A word by the Shaykh on reflecting upon the Qur'an and interpreting verses from Surat al-Najm.

The Shaykh : We begin this session with what we have been accustomed to beginning with, which is the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an. And I urge you, O young men, to be fully diligent in reflecting upon the Qur'an and knowing its meaning, for the Qur'an was revealed so that people would reflect upon its verses and remember through it. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: For there is no benefit in reciting the words without understanding the meaning. For this reason, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, named those who do not know the Book except by recitation as "unlettered." He said, Exalted is He: meaning, except by recitation. And therefore, it is obligatory upon us to reflect upon the Qur'an, and then to act upon it, for action depends on knowing the meaning. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in a small treatise of his called *Introduction to Interpretation*: "If people were to want to read a book of medicine or anything else, they would seek its explanation before acting upon it and applying it" meaning, they would seek its commentary and understand its meanings. And this is the truth. Therefore, I urge our brothers to understand the Noble Qur'an. And if something is difficult for them, it is not permissible for them to speak about the Qur'an based on conjecture, but rather they should ask about it, for speaking about the Qur'an is very serious. Indeed, whoever speaks about the Qur'an with his own opinion, let him take his seat in the Fire. The interpreter of the Qur'an is a witness for Allah that He intended such and such, so prepare an answer for this testimony. Therefore, I am keen for our students to strive to know the meanings of the Qur'an. This is more important for them than knowing the meanings of the Sunnah, and both are truth, and both require understanding their meanings. But the Qur'an is more important and more emphatic, because the Qur'an connects you directly to Allah, for you read it as the speech of Allah, the Exalted. You understand the meaning of this speech, the speech of the Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, and you reflect upon it until you stand by it, believing the news and acting upon the command, whether it is an order or a prohibition. We had previously reached the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: Allah affirmed this news by saying: He affirmed it with two affirmers, which are "our brothers"
The student: "Inna inna alladhina..."

The Shaykh : and the letter "lam" and the meaning of is that they do not believe in it, nor in the reward and punishment contained therein. For faith in the Hereafter must necessarily be a belief that this Day will come, and a belief in everything established as occurring in it and happening in it, whether in the Qur'an or in the Sunnah. So much so that the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Among the things that fall under faith in Allah and the Last Day is faith in what happens after death, such as the trial of the grave, the punishment of the grave, and the bliss of the grave" And he spoke the truth, may Allah have mercy on him, for when a person dies, his resurrection occurs. He ends his worldly life as if he had never been. Just as there came a time in his life when he was nothing mentioned, so there will come a time in his life when he is nothing but a piece of news among the news, as the wise poet said about the world:
"While he sees himself in it as a narrator *** until he sees himself as a piece of news among the news"
You are now narrating, saying: such and such happened, and such and such happened, and so-and-so said such and such. One day, someone will narrate about you, saying so-and-so said such and such, and you will be dust.
So, faith in the Hereafter includes what? It includes believing in the occurrence of the Last Day and that it must come to be.
Second: Believing in what will be in this Day of its terrors, the Reckoning, the scales, the Sirat, Paradise, and the Fire. This is necessary. Also, included in faith in the Last Day is believing in what happens in the grave, which is the trial of the grave. I mean, the trial of the grave is the questioning of the two angels of the deceased about three things: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet? Is there anyone among people who does not believe in the Hereafter? Yes, answer, yes. Many people, most people, do not believe in the Hereafter. So much so that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said about man: It defeats us in him How beautiful is His saying: before he says this word of this man. Meaning, this man said: and forgot his creation. What is his creation? That he was nothing then he became bones and sinews and flesh, and became a human being who speaks and argues and mentioned the proofs for the possibility of that.
The important point is that some people deny the Last Day, saying: there is no resurrection. This is part of their foolishness in their intellect and their misguidance in their religion. Otherwise, is it wise to create this creation and test them with command and prohibition, and for jihad to occur and fighting the enemies, and for their blood, wealth, and women to be made lawful, and then the result to be what? Nothing? This is impossible. Wisdom rejects this most strongly. So, those who do not believe in the Hereafter are foolish in intellect and misguided in religion. If they had believed in the punishment, they would not have said this. But they do not believe, so they say what they do not want. Allah, the Exalted, said: He denied that they have knowledge of that, for this is the reality. Did they witness the creation of the angels? No. And for this reason, Allah said in another verse: Complete ? And the answer is: No. But when they find no answer. These are the ones who said: the angels are the daughters of Allah. Allah, the Exalted, says: And "ilm" (knowledge) here is in the genitive case with the preposition, and the preposition here is praised by the grammarians .

The questioner : An extra preposition.

The Shaykh : An extra preposition. The benefit of it is the affirmation of the negation. The benefit of it is the affirmation of the negation. For this reason, we give you a useful rule: all extra letters are intended for affirmation; they are among the tools of affirmation. All extra letters, whether the "ba" or the "lam" or others, they serve to affirm. meaning, not a little or a lot, because they did not witness its creation. - May Allah have mercy on you - "Inna" here means "ma" (not). The rule is that when "inna" comes after "illa," it means "ma." meaning: You are not but humans like us. meaning: They are not but conjecturing. And there are many examples of this. And the intended meaning of "conjecture" here is false suspicion, false suspicion. And the intended meaning of "conjecture" here is not the more likely of two possibilities. And pay attention to this point: that "conjecture" comes to mean accusation, and it comes to mean the likelihood of a thing, and it comes to mean certainty. How many meanings is this sister? Three. The first is accusation, the second is the likelihood of a thing, the third is certainty.
Allah, the Exalted, said: What is the intended meaning? What is the intended meaning?
The student: Certainty.

The Shaykh : Certainty. Conjecture is not sufficient for the Last Day; you must be certain. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And "tahri" here means the predominant conjecture. And here is the conjecture of accusation, meaning they conjecture a conjecture that is a delusion with no basis. Some scholars took from this verse that it is not permissible to act on conjecture in jurisprudential matters and others. And this is a mistake, because many jurisprudential matters are based on conjecture, either due to the obscurity of the evidence or the obscurity of the indication. Not every matter in jurisprudence is said by a person on the basis of certainty always. Rather, some is certainty and some is conjecture. And conjecture, when certainty is impossible, is what Allah has made lawful, and praise be to Allah. From the blessings of Allah is that when certainty is impossible, we return to the predominant conjecture. So not every conjecture is blameworthy. But the conjecture that has no basis to be built upon, that is the blameworthy one. Did those who named the angels with the name of the female have knowledge of that? Absolutely not. It is a conjecture based on delusion, and it may be based on desire, meaning it did not occur to them that they are female, but they followed their fathers. What kind of conjecture is this? Delusion based on delusion, not on indications. And a false delusion cannot benefit. Then He, the Exalted, said: The address is turned to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), or the intended meaning is everyone to whom the address is valid. So on the first interpretation, the meaning is: Turn away, O Muhammad. And on the second: Turn away, O believing human being.
This means turn away from him; do not follow him, and do not let his affair concern you. It does not mean turn away from him and do not advise him; no, reminding is obligatory. Allah the Exalted said: This means remind everyone. Some people benefit from it, and some do not. The one who benefits is the believer. So we say: the meaning of "turn away" is what? I mean, do not be bothered by him, do not let his affair concern you, and do not grieve over his turning away. Rather, call, call to the way of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whoever he may be. But as for the one who turns away and departs, do not let his affair concern you. And it is the Qur'an. It is also possible that "remembrance" means reminding, i.e., from our reminding. Both meanings are compatible and correct. From the Qur'an, as He the Exalted said: Or the meaning is i.e., from our reminding with the admonitions that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) sends down. O Allah, protect us from the trials of this world. This means he does not want the Hereafter and does not care about it; his concern is this world. What is the ride? What is the clothing? What is the residence? What is the marriage? Follow what you are luxuriating in, and you were sinners. He does not care about the Hereafter; the most important thing to him is this world. As for the remembrance of Allah, the Qur'an, or the reminding of Allah, he has turned away from it, may Allah protect us. We ask Allah for safety and well-being. But look, it is described as "dunya" (this world) from "dun" which means nearness. This is because of its low rank and because it precedes the Hereafter in time. For the abode of this world is the first abode a person enters, and it is prior in time to the Hereafter. Are you sure? It is prior in time to the Hereafter. So it is "dunya," meaning near. It is also "dunya" in terms of rank; it is nothing compared to the Hereafter; it is nothing. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, in what is authentic from him: So it is "dunya." For this reason, when a person dies and he is a believer—may Allah make us and you among them—and he is carried from his house where he resides and takes shelter, where his family, his wealth, and his servants are, when he goes out, his soul says: "Hurry us, hurry us." Why? Because what he is going to is better than what he is coming out of. Allah the Exalted said: But for whom? But it is worse for the one who did not fear Allah. It is mentioned that Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him), who was the chief judge in Egypt, once passed by in his procession on a carriage pulled by mules, with soldiers around him, by a Jewish man selling oil whose clothes were stained with oil and who was struggling to make a living. So the Jewish man stopped the procession and said to Ibn Hajar: "Your Prophet claims that this world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever. How does this hadith agree with reality? You are a believer now, and he is a Jew. Which of you is more miserable?"

The questioner : The Jew

The Shaykh : In this matter, the Jew is more miserable. How does this agree with reality? He said: "Yes, what I am in now, in relation to the Hereafter, is a prison, because the Hereafter is better for the one who fears Allah. And what you are in, in relation to the Hereafter, is a paradise, because you have nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire, and evil is the final abode." He said: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Look how Allah opened for him, as the truth of the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) became apparent with great ease.
The important point is that the Hereafter is better than this world and what is in it. For this reason, Allah condemned the one who turned away from the remembrance of Allah and did not desire anything but the life of this world. And let us ask: Does the one who desires the life of this world obtain it? No, he does not obtain it. Allah the Exalted said: It is not what he wishes. And He the Exalted said: What? Because he is given of this world and the Hereafter. Some of it, not all of it. Then He the Exalted said: to the end of it. And in the next session, if Allah wills, we will devote the remaining time to questions. We begin with oaths, and each person has one question, without additions or comments.