Ep 221. - When the Heart Cries: Where Is Allah's Help? Dr Kamal Abu Zahra (Archive)
It is easy to feel a sense of gloom. The world has come together against us. Some, particularly those who are not tested like the Palestinians, may even have doubts about their Islam – impacting their basic Iman. Some call for compromise with the perpetrators or, worse still, call for normalisation. We explore the concepts and emotions that form the backbone of what it is to be a believer.
Our guest this week is Dr Kamal Abu Zahra is a lecturer in Islamic studies and in Islamic law who has an expertise in the contemporary fiqh.
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Transcript - This is an AI generated transcript and may not reflect the actual conversation
Introduction
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these past few weeks have been extremely painful ones we feel the injustice acutely which is only
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multiplied by the attitude of the western powers who seek to support their aparite creation in
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the Middle East with great vigor the media has failed us and failed their profession in many
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of our workplaces a hostile environment has been created where showing sympathy for Gaza is akin
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to a war crime young people are excluded from schools for wearing Palestinian flags
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so-called free Europe bans pro Palestine demonstrations yet sermonizes about freedom
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and of course most importantly thousands have been mercilessly butchered by a war machine hellbent on annihilation in this environment it is easy to feel a sense of
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gloom has come together against us particularly who are not tested like the Palestinians may
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even have doubts about their Islam impacting their basic IC imam some call for compromise
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with the perpetrators or worse still call for normalization we are going today to explore the
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concepts and emotions that form the backbone of what it means to be a believer my guest
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today is Dr kamal Abu Zakra kamal is a lecturer in Islamic studies and Islamic law here in London who
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has an expertise in contemporary dr kamal Abu Zahar asam and welcome to the thinking Muslim
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for having us in well look it's wonderful to have you with us Kamal um Kamal what would you say to a person who says "When will the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
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come?" Um this is a question um that is understandable the frustration that people
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are feeling or frustration from which this question arises is understandable given what
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is going on and it's um something that even the prophets that they themselves when they came to
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a point where the hardship and the calamity and the difficulties went to such an extent
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that they themselves had to say and they cried so in Quran Allah says that uh when the When the
When will Allah’s help come
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hardship and the affliction hit the prophets and the messengers they would say this very thing when
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will the victory of Allah come and so our Shabb our youth our ummah looking at the carnage that
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is taking place to our brothers in Philistine are feeling sometimes feel desperate helpless
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and saying "Oh Allah we have seen this you know when is the victory coming?" Some probably have
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seen this many times in their lives they their pro parents have seen it you know they've seen it and
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subhan Allah you know I have a grandson now and now it's gone to that generation now and so you
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know where is the end to this cycle and and and so this question arises but the answer that Allah
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subhana t gave and this is how the believer looks at these issues because ultimately this is not for
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us it's a issue it's a matter of faith it's from a belief perspective that we understand these things
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that Allah he will actually bring the victory we have we have good will uh and good thoughts about
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Allah and good expectation from Allah that is why the very next uh part of the ayah it
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says indeed the victory of Allah is near and you find this uh statement that the victory
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is near in in a number of places not just this in this ayah in another ayah Allah he
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says and you love uh the victory and and
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to win and to succeed in battle victory which comes from Allah
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and a victory which is an opening and a conquest that is actually and
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that is near and in another verse Allah again making this point he
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said indeed it is on us Allahh says it is incumbent upon us that we will help the believers
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so this is our belief that the help is always near it's always around the corner it will be
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there allah will never forsake us and this feeling even the Sahabah felt just to give you one example
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um he in the time of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam in Mecca you know he was a
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convert to Islam he was a slave actually working as a blacksmith uh for his master
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and in that environment which was so difficult he embraced Islam and he conveyed and he didn't keep
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his imam secret and for that his master would torture him and the very tool that he used in
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his work as a blacksmith they would actually sear his body uh this hot um uh burning embers
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they would actually sear his body with he went to and he found you know the hadith
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says I found I went to complain to him you know this is aqua complaint
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uh about my situation and I found him with his in the shade of thea and I
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said are you not going to ask Allah for help are you not going to make
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dua for us you can see in his voice that it's difficult what he's going through
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and the way he's asking so the prophet he sensed um h how he was feeling so he said
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look this is not new before you a person would be brought and a hole would be dug in the ground
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and a saw would be brought and this would be placed on his head fine and he would be cut
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into two or they would get an iron comb and they would take the very flesh of his bones
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but this person will never renounce his dean he will stand true and firm on his
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dean that Allah will complete his dean
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until until a traveler will travel from to and we will have nothing to fear but Allah
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and maybe a sheep that would a wolf that would take his sheep But he said to subhan Allah he
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said you to the Sahabah that you have haste in other words have patience wait the time
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will come when Allah will give you security so what we see sometimes we look at the environment
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and the situation from where we are because we don't know the we don't know the future but Allah knows the he is the controller of the future and we believe he will bring that victory
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who will bring that security who will bring that safety so that is the approach by you know we have as believers that's the imi approach that we should have
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uh to this question and the answer that should always ring in our hearts and the sahaba should
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motivate us motivate us is it a weakness to think like this is it a weakness to be impatient about
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the victory or to ask the question when would the victory of Allahh come we are human beings even
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the when Allah said to him "Oh Musa go to for he has indeed transgressed all bounds
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go to him and and and speak to him." Mus Alisam you know he had everyone has their
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deficiencies and impediments he had a speech impediment so he made dua to Allah you know oh
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Allah you know you know remove the impediment from my uh from my tongue so they understand
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and he said you know he didn't want to go along he said uh you know my brother
Is it a weakness to ask?
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Harun you know let be a partner or go with
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so that we may praise your glor glory and and you know in in that you are ever watchful over us this is Mus Alisam when Allah
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um you know said to him uh that you know the when he met Allah and and and his staff what is in your
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hands what is in your hand he said just a staff and said sorry Allah said you know
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throw the staff and the staff became a snake he felt fear and Allah said to
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him he said you know hold on to it and we will return it back to its
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uh original state he was fearful allah said do not fear when he went to
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uh was asked to go to it says that he felt the fear allah said do not fear indeed I am with you
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so this is Musam you know and from that we learn actually courage does not come that it's in your
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genes and courage comes from actually our im and how we express that in the situation that we find
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ourselves in and that we see in the examples of the Sahabah from the and this is why you know said
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let don't desire to seek to meet the enemy
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But if you do but at that point stand firm so we pray to Allah that when we find ourselves in
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that situation it is that im that will activate and kick in and we will find the strength to
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um to stand firm and have sabbath now you've mentioned the help of Allah on a few occasions be can you explain what the help of Allah subhana tala is i mean is it does it come
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from human beings or does it come from some form of divine intervention from Allah subhana
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wa ta'ala okay victory is from Allah as is risk as is mo so all of these things actually uh it
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is in the divine decree of Allah subhana tala uh uh as to when uh you know when it is granted
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or gifted to us so this victory uh it comes from Allah and the Quran is very clear on this he says
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uh that victory is only from Allah subhana tala now however this victory um has its
What is the help Allah?
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asbab and its causes uh in terms of what it conditions are and the reality of uh
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this victory it can be on the battlefield on a physical battlefield or it can be in the
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uh intellectual battlefield or in the narrative battlefield or in the propaganda battlefield
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any of the battlefields that if Islam prevails in that in that struggle then
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that is a victory allah he say that when the victory comes when the help of Allahhaala comes
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you will see multitudes of people entering the deen that also is victory so the first victory
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is actually of was actually the conquest of Mecca was the opening of fat Makkah but the
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second victory are the people and the multitudes of people who entered and embraced the dean the
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two different types of victories the reality is different but they're both right so a debate
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between a Muslim and a non-Muslim on the issue of Islam and a Muslim prevails that will come
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under the banner of victory yes yeah we seek Allah's help uh in in in in so you know just
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like Mus Alisam he saw Allah's help uh when he went to uh and and that help actually
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um it can come either through our own hands but we have to realize it is from Allah or it can be
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through through the other means through the and we find evidence for this in the Quran in the sunnah
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for both of these actually so in terms of our own hands where in the battle of Badrasam when he the
Types of victory
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certain the enemies were in front of him he picked some some dust and he threw it and it got in their eyes and they couldn't come forward to attack so Allah refers to this in the Quran and he
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says or prophet you did not threw when you threw it but it was Allah
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who who threw so even though it was his very hands who picked up the dust by actually who
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was working behind the scenes who was um helping him it was Allah so that's
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an example of victory through we are the instrument of victory but of Allah
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allah uses an instrument or it can be that Allah helps us in many ways so in battle of
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um it was that you know if you look at it um the battle Quran refers to it actually it says
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uh in it there is a sign uh in the battle between uh the two forces that came to fight um there
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was so there was a a group which was believing and there was a or a group
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which was disbelieving but if you look at it it looks like the non disbelievers were
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double actually the ratio was 3 to1 but if you look at it it looks like uh you know
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the numbers of the non-mus the disbelievers uh is double the size of the Muslim allah
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say but Allah he gives helps with his and his help and his victory to whomever wills and in
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it was the angels that Allahh that was sent revealed to help so those are two forms and
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and and the other ways which we kind of contemplate how you know Allah helps us but all of this the source is Allah Kamal every year our dua gets longer every year
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a new country is added to the list of oppressed and persecuted Muslims als
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we've got uh not a single continent in the world you you could imagine has does
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not have a Muslim that's been persecuted you know we are in a in a very powerless a very poor state in the world and I suppose then the question comes is
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the the withholding of Allah subhana t's victory is that because we're bad Muslims
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we don't have the prerequisite imha to give us that victory okay first of all
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um when we look at the ummah it would not be proper or right for us to put down the
Why does Allah hold back help?
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ummah and look at the um in a very negative way the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam he said the
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one who says the people are ruined he is the most ruined actually so we always have personal not
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only in Allah but also in our um so we don't have a ne negative attitude towards the um that it's
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it's you know it's all um's fault however at the same time um we do um have to look at you know uh
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our situation and you know what is holding us back and that's in a in a positive way which is to see
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well what are these problems that we are facing you know and what could we be doing you know what is our responsibility we are not responsible for things that are outside our control but what is in
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our control we are responsible that's why you know Allah Again this is another ayah sometimes used he
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says that whatever falls on you this is a result of your own two hands and Allah forgives much that
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if Allah did not forgive then you'd be finished again this ayah is not telling us that the ummah
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uh is completely ruined the point is well what is our two hands doing if for example the rulers
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uh are uh oppressing the Muslims the rulers are you know betraying our causes are we remaining
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silent and just making dua is is that our condition if that's the case then we can't
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expect change so if you want to bring change there is a means and method that the Quran and has given us for example on this question the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam he said
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That's you must enjoy the good and forbid the evil you know you must restrain the hand of the ruler
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because if you don't do that you know you will make dua and your dua will not be answered so so
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the way I think there's a balance that we need to look at you know you know what are the issues what
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are the things that are holding us back what are our duties and our responsibilities and we have that conversation then we can go forward and and and and and look at this issue in a positive and
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constructive way inshallah you said earlier on that uh the health of Allah subhana wa ta'ala and
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victory has a number of conditions can you spell out what are these conditions that qualify the
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um to achieve Allah's victory of course um the the first and foremost condition is
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im he says [Music]
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that you know do not grieve do not be upset uh you will be uppermost and victorious
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uh if in meaning if you have im so that's the first condition that we
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must have im second condition is that um that the we must have in another verse
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in that Allah has promised that he will give and and authority uh to those who believe and do good
What are the conditions?
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deeds the second thing is that we have to abide by Sharia we have to fulfill our responsibilities and
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and and in in in good deeds in fact ayah mentioned and they worship me and they do not commit shik so
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you can add those as well and the fifth condition is that we need to have uh preparation allah said
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that you should prepare of strength and power if you're facing another power then you can't say
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you know well I have iman and I pray and I fast and I you know I don't do shik I do good deeds
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but then you have come to the uh the battle whether it's physical or intellectual without
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any preparation cuz that's required we discussed the example of bad the prophet sallallahu alaihi
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wasallam you know he didn't have much he was overpowered outnumbered in every way but you
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know he prepared prepared uh the sahaba and then after preparing the sahaba and bringing to him dua
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and he said oh Allah this is all I have you know if you don't give mad and and you know uh victory
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tomorrow there will be no one to worship you so um so he prepared and he had iman so we have to
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you know the two go uh hand hand in hand there are some people and usually you find them on
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social media and uh they argue that the reason why we are uh under constant attack is because
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we are being punished as an ummah and um they go further and say the reason why Palestine is in a
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dire state is because there is a deficiency and I know you've addressed this before but just to
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tackle this this point can we say that the reason why victory has been withheld or we're under such
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repression it's because we're being punished by Allah subhanaa tala you see first of all even if
Are we being punished?
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you meet the conditions of and victory and help of Allah subhana tala we don't know when Allah
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will provide that so even if you are so Allah will definitely this is it Allahh will provide the help
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but as to when he provides in his hikma and his wisdom that's something you can't decide so you may lose a battle so when for example in battle of ostensibly that's a battle that we did not win
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yes as opposed to the example of bad uh however um does that mean the Sahaba were weak in their
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iman no again a believer will assess strategically what went wrong okay the the um the marksmen you
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know those who were supposed to stand uh uh what did they do did they stand hold the line or not
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so you consider those things however ultimately it's not because uh they Sahabah lack im they
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weren't punished yes it wasn't a punishment in fact uh Allah may have a hikmma for why he
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puts us in a distressing situation so the example of the treaty you know you know and the Sahabah
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was so upset actually because the terms of the treaty uh was so um honorous actually against
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uh the um against the Muslims you know but the prophet saidd I am a servant of Allah and I will
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not disobey his command so so that's on uh so you may lose a battle but the war we have to believe
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that Allah will give victory and the victory is near and help is always at hand this is a and
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this is our belief as to whether in a particular particular predicament or situation whether it comes or not the we don't know and if it doesn't arise does not mean that Allah does not help us
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and if it doesn't arise does not mean even Allah hasn't given victory maybe it's a victory that we have not perceived so is that example it's such a clear victory but no one saw it but only Allah
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saw it that's on one one hand on the other And Allah tests the believers because they have im
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because they have im right did Ibraimisam lack im when Allah said and when Allah you know you
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know you know he tested Ibraim and he completed all his tests subhan Allah because the here the
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test is not because we don't have iman or Allah does not love us it's because Allah loves us
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in fact the hadith [Music] says if Allah wants from a person uh he will give him
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a subhan allah you see if you think about it uh you know um from a secular perspective his
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madness it doesn't make sense but as a believer it makes complete and utter sense why because Allah
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You know he controls everything that happens and he has a plan he has a plan and everything has a
25:52
measure and where things fit we don't know so something may look like a disaster but it's
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actually a victory it may something may effect us but actually that is a way to actually purify us
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and in a number of times in the Quran Allah you know he says Allah will purify the believer he
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will test him why to see actually who is pure uh and you know and to forgive his sins even in fact
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the and destroy the disbelievers their said here it could mean that someone who has sinned this
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is a means for the forgiveness of his sins other you know they said it could be a a means to raise
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his status whereas from a different perspective that doesn't make sense you know so I'm being
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tested to raise my status yes of course because your iman because you will exhibit your iman and
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you manifest your iman and that will raise your status in the eyes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
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so that's why it's it's it's really unfortunate that we see uh some people actually you know
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erroneously saying looking at the our brothers and sisters in Palestine and saying oh you know they
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don't have enough iman or they haven't fulfilled their condition subhan Allah Allah test those whom he loves and they are uh an example for us actually in in fact they increase our iman they
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increase our im you know they are an ima those who are in sleep they're coming out of their slumber
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when they see the father who just lost two of his sons consoling others and telling them that are
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we not shuada will not Allah reward us with ja you know so when you see that subhan allah you know um
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you realize you know who has tasted the halawa of im the sweetness of iman come out it's interesting
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that every time I see an occasion where someone in Gaza a man or a woman or a child loses someone
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close to They have nothing but good to say about Allah subhana wa tala they speak about Allah in
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as you said in terms which show which exhibit yes a very strong sense of of being believers uh yet
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it's often people outside of that environment uh who question who have doubts what is going
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on here how comes we in the west for example are inflicted with this intellectual disease
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yet those in the epicenter of the oppression they're steadfast and strong allah he said
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um that do people think that we will leave them to say we believe and we will not test them the
Gazan iman
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iman actually is not exhibited when things are easy and when you're not not tested in fact it's
28:56
probably a bigger struggle with your iman where there is no test where things are comfortable
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an easy life and an easy life but where the test comes when the test comes this is when
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uh when actually you know the iman shines in fact the very next ayah
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Indeed we tested them and you know the word it uses fat fat you know the word fata test is you
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know if you look at the ethmology of it it's used for uh when you separate gold and silver from it
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or gold doesn't come in the form that we see in bracelets it comes in in in all and that has to
29:41
be separated and the way it's separated is that it's burnt in fire and you so they say fat they
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use the word fatana yeah to say that you know the the gold and the silver is burnt so that it is
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you know uh you know is is separated from the ore that's the word that Allah uses that in the west
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uh where things are comfortable there's a lot of all we have or wherever you are you you can gain
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this this other things where there's a you know there needs to be some purification of this and
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it is actually through that test when the test happens then you find uh you know Allah will
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will know who are those who were truthful and those who untruthful so uh I think this this is
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this is a situation that you know is to face the test uh you know with uh the guidance from Allah
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see in the west we also have tests right is Gaza a test for us of course it's only a test if we
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uh engage with it if it's not a test it's not a test when we if we sit at home and we just watch
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TV 24/7 it's it's not a test but if you have to get up and say something if you have to get up
31:06
and do something whether it's by a tweet or a post or or or speaking or saying or participating in an
31:13
event or going to a march then you start to worry well you know what are the implications of this
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that's and that's how you increase iman iman is not increased by sitting in one's couch iman is
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increased actually by getting up and engaging with the issues and when you engage with the issues you
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are tested this is where you know in that's the furnace and that's the where the burning
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is taking place and that's where the purification is taking place is only when you engage with that
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then do you find that your iman shines and your iman in fact strengthens and and and and you and
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and and you uh find that um your iman increases as a result of that so there has to be an action
31:57
or engagement of the uh of of issues in order for the iman to increase there is a feeling that we
32:05
can never do enough some people can only send a tweet some people can join a protest some people
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can give uh lectures some people uh may not be able to do very much uh more than that uh they
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may be someone who's very old elderly or someone who doesn't have many contacts with people um how
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does one uh address that natural uh inability that exists within our environment is that a
32:36
is that a does that factor into this discussion about uh seeking Allah subhana t's help and and
32:42
his we will be questioned according to and the extent to which we have the ability to engage and
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contribute right so Allah said you should fear Allah as much as you can yeah so you know you
Our ability to act
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know that there is a question of ability something which is beyond your ability you will not be asked
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that Allah will not put a burden on you that you cannot bear however uh there are many things
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within our purview that is you know within our ability that we can engage it's just the
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issue of having a mentality of engagement and saying well what can I do uh you know and and
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people have different strengths and weaknesses and that's a human thing yeah um you know uh you had
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um you had Ali yeah you had they had certain strengths and then you have Hassanb who was
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the poet ofam um and his strength was not in the battlefield his strength was poetry yeah
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and so he deployed that strength and that you know that he had and recognize that
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this is what he has to give and contribute so he said Hassan lamp the Quray with your
34:06
poetry and then with his abat and his couplets so we all have our strengths and weaknesses we
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just need to see what do I have to give uh and where can I be of use and we just
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need to have that mentality and if you have that for have on Allah and Allah will help
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