The benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And not equal are the good deed and the bad deed. Repel [evil] by that which is better. And if one who has enmity toward you [should become] a close friend. And not one will receive it except those who are patient, and not one will receive it except one who has a great share.”

Among the benefits of the verse is the negation of the equality of good deeds with one another, and the negation of the equality of bad deeds with one another. This leads to the benefit that good deeds vary and bad deeds vary. Among the good deeds are those that are the foundations of Islam, such as the five pillars, and those that are less than that, and those that are obligatory, and those that are voluntary. Among the forbidden things are those that are shirk (associating partners with Allah) that expel one from the religion, and those that are shirk less than that. The same is said regarding disbelief; among it is open sinfulness, and among it is less than that. This is if we say that the meaning is what? That good deeds are not equal and bad deeds are not equal. But if we say that “not equal are the good deed and the bad deed” means that the good deed and the bad deed are not equal [thus], it serves to encourage the doing of good deeds in contrast to bad deeds. The benefit is not that it is known that the good deed is not equal to the bad deed, because this is a known matter, and it is not possible for the Qur'an, with its eloquence, to come with something like that, because this is like saying, “The sky is above us and the earth is beneath us.” But the intent is to encourage that the bad deed be met with a good deed.
And among the benefits of the noble verse is the guidance to repelling bad deeds, brother?
The student: Repel

The Shaykh : From where is it taken? From His saying: Do you have a book? No, no, take the mushaf and follow. Do not let the whisperer take over. Good, it is taken from His saying: .
And among the benefits of the noble verse is the encouragement to the highest stations in repelling bad deeds, which is taken from His saying: He did not say: “Repel with the good,” but He said: .
And among the benefits of the noble verse is that Allah the Exalted is the Turner of hearts, so the enemy may become a friend and the friend may become an enemy, due to His saying: .
And among the benefits of the noble verse is that you should not be overcome by arrogance in sin and say: “I cannot remain silent before this one who has wronged me, and I must take my right.” We say: If you take your right, that is so, but there is a better and more perfect character, which is repelling with that which is better.
And among the benefits of the noble verse is that repelling with that which is better is difficult for the self, due to His saying: But be patient.
And among the benefits of the noble verse is that whoever follows this path, which is repelling the bad deed with what is better, is one who has a great share of character, reward, composure, manliness, chivalry, and other things, due to His saying: .
And among the benefits of the following verse is that the refuge of a person when fearing what he cannot repel is Allah Mighty and Majestic, due to His saying: .
And among the benefits of the noble verse is that whenever you feel something of the impulses of Satan, whether it is negligence in what is commanded or committing what is forbidden, you must seek refuge in Allah Mighty and Majestic. If someone says: We find seeking refuge prescribed in other situations, such as when reciting the Qur'an, and when entering the place of relief, what is the answer? The answer is that its prescription when reciting the Qur'an is because Satan seeks to dominate the person when reading the Qur'an, to prevent him from what is in it of wise remembrance, to prevent him from its contemplation, from humility in it, from the person adhering to its commands and prohibitions, and from believing in its reports. The important thing is that Satan strives against the person when he intends to read the Qur'an, so it was appropriate that he be commanded to seek refuge in Allah from Satan the expelled. Likewise, when entering the place of relief, because the place of relief is the abode of whom? Of the devils. The devils are in the most foul places, and the angels are in the purest places. For this reason, the mosques are the houses of the angels, and the toilets were the houses of the devils.
And among the benefits of the noble verse is the affirmation of Satan and that he has authority over the son of Adam, due to His saying: And so it is, and Allah Glorified and Exalted is He has given Satan authority over the children of Adam and supported the believers with the angels. So if Satan commands obscenity, there is another command that opposes it, which is the command of the angel.
And among the benefits of the noble verse is that one does not seek refuge except in Allah, in His saying: But this is restricted to what only Allah can do, for there is no seeking refuge from it except in Allah. Likewise, there is no seeking refuge in a created being who is not capable. For example, if a person sought refuge in a dead person, this would be shirk (associating partners with Allah), because the dead person cannot benefit you. But if he sought refuge in a living person in what he is capable of, there is no harm in that, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So seeking refuge in a created being in what he is capable of is like seeking his help in what he is capable of, and like calling for his aid in what he is capable of.
And among the benefits of the noble verse is the affirmation of for Allah, meaning that they are among the names of Allah Mighty and Majestic. It has been mentioned previously that faith in a name is not except with three things if it is transitive, and with two things if it is intransitive. The Hearing? It is transitive, so you affirm the Hearing as a name, and hearing as an attribute, and that He hears as an effect. And the same is said regarding the Knowing.