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* Episode 27: Important aspects in the march of Sunaa’ al-Hayah
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التقيم الحالى لهذا المقال بناء على 10 رأى
Nuh

 

Sunaa’ al-Hayah

- Life Makers -

Episode 27: Important aspects in the march of Sunaa’ al-Hayah

 

We continue with our program.  In this new episode, we would like to establish certain points and agree on certain aspects, so that we may continue together with our projects and ideas for ‘Making Life.’ 

 

The first point that I want to talk about is the difference between the Qur’an revealed in Makkah and that revealed in Madinah.  Some of you might wonder about the relevance of such a question to our program.  We will see now that the relation is indeed very strong.  If we look at the Makkan Qur’an, we see that it was revealed in short sentences; it touches the heart and depicts the topics of Jannah (Paradise), hellfire, the Day of Judgment and the great ability of Allah.   The stories depicted in the Makkan Qur’an deeply touch our hearts like Surat Yusuf, Surat Hud and all the other Surahs. 

 

The Qur’an revealed in Madinah, on the other hand, consists of long sentences and contains laws, rules and all the other matters related to issues like; divorce, marriage, inheritance, etc.

 

Let us see some of the Makkan ayahs, like Surat al-Haqqah.  Allah says what can be translated as, “Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say, "Here! Read my Record!  Surely, I did believe that I shall meet my Account!"  So he shall be in a life, well-pleasing.  In a lofty Paradise, The fruits in bunches whereof will be low and near at hand.   Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past! But as for him who will be given his Record in his left hand, will say, "I wish that I had not been given my Record! And that I had never known how my Account is! Would that it had been my end (death)!  My wealth has not availed me; My power (and arguments to defend myself) have gone from me!"  (It will be said), "Seize him and fetter him.” (TMQ, 29: 19-30)[1].

 

As for the Qur’an revealed in Madinah, Allah says what can be translated as, “And if he has divorced her (the third time), then she is not lawful unto him thereafter until she has married another husband.  Then, if the other husband divorces her, it is no sin on both of them that they reunite, provided they feel that they can keep the limits ordained by Allah. These are the limits of Allah, which He makes plain for the people who have knowledge.” (TMQ, 2:230).   The following ayah was revealed in Makkah where Allah says what can be translated as, “And the stupor of death will come in truth, "This is what you have been avoiding!"” (TMQ, 50:19).

 

This one was revealed in Madinah, where Allah says what can be translated as, “Allah commands you as regards your children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females; if (there are) only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half.” (TMQ, 4:11).

 

I wanted to show you how touching the Makkan Qur’an is, how it moves us of all to tears and how it stirs our emotions while praying; but would Islam be complete with the Makkan Qur'an alone or was it necessary for it to include the Qur'an revealed in Madinah as well?  Was it enough for Islam, that magnificent system that encompasses all aspects of life, to touch our hearts and tell us exciting and moving stories? By no means, it was also necessary to include the Qur'an revealed in Madinah, to organize our lives and revive our Muslim nation.  Do you realize this larger notion?

 

Let us imagine something very beautiful.  Imagine a companion who started with the Prophet (SAWS[2]) in Makkah and the Makkan Qur’an was the first thing he heard.  He was so touched and moved to tears.  After going to Madinah, he saw that the ayahs were different; all of them were about laws that were difficult for even some of the Sahabas (companions) to comprehend.  The topics were really hard and intense.  This companion, didn’t go to the Prophet (SAWS) to complain that he couldn’t understand them, because he realized that in order for this religion to be established, it must have it all; laws, details, rules, what we are required to do, hand in hand with the heart-touching aspects.  I just wanted to let you all understand, by that example, the perspective from which we are working in our program.

 

The best kind of worship at any time is that which pleases Allah (SWT) at that particular time. 

 

While Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA) ruled as the Emir of Believers for ten years.  He laid all the foundations for the Muslims, starting with the principals and system of the new nation.  Omar (RA) had exceptional foresight, he established Diwans (ministries), paved the roads, and placed all the required details for the nation to stand on its feet, Jihad, conquests, virtually everything.  We never heard of a companion going to Omar (RA) and saying, “You’ve changed things; we only want to listen to the heart-moving ayahs.”  However, if Omar (RA) had not done all that, how could we have come to exist, or see the Muslims lead all the nations in their prime?

 

If you like something and want it so much then it is easy for you to simply choose it for yourself, yet, Islam cannot be built on just that!  There are many other things that you do not understand; other things that would require effort from you to be able to grasp and there are things that move your heart and stir your feelings.

 

Ibnul-Qayem al-Juziah said, “The best kind of worship is for you to worship Allah all the time in the manner that would please Him at that particular time.”

 

  • Before dawn, the best kind of worship would be praying in submission to Allah (SWT)
  • During the call to prayer, the best kind of worship is not to pray, but to repeat after the caller.

 

In the end, Ibnul-Qayem reaches the conclusion that at the times when nations are lost, falling apart and everybody is so far from Allah (SWT), the best kind of worship would be to help people to revive their faith.  This would be even better than reading the Qur’an, but we have to bear in mind that maintaining the times of our obligatory prayers comes before anything else; this is at the top of our priorities.

 

Ibnul-Qayem said, “The best worship at the time of people’s ignorance, neglect of science and inability to grasp the world, is to educate and teach them.”  Therefore, this is exactly what our project for overcoming computer illiteracy strives to achieve.  This may be the best kind of worship for our time, because this is the age of computers and technology.  Therefore, the best kind of worship is to worship Allah (SWT) in the manner that Allah (SWT) seeks from you at that particular time.  Ibnul-Qayem goes on saying, “He who worships Allah that way is indeed the sincere servant, because he worships Allah the way Allah seeks of him, not the way that suits him most.  Therefore, his manner of worship does not take a specific fixed form, but he worships Allah all the time in whatever way that pleases Allah at that time.”

 

Some of us do not feel close to Allah (SWT) except by praying two raka’as (one unit of the prayer). Others do not feel close except by praying two raka’as and educating someone with the intention of reviving the nation.  Someone else might seek to revive the people and the nation, and that makes him feel close to Allah (SWT), because this, too, is a type of worship.

 

Another important point is highlighted in an ayah that we all hear in the Qur’an while saying to ourselves that inshallah (Allah willing) we will be one of those.  Allah says in many parts of the Qur’an what can be translated as, “those who believe and do righteous good deeds.” Do you understand what this ayah says?  I will tell you something very interesting.  Do you know that every machine that has inputs must have outputs; like the computer for instance.  Therefore, anything in the world is just like that, even the human being.  Salat (prayer), fasting, Hajj (pilgrimage), Umrah (minor pilgrimage) and Hijab (the veil), what are all of these, inputs or outputs?  Any type of worship is an input, so what are the outputs?

 

I will give you some examples of those who do righteous good deeds.”  Let us say that you are religious, do your prayers, pray Fajr (dawn prayer) on time and wear the Hijab, but what do you do for your society?  Is the Hijab the end or the beginning?  Is the Hajj the end or the beginning?  The same goes for Ramadan and fasting; where is your output?  If you do not give any output then the society has benefited nothing from having you in it.

 

 

 

What is the definition of, “those who do righteous good deeds?”

 

Allah (SWT) never gave a definition, He left it open to suit every time and age.  Each society would then define them according to the needs of that time.  However, Allah (SWT) defined Iman (faith) as believing in Allah, His Angels, His Holy Books, His Messengers and the Day of Judgment.  Therefore, it is actually you who should be responsible for defining what these righteous good deeds should be and for determining how badly we need them for our revival.

 

The pioneers are the dearest to Allah (SWT):

 

I will tell you another meaning that is very important.  When the nation is lost and when we have hit rock bottom, the only direction that we can move to is upwards.  In that case, the dearest to Allah (SWT) would be those who would lead the way and take the first initiative.  Some others will not do anything, thinking that there is no use; they will even demoralize those who take the initiative.

 

Are we going to just close our eyes to what is going on around us and die the way we are? Every age has its set of ideas that propel the people, and every 100 years a new idea emerges and the people get trapped within this idea, forgetting that there could be other better ideas, until the pioneers come, inshallah we will be among them, declare their refusal to all this.  Of course, others would laugh at them and doubt their success; however, these pioneers are the dearest to Allah. 

 

I will give you an example of the warriors in the Battle of Badr.  The Prophet (SAWS) said about them, “Who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr warriors and said, ‘Do whatever you like, for I have forgiven you.’” (Al-Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 251).  Can you imagine their thawab (reward)?  Read this Hadith, “Jibril (AS) (Gabriel) came to the Prophet (SAWS) and said, “How do you look upon the warriors of Badr among yourselves?” The Prophet (SAWS) said, “As the best of the Muslims,” or a similar statement.  On that, Jibril (AS) said, “And so are the Angels who participated in the Battle of Badr.” (Al-Buhkari: Volume 5, Book 59, Number 327)  Do you now realize the size of thawab I am talking about?

 

The Prophet (SAWS) met with Dhul-Jawshan after the Battle of Badr, and the latter was still a disbeliever.  He asked him, “Dhul-Jawshan, would you like to be among the pioneers?”  However, Dhul-Jawshan replied, “No;” The typical reply of many of those living at this time, right?  I am asking you all, who are watching me now, would you like to be among the pioneers?  The Prophet (SAWS) was trying to introduce Islam to Dhul-Jawshan and to fill him with enthusiasm, yet Dhul-Jawshan replied, “I’ll wait and see, if you become victorious I’ll follow you and if my people defeat you, then I will have lost nothing.” 

 

The Prophet (SAWS) has always told us, “Don’t be a minion.”  When asked what he meant by that, he replied, “To be a minion is to do good when everybody does good and to do evil when everybody does it.  Instead you should be steadfast, do the good when everybody does it but if they do evil then don’t harm others.”  Dhul-Jawshan did not take the Prophet’s offer and refused to be a pioneer. 

 

The days went by and the Prophet (SAWS) emerged victorious and returned to Makkah; thousands came to swear their allegiance to him.  Among them came Dhul-Jawshan, so the Prophet (SAWS) looked at him with a sad, yet angry smile on his face and said, “Now you come, after so many others have made it!” Dhul-Jawshan lowered his head in shame and declared his Shahadah (declaration of faith).  This is the story and it ends with this sentence, “Dhul-Jawshan used to bite his fingertips in bitterness for not being a pioneer.”  What do you say? Would you like to be among the pioneers?

 

Patience and resolve:

 

Right now, we know that the Olympiad is taking place.  There is a great difference between a long-distance runner and a sprinter.  If you ask a sprinter to participate in a long-distance race, he will never be able to continue the race if he maintains the same techniques he has been using in sprinting.  The road to revival is long; we need those who can run long distances.  We need those who can read the Qur’an properly.  If you are a good reader of the Qur’an, you will understand this example because it was depicted by the Qur’an, not only in the ayahs but also in the stories of the Qur’an and in many Surahs.

 

  • Do you know how many times the word ‘patience’ was mentioned in the Makkan Qur’an? More than 90 times, they needed patience in Makkah.
  • The story of Yusuf (AS) (Joseph); he was patient for more than 40 years.
  • The story of Nuh (AS) (Noah); he was patient for 950 years.
  • The story of Yunus (AS) (Jonah); he was not so patient and the result: he was swallowed by a whale.

 

Allah (SWT) created the universe in six days and we all know the divine omnipotence of Allah; He says what can be translated as, “be and it is.” If you read the Qur’an you will see that creation occurred in stages: the heavens, the earth etc. until the creation of Adam (AS).  Even Adam (AS) was created in stages.  Why six days, why didn’t Allah create everything instantaneously?  Allah wanted to teach us that this universe has its rules and laws; it has its own progressive system.

 

When you read the stories of Prophets from the Qur’an you will notice something very strange.  The last ayah always talks about patience.  Allah says what can be translated as, “Such are some of the stories of the Unseen, which We have revealed unto thee: before this, neither thou nor thy People knew them.  So persevere patiently: for the End is for those who are righteous.” (TMQ, 11:49).   Also, in the story of Nuh (AS), Allah says what can be translated as, “It was revealed to Nuh! ‘None of thy People will believe except those who have believed already! so grieve no longer over their (evil) deeds.’” (TMQ, 11:36).   Hence, no more of his people would believe after that.  Does that mean that it was the end?  No, Allah (SWT) ordered Nuh (AS) with what can be translated as, “But construct an Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration” (TMQ, 11:37).  How long would constructing an Ark in the desert take?  First, you would have to wait for the rain to fall so that you scatter the seeds, then you would tend for the seeds until they grow into trees, then you cut these trees and use them.  The wood used must be very strong and you would need a great deal of it because you need a huge Ark, big enough to carry pairs of everything. 

 

After finishing all that, Nuh (AS) had to wait for the day when all the disbelievers would be doomed so that he and the believers could mount the Ark.  Scientists say that this interval lasted about 300 years.  From the time where Allah says what can be translated as, “None of thy People will believe except those who have believed already,” (TMQ, 11:36) until the large flood.  Why such a long interval?  Was it all settled long before Allah (SWT) told Nuh (AS) that none of his people would believe?  This interval was for the believers, they had confidence in Allah (SWT) that they would emerge victorious.  They built the Ark and despite all the insults and snickering to which they were subjected to, they built it.  Nuh (AS) trusted Allah (SWT) greatly; he was resolute to the point that made him plant the desert with trees, despite the fact that he had only sixty followers.

 

Persistence:

 

How can you be persistent?  Through reciting the Qur’an, performing Qiyam (night prayer) and supplication.  All these can teach you persistence and resolution.

 

The role of women in the revival and allowing the discussion of various viewpoints

 

The last episode was about the role of women and it brought many reactions.  I said that women were unjustly wronged in the Arab world, as well as in the Islamic nations and that we refuse this injustice and will do our best to lift it.  We will not stop until we know how to, because women are indeed wronged and this wrong is attributed to Islam.  Islam is innocent of all these claims.  The issue has created many reactions.

 

I wanted us to hold an open discussion to talk with one another because this revival will not take place at the hands of one group or one sect; this revival is for our nation.  It is not only for the religious persons, but it is for the whole society in our countries.  This is how I see it and this is how women have to be a part of it.  Women are a part of our society and hence the least they deserve is for us to hold these open discussions and listen to one another.  No revival will take place if we keep fighting, squabbling and disagreeing.  That way, we will only waste our energy at the time when we need every bit of it for our revival.  The aim behind holding a civilized discussion is to bring us together.  Do you remember at the beginning when we said that we are boarding an airplane?  Do you remember when we said that this plane's engines should be at maximum power to reach take-off speed?  The engines that propel us are the women, yet how much is their contribution?  At most 1ten percent. That was why I saw that it was important to discuss women's affairs.  If I ask you now about the capacity at which these engines are working, I highly doubt as to whether any of you would tell me that they are using more than 30% of their overall capacity.  I repeat, we have four domains in which women have been wronged:

 

  1. Violence against women: fidelity crimes in which women are killed without punishing the killers, molestation, humiliation and beating.  All this has to change.
  2. Their financial rights: some are deprived from their rightful inheritance, sometimes deprived from their divorce allowance, they are humiliated by their husbands and sometimes the woman is the sole family breadwinner; then we complain that sin and corruption spread in society.  In a family, girls are not even treated equally like their brothers with regard to allowances and gifts.
  3. Their political rights: sometimes they are denied the right to vote or prevented from holding political posts.
  4. Their social rights: they are deprived of their right to move about freely, drive a car, have an appropriate place for prayer at the mosque or have free will in choosing their husbands.

 

We need to change all this.  Therefore, because I am sure that there are many varied views among us, I have dedicated a whole page on the website, for all of you to discuss how we could help women and lift the injustice against them.  Everybody can share his or her view.  We want men of religion, men of law and specialists to help us.  Occasionally, I will present to you what has been suggested.  This topic is very vital to the issue of revival, so we are not just raising banners here.

 

Do you remember when we sent the clothes to the Dar Fur province in Sudan four months ago?  Before that, nobody knew much about Dar Fur, yet we saw that we should have a role there.  What I am telling you now, is that the clothes have already arrived in Dar Fur and will be distributed this week.  You will watch that in the next episode; you will watch a film showing the clothes being distributed.  I am telling you all this because I want you to grasp the whole perspective.

 

The issue is not simply just about Dar Fur, it also has a great deal to do with the revival of our countries.  Today’s episode will be totally dedicated to tackling certain aspects related to our revival, and all these aspects are connected to each other.  Allah (SWT) created mankind in different forms and races; not all of us are the same.  There are different races: black, white and yellow.  There is a divine wisdom behind all this.  Allah says what can be translated as, “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other.” (TMQ, 49:13).  Allah (SWT) also says what can be translated as, “...We have made some of you as a trial for others: will ye have patience?” (TMQ, 25:20).  This is Allah’s wisdom that belies our varied races.  Allah (SWT) seeks to see how we will interact with one other and that was why we were created “nations and tribes.”

 

Then the Prophet (SAWS) came and set the principle of coexistence by saying, “An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except in the degree of Taqwa (righteousness).”  The Prophet (SAWS) also said, “People are all equal, like the teeth of a comb.”

 

When the Prophet (SAWS) saw a group of al-Ansar, Aws and Khazradjh tribes preparing their swords to fight, he said, “Are you back to your jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era) while I’m still among you? Set these attitudes aside, they are obscene.”  He always used the word jahiliyyah.

 

The Prophet (SAWS) also used to say about Salman al-Farsy (who was actually from Persia), “Salman is one of Ahlul-Bayt (my family).”

 

Unfortunately, humanity has been afflicted with great deterioration and nobody exerts any tangible effort towards the issue of bringing races together.  We have all heard about what happened in Bosnia, Rwanda and Kashmir.  Millions died and humanity is shamed by such deeds.  Allah (SWT) has created man to be his vicegerent on earth, yet see what we are doing to one another, killing and annihilating!  We see beasts and cannibals devouring one another and we watch with amazement wondering how they do it, yet what we are doing is far worse.  It is indeed a great shame how killing has spread amongst us and we ought to interfere to remedy this situation.  At least in our countries, we should not allow ethnic conflicts.  The reason, quite simply, is that the enemies of Islam use this issue to cause strife among us and ruin our revival.  They ignite the fire of conflict between our various races driving us to kill one another.

 

There are two races in Dar Fur, Arabs and Negroes (Arabs, originating from Arab countries and Negroes originating from Africa).  According to the news spread by the news agencies, international newspapers and international media, the Arabs are slaughtering the Negroes but we do not know what the truth is.  I am now talking to the ‘Life Makers’ who want to revive our nation.  I am telling you that this particular issue is very vital and there are fears that it could reach us, so be on your guard.  I am talking to the youth now, be on your guard and try to stop any such conflicts.  The international newspapers are spreading news about the slaughtering taking place there and Amnesty International says that there are about one million homeless who have fled to Chad.  Thousands of homes were burned down and thousands of Negroes were killed.  They say that the Sudanese government denied all these claims and that it never moved a finger to get these races back together.  All this said, we do not really know whether it is true or not; we can never tell since our media is not that powerful.  The Western media, on the other hand, is very powerful but we do not trust it.  Nevertheless, with our ignorance of the truth, we can still do three things.  Our duty towards Dar Fur:

 

1.      Rescuing the homeless, if any.  With regard to that particular point, we have taken action and sent them the clothes we collected; they will be distributed next week.  As I said, you will share these moments with us in the next episode.  We sent a representative on behalf of Sunaa’ al-Hayah to assist the Sunaa’ al-Hayah Association in Sudan to deliver the clothes.  Whoever can rescue the homeless, please take the initiative and start now.

2.      Supplication: that Muslims and Muslim nations become united.  There are many other areas subject to the same threat.

3.      Beware never to take a part in such strife or even help in igniting it.  When Othman Ibn-Affan (RA) was killed, one of the companions came out crying and saying, “I swear by Allah never again to be a tool in shedding the blood of anyone after Othman.”  People asked him, “Did you take part in killing Othman?”   “I saw them backbiting and gossiping, so I helped by spreading such talk,” he replied.  Strife has to be stopped if there’s any hope for our revival.  This meaning is very important, especially for the coming years.

 

Overcoming computer illiteracy:

 

I have spoken about so many aspects today.  The last one is related to our project and the project of this era.  We want to give it the best we can.  It is the project promoting computer literacy.  Women are our main target in this project, especially housewives, then children, school students and particularly university students.  It is a shame for university students to be ignorant of computer and internet usage.  These are our target groups.

 

Some of you might ask why we gave so much attention to this project. Why did I speak about it that much and why did I pose it as the first task we should start with? Let me explain in more detail.  In any age, nations and countries are usually classified according to the most prominent aspect at that age.  If for instance we say that this is the age of agriculture, nations will be classified from best to worst, based on their expertise in agriculture.  The same applies to other ages; the age of industry, translation etc.  The present age is the age of technology and science, so whoever excels in them is classified at the top.  We should never forget that we have our own beliefs and our Islam of which we are so proud of; we should not forsake it and we will never achieve our revival without it. However, you also have to use the tool of the age that you are living in.  What would the first step be in the age of knowledge?  Computers and the internet; so are we serious about our revival?  It is not a matter of supplication only, we also have to work.  Why should women particularly be familiar with the use of computers and the internet?  Because they constitute 50% of society, so if they excel in the use of computers and the internet, the world will change; women will cause the future generations to develop the way they think.  If women learn the use of computers, at least their sons will not be able to fool them by pretending to be studying, instead of visiting illicit websites on the internet.

 

I am telling you all this to make things clearer.  Therefore, if we want to achieve our revival, our portal is the computer and the internet.  In the first stage, we spoke about our resources and how to save and make use of them.  Last week we asked the youth who were able to train others on the computer and the internet to seek our help to train people.  We asked them to visit a page on our website and register their names there.  Do you know how many people visited that particular page last week? Eleven thousand; I was only asking for 10,000!  Thus, this time I will not ask you for any numbers, I will just tell you that we want to overcome computer illiteracy.  Every one of us will be responsible for himself.  We are either trainers or trainees.  If you have any idea about the computer, then start right away and see how many you could train.  If you do not know how to train others go to the website (www.amrkhaled.net) and participate in the course that will be held, this week and the next, to teach you how to train others.

 

I will tell you about a story from the Qur’an that will be of much use in our computer and internet courses.  The story is about how to have a strong determination to learn and the qualities that you must possess.  If you possess these qualities, they will assist you in what is ahead.  The story is from Surat al-Kahf (the Cave) and it takes place between Musa (AS) and al-Khedr (RA).  Musa (AS) was asked, “Who is the most learned man alive?” and he replied, “It is I.”  Allah inspired him that he was not the most learned man alive, but that there was in fact someone else more learned than him.  Musa (AS) could not stay put and Allah (SWT) never commanded him to go and seek that person, but Musa (AS) asked Allah (SWT) to guide him to the individual.  There is an important question that poses itself here, was it worldly knowledge or a religious knowledge? The reply is that it was a worldly knowledge.  It was about how Allah runs the earth and the universe.  The Khedr (RA) did not teach Musa (AS) any religious knowledge, he taught him about the world and the ways of Allah (SWT).  On the other hand, Allah (SWT) did not indicate to Musa (AS) the place of al-Khedr (RA), He just gave him a sign about his location.  I am sure you all know the story.  Why did Allah give him the sign of ‘junction of the two seas’ instead of telling him exactly where to find him?  It was because Allah wanted to teach us, that in order to learn, we have to exert an effort.  These following four factors, which were depicted in Surat al-Kahf, can make you the best learner on earth.  I am giving these four factors to all those who want to learn, I also give them to all those who do not want to learn:

 

Factor One: Determination and Insistence on learning

 

Allah says (about Musa (AS) saying) what can be translated as, "…I will not give up (traveling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in traveling." (TMQ, 18:60).   The word ‘years’ here means that he was ready to spend decades walking.

 

I was greatly touched by an elderly lady who told me that she’s over fifty and that her sons tried to teach her how to use the computer more than once before, but she used to refuse.  “This time”, she said, “I won’t budge from in front of the computer until I’ve learned how to use it.”  I was so happy with what she said.

 

Back to Musa (AS), Allah  says (about Musa (AS) telling his boy servant) what can be translated as, “…I will not give up (traveling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in traveling.” (TMQ, 18:60).  He meant that he would not rest until he finds al-Khedr (RA).  We want to teach these meanings to our children.  As I said before, revival will not be achieved only through praying and fasting, but through hard work.  That is why Prophet Musa (AS) was who he was.  He walked; he got tired, as in the ayah where Allah says what can be translated as, “truly, we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey.” (TMQ, 18:62). Despite all this, he still insisted on reaching his target.

 

Factor Two: Never being Arrogant and Displaying Modesty in Knowledge

 

When he met al-Khedr (RA), he asked him as Allah says what can be translated as, “May I follow you so that you teach me something of that knowledge?” (TMQ, 18:66).  We also have to get rid of our shyness.  You can ask your daughter to teach you and the teacher can ask his student to teach him.  Even the university professor can ask his student to teach him.

Factor Three: Patience

 

Al-Khedr (RA) said to Musa (AS), “Verily you will not be able to have patience with me.” (TMQ, 18:67).  Musa (AS) replied, “If Allah wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in aught.” (TMQ, 18:69).

 

Factor Four: Never Ceasing to Learn

 

Keep seeking to learn.  Musa (AS) was never satisfied with being the world’s most knowledgeable person.  When he found someone who knew more, he sought him out to learn from him.

 

With these four factors mentioned in the Qur’an, when placed into practice we can revive the whole nation.  What more do we need: determination and insistence, humility, modesty, patience and never giving up?  All these four factors are in Surat al-Kahf.  Allah (SWT) is giving us the keys, I am talking to you, nation of Muhammad (SAWS), our Qur’an is so precious, but you have to read it carefully.

 

We will help you through our website.  If you have your own PC, we will tell you how to teach others.  A program will also start on Iqra’ channel, very soon, specially aimed at teaching you the use of computers.  You must have your own PC in front of you but I do not want you to just depend on the program.  I want us all to share the project ‘The Portal to Revival.’  This is what I have called it.  We all want to teach one another and I will not set any numbers this time, I want you to surprise us by the thousands you will teach.

 

One thing that I want to say to all parents is if you want to save your children from the hazards of the illicit websites, you have to learn the use of computers and the internet.  That is the only way they will not be able to fool you, because you will know all about what they are doing.

 

Another thing for the youth, do you see how a great number of you are wasting their times in the streets committing sins?  Instead of just telling them that this is haram (forbidden in Islam) and making them avoid you, why don’t you help them out?  Try to teach them to use the computer to keep them busy, instead of just blaming them.

 

I am also asking the computer companies; if they have old PC’s, give them away to charity to help others.  I was so touched by a computer company in Libya, that is offering the services of an internet café, because they have sent to us saying that they decided to dedicate one day per week for anyone coming on behalf of Sunaa’ al-Hayah to learn to use computers, and they will offer to teach them for free.  The owner of the company will give up a whole day’s income to teach others.   Why don’t we all take part in this? Why don’t we give up our old PC’s?  This company from Libya has really touched us all, but there are many other ways.  Like what the youth in Damanhour did.  The Sunaa’ al-Hayah Club together with a legally formed association started to allocate places in mosques to teach the youth.  They brought them PC’s and they already started the lessons.  Others came and gave them PC’s for their lessons.  Believe me this is all a running Sadaka (charity) that will support you in your grave.

 

Another thing also, banks can help by offering payment through installments.  This has already happened in Egypt, when the Egyptian Ministry of Communication offered these terms with the collaboration of some bank and they helped many people buy their own PC’s.  We can implement the same idea in other banks and companies.  In 2003, 65,000 PC’s were sold that way, in Egypt.

 

The last thing I want to remind you of in this episode is the votes.  The votes are still proceeding properly, but we need to get more and more of them.  See you next week, Allah willing, and peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all .

 

[1] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an.  This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah)  of the Qur'an.  Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

 [2] Sala-llahu Alahi Wa Salam = All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him.

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