Nouman Ali Khan

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves on the need to fully comprehend the concept and benefits of being grateful to Allah at all times. He reflects upon numerous Surahs and verses of the Noble Qur'an for this purpose. Allah has reminded us to be conscious of Allah at all times as the blessings of Allah can never be fully enumerated. One of the purposes of our existence is the purpose of being forever grateful to Allah SWT. This is a lesson Allah gives us in the Surah. Musa AS was taught to give [this lesson] to his people so they could come out of darkness to light. And then this message is so important that Allah put it as a teaching for the Messenger himself. Hence, it is paramount that we become truly, sincerely grateful to Allah SWT. And as a result of our gratitude, Allah will increase us in the good things and in the guidance and in the blessings that we enjoy in this world.  Rewards: The Pleasure of Allah will be upon us. Allah will lift the punishment from us. Allah gives you more if you are thankful to Allah.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan divulges some details on a person who was from the nation of Musa AS by the name Qaroon. He was the cousin or distant relative of Musa AS. He was the slave of the Israelites but sort of a spy for the government of the time. He was immensely rich due to his profession and had huge vaults to carry his riches. His people who meant well for him advised him not to get sucked in this facade and to stop being delusional. They wanted him to stay away from false luxuries and see through it and not to turn to fake happiness. We should pursue the next life with whatever is given in this life. What does this encrypted statement mean? Listen intently to unravel the mystery.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves into the topic of Hajj in which millions of men and women of all ethnicities converge in Makkah to commemorate the annual rites of Hajj. Hajj is the fifth and last pillar of Islam. It is the pilgrimage whereby these men and women tread in the spiritual path of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in following the way of Prophet Ibrahim AS. Hajj is symbolic of the close ties of Muslims to the beliefs and practices of Ibrahim AS. The rites of Hajj are essentially a re-enactment of significant events in the life of Ibrahim AS and his family as well as a celebration of his legacy. These rites and legacy provide important lessons not just to the pilgrims but to the entire Muslim Ummah. Ibrahim AS was a man who submitted to and glorified Allah SWT and not himself. He was so sincere in his submission and obeyed Allah SWT in such a way that his trust in Allah SWT was Absolute and Virtuous.  This blessing of Hajj in joining with others is one of the most significant lessons of Hajj and is in accordance with the legacy of Ibrahim AS. The plethora of men and women dressed in simple clothing who converge on Mount Arafat in the culmination of Hajj collectively seeking the forgiveness and mercy of Allah SWT reasserts the fact that despite our differences, we are all equal before Allah SWT. What distinguishes us from each other before Allah SWT is neither race, wealth nor social status. Instead, it is that which gave Ibrahim AS the esteemed title of being “Khaleelullah” — uprightness.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan discusses how the Qur'an is the most appropriate remedy for the sadness due to the trials and tribulations we face on a daily basis. The Qur'an addresses every single dilemma that we may encounter in our lives. We all go through various physical, moral, spiritual, and psychological crises and Allah (SWT) has revealed this Book to us and given us the example of the beautiful Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ to actually help us navigate these crises because He is the One who created us with these emotions. Sadness is one of those emotions and the reality of life. Having good Iman, having strong faith, does not mean one is guaranteed happiness. This is a world of difficulty, challenges, and of trial. For instance, Ibrahim (AS) as a young man experienced the trial of being expelled from his own house. Then there is the example of Yusuf (AS) who is betrayed by his older brothers.  The prophetic situations of sadness and grief all turn into Dua’s. Musa (AS), for example, punched a man who then died and he was overwhelmed with guilt. But Allah inspired him with a beautiful Du’a: “O my Sustainer! Verily, I am in dire need any good which You may bestow upon me!” (Qur’an 28:24)  The Remedy in The Names of Allah should also be sought to overcome sadness. One of Allah’s most beautiful names is Ar-Rahman, which is usually translated as “mercy.”  So Ar-Rahman is the first remedy in the Qur’an. Remembering and reflecting on the Names of Allah, and of them, Ar-Rahman, the One we invoke all the time, is a special remedy for sadness. The remedy in cultivating gratitude promises us increase in every good aspect of our lives as promised by Allah in the Qur'an. Some He will increase in children, some in patience, some in strength, in knowledge, in wisdom, in material provisions, in happiness — in whatever each one needs to have increased. Muslims must exhibit happiness and optimism and allow for themselves to be healed by the remedies for the sadness that Allah (SWT) offers in His Book.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan opens the floor for an explicit and informative Q & A session and the answers are truly mesmerizing. Some of the questions posed are as follows: What is your opinion about working with the Tablighi Jamaat? How do I balance keeping my followers/students disciplined while applying all the nice leadership you gave? What is the best way to talk to or advise someone who may take your words as an attack on his beliefs and ways? Is dua the best option than to help them out? How would you deal with a shura person who does nothing you ask him to do?  How do you establish a leadership-volunteer relationship with a friend who may not take you seriously?  Can I just serve my parents and spend a life in solitary affairs with just my immediate family and relatives? How can I learn the Quran easily? When we serve a community at large for the sake of Allah;  how to have a lot of sabr to graduate to the next level? Individually how can we have focus and develop our deen especially seeing that we are struggling with our work-life balance? If you know your family is doing something wrong, how important is it to say the truth or should you keep your silence for the sake of family? What is your opinion about sisters sharing their knowledge in the masjid vicinity, giving a talk like todays? Can women take a lead in doing work for the sake of Allah and not be prevented from that? What about Muslim women speaking in terms of lowering he gaze? Isn’t s sort of putting herself in front of men to look at? Listen intently to educate oneself appropriately in matters of able and just leadership skills.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan discusses the qualities an able and just leader should possess by illustrating verses from different Surahs. The following are the main qualities of interest: Trustworthy and fit for the job. Confidence Recognising leaders from a crowd. Volunteers most important assets. Does not get influenced by the elite and powerful. Deals efficiently with difficult people. Trusts others suitably depending upon the situation and is not egotistic. Hence, we should pray that Allah guides us and gives us the ability to apply these principles and gems of wisdom in our organizations, institutions, homes, and businesses that pave the way for us to build a strong future and a strong tomorrow.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan conducts a session about something which destroys Islamic work and that is Najwa. Najwa is mentioned a couple of times in the passage from Surah Al Mujadila.  The Ustadh discusses the essence of Najwa. Najwa means secret discussions with malicious intentions. How does Najwa develop?  As a consequence of holding meetings post a lecture or similar things, we find that a subgroup forms within the main group and they discuss the lectures held earlier and they are very defensive about that. What this does is that it disperses the unity and frankness of the gathering and of the decision-making and it cuts away at shura (mutual consultation) because in shura everybody has equal access to give an opinion and everybody shares their opinion on the same platform. This leads to forming blocs on the outside. This forming of a bloc on the outside is Najwa. So a private meeting for malicious or evil purposes is what Najwa is.  Surah Al-Fath talks about Najwa that is catastrophic and how it can destroy Islamic work. It can destroy the Islamic school, the masjid, or any organization. Because a few people discuss things which they should not discuss and hence, they are breaking a trust because such meetings and what is discussed in them are a form of trust.  So Najwa violates that trust.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan conducts a session about voicing one’s concern or opinion in an organization. What are the guidelines that we have to follow when we give our opinion? What are the ethics of giving our opinions? In Surah Al Maida, ‘Those who have iman if anyone goes back on their religion Allah will replace them and Allah will bring another nation He will love them and they will love him. They will be extremely humble to the believers and severe against the disbelievers.’ So before we give our opinion we must know what it means to be humble in our interaction with other believers. The other thing is about voicing your opinion is not just about something that is wrong but it can be a suggestion for improvement or betterment. It could also be a strategic suggestion. One should never be afraid of giving suggestions. Giving a sincere suggestion for the sake of Allah is an act of worship. Giving a suggestion is just like giving Sadaqa or charity. If we expect that our opinion should be taken, that is that they must act upon it and if they don’t one offended, in that case the person did not give that opinion for the sake of Allah. He gave it for the sake of getting it followed which is not right.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan shares with us two passages which at first seem to contradict each other from Surah An-Nur, verse 62 and from Surah At Taubah, Ayats 44 to 45 and it seems as if they are saying the exact opposite of each other.  In Surah An-Nur, ‘Those who are asking you permission are in fact the ones who believe in Allah and his messenger.’  In Surah At Taubah, ‘Those who believe in Allah and the last day, don’t ask your permission,’ and it goes further, ‘those who are asking your permission they don’t believe in Allah and the last day.’ Surah Nur says, ‘Those who ask your permission those are the ones who have imaan.’ Surah Taubah says, ‘Those who ask you permission are the ones who have no imaan!’ Then there is another contradiction, ‘If they ask you (to be excused) for whatever issue they have, don’t give them permission!’ Surah Nur says, ‘If they ask for permission, it’s a sign of imaan and if they are asking (to be excused) for an important matter, give them permission.’ Surah Taubah says, ‘May Allah forgive you, why did you give them permission?’  Surah An Nur says, ‘Give them permission.’ Surah At Taubah says, ‘Why did you do it?’ Surah An Nur says, ‘If they ask permission that’s Imaan.’ Surah At Taubah says, ‘They have no imaan.’  These Ayats are being discussed because they represent some of the most beautiful examples of Quranic wisdom on the issue of seeking permission from Muslim leadership.  Thus, in Surah An-Nur we understand the standard protocol of discipline. If one has an issue, he should ask permission and the Leadership should go out of their way to try to give permission in most cases. We must respect them and honor their request.  Did the hypocrites ever ask permission? The only reason they came to ask for permission was that it was mandatory. So voluntarily they never came to ask for permission. The people who came to ask for permission voluntarily depicts a sign of Iman. That’s the difference between Surah An Nur and Surah At Taubah.

In this lecture, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves into an explicit explanation of the verses of Surah Al-Hajj. In the first part of the verses discussed, Allah is displeased with humanity. The pagans are calling upon false gods. They don’t even understand the simplicity of tawheed. They don’t appreciate Allah as he deserves to be appreciated.  Humanity is in serious trouble. Allah says in the Qur'an - “No doubt it those that you are calling upon other than Allah (meaning false Gods). They won’t be able to create a single fly even if they all got together for that purpose.” So the example Allah gives is the powerlessness of idols and the powerlessness of false kings who claim themselves to be gods. Allah says whether they are idols or humans false gods because of their kingdom or power (or whatever the case maybe), ‘they cannot create a single fly.’ Why mention the example of a fly? These verses were revealed in Makkah. The Mushrikoon used to worship idols. In pagan cultures, people sacrificed animals or left sweets, milk, honey, and flowers, etc. In front of these idols as a show of devotion. A fly eats from these things and the statues can’t do anything. So even though the foundation of their faith is that this idol is sacred and it has to be shown respect, it gets disrespected in the highest temple by a lowly thing such as a fly! And they can’t do anything about it. Allah teaches us that He can teach the lessons of His oneness and His power even through a fly. That’s one of the miracles of the Qur'an - it changes human perspectives.  Allah says - If you care about each other, you would be worried about the ultimate destiny of your fellow human beings. By default, humans care about each other and are full of compassion. But this feeling has been eroded or even taken out of our system gradually and slowly in our time. We have become desensitized.  Who is responsible for this task of telling humanity that they are going to stand before Allah one day and answer for their deeds? Who is going to let them know? The messengers are done. The final Messenger (s) is gone. The companions have played their part. It’s on our shoulders now. So let us begin with ourselves.