Stories Of The Prophets-01~Introduction To Stories Of The Prophets
Estimated read time: 1:20
Summary
Mufti Menk opens a series on the prophetic stories in the Quran, emphasizing their importance in understanding the broader message of Islam. He highlights the necessity of gratitude to Allah, referencing the significance of Ramadan as a time for spiritual reflection and growth. This introductory session discusses the roles and attributes of prophets, the distinction between Rasools (messengers) and Nabis (prophets), and reiterates the value of learning and spreading the Quranic message as a communal duty among Muslims. The lecture encourages understanding the Quran beyond its recitation, emphasizing its purposeful revelation as a guideline for life.
Highlights
- Mufti Menk introduces the series on the Stories of the Prophets. 🌟
- Importance of gratitude and reflection during Ramadan. 🌙
- Roles and responsibilities of prophets and messengers explained. 📜
- Clarification on the difference between a Rasool and a Nabi. 🤔
- Encouragement to understand and reflect on the Quran's teachings deeply. 📚
- The messengers' divine protection from sin and their qualities discussed. 💫
- Prophets' focus on life after death and their clear monotheistic message emphasized. 🙏
Key Takeaways
- Mufti Menk starts a lecture series on prophetic stories, essential for understanding Islam's message. 🌟
- Gratitude to Allah and reflection in Ramadan are emphasized for spiritual growth. 🌙
- Understanding the Quran goes beyond recitation; it's a life guideline. 📜
Overview
Mufti Menk passionately begins his series on the Stories of the Prophets with an insightful introduction, setting the stage for a deep dive into the lives of prophets as narrated in the Quran. He portrays Ramadan as a blessed period for spiritual reflection, pushing believers to harness the month for spiritual growth and deeper understanding of the Quran.
Delving into the roles of prophets and messengers, Mufti Menk clarifies the significant distinctions between 'Rasool' (messenger) and 'Nabi' (prophet), underscoring the responsibility of Muslims to carry forth the teachings and message of the Quran. He encourages listeners to engage with the Quran's content, focusing not just on its recitation but deeply understanding its messages.
The introduction concludes with Mufti Menk highlighting the prophetic focus on life after death, monotheism, and the elevated moral qualities of these chosen individuals, who serve as exemplary guides for the Muslim ummah. He reminds listeners of the communal duty to grasp and spread the Quran's teachings, urging a shift from mere recitation to reflective understanding.
Chapters
- 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction In this opening chapter, the story begins with an invocation in the name of Allah, acknowledged for His mercy and grace. The phrase 'subul Excellence presents alhamdulillah' suggests a focus on gratitude and praise, setting a spiritual and respectful tone for the storytelling. The context hints at religious or moral narratives contributing to the tales that are to follow.
- 01:00 - 04:00: Purpose of Life and Revelation The chapter delves into the exploration of the purpose of life by examining the stories of the prophets. It likely covers the narratives of their revelations and insights into life's greater meaning and spiritual teachings.
- 04:00 - 09:00: Messengers and Prophets This chapter begins with expressions of praise and blessings directed towards Allah and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The speaker asks for blessings upon the Prophet's companions and all followers of Islam. The emotional delivery indicates a deep reverence and connection to the spiritual message being conveyed.
- 09:00 - 14:00: The Quran and its Importance This chapter begins by expressing gratitude to Allah for allowing the followers to witness the blessed month of Ramadan in the year 1432 Hijri, which marks 1,432 years since the Migration of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The setting is in the City of Cape Town, where the followers are gathered in a mosque, reverently acknowledging the presence of Allah. The significance of the Quran and the blessings of the month of Ramadan are likely foundational topics given the emphasis on gratitude and religious commemoration.
- 14:00 - 18:00: Qualities of the Messengers The chapter opens in a mosque where the speaker invokes blessings and forgiveness from Allah for all participants, listeners, and viewers of the gathering. They emphasize the importance of seeking Allah's acceptance for their efforts and the desire for forgiveness and enlightenment. The speaker makes an analogy between the enlightenment sought from Allah and the literal lighting up of the mosque, symbolizing an inner spiritual light.
- 18:00 - 22:00: Stories of the Prophets This chapter explores the concept of sacrifice during the month of Ramadan. It emphasizes the importance of abstaining from certain activities for a period, and dedicating time to long prayers in the evenings, all for the pleasure of Allah. The chapter reminds readers of the significance of making an effort during this holy month.
- 22:00 - 27:00: Life as a Test The chapter discusses the idea of success and the effort required to achieve it. It questions the type of success one can expect without making an effort. It starts with a prayer for success and acceptance of efforts by Allah. Then, it introduces a series focused on lessons from the stories of prophets mentioned in the Quran.
- 27:00 - 32:30: Seizing Opportunities This chapter begins by highlighting the significance of introducing a topic, specifically focusing on spirituality and religious duty. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the expectations Allah has from believers. The text acknowledges the creation of humans by Allah, referred to as the Lord of the worlds, and notes the complex nature of understanding the term 'r'. This introduction sets the stage for a broader discussion on spiritual obligations and opportunities.
Stories Of The Prophets-01~Introduction To Stories Of The Prophets Transcription
- 00:00 - 00:30 in the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful subul Excellence presents alhamdulillah listens from the stories of the
- 00:30 - 01:00 prophets by mu introduction to stories of the prophets
- 01:00 - 01:30 all praise is due to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallah alaihi wasallam we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless him and all his companions and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless every single one of us my beloved brothers and sisters in Islam it brings tears to the eyes
- 01:30 - 02:00 in gratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for having granted us the acceptance to witness this blessed month tonight being the first night of the month of Ramadan 1432 hij 1,432 years after the Hijra of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam and we are seated here in the house of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala far away in the City of Cape Town
- 02:00 - 02:30 in this beautiful Masid Z Islam we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to accept every single effort of ours every one of us who has made an effort to come here this evening all the listeners all the viewers every single person we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant us all forgiveness and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to lighten up our lives just like we notic the difference when these lights were put on we ask Allah subahu wa taala to increase Us in new and to grant us the
- 02:30 - 03:00 full use of this month of Ramadan really it is a sacrifice it is a month of sacrifice it is a month where we will be abstaining from many things for the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from a certain time to a certain time and in the evenings we will be sacrificing again to stand in Long prayer solely for the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala remember it is an effort that
- 03:00 - 03:30 will make us from amongst those who are successful those who are not prepared to put an effort or to make an effort what type of success do they expect may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our efforts this [Music] evening inshallah I have decided to embark on a series known as lessons from the stories of the prophets may peace be upon them all that are mentioned in the Quran and as you
- 03:30 - 04:00 know it is very important to introduce a topic so tonight will be dedicated to the introduction and it is very important that we know what is it that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala expects from us we all know that we were created by Allah we were created by Allah subhanal we call him we call him Lord of the worlds and the word r does not have an English translation it would require a whole
- 04:00 - 04:30 paragraph for us to understand what is meant by it and for this reason some of the scholars have said the term R includes the one who created the one who nourishes cherishes provides for protects the one in absolute control of all the aspects of of existence is known as R so this is why why when we say we are referring to whoever made us and whoever is in absolute control
- 04:30 - 05:00 Allah subhanahu wa taal grant us the understanding before I commence it is very important for me to make mention of the fact that each one of us would like to achieve the pleasure of the one who made us and each one of us would like to achieve the paradise that he has prepared for us but where did we come to learn about this paradise from and where did we come to learn about the fact that
- 05:00 - 05:30 there is life after death we came to learn of it from the Creator himself when he created us he did not just leave us without giving us an instruction or a manual or sending us messenges to remind us indeed there is no nation that has passed except that there has been a messenger who
- 05:30 - 06:00 was sent to that Nation a reminder a Warner the word NAD in actual fact means a Warner one who warns to say oh man you are not in existence in order to enjoy your life you are actually here as an examination and the qualification of that examination will determine your status in the real life which is the life after death and this is why all the messengers of Allah
- 06:00 - 06:30 subhanahu wa ta'ala they they were more interested in the life after death and in the Hereafter than this dun none of them gave preference to this world it's important for us to know this and it's important also for us to know that when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala created us and sent Messengers and sent messages with those Messengers there were two types of people that he sent one were
- 06:30 - 07:00 those known as rul and the others were known as there is a difference between a rasool and a Nai so what is the difference one is a messenger and one is a prophet the one who has a higher status is a rasool a messenger because every messenger is a prophet but not every Prophet is a messenger and here I'm using the English language although I've used the word Ras
- 07:00 - 07:30 or the word Messenger to refer to rasool what is meant by this a rasool is a person who came with a new sh with some law with a book with something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave him an instruction Revelation and Allah said go and teach this to the people and go and warn them and so on that is known as a rasool a person who's a messenger given a message to go and deliver and a Nabi who is a prophet is one who also delivered the message of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala but not
- 07:30 - 08:00 given to him specifically but rather given to some me to some messenger who came before him so this is why when we look at har Allah subhanahu wa tala speaks about him in the Quran and Allah says
- 08:00 - 08:30 Allah speaks about Moses may peace be upon Him M and Allah says we gave him or we sent with him Haron or Aaron may peace be upon him as a Nai which means as a prophet to help him so whose message was it it was the message of Allah given to whom given to Moses may peace be upon him but Haram was assisting that is a very simple verse if you'd like to know you can memorize that verse
- 08:30 - 09:00 if was a then it's automatically known that AOL is higher than a may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us understanding so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent two types of people but there is a third type of person who is neither a Nai nor a rasool but he is a rasool of a rasool which means he is a messenger of a messenger and who is that every single one of us Subhan Allah we are all messengers of s alaihi wasallam we have the message it is our duty to learn it it is our
- 09:00 - 09:30 duty to practice upon it and it is our duty to teach it to others this is why when wasallam was sending one of his companions to Yemen and he asked him a few questions at the end of that he says praise be to Allah subhanahu wa taala who has granted acceptance to the messenger of the
- 09:30 - 10:00 messenger of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to that which has pleased the messenger of Allah subhanahu wa taala so Allah guided mu and Allah subhanahu wa taala obviously had sent Muhammad sahu alai wasallam and Muhammad sahu alaihi wasallam in turn sent and he has informed all of us go and convey the message even if it means a small verse so every one of us inshallah we have that
- 10:00 - 10:30 status may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept us for that now it is important for us to also go through the creation of man why Allah created us and how he created us it is impossible to know that except through Revelation and this is what makes us Believers if you take a look at the Jewish scriptures or the Christian scriptures the scriptures of the Muslims you will find there are are some similarities when it comes to the stories of the previous Nations and how time began and
- 10:30 - 11:00 how man were was created and so on but we adopt and we follow the Quran because we believe that there is a lot of rust that has crept into the previous scriptures they are debating amongst themselves as to what is authentic and there are so many different versions of the Bibles and the scriptures that we have to discount them and we have to adopt what the Quran has said because no doubt it is pure and it is pristine and there is no ways that anybody can argue with that may
- 11:00 - 11:30 Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us acceptance so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala created us and when he told us whatever he told us he told that to us through Revelation so therefore a person who's a non-believer or who does not believe in any of the Heavenly religions they would not know what happened and if they were to tell you what happened it means they got it from a Heavenly scripture No scientist can tell you that the first person created was created in this way
- 11:30 - 12:00 and his name was Adam and nobody can tell you that then there was haah and what happened so we need to be Muslim we need to be submitters we need to be M Believers in the Unseen and we need to know that these scriptures that have come they have come as a gift from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to us now if we take a look at the Quran Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has revealed this book and it is a very very blessed book and Allah has given us the Muslims a month known as Shah Quran it is the
- 12:00 - 12:30 month of the Quran and Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala has kept it the same month as the month of fasting and Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala speaks about a night in this month that is so powerful in it the Quran was sent down from the preserved tablet to the lowest heaven allahar and this is why he says
- 12:30 - 13:00 we have indeed revealed it in the night of decree translates as the night of the night of decree when all that is going to happen for the next year is written by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala it is called Al the night of decree we all call it the night of power because it also depicts the power of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala so it is important an for us to know that there is no doubt in the book that Allah has revealed and as Muslims
- 13:00 - 13:30 we are fortunate to be from amongst those who follow a religion that makes it a duty upon us to study all the verses of the Quran not just a few verses and Allah says why he revealed the Quran we need to know this why did Allah reveal the Quran why did he create man why did he do this why did he do that the answers are in the Quran this is why Allah says it is a book that we have revealed to you oh Muhammad s
- 13:30 - 14:00 wasam it is so blessed in order for its verses to be pondered upon so why did Allah reveal the Quran in order for its verses to be pondered upon that is the reason so how many of us have pondered over
- 14:00 - 14:30 the verses of the Quran how many of us have understood why Allah revealed the Quran did he just reveal it that we can recite it no point in understanding or no interest in understanding it did he reveal it so that we can use it as a pillow we read it at night and then we put it away and go and sleep and the following morning we get up no take a look at what has happened to the Bible and to the other books [Music] very few followers of those books have read those
- 14:30 - 15:00 books cover to cover but every one of us have heard the Quran cover to cover by the will of Allah this is why in the month of Ramadan what are we doing great effort is required to prepare the twi to come for the twi to stand in the it is not simple it is not easy to be standing for one hour trying to concentrate on the words that is a sacrifice that is an act of worship that is a
- 15:00 - 15:30 gift that Allah has given myself and yourselves so treat it as a gift and understand that if we have not tried to ponder if we have not tried to ponder over the verses of the Quran then we don't even understand why it was revealed so every one of us needs to try our best to ponder over the verses of the Quran
- 15:30 - 16:00 and inshallah this is what we will be trying to do during the month of Ramadan I encourage myself and yourselves to try our best to read a portion of the Quran in a language that we understand as well because without that we won't be able to succeed imagine Allah sends with us a manual to say this is how you should operate yourself and we don't know about that manual
- 16:00 - 16:30 I decided to spend a few moments to explain the importance of this book because it is the month of the Quran and not only the recitation in the Arabic language yes that is important very important but more than that is to understand the Quran the message of Allah I've heard people saying it is Haram to read the meaning of the Quran where did they get that from we want to know how can we we behave like those of the previous scriptures and prohibit our people
- 16:30 - 17:00 from trying to understand the word of the one who made them when Allah asks me after I've died and you that I sent a book did you read it did you try to understand it what will our answer be and then if you were to ask us how many books have you read and understood and we will be mentioning all the novels and all the little story books and fairy tales and bedtime stories that we've read we give preference to Harry Potter over the Quran it's a fact we give preference to all these
- 17:00 - 17:30 other books over the Quran it's a fact I think it's about time we use this Ramadan to change that we can change it and this is why we have reminders of this nature this is why we are standing up here reminding ourselves and yourselves to say it is about time yeah Quran oh umah oh Nation whom the
- 17:30 - 18:00 Quran has been sent to to try and understand this book I guarantee you it will change your life I guarantee you it will raise you in spirituality without a bat of isid Allah abbar that is the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala yes there are rules and regulations governing how to deal with a question that crops up on your in your mind whilst you are reading the meaning those questions need to be answered by the professionals the those who know so when you come across a verse you will
- 18:00 - 18:30 find if there is a question in your mind it would be wrong for you to answer it on your own go and ask the I read this verse I don't understand it but there are so many verses in the Quran that are very easily understood the stories of the prophets which makes the bulk of the Quran that's why we want to go into it this year very easily understood Allah tells us about n Noah
- 18:30 - 19:00 Allah tells us about Jacob about Joseph may peace be upon them all Allah tells us about L lot may peace be upon him so it's important inshallah for us to make an effort to try and read these stories to try and see why Allah revealed them why Allah sent them down for what reason and then inshallah we see how everything is connected
- 19:00 - 19:30 when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent Messengers to mankind he selected the best he did not send messages from amongst the worst or the mediocre of community no a or a was always selected the best of them and this is why there are certain qualities that all the
- 19:30 - 20:00 prophets had we need to know these qualities because if we'd like to continue the work of The Messengers we need to try and learn from what Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala selected and chose may he choose us all to serve his cause Allah says regarding some of his prophets definitely he was chosen then Allah says in
- 20:00 - 20:30 Allah has chosen in Allah means to choose Allah chose Adam we believe that whenever we say the name of a messenger it is our duty to say may peace be upon them they have done a splendid job in fact Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
- 20:30 - 21:00 wasallam says that there is a curse upon the one who says Muhammad without saying sallallah alai wasallam may peace be upon him so some of these qualities The Messengers were always truthful they never uttered a lie even prior to prophethood never uttered a lie even prior to prophethood they were known by their people as truthful always one might ask what about ibraim Alam
- 21:00 - 21:30 we'll get to that inshallah it's not actually a lie it was something and inshallah when we speak about ibraim alisam in a few days time we will get there they were trustworthy and they were known as trustworthy all of them so in order for us to be chosen by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala we need to try our best to also be truthful and trustworthy because if a person is not truthful and utters lies there is a chance they become champions of the
- 21:30 - 22:00 devil and shatan shaan becomes pleased with them we don't want that so it's about time we started telling the truth and it's about time we were honest and trustworthy then all the messengers were trained in a specific way do you know what the prophet sallallah wasam says there was no na except that he was a Shepherd at one stage he looked after some sheep so Allah
- 22:00 - 22:30 trained them Allah trained them with sheep with animals before they came to human beings because what is more difficult to look after animals or to look after human [Music] beings I see the smiles mashallah does someone have a doubt here may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our understanding it is definitely more difficult to look after animals but in the Quran Allah describes certain people he
- 22:30 - 23:00 says there are certain people who are like cattle and in fact worse than cattle because with the sophisticated minds and brains and eyes and ears and noses that Allah has given mankind they still don't want to hear they don't want to see they don't want to understand Allah says for those type of people can we equate them to cattle no no they are worse than cattle Allah abbar may Allah not make us from amongst those so it's
- 23:00 - 23:30 important for us all to have the quality in us to want to propagate what we have we want to dish out what we have that is a quality The Messengers had that quality they wanted to give the message they wanted to always spread the goodness they were not selfish with it so every time we learn something let us try and think of ways of how to spread it to whom let me tell you to whom there was a stage when Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam was instructed
- 23:30 - 24:00 to start primarily with his family members so we start with those around us we try and remind them we want to tell them may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it easy for us then there is another quality of The Messengers they were very intelligent Allah did not send people people who were thick to a nation no Allah sent highly
- 24:00 - 24:30 intelligent people look at ibraim Alam Allah says Subhan Allah that he had given ibraim Allah gave him so much Allah gave him prophethood Allah gave him wisdom Allah gave him Authority when he was a young boy look at how intelligent he was he began questioning and he debated did you ever know that the messenger who has debated the most was ibraim Alam his debates
- 24:30 - 25:00 are mentioned in the Quran Allah abbar he had the most debates from a young age he questioned he asked the questions and this is why for us when the young ask questions find answers for those questions sometimes they are innocent questions and we rattle out words of rebuke to these youngsters without even knowing that this might have shaped some negativity in the youngster's mind that will last forever because we did not answer the question so it's important for us to try and look at the questions that are being asked and we need to ask
- 25:00 - 25:30 questions as well there was a time when people used to say don't ask no in Islam it is simple to understand we ask but we have Iman that when we are given an answer from Allah's revelation we surrender to it there we are so there are certain things we may never understand but we will try our best to and there are certain explanations for as long as those explanations are coming coming from revelation inshallah we surrender to them it's important for us to know this so the ambah
- 25:30 - 26:00 were always highly intelligent another quality of the prophets of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala physically they did not have any defect that was repulsive repulsive meaning chase people away rather when you looked at them you felt like getting closer Allah abbar all the messengers were described as very handsome all of them and they were not only good-look but they had this
- 26:00 - 26:30 like magnetism do you know what Abdullah says about Muhammad s Alam he says when I saw the face of Muhammad saham I knew that this is not the face of a liar the other describe him and sayb as though he's a piece of the Moon Subhan Allah and they have all said we have never
- 26:30 - 27:00 seen anything more beautiful more handsome than Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam so those who did not see the light and who did not come closer to him they had to be really really rejected by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for that to happen it is reported that it is enough for a person to look at Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam or to be in his company in order to be totally rectified and known as a sahabi and deserve after his name the word may Allah be pleased with him
- 27:00 - 27:30 just by being with him for a moment as a mmin as a Believer but there were others who were fortunate and unfortunate who were they they were the likes of Abu jahal and the enemies of Islam who fought Islam and they fought Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam they were fortunate in that they lived in his midst but they did not look at him with the eye of sincerity even once not even once
- 27:30 - 28:00 so for that reason they did not receive that cleanliness they did not receive that spiritual level of sahabi Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala again has chosen the sahab of alaihi wasallam then there is another very important point that we need to know the messengers were all protected by Allah from committing sin all of them were meaning they were protected by Allah from committing sin now
- 28:00 - 28:30 one might ask what about this deed that was done by mam inshah we will get to that what what about that which was done by this Nai or that Nai we will get to that inshallah they were protected by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from sin and we need to know that and we believe that and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala thereafter has kept certain merits in these Messengers The The Messengers whenever
- 28:30 - 29:00 they spoke whenever they uttered whatever they said was inspired by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala through divine revelation and we know this about Muhammad sah alaihi wasallam Allah says [Applause] in he does not utter anything from himself it is indeed Revelation that was revealed it was Revelation that was revealed so one might say well look once
- 29:00 - 29:30 the prophet sallallah alai wasallam looked away from abdah and thean came and admonished him so people say well what was that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had a lesson for us in that because sometimes it is the plan of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to let something happen so that when the solution of it is shown or when the remedy of it is shown the lesson can remain up to the end we learn a lesson from that that no matter how high you are no matter how knowledgeable you
- 29:30 - 30:00 are no matter how much you think you know when you are corrected take it properly and accept it and be happy that you are corrected when the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was corrected why was he corrected why did he make a mistake in the first place because had he not been made to make that mistake where in his Sunnah would there be a lesson for those who make mistakes
- 30:00 - 30:30 to learn from Subhan Allah so it was part of his Perfection to make that mistake for us to have a perfect example to follow so that when you make a mistake you know what to do because when he did it he was also shown or he showed us what exactly to do I hope we've understood this then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has spoken about how the messengers none of them sought a reward none of them wanted money in return for their message none of them wanted to gain some form
- 30:30 - 31:00 of popularity through their message no this is why in Surah Yin we know the verse where Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala speaks about a man who came from the innermost part of the city and he says follow those who are asking no recompense from you they don't want any reward from you follow
- 31:00 - 31:30 those who are rightly guided may Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala grant us an understanding also it is very important to know that the messengers came with a direct message they did not beat about the Bush when Lam came to his people he told them directly abstain from homosexuality he didn't say yeah you know now there's something something you guys need to worry about and there something
- 31:30 - 32:00 we need to talk about no The Messengers they came with a direct clearcut message and they delivered it as it was given from Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala and we will see that in the Quran also we will know or we will notice that the messengers they had firm belief in monotheism they worshiped Allah alone if there was anyone who worshiped anything with Allah or besides Allah they were not messengers of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala they worshiped Allah alone and they believed in the
- 32:00 - 32:30 Unseen and they promoted the Unseen and they gave preference to the Hereafter over this life now the last question we have for this evening why talk about stories of the prophets in the Quran why why does Allah make mention of these stories well Allah answers the question who can there be better than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to answer the question and Allah says [Applause]
- 32:30 - 33:00 [Applause] indeed in the stories of the previous Nations and in the stories of the prophets are lessons for those with s intellect Allah says it was not fabricated it was not at all fabricated but it
- 33:00 - 33:30 is a lesson and the details of everything are made mention of for those who believe we need to believe so Allah says it is a lesson for us when the people of Noah may peace be upon him when the people of noat wasam transgressed how long did they transgress for for many many years what was the result we all know they were drowned in the floods they were
- 33:30 - 34:00 destroyed so what will happen Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is showing all of us that look it might appear to you that the forces of evil are winning and the forces of goodness are losing but Allah says don't worry it's just a matter of time when we pull we pull completely and Allah says always the winners are those who are in the force of goodness always Maybe not immediately But ultimately and this is why Allah speaks about entry into Jenna and
- 34:00 - 34:30 he says do you think it's going to be easy to enter into Jenna do you think it's going to be simple do you think you're going to enter Jenna without a test this life is a test Allah says
- 34:30 - 35:00 [Music] Allah says do you think you are going to enter Jenna and that which Afflicted those before you has not yet come to you they were test tested and they were shaken and they were tested in so
- 35:00 - 35:30 many different ways with trials and tribulations with war and sickness until the messengers from amongst them said when is the help of Allah going to come imagine for a messenger who is sent by Allah to say when is the help of Allah going to come and then Allah says then we said low the help of Allah is very near Subhan Allah which means you are tested right to your Peak I always like to give the example of a school the higher you go the greater the test the more
- 35:30 - 36:00 difficult it is and remember your life is not in the school your life the real life that you are living is outside the school I mentioned this on Friday so those who don't understand that the life in the school is just a test and they need to work as hard as possible whether they like the school or not whether they like the work or not whether they like the teachers or not whether they enjoy the uni wearing the uniform or not they need to wear the uniform they need to work
- 36:00 - 36:30 hard they need to try their best they will pay in order to attend the school and they must write the exams every so often and every time they write an exam they will have a higher qualification than the previous exam and when they graduate they will now with that certificate be able to do whatever they want in the world the higher the qualification the more chances you have let us take that example and put it into our lives our life compared to the and the life after death
- 36:30 - 37:00 is like a school so we are in the school now we will have tests every year every second year we will have so many difficulties we will have to dress in a specific uniform in a specific way we will have to do certain things we will have to engage in things we may not like or they may be difficult to engage in and every time you write a test you have a certificate of a higher level and the the the greater the test the more the love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then when we die what will happen we have the ultimate certificate we can do what we want thereafter
- 37:00 - 37:30 in the when you have all a what will happen Allah will [Applause] say enter into Jenna with peace here's your certificate and Allah speaks about it in the Quran how he will give it in the right handbar may he give us all our books in the right hand this is the month of Ramadan we need to earn the Forgiveness of Allah let us take this month seriously let us make an effort every day to
- 37:30 - 38:00 fulfill thewi correctly and to try and listen to a message or two on a daily basis to make an effort with the Quran to fast properly to try and change our lives bad habits need to be kicked out music CDs need to be changed with quranic CDs and with the message of Allah subhah wa ta'ala we will be asked life is too short so many people are dying there are people who've passed on just before the month of Ramadan where were they Allah did not accept them to see the
- 38:00 - 38:30 month of Ramadan or we can word it differently Allah had mercy upon them and took them away may Allah open our doors indeed we are blessed by Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala to be gathered in his home there are people as we are speaking who are suffering across the globe and I'm talking of Muslim who are homeless who were wealthy moments ago but they are being bombarded on a daily basis whether it is in IA whether it is in Afghanistan or Pakistan or Iraq or Somalia or Sudan wherever
- 38:30 - 39:00 it is on the globe in Palestine anywhere on the globe there are so many who are unable to gather in this manner that we have gathered here this evening so let us take this as a gift of Allah let us never feel too lazy because if we are not to seize the opportunities that Allah gives us they will stop at some point and we will not be able to then have the opportunities may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to seize the opportunities when he has given them to us he
- 39:00 - 39:30 says that I give you the opportunity of your good health you should seize it before it does not exist anymore or before sickness overtakes you your life before death overtakes you your wealth before poverty overtakes you your free time before occupation overtakes you your youth before old age overtakes you it's important for us to make use of this inshallah we are we will meet here by the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tomorrow at the same time and we will commence with the stories
- 39:30 - 40:00 of the creation of man and we hope and pray that Allah accept us all and grant us every form of [Music] goodness Allah Allah
- 40:00 - 40:30 Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah