Yasir Qadhi

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi now moves on to discuss verses 65 to 76 that divulge details on the concept of giving Salam in various religions and the stories of Musa and Khidr AS- Khidr punching a hole on the boat and that of Khidr killing a boy. “Musa said to him (Khidr): ‘Shall I follow you so that you teach me right conduct of what you have been taught?’”“He said: ‘Verily you will not be able to bear with me patiently’.” “Musa said to him (Khidr): ‘Shall I follow you so that you teach me right conduct of what you have been taught?’” The above verses show us that bare knowledge should not be our ultimate aim but it should be the source of growth and help us lean towards righteous deeds and modesty as opposed to vanity and disputes. “He (Khidr) said: ‘Did I not say that you could never bear with me patiently?’” The Tafsir for the verses is given in immense detail and warrants an intent listen.

In verses 60 to 64, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi explains to us the story of Musa, Yusha and Khidr AS. The story of Musa AS and Khidr is elaborately explained and we are left in awe at the sheer turn of events. This story deals with the Fitnah of knowledge and deserves an intent listen. What are the lessons and pearls of wisdom that we can imbibe and inculcate from these verses?

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses verses 52 to 59 where he touches base on the topics of futility of shirk and the threat of punishment for the Mushrikeen and also about man's argumentative nature. The disbelievers used to apply the Qur’an, the Resurrection, and the Fire of Hell as a means of mockery. Allah has warned us in explicit words about how the worshippers of idols and anything besides Allah will not be able to seek help from their deities and also they would not be able to save themselves from Hell. Also, we are made aware of the fact that these sinners will not be able to escape from the punishment in the Hereafter. We also see in the following verses how Allah SWT comforts the Prophet ﷺ against the arrogance and obstinacy of the opposition by reminding him that his duty is only to give good tidings and to warn.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses verses 45 to 51 where he deals with topics pertaining to money and children and how they are only the adornments of this world and the topic of criminals being presented their book of deeds. Shaykh Yasir begins with verse 45 where Allah SWT has summarised the story of the two gardens beautifully. The verse delves upon the plants and pleasantness of the earth, and, then, the appearance of the Divine Wrath which caused them to turn into ashes. This serves as a warning for the haughty who are neglectful of Allah. In the next verses, Allah has defined the position of wealth and the power of man - the two main pillars of the life in this world. The Quran explains the three stages pertaining to the Hereafter and they are -  the one before the resurrection of human beings, the Resurrection itself and the events after Resurrection. The recorded document will exhibit all our deeds before us which will be an embodiment of our good and evil actions, injustices and justices and vices and treacheries. In the final verses, Allah SWT asserts that for the creation of the heavens and the earth, the creation of Iblis and his progeny, He did not need anyone’s help. Therefore, His power is complete and He is not in need of the help of Satans and hence, it is binding upon us worshippers to only obey Allah and no one else.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses verses 38 to 44 that deal with topics such as what to say when feeling jealous or arrogant, the importance of providing constructive criticism, how frivolous the wealth in this dunya is and how it does not guarantee continuity in this world or the Hereafter. The verses in this lecture bring forth an exchange of words between the faithless and the faithful man and how each conversation is a comparison of what each has and how content he is with it. The faithful man boasted of his belief in Allah and attributed everything he had to his Creator which was a complete opposite to what the faithless man of the two gardens believed in. The faithful said that he was honoured that his Creator and his Sustainer was Allah.he also admonished his friend for being pride and haughty and glorifying the life of this world, while he glorified his belief, faith, and monotheism. The faithless man happiness was short lived as Allah had commanded for his green gardens and his arrogance and stupidity was realised by him to the fullest on seeing a barren and annihilated land in the place of his fruitful gardens of which he was so proud once. This horrific sight made him comprehend his great mistake and he ultimately realised that the protection, guardianship and Power belong to Allah, the Lord Who is the Truth Himself.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi now discusses verses 32 to 38 that deal with the Fitnah of false and temporary Jannah, the story of the man with two gardens and being ungrateful and ascribing success in this Dunya to oneself. The story of the man with two gardens imbibes in us such lessons that should make us obey Allah and refrain us from indulging in sins. The story is elaborately illustrated and we gather numerous information regarding this. We are acquainted with the two gardens of grapes and dates that were of the best quality and quantity. The description of the garden is intensely beautiful and leaves one in awe at the ultimate and sheer eloquence of Allah used in these verses. These verses talk about the baseless utterances of the faithless, proud, and conceited rich man of the gardens and also the speech of his faithful companion. It deserves a fair and intent listen.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi elaborates on verses 25 to 31 that touch base upon the topics of free will in Islam, recitation of the  Qur'an, keeping good company as protection and the ultimate warning of punishment and reward in Paradise. The sleep of the people of the cave is discussed by the people of the time and people begin to guess how many years did this take place for. Allah answers these questions in verses 25 and 26 and this is the Final Word as Allah alone is more aware of this matter and He commands his beloved Messenger ﷺ to also follow the same. We are made aware of the verses that our sole reliance should always be only upon Allah SWT and His Revelation because His statements cannot and will not be ever manipulated. His Speech and His Knowledge is unparalleled and should be believed as such.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi moves on to discuss verses 22 to 24 which deal with topics such as prohibition against speaking without knowledge and avoidance of emotions when fighting for the truth. Also, we are acquainted with the etiquette of saying 'in sha Allah'.  In the verses, we see how Allah teaches us the usage of the phrase - in Sha Allah, when we are referring to an event of the future such that in the event of its non occurrence due to any reason, we will not have fallen into falsehood. Saying the holy phrase reaffirms our firm belief in Allah.

In this lecture, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses verses 19 to 22 of Surah Al Kahf that deal with the crux of the story of the people of the cave -What is the promise of Allah? What caused them to be discovered? The sleep of the people of the cave was so prolonged that when they became awake, it was nothing less than a resurrection. This sleep and wakefulness was a miracle of sorts since there was no decay of bodies, no food and water was consumed. All this could only be possible because of Allah’s care for them in this duration and that He alone has power and control over every deed of ours. The youth passed away and their bodies were inside the Cave when the people went to see them when news got around of this incident.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi delves into immense detail on the topics of permissibility of fleeing his community due to inability to practice his religion and also about how the youth slept 300 years in the cave (Kahf) and were protected by Allah SWT which are discussed in verses 14 to 18 of Surah Al Kahf. In these verses, we see how the truly believing youths reasserted the fact that Allah was their Lord and he was the Lord of the heavens and the earth. They opposed the vast majority of people around them who were believers of polytheism and tried their best to annihilate polytheism and idolatry but to no avail. Hence, left with no choice, they decided to alienate themselves from this terrible environment which did not encourage Islam and sought refuge in the Cave. The Qur’an explicitly elaborates on the wonderful life led by the youth of the Cave and it truly deserves a fair listen. We realize that Allah protects His worshippers not only in the form of a miracle, but also through natural means as is depicted in the story.