The Night You Give Everything | Sh. Abu Bakr Zoud | Juz 27 Qur’an 30 for 30 S7 | Ramadan Series

They will be in a seat of honor, in a place of truth. Paradise was called مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ (Maq'adi Sidq) because they were people of truth. They were honest in their relationship with Allah. The only way to be honest with Allah is to prefer what Allah loves over that which you desire and that which you love. He is truly الْكَرِيمُ (Al-Kareem). Truly Al-Kareem. He gave you the provision in the first place and he's guaranteeing you not just a reward in the hereafter, but he's guaranteeing you as well that you will not be deprived or be deficient because of giving for his sake in this world. You should always ask yourself, is it possible for me to give more? Have I given more in this first night, the second night, the third night? So when after Ramadan is over, you feel a level of سَكِينَة (sakinah), you feel a level of tranquility knowing that you've pushed yourself.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ (As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh), dear brothers and sisters. Welcome back to Quran 30 for 30. We are in the 27th now, and we know how special these moments are, how special these nights are. May Allah accept from us and allow us to be amongst those who observe Laylatul Qadr, who are forgiven for all of their sins and entered into the highest places of paradise. اَللّٰهُمَّ آمِين (Allahumma ameen).

I want to remind you all, insha'Allah ta'ala, please keep us in your du'a and also please on this night, this is actually the single most night in which we receive support for Yaqeen. It's that crucial insha'Allah ta'ala. So on this blessed night and all of the last 10 are blessed and what might be Laylatul Qadr, please do insha'Allah ta'ala donate at the link below. Even if you've already donated, insha'Allah ta'ala, please do support the work. We hope that you're seeing the benefit that is coming through this and we hope that you want to invest in it insha'Allah ta'ala some more.

Tonight we are joined by, wallahi, a beloved brother, beloved friend, Shaykh Abu Bakr Zoud from Australia. I've been wanting to have Shaykh Abu Bakr here for a very long time. I think he doesn't like Shaykh Abdullah Oduro maybe. How long have you had, when was the first time you met Shaykh Abu Bakr?

This is the first time we met, masha'Allah. Are you serious? Yeah, that's the first time I've seen him face to face, masha'Allah. So I've had the blessing of knowing Shaykh Abu Bakr now for over a decade, I believe. And, you know, the benefit from his work online is tremendous. Sometimes I'll be thinking about talking about something and I'll find that you already covered it and covered it in much more depth than I could ever cover it.

Shaykh Abu Bakr, Shaykh Abdullah brought it up right before we started, that you were given ijazah by Shaykh Hudhaifi. No, no, that happened in Al-Madinah, subhanAllah. I remember when I first began my studies in Al-Madinah in 2006, I approached Shaykh Hudhaifi directly and I said to him, Shaykh, I am from Australia and I want to take an ijazah from you. So he said to me, what college are you in? Which college? I said, I'm in Kulliyatul Lughah, I'm learning the Arabic language and afterwards I'm going to go to the faculty of Qur'an. So he said to me, in your fourth year, in the last year, come back to me. So I took that and after five years, so it's two years Arabic and then four years, three years of the college, I went to him and I said, Shaykh, you told me five years ago that I should come back to you in my last year of Kulliyatul Qur'an. He looked at me like that and he said, join us in the halaqa after Maghrib. So I entered into the room and I began to recite on him from Surah Al-Fatiha all the way until I finished the Qur'an and then I took an ijazah from him.

Allah, masha'Allah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, Allah bless you. It's amazing, masha'Allah. Abdullah, why do you love Shaykh Hudhaifi so much, man? Masha'Allah, I mean, obviously his voice, his qira'ah and also his, masha'Allah, his integrity, his integrity as an individual, masha'Allah, may Allah bless him and preserve him, masha'Allah. He's known for that, masha'Allah.

You know, subhanAllah, I had the blessing of meeting him once. This was many, many, many years ago. There was a brother that knew one of the imams of the haram, so he took me right back to that room where the imams are. Shaykh Hudhaifi was laying down, he was resting and he looks so normal and humble, subhanAllah, so welcoming and beautiful. Masha'Allah, after Salah, you see him tilt his, you know, walks around and does the qira'ah, beautiful, subhanAllah.

Pursuing Laylatul Qadr: A Forgotten Wisdom

Shaykh Abu Bakr, as we are in the 27th, I want you to think of a nasihah that maybe you don't hear many people talk about, a forgotten point or a subtle point of pursuing Laylatul Qadr that you don't hear in many lectures, but you would tell someone like a very specific advice for these last 10 nights.

You know, there's something, if it's anything, it's one thing I came across from the works of Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim. He mentioned that there are about 40 opinions as to when Laylatul Qadr is, and he said one of the most odd and strangest opinions is that it could be found any night of the year. So Laylatul Qadr is not limited and restricted to Ramadan and to the last 10 nights. A very odd opinion suggests that Laylatul Qadr could be any night of the year. He said, and if that was the case, it'd be worth it to get up every night of the year to seek the reward of Laylatul Qadr. He then said, imagine when we definitely know and it is authentically being reported that it is in Ramadan and most specifically the last 10 nights of Ramadan. So I found that very powerful because now, imagine if it was anywhere during the year, it'd be worth getting up every night. How about now when you know it's limited, it's in 10 nights, that should give you enough motivation and energy to get up and do إِحْيَاء (ihya), bring the night to life, just like the Prophet ﷺ did through الصَّلاَة (as-salah) and continue that energy until the last day of Ramadan.

Beautiful. Another question for you, Shaykh, what's the name of Allah that comes to your heart right now? Is there a favorite name of Allah right now to you that you're calling upon, that you feel an attachment to?

If there's a name to choose, it would be اِسْمُ اللهِ التَّوَّاب (Ismullah al-Tawwab), Ismullah al-Tawwab. Acceptor of repentance. Yes, al-Tawwab, the one who accepts the repentance and enables the slaves to repent. This is the last name of Allah that was revealed in the Qur'an because the last surah as a whole to be revealed was Surat al-Nasr and Surat al-Nasr concluded with this name of Allah. Allah left and then after that, just a few ayat came down and the Qur'an was finished. So Allah left us with his last name, al-Tawwab, a new name of Allah was mentioned after this ayah.

Beautiful. And what a beautiful matter to reflect over and to ponder over that Allah is reminding us at the end of the Qur'an, I am al-Tawwab. So no matter where you are in life, always return and seek forgiveness and seek the mercy of Allah and Allah's promise is, He accepts al-Tawwab and He will return back to you with love and compassion and mercy and kindness and forgiveness. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless you. Ameen. Allah accept our repentance. SubhanAllah, it's a small fa'id that I did not know. SubhanAllah. So I learned something and truly benefit. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our repentance, enable it and accept it. اَللّٰهُمَّ آمِين (Allahumma ameen).

The Theme of Juz 27: Purpose and Divine Nobility

Mashayikh, I want to give a quick overview of a theme in Juz 27. One thing I noticed, subhanAllah, in Juz 26, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

O people, we created you from male and female, and we made you into nations and tribes so that you may get to know one another. In Juz 27:

I did not create jinn and man except to worship me. So it says, subhanAllah, in Juz 26, in Surah Al-Hujurat, the purpose of the differentiation of humanity is made clear, لِتَعَارَفُوا (li ta'arafu), so that you may get to know one another. The creator created us that way so that we may get to know one another. And in Surah Al-Dhariyat and in Juz 27, the purpose of creation as a whole, the creation of man as a whole, is to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is to serve Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And Allah says:

I do not want any provision from them, nor do I need them to feed me. And if you think about what we seek and why we even display virtue, that sometimes virtue comes with an agenda. The agenda is that you will get some sort of benefit from serving this person, from being nice to this person, perhaps they'll remember you later on. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ (Al-Ghani Al-Hameed), Allah is completely self-sufficient, free of need, free of the need of praise, free of the need of provision. And he says, I don't want anything from them in terms of rizq, I don't need any provision, any type of food from them.

Verily Allah alone is the supreme provider, the Lord of all power and the Almighty. Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Something very interesting, though, another connection, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying, I do not need from them anything. I don't need from them rizq. But then you come to Surah Al-Hadeed, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Who will loan to Allah a beautiful loan, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, as a result of that, will increase it, will multiply that, and he will have an honorable reward. So it's just this beautiful demonstration of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, not needing you, but speaking to you in terms that are so dignifying. These are such dignifying terms. Who's going to loan Allah a loan? He gave you the provision in the first place. He gave you existence in the first place. He gave you the means to seek the means, and he's guaranteeing you not just a reward in the hereafter, but he's guaranteeing you as well that you will not be deprived or be deficient because of giving for his sake in this world.

It's an incredible trend, subhanAllah, throughout this juz'. He is truly الْكَرِيمُ (Al-Kareem), truly Al-Kareem. And one of the extensions of him being Al-Kareem is not just his gift giving and his bestowal of generosity, but that karam is nobility. He is noble, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and when you seek his noble face, then Allah makes you noble, and it's such a dignifying way of submission and command, not a way that humiliates, not a way that puts us down, but still puts us in our place. It's such a powerful trend and theme throughout this juz', and it's so fitting, subhanAllah, to the 27th, where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not need us to stand up at night, tonight, all over the world and call upon him. And Allah did not need to incentivize our forgiveness with a lifetime of good deeds on top of it. But he does so, Al-Kareem. We naturally pair Al-Kareem because from his generosity is his willingness and his capacity to forgive and to pardon despite all that we've done. So I'd love to hear your thoughts first and foremost on the juz', on this notion. And then insha'Allah ta'ala, we get into a very specific verse that we want to ask you about, sheikh.

The Dignity Found in Submission

I like how you mentioned the dignity and how an abd, the goal is to really find dignity in being an abd, the dignity in submission, the dignity in striving to be vulnerable to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, especially as you mentioned, as Ibn al-Qayyim rahimullah mentioned, you know, the particular period that if it could be on any night of the year, but particularly it's the 10 nights that has been in mutafiq fiya, it's been agreed by the scholars, and particularly these last 10 nights is when you should really seek this night, this night of Laylat al-Qadr, and it's that night where you give everything.

And I think it's so beautiful within the shari'ah in and of itself that one finds dignity in the shari'ah as a whole, but then particularly in these last 10 nights, particularly possibly this night as well, that one goes beyond their capabilities. When you see that there's these 10 nights and that there's times where you should push yourself, you should always ask yourself, is it possible for me to give more? Have I given more in this first night, the second night, the third night? To where when after Ramadan is over, you feel a level of sakina, you feel a level of tranquility knowing that you've pushed yourself.

I think when it comes to Ramadan, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala always wants us to push ourselves in general, but then he gives you a time frame, which is like, look, you really have to push yourself in these 10 nights. And there's so many opportunities for you to do so many different things within these 10 nights, reading the Qur'an, being good to your neighbor.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6)

He was on his best manners and manners being that which is the khuluq with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And from that is doing actions of gratitude. And I think the more one does that, the more the individual finds dignity in who they are and dignity in what they represent. And when they do that, that feeling of dignity is a reward from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, which increases them to do more actions of khair. And that is the process of iman and the process of doing good deeds.

The Importance of Self-Reflection

SubhanAllah, it's very important to always look at ourselves and look at what we're doing and allow that to serve as a motivation for us to ask those questions and have the introspection to where when we start again the next day, what's something that I can do that makes me better than before? And that whole process of the muhasabah and the muraqabah and pushing oneself in the mujahidah is where the Muslim hopefully finds dignity in that. That's what I think is very important.

That's a great reflection. I mean, Sheikh Omar was speaking about the purpose of why Allah Azza wa Jal created mankind and jinn kind.

Allah Azza wa Jal created mankind, jinn kind for no other reason, but they worship him. And then you mentioned as well the mujahidah that a person is supposed to put in his life, struggle against his nafs to worship Allah Azza wa Jal and be consistent and steadfast upon that.

The Central Theme of Juz 27

And here's why Juz 27 is very important. Juz al-Dhariyat is extremely important for the believer to have a continual relationship with this juz. Why? Because when we look at Juz al-Dhariyat and we want to observe what is the theme of Juz 27, what is the central message of all the surahs that are in Juz 27. So that's surah al-Dhariyat, al-Tur, al-Najm, al-Qamar, al-Rahman, al-Waqi'ah, al-Hadeed. The theme is about Allah's promises in this life and in the afterlife. That's the theme of Juz 27, Juz al-Dhariyat.

So from the very beginning, from surah al-Dhariyat, we will find Allah's promises in this life and in the afterlife. When he says, The muttaqeen, verily they will be in jannat, many gardens and in rivers. In surah al-Tur, and then we move on surah by surah. They are all speaking about Allah's promises for the believers in the afterlife. It's the paradise and the promise for the disbelievers. It is Jahannam. Surah al-Rahman also comes and gives us an entire passage about the paradise, about the hellfire. The surah before that speak about the qiyamah coming and so on.

Why We Need to Read About Allah's Promises

So now we ask ourselves the question, Why do we have to read Allah's promises? Why do we have to read about the afterlife in order to prepare for it? You will not have energy to prepare for the afterlife if you don't know about Allah's promises. So therefore, we need to read Juz al-Dhariyat. We need to remain connected because we read about the afterlife. And as a result, the purpose of this is for us to prepare for it.

And the greatest disaster and the greatest trouble we have in this day and age is that people are heedless concerning the afterlife. They are not preparing for it. People's accountability has come close. I mean, it's come so close. He didn't say, قَرُوبَ لِلنَّاسِ - قَرُوبَ would mean that the accountability has come close. اِقْتَرَبَ means it has come so close. And this is an ayah 1,400 years ago. So imagine how close the accountability is. But the sad reality is Allah Azza wa Jal says,

And mankind are drowning in heedlessness. They are surrounded by heedlessness. So this is the disease of the day and age. Why are they in heedlessness? Because they're not reading about Allah's promises. They're not reading Juz al-Dhariyat. They're not reading Allah's promises of what will happen in the afterlife and what happened on earth for people that did not prepare for the afterlife and took this matter as a joke. So that's the point. And that is the theme of this Juz al-Dhariyat.

I got lost in what you were saying. Incredible. Yes, SubhanAllah. You know, SubhanAllah, I think Juz 27, it's not just that. It's almost like,

From the promises of Allah? Right. Even as you think about the idea of the promise of Allah, what you've been promised, what you've been promised, what you've been promised. It's incredible. And it really is in every surah.

The Contrast: From Fall to the Highest Position

Tayyib Sheikh, a specific question now. When Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is talking about the fall of nations, and people falling to their lowest. And then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala mentions,

Allahu Akbar. Right? The loftiest position with two names that are incredibly rare. Like, you know, Malik. You know, Malik. Malik, right? Incredible, right? Like it's the most intense manifestation of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's kingship in his dominion. Muqtadir. You know, Qadir, Qadir, Al-Muqtadir, right? Such a rare thing. Like he is all powerful and he has the power to execute his powers. And Allah is offering you a position there. Can you talk about the significance of contrasting the promise of the fall of nations to the promise of a high position that we know that none of us would deserve by our actions?

The Theme of Surah Al-Qamar

So these two ayat belong to the end of Surat Al-Qamar. And pretty much if you wanted to know the theme of a surah, you can do that in two ways. One of two ways. Either you look at the introduction, the very few ayat at the beginning, and they can tell you what the theme of the surah is, what you're going to expect in the surah. And another way is to just look at the surah and if there is an ayah that is repeated in it, then that most likely gives away that theme.

And if we look at Surat Al-Qamar, there are two ayat that are repeated often in the surah. And that is,

Allah Azza wa Jal asks, how severe and intense was my punishment and my warnings towards previous nations. And then he says, Indeed, we made the Qur'an easy to ponder over, to recite, to reflect, to apply in your life. Is there anyone who will take heed and take by this Qur'an and live by this Qur'an?

So when we read this and we see it almost appearing four times in the surah, we know that the theme of surah Al-Qamar is about previous nations and Allah's destruction upon previous nations and his warnings to them. And then this surah as well from its themes is uphold the Qur'an in your life. For indeed, if you do, your ending would be

The Pattern of Destruction in Surah Al-Qamar

And so when you look at the beginning of the surah, Allah Azza wa Jal begins the surah all the way until the end. There's nothing positive. It's all about previous nations and the destruction of those previous nations. Allah Azza wa Jal begins with the nation of Nuh and what he did to them. Then he speaks about Ad and how he destroyed Ad. Then he speaks about Thamud and what they did and how he destroyed them. Then he speaks about Qawm Lut and how he destroyed them. And then he speaks about Fir'aun in two ayat

The people of Fir'aun. Fir'aun himself. My warnings came to him. They reached him, all of them.

Look at the arrogance. Look at the deviance against Allah. He lied and he rejected all the nine ayat that Allah sent to him.

And we took them and grabbed them and destroyed them. The destruction of the all-powerful, the one who's able and capable to do all things. Doesn't matter how powerful this nation was and how powerful they claim to be. Al-Muqtadir got rid of them. And the entire surah is like this. It's all about destruction and punishment. And the only hope are the last two ayat in the surah. The last two ayat are the only hope in the surah.

The Hope: The Promise to the Muttaqeen

Allah Azza wa Jal, He says

The muttaqeen, the pious, righteous ones. They will be in jannat, many, many gardens. We'll get to nahr. But this ayah here, it is a contrast of what was mentioned before. Right before these ayat, Allah said

The mujrimin, the criminals, the wrongdoers that exist in every time and every space. There were mujrimin in the time of Nuh. There were mujrimin in the time of Aad. There was mujrimin in the time of Salih. And there was mujrimin in the time of the Prophet. And even in this day and age, there are mujrimin. There are criminals. There are wrongdoers. These mujrimin, Allah said they are in misguidance. All their actions are actions of deviance, are actions of rebellion, actions of transgression. And in the afterlife, they will be in a raging, burning fire.

In contrast to that, Allah Azza wa Jal now He says the muttaqeen. Because at the same time, on the same earth, they were mujrimin. Opposite to them, they were muttaqeen. Can you believe? On an earth in where there were people that committed the worst of crimes against Allah and the creation of Allah. On the same earth, there were people that were described as muttaqeen, worshipped Allah Azza wa Jal and understood their purpose in life.

The muttaqeen are the pious ones. Those that were patient with Allah's command and they were patient with calamities they faced in life and they were patient when it came to keep away from prohibitions. These people that shared this earth with the mujrimin that were victims to the crimes of the mujrimin, what keeps them alive? What gives them hope? What allows them to keep bearing the difficulties and troubles they face in life? Nothing but to focus on Allah's promise.

The Ultimate Promise: Gardens and Rivers

Wallahi, brothers and sisters in Islam, I benefited something from you many months ago. You tweeted something very short and it had a profound effect on me. You put words and you said the unbearable pains of this worldly life could only be bearable if we always recall and focus on the promise of Allah Azza wa Jal for the believers in the afterlife. And it's so true. How can I remain a Muttaqi in this day and age? How can I remain patient upon the suffering and the calamities that I experience? How can I remain patient upon Allah Azza wa Jal's command? The only way to do that is to keep your eyes on the prize and that is جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ Gardens. And النَّهَر He did not say أنهار. أنهار means rivers but نهار is a word that carries many meanings.