.
13:23 I'll read from the Quran.
13:24 A'udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajeem.
13:26 Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim.
13:29 When Abraham was put to the test by his Lord through certain commandments, he carried them out.
13:39 God then said, "I am appointing you an imam for the people."
13:43 He said, "And what of my descendants?"
13:46 God said, "My covenant does not include the wicked."
13:50 We have rendered the shrine a focal point for the people, and a safe sanctuary.
13:57 You shall use the station of Abraham as a place of worship. We commissioned Abraham and Ishmael:
14:03 "You shall purify My house for those who visit, those who live there, and those who bow and prostrate." Abraham said,
14:12 "My Lord, make this a peaceful land, and provide its people with fruits. Provide for those who believe
14:17 in God and the Last Day." God said, "I will also provide for those who disbelieve. I will let them enjoy
14:24 for a while, then commit them to the retribution of Hell, and a miserable destiny."
14:31 As Abraham raised the foundations of the shrine, together with Ishmael,
14:36 they prayed, "Our Lord, accept this from us. You are the Hearer, the Omniscient."
14:41 "Our Lord, make us Submitters to You, and from our descendants,
14:46 let there be a community of Submitters to You.
14:50 Teach us the rites of our religion, and redeem us.
14:56 You are the Redeemer, the Most Merciful."
15:00 "Our Lord, and raise among them a messenger who would recite to them Your revelations,
15:06 and teach them the scripture and wisdom, and purify them.
15:10 You are the Almighty, the Most Wise."
15:15 And who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except one who fools himself?
15:20 We have chosen him in this life, and in the Hereafter he will be with the righteous.
15:25 When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I submit to the Lord of the universe."
15:33 Moreover, Abraham exhorted his children to do the same, and so did Jacob: "O
15:39 my children, God has chosen the religion for you;
15:42 do not die except as Submitters."
15:46 Were you witnesses when death approached Jacob?
15:49 He said to his children, "What will you worship after me?"
15:53 They said, "We will worship your God;
15:56 the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac; the one God.
16:00 To him we are Muslims, submitters.
16:03 This is a community from the past.
16:06 They are responsible for their own works.
16:08 You are responsible for your own work, and you will not be asked about what they were doing.
16:14 Very heavy stuff.
16:17 This is the history of Abraham and the naming of Islam.
16:28 Abraham was the first to call the religion of God Islam, Submission, or use that word.
16:35 When God said to him, "Submit," he said, "I submit." So it was the first use of the word Islam by a human
16:46 being.
16:48 He taught his children this, so the Quran tells us over and over again that Abraham
16:58 is the founder of the religion of Islam, not Muhammad.
17:01 Muhammad brought us the Quran, but Islam existed long before.
17:10 And I think it's because the name, Islam itself, people think of it as a name of a religion,
17:19 as something that's different from another religion, like they're different religions with different names.
17:25 As far as it becoming a name
17:28 per se for a religion,
17:29 it is the religion itself.
17:31 Submission to God is
17:33 the one and only
17:35 religion ever.
17:37 It was given different names in different places,
17:40 based on some external
17:41 prophet or a person,
17:42 and people become attached to this name,
17:45 which is what Christians do, even though
17:47 Christ did not teach Christianity.
17:49 Jesus taught Submission.
17:51 Moses taught Submission.
17:52 He didn't come to teach the Jews Judaism; Christ didn't come to teach the people of Palestine Christianity.
18:02 He was teaching the same message. I think this is one of the confusions for us today,
18:10 so that when we say, "we are Muslims," people categorize it as something different,
18:17 as if it's somehow something different.
18:21 That's what every true believer is,
18:24 whatever prophet he is following,
18:28 whether he is following directly from the Torah or the Gospel,
18:32 or some other message in some other part of the world.
18:36 The message he was taught
18:38 and he was teaching was Submission.
18:44 And it tells us earlier on here about the shrine, you know.
18:53 What is the right pronunciation?
18:57 Because I've heard it said differently, and I don't know.
19:01 Am I saying it wrong or am I saying it right?
19:02 You're saying it right.
19:04 Okay, and it's not alright to say the other?
19:08 Yeah.
19:09 There are people who say "Moslem."
19:12 It's a distortion of the Quranic word.
19:17 It's like saying "Mohammedan."
19:22 I've looked it up. I've looked it up in a dictionary.
19:28 It says, "Moslem," M-O-S-L-E-M, is the American or British English word.
19:33 Or you can say Muslim, M-U-S-L-I-M, which is from the Arabic.
19:39 The other, Moslem, is just anglicized.
19:40 Yeah, that's an old styling.
19:42 Sorry, yes. Moslem is the anglicized form of Muslim.
19:44 Because I was, you know, I didn't think about that when I was growing up.
19:47 So you apparently saw it written that way often.
19:50 I would say, look there.
19:52 Most of them use the correct way now.
19:53 Because I know a lot of times, in the news, with the media, they'll just say,
19:58 mostly they'll say Muslim, but sometimes they'll say Moslem.
20:01 They'll say it's just, you know, two ways of spelling it.
20:06 So, I'd say, Muslim is more like that.
20:08 They are interchangeable, but one is not in the right way.
20:12 Some newer style guides have edited and changed to use the word Muslim, I don't know how they do it.
20:19 See, when I write, I'm always thinking, yeah, it's Muslim. It's not Moslem, it's Muslim.
20:26 And so I just want to make sure you know that.
20:29 I always, I always would have said Moslem anyway.
20:37 That's the only way I ever heard it.
20:41 I think it doesn't matter as long as you're not the only one who wants to do it.
20:57 This is a heavy point I've made, because there are many Christian churches, many Jews,
21:03 The Jews certainly don't follow the Torah; many of them don't.
21:07 But anyone who submits to God is a Muslim.
21:13 If they want to follow the Jewish religion,
21:15 and be true submitters,
21:18 they have to follow God's laws,
21:20 the dietary laws, the standards, etc., etc.
21:24 And as we read at the beginning of this surah,
21:26 that a Christian, or a Jew, or a Sabian,
21:29 or whatever. Anyone who submits to God, the One God, and leads a righteous life will never be hurt.
21:42 The advantage that we have, having the final scripture, is that we know exactly what to do to grow and develop our soul.
21:50 So, the person who reaches Submission by instinct will be guided and helped, but not as effectively.
22:01 So, like if you live in the West, and you go by instinct, looking for the Qibla in your house.
22:10 You might start going East, and then you will turn right and go South.
22:14 You go south, then you go east again, and then south again, and then to the right,
22:20 and by trial and error you find the south.
22:22 Yes, that's right.
22:26 But we have directions, a guideline, you go east, then you turn.
22:32 So there will be always a way to come.
22:35 If you want to perform prayers or the fast of Ramadan, these have specific
22:39 prescriptions for fasting.
22:45 That's why in this surah we will see that the Christians, specifically the Christians and Jews, who submit, end up submitting to God,
22:57 they will be instinctively guided to do good things, but not as precisely as the submitters, and they will be rewarded for whatever they do,
23:21 Verse 124: "Abraham was put to the test." I expect that this is referring to...
23:35 Well, he went through the test over time, first thinking maybe the sun was God,
23:41 the moon, and the stars.
23:42 He kept looking until he could realize that there was something weak in all of these things.
23:47 So the God he knew existed wasn't one of those things out there he could see.
23:52 So he realized that those were manifestations.
23:57 But he was looking around in the universe to see, looking for God because he knew there was a God.
24:02 He didn't yet have his idea fully developed, because at that time he rejected the idol worship.
24:10 of his father and all the people, and then over time,
24:17 he was, I mean, even though he did this, no, he didn't really become directly a messenger in
24:25 terms of getting all of these, uh, like the building of the Ka'bah and establishing the
24:31 practices until after his sons Ishmael and Isaac were born. He was finally tested, because, I mean, he waited
24:38 an incredibly long time, like 80 years or 90 years, before he even had a kid after all of these things
24:43 that, you know, he developed in believing in God. You know, like, he must have been almost 100 years
24:52 old before he really began these direct revelations that he passed on to us. So I mean, that's it.
24:59 We see a lot of tests that he went through with his sons, and almost trying to sacrifice Ishmael.
25:08 I think that was the big test. The sacrifice of Ishmael.
25:14 That's the message that the test gave to Abraham.
25:18 That's the message that the test gave to Abraham.
25:21 Yeah, it's not really an unnatural test. It's a natural consequence of knowledge.
25:26 You know now that God is One. It doesn't matter what happens.
25:31 I'm gonna believe that God is One.
25:32 You know that God is One and He is the only One who runs the universe.
25:37 It's a matter of knowledge. You know, once you have that knowledge,
25:40 it's not gonna change. It doesn't matter what happens in life.
25:45 So, this is Abraham, when he was young, a young boy,
25:49 he thought that worshipping statues that they carved with their own hands was stupid.
25:53 And he looked to this universe—the sun, the moon, the stars—for his Lord.
26:00 So, here is this young man, a young person, and his people said he is mad.
26:10 So, and this is very effective.
26:14 And, as you can see, it is very bad.
26:25 He didn't expect anything, you don't expect anything, just, you know, you worship God.
26:35 And you're not expecting anything, every believer doesn't expect anything.
26:43 So, there was nothing to be impatient for.
26:47 He was well-to-do. He was well taken care of, was the only believer.
26:55 He was doing fine, except for the lack of children.
27:01 after he was 80, 86 years old, when he had Ishmael.
27:09 Yeah, when they had the test, when Ishmael was a youth,
27:13 somewhere between 10 and 14 years old.
27:19 And then the beginning, the first Contact Prayer (Salat), Zakat, and Pilgrimage,
27:24 pilgrimage and all these duties, we see them here in verse 2:128, and you can see the footnote
27:37 down there, 2:128.
27:39 Since many Muslims entertained the erroneous idea that Muhammad was the source of these religious duties,
27:43 and that these practices were his innovations.
27:49 However, the Quran teaches us that all the religious duties were instituted through Abraham.
27:55 And these are all the verses that say that.
27:58 So this is the beginning of the religious practices.
28:02 Abraham was the first recipient of these religious duties.
28:14 Now there were other, I mean, specific duties.
28:17 You know, the things that were instituted later on as a result of excesses by the people of the Sabbath,
28:26 and the dietary regulations, they were instituted as a punishment.
28:34 Like the dietary regulations specifically were done as a punishment.
28:38 Because they started to say, don't eat this and don't eat that, as we will see in the next surah.
28:45 God says, all food was lawful to the children of Israel, until they started to say, don't eat this and don't eat that.
28:54 Somebody called me from New York yesterday, a Pakistani, just to ask if Halal meat is available in Tucson.
29:01 They want to come to Tucson. The whole Indo-Pakistani culture is just very strict with their foods and traditions, of course,
29:10 And God tells us in Surah 16 that when you do this, God made them the poorest people on earth, in India, because of that.
29:18 And God says because of that.
29:21 And the example I give in the appendix is that when you invite some friends and spend the whole day cooking a sumptuous meal,
29:30 and then when they come they raise their noses, they set their noses up at your food, how would you feel?
29:35 In the same way God gives them
29:38 cattle
29:39 and goats and sheep and they set their noses up
29:42 and say, "No, we're not going to eat it."
29:44 We're humane.
29:45 They're pious, I guess.
30:04 She's not her, she's grandpa.
30:07 Grandpa, who is that?
30:11 So there you are, there you are, son.
30:14 Well, what happens if you can't go through that life as a human?
30:17 Well, if you get eaten as an egg, that's a good life.
30:21 And then he comes back down as a chicken and he can be a good person.
30:25 If he's a good monkey, maybe he gets to be a goat, maybe he's a good goat,
30:28 and maybe after about 14 times he can be a human.
30:32 Then he's got a life.
30:33 Except for eating the chickens?
30:34 But I mean, if you get eaten as an egg,
30:39 you've got to keep being an egg so you don't get eaten and get to be a chicken.
30:43 He should be. He should be.
30:44 He should be.
30:45 He should be.
30:47 People in India will be calling you that.
30:50 A man from Kathmandu is an expert. He's a Hindu.
30:52 Do you think Hindus will call you that?
30:54 No, Muslims won't.
30:56 Well, the Pakistanis, Muslims,
30:58 they have more taboos than the Indians.
31:00 Well, I'm talking about the whole culture.
31:03 I mean, even the Hindus,
31:04 and the Muslims,
31:06 they still have so many
31:09 taboos.
31:11 Shrimp is haraam.
31:14 What about shrimp that we eat?
31:17 This is shrimp. It's good.
31:21 It's duck.
31:26 It's duck.
31:27 I like shrimp.
31:35 I'd love to take a student to see him.
31:42 Lots of food.
31:44 Nothing like that.
31:50 These are some of the most delicious things of God to eat.
31:59 Can you imagine when you cook something fantastic
32:01 and they go get the recipe and everything, and then people come in your house and set their noses up.
32:09 How would you feel about it?
32:12 So God says, I institute the dietary regulations on the children of Israel,
32:18 because they started to say, don't eat this and don't eat that.
32:23 And He also says that He makes the people who set their noses up, He makes them poor.
32:33 So, Abraham was the first to establish the religious duties, actually.
32:42 Back to Carl.
32:43 I'm sorry, Carl.
32:44 I didn't mean to be short.
32:45 Well, this is...
32:46 There's so much to cover in this, I don't think we're going to be able to cover it all.
32:51 Okay.
32:53 Okay, it tells us the history of the Shrine of Mecca, that this was established by Abraham
33:00 with Ismail as a focal point and a point toward which the people would direct themselves.
33:11 I don't know if the Salat was already established before the shrine, or not, but that's the
33:16 data.
33:17 The sign was pretty clear.
33:20 Because as they were raising the foundation, they said, "Teach us our religious rites."
33:25 My shrine is for those who encircle it, retreat in it, and bow and prostrate.
33:32 And we are told that this is a focal point.
33:38 And...
33:41 The words used are the core antidote.
33:46 A very specific word.
33:49 Now, this place, Mecca, I mean, that most dry and desolate spot that you could find.
34:02 It's really interesting, it's something that I've thought about, I don't know why in this
34:07 particular spot.
34:08 I think maybe it's kind of a reinvestment, the way I've thought about it, it's possible
34:13 too, in such a desolate place, it's because there are no objects there, but some items
34:20 like, you know, beautiful masks, it doesn't look like pastures or anything like that,
34:24 where people might worship a body, why do you need to be tempted by that?
34:29 But it's just bare bones, you know, it's not, so you don't, you're not working with decor or anything.
34:35 How hard do you think it will be to cross the border?
34:39 Well, the fantastic test is for that.
34:41 Yeah, the Hajj, but it's a focal point.
34:44 So to join the program, it was really difficult to do the Hajj, but it's the fastest method for it.
34:50 Oh yeah, God made it a duty for all who are able, so they can't find an excuse for not going, for all those reasons.
35:03 But, I don't know, I'm just speculating.
35:08 But he said, "Make it a peaceful area, and provide its people."
35:14 There was a caravan route that went through the area, and when they were traversing the valley, the people would come there and survive.
35:23 They were actually on a caravan route, so the people came through there and they stopped there.
35:29 And they just stopped, and stopped, and stopped, and stopped.
35:32 I guess a lot of them were on that caravan.
35:36 The black and orange.
35:37 I don't know if you can see that.
35:39 Wait a minute.
35:43 Abraham's prayer was never turned down, except for when he asked forgiveness for his father.
35:47 But everything he asked for was fulfilled so amply that, for example, when he said,
35:52 "Provide them with all fruits, all kinds of fruits."
35:58 But this prayer, now, the land where he lived,
36:01 The prayer that he made resulted in it being the richest land on earth,
36:05 the land of oil. Money was pouring in from everywhere in the world, and it is the richest land in the world,
36:15 and the capital of this food world is this place. And you find all kinds of food, any time you go there, because
36:23 it is centrally located between the northern and southern hemispheres, so you find mangoes in the wintertime,
36:28 that they come from Australia. And you find the oranges at the same time coming from the north.
36:36 So, from that time until today,
36:40 Especially now, when you go, when you go to Saudi Arabia, you find all kinds of food.
36:45 At the same time, the summer food, the winter food, and the wet and the dry is there.
36:53 That's Abraham's family.
36:55 He gave them water right away.
36:57 All this year they had became water.
37:00 It became rivers.
37:02 Abraham's family became rivers.
37:04 He kind of asked the children to go there and buy the water from the hardware store.
37:17 Yeah, you see that stuff on the news now, it's the south of Egypt, they've seen all these underwater
37:22 rivers from the satellite. Yeah, from the new satellite. Well, I think they've known
37:34 We've known about it for years, but this is the first time that they, maybe, that we could
37:42 see. Even the Landsat couldn't pinpoint, you see, out here at this point. So it's really neat.
37:50 There's a lot of water down there. Under all that dry sand is a lot of water.
37:54 They say it's a sea, extends for some of the... all the way to... and they had to go out and map it out and they had to go out and they had to go out.
38:08 So, I'm just wondering what the theory is, what the theory is. How deep is that water?
38:18 Yeah, they say about 15 to 50 feet deep, down from the surface.
38:23 Yeah.
38:24 It's up and down.
38:25 They are.
38:26 I mean, we have them in one place.
38:29 It's not that old, the Nubian Aquifer.
38:33 People call it the Nubian Aquifer.
38:36 I don't want to risk it.
38:38 There's a system that goes into Libya from that same area that they've been using for
38:44 wasting that water by trying to make some farm way out in Libya. That is just to say, boom.
38:51 When they started pumping that water up to the coast, people on the coast actually got farms.
38:58 And they didn't go out of their way. They were flowing that water there where they used to go out of their way.
39:05 And they actually made it.
39:09 He said,
39:10 "Make this a peaceful land,
39:13 and provide its people
39:14 with fruits.
39:16 Provide to those who believe in God
39:18 and the Last Day."
39:19 Abraham was being restrictive.
39:22 He said, "Provide to the believers."
39:24 And God said,
39:25 "I'll also give to those who disbelieve.
39:28 And God
39:30 tells us elsewhere,
39:31 He'll prolong it for them.
39:33 Everything.
39:34 Everybody's a creature.
39:35 Everybody's a survivor.
39:38 It just requires that everybody works,
39:42 and they go out for business.
39:44 And He gives them.
39:47 Sometimes He seems to give to unbelievers
39:49 a lot more than He's giving to believers.
39:51 because that's all they're going to get.
39:53 He's going to give them from here.
39:54 So if He gave the believers too much,
39:57 if He gave them bountifully, obviously,
40:00 the believers might fall into unbelief. They would forget and they would be enjoying
40:11 the present blessings that they have, and they would forget about their spiritual duties.
40:16 So when one gets unemployed or something, in the moment of desperation, one must become
40:20 a believer, he must become humble.
40:23 But when He restricts it, the more that we see we're still getting things, so we realize
40:31 that, you know, He's testing us with it, too.
40:36 Like, I always seem worried, and I get the money to pay the rent.
40:45 And yet we always seem to handle it.
40:47 We never know where it's coming from.
40:48 You worry about it, you know, but if you become a believer, you just stop worrying because, I mean, it's just a fact of experience, it just, it still keeps coming.
40:58 What's the choice? I was wondering, if you have faith, you know, what good is that? Is it just enough to say, oh, we're not about to go hungry, or, you know, what's in your hand?
41:08 But I guess that some people would say, well, if you're such a believer, why are you so poor.
41:18 But while they have the present, what do you have in the future?
41:24 Anyway, He provides for both the disbelievers as well.
41:28 He says, let them enjoy for a while, and then I commit them to the future.
41:35 Sometimes they're poor, they're tested, I believe.
41:39 Sometimes because God loves you. Now, if God wants to direct you in a certain direction,
41:47 so you go in the wrong direction this way, and God throws a block in front of you.
41:53 And then you turn it this way, and He throws another block there, so you go this way,
41:58 so He'll guide you to the right path.
42:00 Because the majority of people, when they find that they don't need anything,
42:03 they will not think about God.
42:05 But, I wouldn't want to be too distracted, because I often get worried, you know, I get absolutely absorbed with all the things you have to go through.
42:17 You see it in front of your eyes.
42:22 And it doesn't affect one's happiness or sadness.
42:25 Usually it's the...
42:30 adversity.
42:32 You can... you might find a poor man, but...
42:35 and the heart of the person is content...
42:40 worrying about things is not good.
42:44 There's no connection between happiness and money.
43:04 In 2:128, it teaches us in our religious study; I think we're very successful by that.
43:19 It says, in 2:130, it says, who would forsake the religion of Abraham, who would forsake the religion of Abraham except those who fool themselves?
43:32 And that's another important thing to keep reminding us of.
43:42 it is going to lead to nothing, it leads you out.
43:47 You are creating your name and your Submission after you have made it.
43:53 Even the prophets before, they didn't establish that,
44:03 they didn't show the codification of their thoughts and their beliefs.
44:09 Misha, do you have any questions you want to say to the audience?
44:23 Well, the people were also too primitive to value that.
44:27 Before Abraham all that was required was to believe in God.
44:31 And to be honest in your dealings, not to cheat men, not to steal, not to commit robberies.
44:40 That's all. There were no specific rites. It was for every man.
44:45 But society became a little more sophisticated.
44:49 And by the time Muhammad came, the world became a lot more sophisticated.
44:57 Now we have the mathematical structure in the Quran that was really, really sophisticated.
45:02 This is the computer era.
45:08 So, you see, we are developing. Actually, we are no longer in the era of faith; we entered
45:24 the era of physical evidence.
45:29 Which addresses the responsibility of the people.
45:37 Who would forsake the religion of Abraham,
45:41 except one who befools himself?
45:46 When his Lord said to him, "Submit," he said, "I submit to the Lord of the universe."
45:55 Then it goes on from there. He told his children to submit, he taught his children Submission,
46:08 and this is telling us, you know, he's passing on all of these things that he has taught
46:13 through his children, and they were submitters. And this is the history of the beginning, because
46:32 that is a community from the past. You're responsible for your work, they're responsible
46:38 for their works. So, we don't really worry. I think this is another case that, you know I'm talking about, where various sects make a big deal out of it. If they're responsible for their works, you know, what we need to worry about is our time and our works.
47:00 and you are not answerable for anything they did. You also relate that to the Christian
47:18 Christian concept of, uh, original sin, that you sometimes feel guilty about and you
47:27 may do something that you did not really want to do because you believe you can't help it.
47:31 But you do it. So, I guess this affects other people that I know as well.
47:59 Well, I think it's not specifically one of them, it's the messenger who He raises from among
48:05 among every people, for every generation.
48:13 And you may find your simple messenger,
48:17 wherever you go, wherever you live, bringing God's message into your life,
48:36 teaching them and sanctifying them.
48:40 When this is done for them,
48:44 if they obey, they will be sanctified.
48:49 And not to die except in Submission.
48:55 This is the creed,
48:58 and this is what sanctifies everything.
49:02 That's not the right answer.
49:07 But that verse refers to a secret of the Quran.
49:10 That's the verse.
49:17 It can be understood through Muhammad.
49:34 I don't think that means a sentence in the Quran is meant for the subsequent generations that come after, that they do not submit.
49:49 22:78
49:49 is another
49:50 verse that
49:51 we can refer
49:53 to.
49:55 It's page
49:56 232.
49:57 It says,
49:59 "And strive
50:00 in the cause
50:01 of God
50:02 as you
50:02 should strive
50:04 for Him.
50:04 He is the
50:05 one who
50:06 selected you
50:06 and imposed
50:07 no hardships
50:08 on you
50:09 in observing
50:09 the religion.
50:10 This is the
50:11 religion of
50:12 your father
50:12 Abraham.
50:13 He is the one who named you Muslims.
50:15 Thus the messenger
50:17 will be a witness among you,
50:19 and you will be witnesses
50:21 among the people.
50:22 Now, this is the call to us:
50:23 So observe the Salat,
50:27 and give the charity, and hold fast to God.
50:30 He is your Lord;
50:30 the best Lord and the best Supporter.
50:32 The messenger
50:34 will be a witness.
50:36 He is not bringing you
50:40 any new regulations.
50:56 They have invented their own kinds of religion, but we bring to you something that won't be changed.
51:16 Say, "We believe in God, and in what is revealed to us, and in what was revealed
51:26 to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord.
51:33 You will notice we make no distinction, a thing that many forget.
51:39 It's very dangerous. Usually, this leads to violence.
51:43 There is a turning away when they have formed their opposition.
51:48 So it's very easy to get out of the system.
51:52 You have to turn to Him.
51:55 Stay steadfast.
51:57 And do not move to either side.
51:59 You are walking alone.
52:01 If you are doing this, I'm thinking about
52:04 if you're going on your own
52:06 and you are responsible for all the work
52:09 that you are doing.
52:10 So you're working.
52:12 You are thus working alone.
52:14 You can take it every now and then.
52:16 I just feel so alone without you, and I just wish for peace.
52:20 I want to know more of You, O God.
52:23 I feel more alive than I could ever feel, except when I feel close to God.
52:30 God is never unaware of anything you do.
52:34 This is a community that you have.
52:36 You are responsible for your own soul, and you are responsible for your own work.
52:41 You are accountable for everything you do.
52:56 A lot of people from other religions, as you said, they came up with the idea of polygamy in order to deviate.
53:05 And if you don't follow that thing, you go down to hell and be unhappy anyway.
53:12 And, uh, that's how a sister told me that she thought I was going to take her religion away from her.
53:20 That she should worship God alone.
53:28 And...
53:48 And that was the reaction of a lot of brothers, and so they came to me and said, "We want to
54:01 It's not one of those things that really matters, and so it's just not the
54:09 goal.
54:17 You have to have faith in these people to be alive and thriving, so that you can
54:25 And they are told in the Bible that idolatry is allowed. This is nowhere found in the Bible.
54:38 But when you tell them to worship God alone, if they disagree with that,
54:42 it is either in or out.
54:45 There is no in between.
54:49 It is either Submission to God, or your religion.
54:52 And we want to come back to that.
54:58 We'd like to talk to you about one thing.
55:02 And it's just, um,
55:07 probity.
55:10 Probity is a good word.
55:17 Um,
55:18 I know you talked about just being responsible for our own work.
55:23 I know that we all are responsible for our own work.
55:30 And you can't blame anybody if you elect to do it.
55:34 You're always responsible if you do something wrong.
55:37 It's your own good if you do something right.
55:41 Yep.
55:43 Because you are telling us that we should do things, not what things we should do.
55:47 You don't tell us, because you want us to decide.
55:52 Because it's your own matter.
55:55 But I think we need to do this for other people's good.
56:00 I agree.
56:02 But you know if we're going to let these people teach us this way.
56:06 Why?
56:17 The Quran states that Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a monotheist Submitter.
56:34 Abraham was not a Christian.
56:37 This reminds me of some fellow who said, "You have to make it through Jesus."
56:43 How can you make it through Jesus? How about Abraham? Nobody had gone through him.
56:50 But he was before Jesus. He actually said that.
56:54 I said, "Well, the Bible says Abraham was a friend of God, and the Quran made him an Imam."
56:58 He's going to make it through Jesus.
57:02 So maybe it's like we make it through Adam the prophet.
57:06 Yeah, he couldn't talk to you either.
57:12 Oh man, God didn't know that Moses was a Christian.
57:15 Huh? God didn't know that Moses was a Christian.
57:19 Yeah, you know, go find out.
57:25 Well, Christians don't even stop to think that Jesus would follow Moses' law,
57:31 and things like that.
57:32 It's Jewish.
57:34 Some of them are Jewish.
57:39 Yeah.
57:47 God knows if they were committed to their leaders, Jewish, Christian, or Muslim.
57:54 God knows.
58:03 And if there's no answer to one, two, three or four questions, I'm going to give you the last one.
58:12 Thank you.
58:19 Thank you.
58:23 This is a sign from the Old Testament.
58:25 It's a very, very great proof.
58:26 It's a very, very great proof.
58:28 A sign,
58:30 and a sign,
58:32 and this sign
58:34 is a very good tool.
58:37 It's a good tool
58:38 for us.
58:41 So this continues.
58:46 The same applies
58:47 to the prophet Muhammad also.
58:49 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
59:02 And the man who will not listen to My words
59:04 which he speaks in My name,
59:06 which he speaks in My name,
59:08 I will require it of him.
59:10 I will require it of him.
59:11 This is the authority.
59:12 If one of these imposters comes,
59:14 and you say in your heart,
59:16 "How shall we know the word
59:18 which the Lord has not spoken?"
59:19 It's true.
59:22 That's because the purpose of our being
59:23 is the evidence of His being.
59:26 And from all this,
59:28 the purpose is to stay away from Hadith and Sunna.
59:31 When a prophet speaks in the name of God, if the thing does not come to pass, that is a thing that God has not spoken.
59:37 The prophet has spoken it presumptuously.