Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Introduction presented on 9/08/13
Introduction to Sūrat al-Furqān that presents the Qurʾān as a Criterion, one that separates the truth from falsehood. The paradox lies in the universality of Allah’s ﷻ Guidance whereby the final revelation encompassing the sum of all knowledge and intellect was bestowed upon a simple man ﷺ – under-privileged and unlettered – whose acontextual and complete submission to Allah ﷻ Alone elevated him to the lofty rank of the Seal of Prophethood ﷺ.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s): 2-3 presented on 9/15/13
The prophet ﷺ was given charge of a message (the Furqān) so universal in its content and application that he, the messenger ﷺ, did not need any knowledge of context or time to deliver it. This is the backdrop to the second verse of this Sūrah that puts forth potent remedies for the sicknesses in the hearts of men. The first remedy remind us that every sense of ownership we feel is subordinate to Allah’s ﷻ Sovereignty over the heavens and the earth. The second remedy is ‘tawḥīd’ (Allah’s Oneness). And the third is that all creation (good, bad, everything) is from Allah ﷻ.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s): 4-11 presented on 9/22/13
These verses reveal the mindset of the disbeliever who questions the divine source of the Qurʾān. It is from Allah’s ﷻ Eternal Mercy that He ﷻ sends us His ﷻ Message through a human messenger (AS). To meet the questions of those who attack the ‘dīn’, it is necessary to become deeply familiar with the ‘Furqāniyyah‘, namely the distinction between truth and falsehood, and this only comes with exerting oneself in studying traditional knowledge from others who inherited it.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):11-24 presented on 10/6/13
This world is too constrained by time and space to accommodate Allah’s ﷻ Eternal ‘Raḥmah’ (Mercy). Within the confines of this world, Allah’s ﷻ ‘Raḥmah’ is contained in the capsule of ‘Īmān’ (faith), and it becomes apparent only in the limitless realm of Jannah. In this world, our ability to be imaginative and creative is restricted by what we observe. This ability is expanded in Jannah where will experience a new level of creativity and imagination. In the same vein, the scope of our desires will also be elevated to a whole new level.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):25-33 presented on 10/13/13
Shaykh Amin talks about the reprehensibility of ‘deserting’ the Qurʾān in the light of the unique process of revelation. Each verse of the Qurʾān was weighed and measured by Allah ﷻ as it was revealed to His ﷻ messenger ﷺ so that it might be optimally assimilated and understood. The Qurʾān increased the strength and resiliency of the Prophet ﷺ spiritually, mentally and physically.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):34-44 presented on 10/20/13
Denying one messenger (AS) is like denying them all (AS) because all prophets (AS) bore the same universal message of ‘tawḥīd’ (monotheism). The people of Nūḥ (AS), the nation of ʿĀd, and the people of Shuʿaīb (AS) are cited as examples of those who eventually suffered the wrath of Allah ﷻ owing to their brazen oppression and exploitation of the deprived even as they openly denied the call of the messengers (AS) sent to them as warners. But the wrath had not descended upon a people until they had persisted and grown in their rejection for generation after generation. This withholding of ʿadhāb’ (divine punishment) is from divine patience, a portion of the ‘Furqāniyyah‘ given to the messenger (AS) in the exertion of patience with his audience. The fall of a civilization is exclusively due to its own failure in recognizing the Furqān, and its failure in seeing Allah ﷻ as the sole source of all good and bad. And this failure is manifested in various forms of oppression.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):45-48 presented on 10/27/13
Shaykh Amin interprets the profound invitation in this verse – verse 45 – in which Allah ﷻ invites His ﷻ ‘Nabī’ (prophet; AS) to observe and ponder on the celestial play of sun and earth that causes shadows to appear and disappear. This phenomenon of darkness and light is likened to the contrast between focusing one’s attention on the material and focusing on the Divine.
While verse 45 conveys this message with a degree of intimacy from Allah ﷻ to His ﷻ ‘Nabī’ (prophet; AS), verse 46 makes it universal with the night described as ‘libās’ (a garment) that at one level covers the earth, at another level, covers the slave that he/she may engage in the secret commission of sin, and at a third level, covers the slave that he/she may engage in the sincere remembrance of Allah ﷻ.
All trial is darkness, and like all darkness, it disappears when the light comes. Our perception of trials and of darkness itself must not be one of dejection but one that recognizes its transformative nature. This is in keeping with the sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ who was a master of placing a positive spin on anything that was perceived as a bad omen.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):49-54 presented on 11/03/13
Allah ﷻ does not exclude any of His ﷻ creation from His universal and all-encompassing ‘Raḥmah‘ (Mercy), as is manifested in the non-discriminating rains that water the lands. This is in contrast to human beings who can be far more restrictive in the distribution of the bounties that they may be blessed with. Our salvation lies in our ability to survive death itself. The Prophet ﷺ showed us how to survive death – by first believing in it, then preparing for it. The human being prepares for death by heeding his subconscious and his conscious. It is the human experience that is the greatest ‘nadhīr’ (warner). The goal of intellectual jihād is to convey the message fully, it is not to convert. The Prophet ﷺ did not shy away from debate and from challenging the false perception of Truth. It is a great disservice to students of the ‘sīrah’ (prophetic biography) to propagate the lie that the prophet ﷺ was shy in negating falsehood. The prophet ﷺ was exceptionally brave in jihād, be it in the intellectual battlefield or otherwise.
Unity must not be confused with uniformity. Uniformity is not meant to be applied across humanity. It is not necessary for unity, rather the lack of it (i.e. diversity) is from the ‘qudrah‘ (Divine Manifestation) of Allah ﷻ, and is what brings human beings together, just like two bodies of water – one sweet and the other salty – don’t mix yet meet. Where uniformity is necessary is in ‘ʿaqīdah’ (fundamental belief).
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):55-59 presented on 11/17/13
The act of active submission to Allah ﷻ does away with the need to “fight” with God ﷻ. It is a common misconception in the minds of present day Muslims that those who do the work of ‘dīn’ (religion) do not require payment, and it points at a deficiency in the understanding of ‘ʿaqīdah’ (fundamental belief). Prophets (AS) are not allowed to expect anything in return for the favors they render humanity. Allah ﷻ has kept the maintenance of the prophets (AS) to Himself ﷻ and the angelic realm. Allah ﷻ sustains life on earth and all throughout the cosmos, hence the attribute ‘al-Razzāq’ (The Giver of Sustenance). The greatest application of Allah’s ‘Raḥmah‘ (Mercy) is that he prevents His slave from committing a sin.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):60-64 presented on 11/24/13
Who knows the ‘Raḥmān’ ﷻ (Most Merciful)? The word ‘Khabīr’ is used in a mundane sense to describe one who possesses expert knowledge on any given subject. And just like every discipline in the world has its masters, the topic of the Divine also has its masters. The ‘Khabīr’ ﷻ is the one who knows what Allah ﷻ does in creation, and it is used in these verses to refer to the prophet ﷺ. The way the grand system of creation is designed is a sign of Allah’s ﷻ ‘Raḥmah‘ (Mercy) upon us. The reference to walking in these verses is profound. Man’s ability to walk is one that is earned and acquired through Allah’s ﷻ ‘Raḥmah‘ and system of natural, gradual instruction. Learning to walk, walking on the earth, and seeking out a ‘ḥalāl’ living, all of these acts should make us bow in prostration to Allah ﷻ and illuminate our nights with His remembrance, so we may increase in ‘Khubrā’, a deep awareness of Allah’s ﷻ Dominion over His ﷻ creation.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):65-72 presented on 12/1/13
The key to contentment is for the servant of the ‘Raḥmān’ ﷻ (Most Merciful) to become aware of the blessings he receives. A successful servant of the ‘Raḥmān’ ﷻ learns to regulate the resources that Allah ﷻ provides for him. Among the signs of ‘Raḥmāniyyah‘ are: staying away from promoting death (be it an individual level, or at a social level); using the Furqān to distinguish between right and wrong; practicing sincere ‘tawbah‘ (repentance) as a means of becoming closer to Allah ﷻ; always speaking the truth. The one who serves the ‘Raḥmān’ serves justice. Nobility is judged by a standard whereby a thing is considered noble if it was liked by the Prophet ﷺ.
Sūrat al-Furqān, Chapter 25 Verse(s):73-77 presented on 12/8/13
Sūrat al-Furqān concluded. A deeper application of a servant’s obedience to the ‘Raḥmān’ ﷻ is for him or her to listen to reminders of His ﷻ revelation, and reflect upon what is heard. The comfort one finds in one’s spouse and children is a ‘raḥmāh‘, and the servants of the ‘Raḥmān’ ﷻ recognize it and make supplication for it. The dissemination and diffusion of piety begins at home. Every head of household must be responsible for the spiritual nourishment of those in their care. And if every household flourishes, then the nation of believers becomes a garden, and its dwellers become worthy of the eternal Garden. But this mindset only comes with dedication and devotion. Such individuals will be classified as ‘ʿibād al-Raḥmān’ (bondsmen of the Most Merciful) because they were steadfast and patient in what they did. The fruit of such patience is Jannah. And the station of such servants in Jannah is lofty.