Why the Best Scholars Seemed to Have More Time

Now, we reached a part which is the third point that mentioned and That is? The.

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Really is. What is this world? It's an illusion Doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It exists. We're here. It's tangible. but it's an illusion. All of its pleasures are an illusion. Well, not Allah says the life of this world is but a temporary, transient, illusionary enjoyment. That's what he says. What does that mean? It means that it's brief. No matter how long you live, it's still not enough. First of all, the human being can never be satisfied. And second of all, it is something that is very fast and it's getting faster and faster If you can believe that.

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There was a lot of there was a lot of time. It felt time was longer. You could get more accomplished. Let me give you an example of accomplishment. You want to get an example of that? How many people here can read one hundred pages of a book every single day from the time they are born until the time they die. How many? None of us, right? Okay He passed away in the year 3 and ten We took all his works and his most expansive and most important work is that's what he's most known for but he has other books. There's many other books and they calculated how much he wrote. They said and Imam of by the way, he passed away in his nineties. They said, in order for him to have written, the amount that he wrote from the moment he was born until he died, he would have had to write 40 pages a day. 40 pages a day writing. Which obviously is much more difficult than reading. Where did he get the time to learn all of this in order to write it in that time? Traveled the world and memorized three 000 narrations. 300, hundred thousand. And he compiled his book, Sahih Al Bukhari in 15 years. Took him 15 years to write it. But that's not the only book he has. He has other books as well. Right? Where did he get the time to travel Between all these places. Memorize all these narrations and then put it in this book. Has more than 100 books that he wrote. And he did not live a long life. He died in his 60s. And every one of his books is a landmark in the Islamic Library. Who died as well, a young man. Died in the year 728. His writing completely have never, never reached us because many of his books were destroyed during the inquisitions and during the crusades and also by his other enemies that were jealous of him. He wrote a book that was a of the Quran. He wrote a book on Tefsir, Surat, Kulhu, All than 10 volumes. Right? Where did they get the time to do all of this? If we had a hundred pair of glasses, huh? We can't even get through two or three of these books. I mean, if I were to be able to read all of what we have from or I would consider myself someone who has achieved something great that many have not. Why is it that we can't do that these days? Why? The prophet prophesied. That near the end of time, when the hour is near That time would start to become shorter. He said in Sahih Al Bukhari which means that time will become shorter. Does time itself literally move faster? No. It's the same time. It doesn't change. Everybody gets an equal opportunity. Correct? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned that time is the same speed as it always was. What does that mean? In the that that number of months in the book of Allah when he created the heavens and earth are 12 months. Of them are foresacred. Time is the same. We are the ones who changed. What does that mean? We are the ones who changed. It means that because of the prevalence of sin. And because of the prevalence and permeation of decadence there is no in our time. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has taken away the the blessing of time. So a person can achieve what they used to be able to achieve because we live in a sinful decadent time. People have become sinful. People have become decadent. and because of that, when decadence permeates a people, time starts to seem it's shorter. The prophet said in Muslim Imam Ahmed, That.

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One hour and 1 hour will be the strike of a match. That's how fast it will go by. Notice, look, look at your lives. Look how much you have accomplished and I'm not speaking about accomplishment in Islamic sciences or writing books or anything that. I'm just speaking about your day. Your daily routine. You want to go out and buy groceries and you want to get this and you want to do that and you want to do that and you want to get the oil change and how many things can you do in a day? How fast does the day go? Even if you get up at six: 00 in the morning, how many things can you accomplish? very many because decadence has permeated our place and time and so of the repercussions of that is that Allah removes from our time. May Allah forgive us. May Allah forgive us. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala just accept what little we have to offer and grant us greatness from it. Not because we deserve it but because he is Allah. We ask Allah at from the deepest of our hearts. and so, the issue is this, knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah. This is one of the greatest things that will open your heart to more. As the wise men of ancient have said, they said, whoever implements what he knows Allah will teach him what he does not know. knowledge and I want to make this clear, okay? Whenever we see in the Quran in Sunnah, the word knowledge it is it is referring to the Quran in Sunnah. Quran.

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Because they were there and they saw it in action. He said in his.

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The prophet Muhammad they are his generation They are the ones that he perfected with his hand. And they witnessed revelation coming to the prophet they were there. They were able to feel and taste the terrain. They watched prophet moving. One day, spent with the prophet Muhammad could equal 10 years of studies of a scholar in our time. One day, just watching him as he prays, as he sits, as he speaks, as he dresses, as he walks, that 1 day of knowledge could place in your heart the light that couldn't be achieved in 10 years of studying. We're so far away from him. Yes, the Quran in Sunnah has been preserved but we will never be the companions there's a book called Rawi. Is a book which was was authored by the great scholar of Egypt who passed away in the year 9 eleven. He said in his book Tedriba Rawi. Listen to this statement. Listen to how powerful this statement is. He said, one moment, of meeting the prophet Having believed in him. and you meet him while you believe in him. Will place in the heart a light that cannot be comparable to any light or knowledge that anyone who comes after. One moment. If you meet the prophet for one moment believing in him. It will place in the heart a light that can never be achieved by anyone else who hasn't had that experience. This is what he said. and this is why the companions are so special. So, what is knowledge? When tells us one of the greatest things that will open your heart to the light of Allah is knowledge of the Quran and Sunna, what does this mean? It means knowing what Allah said, knowing what the prophet said, knowing how the companions understood what Allah and his prophet said. that's knowledge. Because the Quran could be interpreted in many ways. Isn't that correct? Couldn't we, couldn't we, couldn't we prove anything with the Quran? We have people now that justify murder and they use the Quran to justify it, correct? They blow people up and they blow up little old ladies and they blow up and they kill each other. All in the name of what? Allah said, right? And we have other people that drink alcohol and do drugs and our terrible and they use the Quran as an evidence for that. Yes. What does this mean? This means that you can find whatever you're looking for in the Quran. but there's only one correct understanding The Quran is ambiguous enough that you can find whatever you want in it, right? but it is specific enough to where you understand it how. According to whose understanding. Okay, so we have a verse here. We understand it. How do we know that we understood it correctly? Well, we look at the prophet what he said. And we look at the companions and see what they understood it to mean. Because Allah prays the companions from amongst all people. In the Quran, didn he said he said if they believe the non Muslims in what you gesturing to the prophet Muhammad and his companions that's when this verse was revealed. If they believe in what you all have believed in, they have become guided. So this means that the companions are the yardstick for correct understanding. this up. What does this mean? We believe in the Quran We follow the Quran. We follow the Sunnah according to the understanding of who the companions of correct? Because we know for sure that the companions got it right. They got it right because Allah told us in the Quran that he is pleased with them. And there is only one path to the pleasure of Allah. So, for them to be for them to have Allah pleased with them that means that they had gotten that one path. So, it is never to be said, you know, Abu Bakr said this but I said this, you know, he understands, I understand too. He's a guy and I'm a guy. No. You're a guy and he's a man and he's not just a man, he's a companion and he's the greatest companion of all of the companions of any prophet according to the consensus of all of the scholars of Islam. You never compare yourself to a companion. And say I am you know, similar to this companion or I can understand he understood. No. This Quran was revealed in their language. When it was recited to them, they didn't need the prophet to nitpick and say will will cause some will all this that we have to learn now We're 1, 5100 years away from the prophet yes the Quran is preserved just it was revealed yesterday. And the sunnah is is preserved just it was spoken by the prophet yesterday. But our circumstances have changed. I mean how many of us have really seen a camel in real life? How many of us have really seen a camel? How many of us have really sat with a camel for an entire day? And watch the behavior of a camel. How many of us lived in the desert? How many of us know the trees that are referred to in the Quran? How many of us know the examples and parables that are given to us in the Quran? Very few of us. Very few of us. So our circumstances of changed. means that we misunderstand the Quran. We want to read the Quran and then understand it based on our circumstances. That is incorrect. We understand the Quran based on the circumstances of who? The prophet and this is a point I'd to make. Are you ready for this point? I hope everybody is listening. The prophet received the Quran in a way that would touch the hearts specifically of the people who are around him at the time it was revealed. What does that mean? So, for example, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that one of the fruits of paradise are grapes, correct? Someone may say, grapes make me sick. I hate grapes. What's so great about that? You can have in paradise anything you want, right? But he mentioned grapes a lot because it was a delicacy for the people at that time. You can whatever you like. He mentions pomegranates. He mentions olives. Are these delicacies where we come from? Maybe, maybe not. The point is not to be taken that you only receive that. The point is to be taken that, the most, the greatest, utmost of delicacies of the time of the prophet that was what was promised to those people. We can extra from this that the greatest of our delicacies will also be available as well. Do you understand? The description of the houses of paradise. The description of the women of paradise, the description of the food of paradise. The description of the gardens of paradise. All of that is what? Circumstantial. It is not limited to that. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said He said that they have, in it, whatever they want So, one of the descriptions, I'm going to give you an example, okay? An example of this, is that Allah promised coolness. To the people of paradise, that they will be in they will be in a that is extended. It's not hot If you are an Eskimo living in Alaska in the freezing cold, does that appeal to you? Do you want coolness or do you want some heat? You want some heat, right? But it was revealed to people in the desert. So, that appealed to them. Do you understand? It doesn't mean that there's no warmth in paradise. Likewise, another example. Allah mentions that the women of paradise are What does mean? Means that they have very wide eyes. Okay? Beauty is subjective, correct? In certain parts of China and Japan, traditionally, if a woman has big eyes, that is considered to be ugly. It's true. They say that the smaller the eyes are and the more beady they are, the more beautiful she is. Does that mean that somebody from that area will not have that's what he desires in paradise? Yes, this is not a limiting description. This is merely descriptions that appeal to the Arabs at that time. That's what they saw as beautiful. That's what they saw as tasteful. That's what they saw as comfortable. So Allah mentions that. That's why he says subhanahu wa ta'ala. He says, the parable, the example of the paradise that the righteous have been promised. It's an example. It's not the only thing. It's not a limiting example. It doesn't mean it's limited to that. Especially things like figs and so forth, olives, and all these things. So, this is an example of what paradise has. I want people to understand that. Because a person can have anything they want in paradise. Anything. Now, a person's mind may be dirty here in this life. and they may say, well, what if I want such and such which is haram and indecent. You're not going to want that if you get to paradise because your heart has been purified. Your heart has been cleaned of all the filth that you have picked up in this world and turned turn to love. Do you understand? The same thing with the rivers of wine that are in paradise. Wine is disgusting in this life. But the Arabs used to view it as something that is of high value. Made them brave. It was able to help them as a sedative in war and it made them more generous. When they get drunk, they start giving out money, right? And that's why they named grapes They used to refer to grapes as what? Al Qaram. What you, what is Al Carm? called grapes, the source of generosity. That's what they used to call grapes And so the prophet said, look at how beautiful this narration is. He said, do not call grapes the source of generosity, rather the source of generosity is the heart of the believer. Subhan Allah. Right? So, they used to love wine because of what it did but wine this world has very negative effects too, doesn't it? It makes you vomit, it makes you want to go to the bathroom a lot, it makes you dizzy, and lose your mind, and it also gives you a very terrible headache the next day. Okay? And so, even at best said, that the wine of paradise is free of four things. vomiting urination, headache, and mindlessness. So, you will get all of the pleasure that you feel in your body from it but you will not get any of the displeasure that comes along with it. So, this is what we mean by understanding the Quran and Sunnah. A lot of people think that they come to me, you know, a lot of people come to me. They say, I want to learn the Quran in Sunna. I want to be a or something. They say something that, right? I want to, I want to come a scholar. What is scholarship Scholarship is not the amount of verses or narrations that you know. Scholarship is understanding everything that you know. And implementing it. That is what knowledge is. And this takes us back to our main point. When Allah says Muhammad is knowledge in the diction of the Quran and Sunnah. When the pro or when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala refers to knowledge. Okay? This knowledge, what is it? We said knowledge is the Quran and the sunnah according to the understanding of the companions, correct? But that's not it. That's not it alone. Knowledge in the Quran and Sunnah when we refer to knowledge, it is only what is implemented. I'm going to give a pause there for you to take that in Only what you implement is considered knowledge. So, if you know something from the Quran and you don't implement it, you are not considered to be knowledgeable of that verse. That's not knowledge in the Quran and Sunnah. Do you understand? If I know a narration and I can recite it but I do not implement it, it's not knowledge according to Allah. Knowledge we could say facts and knowledge. You can take a a a verse from the Quran It in itself contains knowledge. But when it comes into your mind, it can either stop at your throat or go into your heart. If it stops at your throat, it's nothing but facts. You are now just regurgitating facts. But if it enters into your heart and you implement it, now it is knowledge. That is what is meant by knowledge in the Quran and Sunnah. Do you understand? this is something that is very important point. A very important point is for us to understand that knowledge is number one. Let's define the source of knowledge. The source of knowledge is Allah said the prophet said, according to the understanding of the companions, correct? Okay, we got that. Second of all, in order for you to be a person of knowledge, you have to implement that knowledge If you do not implement that knowledge, you are ignorant of that thing, right? I'll give you an example of this from the Quran. Musa Alaihi Salam had a problem with his people. There was a murder that took place. Nobody knew who committed the murder. So, they came to Musa Alaihi Salam and said somebody was murdered and we need to find out who the culprit is. received revelation from Allah. So they came to Musa Alaihi Salam. Who is Musa? Can you imagine the majesty of Musa Alaihi Salam? Huh? I mean, if we imagine the majesty.

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Story in the Quran and for good reason. Musa Alaihi Salam is an incredible man of strength and durability and robustness. A man of will sheer will, and devotion to Allah Musa Alaihi Salam is the one who was chosen from all of the prophets. To be the one who was spoken to directly from Allah. wherever he was When Allah wished to speak to him, he spoke to him directly. That's why he is called did this happen with the prophet Muhammad Yes, it happened. It happened a few times. Either in sleep or on but it wasn't a consistent thing. This is something that was consistent with Musa. When he when Revelation came to him, it was Allah speaking directly to him. On his first meeting with Allah. He comes to a tree that he thinks is a fire. And when he reaches there, he finds that the tree is not on fire. The tree is resonating light with no flame. and when he gets there, Allah speaks to him. At that tree and he says, I indeed, am Allah, your lord. And Allah teaches him a lesson on his way. What was his first lesson? His first lesson was trust Allah more than you trust your own body. That was his first lesson. What do you mean by that? Meaning that? He was to throw his staff down. His staff turned into a serpent Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said So it's a giant snake that is moving with swiftness and quickness. How terrified would you be? Naturally, as humans, we are afraid of snakes, okay? When it turned into a snake, what was the first thing Musa did? Tell me, tell me. What's the first thing he did? he ran away He ran away and didn't even look back. But then Allah told him come back. Grab that snake. all of his body was screaming to him. Stay away from that. That is death. But Allah was telling him, grab that snake. Ignore what you see, ignore what you smell, ignore what you hear, ignore what you feel, ignore what you taste, and grab that snake. And so he reached down and he grabbed it. That was his first lesson. What was the lesson? I now trust the law more than I trust my own body. That was the first lesson. This is Musa Alaihi Salam. He was taught directly by Allah. Subhanahu wa ta'ala. Time is getting short So, this is the majesty of Musa. Musa Alaihi Salam, the one who stood in front of Faraon, a little shepherd man with his, with his brother beside him, he couldn't even speak properly. He would say something and then his brother would speak more eloquently for him. Right? And in spite of that, he stood there with the with the courage of a thousand lions. in front of and he said, great demands to have. So, this is Musa. Musa Alaihi Salam, his people know this about him. Does this a man that is joking around with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Does this sound a man who would joke about revelation? No. It's way beyond the majesty of Musa. But his people couldn't respect him. So they came to him and they said there's a murder. We need some, we need you to find out who's the culprit from Allah. So, he received revelation. Allah has commanded you to slaughter a cow. They said we're asking you about a murder and you're telling us to slaughter a cow. Are you making fun of us? That's what they asked him. to show you the disrespect Musa Alaihi Salam said, he said, I seek refuge in Allah that I be of the ignorant. What does that mean? It means making fun of a Muslim or making fun of the revelation of Allah is ignorance. Even if you know that it is haram. You understand? So, knowledge in the Quran in Sunnah is only considered knowledge when you implement lament it As soon as you stop implementing it, it is no longer considered knowledge with Allah. It is now facts. It has moved from the heart up to the throat. You can say it but you don't have conviction of it because if you have conviction of it, it will force you. To implement it. That's the true nature of the Quran. When So, we will end with that today. We understood now the third point of and that is knowledge. We have discussed tonight. Alhamdulillah, what not the sources of knowledge are in Islam, the Quran, the Sunnah, according to the understanding of the companions and we have discussed what is considered knowledge, what it interacts with the human being in the book of Allah subhanahu.

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Move on to the next point. thank you all for coming. We ask Allah to grant us wisdom Because whoever is granted true wisdom from the book of Allah and the of the prophet then he has been given the greatest that any man could be given.