Exegesis of Verses (24 - 30) of Surat al-Rahman.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the one hundred and ninetieth session, which is referred to as the Open Door session, which takes place every Thursday, and this Thursday is the eighth day of the month of Rajab in the year 1419 AH.
We begin this session with what we have been accustomed to, which is discussing verses from the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). We began with Surat: until we reached His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Ar-Rahman 55:24]:
"And His": meaning the dominion, management, and facilitation belong to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). "The ships": the word is "jawwar" with the yaa dropped for lightness, and its original form is "jawwari," the plural of "jawwariyah," which is a ship that moves in the sea, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:[Luqman 31:31].
"The ones that plow the sea": meaning those that their makers constructed so that they may travel upon them in the sea. And His saying:: is connected to "the ships," meaning the ships are in the sea, and it does not appear to be connected to "the ones that plow," meaning the ships that were constructed in the sea, because ships are first made on land and then lowered into the sea. And His saying "like mountains": is a simile, and "al-'alam" is the plural of "al-'alam," which is a mountain, as the poet said:
"And indeed, Sakhra is such that the guides follow it *** As if it were a mountain with fire on its peak":
Meaning: as if it were a mountain. And whoever has seen ships in the seas will see that this simile applies to them perfectly; they are like mountains moving in the sea by the command of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And Allah specified them because they carry sustenance from one side to another, and were it not that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) facilitated them, much good would be lost for the countries from which they are transported and the countries to which they are transported.
In this age, Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has made other "jawwari," but they move in the air just as these move in the sea, and they are airplanes. So they are a favor from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), just as His favor upon His servants in the ships of the seas.
Rather, we might say that cars are also "jawwari" of the land, so the "jawwari" would be of three types: maritime, terrestrial, and aerial, and all of them are from the blessings of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
For this reason, He said:[Ar-Rahman 55:13] meaning: with which of the blessings of Allah do you deny? The address is to the jinn and the humans.
Then He said (Mighty and Majestic):[Ar-Rahman 55:26-27]:
"Everyone upon it": meaning upon the earth. "Van": meaning perishing. From the jinn and the humans, the animals, and the trees. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:[Al-Kahf 18:7-8] meaning: empty. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Taha 20:105-106] meaning: He leaves the earth as a barren, flat plain, or He leaves the mountains, after they were high and towering, as a barren plain equal to the others [Taha 20:107]
[Ar-Rahman 55:27] meaning: Allah (Mighty and Majestic) remains, the Owner of the Noble Face. And some of the Salaf, when they recited these two verses, would connect one to the other. They said this is to make clear the perfection of the Creator and the imperfection of the created, because the created is perishing and the Lord is remaining. And this is a good observation, to connect them and say: [Ar-Rahman 55:26-27] And this is the point of praise and eulogy for Allah (Mighty and Majestic): that the creatures perish except Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
And His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Ar-Rahman 55:27] affirms the Face for Allah (Exalted is He), but it is a Face that does not resemble the faces of the created, due to His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Ash-Shuraa 42:11] meaning: You believe that Allah has a Face, but you must believe that it does not resemble the faces of the created in any way, due to His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Ash-Shuraa 42:11].
When the people of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) thought that affirming the Face necessitates tashbih (likening Allah to creation), they denied that Allah has a Face and said that the meaning of His saying: But they strayed from the straight path, they departed from the apparent meaning of the Qur'an and distorted it, and they departed from the path of the righteous Salaf. And we say: Allah has a Face, because of its affirmation in this verse, and it does not resemble the face of the created, because of the negation of resemblance in His saying: [Ash-Shuraa 42:11], and by that we submit and take the texts as they are intended.
And His saying: meaning: the Owner of Majesty. meaning: the honoring of those who obey Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Ma'arij 70:35].
So "al-ikram" (the honoring) means: that He honors those of His creation who deserve honor. And it is possible that it has another meaning, which is: that He honors those of His creation who are people of worship. So "al-ikram" means: the source is valid for the object and the agent, so He is the one who honors and the one who is honored.
[Ar-Rahman 55:13]: And this verse was repeated several times in this surah, and we have explained its meaning: with which of the blessings of Allah do you deny, O assembly of jinn and humans? And this is like a challenge to them, because no one will be able to bring forth such blessings.
Then He said (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Al-Anbya 21:19] "Asks Him": meaning asks Allah, those who are in the heavens and the earth. Those who are in the heavens are the angels, they ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and among their asking is that they seek forgiveness for those who believe, saying: [Ghafir 40:7] the verse.
And those who are on the earth from the creatures ask Him, and the asking of the people of the earth to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is of two types:
The first: asking with the tongue of speech, and this is only from the believers. So the believer always asks his Lord for his needs, because he knows that no one but Allah (Mighty and Majestic) can fulfill them. And the asking of the believer to his Lord is worship; the asking itself is worship, whether your intention is achieved or not. So if you say: O Lord, give me such and such, this is worship, as came in the hadith:, and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He) as a witness to this hadith: [Ghafir 40:60] So He said: "Call upon Me," then He said: "Indeed, those who are arrogant away from My worship," and this is evidence that du'a' (supplication) is worship. This is du'a' with the tongue of speech.
The second type: du'a' with the tongue of the state, and that is that every created being is in need of Allah and looks at His mercy. So the disbelievers, for example, look at the rain descending from the sky, and the growth of the earth, and the health of the animals, and the abundance of sustenance, and they know that they cannot bring that into existence by themselves, so they are asking Allah with the tongue of the state. And for that reason, when hardship touches them and they are compelled to ask Allah with the tongue of speech, they ask Allah with the tongue of speech:[Luqman 31:32].
So[Yunus 10:66] Who is in the heavens?
The questioner : The angels.
The Shaykh : Good, the angels, and we gave you an example of their asking.
Who is on the earth?
The humans and the jinn, and the asking of the people of the earth is divided into two types:
With the tongue of speech and the tongue of the state.
[Ar-Rahman 55:29] And who can count the days?
No one, except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And who can count the months that fall within the days?
No one except Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
[Ar-Rahman 55:29] He enriches a poor person and impoverishes a rich person, He makes a healthy person sick and heals a sick person, He makes a fearful person safe and makes a safe person fearful, and so on. Every day Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) does that. Are these matters that change, are they in vain or with wisdom?
The first or the second?
The questioner : The second one.
The Shaykh : The second, with wisdom, without doubt. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:[Al-Mu'minun 23:115], and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Qiyamah 75:36], so we believe that Allah does not decree a decree except for a wisdom, but we may know this wisdom or we may not know it. For this reason, He said: [Ar-Rahman 55:29].
But know, O believer, that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not decree for you a decree except that it is good for you. If hardship befalls you? What is your position, O brother?
The questioner : Patience.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The questioner : Patience.
The Shaykh : Patience?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Good, if hardship befalls him, he is patient and waits for relief, and says: "The permanence of a state is impossible", so he waits for relief and it will be good for him..
[Ar-Rahman 55:13] We say in it what we said in the previous verses: that the meaning is with which of the blessings of Allah do you deny? The answer?
The questioner : We do not deny.
The Shaykh : We do not deny or we do not deny?
The questioner : We do not deny.
The Shaykh : We do not deny any of the blessings of Allah, rather we say they are from Allah, so for Him is praise and gratitude. Whoever attributes a blessing to other than Allah is a denier? Yes, a denier, even if he does not say that he is a denier.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:[Al-Waqi'ah 56:82] And this verse means their saying: "We have rained by the star such and such." And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, while narrating to his Companions after a rain that had fallen, after the Fajr prayer: Mishkat al-Masabih 4596.
And we stop here, and until the next session, if Allah wills, and we begin with the questions.
As for what follows:
This is the one hundred and ninetieth session, which is referred to as the Open Door session, which takes place every Thursday, and this Thursday is the eighth day of the month of Rajab in the year 1419 AH.
We begin this session with what we have been accustomed to, which is discussing verses from the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). We began with Surat:
The Most Merciful, Who taught the Qur'an
الرّحمن * علّم القرآنAnd to Him belong the ships [with sails] elevated in the sea like mountains.
وله الجوار المنشئات في البحر كالأعلام"And His": meaning the dominion, management, and facilitation belong to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). "The ships": the word is "jawwar" with the yaa dropped for lightness, and its original form is "jawwari," the plural of "jawwariyah," which is a ship that moves in the sea, as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:
Do you not see that ships sail through the sea by the favor of Allah
ألم تر أنّ الفلك تجري في البحر بنعمة الله"The ones that plow the sea": meaning those that their makers constructed so that they may travel upon them in the sea. And His saying:
upon the sea
في البحر"And indeed, Sakhra is such that the guides follow it *** As if it were a mountain with fire on its peak":
Meaning: as if it were a mountain. And whoever has seen ships in the seas will see that this simile applies to them perfectly; they are like mountains moving in the sea by the command of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And Allah specified them because they carry sustenance from one side to another, and were it not that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) facilitated them, much good would be lost for the countries from which they are transported and the countries to which they are transported.
In this age, Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has made other "jawwari," but they move in the air just as these move in the sea, and they are airplanes. So they are a favor from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), just as His favor upon His servants in the ships of the seas.
Rather, we might say that cars are also "jawwari" of the land, so the "jawwari" would be of three types: maritime, terrestrial, and aerial, and all of them are from the blessings of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
For this reason, He said:
So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
فبأيّ آلاء ربّكما تكذّبانThen He said (Mighty and Majestic):
(26) Everyone upon the earth will perish, (27) And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
كلّ من عليها فان * ويبقى وجه ربّك ذو الجلال والإكرام"Everyone upon it": meaning upon the earth. "Van": meaning perishing. From the jinn and the humans, the animals, and the trees. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
(7) Indeed, We have made that which is on the earth adornment for it that We may test them [as to] which of them is best in deed. (8) And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.
إنّا جعلنا ما على الأرض زينةً لها لنبلوهم أيّهم أحسن عملاً * وإنّا لجاعلون ما عليها صعيداً جُرُزًا(105) And they ask you about the mountains, so say, "My Lord will blow them away with a blast. (106) And He will leave the earth a level plain;
ويسألونك عن الجبال فقل ينسفها ربّي نسفاً فيذرها قاعاً صفصفاًYou will not see therein a depression or an elevation."
صفصفاً لا ترى فيها عوجاً ولا أَمْتًاAnd there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
ويبقى وجه ربّك ذو الجلال والإكرام(26) Everyone upon the earth will perish, (27) And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
كلّ من عليها فانٍ ويبقى وجه ربّك ذو الجلال والإكرامAnd His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
ويبقى وجه ربّك ذو الجلال والإكرامThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
ليس كمثله شيء وهو السّميع البصيرThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
ليس كمثله شيء وهو السّميع البصيرWhen the people of ta'til (denial of the divine attributes) thought that affirming the Face necessitates tashbih (likening Allah to creation), they denied that Allah has a Face and said that the meaning of His saying:
and the Face of your Lord remains
ويبقى وجه ربّكThere is nothing like unto Him
ليس كمثله شيءAnd His saying:
Possessor of Majesty
ذو الجلالand Honor
والإكرامThey will be in gardens, honored.
أولئك في جنّات مكرمونSo "al-ikram" (the honoring) means: that He honors those of His creation who deserve honor. And it is possible that it has another meaning, which is: that He honors those of His creation who are people of worship. So "al-ikram" means: the source is valid for the object and the agent, so He is the one who honors and the one who is honored.
So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
فبأيّ آلاء ربّكما تكذّبانThen He said (Blessed and Exalted is He):
To Him belongs whoever is in the heavens and the earth
يسأله من في السّماوات والأرضOur Lord, You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and followed Your way and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire.
ربّنا وسعت كلّ شيء رحمةً وعلمًا فاغفر للذين تابوا واتّبعوا سبيلك وقهم عذاب الجحيمAnd those who are on the earth from the creatures ask Him, and the asking of the people of the earth to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is of two types:
The first: asking with the tongue of speech, and this is only from the believers. So the believer always asks his Lord for his needs, because he knows that no one but Allah (Mighty and Majestic) can fulfill them. And the asking of the believer to his Lord is worship; the asking itself is worship, whether your intention is achieved or not. So if you say: O Lord, give me such and such, this is worship, as came in the hadith:
Supplication is an act of worship
الدّعاء عبادةAnd your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.
وقال ربّكم ادعوني أستجب لكم إنّ الذين يستكبرون عن عبادتي سيدخلون جهنّم داخرينThe second type: du'a' with the tongue of the state, and that is that every created being is in need of Allah and looks at His mercy. So the disbelievers, for example, look at the rain descending from the sky, and the growth of the earth, and the health of the animals, and the abundance of sustenance, and they know that they cannot bring that into existence by themselves, so they are asking Allah with the tongue of the state. And for that reason, when hardship touches them and they are compelled to ask Allah with the tongue of speech, they ask Allah with the tongue of speech:
And when waves come over them like canopies, they supplicate Allah, sincere to Him in religion.
وإذا غشيهم موج كالظّلل دعوا الله مخلصين له الدّينSo
whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth
يسأله من في السّماوات ومن في الأرضThe questioner : The angels.
The Shaykh : Good, the angels, and we gave you an example of their asking.
Who is on the earth?
The humans and the jinn, and the asking of the people of the earth is divided into two types:
With the tongue of speech and the tongue of the state.
every day He is bringing about a matter.
كلّ يوم هو في شأنNo one, except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And who can count the months that fall within the days?
No one except Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
every day He is bringing about a matter.
كلّ يوم هو في شأنThe first or the second?
The questioner : The second one.
The Shaykh : The second, with wisdom, without doubt. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:
Then did you think that We created you uselessly
أفحسبتم أنّما خلقناكم عبثاDoes man think that he will be left neglected?
أيحسب الإنسان أن يترك سدىevery day He is bringing about a matter.
كلّ يوم هو في شأنBut know, O believer, that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not decree for you a decree except that it is good for you. If hardship befalls you? What is your position, O brother?
The questioner : Patience.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The questioner : Patience.
The Shaykh : Patience?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Good, if hardship befalls him, he is patient and waits for relief, and says: "The permanence of a state is impossible", so he waits for relief and it will be good for him.
And if good befalls him, he is grateful, and that is better for him. This is not for anyone except the believer
وإن أصابته سرّاء شكر فكان خيرًا له، وليس هذا لأحد إلاّ للمؤمنSo which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
فبأيّ آلاء ربّكما تكذّبانThe questioner : We do not deny.
The Shaykh : We do not deny or we do not deny?
The questioner : We do not deny.
The Shaykh : We do not deny any of the blessings of Allah, rather we say they are from Allah, so for Him is praise and gratitude. Whoever attributes a blessing to other than Allah is a denier? Yes, a denier, even if he does not say that he is a denier.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:
And make [the thanks for] your provision that you deny [the Provider]?
وتجعلون رزقكم أنّكم تكذّبونDo you know what your Lord has said?” On their replying that God and His messsenger knew best he told them that He had said, “This morning there were among my servants one who believes in me and one who disbelieves. The one who said, ‘We have been given rain by God’s grace and mercy' is the one who believes in me and disbelieves in the star, but the one who said, ‘We have been given rain by such and such a rainy star’ is the one who disbelieves in me and believes in the star.”
هل تدرون ماذا قال ربّكم؟ قالوا: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال قال: أصبح من عبادي مؤمن بي وكافر، فأمّا من قال مطرنا بفضل الله ورحمته فذلك مؤمن بي كافر بالكوكب، وأمّا من قال مطرنا بنوء كذا وكذا فذلك كافر بي مؤمن بالكوكبAnd we stop here, and until the next session, if Allah wills, and we begin with the questions.