SESSION 4, DELIVERED ON 3/6/2022
While we can control our own decisions and actions, Allah ﷺ controls everything and decides everything. Our will is subordinate to His. In this lecture:
- the hijrah
- the state of the munāfiq
- the Divine prerogative of punishment and forgiveness
- the ideal of perfection
- the despicable act of making takfīr
- mukhallafūn – the ones who lagged behind
- the indispensability of sīrah in undertanding Qurʾān
- the two types of wahy
- the victory in Hudaybiyyah
- the communal responsibilities of Muslims
The archers of Uhud left their posts on the mountain in disobedience to the Prophet ﷺ, which resulted in Muslim casualties and fatalities. The archers could very well have been tried and faced harsh consequences in other military courts. Instead, Allah ordered in the Qurʾān that the Prophet ﷺ forgive him. We need to recognize from the beginning of any project that people will make mistakes. Unlike the Khawārij and Muʿtazilah, we don’t seek to condemn people to hell for their mistakes. Instead, in the spirit of our Prophet ﷺ, we find ways to uplift them to a better state and ultimately inshallah to Jannah.