Surah An Nahl ( النحل (سورة Ayat 125 to 128 ٱد ع إ ل ى س ب يل ر ب ك ب ٱل ح كم ة و ٱل م و ع ظ ة ٱل ح س ن ة و د ل م ب ٱلت ى ى ح س ن إ تن ر تبك و ع م ب م ن لت ع ن ( 125 Ayah (i.e. to the Way of your Lord (ﷺ (Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) س ب ي ه ۦ و و ع م ب ٱل م د ين Islâm) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur'ân) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided) The real connection is when everyone is working for one goal all for ( اله اال هللا.(ال Work for Allah created (سبحانه وتعالى) because no one else can reward you or praise you like Him. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).(ال اله اال هللا ( for the heavens and earth, and paradise and hellfire Ramadan is a great blessing, and we need to seek the Night of the Decree until the last night. We should take this as a rule, when people are heedless, then worship at that moment is very precious and worthy, subhan Allah. May Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه always keep us motivated. Ameen. Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه can choose any name for the surahs, there are surahs Ibrahim, Yusuf, Mohammed, and the bees and ants, subhan Allah. Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه is teaching us to appreciate everything small and big. It s important that we re pleased with food, the parable of the two lost its blessing because it was ungrateful for the food so they tasted hunger, and Banu Israel didn t appreciate the food they were given so halal matters became haram for them. In the hadith, narrated by Aisha (ra), the Prophet (Honor the bread) Sahih Aj Jami e 1219, Authenticated by Al Albani as ) أ كر موا الخ ب ز ( said: (ﷺ) Hasan. We should be pleased with Allah s decree and choice and never think we know better. How can everyone be one dawah to Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه which are the remaining ayat. (ٱد ع ( Islâm)): to the Way of your Lord (i.e. (ﷺ Invite )(ٱد (mankind, O Muhammad ع إ ل ى س ب يل ر ب ك ( Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه commands the Prophet (ﷺ) to invite everyone, to what? ( س ب يل ر ب ك (إ ل ى to the path of your Rabb, your Nurturer. Don t call the people to your way, but to the way of Allah rivers, also made (سبحانه وتعالى) to show you the way. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) It s upon Allah.(سبحانه وتعالى) mountains and stars as landmarks to guide you. After the bees eat from the fruits, then they should take paths to go home. This life is a like a big garden, and Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه will show us the way to go home to paradise, subhan Allah. The way of Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه is the Straight Path, you need knowledge which is faith and actions ( + عمل = صراط المستقيم.(علم And as long as you re on the way to dawah, and inviting everyone, then you are under the care of Allah وتعالى).(سبحانه And it s important to invite our families first, and you find whatever you tell others they ll listen, but when you say the same thing to you family, then they won t listen, subhan Allah. Even when it comes to food at home. They don t want the food from home, but the food from outside, even if it s the same, subhan Allah. Ingratitude is more common among women which the Prophet (ﷺ) told us. He said they should give charity because they are ungrateful to their husbands. Don t think my opinion or my choice is better than my husband s. How should you invite the people? There are stages. (with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur'ân)): first with wisdom, you can t ((ب ٱل ح ك م ة ( force the people. And if you don t have wisdom then don t do it because you ll break more than Page 1
you ll build. Wisdom is to think before you speak so it prevents you from falling into mistakes. It s to say the right words, to the right people at the right time you re on target. So how can you have wisdom? Ask Allah وتعالى),(سبحانه you can t bring from anywhere else. The best type of hikmah/wisdom is wahiy/inspiration. You need knowledge in order to have wisdom, and you need to know what is the priority? If someone is backbiting and not praying what should you tell them first? Prayer. If someone is not Muslim, you can t tell them about the prayer yet. There are some people who follow when you approach them with wisdom and some who don t. So what s the other option? is talking more to the (درس),(درس) and (ٱل م و ع ظ ة ( have and )و fair preaching,): you ٱل م و ع ظ ة ٱل ح س ن ة ( brain, a lesson and ( م و ع ظ ة (ٱل is talking to the emotions. ( ٱل م و ع ظ ة ) is a small amount to move the emotions and soften the heart, it can even make a person cry. The Prophet (ﷺ) would only use this very little with the Companions. People think they need to cry in every lesson and this shouldn t be the case. And when you speak to them with emotion, it should be ( ٱل ح س ن ة ) you shouldn t scare the people that you push them away. You only need this sometimes, not always. For example you tell them about the hellfire, but not to the point that they are so scared they become depressed and not come back. (and argue with them in a way that is better.): the third way, then debate ((و د ل م ب ٱلت ى ى ح س ن ( properly but based on rules and evidence. (جدل) means braid, so you debate properly. And Allah in the best way which is with manners and respect and (ب ٱلت ى ى ح س ن ( debate said (سبحانه وتعالى ( by providing evidence. The goal is to make the other person know the truth, not to force or to put him in a corner. When you debate in the best way then it will not cause conflict. The intention is extremely important because your deeds reflect your intention. If your intention is to prove your point and make everyone listen to you, then it ll show and it won t work. When you use three ways, will everyone listen? No. We.(سبحانه وتعالى) (Truly, your Lord knows best): the result is not on you, but on Allah (إ تن ر تبك و ع م ( spoil everything and make a mess in our dawah because we just want the result. We re plucking the fruits before they ripen. Can you get milk by ripping open the cow? No subhan Allah, there s a process, otherwise you ll cause a mess. Similarly with the dawah. And when you make dawah, it s not only for others to be reformed, but for yourself to be reformed. Your Rabb is the One Who knows. And you will find knowledge is emphasized throughout Surah An Nahl because people are arrogant and are arguing because they think they know. Only Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه knows. There are two groups of people when it comes to guidance: (who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware (ب م ن لت ع ن س ب ي ه ۦ و و ع م ب ٱل م د ين ( of those who are guided): the one who went astray from the path, and notice for misguidance it s mentioned in the verb form and singular (,( لت when you re misguided then you ve lost yourself, you ll be alone and far away, subhan Allah. And notice for those who are on the guidance it s mentioned in the noun form and plural ( م د ين,(ٱل because they re all together. Misguidance is odd and goes against your system, whereas guidance is normal, it s the fitra. For example, you will notice the when the baby is first born, he s happy with just having milk, he won t ask you for something else. But around 2 or 3 when his mind starts to develop, he wants to make his own choices. If you tell him to eat something and it s good for him, he won t listen, even the baby can be khaseeman Page 2
mubeen, subhan Allah. You will also find in the way of the dawah, the one whom you think will change doesn t change and the one whom you thought wouldn t change, it s end up changing, subhan Allah. It s the same with children, you think this child is going to take care of you and take you to umrah, and not the other child. And Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه shows you the opposite, subhan Allah. You just need to do your part, and Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه knows who will be guided and who will not. When the messengers came, not everyone followed them. Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه knows who can be included and who can be excluded and Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه wants purity. Shirk and arrogance exclude the person. When the hypocrites stayed back, Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه said it s better they stayed (سبحانه وتعالى) wants purity. May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) otherwise they would have caused a mess. Allah never exclude us and make us from the guided ones. Ameen. Ayah 126 ( و إ ن ع اق ب م ف ع اق ب وا ب م ثل م ا ع وق ب م ب ه ۦ و ل ن ن ب ر م ل و ي ر ل ت ب ر ين ) (And if you punish (your enemy, O you believers in the Oneness of Allâh), then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted. But if you endure patiently, verily, it is better for As-Sâbirun (the patient)) (And if you punish (your enemy, O you believers in the Oneness (و إ ن ع اق ب م ف ع اق ب وا ب م ثل م ا ع وق ب م ب ه ۦ ( of Allâh), then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted.): when you re on the way to dawah, there are obstacles. Imagine the bees, if someone interferes with their hive and disturbs them, they ll sting, but if they sting they ll die afterwards, subhan Allah. It means they reached the peak of disturbance in order for them to decide to sting, but they have a job to complete, so they ll sting and die just for the job to go on, subhan Allah. Anyone who harms you verbally, then you can reply back exactly in the same way. If they say you re this, then you say the same word back to them and not more. This is justice. You can sting back but exactly in the same way, though you re a human, and you re better, what s the better option? (But if you endure patiently, verily, it is better for As-Sâbirun (the (و ل ن ن ب ر م ل و ي ر ل ت ب ر ين ( patient)): to be patient is better because you have a mission and work to do. Surah An Nahl is about gratitude but ends with patience, subhan Allah. You need patience in order to be grateful. If you re not patient with your children then you can t appreciate them. We get obstacles along the way, we get harmed, but the best option is to be patient. Patience is to control your heart from retaliating, you re holding your anger. If you re patient, then this is better than replying back because your level is higher when you re patient. Don t expect you will do your work with no disturbance. When you issues come up along the way, be patient, and this makes your work more rewarding because you re patient as well. Sometimes you re cooking or ironing and the children come along the way and you immediately sting them. It s not about finishing all of your work because no one dies with finishing all of their work, but it s about how you accommodate when disturbances come along the way. Even if the work is delayed it s ok because we don t want to misbehave because of it. We shouldn t be tense if something comes along the way, just be patient. One of things that makes people ungrateful is because they re impatient, they want things quickly. Patience keeps us humbled and breaks the ego it will remove the arrogance and shirk in the heart, subhan Allah. Page 3
Ayah 127 ( و ٱ ب ر و م ا ب ر ك إ ت ل ب ٱ ت لل و ل ح ن ع ي م و ل ك ف ى ي م تما ي م ر ون ) (And endure you patiently (O Muhammad,(ﷺ your patience is not but from Allâh. And grieve not over them (polytheists and pagans), and be not distressed because of what they plot) your patience is not but,(ﷺ (And endure you patiently O) Muhammad (و ٱ ب ر و م ا ب ر ك إ ت ل ب ٱ ت لل ) from Allâh.): Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه gave us two options, but for the Prophet (ﷺ) He told him to be patient because his level is higher, subhan Allah. Patience is better and we want what s better this is ihsan. It s better to be patient and productive, then to retaliate and be exhausted. Replying back takes up a lot of energy. ( و م ا ب ر ك إ ت ل ب ٱ ت لل ) patience is only from Allah وتعالى),(سبحانه only He can make you patient. Everything goes back to Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه He is The First and The Last. We.(سبحانه وتعالى) we can t do anything good without Allah,(سبحانه وتعالى) need to always attach to Allah We re depending on Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه for everything. Don t take the stress of how you ll be patient. Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه commanded you to be patient so rely on Him. (And grieve not over them (polytheists and pagans),): don t be sad over them, the (و ل ح ن ع ي م ( Prophet (ﷺ) wants the people to be guided and he grieves for them, but Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه is saying be patient but don t be sad. Anger and sadness weaken you. You won t go forward when you re sad. (and be not distressed because of what they plot): don t feel tight (و ل ك ف ى ي م تما ي م ر ون ( because of them. Whatever they re plotting, don t be stressed about it. Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه tells us in ayah 26 anyone who plots then it will go against them. And Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه mentioned this in the beginning of the surah so don t worry. Ayah 128 ( تن ٱ ت لل م ع ٱلتذ ين ٱ ت ق وا توٱلتذ ين م م ح س ن ون (إ (Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him), and those who are Muhsinûn) (Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him),): Allah (إ تن ٱ ت لل م ع ٱلتذ ين ٱ ت ق وا ( He will give you support and.(سبحانه وتعالى) is with this the companionship of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) victory; He will be with you, you re not alone. This is assurance. If you follow the instructions and leave your hive doing your work, then Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه will be with you until you reach your home (سبحانه وتعالى) safely, subhan Allah. If things happen along the way, be patient and don t be sad. Allah is with those who have taqwa, and taqwa is mentioned in the beginning of the surah as well. You need taqwa for patience, for gratitude; and taqwa is that battle going inside you to not react according to your desires. muhsinoon, (and those who are Muhsinûn): those who are doing taqwa are also ) توٱلتذ ين م م ح س ن ون ( and it s in noun form. They re doing ihsan in everything, subhan Allah. The honey from Suran An Nahl is ihsan. When you re grateful then Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه will give you more. And the next surah is Surah Al Isra a, Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه gave the Prophet (ﷺ) the isra a as a result. And in Surah Al Isra a, Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه tells us about the Quran. If you are grateful then Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه will increase you. If you appreciate the small things then Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه will give you more He will give you the Quran. The Quran requires a lot of gratitude. And when you re grateful, then it speeds Page 4
you up. Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه will not give you isra a, but will give your soul the strong connection, subhan Allah. The shayateen are chained, but watch yourself because you will find most people ungrateful. And we will get tested for what we learned, so be patient and ask Allah وتعالى) (سبحانه for the help. This is the end of Surah An Nahl. Alhamdulliah for this great favor. May Allah و عالى) (سبحانه help us to be grateful. Ameen. May Allah و عالى) (سبحانه make the Quran the spring of our hearts and make what we learned for us and not against us. Ameen. Page 5