Exegesis of the remainder of Surat al-Inshirah: "And We have raised for you your reputation . . . . ."
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the weekly meeting that takes place every Thursday, and this is the seventy-eighth meeting. Yes, and this is the eightieth meeting, which takes place on Thursday, the twenty-eighth of the month of Jumada al-Thani. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make these meetings beneficial.
And to make us and you among those who walk a path in which they seek knowledge, so that Allah may thereby make the path to Paradise easy for us.
In this meeting, we have been presenting an exegesis of the noble Book of Allah, which[Fussilat 41:42] and which every Muslim must learn from its meanings what he needs in the matters of his religion and his worldly life, because Allah only revealed the Qur'an for recitation, reflection, and taking a lesson.
That is to say, the purpose of the revelation of the Qur'an is not merely that we worship Allah by reciting it, but that we worship by reciting it, knowing its meanings, and acting upon it. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Sad 38:29] He did not say "so that they recite it with a mere verbal recitation." He said: [Sad 38:29] They reflect upon it, they understand its meaning, they remember by it, and they act upon it. We have reached in this exegesis, which we began with Surat al-Naba, Surat al-Tin. Yes, we did not complete it. Yes, we finished with Surat al-Inshirah, and I thought we had finished it. We reached the saying of the Exalted: [Ash-Sharh 94:1-4] So He raised the mention of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. No one doubts this, because his mention is raised in the highest place at every prayer, and that is in what? In the adhan: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
Second: His mention is raised in every obligatory prayer in the tashahhud, for the tashahhud is obligatory, and in it is: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger."
Third: His mention is raised in every act of worship. In every act of worship, the mention of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, is raised. How is that? Because every act of worship must have two fundamental conditions: sincerity to Allah and following the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. It is known that following the Messenger means that when one is in the act of worship, he is present with the fact that he is following the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. This is part of raising his mention.[Ash-Sharh 94:5-6] This is a glad tidings from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and to the rest of the Ummah.
And we ask the brother: Did hardship befall the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him? In what? Yes, when he was in Makkah, it was made narrow for him in Makkah, and in al-Ta'if, and also in al-Madinah from the hypocrites. So Allah says:[Ash-Sharh 94:5] Meaning, as we explained to you, He expanded your chest, removed from you your burden, and raised for you your reputation. These are great blessings. Likewise, this hardship that befalls you must have an ease.
[Ash-Sharh 94:5-6] Ibn Abbas said regarding this verse: Muwatta Malik 21:6 Muwatta Malik 21:6 So how do you direct his statement, may Allah be pleased with him, given that "hardship" was mentioned twice and "ease" was mentioned twice? The scholars of rhetoric said: The direction of his statement is that "hardship" was not mentioned except once. [Ash-Sharh 94:5-6] The first "hardship" was repeated in the second with the definite article "al," so the "al" here is for the remembered covenant. As for "ease," it did not come with the definite article, but it came in the indefinite form. The rule is "that if a name is repeated twice in the indefinite form, the second is other than the first, except in rare cases" and the opposite: if a name is repeated twice and it is definite, the second is the same as the first, except in rare cases. Pay attention to this rule. The rule now is: "If a name is repeated twice in the definite form, the second is the same as the first, except in rare cases, and if a name is repeated twice in the indefinite form, the second is other than the first" because the second is indefinite, so it is other than the first.
So in the two noble verses, there are two eases and one hardship, because the hardship was repeated twice in the definite form.[Ash-Sharh 94:5] Whose statement is this? It is from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and His statement is the most perfect of statements in truth, and His promise is not broken. So whenever a matter becomes difficult for you, my brother, wait for the ease. Whenever it becomes difficult for you, wait for the ease. As for matters of the Shari'ah, it is apparent. Sunan Abi Dawud 952Sahih (Al-Albani) This is an ease. If standing is difficult for you, sit. If sitting is difficult for you, pray on your side. In fasting, if you are able and you are resident, fast. If you are not able, break the fast. If you are traveling, break the fast. In Hajj, if you are able to find a way to it, perform Hajj. If you are not able, there is no Hajj upon you.
Rather, if you begin Hajj and a circumstance occurs that prevents you from completing the Hajj, then exit the state of ihram, annul the Hajj, and sacrifice, for the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:196].
So every hardship that befalls a person in worship finds facilitation and ease. Likewise in divine decree and destiny, meaning Allah's decree upon a person, from calamities, narrowness of livelihood, narrowness of chest, and others, one does not despair.
[Ash-Sharh 94:5] The ease may be an apparent, tangible matter, such as a person being poor and matters becoming narrow for him, so Allah expands wealth for him. This is tangible ease, is it not?
A sick person is tired and the illness is difficult for him, so Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, cures him. This is also tangible ease. There is spiritual ease, which is Allah's assistance to the person in patience. This is ease. If Allah assists you in patience, the hardship becomes easy for you. This difficult matter, which if it fell upon the mountains would crush them, becomes, by what Allah assisted you with in patience, a very easy matter.
That is to say, do not think that ease means that something is resolved all at once. No, ease is that the distress is resolved and removed, and this is tangible ease. And that Allah assists the person in patience so that this severe, difficult matter becomes easy for him. We say this because we are confident in Allah's promise.
[Ash-Sharh 94:5-8] The meaning of this verse is: when you are finished with your works, exert yourself in another work. That is, toil for another work. Do not let the world be wasted upon you. For this reason, the life of the wise person is a life of diligence. Whenever he is finished with a work, he begins another. There is no waste of time. Time does not show mercy, as they say. Time moves and passes over the person in his wakefulness and his sleep, his work and his leisure. Is it possible for anyone to hold back time? No, answer me. No, it is not possible. If all of creation gathered to stop the sun so that the day would be longer, they would not be able to.
No one can hold back time. So make your life one of diligence, a life of diligence. When you are finished with a work, exert yourself in another work. When we are finished with the work of the world, it is upon you to work for the Hereafter. When you are finished with the Hereafter, work in the matters of the world. When you have finished the prayer on Friday, look, Friday is flanked by two worldly works. The Friday prayer is flanked by two worldly works.[Al-Jumu'ah 62:9] Meaning, and you are occupied in your world. [Al-Jumu'ah 62:9-10].
Strive, sell, and buy. Look, we finished one work and we worked in another. We finished that and we worked in another, and so on. The person should always be in diligence. If someone says: "If I used diligence in all my life, I would be tired and bored?" We say: Your rest to refresh yourself and restore energy, what is it considered? It is considered work and labor. That is, work is not necessarily by movements. No, your leisure in order to refresh yourself for the other work is considered work. The important thing is that you make your whole life a work of diligence.
[Ash-Sharh 94:7-8] That is, if you do the works that you are finished with and exert yourself in the others, then desire from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, what? Desire from Allah the attainment of the reward, the attainment of the wage, the assistance. Be with Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, before the work and after the work. Before the work, be with Allah, seeking His assistance, Glorified and Exalted is He. And after it, hope for His reward. Hope for His reward. And in His saying: there is a rhetorical benefit I ask you about: "To your Lord" is connected to what? No, it is connected in terms of grammar to "desire." "Desire" is placed before it, and placing the object before the verb implies restriction. That is, to Allah, not to other than Him. To Allah, not to other than Him. So desire in all your matters and be confident that whenever you attach your desire to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, He will make matters easy for you.
And many people lack this state, meaning: they lack being always desiring from Allah. So you find much of their work is flawed because there was no connection between them and Allah, the Exalted, in their works. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make us and you among those who obey His commands and believe in His reports. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And now to the question period, and we begin with the right.
As for what follows:
This is the weekly meeting that takes place every Thursday, and this is the seventy-eighth meeting. Yes, and this is the eightieth meeting, which takes place on Thursday, the twenty-eighth of the month of Jumada al-Thani. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make these meetings beneficial.
And to make us and you among those who walk a path in which they seek knowledge, so that Allah may thereby make the path to Paradise easy for us.
In this meeting, we have been presenting an exegesis of the noble Book of Allah, which
Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy.
لا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍThat is to say, the purpose of the revelation of the Qur'an is not merely that we worship Allah by reciting it, but that we worship by reciting it, knowing its meanings, and acting upon it. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its
كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.
لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِه(1) Did We not expand for you, [O Muhammad], your breast? (2) And We removed from you your burden (3) Which had weighed upon your back (4) And raised high for you your repute.
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ * وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ * الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ * وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَSecond: His mention is raised in every obligatory prayer in the tashahhud, for the tashahhud is obligatory, and in it is: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger."
Third: His mention is raised in every act of worship. In every act of worship, the mention of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, is raised. How is that? Because every act of worship must have two fundamental conditions: sincerity to Allah and following the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. It is known that following the Messenger means that when one is in the act of worship, he is present with the fact that he is following the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. This is part of raising his mention.
(5) For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (6) Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراًAnd we ask the brother: Did hardship befall the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him? In what? Yes, when he was in Makkah, it was made narrow for him in Makkah, and in al-Ta'if, and also in al-Madinah from the hypocrites. So Allah says:
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً(5) For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (6) Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراًa hardship will not overcome two eases
لن يغلب عسر يسرينa hardship will not overcome two eases
لن يغلب عسر يسرين(5) For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (6) Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراًSo in the two noble verses, there are two eases and one hardship, because the hardship was repeated twice in the definite form.
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراًoffer prayer in standing condition; if you are unable to do so, then in sitting condition: if you are then at your side
صل قائما فإن لم تستطع فقاعدا فإن لم تستطع فعلى جنبRather, if you begin Hajj and a circumstance occurs that prevents you from completing the Hajj, then exit the state of ihram, annul the Hajj, and sacrifice, for the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
And complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals
وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ فَإِنْ أُحْصِرْتُمْ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ الْهَدْيِSo every hardship that befalls a person in worship finds facilitation and ease. Likewise in divine decree and destiny, meaning Allah's decree upon a person, from calamities, narrowness of livelihood, narrowness of chest, and others, one does not despair.
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراًA sick person is tired and the illness is difficult for him, so Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, cures him. This is also tangible ease. There is spiritual ease, which is Allah's assistance to the person in patience. This is ease. If Allah assists you in patience, the hardship becomes easy for you. This difficult matter, which if it fell upon the mountains would crush them, becomes, by what Allah assisted you with in patience, a very easy matter.
That is to say, do not think that ease means that something is resolved all at once. No, ease is that the distress is resolved and removed, and this is tangible ease. And that Allah assists the person in patience so that this severe, difficult matter becomes easy for him. We say this because we are confident in Allah's promise.
(5) For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (6) Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (7) So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]. (8) And to your Lord direct [your] longing.
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً * فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ * وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْNo one can hold back time. So make your life one of diligence, a life of diligence. When you are finished with a work, exert yourself in another work. When we are finished with the work of the world, it is upon you to work for the Hereafter. When you are finished with the Hereafter, work in the matters of the world. When you have finished the prayer on Friday, look, Friday is flanked by two worldly works. The Friday prayer is flanked by two worldly works.
O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِthen proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. (10) And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah
فَاسَعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ * فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلاةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِStrive, sell, and buy. Look, we finished one work and we worked in another. We finished that and we worked in another, and so on. The person should always be in diligence. If someone says: "If I used diligence in all my life, I would be tired and bored?" We say: Your rest to refresh yourself and restore energy, what is it considered? It is considered work and labor. That is, work is not necessarily by movements. No, your leisure in order to refresh yourself for the other work is considered work. The important thing is that you make your whole life a work of diligence.
(7) So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]. (8) And to your Lord direct [your] longing.
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ * وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْAnd to your Lord, then aspire.
وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْAnd to your Lord, then aspire.
وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْAnd many people lack this state, meaning: they lack being always desiring from Allah. So you find much of their work is flawed because there was no connection between them and Allah, the Exalted, in their works. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make us and you among those who obey His commands and believe in His reports. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And now to the question period, and we begin with the right.