Risālah of Ibn Abī Zayd Al-Qayrawānī: Lesson 2 (Creed: Part 2)

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[00:01:20]Alhamdulillah.

[00:02:00]wasam to and welcome back to the study of the and uh today we're going to continue the section um on uh the his creed the creed of IMI.

[00:02:25]Uh so just give me one second to make sure we get this straight here. Right.

[00:02:29]So we started talking about uh the creed of Nebiz Zade last week. Uh and what we notice is that the creed is very simple simplified.

[00:02:42]Uh it is um what some people call dogmatic theology. Right? So dogmatic theology is different from uh other types of theology like for instance like natural theology uh or from comparative theology and that in dogmatic theology fundamentally uh what is happening is the individual or the writer the author are just simply offering details without any particular explanation and the assumption is that the reader is expected to uh accept everything which he or she see sees in front of them. Uh and uh and so that's in some ways what is expected of every Muslim. Uh when we become Muslim, we're told that as Muslims we have to believe in Allahh in a certain way. Um now theology is translated often as the study of God. Now naturally it's kind of a problem because how do you study something which is not finite? Uh Allah subhana t is infinite his creator of all and he is without beginning and without end. And so to claim that one is studying God is somewhat of a an oxymoron when we consider the nature of God at least the nature of our God. [snorts] Uh and so aka uh is the most common term that we that we use to refer to the Muslim creed. Um uh because it's sometime we call dogmatic theology and this it's a matter of dogma right even though dogma has a negative connotation about it. Uh so sometimes people they introduce other types of terms to try to remove the negative connotation. Like for example in Zetuna uh we call this credle theology as opposed to dogmatic theology which was what it was called in the past. Now one of the other things we learned about theology is that uh those who coined the term they divided theology into two particular types. Uh one is what they call apo um apohatic theology which is uh theology which um presumes that the creator uh is transcendent and beyond comprehension. And so we fundamentally know more uh about what God is not than what God is. Right? So in the Quran Allah says there's nothing liken to him.

[00:05:24]uh he has no compliment. Uh he has no uh comparable something anything comparable to him. Allah do not strike similitudes with God and immediat said whoever or whatever you conceive of with your mind and Allah he is contrary to that. Right? Now the other type of theology they called it catap cat cataphhatic theology and this is when uh the focus is on affirming attributes for the creator and so uh our theology or rather our belief system is not either one or the other rather Allahh as he mentions in this text you know that to Allah belong among the most beautiful names and the most sublime characteristics and so in other words that we do have a positive connotation or application to Allah subhana ta and so it becomes a challenge to describe God because Allahh is not material being uh and so material beings are easy to describe uh but something which is not material but at is rather the creator of all material um is transcendent in a sense that is beyond on time and space and the ability to uh accurately express who Allahh is, you know. So, so or sometimes we simply call or as well is another term utilized for it.

[00:07:08]Um it is the most sublime and most noble of all the different sciences of Islam.

[00:07:14]So the they say that the uh the greatness or the uh nobility of a science is is determined by the nobility of the thing being studied. You so since Allah subhana t is in one sense being studied uh then it makes tohed the most important of all the different types of sciences that uh that we uh that we actually study uh and also as a source of salvation.

[00:07:46]And this is one thing say that these things that we study in or in that these things can be summarized or rather the study of is nothing more than a summary of right so when we look at the different topics of the three fundamental topics of of or we can call theology you know for the sake of uh you know sake of argument we'll utilize that term you The first uh aspect of of that we study is what called and that is the divinity is matters related to Allah subhana t and in the context of traditional or rather orthodox you know that is to study what is called subhana things what is what is necessary for God what is possible for God and what is impossible for Allah subhanaa tala and rather not so much impossible for Allah to do but rather a description that is impossible to character characterize Allah with subhanahu wa ta'ala. The second topic of study is what are called nubuat or nubua uh prophecies or prophethood. Uh and similarly we learn like what are the necess essential characteristics of the prophets, what are impossible characteristics for the prophets and what things are possible for us to describe them as actually having right and so keep this in mind as we go through this particular section of the text uh because today uh we probably are not going to finish this section you know so the risada is largely a book of or Islamic practice Islamic Jewish prudence uh Islamic law whatever you like to call Uh but he introduces this particular text with this section on which is entitled you know what tongues are to express and what hearts are to believe in among the compulsory matters of the religion or religions uh plural but he means by it is or islami which is al right so so So again we know so divinities things that pertain to Allah things that pertain to the prophets and then thirdly what are called or matters of the unseen or matter things we can only know through revelation right because the mind uh according to traditional or orthodox belief systems uh that we can arrive at the conclusion that Allah subhana t has certain attributes after arriving at the conclusion that Allah exists uh and that Allah is one, right? that there are other attributes that rationally we can we can presume based upon what we observe in the cosmos because we analogize the unseen with the seen in the sense that uh as as mentioned last week the um you know that um you know that every footprint is has been left by someone who walked and left it right you know in other words you walk in the sand you see a footprint then naturally somebody walks by. Uh if you find uh cow dung then naturally there was a cow there. If there's a camel dung then there's naturally there was a camel there. And so when we look at the cosmos and all of these constellations, the stars, the galaxies, you know, clearly something had to create these things. Uh and um and and and you know, same thing when we look at our ourselves, right?

[00:11:22]The things we look at ourselves, right?

[00:11:24]So but there are other things uh for example when we think think of Allah's attributes that we can only know through revelation right so for example we may we may assume that the god that our minds conclude exists you know that that that is a a a living god a god with has knowledge and the clear evidence that it has knowledge is because had it not had knowledge then it would not be able to create uh and design the world as it does as it has and and and and the world that exists. Uh that that is that is a creator that has will u because without will it would not be able to specify and make a distinction between male and female etc. Uh and that is power because without power nothing would come into existence uh and nothing would go out of existence either. Right? So so we our minds can be are led to those things even without uh reference to revelation.

[00:12:20]But for example, we may assume we may ask the question, well, does the creator see me? Does the creator hear me? And can this creator speak with me, communicate with me? These are things types of knowledge or attributes we can only know through revelation through the revelation of Allah. So Allahh revealed to us this knowledge to let us know that he can hear us, that he can see us, and he can communicate. But prior to that moment it is nothing more than a strong assumption right you know so so so that's when we talk about the seat of also we include things like the end of the world the signs of the end of times things like that right so at any rate coming back to uh to the text uh we left off uh reading this section and I'll go back and read it again and this section uh wherebani uh he says uh it was started off mentioning you quoting from what we call they shall not encompass any part of his knowledge except what he wills for them to encompass or to know. uh and his ki it expands the heavens and the earth and their preservation does not weigh him down. And he is the sublime, the great one. The sublime and the great one, right?

[00:13:55]The all knowing, the all acquainted, the one who manages all, the one who is all powerful and all see our hearing or seeing and who is sublime and is great and magnificent. And then he said and so we talked a little bit about this the statement is in that in other words say among the things that we are to believe is that Allah is above his throne that is over his throne right and be what type of throne a glorious throne uh be that he so this is an aspect that scholars have criticized the author about uh and say they say well The the main point of contention is that he says after saying that he is above his glorious throne, he says be that he that you know with his essence, right? And one way that scholars have attempted to justify this or explain it was say when he said be, he meant he, right? Instead of saying by his essence, he meant in his essence that he is above his throne in his essence. And that's because aboveness over here we call fa uh overness. Uh aboveness can be what we call IA or can be mia right that can be physical aboveness or that can be a metaphorical or non-physical aboveness right and uh so when Allahh talks about being over above something that clearly it doesn't mean being physically above it because to be physically above it is to be in a specific place right and place itself is an aspect or part of space and space is created by Allahha and that would indicate that Allahh is inside his creation and being born by his creation right so it can't mean that the only description which is befitting of Allah subhana wa tala is that he uh be transcendent right you know so saying he's above the throne is meant he transcends he's transcend he transcends he's he's above the if the ash itself is the throne is the greatest of all Allah all of Allah's creation and according to the strongest opinion is the first thing that Allahh created uh and of course there's about okay was it the pen and the the the tablet Was it the prophetam? The stronger view being that the first thing Allahh he created was his throne and the throne itself is even more massive than the ki and the kuri uh is said to be the place or the sort of the place where a king would place his feet not to suggest that Allahh has feet and so the kuri uh compared to the arsh is as a ring thrown in the midst of a desert and all the rest of the desert. And so the arch is like the rest of the desert compared to the kuresi. So the kuresi expands all the heavens and the earth then the ar expands even everything beyond that. And Allah subhana t is over all of that you know. So in that sense those who interpret these verses where Allah mentions himself uh uh being above the throne or becoming established upon the throne they often say that this is a a metaphor for Allah subhana t having dominion over everything right you know so after creating everything of course he reasserted his dominion or reminded uh those who had created that he is above and over everything uh but at any rate uh because it is worded this Okay.

[00:17:19]Scholars say, well, it gives the impression that you're saying that Allah is physically above his throne, right?

[00:17:25]Um and so for that particular reason some have said that well actually what he meant to write or rather the correct reading is you know whereas majid glorious in this particular case is not a description of the of the throne but rather it is a description of Allah subhana wa ta'ala so as to say that that he is above his throne the glorious in by his essence or Allah being the glorious one by his essence, right? You know, so so by his essence or essentially Allah is glorious, right? He's majestic. Um you know, so that's one way they've attempted to sort of u get uh the author out of this particular problem. Um but at any rate, at the end of the day, everyone is going to utilize the expression for whatever they want. And as we talked about last week that the Salafies will say, well, here we go.

[00:18:20]this is evidence that ash are wrong because he says this and well that's not really an argument that's an appeal to authority and just because said it doesn't make it true uh it's very much possible that was just simply wrong right and so to claim that because uh says something that agrees with the salifies or suggest or it seems like it agrees with the salifies is not actual actually actually a logical a strong argument that one can make, right?

[00:18:55]And he is in every place.

[00:18:58]He is in every place. And so by mentioning by his knowledge, he is in every place. By his knowledge is a clear indication that if he were to stop, he is in every place that it would be taken literally. But the fact they said ali lets you know that the author did not mean that Allah is literally in every place you know because if he's in every place by his knowledge what that means is that Allahh he is aware of every single thing that exists in every single place on the earth and created man and he knows what his soul whispers to him and he is closer to him than in his juggler vein. So this itself further corroborates the understanding that he did not mean literally that Allah is everywhere because of course the first statement gives the impression that he's in a particular place but then the second statement gives place the impression that he's everywhere and the thing is interesting about the Quran is that when Allahh utilizes expressions which give the impression that he's somewhere that each expression is uh it undermines the apparent uh meaning of the other, right? Because you can find in the Quran like for example he mentions all of these are technically quotes right well not everything you know well is in one sense a quote from the Quran that itself it comes up later but that's directly from and we are closer to him than the juggler vein that that again it gives an impression so Allah he knows everything that you whisper that your heart whispers your soul whisper to you right and he is closer to you than your juggler vein gives the impression that Allah is inside of us right so but it's okay well Allah is inside of the human being well but then he say well Allahh every you ever you turn there is All law face he's with wherever you are right he uh became established on his throne so so say if he's inside of us well how can he be estab but he's he's established on thrown. Okay. So everything undermines uh something else.

[00:21:18]So every time someone wants to grab or gravitate towards one particular verse regarding the issue of direction or place then then another verse actually undermines the the literal indication of those verses. Right? Then he says and again also a reference to verses from the Quran and not a single leaf falls except that he knows it.

[00:21:45]And nor does a single grain that actually appears or emerges in the darknesses of the earth um you know um escapes his knowledge.

[00:21:56]Nor does any um uh humidity or wetness nor any dryness or arroness uh escape his knowledge except that it is recorded. It is in a clear record. Right? that is these things are found in a clear record with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala right so Allahh this itself is to negate the claim that Allah subhana t only knows universals but he doesn't know particulars right because this is directly from the Quran he has knowledge of everything right he has knowledge of every thing single thing right um again Allah mentions this multiple times in the Quran about all Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days and then he became established on the throne right over the throne right and meaning and also and he encompassed the physical realm right so the mul is a term used for dominion uh kingdom uh the physical realm right so and is also connected with the word milk which means property because Allahh he's marin he's the king of the day of judgment he's also he is the owner of the master of the day of judgment as well right so they're all connected so Allahh creates the mul and the malik right so the mul is the the external world and the is to say the internal world that we don't see he is the knower of the ind the iniccernible and the discernable realms, right? So, so Allahh he encompasses uh all of the dominion, right? Meaning that he has full knowledge of every single thing that happens. Be it in the heavens, be it in the earth, be it on the uh the the the the magnified level of things or the microscopic level of things. Allah subhana t he has knowledge of all of those things.

[00:24:08]Right. And he has the most beautiful of names and he has the most sublime of attributes. And I believe this is where we stopped before last last week or the last time we met is that Allah subhana t he has the most beautiful of names and the most sublime of attributes and we'll probably come back to this inshallah.

[00:24:27]Then he says for.

[00:24:46]So, and Allah subhana t he has been he continues to be and will always be with all of his attributes and all of his names. Right? In other words that Allah subhana t he is without beginning and he's without end. Or as says in his that he is beginningless without without you know he is he is ancient without beginning. uh uh with he is eternal without end.

[00:25:33]He now shall not come to into extinction uh nor will uh he um be terminated.

[00:25:40]Right? Um and nothing happens except by his will.

[00:25:46]Right? So so and this is um so Allahh has always been Right?

[00:25:55]And this is also a reference to the idea of Allah subhana t being characterized as for example as being even before there was a right. So in other words that Allah he is the merciful one even before he creates those who actually deserve or are subject to his mercy. Right? So, so and that means that even before Allah created things, right, that he was qualified fit for being called the merciful one, right? And this is an area of debate among uh the theologians, right, the early theologians, right?

[00:26:33]Because some of them were of the view that all of Allah's names that they are created by people, that people they create his names. uh or they would say things like well uh Allah subhana t only acquires certain names after he actually brings uh the subject uh of those names into into being because when we think of Allah's attributes for example that an attribute can be abstract like power or like will right uh or it can be um or it can be something which is uh active in the sense that it is what what we call right So the the attributes often are divided into we call the essential attributes or the attributes of Allah's essence. uh and then the attributes of Allah's action right so these are things that Allah Allah does right so Allah he that he shows mercy to people right you Allah Allah he provides for people so in other words these sort of actions that Allahh he undertakes right so the fundamental question becomes okay well uh if these things are are are things that are do that require you know the ml or the creation to exist in order for him to to to manifest right these uh attributes right then he can't be described by those things before those things actually emerge right so that was becomes the point of debate whereas the orthodox orthodox schools is that no no no no no that Allah subhana as long as he has the power to do these things right even before he creates things then he is fit for being described as the provider as the the compassionate one, as the giver of life, the giver of death, right? You know, that more evil meets, etc., right? So, so those are things that he does, you know, and so just because the things that he does them to don't exist doesn't mean that he's not qualified for uh for the description. And this is also again a reference to uh or rather it is similar to what Imam Tahawi says when he says um um that you he said that you know that he did not acquire the name the creator uh after he created the creation nor did he create the um the the attribute of the name of Albi the originator uh after he created or originated or brought out, you know, the things that exist.

[00:29:30]You know that he has the meaning of lordship even when there's nothing to lord over, right? Nor and he also uh he has the meaning or the characteristic of being the creator even before any created thing or any creature exists.

[00:29:44]Right? So imawi I'm a little bit rusty on the the but anyway so this is what um is referring to we said he said that how is he above his attributes being created right so Allahh he has he has power he has will he has life he has his is knowledge right so how is he above his attributes being created right because naturally these to earth eternal.

[00:30:15]Allah's power, his will, etc. are all eternal. They have no beginning. And so, and they also can't have they also can have no end because only something that is subject to destruction can be destroyed. And so, and if you were never brought into being, then you cannot be taken out of existence, right? You know, so in that sense, so Allah's attributes uh are not created.

[00:30:39]And he is also high too high for his names even to be created. Right? So here once again another point of sob basically is making his position clear that my position is that Allah's names even his names are not emergent. They're not created. They're not introduced uh into existence. Right? that they uh as long as Allah subhana has the fitness to to be the things that those particular names are indicative of then he himself and also his names and his attributes they're not created right but again among even between and for example they differ about this right the the ashi uh position is that Allah's names are um uh also all right Um uh well I'm sorry I'm thinking of a different issue.

[00:31:31]I'm talking about the issue of like his attributes of action right. So, so I'll take that back, you know, but but but again it's mentioned before the some of the are of the view that the names are introduced they're they're created right they're created you know so it's not a point of among right [snorts] so he said he spoke to MS with his speech which is an attribute of his essence is not a creation among his created things but and he manifested himself to the mountain meaning Mount Si and it became um it became dust or pulverized or flattened from his majesty. Right? So this is a direct reference to uh the verse in Quran where Allahh rather Mus Alam says to Allah you know oh my lord u let me see what you look like and then Allah responds you will not see me you will never see me but then he tells him right and if it remains firm in its place then you will see me But if it doesn't remain firm, then you will not see me, right? And then once he manifested himself or became manifested through the mountain, he made it flatten, he flattened it and Musa fell prostrate fell into his wound or he actually uh he died, right? You know, at that moment, right? So and then once Musa he awakened he was brought back you know that he he sort of asked Allah's forgiveness for asking him for that particular thing which you know Allahh told him that he would not be able to uh to to reveal to him he wouldn't be possible for him to see right and so so but then prior to this we said that he spoke to Moses with his speech which is an attribute of his essence right so again this is uh this particular area of study sometime we call right you know the science of speech right or the question of the uh the word the divine word of Allah subhana t you know that Allahh refers to as Allah's word for example right and and so the uham is was called because it sort of it started because of dispute about the question of uh the of Allah's speech about whether or Now it could be eternal. It is eternal or is not. Right?

[00:34:14]And so kalam is a word we we uh it's it's it's understanding different between different Muslim groups and different uh theological classes as much that they defined it in different ways. Right? For example, the original connotation or meaning of kalam uh or rather if you want to get really deep into his etmology that kalama means actually to cast something out [snorts] to throw something out of one inside from what is inside oneself. For example, like if a whale or a fish happens to um throw up, you know, or cast out something from its belly onto the onto the shore, for example, that is al that's called kadam, right? For example, uh so that's really what root of what what the root of it is. And linguists who are the scholars who keep track of the original indication of words according to them is anything that produces a benefit. Right.

[00:35:21]Yeah. anything that produces a benefit and it is uh fine to uh to stop speaking after uh after that thing is is uttered or that particular thing is is uh expressed, right? Uh and so when they say anything that that produces a benefit or or anything that makes sense rather is that it can come from your mouth or your tongue. It can be a sound that accompanies it, but it also can be a gesture, right? like moving my head up, left, right, you know, I may have if I point anything, anything that you know or I can write it down on a sheet of paper. All of that linguistically is called kam, right? And so this is why we find for example the uh the the Christian um uh the Christian uh man known as uh Akal, right? He said in his poem uh that speech in its reality is is is nothing more than what is in the heart while the tongue has been made an indicator of what is in the heart.

[00:36:29]Right? So other words real speech is inside is internal. We call that's the essence of what kalam is. So all of us we have thoughts throughout the day. We don't express everything that we think right little children before they develop the ability to express themselves they think many different things right you know and they have intentions to do many different things right so we call that kamadi that sort of internal speech right so this becomes like the reality of what speech is right uh but grimarians you know so when when Muslims started to try to preserve the grammatical structure of the Quran and and other uh types of literature among the Arabs another definition ofam was developed you know so for example if you anyone studies the you'll learn that you know say what is you know soam it is first and foremost it is the expression right in [clears throat] other words means something which is uh has a sound and is has It has a has letters and sounds consists of letters and sounds.

[00:37:42]It is compound expression and it is also produces a meaning or makes sense uh according to the convention of the Arabs. Right? So other words according to the way that Arabs originally intended those things to uh uh to be understood. Right? So for them so calam is only kalam if it is something that has a sound right and it has a letter right the montes position was that kalam is a g grimarian right so they took the adopted the gramarian definition of kalam even though it's not the original meaning because the linguist they're are those who are vetted in the original meaning of words right so gramarians they say that you have it has to be something that is articulated something which is express something that has letters sounds to it, right? uh uh but then uh on the other hand um uh well similar to this the the humblies a lot of them also had a similar position as the right so so they say well kalam also has to be expressed in that particular fashion right um but the said no no no thatam right is you know it doesn't have to be with and salt right you know and so if we start to say that Allahh has calam that Allahha It is an attribute of Allah subhana t or we call to that. It is a attribute of essence. It's not what's called it is not a uh a um um a uh an active sort of attribute right you know something that he does it has be beginning has the end that Allah he will start speaking and then he'll stop speaking uh in other words that that has a sound that goes along with it. You hear the sound then it disappears once again. Right? So Allah subhana t so or rather Abi Zade he's quoting Allahh here that Allah he literally spoke to Mam and what says here unfortunately some of them they actually went farther to say MS they actually they made Allah the the object of speech you know so so in other words say that MS spoke directly to God as opposed to Allah spoke directly to Moses right because they found it difficult to believe in this idea that Allah subhana ta that Allahhanaa um that he did something uh which acts as a type of performative uh type of act you know because that in itself would negate their beliefs that Allah subhana t is a constant right you know that is beyond time and space and things like that so they saw calam as a a performative attribute rather than an essential attribute uh whereas many of the said that Allah's kalam is both a performative and an essential attribute whereas the said no the the Allah's is a an essential attribute. In other words, it is an attribute of his essence. It is a part of or rather even though it's difficult speak about Allah in part. We don't say Allah has parts but Allah subhana t has attributes uh and and uh and so so basically so if Allah's essence is eternal then also is eternal you know so in other words idea is that it's a faculty right we think about if we think about as a person we think as a faculty right in the same way that power is a faculty or will is a faculty uh or or elm or knowledge is somewhat of a faculty or a faculty of awareness uh and and um and knowing right so so in that same similar fashion they say okayam is something and is eternal in that sense you know and then they say it is not a creation from his creation it's not something Allah created right so so Allah when he spoke to Mus Alisam he employed or utilized what we would often say is a faculty that a human being would utilize to communicate to Mus Alam and MS he understood something he heard something according to some others say he didn't hear anything like many mat matijes say he heard heard something or I can't maybe I got him backwards. Ash say he heard something Matis you know say the opposite or vice versa can't remember so some of you can check this right you in fact check me on it but um but those two exa opinions definitely exist uh but but then we have the opinion said Mus Alam he comprehended or heard something not through with his ears alone but with every fiber of his being right you know that and so so his hearing Allah's speech was something uh uh that was uh encompassing of of his being and that it wasn't a question that Allah started speaking and then he stopped speaking because Allah is always speaking but rather Allahh removed the veil from Musa's uh his faculties of comprehension right such that he himself got a grasp or a glimpse we can say of or he experienced God's speech in a way that others did not experience God's speech and this fundamentally why we say that Musa we call Musa khim Allah the one that Allah speaks to right or he spoke to right in other words and among the things we also should believe or have to believe is that the Quran is God's speech it is not created such that it shall cease nor is an attribute of something created or creature such that it shall expire right and so this is again like a direct uh reference to the verse in surah where Allah He says, "If the ocean um happened to be ink for the words of your Lord, uh then the ocean would run out before the words of your Lord were to run out. Even if you were to corro or support or bring other uh um um the like of a number of of of ink after that, you know. So regardless of how many oceans you bring, you know, to express or to record the words of your lord, uh the oceans will run out before your the words of your lord run out. You're right. And there's a similar verse like this um um um um where um Subhan Allah it's not coming to me at the moment um um subhan Allah I remember exactly the beginning beginning but some of you know this right but at any rate that this was a a matter of controversy that came up in the past you know and of course Muslims have lived with it it's not as controversial today as it once was in the past And this is why the montes for example started to persecute Muslims who claimed the Quran was not created. They imposed it upon and made it an obligation to say that the Quran is created. Um and um and and if you didn't say it then you either were killed or you're imprisoned for a long period of time and tortured like Imm Ahmed Muhammad for example. Uh and so for them uh they felt that to say that the Quran was uh not created that it was a denial of sort of direct empirical experience. Yeah.

[00:44:58]Because for them uh the Quran was a physical book, right? Right? They saw it as a physical book, you know, and in an essence, you know, they were correct because because a physical book it contains and made a paper and this ink uh someone writes the words out. But in the sense that uh Allah subhana is the author, right, of those words. Uh it is not created because it issues from the creator himself. He chooses the words and those words are recorded. And so if someone were to read the Quran and say uh these are the words of God, right?

[00:45:33]You couldn't say they're the words of anyone else. They're not the words of Muhammad, right? But of course the uh is it is itself is a uh a record of some of the things that Allahh has has um has uh has um has revealed right to humanity right and so so so in other words so in this particular time what the the fundamental problem with saying that the Quran was created was that the Quran was used synonymously with karan right in that time this is where it was understood if you said Quran you know it was like saying kalan right you know so speech you know automatically it refers to God's speech you said Quran it automatically refers to the revealed book itself right so if you said Quran then I'll be pro it's like saying that Allah's faculty of speech right again faculty I'm just utilizing you you know so loosely because of the limitations of language right uh that it's like saying that Allahh is created so if Allah if one of Allah's attributes is created then that means Allahh has created right um so Quran you know automatically they thought kalam if you say kalam automatically thought uh Quran right so this is what the big deal was right so they wanted to avoid this confusion but today I would say that you know most Muslims uh they don't um make a big deal out of this and so most Muslim probably wouldn't persecute people uh for taking any given position and we're not required to take any particular position on this to be totally honest the common Muslim can just simply say Allahh spoke to Mus Alam and I believe Allah I believe in that and that's it right he said Allah he spoke directly to Mus Alam and that's what I believe and I don't get into the argument about whether or not Quran is created uncreated you know butani himself is trying to formulate or refute the arguments of others who impose a different position on the um and is why this particular issue it continu continues to come up in um these early books. Right? So, so and then I'll just read like a few more lines here. So here the next section right uh and also it is our obligation among the things that we are obligated to believe in is right and is good is bad is sweet and is bitter and all of that uh our lord he has determined right so all of that has been determined by our lord that is um the good of And so by uh in this particular line it appears that what he means by it is uh the the decision or the decree what we call the divine decree right in other words Allahh he makes things happen when they do happen right and so because there's only one creator right Allah is the creator of everything right you know uh you uh said, "Do you worship?" This is Ibrahim.

[00:48:47]What he said to his people, "Do you serve and worship the things that you carve out with your own hands?" When God, he created you and the things that you do, all the things that you do. So in other words, means someone who bring things from out of the realm of non-existence into the realm of existence. And so Allah subhana ta, he is the only one who does that.

[00:49:10]The human being does not do that. The human being has what is called the faculty of choice or as some call the call it right. So other words we either acquire our actions right or we choose our actions right and so and that is something happen internally within us right and so or becomes the foundation of jazz right in other words the foundation of our recompense in the hereafter right so Allah looks at our hearts in the state of our hearts at the moment we do things and he rewards and punishes us on the basis of that not on the basis of the manifestation of things into this world right because things can manifest in this without our intention for them to manifest that way, right? Because I can walk and then slip, right? And then break someone's property. I can walk and slip and I can kill someone by accident.

[00:50:02]Allah subhana t is not going to hold me accountable for that. But he will hold me accountable for the state of my heart. If I had the intention to do those things at the moment, then Allah subhana t he will uh he will he will hold me accountable for that. Right? So we expect it. We believe in the good of it and the bad of it is sweet of it and the bitter of it. But in other words, all of it comes from Allah subhana wa ta'ala. It doesn't mean that we are required to be content with evil or to be content with the bitterness that we experience in life. But is simply acknowledgement that all of it comes from Allah subhana t when it happens.

[00:50:36]Allah could have prevented it from happen happening but he did not prevent it from happening. And when it did happen, he was the one who brought it into existence and no one else did. So he brought it into existence. Uh but the person uh who holds or bears the responsibility of the evil that happens is the human being not Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala.

[00:50:57]Right? So then he says so the the the the measurements of all things are in his hand. Or you can think the measurements of all things and the decrees of all things are in his control. All right?

[00:51:21]And their origin uh their place of origin are from his right now this is in the in the area of we find that use these two terms.

[00:51:34]Right? And so for many of the it means God's fornowledge and then means the what we call destiny.

[00:51:46]In other words, the the the point or the decision to bring things into existence, right? So other words, Allah knows things will happen before they happen.

[00:51:56]And when they do happen, they happen because he himself, he decrees them. He brings them into existence. And just because he brings them into existence doesn't mean that he's pleased with them. Right. Right. That he decides that this thing will happen. Right. No one else decides it other than Allah subhana wa ta'ala. Right. Right. But it doesn't mean that he is content or pleased with it that it does occur. Right. Right. But it's just that he is a creator. Right.

[00:52:23]So fornowledge the decree. Right. Some reverse it and they say the is Allah's fornowledge of things.

[00:52:33]is um is Allah's decree of things, right? So, so the the of things or the measurements or the uh the decrees of all affairs are in his control in God's hand and their source of origin are from his right in other words, they are an aspect or they originate um um after him knowing that they shall happen. Right? And so so throughout this particular section the author seems to utilize he shifts between and sometimes he uses to mean and sometimes he means to mean right at least that's what appears to me right so but here to me he's using it to mean fornowledge because he says right after this that he knew everything before its being right and then it uh it flowed according to his decree. Right. Right. So so there's an aspect of Allah's knowledge and then Allah's will and his power. All those things are involved in the belief of you. So we're going to spend a lot of times on this and and in the the next class inshallah you know but I think it's probably a good place to to pause um um because uh we've been going on for almost an hour now. So we'll give you all an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. Shallah.

[00:54:16]So, I'm just looking at the questions.

[00:54:17]Uh, when does it start? We already started.

[00:54:21]Um, please uh anyone have any questions, let me know.

[00:54:38]because if there are no questions, I'm I'm fine with that too, right? Um or how about this? How about I I just read um just a little bit more, right? read a little bit more and then we can we can conclude. And so excuse me said not a single statement nor a single action of his servants happens without him decreeing it. So here is using as right that he brought it into existence right. So none of that happens without him decreeing it and him having a knowledge of it beforehand. Then he quotes from does he who know or rather does he who created not know while he is the subtle the all the well acquainted right or he's the kind the well acquainted right can mean a few different things right you know does the he who created not know right uh one reading is that mean is it is right so this is like a reading Some of them are because they tried to avoid the idea that Allahh that he creates anything uh that we would call evil, right? Uh so they said well means that does he know or does he not know he who created? I mean does he not know the those he created? Right? In other words, does he not know his creation?

[00:56:28]Right? Does he not know his creation?

[00:56:30]That's the way they read it as right is reading is that of does the he who created not know does the creator not know in other words uh the the creator if if Allah created it then naturally uh he would know right the nature of his creation. And so but this is taken taken a step further which like he is right he is kind he is subtle and he's well acquainted with all things right right now how why does he the one who created not know when he himself is acquainted with all things right so every single statement or action that issues from a person it is by Allah's decree and his fornowledge he misleads whomever he pleases pleases and abandons him by his justice.

[00:57:30]And he guides whoever he pleases and he brings them into conformity with his will by his uh by his grace by his um his his his um his his bounty. Right? In other words, uh Allah subhana t when people go astray, they go astray after the the proof has been established against them. Allah subhana t doesn't do injustice to anyone. If anything, the position of is that Allah can never be unjust that Allah's nature is not to be unjust but Allah subhana also can never be unjust even if we are to do something that we ourselves consider to be unjust you So other words, so if Allah subhana t were to bring something into existence or rather put it like this, he's already done so. He's brought us all into existence. If Allahh decided that he that he wanted to destroy the sun, that would not be an injustice to the sun. Who said the sun has the right to exist? Allah subhana t brought the sun into existence. So Allahh has every right to take it out of existence. Allah he gave his life and has every right to retake our lives away from us. Like if I build a table or a desk and I take a slam sledgehammer and I destroy that desk or table, I have every right to do so. Why? Because it belongs to me.

[00:58:49]Because injustice is it is to meddle in someone else's dominion, right? But the entire dominion all things belong to Allahhana, right? So he can never be unjust.

[00:59:10]Through Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Right.

[00:59:15]Allah is the creator and the owner of everything. Right. So it can never be unjust. Right. Right. So so when Allah subhana t but despite that Allahh he's given us an understanding of justice.

[00:59:27]Right. And quite often like atheists they'll say well well you know that God can't exist. It's not possible for God existent because if God existed then you wouldn't see um you know children for example suffering right uh you know so that has to be evidence that God doesn't exist and not understanding that saying that is really just like them saying that if had I been God then I would have ensured that nobody suffers right but if you were asking them the question okay well what would make that fair and just right on what particular moral principle are you basing this on?

[01:00:04]Right? They can only say to be totally honest is that because that's I believe what I believe to be the right thing to do. That's what I believe to be just.

[01:00:13]Not that it actually is just, but it's what I believe to be just. Right. Right.

[01:00:17]And so we say, well, okay, but still that's not really a an objective standard or principle, right? You know, so you're basically saying that it would be just because you're God, right? And then you chose it to make things that way, right? Okay. Well, why can't the uh god the real god you know do what he pleases, right? Uh so so so Allahh say he he misleads whomever he pleases or mis misguides whomever he pleases and abandons him by his justice and then he guides whomever he pleases and he grants him conformity or brings him in conformity with God's pleasure or satisfaction by his grace or by his bounty.

[01:01:06]So every person will be facilitated by his facilitation to what has already preceded in his knowledge and his decree. Be the person uh wretched or be the person unfortunate.

[01:01:21]In other words, what it means by this is that all this is reference to a hadith in ayat. For example, um there was a man who asked the prophet wasam. The prophet was he he was he was he he sat up one day and he gave a talk and he mentioned that you know that when you're created and not a single one of you uh um is created without Allah already knowing where you would go uh be it to hell or to heaven. And then a man's asked the prophet you know they said well then what's the whole point of working doing anything right?

[01:01:54]And then the prophet responded But every person will be facilitated to do whatever he was created for.

[01:02:08]That whoever uh gives and is pious and believes in Jenna, then Allah will make easy for him his path to Jenna.

[01:02:25]And whoever who is stingy, withholds and sees himself as self-sufficient uh and belies or denies belief in the hereafter, then Allah will make easy his path to to the hellfire. Right. To the hellfire. Right. Yeah. So in another occasion and this is uh the hadith of in this other occasion similar question comes up and the man asked the prophet why do any work you know and then he goes on and says that whenever Allah creates someone for Jenna he will employ him to do the work of the people of Jenna until He dies upon and act upon one of the people of Jenna and then he will enter Jenna because of that. Well, and and he said the thing the opposite too.

[01:03:31]It said and when he creates someone for the hellfire, he employs that person to do an act of the people of the hellfire.

[01:03:38]until he dies upon an act of the people of the hellfire and he shall enter by it be the hellfire right so other words you deserve what you receive right you receive and so Allahh will show it to you he keeps a record of it and yukama everyone will see their record of good deeds and they will see that they deserve what they they they will receive right yeah and so so when he says uh this is a reference to that famous hadith of uh Allahh that he brings together the uh the creation of every one of you in the belly of his mother.

[01:04:12]Uh and then of course 40 days, Passover in this particular state, then another 40 days, another 40 days and then the angel sent to him and he blows life into him, blows the soul into him and then he's u ordered right uh to record or attach to that. So uh its work, its lifespan uh its uh um um uh it its provision and whether it will be or he will be or she will be will be unfortunate or will be uh fortunate or be sad or be happy. Right?

[01:04:52]And so the scholars differ about what's meant by sad and happy. Asha say that a sad person or an unfortunate person is a person who lives his life and dies um um as a non-Muslim. Uh or or yeah lives his life as a non-Muslim. Uh and the happy person lives his life as a Muslim. Uh and the other position the other matab says the opposite. Now the Shak is a person who dies as a non-Muslim and say is a person who dies as a Muslim. Right?

[01:05:21]you know and I might have reversed the uh the attribution right you know the different schools there right so and then lastly we just read this final section here um he is high above anything happening in his dominion that he does not desire and is also high above their uh anyone being independent of him. Oh, and he is high above anyone other than him being a creator of anything.

[01:06:02]He is a lord of servants, meaning the lord of all people and he is lord of their actions. And again this is a reference to the statement of Ibraim do you worship what you carve with your own hands when Allah he created you and he created your work and again creation meaning he was the one who brought it from the realm of non-existent into existence not that he's responsible for your shik Allah he's not responsible for erad but is he who brought or brought your work into into existence And he is the one who determines their movements and their lifespans.

[01:06:47]And he is the one who sends messengers to to them in order to establish evidence or proof against him. And this is a reference to the verse where he says uh and so and messengers and he sent to the messengers who are givers of good tidings and warners so that there should not be a proof against God uh after sending his messengers and of course it's never a proof against Allah subhana tala. So at any rate um that's probably a good place to stop for there today. So this is through um a a conclusion of we call theat or the matters pertaining to uh Allah or the divinities we can call them that uh and um so let's see if there any questions now before we conclude inshallah.

[01:07:48]So next question, do you intend to do an English translation of of this work? Uh the verse, this uh book has been translated multiple times into English.

[01:07:56]Um Aisha Buy has a translation. There's I remember there's a Nigerian translation, there's Moroccan translation. There are multiple translations. There's um there's a Catholic author, Catholic scholar, I can't remember exactly his name who translated it as well some years ago.

[01:08:12]Right? So the recite has been translated [snorts] multiple times into English, right? You know, so this is a a perennial text uh has been studied for last a thousand years in the um right and it's really amazing because as I mentioned last time is that the author was only 17 years old according to uh his biographers when he wrote this book he wrote it um for one of his students uh who was also who's known as uh Maharf at Tunusi uh who is a Quran teacher right in in Tunisia and became his patron saint is is the will uh of of of of tunas. Uh and um you know, so there are multiple translations of it. You can find maybe even to find them online. I just do a search, you know. So I apologize. I mean, if my translation is not good enough for everyone, you know, but um you know, so um but but this is the way I'm going to do it. You know, I I I I don't like the idea of relying on someone else's translation. I just think that this better flow. The flow is better when I do it this way. But if anyone doesn't understand something, just let me know. And also I mean for some of you students of Arabic I mean the reason I'm one of the reasons I'm doing this class is so that those who study Arabic uh can ask questions about some certain expressions that you may not fully understand and so we can we can sort of go through that as well. So I take those questions too. We don't need to focus only on the content. We can even focus on the uh the actual structure of paragraphs and sentences.

[01:09:42]I see some of the questions about Reeba.

[01:09:44]You know, we we're going to eventually get to Reeba. I know it's going to take a little while to get there. Um but it was here. So, so here's a question on Ala since this is what we covered. I I'll I'll answer the questions of after I get the uh get through the the theology questions the show all right you know but um right and so as mentioned before scholars differ about the difference between the terms and right so some of them say means lost for knowledge of things he knows things before they happen but is his decree of things in other words his uh his his decision to bring things from the realm of non-existence into existence according to the knowledge that he had beforehand that they would occur and then some they reverse them. Right? So, so if we say is for knowledge or if we say is for for knowledge then naturally that exists before things come into existence right so Allah subhana knew he would create all of us even before we came into existence and his knowledge that he would create us does not mean that we are uh beginningless right you know because Allahh has no beginning right or his knowledge has no beginning uh u but um he knew that he would create us at the times that he would create us according to the forms that he created us as well and also uh within the context the um economic and social context as well that he created us and all those things are test for all of us.

[01:11:18]Um so here's a question a thought on hellfire coming to an end that was affirmed by um of course this is a um a um a heretical belief right a belief that uh was uh mentioned this statement that that eventually uh that the final person the last person coming from the hellfire will be a non-Muslim and then Allahh he will um he will put an end to the hellfire right it's considered to be a heretical belief Even he mentions that the hellfire and that the that Jenna paradise and and hell are both created uh neither shall come to an end.

[01:12:06]Right? Neither shall come to an end. Um um so they exist now, right? Right now, right? Some scholars were saying that Allah will create the heaven, heaven and hell, you know, after once yokyama once this realm comes in come to an end, right? And this is attributed to some of the mzida if not mainstream among the mazes, right? As well, but had an opinion that that the ja is forever but uh hellfire shall come to an end. And even she Nasarin Albani in his commentary on the tahawia or his gloss right on the on the tahawia uh of Abil is uh he actually mentions in the in the in the footnote said that no one from the held this opinion right so he's actually criticizing uh you know for having this viewpoint because presents it as an alternative opinion to right because was highly influenced by doctrine but during the life of he wasn't allowed to quote because was you know uh considered a heretic and so he could get in trouble for actually quoting directly so he slipping in his opinions within his commentary uh without mentioning him by name you know but uh Mhammed Abani as well also acknowledges that this itself is a uh is a heretical belief uh now ultimately We all will I guess on one day we all will find out right you know who's true when it comes to that um you know it's it's um you know maybe Allahh will bring put an end to the hellfire Allah knows best right you know I mean we we we believe otherwise right you know we don't have good reason to believe that uh that anything else would happen because uh you know that you know people who go into hell they'll be there uh you know um uh forever as long as the heavens and the earth they exist is accept uh what your lord wills right and so that's really the point of the ayah where say well Allah means that Allahh it's possible that Allahha he will bring it to the end you know except for what Allah's wills you know of that and so he concluded that okay well because of the hadith that mentions that going to be a person who is the final person in the hellfire he concluded that this is a reference to the non-Muslims Although majority of say no this is talking about the final believer right because Allah will bring out of the hellfire those who have even a mustard's grain of iman in their hearts right uh the last person to come out will be crawling out of the hellfire right the last the last person who has along with him um and um but they also say of this ayah that in the ayah means men except for you know So that that Allah that people who will be in the hellfire forever as long as the heavens and earth it persists except for those that Allah so wills right you so mean because it can be a reference to uh the jin and and the ins as well humanity and the uh the jin right because also we go to hellfire so that's why we say they uses ma right even though it's for the for those who actually are rational Um, so let's see. I'll come back. Let me see.

[01:15:39]So, do you intend to show the English translation? That's where Abby Abri asked that one. Um, so here's a question about Reeba, right?

[01:15:52]Can you speak about the dollar bill uh is actually being a product that is filled with reeba in and of itself and how we exist in this country having to use it and also let's see the other question connected to this too I don't know if it's the same person um uh no it's not the same says how do we navigate saturated society without cindering our souls to it right and that's a good question right we know there's a hadith that talks about how a time will come when you know no one will be able to avoid even the dust of reeba right and I think we do live in that time today and the fundamental challenge is that the focah of today the vast majority of them they don't pay close attention to the importance of what we call sound money right you know so that you know the whole money system that we have is um is problematic right in so many different ways and and that you know there was a time when money was sound and it was sound when governments did not interfere with the purchasing power of the money and how does governments do that they uh create a central bank and they create what is called fiat money and fiat money is not backed by anything of value right so um so there was a time we had the gold standard you know but we've been off the gold standard for some time and in 1971 one, President Nixon, he um ensured that uh ensured that uh countries were not able to um to extract the gold uh of the United States, you know, to pay the debts that the United States owed to them anymore, right? You know, then eventually we came to what's called the petro dollar system, right? So, so if people understood that once you create what is called fiat money, right? And so the Federal Reserve Bank was established in 1913. And since that time, the buying power of the dollar, you know, has been reduced, you know, excessively, right? You know, so it's, you know, extreme reduction in the buying power.

[01:18:02]For example, in uh 1957, like $15 was worth about $200. In other words, we can $15 in 1957, we can buy about two $200 worth of items that that exist today, right? uh in our markets, right? Um and the current system relies heavily on consumerism, right? Um and um the every time the bank prints more money, uh the the the the buying power of our dollars is reduced, right? And uh and so when you move away from a production-based economy, in other words, where um inflation is uh inflation it doesn't happen quickly if you have a high level of production, right? You know, if you produce more goods at the same rate or a faster than the rate of of um of um of inflation or the or the other words rate that they put more dollars on the market, then you avoid this problem, you know. But once government shifted to the idea of trying to create full employment um and less focus on the importance of creating greater more products as a result of that um um we develop a consumer-based society you know so like our GDP a gross domestic product is probably about 80% or more relying on people buying things right so with people buying things and if your economy is built upon that you provide more money, you cry more credit, you provide um loans, etc., right? You know, again, long story short, because of this uh what's happened is that uh people they they they embrace long-term debt, right?

[01:19:49]So, uh, mortgages, long-term, uh, payments, um, car notes, uh, sometimes, uh, people buy like computers and other things on credit, and some people buy, you know, a lot of things on credit. We know that some people have tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt, you know, some hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt, um, even to go to school, for example, to get education.

[01:20:14]And what we have to understand is that banks, you know, again, I'm kind of getting into what we call commercial law, you know, and and for those who are uh who may have seen the advertisement, you know, we've just posted a class that I taught uh in the summer of last year, you know, so please do also support us and also donate to lampost um um for you know, as we continue to try to give you as much as we can to quality information, you know, but but um but the point is that is that um that banks When you put your money in the bank, the bank actually consists it's it's a loan.

[01:20:49]You're loaning your money to the banks.

[01:20:50]So the banks, they utilize that deposit or those deposits to add to their spreadsheet of assets. So it's it's read as a both a liability in the sense that you can come and take it out any moment, but it's also read as an asset. You know, so when someone comes and wants to borrow money from the bank, you know, the bank now can charge charge them interest, right? So when you put your money in the bank, you're helping prop up the uh the reeba based system. When you buy a mortgage, even a so-called Islamic mortgage, you're actually continuing to prop up the reebased system. Why? Because a mortgage once again is uh a type of loan taken from a bank and the bank utilizes that as uh something they can add to their spreadsheet of assets and then um charge someone who wants to come borrow from money from banks with your money, right?

[01:21:42]To borrow or without your money because banks actually don't even hold all the reserves that they they you assume that they be holding, right? When they lend loan money out to other people, right?

[01:21:53]So, so in other words, so we are we in a sort of like we call like a catch 21 situation where it's very difficult to avoid it, right? Uh so we focus so much on something being halal as opposed to trying to critique the entire system that is a a system of debt slavery, you know. So people so many people live check to check, check to check. Uh but also another problem is that we ourselves we we love luxury and we don't want to give it up either right so and you know so instead of scaling back and reducing our own consumption um we continue to prop it up you know because we want to maintain all of the luxuries that we have right you know so all of us have this problem right including myself right so so so again that's I guess you say in short the short version of the answer to those questions and you know how do you avoid it I would say that the best way to avoid it is to um pay off all your debts as pos as soon as poss as possible. Um and then invest in real assets, right?

[01:22:58]Not dollars or pounds or things like that, you know, try to if you have savings, try to get most of your savings outside of the banks, but actually in real assets, gold, silver, similar things like that. uh you know real estate those type of things you know of course I'm not a financial advisor as as has obligation to say but um but once we come to understand what real wealth is it's easier for us to avoid being trapped in the the cycle of debt that the majority of people are trapped into right you know so there should be a priority placed on ridding ourselves of debt um and then also if we have a surplus that surplus is not sitting in banks but the surplus plus actually are invested in real assets that actually appreciate because the longer your money is in the bank, the less buying power you have in those dollars because a lot of people don't understand. You can put you can have a $10,000 or $5,000 in the bank today. And then you don't do anything to it and then a year later you look and see, okay, it's still $5,000, but actually it's not $5,000 anymore.

[01:24:06]Actually, it's less than $5,000. Why?

[01:24:08]Because of inflation. because they're going to print more money and they're about to print a lot more money too because with the new Federal Reserve chair coming in this month, right? Uh he already has expressed his plans to uh to expand the debt, the national debt, you know, so the more the So people often say, well, why are houses cost so much?

[01:24:28]They cost so much because of inflation.

[01:24:29]That's one of the major reasons why.

[01:24:31]Well, it's a combination is inflation and then also the small supply like builders people are refusing to build or they've been prevented from building like for in for instance that pe places that like New York or California they won't allow them to build to build or or like cheap cheap um uh offerings or they have like rent control things like that.

[01:24:53]So people builders are not inspired to build that much because if you say rent control I can't raise the rent every year to actually make a profit then all those things have an effect on uh the way that um pricing pricing goes right so there's a high demand and there's a short supply and then we add on top of that there's an over supply of money right add on top of that you know so the over supply of money reduces the buy the purchasing power of the dollar right and then you add on top of that there's a short supply of housing, right? And you know, and there's a lot of competition for that housing. So the prices continue to go up up up rather than down down down, right? Until that's remedyed. So um so at any rate, um it's sort of in my economics bag, my commercial law bag, and that's where it comes from. So uh alhamdulillah. So appreciate uh all of you being with me today. And uh I think that's probably a good ways to conclude and and and so uh I'll announce uh the the next class inshallah as soon as I can. Uh we may have it uh next Tuesday once again uh because originally this class was supposed to be Saturday but we brought it up because this coming Saturday I'm going to be busy but I may also add an additional class in the following week too. So we may do Tuesday then also Saturday and then once that happens we may revert back to just one one time a week. We'll see. We'll play by ears we would say. And so hopefully all of you will be with us inshallah.