Explanation of the author's statement: And the saying of Allah the Exalted: ((Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with clear-sightedness, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah, and I am not among the polytheists."))

The Shaykh : Then he said: "And the saying of Allah the Exalted

Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him."

قل هذه سبيلي أدعو إلى الله على بصيرة أنا ومن اتبعني وسبحان الله وما أنا من المشركين

[Yusuf 12:108]

the verse"
"Say, 'This is my way'" refers to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought from the Shari'ah, namely worship and calling. This is my path. Then he said, "I invite to Allah." In which surah is this verse, in your opinion?
The student: Yusuf

The Shaykh : Ah?
The student: Yusuf

The Shaykh : ... means this encompasses everything the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought from worship and calling to Allah. And his saying: means my path. And his saying is a circumstantial phrase describing the "I" in his saying: It is also possible that it is a new sentence to clarify that path. And his saying: "I invite to Allah" is because those who call to the truth are divided into two categories: one who calls to Allah and one who calls to other than Allah. The one who calls to Allah is the sincere one who wants to lead people to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). The one who calls to other than Allah may be calling to himself; he calls to the truth in order to be magnified and respected among people, so he is calling to himself. That is why you find him angry if people do not do what he ordered, but he is not angry if they commit a greater prohibition than what he called them to leave. Yes, this is calling to himself and not to Allah. O ...?
The student: To Allah. Well, among those who call to the truth, there are those who call to their leaders. They call to their leaders while they think they are calling to the truth, just as there are many scholars of states, not scholars of religions, who call to their leaders. Do you know that al-Ma'mun had strong scholars in knowledge, but they might say ... in practice, and they became calling to what? To his cradle. And likewise, up to our time, there are those who, when they see their leader heading toward something, devote their efforts to calling to it. So when socialism appeared in the Arab states, some of the scholars of misguidance, and may Allah protect us from that, began to find verses and hadiths ... that they call to.
The student: O Shaykh, if ...

The Shaykh : Yes, did these people call to Allah or to other than Him? To other than Allah. So the important thing is that it is obligatory for the person who calls to have this matter before his eyes: he calls to Allah. If he calls to Allah and people do not respond, he is angry because he was not answered or because the truth was not followed? Because the truth was not followed. If he is angry for this, it means he is calling to Allah. If he is angry because people did not obey him, yes, then he is calling to himself. So there is a difference between the one who calls to Allah and the one who calls to himself. Therefore, some people ... for example, a person ... knocks on him, do you know what knocking on him means?
The student: Yes

The Shaykh : ... makes
The student: ...

The Shaykh : The knocking ... yes, he does not hear ... you do not have from the religion. This is the one who calls people to himself. If ... perhaps ... he becomes desperate and falls silent. But the one who calls to Allah says: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib: One man, from where? From the tribes of the Jews of Khaybar. One man; if you guide him, it is better for you than red camels ... I, if one person responds to me, that is enough for me. If no one responds to me ever, that is also enough for me, yes. And the Prophet, and with him Yes. And it is sufficient in calling to the truth and warning against falsehood that it becomes clear to people that this is truth and this is falsehood. Because if people ... from clarifying the truth and falsehood is accepted, over a long time, this falsehood becomes truth and the truth becomes falsehood. Is this matter possible, students of knowledge? Is it possible ... that you be callers to Allah? And we ask Allah to make us and you among those who call to Him. Yes, he said "clear-sightedness" is knowledge. Clear-sightedness is knowledge, meaning with knowledge. So this call includes sincerity and what else? Action: sincerity to Allah and with clear-sightedness, with knowledge. Because most of what corrupts the call, yes, most of what corrupts the call is lack of sincerity, that is one, or lack of knowledge. And if we wish, we say with the word "clear-sightedness" that the knowledge we say is the meaning of clear-sightedness is not only knowledge of the Shari'ah. It is knowledge of the Shari'ah, knowledge of the state of the one being called, and knowledge of the path leading to the objective, which is wisdom. Is this possible or not? It is possible to be clear-sighted regarding the legal ruling, clear-sighted regarding the state of the one being called, and clear-sighted regarding the path leading to achieving the call. That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Mu'adh: And not all of it is from religious knowledge, because it is my knowledge that this man is capable of being called with gentleness, and this man is capable of being called with severity, and this man has knowledge and understanding in dealing with arguments and doubts. This is not from the religion; this is knowledge of reality, and reality ... And also my knowledge of the methods that bring the ones being called. Yes, so I ... sometimes by this and sometimes by that. Sometimes the Messenger says ... for example, it is established from some people that I call by writing, by wealth. The Messenger gave in the Battle of Hunayn to those whose hearts were to be reconciled up to one hundred camels. Yes, this is one of the methods. So it is necessary for the person to be clear-sighted in what? In religious knowledge, in the state of the one being called, and in the paths leading to the objective to achieve the call. This is clear-sightedness.
Well, a person who is not a scholar wants to call to Allah ... an ignorant person, is this suitable or not?
The student: It is not suitable.

The Shaykh : It is not suitable, and it is not praiseworthy, and his path is not the path of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes ... people, and he is ignorant, it does not benefit, it does not benefit at all. Because the ignorant person corrupts more than he benefits. For example, he calls to Allah with knowledge, but he does not know the state of the one being called. He comes to a dignified, noble, respected person who, for example, left the congregational prayer one day, and the day he did not come, he prayed 'Asr. A noble, dignified, respected person among people. He said ... and you, why don't you come to pray Dhuhr? What does this person say? Is this suitable? Everyone has a say. If it were your son and he was absent, you would say this, but a person of this status, you cannot say this to him. Yes, call to the way of your Lord with wisdom.
... a person who wants to call to Allah, he has knowledge, but he does not know the state of this man, and he goes to show him the closest proofs ... not from the deep proofs. This deep, philosophical man, if this person brings him these types of proofs that are not said except to the common people, what will be his status with him? He will mock him and despise him. But if he knows his state and prepares something suitable for his state, then he knows how to call this man. So the important thing is that we say clear-sightedness, we should say it is knowledge of the Shari'ah, knowledge of the state of the one being called, and knowledge of the paths leading to achieving the objective. Yes.
And His saying the Exalted: "I and those who follow me." What is the grammatical analysis of "I and those who follow me"? Yes, they mentioned two opinions in it:
The first opinion: That "I" is the subject (mubtada') and "with clear-sightedness" is its predicate (khabar), and "and those who follow me" is connected to "I," meaning "I and those who follow me with clear-sightedness." This is one.
The second opinion: That "I" is an emphasis for his saying: "I invite to Allah," and "those who follow me" also invite. Yes, which is better?
The student: The second.

The Shaykh : Well, "Say, this is my way, I invite to Allah, I and those who follow me with clear-sightedness," does this mean in my worship and my calling, or "Say, this is my way, I invite to Allah, and those who follow me invite, and both of us are with clear-sightedness." We are obligated in it.
The student: I

The Shaykh : You, yes.
The student: This ...

The Shaykh : ...
The student: ...

The Shaykh : ...
The student: Yes, exactly.

The Shaykh : Like this. Well, his saying "I and those who follow me," "I and those who follow me," his saying "I invite to Allah with clear-sightedness, I and those who follow me." What is the grammatical analysis of "I," O 'Abd Allah?
The student: "I invite to Allah with clear-sightedness," "I" is the predicate.

The Shaykh : From where?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Predicate or emphasis?
The student: One of them.

The Shaykh : ... emphasis, because "I invite, I," yes. Is there no other aspect, O 'Abd Allah?
The student: That it be the predicate.

The Shaykh : Predicate for what? ... No one said that.
The student: It be the subject, and "with clear-sightedness" be the predicate.

The Shaykh : Yes, "I" is the subject and "with clear-sightedness" is the predicate. Well, his saying "and those who follow me," O Ahmad, is connected to it, O Ahmad, O Ahmad.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : The one before it is known, but the question is on which words? It is clear that you did not attend the lesson. Say, O Salih.
The student: On.

The Shaykh : Yes, "this is my way" and "this is those who follow me" ... Ahmad.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : On the pronoun from "I invite," meaning "I invite, I and those who follow me," like this?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : It is valid, whether you say that the emphasis is on the "wa" (and) in "I call," or that it is a subject, meaning "I call, and whoever follows me, with insight," or "I and whoever follows me, with insight."
The student: It is possible ... with insight.

The Shaykh : No, it is not "I am with insight"; it is "whoever follows me."
The student: "I call, and whoever follows me, with insight."

The Shaykh : No, it does not become ... it becomes attached to "I call," or it is conjoined to the subject, which is "I." Yes, that is right.
The student: The doer of "I call."

The Shaykh : The "wa" (and).
The student: The waw.

The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ... on "I."

The Shaykh : Very well.
The student: And whoever follows me.

The Shaykh : Unless we make it a subject. If we make it a subject, "I" becomes conjoined to it.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : ... it becomes conjoined to the "wa" in "I call." "I call" means "I call, and whoever follows me calls with insight." "I call to Allah with insight." What is insight, oh ...? What is insight?
The student: Insight ...

The Shaykh : No.
The student: Knowledge of the Shari'ah.

The Shaykh : Knowledge, knowledge of the Shari'ah. Yes, insight is knowledge. Yes. And His saying: What is the meaning, Ahmad? Subhan Allah?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : And among that is that I be ... and Subhan Allah that I call without insight. The parsing of "Subhan" has passed us many times, and it is that it is: an absolute object, its operator is omitted, and its estimation is "He glorifies." What is the position of this sentence relative to what came before it in meaning? ... Did we not give you? Yes, good. Yes, that is right.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : ... in meaning, not in parsing.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes, but in meaning, not in parsing.
The student: Negation.

The Shaykh : That is its meaning, but what is its position and status relative to what came before it in meaning?
The student: I call to Allah.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: I call to Allah.

The Shaykh : Yes, but what is its position relative to what came before it in meaning?
The student: ... or a state (hal).

The Shaykh : This is emphasis, because tawhid (the oneness of Allah) means negating shirk (associating partners with Allah). Negating shirk, and its position relative to what came before it is emphasis. Yes, there.
The student: Where is the emphasis?

The Shaykh : His saying: Because it is like what the brother said in his answer, except in its apparent meaning, and it is the Hanafi school. Yes.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes, it is not possible, because it contains the "wa" (and), and "I am not among the polytheists."
The student: ...

The Shaykh : No, it can come, but its being suspended from the sentence before it, for the sentence before it. Yes.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : No ... according to the context.