Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:1-3)
Session 1, Delivered on 1/8/2017
An introduction to Sūrah Sabaʾ.
Ḥamd (praise) for Allah ﷻ and His Rasūl ﷺ pervades Qurʾānic discourse and linguistics – both within the confines of time and space, and without.
- Ṣabr (exercising patience) and shukr (exercising grattiude) arising out of ḥamd
- an enduring and uncompromising optimism
- weathering life in the light of Allah’s faḍl (grace)
- the Muslim’s perception of good deeds
- recognizing the Divine Niẓām (modus operandi)
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:3-7)
Session 2, Delivered on 1/15/2017
True belief entails believing in Allah’s ﷻ ability to forgive you for your sins and Allah’s ﷻ ability to provide for you. In this lecture:
– God ﷻ in the opinion of his servant
– seeing the Nabi ﷺ as a niʾmah (bounty), as more than ‘just a human being’
– the ḥijāb (veil) of man’s arrogance
– belief in the ākhirah (hereafter) clears the way
– disbelief in accountability feeds into the ʿadhāb (punishment) of pessimism
– two stories in this sūrah
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:9-11)
Session 3, Delivered on 1/22/2017
The mindset of one who sees Allah ﷻ as praiseworthy inclines towards a state of inābah (sincere repentance). Shaykh Amin keeps the theme of ḥamd (praise) central as he describes the gifts of Dāwūd (AS).
– Allah’s ﷻ innate praiseworthiness
– gleaning positivity from the Qadr (divine decree) of Allah ﷻ
– insights into servanthood
– the abilities of Dāwūd (AS)
– the prophetic ability to harness power creatively to represent Allah ﷻ
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:11-13)
Session 4, Delivered on 1/29/2017
If you want to serve Allah ﷻ then you have to also serve Him ﷻ through the actions that you perform, done out of shukr (grattitude). In this lecture:
– a correct niyyah (intention)
– service and hospitality with iḥsān (benificence)
– Dāwūd and Sulaīmān (AS) as examples of grateful servants
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:14-15)
Session 5, Delivered on 2/5/2017
Allah ﷻ gives knowledge to the extent He ﷻ deems it sufficient. He ﷻ withholds knowledge of the unseen for reasons He ﷻ knows. Seeking knowledge from the ghayb (unseen) is not from the sunnah. In this lecture:
– the bountiful land of Sabaʾ and its decline
– the components of good living
– insights into how Muslim psyche was shaped by these āyāt
– rubūbiyyah (divine cherishment) and the role of the Rabb (Cherisher) in human development
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:16-21)
Session 6, Delivered on 2/12/2017
The people of Sabaʾ were punished owing to their ingratitude for Allah’s ﷻ favors upon them. In this lecture:
– the kinds of ẓulm (oppression), both open and subtle
– ease of travel for the people of Sabaʾ
– nourishment and security
– comparing current events
– if you care, you share
– Allah’s ﷻ condemnation of Iblīs
– expanding our purpose in life to reject the devil
-al-Hafīẓ (the Ever-Guarding)
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:22-26)
Session 7, Delivered on 2/19/2017
Allah ﷻ owns and controls everything He ﷻ has created. Shaykh Amin expounds on the relative insignificance of human capacity before the Divine. In this lecture:
– the insinuations of the devil
– the need to speak up in the face of injustice
– the Day of Judgment and insights into intercession
– the purpose of religion
– the shukr (thankfulness) of Dāwūd (AS)
– true rizq (sustenance)
– individual responsibility
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:27-31)
Session 8, Delivered on 3/5/2017
Victory and success transcend this world. In this lecture:
– a prophet ﷺ for all peoples in all times and places
– the hadith of shafāʿah (intercession)
– a dual responsibility for Muslims
– honest representation of both sides of the nabī ﷺ : the bashīr (bearer of glad tidings) and the nadhīr (warner)
– insights into ethics of warfare
– believing in the Ultimate Truth
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:32-37)
Session 9, Delivered on 3/12/2017
The punishment for istikbār (arrogance) is humiliation. In this lecture:
– implications of disbelief
– the primary targets of waḥy (revelation)
– the Qurʾān as the source of truth
–māl (wealth) versus rizq (sustenance)
– wealth and children
– attributing prosperity to the Munʿim (Benefactor)
– an outlook of positivity and ḥamdā (grattitude)
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:38-42)
Session 10, Delivered on 3/19/2017
When Muslims become Allah’s ﷻ servants in Ramadan, Allah ﷻ reciprocates by expanding their rizq (sustenance) and gives them the best food. In this lecture:
– a formula to increase rizq (sustenance)
– infāq (expenditure) versus isrāf (extravagance)
– insights into tauheed and the theory of ownership and deputization
– the devil promises poverty
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:42-47)
Session 11, Delivered on 4/2/2017
The arguments of those opposed to Islam in any time are akin to the arguments of the Quraish against the Prophet ﷺ. In this lecture:
– the super-rational nature of truth
– standards in verifying the truth
– the mission of a Nabī.
– the rights of Allah ﷻ
– proof of nubuwwah (prophethood)
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:48-53)
Session 12, Delivered on 4/9/2017
Allah ﷻ grants knowledge to the Ambiyāʾ (prophets) that other human beings do not
have access to.
In this lecture:
– definitions of al-ghayb (the unseen)
– al-Ḥaqq (the Truth)
– kalimah (declaration of faith) insights
– guidance and misguidance
Sūrah Sabaʾ (34:53-54)
SESSION 13, DELIVERED ON 4/16/2017
The ākhirah (hereafter) is an extension of this world. What we do here is reflected in the next on a grander scale. In this lecture:
– Allah’s ﷻ eternal knowledge of everything
– the parable of Sabaʾ
– a waḥy (revelation) based civilization
– the resources accessible to Dāwūd (AS) and Sulaīmān (AS)
– Nūr (light) illuminates the structure of the cosmos
– ‘Balad’ cross-references