 أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم والحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيدنا ونبينا محمد وأهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد قال تعالى في كتابه الكريم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ولو شاء ربك لجعل الناس أمة واحدة ولا يزالون مختلفين إلا من رحيم ربك ولي ذلك خلقهم أسورة تجلمس في العالم الإسلامي today one would realize the amount of hatred and animosity among nations among its adherents and fortunately the state of destructions the state of war civil civil strides and civil conflicts in the form of gruesome murders and terrorism it's very rampant in the Islamic nations one would think that maybe this conflict has a sectarian motive Sunnis vs. Shi'a Shi'a vs. Sunnis but the reality speak loud otherwise looking for example at the civil war in Libya the problem of terrorism in Tunisia and in Morocco and in Egypt the fight between Moroccan government and the western Polisario the terrorist organization in Nigeria known as Boko Haram the barbaric actions of the ISIS the Islamic state in different Islamic countries the movement of youth in Somalia Taliban in Afghanistan and in Pakistan Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines those are all in Sunni communities whereas there is no Shi'a can be found in these areas besides the fact that these acts have been exacerbated and has been orchestrated by the world powers and with the help and participation of some regional governments and some Arab countries with the help of the petrodollars who have exacerbated the situation and besides the fact that these also are the product of the extremist views of certain draconian type of sectarians and faith such as Salivism and Wahhabism yet these conflicts all have one hallmark the pervasive common feature of all of those is that they all carry intolerance they are having a very fertile ground for intolerance, bigotry and prejudice intolerance against alternative views that no one besides the dominant view can exert and say their own views this is unfortunate you will see this a problem throughout the Muslim nations everywhere you will go and fortunately you see this conflict this all due to the intolerance due to prejudice due to certain group who believe rigidly in there believe while discrediting others completely when you look at Quran however you see that Allah SWT in many verses in the Holy Quran stress on diversity and pluralism and admonishes Muslim and command them to follow a harmonious and human way of dealing with each other despite the fact that each with respect others views yet they live in harmony among themselves when you look at the Holy Quran you see that there are two important points that the Holy Quran emphasizes one is diversity the variance in styles variance in thoughts and languages and colors just like the mother nature mother nature has big variety and diversity the same thing could be said with the human thoughts and Quran come to endorse this fact the second fact that Quran emphasizes on is unity and harmony among the citizens of the nations let's talk about the first subject the first point the first point Quran emphasizes on the fact that this nature this life is full of diversity there is dissimilarity among the creators each creator has their own qualities they have their own characters look at the nature where Allah SWT says ومن الناس والدواب والأنعام مختلف ألوان كذلك إنما يخش الله من عباده العلماء look at different types of people different types of living things different types and varieties of animals with different colors with different features these are all creation of the Almighty why He would have stated in the Holy Quran so we can appreciate the diversity in nature also the Almighty talks about the diversity in dialects in languages and in thoughts among its people among the human being for example the ayah says ومن آياته خلق السماوات والأرض واختلاف السنتكم وألوانكم إن في ذلك لآيات للعالمين just look at around you just look at the heavens and look at earth and look at the differences the varieties in the language اختلاف السنتكم meaning different tongues and here some scholars say that with the ayah means different languages some other scholars say language by itself is not that important what is important in this ayah it is different thoughts different opinions different world views واختلاف السنتكم وألوانكم at the same way that you are different in colors in physical features also your thoughts are also different in fact in another verses in the holy Quran the almighty stress on this fact it is the default the default of a human nature is diversity plurality in thoughts you cannot force people to be monolithic in thoughts they have only one way to think one way to behave where it says ولوشاء ربك لأامن من في الأرض جميعا لأامن من في الأرض كلهم جميعا if God had wished He had made all people everyone in the planet to be faithful to accept the message of you يا رسول الله فأنت تكره الناس حتى يكونوا مؤمنين you Muhammad would force people to become believer if God has mandated has mandated this thing and had wanted people to have faith in your religion He would have made them but the beauty is in diversity the beauty is that people are born to have a free thought they are born to be a free a free to choose a free to live in styles you cannot impose your will upon them in fact when you look at Islam you see that Islam has institutionalized for a civilization that tolerates and accepts diversity and plurality and thought when you look at the advent of Islam you see at the time of our imams they were different groups of people who would take part in the classes of the imams that they would teach them among those groups they were atheists people who would not even believe in the Lord would not believe in God in the existence of God and they had multiple debates with our imams in fact those debates used to take a place in the holy masjid al-haram in the most sacred place for Muslims these debates between atheists and the imams in the holy Kaaba imagine how much the society and community was tolerant to differing and alternative ideas Quran and Islam never combat other ideas rather say if you want to succeed and overcome you better have a best argument in fact Quran endorses diversity in another ayah the one that I have recited at the beginning if God had decided He would make all people all unified all monolithic in thoughts in faith and in opinion but the fact is otherwise they all have different alternative thoughts and they will remain that way until the hereafter until the time of the day of judgment you the prophet have no right to force them to have only a single ideology a single faith so the first fact that Quran emphasizes on is diversity in nature diversity in thoughts and worldviews the second fact the second important point that Quran raises is unity among its citizens the almighty Allah at the same time that want people to be free thinkers and they exert their own free thoughts in the community they become united and unified as the ayah says وأن هذه أمةكم أمة واحدة وأن ربكم فعبدون the ultimate dream of Quran is that the entire humanity becomes unified and united in one nation but does that mean that we eliminate our own thoughts for the sake of a single thinking? No that's what Quran doesn't mean what Quran means is that despite that I and you and everyone in the community have their own thoughts their own philosophies and their own worldviews yet we live in harmony peace among ourselves the Quran when he talks about unity and unified the nation not at the expense of the free determination and free will and on the our own autonomous way of thinking in fact Quran with respect our way of thinking at the same time he want us to live in a society that is dominated by peace and its tranquility not by hostility and fortunately brothers and sisters when you look at these two great teachings of Islam you see the ones who have adopted those teachings are not the Muslims are the non Muslims I am personally very intrigued by the European Union in Europe 60 to 70 years ago they had a very devastating war in fact they were two wars in the century one was the first world war the second was the second world war both of them have caused more than 75 million people to die they had wars among themselves eventually they came to term to have peace and harmony among themselves today despite the fact that each country in the European Union they are autonomous and independent in policies and in thinking but they are all having this harmonious relationship and peaceful relationship among themselves and let's remember they don't have a holy Quran so that admonish them and persuade them to be unified this lesson should be applied to us as Muslims that we have a lord and we have a holy book and we have a holy prophet that all have emphasized on the harmonious nature of coexisting among ourselves while all have our independent may one day we reach that level that non-Muslims have reached long time ago we will come back لا يمو يا ملكان لا يزو يا باقيان لا يفنا عالمان لا يجهي يا صمدان لا يطع يا قوية سبحانك يا لا خلصنا اللهم إني يسألك باسمك يا شاهدوا يا ما جد يا حامدوا يا باعثوا يا ضا سبحانك يا لا خلصنا من النار يا أعظمان من كل عظي يا أكرمان من كل كري أرحمان من كل رحي يا أعلمان من كل علي يا أحكمان من كل حكي يا أقدمان من كل قديم يا أكبر من كل كبير يا ألطفا من كل لطيف يا أجل اللي جلين يا عزا من كل يا عزي سبحانك يا خلصنا من النار with the great dua of joshan الكبير tonight we will cover segments number 31 32 and 33 segment number 3 the theme of this segment is to cleanse self from imperfection where it says يا عزيزا لا يضام يا لطيفا لا يضام يا قيوما لا ينام يا دائما لا يفوت يا حيا لا يموت يا ملكا لا يزول يا باقيا لا يفنا يا عالما لا يجهل يا صمدا لا يطعم يا قويا لا يضاف oh the powerful who's never overpowered بنين who's invisible self-subsistent who never sleeps eternal who never perishes ever living who never dies monarch whose rule is endless eternal who's imperishable who's omnicent who never forgets independent who needs no sustenance mighty who never weakens the attributes of the almighty Allah the scholars divide monotheism in multiple segments in multiple compartments one of them is called توحيد الصفات the monotheism of attributes we have the three kinds of attributes the first kind that cannot be attributed to almighty Allah it's only attributed to us for example the weak the deceased these attributes never can be applied to the almighty second kind of attributes are the one that both men and God will share of course there is a huge difference between the two yet the vocabulary the terminology allows for common usage between the almighty and between human being for example كريم جواد generous these are attributes that can be applied to both of course the generosity of the almighty Allah is totally different from the generosity of His servants there is no question yet for the sake of the ease to be applied to both and then there only certain attributes that applied to the almighty Allah exclusively الخالق المتكبد المميز these are the pride the creator these are attributes that only can be applied in these segments we will recite some of those kind of attributes the first one it says يا عزيزا لا يبان an independent a powerful that cannot be oppressed that cannot be overcome as the translation says oh powerful some of the arrogant yet ignorant rulers think that they have their own way of saying that they can do whatever they wish and God would allow them where the almighty Allah it says in one of his attribute it says that he would make people do what they want he is patient with them but he would not forget what they do يمهل ولا يهمل he would not leave them he would not abandon them eventually at certain point he will take them forcefully in recent history we have seen that we have seen with certain despots whether in Iraq or in Egypt or in the future for example with those ruthless monarchs who challenge the magnificence of Allah سبحانه وتعالى God will give them some room but would never forget about them eventually they are overpowered by him the same way that God has done to أعلى فرعون ولقد جاء أعلى فرعون النظر we have warned them كذبوا بآياتنا كلها but they rejected all our warnings فأخذناهم أخذ عزيز مقتدر we forcefully took them away we obliterated them in another ayah the almighty says ولا تحسب أن الله غافلا ما يعمل الظالمون إنما يؤخرهم ليومن إنما يؤخرهم ليومن تشخص فيه العبصار لا تفكر أن الله غافلا about what the oppressors are doing what kind of crimes and sins they are committing God is never oblivious but they do God has not forsaken them He leaves them toward the end toward the day of judgment this life is not an eternal one and is not the final one maybe the oppressor get away with his own bad behavior but in the hereafter in the day of judgment they are hunted by God so it says يا عزيزا لا يضام the second word it says the second phrase يا لطيفا لا يضام the almighty Allah is so resilient that cannot be penetrated meaning the essence of God cannot be penetrated and found and realized no one can claim God is known to him even the infallibles even the greater prophet of Islam is oblivious about the true nature and the true essence of the almighty Allah سبحانه وتعالى it is unpenetratable to the scope of understanding of entire human being it is beyond our scope of knowledge and experience يا لطيفا لا يضام in fact the almighty Allah the prophet peace be upon him says تفكروا في خلق الله ولا تفكروا في الله فتهلكوا when you want to think about the Lord do not think about the essence of God the nature of God because you will be in swagger you will be at loss rather think in the creation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the traces of Allah you see in previous night we discussed this point that whenever God mentions him he doesn't bring the majestic name of God he says بالله always says بسم الله on the name of God using a means toward him because he has a true essence and a true nature is beyond our scope of comprehension in another statement by الإمام الصادق عليه السلام he says إياكم والتفكروا في الله فإن التفكروا في الله لا يزيدوا إلا تيهن إن الله عز وجل لا تدركوا الأبصار ولا يوصفوا لا تتفكروا لا تتفكروا الأسن of الله الأسن of our God it cannot be imagined and cannot be reached by our eyes nor by any description this is how our infallibles our leaders have taught us when we discuss the subject of the Almighty الله سبحانه وتعالى now there is an important question if we are discouraged if from discussing the nature and a sense of God then what does it mean again by the imams themselves when they say كمال الديني معرفته أول الديني معرفته the perfection of your religion is that you become aware of it that you know the Almighty God what does it mean if we are discouraged to think about and discuss the essence of God but on the other hand we are encouraged and admonished to know more about God how do we reconcile between those two apparently contradicting in fact the imams want us to realize and appreciate the Almighty God not through the discussion of his essence rather through the discussion of his creation of his creatures the the ayah says الذين يذكرون الله قياما وقعودا وعلى يتجنون بهم ويتفكرون في خلق السماوات والأرض those people who remember God who are always thinking of God but in what way ويتفكرون في خلق السماوات والأرض they think about the creation of God ربنا ما خلقت هذا سبحانك فقنا عذاب النار if you want to get close to Allah then study the creation of God one important subject itself where the hadith says من عرف نفسه فقد عرف ربه whoever knows about himself will know about his Lord will come to realize the importance and significance of his Lord this is segment 31 segment 32 it is eliminating and perfection I would recite only the translation where it says oh Allah verily I besiege thee in thy name unique oh one, oh present oh praiser, exalted guide resurrected, higher harmful to the unjust beneficial to the just another set of attributes oh Allah he is one but indivisible cannot have any physical attributes we cannot attribute physical features to the Almighty God although stated in the Holy Quran God's hand but God is exalted He doesn't have a hand He doesn't have any physical features that we have why because the clear statement in the Holy Quran says there is nothing resembling him unfortunately when you read some Islamic literatures by some Muslims who do not follow the school of Ahlulbayt for example they narrate by the prophet and this is stated in the books of Ahmed where it says رأيت ربي في المنام في صورة شاب الموفر في خضر في خضر عليه نعلاني من ذهب he is describing that the prophet bespy upon him has dreamed his Lord seeing God similar to a young man with no beard and wearing gold these unfortunate statements written in the Islamic books where they prescribe and ascribe features to the Almighty الله سبحانه وتعالى which we are cautiously admonished against the third and last segment segment number 33 is to challenge the greatest of all again it goes this way for the translation the grandest of all a grand most magnanimous of all magnanimous most merciful of all merciful most knowledgeable of all knowers most wise of all the wise most ancient of all ancient most great of all the great most benign most magnificent of all the magnificent most mighty of all the mighty the words the Almighty الله سبحانه وتعالى is most generous more generous than anything that anyone that comes to your mind he sends his subsistence and nutrition to every living thing there is no thing in this universe that he is not a recipient of God's generosity and mercy in one beautiful verse the Almighty says you do not see any moving creature if God does not send nourishment and subsistence to ومستودعه كله في كتاب مبين this is how الله سبحانه وتعالى is treating us with generosity with mercy and with benevolence may Allah سبحانه وتعالى give us the ability to be the recipient of the mercy and benevolence of the Almighty والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته he is the protector of honour forbearance is the bridle of the food forgiveness is the levy of success disregard is the punishment of him who betrays and consultation is the chief way of guidance he who is content with his own opinion faces danger endurance braves calamities while impatience is a helper of the hardships of the world the best contentment is to give up desires many a slavish mind is subservient to overpowering longings capability helps preservation of experience love means well utilised relationship do not trust one who is greed