I would like to share some pearls of wisdom from the tafseer of Surah Yasin that took place yesterday with Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya Al-Ninowy. The entire surah was covered within a span if 5 hours.. which was obviously not enough. But either way, I hope you all benefit inshaAllah :)
1. Be careful of being desensitized to warnings and the words of Haq.
2. Civility is not in acquisition of things and moving from a tent into a mansion- it is in the perfection of a human being.
3. Our deen is NOT "informative", it is "transformative", your heart needs to be alive and constantly moving.
4. Food offered by generous people is healing, while food of the non-generous people is unhealthy- try to avoid eating their food.
5. Wisdom and knowledge two different things- wisdom is saying and/or putting the right thing in the right place.
6. "Alaa Siratim Mustaqeem" -> "On a straight path" Implies that prophet (SAW) is on the right path. This path essentially begins with him and ends with Allah. A straight path is mathematically the shortest path, hence, the shortest way to reach Allah is to follow the path of prophet (SAW).
7. "Azeez" comes from "Izzah" implying to the one who is exalted without needing anything to make him that. Allah does not need anyone to make him Azeez, but the creation needs him in order to be Azeez. That is why when you perform your salaat, you are not doing a favour to Allah, you do it because you need Him.
8. "Ar-Rahim" -> "Most compassionate" - Allah is more compassionate to his creation than a breast-feeding mother to her child.
9. Allah is "Dhahir" - More obvious and apparent to us than we can ever imagine. He is so close to us that we can't even see Him.
10. When you are doing injustice to a human being ( Note: human being and NOT Muslim) you tip the perfect balance of justice that Allah has created and you will pay for it.
11. A wealthiest person is not the one who has the most, but the one that needs the least. You are wealthy if you attain the love and mercy of Allah- not a million bucks.
12. Allah says, "If you obey me with what I want, I will grant you with what you want."
13. You just can't be ultimately happy in this life, prepare for the other life, where you will be eternally happy.
14. You will be shocked with Allah's compassion towards you on the Day of Judgement, but you have to work to attain that compassion.
15. You can only warn those who do dhikr (remembrance) of Allah. But those who don't- no matter what you tell them- have been taken over by Shaytaan, their desires, and their lower selves... desensitized in other words.
16. If you focus on what Allah has given to others, you will live a long life of nothing but frustration.
17. You can't love someone until you love yourself. You can't offer things to people until you yourself have it in abundance.
18. The good deeds that you do when no one sees you are the key to your salvation and the evil deeds that you do when no one sees you are the key to your destruction.
19. If you are good to those who are good to you, then what good are you? Be good and wish the best for those you especially DISLIKE. This requires strength.
20. We have moved from tents to mansions but civilly, we are still in the same place.
21. Allah says, " If you purify your soul, We will raise you to a higher level."
22. Knowledge sets you free from many constraints.
23. Amongst Muslims nowadays, unity means CONFORMITY- but this was not true during the time of the sahaba. Islam is what unites you.
24. Earth and water are a living entity. We are part of a living, dynamic universe and it will speak on the Day of Judgement, so act justly while you are here.
25. If you are a person who represents Haq, even if you are in darkness, you will illuminate light.
26. Everyone is swimming along their own orbits the way sun and moon do- and no one can transgress another person's orbit.
27. Utilize your uniqueness, because every single human being is gifted with uniqueness- but don't rely on it, rely only on Allah.
28. When Allah grants you what you want, he is showing you His Generosity and Mercy. But when He inflicts you, He shows you His Glory and Might- in both situations you should be thankful because they are a chance for you to become closer to Allah. They are both a test!
29. Have mercy in yourself, when you are doing injustice to others, you are only harming yourself.
30. This life/dunya is a test, it could be a fun test if you live righteously.
31. In the dunya, you WILL be wronged, but on that Day of Judgement, there will only be justice. From this day on, there will be no more injustice, no more transgressions, etc.
32. Negligence is the worst abuse- don't neglect your old parents. Love them and take care of them how they took care of you when you were helpless.
33. Allah did not teach prophet (SAW) poetry because he did not want people to overlook the actual message for beauty/articulation. So don't seek the articulation of a language (i.e. poetry), seek the articulation of the HAQ (truth).
34. Warnings are for those who are "alive"- meaning he/she are constantly aware of their lord.
35. Gratefulness does not only mean saying "alhamdulillah"- you have to show it with your actions. I.e. taking care of the earth that provides for you sustenance.
36. Prophet Adam (may Allah be pleased with him) and his wife, Hawa did not have parents. It is said that Adam was the happiest man because he didn't have any in-laws! ( This was a joke.. OBVIOUSLY)
37. Don't walk around arrogantly/ boastfully...You are a very needy creature. Remember those humble beginnings when you were just a "nuthfa", a fertilized egg.