Contemplating the Quran as a Moral Guide – A Lecture on Quranic Reflection

Since I got to know the Quran, I no longer have the desire for other books.

Is it a book of knowledge, or is it primarily a moral book?

When we read the Quran, we discover that the Quran is clear,

that the purpose of its revelation is not merely to memorize it,

but rather to ponder over it.

But pondering requires some effort, and there is hardship in it.

You haven't even finished with Al-Fatihah.

Have you discovered why it is the opening?

And have you discovered why there is no closing?

What is our problem today? Why are we lost today?

Who convinced the Islamic mind

that the Quran comes at the final moment?

The idea that people who delve a bit too deep,

even with their children, fearing they might become extremist.

But the reality is that the Quran amazes you;

the deeper you go into it, the more it expands with you.

What is our duty as parents?

The problem today is that parents are busy securing livelihoods,

more than they are busy securing morals for their children.

But the world moves in this economic pattern.

You also need to engage with people, sorry.

Is your standard the world, or do you have your own?

We have an authentic standard, which is...

If you have an authentic standard, follow it and leave the world.

The world might be heading for a wall.

So why are people afraid to stand with the truth?

“And We had certainly established them in such as We have not established you, and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment] when they were [continually] rejecting the signs of Allāh; and they were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.” (Quran 46:26)

Imagine! They had intellectual and sensory sources of knowledge, but none of them were of any use.

Why? Because they rejected the signs of Allah ﷻ.

May Allah ﷻ bless you, Abu Nahar.

May Allah ﷻ greet you too, welcome.

Perhaps last time you visited us, we talked about a certain topic, which was the topic of freedom.

However, today our topic is completely different, and we believe you have an interest in this topic, which is tarbiyah in the Quran,

or if there is a methodology in the Quran that we must pay attention to regarding tarbiyah.

But before we get to that, we want to establish this idea fundamentally.

We went back to reading your writings, and you had an article, but I took a part of it.

The article was in 2022. It was a short article, but you wrote in its introduction:

“Most Muslims treat the Quran only as a book of blessing,

or it is rare to find a Muslim who treats the Quran as a source of knowledge and shaping perceptions.”

So, I thought of a question we could start with:

Is the Quran today a book of knowledge, or is it primarily an ethical book?

Look, Faisal, our perceptions of the Quran are endless.

People have so many perceptions about the Quran that they cannot be counted.

And the Quran spoke about an important concept: taqawwul (fabrication).

“And if he [i.e., Muḥammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings,” (Quran 69:44)

Meaning, we make many false claims about the Quran.

We attribute many things to the Quran; everyone attributes their own perception to it.

One says the Quran is a book of peace,

another says the Quran is a book of violence and fighting,

another says it is a scientific book, another says it is only a book of ethics.

Many different perceptions.

But do not rely on any perception of the Quran that the Quran itself does not mention,

otherwise, we would be practicing the method of fabrication that the Quran warned against.

Therefore, if we return to the Quran itself, we will find that the Quran tells us that it is a book for guiding human knowledge.

What did Allah ﷻ say? He said:

“The month of Ramaḍān [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’ān, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the crescent of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allāh intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allāh for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Quran 2:185)

So it is, then, a book of guidance.

Okay, guidance in what?

We find the other verse clarifying when Allah ﷻ said:

“We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice. And We sent down iron, wherein is great military might and benefits for the people, and so that Allāh may make evident those who support Him and His messengers unseen. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” (Quran 57:25)

So, Quranic guidance came in order that mankind may maintain justice.

So, everything that requires knowledge to maintain justice in managing human society,

the Quran possesses the knowledge to guide it. Therefore, Allah ﷻ says:

“Indeed, this Qur’ān guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward” (Quran 17:9)

He did not say "guides to that which is straight," but rather "to that which is most upright."

So, it came to guide the world of ideas.

How do we manage this massive human society, with all its differences and opinions,

towards what is most upright and correct?

This is the primary purpose for which the Quran came.

Then, moving away from the logic of the Quran, let us look at its work, at the reality of the Quran itself.

When you contemplate the texts of the Quran, you find that the Quran...

...has established all the cognitive foundations upon which human knowledge should be based

in politics, in economics, in education, in sociology, in administration, and in psychology.

In various fields of knowledge, you find that the Quran has laid down foundations for that.

For example, in the cognitive field, if you read in Surah An-Nahl,

Surah Ar-Ra'd and Surah Ibrahim,

you will find a complete theory of knowledge in these Surahs.

It speaks about the sources of knowledge, the limits of knowledge,

it speaks about the mechanisms of knowledge, its means, and the obstacles to knowledge.

Knowledge does not come to us merely through intellectual engagement.

It speaks about everything related to knowledge in these Surahs.

A complete epistemological paradigm. Look, for example, at the concept of doubt.

Doubt is a very important matter in constructing knowledge.

Islam did not forbid doubt.

Islam came and legislated doubt,

rather, doubt is a means to construct certainty.

That is why Imam Al-Ghazali (RH) says: "He who does not begin with doubt ends up in it."

But what is the difference between Islamic doubt and modernist doubt?

It is that Islamic doubt is a prelude to certainty,

And modernist doubt is a substitute for certainty.

Practically.

Meaning, if you now doubt Islam, this is good to reach certainty through it.

I doubt, meaning I seek evidence; if I seek evidence, I will then move to certainty.

As for modernist doubt, it is a general trait of man.

All of public life is built on doubt.

Therefore, where did the idea that truth is relative come from?

It came from the notion that a person should doubt everything throughout life.

And whenever you reach certainty, they call you a dogmatist.

Meaning, one who relies on certainties.

They want all of life to rest on doubt.

But this position does not hold. Truth is not relative.

Relativity is a fact. Yes, there are relative opinions, that is a fact,

But truth is not relative.

If truth were relative, it would no longer be truth.

Otherwise, what is the difference between truth and opinion?

If truth were relative, it would be just an opinion.

Therefore, doubt in Islam is a prelude to certainty.

But I want to pause on the concept of knowledge.

When you speak of knowledge in the Quran,

you mentioned that there is knowledge present in the Quran,

but there is also other knowledge we have today,

knowledge in natural sciences, for example, that is not in the Quran.

So we want to know what you mean by the knowledge you are referring to.

All knowledge related to managing human society is in the Quran.

All knowledge requiring divine guidance is in the Quran.

And I gave you an example of the epistemological paradigm,

but if we were to list them, it would take too long,

In the political paradigm alone, there are hundreds of verses — not just dozens —

hundreds of verses related to political affairs.

Consider how often the model of Pharaoh — a political model — is repeated in the Quran.

How many times are war and peace verses repeated in the Quran?

And peace and war are the cornerstone of politics.

The role of power and interest in international relations.

Balancing interest principles in international relations.

The types of treaty partners and the types of treaties.

When are they breached? When are treaties abandoned or upheld?

The states of international relations—all brought by the Quran.

I have said this repeatedly.

Meaning, I wrote a paper about 12 years ago, or in 2012, I mean,

I mentioned that political verses in the Quran don't exceed one hand's fingers.

Then I discovered hundreds of Quran verses related to managing the political scene.

Let me give you an example: Allah ﷻ says,

“If you [have reason to] fear from a people betrayal, throw [their treaty] back to them, [putting you] on equal terms. Indeed, Allāh does not like traitors.” (Quran 8:58)

If there is a treaty between you and another party,

and then you suspect this party,

without knowing for sure—if you knew, that's that—but if you fear,

and that is why He said: "If you fear," He did not say: "If you know."

So, what do we do in this case?

We fear this party might betray. He said:

“And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allāh and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allāh knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allāh will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.” (Quran 8:60)

So, we rely on the balance of power.

He said: "If you fear this party whose betrayal you apprehend,"

the solution is to increase your power—to what level?

He said: "'to terrify'"—meaning to the level of intimidating the other party,

because a balance of power is not enough unless it reaches a level where you terrify the other party.

Why? Because if they begin to fear your power, what will happen here?

A deterrent balance occurs.

A balance of power leads to a balance of terror, which leads to deterrence.

If a balance of deterrence is achieved between both parties, peace is achieved.

So what verse comes after that?

“And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allāh. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.” (Quran 8:61)

The peace option is mentioned after deterrence balance is achieved.

This is political talk. This is talk in political thought.

But when we abandon all this on the pretext that the Quran only...

...means politics in the Quran is just Shura, justice, and general matters,

and we abandon the vast details the Quran mentions about the political scene,

how can we truly comprehend the Quran?

The same applies to the educational field we will discuss.

Hundreds of verses address the educational field,

and the Quran interconnects knowledge rather than separating it, as is done today.

Today, universities have a sharp separation between sciences.

This is an illusion. Education is separate from psychology.

Psychology separate from sociology. Sociology separate from politics.

And politics is still separate from international relations.

The Quran does not recognize this.

The Quran integrates knowledge and stems primarily from the human self,

because the self is what shapes all the manifestations and behaviors we see,

Therefore, we must return to the starting point of the Quran in analyzing human knowledge.

The point is, if we look at the Quran, we find it all stemming from...

trying to establish human knowledge on guidance and righteousness,

because if you isolate human knowledge from guiding divine revelation, it becomes a nightmare.

If we take the example of politics and go to the political science department at the university, you find them teaching...

a completely different philosophy—some Marxism, some liberalism,

some existing political philosophies, showing students the differences.

But, as you are also a university professor,

is there a presence of Islamic political philosophy?

Does it have a prominent place in the academic scene?

And if it does not, why don't

Muslims turn to the Quran to extract this knowledge in their own departments?

Look, regarding the first part of the question, this varies from one university to another,

but generally, as far as I know, universities distance themselves from Islam.

And if they study Islam, they study it as a phenomenon, not as a source of guidance.

I study Islam as a phenomenon in international relations,

but not as a source of guidance.

Meaning, I do not try to derive Quranic knowledge in the political field to guide my political work.

No, this does not exist—I have not seen it in any university,

even in Islamic universities, I do not find this to be the case.

Rather, teaching the Quran as a phenomenon like any other phenomenon in international relations,

and this stems from a perception of our role.

This is the second part: why don't Muslims turn to the Quran to derive knowledge?

Our perceptions—we perceive the Quran, as you mentioned at the beginning,

that we perceive the Quran as a book of blessing and not as a book of guidance and knowledge.

Therefore, we believe in the sanctity of the Quran, but we do not believe in its efficacy.

If we believed in its efficacy, we would see the Quran in universities and research institutions.

But we always prefer the Quran only in memorization centers,

in recitation, and in everything related to the form of the Quran.

But when it comes to substance and content, we evade it.

So you send your children to study and memorize the Quran.

In their youth, they study the Quran and memorize it.

But when they go to university, they do not find the Quran.

Where is the Quran's role in guiding us?

They tell you, "No, no,

we are scientific and educational institutions,

and the Quran is a religious book, so it is not suited for scientific institutions."

This argument, even if we grant its validity, is incorrect.

What justifies keeping it away?

If you believe these are scientific institutions and the Quran should not enter...

Who said the Quran came to compete with science?

The Quran did not come to compete with science; it came to guide science.

And there is no science that can do without a guide.

It is impossible. For example, you now...

if you take any of the sciences, like politics, which you mentioned,

how do you discuss the role of interest in international relations?

This issue has nothing to do with science.

The role of power in international relations: when do I fight? When do I make peace?

Science does not interfere here; it depends on your culture,

it depends on your values. Your moral reference determines how you use power,

and how you balance principles and interests in international relations.

These matters have nothing to do with science.

If you specialize in anthropology, how do you evaluate societies?

An advanced society, a traditional society.

In anthropology, in any university in the world, they divide societies...

...into traditional and advanced societies. Based on what criteria?

What is traditional in your view may be advanced in mine,

and what is advanced in your view might be traditional in mine.

So, there are necessarily values, even if we assume you specialize in sociology.

The basis of sociology is that it studies social problems, right?

So, how can I judge an issue to be a social problem without a value framework?

I mean, how can I say, for example, that sex outside of marriage is a social problem,

except based on a value standard?

If I am not a Muslim, I would not see it as a problem.

Why would I see undutifulness to parents as a problem if I were not Muslim? I might see it as a family conflict.

Thus, you cannot judge anything, even tyranny, for example.

Someone who is value-aligned with tyranny does not see it as a problem,

and someone who is not sees it as a problem.

Therefore, even the very first point in science cannot be started without values.

So when you say, 'I am a university institution; the Quran has nothing to do with this,' that is incorrect.

You did not exclude the Quran from universities because it is outside its domain,

rather, you excluded it because you have an alternative reference: the liberal reference.

Therefore, when you study economics in university curricula, you study political science,

you study sociology, and you study education tailored to the measure of liberal ideology, except those my Lord has mercy on.

In their conceptions of the role of sciences, their goals, their subject matter, and the limits of sciences themselves.

All of this stems from purely liberal conceptions.

Therefore, they did not exclude the Quran because it has no relation to this field,

but because of their conception that the Quran is a book that has no relation to science,

even though they study things unrelated to science.

When you study Machiavelli, does Machiavelli relate to science?

Does Thomas Hobbes relate to science?

Does Nietzsche relate to science?

They are all ideas and ideologies, some elevated, some base.

So why do you introduce all these matters,

And when the Quran, which is a guidance for all mankind, comes, we run away from it?

Therefore, we are living in a state of very dangerous separation

between the productive, cognitive Muslim mind and the Quran.

We have fields of knowledge; we have hundreds,

if not thousands, of specialists in education and sociology,

international relations, economics, and all other social and human fields,

but they are disconnected from Revelation.

They produce knowledge, but in isolation from the Revelation.

Therefore, we have a conference at the Ministry of Awqaf in Qatar,

starting for the first time next year, on the Quran and the humanities and social sciences.

For the first time, because the purpose is connection.

How do we bring researchers of these fields to engage with revelation, with Quranic texts, and reinvest them in these fields?

And if this succeeds, it will be a very important path in the Arab world

to restore the central role of the Quran in the production of human and social knowledge,

because, as we mentioned, at the three levels of scientific research—descriptive, explanatory, and normative—the Quran is present.

As I said, to describe a phenomenon, you must have a benchmark, and to explain it, you also need a benchmark,

and to evaluate it, you also need a benchmark.

So your value reference must be present, and since you claim that the Quran is your reference, then we must see it manifested.

How can we say the Quran is our reference, then not see it present in research and thought institutions?

This is a major contradiction we live in. That is why Alija Izetbegović has a saying

When I read this saying, it shook me deeply.

He says: "Muslims do not believe in the sanctity of the Quran as a methodology,

they believe in the sanctity of the Quran as an object.

And this is a reality you see with your own eyes when, for example, the Mushaf is burned,

everyone gets angry and grieves — and this is a good thing,

to be angry at this offense against the Mushaf.

But we offend the Quran by excluding it from the circles of knowledge,

but this is considered normal, no problem.

Imagine we have a highly brilliant person

who applied to two places for work. One place rejected him, saying, "I do not want you,"

The other said, "Wow, you are a genius! With your capabilities, I want you to work with me."

When you joined, they set up an office for you—the most luxurious in the company. Right? Okay.

But you don't work with them. You just sit in your office,

and people greet you coming in, and you greet them going out: "How are you? Hope you're well. How are things?"

"But I want to work with you." "No, no, stay there—you're doing great.

You're such a genius that we set up an office for you outside—the most luxurious in the company."

This is the state of Muslims with the Quran.

Some rejected the Quran—the disbelievers and non-Muslims rejected it.

But the Muslims said, "We accepted the Quran."

Okay, keep it present in your reality; keep it present in your educational institutions.

Let it be utilized in the fields of knowledge.

No, no, you are too grand to be utilized.

Just stay in the memorization centers,

just stay in Ramadan. "We'll complete twenty recitations in Ramadan,"

but do not interfere in the production of knowledge.

Do you see? This is an insult. Is this not an insult?

Therefore, what is the only complaint that the Messenger ﷺ expressed in the Quran?

It is the complaint of abandoning the Quran. The Messenger ﷺ said, "O Lord..."

“And the Messenger has said, "O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur’ān as [a thing] abandoned."” (Quran 25:30)

And now we are repeating the same thing: abandoning the Quran.

Being a memorizer of the Quran is important,

but it does not exempt you from abandoning it. You may memorize it and still abandon it at the same time,

when you do not act upon it and do not ponder it.

When we read the Quran, we discover that it is explicit:

the purpose of the Quran's revelation is not merely memorization, but to ponder it.

Indeed, the topic of pondering.

This topic interests me first and foremost, because today you are asking us to...

ponder and read the Quran in a certain way and extract knowledge from it.

But despite that, there are linguistic and psychological barriers.

We believe that we are not qualified to read the Quran.

For example, here is a verse that just came to mind:

“Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One,”

“Allāh, the Eternal Refuge.” (Quran 112:1-2)

Not everyone knows what "As-Samad" means.

“Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak”

“From the evil of that which He created”

“And from the evil of darkness when it settles” (Quran 113:1-3)

Not everyone knows, even though we recite it daily.

So how do you expect me today to ponder the Quran and derive knowledge from it,

and apply it in my daily life, doing so on my own,

without relying on traditional institutions, traditional interpretations, and traditional methods,

which might be—honestly, I'm not saying they're all bad,

but you are trying to present, I think, a new approach.

So I want to understand your view on this path and way.

No, I don't think it's new; this is what the Quran itself says.

The Quran itself commanded us to ponder.

My brother, imagine the Quran commanded the disbelievers to ponder.

It commanded the disbelievers, so what about...

the Muslims?

“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?” (Quran 47:24)

This address is directed to the disbelievers.

He commands them to ponder, so how do we Muslims not ponder?

Strangely, we live in contradiction; if we see a non-Muslim, for example,

a driver or someone similar, we give him the Mus-haf, thinking he might embrace Islam.

But when you're told to read the Mus-haf, you say, "No, I'm not qualified."

How can you give the Mus-haf to non-Muslims hoping they'll embrace Islam, while you refuse to read the Quran?

Furthermore, the examples you mentioned are very important.

When you say, for example,

“Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One,”

“Allāh, the Eternal Refuge.” (Quran 112:1-2)

These are difficult words. What is their percentage in the Quran?

What percentage? 10%? 20%? My brother, let's assume 80%...

...of the Quran has difficult words. Where is your contemplation of the 20%?

Even though the reality is that most of the Quran is made easy.

Most of the Quran is easy; you can contemplate it.

Read Surah Al-Baqarah; it is very clear.

Read Surah Al-Fatihah; very clear. Read Surah Al-Hujurat.

By Allah, one of the students at the university,

when I asked them to contemplate Surah Al-Hujurat and extract their ideas from it,

They objected, saying, "It's a bit difficult, how? We're not qualified," and so on.

But he went and came back with twenty-nine ideas from Surah Al-Hujurat alone.

Contemplating it, deducing... it explains social rules to you.

The social rules of how to manage society.

How to manage society. Clearly stated.

In Surah Al-Baqarah: "This is the Book..."

“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allāh -”

“Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,” (Quran 2:2-3)

What is difficult about this? Look, in Surah al-Hujurat:

"Indeed, those who call you from behind the chambers — most of them do not use reason."

O you who...

“O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.” (Quran 49:6)

...regretful."

Is it not clear?

Clear.

“And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allāh. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allāh loves those who act justly.” (Quran 49:9)

Clear words.

"O you who...

“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allāh that you may receive mercy.” (Quran 49:10)

Clear words. "O you...

“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name [i.e., mention] of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (Quran 49:11)

Clear words.

"O you who

“O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allāh; indeed, Allāh is Accepting of Repentance and Merciful.” (Quran 49:12)

Clear words.

Therefore, intimidating and scaring people by saying we are not qualified is incorrect.

Many Quranic verses are clear, and for those that are not, we refer to the scholars.

And here is the confusion: people confuse two concepts,

between Tadabbur and Tafsir.

Tadabbur is obligatory for all people.

Everyone must reflect on the Quran, each according to their ability,

and no one is unable to do so. Allah ﷻ said,

“The month of Ramaḍān [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’ān, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the crescent of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allāh intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allāh for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Quran 2:185)

...to all people.

So every person must take their share and portion of Quranic guidance.

No one should be unable.

Now, when I tell you...

“And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon, the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.” (Quran 41:34)

You understand it clearly that, by Allah, if there was a major dispute between you and me, Abu Ghasi,

and we argued, one text message could change the whole equation for you,

and suddenly you reply with a better message.

True.

Therefore, the Quran can be pondered; this is open to everyone.

As for the problematic verses, here we turn to the scholars,

for they know the contexts of the Quran,

who know the Quran's paired verses, its clear and ambiguous ones,

and who know the textual and situational contexts, the reasons for revelation, and the prophetic explanation,

and so on, of the requirements for examining the Sharia text.

For this, yes, we turn to scholars, but

if we confuse Tafsir with Tadabbur,

means the entire Quran is problematic. No.

Most of the Quran is clear; there is only a problematic part.

Reading Surah As-Saffat, you feel many verses are difficult to understand.

Here, you turn to the scholars.

For every verse you do not know, you refer to the scholars.

But we have no right to abandon the Quran under the pretext that we are unqualified.

Today, when you speak to professors of sociology or any field of human knowledge, you tell them:

"There are many verses in your field—why not ponder them?"

For example, hundreds of verses address the human soul.

Why do psychology professors not ponder them, derive knowledge from them, and look at the challenges and nature of the human soul,

and make great use of the psychological concepts the Quran mentions?

They tell you, "No, we are not sheikhs."

And who said the Quran is only for the sheikhs?

Who said that? The Quran did not say it is for sheikhs. It said: "a guidance for mankind."

It did not say guidance for scholars, nor guidance for linguists.

So as a psychology professor, you can read it—but on two conditions.

The first: when you ponder, ask someone more knowledgeable than you.

When you reach a certain idea, ask someone more knowledgeable to make sure.

The second is that if the error of your idea becomes clear to you, you retract it.

But if you are isolated on your own, not listening to anyone, deducing according to your whim,

telling people your ideas without consulting your brothers and those more knowledgeable,

there is a major problem in pondering.

Extremism could happen.

Yes, of course, and you go every which way in this matter.

Therefore, these two conditions are necessary.

To ask someone more knowledgeable than you when you deduce,

That is why Allah ﷻ commanded us to consult, to complement each other's minds.

The second: if you realize your idea is wrong, you retract it.

If you do this, you are on the safe side.

But abandoning the Quran on the pretext of being unqualified—what did that result in?

It resulted in the separation of the Muslim mind from the Quran.

That is why I always say that the greatest project in the 21st century now

is the centrality of the Quran.

How do we make the Muslim mind rely on the Quran as a central source?

What does the centrality of the Quran mean?

It means the Quran is the primary source in shaping our perceptions.

It is the primary center for shaping our judgments.

It is the primary center for shaping and guiding human knowledge for us.

When the Quran is approached this way, we are on a good and correct path.

When we say the centrality of the Quran, it does not mean negating everything else,

but rather, referring everything else back to it.

Everything is valid and has value, provided that it aligns with the Quran.

When we extract the meanings of the Quran and derive from it

the cognitive foundations for all branches of human and social sciences,

only then can we say the Islamic mind is on the right track.

But currently, the Islamic mind is in one valley and the Quran in another,

and we produce illusory and false knowledge.

So today you see that the subject of the Quran and knowledge...

...is too big to be denied.

We only need to change the glasses through which we see the Quran,

and we will see all knowledge kneeling in the Book of Allah ﷻ,

and in the best possible way,

because it is complete on all levels,

not only the descriptive and explanatory, but even the normative,

which organizes all knowledge within a guiding framework,

within a regulating framework—not just knowing for the sake of knowing.

Today they convince us in universities, saying,

"Our job as researchers is only to know society, not to evaluate it."

Okay, if we know society, who then evaluates it?

Here they say, "Let the sheikhs evaluate, let whoever evaluate,"

"but we as researchers do not evaluate or interfere in assessing phenomena."

This is incorrect. Incorrect.

What is your opinion on the statement that the Quran is open to many interpretations? This opinion exists.

I spoke about this before, but if the Quran is open to many interpretations...

...the rest of the narration attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) and others is: 'but take its best meaning.'

Yes, the Quran does have multiple interpretations,

but not all of it—there are hundreds of definitive verses

that allow no multiple interpretations.

So the statement is not accurate if taken absolutely.

It means that some verses sometimes have multiple interpretations,

so we take the best of them,

meaning the most likely one,

as indicated by contextual clues and parallels,

the definitive verses, Quranic context, and the surah's flow,

and the thematic unity of the surah.

All of these guide you to the most probable interpretation

when the verses carry multiple meanings.

For example, "kill the polytheists"—this could mean all polytheists,

some of them, only the polytheists of Quraish, or who?

But referring to the verses before and after, you will understand who is meant.

So here, we interpreted it in the best way. But if the Quran is open to multiple interpretations, that becomes a pretext — what is the benefit of the Quran then?

Exactly. Because if being open to multiple interpretations becomes a pretext to abandon using it as evidence, then the Quran would not possess the quality of guidance.

How can it "guide to that which is most upright" if it is open to multiple interpretations? So if their intentions are good, they are still mistaken.

And if not, it becomes a means to dismiss the Quran and remove it from use — and some use it as an excuse to err.

They say, "I might err because it is open to multiple interpretations" — so they say, "I might make a mistake in understanding the Quran,"

and therefore it is better... or we should not encourage people to ponder the Quran.

This is not correct. Who has never made a mistake in understanding the Quran?

Even some of the Companions (RA) made mistakes in understanding the Quran.

Adi bin Hatim, in Sahih al-Bukhari, misunderstood the white and black threads,

until the Prophet ﷺ came, explained it, and said to him:

meaning, teasing him that his understanding was incorrect.

But the Prophet ﷺ did not tell him to stop pondering the Quran after that.

Rather, he corrected his understanding, and he went on and continued.

If fear of making mistakes were a pretext to abandon the Quran,

we would all abandon it, because no one is infallible.

No one has a guarantee that they will not make mistakes.

Therefore, making a mistake is not the problem; rather, the mistake lies in abandoning the Quran itself.

Whoever abandons the Quran out of fear of making a mistake is correcting a mistake with a bigger one.

People fear extremism, Abu Nahar.

people have this idea that those who delve a bit too deep, interpreting and trying to contemplate,

people even fear for their children: "I'm afraid he might become extremist or something."

So they are somewhat cautious in this regard. What do you think of this?

No — whoever wants to become extremist will do so in everything.

Even international law — America went to extremes in interpreting it.

The invasion of Iraq resulted from an extreme interpretation of international law.

Many legal texts are interpreted in an extreme manner.

Wars waged under what is called "democratic war"

are a misinterpretation of the right to self-determination.

It is a misuse of this. America and the West went to extremes in understanding international law.

So extremism, whether on the far right or the far left, exists.

And the solution is not to abandon the text, but to address this extremism.

If you go to extremes in understanding the Quran, what should I do?

Say we abandon the Quran because of extremist interpretations? No,

the solution is to confront this extremism.

The same applies to manipulators — not just extremism, but the opposite direction too.

Today, some people say

that if you open the door to contemplating the Quran, manipulators will enter.

Well, do these manipulators really need my permission?

Do they need the scholars' permission, as if they will only enter if permitted?

They will enter whether you agree or not.

On the contrary, if you prevent people from contemplating out of fear of manipulators entering,

the biggest beneficiaries are the manipulators, and the most harmed are the sincere ones.

Because the sincere person will refrain from contemplating the Quran out of fear of this,

whereas the manipulator will see it as an opportunity, seize the Quranic texts, and manipulate the minds of Muslims.

Today you see some famous, major manipulators; when they entered the Islamic scene,

they swept through and won over large segments of Muslims through their manipulation,

because Muslims have become estranged from the Quran as a result of abandoning it,

and they are often ignorant of the texts of the Quran, meaning they are estranged from it,

and as a result, their minds are easily manipulated.

They bring any verse and use it to manipulate them.

In fact, even professors of Sharia were dragged into this.

Why? Because we are isolated from the Quran.

When we feared and abandoned the Quran, it became easy to manipulate our minds.

Yet manipulators have spread today.

Why? Because they saw the desertification of the Islamic mind regarding the Quran,

and were able to manipulate. But the greatest means to ward off manipulators

is to encourage the youth and Muslims to read, ponder, and know the Quran,

so that if a Quranic awareness results from this contemplation,

this Quranic awareness will be the greatest barrier against manipulators.

Otherwise, manipulators existed even during the time of Quranic revelation.

They did not just emerge now with the advent of social media.

During the revelation, there were manipulators, and the Quran told us about this.

He ﷻ said:

“And those who disbelieve say, "Do not listen to this Qur’ān and speak noisily during [the recitation of] it that perhaps you will overcome."” (Quran 41:26)

They say, manipulating it: "...that perhaps you will overcome."

So they wanted to manipulate it.

Despite that, the Quran did not say: "Do not ponder."

On the contrary, it commanded even the disbelievers to ponder the Quran.

“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?” (Quran 47:24)

...locks. Therefore, warning people against going to the Quran and setting impossible conditions

to enter the circle of pondering the Quran on the pretext of manipulators existing,

means you are helping Satan beautify the sin of abandoning the Quran.

He beautified it in our minds.

Satan was not on the sidelines when Muslims fell into the trap of abandoning the Quran.

No, he beautified it for them: "No, you are not qualified.

There are difficult conditions. You might make a mistake.

My brother, you are not worthy of interacting with the Quran."

He feeds you ideas, beautifying them in your mind.

And in the end? He is pleased that you abandoned the Quran,

under endless pretexts.

This is not out of wishful thinking, but rather out of visible reality.

Many young people have now begun returning to the Quran.

The river of the Quran has begun to carve its path in the Islamic Ummah now,

in a good, cohesive, and authentic way.

And if this continues, these Quranic seeds will branch out quickly,

And people will see what dazzles them from the Quran's reflection on human knowledge.

Because if the Quran is reflected well upon the Islamic mind, you will see unimaginable Islamic knowledge,

and it will be the greatest draw in Islamic civilization today, if we can achieve that.

Doctor, you are saying that the Quran requires contemplation, but contemplation requires some effort and is somewhat difficult.

You try to understand the meanings, sit down, and focus.

But on the other hand, is there a pleasure

after you acquire some of the knowledge you are looking for, based on experience?

Well, look, I personally believe that...

the listener now might find it strange if I told them I have almost abandoned reading.

I don't read anymore. I might read one or two books a month.

In the past, I used to finish a book every day or two.

Since I got to know the Quran, I no longer have an appetite for other books.

Because this Book amazes me. I find a beautiful, profound idea...

...then when I think about it and try to develop it, I find it lacks something.

Then I discover elsewhere what completes that deficiency.

I am amazed by the integration I find in the Quranic text.

I have never found this in any book in my entire life.

So, I do not mean to discourage reading,

but the reality is that the Quran amazes you with how much it expands with you.

Whenever I study any field of knowledge for a year or two, I get bored.

Because it is a repetition of the same ideas; there is nothing new.

Maybe an idea here or there,

but the logic of the idea itself repeats.

Yes, except for the Quran. On the contrary, it leaves you feeling helpless.

Every time I say, 'I have mastered this concept,' I find it opens a new horizon.

Lā ilāha illallāh!

When will this end?

Every time I make progress, I find I am still at the beginning of the path.

I thought I had reached the depths of the Quranic ocean,

only to discover that I am still at the shore.

This state of awe made me see my life as just a second.

I say, "What should I work on? On what?"

The political model in the Quran took ten years of my life,

ten years, and I still have not finished.

And after that, I wanted to move on to economics—the economic model in the Quran.

Then, I was drawn to an idea in the Quran...

that the Quran only mentions man in a blameworthy context.

It always dispraises man.

I didn't understand what that was about.

Why is man always dispraised in the Quran?

When I delved into it, I discovered a complete educational model in the Quranic text.

So I left economics and worked on the Quranic educational model...

...which we're supposed to discuss now. I don't know when we will.

Anyway, the point is that if the doors of the Quran were to open for you—

—and they open for anyone who knocks on them,

but with perseverance. You must be patient with the Quran.

It makes no sense that you can be patient with Nietzsche, Hegel, Fukuyama,

and John Stuart Mill for years,

and some read Al-Shatibi for years, specializing in him for years.

But when it comes to any surah of the Quran, they won't be patient even minutes.

No, this cannot be.

And I tell you, I always start, of course, by virtue of my human nature...

I say, 'This idea is briefly mentioned in the Quran in this context.'

Then I find it expanding and expanding until—I plan for it to be a tweet,

then it grows to become an article, then a book, and then I am overwhelmed. I give up. The idea has grown too big.

Let me give a small example.

Once, I wanted to focus on a specific topic in the Quran,

in the political field—a specific aspect of politics.

But I wanted to read the entire Quran to understand its perspective on this aspect.

So I boarded the plane and said, 'I'm traveling just four or five days for this idea.'

I want to dedicate my mind completely to this idea.

As soon as I boarded the plane, I opened the Mus'haf.

I wanted to start with Al-Baqarah. I thought, 'Al-Fatihah has little—let me start with Al-Baqarah.'

Then I said, 'Come on, read Al-Fatihah for blessing.'

Do you know the entire trip was spent on Al-Fatihah?

How wonderful!

By Allah, I couldn't move past it.

I returned to Qatar, and for six months in Qatar, I didn't move past Al-Fatihah.

Until I gave up. I never finished Al-Fatihah.

I discovered why it is the Opener.

And I discovered why there is no 'Closer'.

Al-Fatihah is an Opener, but there is no Closer. Why?

I discovered why. "And We have certainly given you..."

“And We have certainly given you, [O Muḥammad], seven of the often repeated [verses] and the great Qur’ān.” (Quran 15:87)

I said, 'How is Al-Fatihah the seven oft-repeated verses,

Al-Fatihah is part of the Quran, and He says:

“And We have certainly given you, [O Muḥammad], seven of the often repeated [verses] and the great Qur’ān.” (Quran 15:87)

as if they are two different things.

But understanding Al-Fatihah reveals why this conjunction exists.

Your mind will be blown by this.

The point is we must change our perception of the Quran.

If we change it, we will find something.

The truly deprived is he who is deprived of the Quran.

Unfortunately, we have a tradition, especially among Sharia scholars and professors,

that the Quran should be left for the end of your life.

Study usul al-fiqh, Hadith science and Hadith terminology,

go into fiqh maxims and maqasid al-Sharia,

study Arabic with its branches like rhetoric,

and sub-branches of ma'ani and badi',

study philology, morphology (sarf), derivation, and so on,

go into the sciences of the Quran with all their branches,

and then, at the end of your life, go and ponder the Quran.

Meaning, you might make it, or you might die before that.

Who convinced the Islamic mind that the Quran comes at the very last moment?

Instead of being raised on Quranic concepts,

we now turn to it at the very last moment, the moment of farewell, before we leave this life.

How then do we embody the Quran in our reality?

Has not Allah ﷻ commanded us to read the Quran to establish life upon this Quran?

Has He not commanded us to read the Quran to establish social life and human society on justice?

How then do we turn to it only at the very last moment?

Therefore, we are making a grave mistake.

For example, even in Sharia faculties across the Islamic world,

you find Sharia professors, when you discuss Quranic verses with them,

saying, "I am not specialized in the Quran — go to the Tafsir professors."

How? They say, "I am specialized in Hadith studies."

I am specialized in usul al-fiqh.

I am specialized in fiqh. I am not specialized in the Quran.'

How strange! How can you be a Sharia scholar yet not specialized in the Quran?

The Quran is the source of Sharia, as Al-Shatibi says: "Then We put you..."

“Then We put you, [O Muḥammad], on an ordained way concerning the matter [of religion]; so follow it and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know.” (Quran 45:18)

meaning the Quran. How can you be a Sharia professor without pondering the Quran,

and you do not know the foundational vocabulary of the Quran? Does that make sense?

Specializing in Hadith, usul al-fiqh, or fiqh is fine,

but later on, you must specialize in the Quran.

Therefore, in Sharia colleges across the Islamic world, or Islamic universities,

the first year should be a year of Quranic foundation.

Just like English language foundation programs in universities now,

instead, the first year should be a Quranic foundation.

Are we not Islamic universities? Are we not Sharia colleges?

Therefore, we must start from the foundation of Sharia: the Quran.

In this year, you learn the Quran's foundational vocabulary.

The Quran has foundational vocabulary, a network of vocabulary that you must learn.

You learn the Surahs of the Quran, its units, and the core themes that govern it.

You learn the Quranic parallels, and its Muhkam and Mutashabih verses.

You learn the grand contexts of the Quran.

You learn the core Quranic concepts, and the Quran's stance on the 'other'.

This basic Quranic foundation for a year or two,

and then one enters other fields of knowledge.

If it were up to me, there would be a complete Quranic curriculum

for all university students,

learning the foundations of Quranic perspectives across all branches of human and social sciences,

so that if they specialize in sociology, education, economics, or political science,

they will have a Quranic foundation to draw upon in their field of knowledge,

to guide and direct him in studying humanities and social sciences.

But we have isolated the Quran.

When the time came to invest—we had planted it—

and when harvest time came, we went to another tree.

We did not invest in the Quranic tree.

I wanted to get into the topic of upbringing,

but you just mentioned Al-Fatihah, which raised a question for me.

Because as you spoke about Al-Fatihah, you seemed to see it in a different way.

We recite Al-Fatihah daily, and multiple times in all our prayers,

So perhaps we can try to contemplate Al-Fatihah, or read it

in a way that might evoke certain meanings for us,

helping us in khushū', and in several other matters.

So I do not want to bypass this topic.

and delve into parenting without knowing at least the mechanism of contemplating Al-Fatihah specifically.

Look, the general idea is that we follow what the Quran says.

What did the Quran command us? It commanded us to contemplate— and contemplation is not merely reading.

Contemplation is reflecting on things. And reflection has a key,

which is the question: "Why?" You ask: "Why?"

And see how the springs of the Quran will gush forth for you.

Do not just pass over the verses quickly.

Al-Fatihah, for example, what did Allah ﷻ start it with?

Why did He say 'All praise is due to Allah' and not 'All gratitude is due to Allah'?

What is the difference between praise (Hamd) and gratitude (Shukr)?

Ask this question. Why did He start with praise?

Examine praise. See how the Quran uses "Hamd",

and how it uses "Shukr." You'll see the difference between the two.

You will see that al-hamd, for example, is only used after an action.

It must be after an action. - Yes.

Notice? So here you understand, then, what is the action that came in Al-Fatihah and required the presence of al-hamd.

Here you begin to work; you have the mindset of tadabbur.

Why did He say "Rabb of the worlds" and not "Ilah of the worlds"?

What is the difference between Rabb and Ilah? Search in...

...the usage of Rabb and the usage of Ilah in the Quran.

Complete induction of Quranic vocabulary is essential, and Al-Raghib al-Asfahani relied on it.

You can refer to Al-Raghib al-Asfahani — one of the geniuses of Islamic history —

in his explanation of the meanings of the Quran.

He is often very precise in his definition of vocabulary because he relies on complete, comprehensive induction.

So go through the Quran,

see how He used "Rabb" and "Ilah", and find the difference.

Then you go back to the commentators. Sometimes the difference might not be clear to you,

so look at what the commentators say to benefit from them.

But first, try it yourself to have a direct connection with the Quran.

Do not sever your direct connection with the Quran.

And look at why He said "Lord of the worlds," not "Lord of mankind."

What is the difference between "the worlds" and "mankind"?

Why did He say...?

What does the Day of Judgment have to do with it?

Then, more importantly, why is there nothing in Al-Fatihah attributed to Allah ﷻ, but it is all attributed to man?

who says...

“[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -”

“The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,”

“Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.”

“It is You we worship and You we ask for help.”

“Guide us to the straight path -” (Quran 1:2-6)

"path..."

“The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have earned [Your] anger or of those who are astray.” (Quran 1:7)

all of it, the human being.

It is the only Surah in the Quran entirely attributed to the human being.

Why?

When you ask "why," things begin to open up for you.

Why does Allah ﷻ say "O you who believe," "O mankind," "O you who disbelieve,"

but He does not say, "O you who have submitted"?

Ask why, then search for the answers.

But if you do not ask why, how will horizons open up for you?

Because "why" is the question of contemplation.

To contemplate something, I must ask about its cause. Why was it placed this way?

We believe Allah ﷻ sent down the Quran — a precise Book whose verses are perfected,

therefore, every word, every letter was placed for a purpose that we must search for.

If you train yourself to ask "why?" then search the rest of the Quran

through complete induction, meanings will unfold for you.

This is a simplified method that any Muslim can apply,

at least to establish a connection with the Quran,

and then develop himself through the writings of scholars and studying Quranic sciences,

and the well-known Islamic research methodologies.

But at least, there must be a direct connection.

You read the Quran daily, but you do not feel a connection with it

because you do not search within it.

You are only reading it superficially,

without searching for the meanings.

The issue is that the Quran is made easy for remembrance.

Just try, engage with the Quran, and ask questions.

Then see how asking questions leads you to very major answers.

And even if you ask a question and do not find an answer to it, ask the scholars.

Let them also engage with you on these Quranic ideas.

This is how you expand the Quranic foundation.

When I talk about this matter, I do not aspire to make everyone a scholar.

Rather, I want to expand the Quranic foundation in the Islamic Ummah.

But keeping you completely away from the Quran is not right.

You will remain isolated and abandon the Quran,

and thus your knowledge of it will not develop.

But develop. Learn and ask, learn and ask, learn and ask.

With time, you will accumulate knowledge of the Quran.

You will have a strong connection to the Quran,

and thus it will not be easy to manipulate your mind regarding it.

Not everyone who comes to you with an idea can sway you left and right.

This is an easy, accessible method that anyone can learn.

Therefore, breaking the psychological barrier is one of the things that may be holding us back

from contemplating that a direct connection between us and the Quran is possible.

Just try to read. Try asking it.

You will feel a very great pleasure. Contemplate, for example, Surah Ad-Duha.

Just take a paper and write down the ideas that come as you read Surah Ad-Duha.

Just look at how its arrangement is wonderfully structured.

Look: "And as for the favor of your Lord" — 'your Lord' ends the last verse. People think the favor of your Lord means everything,

meaning all you have — wealth and so on — and to display it, as this falls under proclaiming the blessing.

But look for what the blessing of Allah ﷻ is. Look in the Quran.

And how does it begin? "By the morning brightness, and the night..."

“And [by] the night when it covers with darkness,”

“Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muḥammad], nor has He detested [you].” (Quran 93:2-3)

"And your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied."

Where did Allah ﷻ speak about giving in the Quran?

"Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar."

Connect "Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar" with this.

The verses connect and call to one another in a truly wondrous way.

Just ask. Take Surah al-Hujurat and write down the ideas that come to you

today before you go to sleep at night.

Or take Surah al-Furqan.

You will find that every day, ideas accumulate.

Today you read it and write two pages, for example.

Tomorrow you write four pages.

And so it expands.

Then, if you find an idea, search for it elsewhere.

How did He express it?

You will find He expressed it in different ways — in a complementary manner.

Not repetition.

There is no repetition; rather, they complement each other.

There is repetition for emphasis at times.

But generally, Quranic concepts complement each other.

But not in one place — it mentions something in Al-Furqan,

something in Al-Hujurat, something in 'Abasa,

something in Ad-Duha, and so on. The Quranic concept becomes complete.

Look, for example, in Al-Mutaffifin.

When you read: "Woe to those who give less" — who are the Mutaffifun?

Who is the Mutaffif? The Mutaffif, as the verse defines...

“Who, when they take a measure from people, take in full.”

“But if they give by measure or by weight to them, they cause loss.” (Quran 83:2-3)

If he has a right, he will exhaust you to get it.

But if the right is against him, he does not fulfill it.

You see? He is strict about his own rights but lenient regarding the rights of others.

Now, who is the opposite of the mutaffif?

When you look into it, you might say "unjust." No, the unjust is the opposite of the just.

The unjust person deprives others of their rights. No.

You will find in the Surah itself the opposite meaning of the mutaffif.

If the mutaffif is the one who demands his rights in full but does not fulfill the rights of others,

then Allah ﷻ mentioned to us the righteous (al-Abrar).

"No! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in 'Illiyyun."

Who is the righteous person?

The righteous person is the one who fulfills the rights of others and forgives regarding his own rights.

If you have a right over me, I give you your full right — one hundred percent.

If you do not give me my right in full, I might overlook it and forgive you.

So how did Allah ﷻ describe Himself? As al-Barr, the Merciful.

Why did Allah ﷻ describe Himself as al-Barr?

Because Allah ﷻ gives us our rights in full.

Every good deed you have done, you will find it with Allah ﷻ.

You will not be defrauded of anything.

“And whatever good they do - never will it be denied them. And Allāh is Knowing of the righteous.” (Quran 3:115)

Nothing will be denied; everything will come to you.

But if you fall short in the right of Allah ﷻ, He pardons and forgives.

Therefore, He is al-Barr.

And that is why, you know, when we talk about Birr to parents...

Why did He say "Birr to parents" and not "justice with parents"?

Give them their full rights without...

But if they withhold your rights or fall short, you overlook and forgive.

My relationship with my parents is not one of justice.

It is a relationship of Birr. A relationship of Birr.

If they fall short, I do not deal with them by the logic of:

"They fell short of my rights, so why should I obey them?"

No, you are not dealing with one of your friends.

These are your parents.

The logic of dealing with parents is different.

Look at how the verses connect with one another.

It speaks of the righteous, leads you to al-Barr al-Raheem, then in another surah, to Birr to parents.

The Quran is interconnected in a truly wondrous way.

Therefore, for those who say that the Quran is not from Allah ﷻ, who is it from then?

It is impossible for a book to come with such a highly cohesive, precise, integrated, and self-reinforcing structure in this manner.

How can we understand the Quranic stance on upbringing?

You have said more than once we would discuss this, so I'd like to get into it now.

How can we understand the Quran's stance on upbringing?

Look, the Quran took an amazing path in the matter of human upbringing.

It did not begin directly by directing the human being. No — it devoted

a number of verses just to explain the nature of human nature,

the nature of the human soul.

So it started first from conceptualization.

So that you understand. I used to wonder sometimes,

saying, "What is the point? Some verses are mentioned only descriptively."

The Quran is supposed to be a book of guidance, so it should bring verses that direct us to do or not do.

No. It brings many verses

just to explain the nature of the human soul.

Look, John Dewey, the American educational philosopher,

one of the pillars of educational philosophy in the 20th century,

said every philosophy must start from understanding the nature of the human soul.

And this is what the Quran did.

Meaning, "No! [But] indeed, man transgresses"

"Because he sees himself self-sufficient."

Look, He did not judge. He is only explaining to you.

explaining to you the nature of the human soul.

It tells you that when man begins to perceive "that he sees himself"—not when he is actually self-sufficient—

when he begins to perceive himself as self-sufficient, this is an indication that he will soon transgress,

and exceed his limits. / The nature of man. / The nature of man.

As soon as you see signs of self-sufficiency in him, rest assured that he is on the verge of transgression.

Whether on the political level or the educational level.

You might give someone the position of department head,

and what starts to happen? He begins to criticize his department manager recklessly.

He begins to flex his muscles in front of the employees.

It becomes clear. Even if only in words, in the slips of his tongue.

He begins to act as if self-sufficient in this matter,

and that "I was given it only for the knowledge I have." That's it.

Here, the signs of transgression begin.

And from this, we derived the theory of the extended arm,

from this verse.

And we tried to explain the phenomenon of Hemedti in Sudan,

the Wagner phenomenon in Russia, and the Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire.

How these entities emerged,

then, when their leaders felt self-sufficient, they transgressed.

And if we add to that the idea of accumulation and multiplication,

the accumulation model combined with the self-sufficiency model creates a theory,

a theory for understanding the extended arm.

What do I mean by the extended arm?

The military arms that are established outside traditional military institutions

to secure power from the dominance of the traditional military institution.

Just like what al-Bashir did when he brought Hemedti, and what...

the Ottoman Empire did with the Janissaries, and so on.

You find indicators of self-sufficiency.

When you follow Hemedti, the signs of self-sufficiency were already clear in him.

If you follow Wagner, he was a chef.

Right, and suddenly he began criticizing the Minister of Defense and so on.

Signs of self-sufficiency appeared early, after 2014 when he entered Ukraine,

and expanded into Africa, South America, and so on.

The signs of self-sufficiency became clear. This is explained by the Quran.

Understand? This is descriptive knowledge.

For example: "Indeed, mankind was created anxious."

This gives you knowledge, not a ruling — not right or wrong.

It gives you a fact.

The fact that mankind was created anxious — anxious.

“When evil touches him, impatient,”

“And when good touches him, withholding [of it],” (Quran 70:20-21)

...and grudging. This is the nature of the human soul.

The Quran gives you a complete explanation — a diagnosis.

The Quran did not start by treating the human soul, no.

It started first with the stage of diagnosing the human soul,

And this is the difference. Therefore, all descriptive verses

must be viewed as a diagnosis of the human soul.

This is the problem with the contemporary educational system:

it is not based on a correct understanding of the human soul.

Meaning, our schools, our educational system, and universities

do not focus on making teachers understand the nature of the human soul

so that they deal with students and children with sound logic.

You cannot build a sound education

without a correct perception of the human soul, right?

Without this correct perception, we will not achieve sound education.

There is scientific research in American and British universities studying this scientifically.

This is part of understanding the human being.

These are all attempts to understand human nature.

But when we provide education, we bring teachers and tell them,

"You must tell students this and that." Right?

But we do not sit with the teachers

and explain to them the nature of the human soul so they can understand it and deal with it.

Right? When you say, "mankind was created anxious,"

you must explain what anxious means, what impatient means...

The Quran mentions around fifteen negative traits of man.

Anxious, impatient, withholding, hasty, stingy, despairing, unjust,

ignorant, argumentative, exultant, boastful, arrogant, and so on.

All of these traits are by way of diagnosis, diagnosing the human soul.

These human traits are not necessarily all apparent.

All of these are within you.

There is no human who does not have these traits.

But some of us have three or four traits,

some of us have five, six, or seven apparent traits,

and the rest are latent and hidden.

They exist within you, but are not apparent or active.

Right? When do they become active?

When you interact with an environment that activates other negative traits in you.

For example, suppose I have four of these traits,

but, for instance, I don't have the trait of...

Let's assume: being argumentative (khasīm).

The 'khasīm' is one who argues for falsehood.

You know it's wrong, but you defend yourself, right? Isn't that your nature?

You act arrogantly.

Yes, even in gatherings, once it happens, he knows the truth,

but he keeps arguing so he won't be embarrassed before others, so he keeps stalling... argumentative.

"And man is, more than anything, contentious." He must argue and defend himself.

For example, I wasn't stingy, but when I mixed with a stingy environment,

little by little, I acquired the trait of stinginess.

- True. - I became tight-fisted.

So, Faisal, you have some negative traits,

and I have some negative traits, and so-and-so does too,

and thus we feed each other negative traits without realizing it.

Therefore, the Quran only mentions "man" in a blameworthy context because it refers to the human being characterized by these traits.

And when Allah ﷻ said, "and man was created weak."

Why? Why is man weak? Because he has these negative traits,

which make you weak. When do you become strong?

When you transition from the model of "man" to the model of faith.

When you become a believing human, things change; you acquire different characteristics.

Therefore, Allah ﷻ always says: "Except those who believe," "Except those who pray."

This is another stage.

Therefore, the educational project in the Quran is to transition the human being from having these negative traits

to another model: the believing human who possesses the opposites of these traits.

Do you see the traits I mentioned a moment ago?

The Quran mentioned their opposites, which is the model of the believing human.

So we must be aware of these traits.

Your educational project in school is supposed to start from the day you enter school.

The project of education is that it begins by purifying the student's soul from these fifteen traits,

one by one. For each one, the Quran mentioned its psychological motives, challenges, and behavioral manifestations,

each of these negative traits, and mentioned its characteristics so you learn and recognize them,

Then after that, He mentioned the opposite trait to you,

and He mentioned the challenges that prevent you from reaching

and transitioning from this negative trait to that positive trait.

All of it is there. The diagnosis and treatment are in the Quran.

What we need is to embody this educational model in schools.

If you only purified me from these negative traits... My brother, it's not just these negative traits.

If I only had one of these fifteen traits established in me,

the opposites—I mean, the trait of gratitude.

Imagine raising a student on the trait of gratitude from the very beginning.

Do you know what gratitude means? Gratitude is appreciation.

When you show gratitude, it means you appreciate. Allah ﷻ is described as what?

Shakur. What is the meaning of Shakur? It means that He appreciates our deeds.

And praise...

“And they will say, "Praise to Allāh, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative -” (Quran 35:34)

He is All-Forgiving of our slips, All-Appreciative of our righteous deeds, meaning He values them.

Now, when a human is appreciative, he is grateful. What is the meaning of human gratitude?

Human gratitude means that you use blessings in accordance with the will of the Bestower.

Allah ﷻ gave you a blessing, right?

You must use it according to the Bestower's will, otherwise you would be ungrateful.

You have two paths: either grateful or ungrateful.

So if you want to be grateful, you must use every blessing

that Allah ﷻ has bestowed upon you, as Allah ﷻ commanded.

For example, Allah ﷻ gave you a position; this is a blessing.

True. So you are faced with one of two choices: either you view it as spoils,

and distribute it among your peers and loved ones, appointing them to positions—prevalent, unfortunately.

When you treat a position this way, you become ungrateful.

Some people are like this. You ask, "Why appoint him? He's a disaster for society."

He says, "What can I do? I don't want him upset." "So he doesn't get upset with you."

"Make him manager of your private companies." "No, he'll ruin everything."

"He'll make me lose money." Then why put him in charge of society? "Oh, that's fine."

This is treason. Treason is not only standing with the nation's enemies.

That is one type of treason.

But also treason—unfortunately very common— is appointing incompetents who burden society and waste state resources,

Therefore, a position is either viewed as spoils or as a responsibility.

If I view it as a responsibility, I will make this position a means for all good.

Every project in the state, I must support and back it,

and every success in the state I must support, so that it flourishes and grows,

because my responsibility—I was put in this position to support everyone who wants to succeed.

Everyone who wants to succeed, I am responsible, as long as it falls within my purview.

I realized this is the requirement of blessing: to be a key to good and a lock to evil.

When I have a position, when I have wealth and money, I must channel them into what pleases Allah ﷻ.

How so? In projects that involve charitable works.

And then, unfortunately, many businessmen have an immense attachment to their money,

I mean, some of them are even elderly. Honestly, I don't understand this philosophy.

You could be seventy or eighty, holding onto your money when you have hundreds of millions.

By Allah, I have seen people like this — it is truly strange.

He prefers to see his money as numbers in banks...

...rather than seeing it as happiness on people's faces or as projects that benefit them.

Why? Why?

On the contrary, by Allah, the ultimate happiness for a person is to see how their money has made people better,

made our societies better, and guided people to the path of goodness.

Isn't it worth it, my brother? You have enough to live on, enough to enjoy.

I am not saying don't enjoy yourself, but much of our money is just numbers in banks.

By Allah, if some people spent a million riyals every day,

their money would not run out before they die.

Yet, they hold onto it. This is ingratitude.

When you withhold your money — and wealth is a blessing

from Allah ﷻ — this is ingratitude for the blessing.

As for gratitude, it is spending this blessing in accordance with Allah's ﷻ will.

And when it comes to your mind — your mind is a blessing.

Some people have immense intellectual capabilities in analysis, criticism, and so on.

See where they invest it. Some have eloquence in speech — see where they invest it.

This is how you raise a child. Imagine if, since I was young,

I knew that every blessing must be invested in obedience to Allah ﷻ.

How would the equation change for me? If only gratitude was instilled in me

in schools, from first grade through university, constantly instilling gratitude in us.

Set aside the other positive traits the Quran mentions; let me just focus on gratitude.

For negative traits, I think the concept of the withholder alone is enough.

When Allah ﷻ spoke about the withholder, He said: "A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful."

Notice how precise the phrasing is. And in another place, He said...

“Preventer of good, aggressor, and doubter,”

“Who made [as equal] with Allāh another deity; then throw him into the severe punishment."” (Quran 50:25-26)

He prevents good. Notice how the Quran always describes him as a transgressor.

Meaning, he just prevents good.

He prevents good — and this alone is a transgression against others.

For example, if I know you are applying for a job and you are qualified,

and someone consults me, saying, "I want to hire Faisal,"

but I want to withhold good from you.

So I tell him, "No, by Allah, Faisal has such and such problems,"

"and he is not suitable," trying to slander you. This is a transgression against you.

In the Quranic conception, this is a transgression.

You bear sin for it.

Yes, of course — that is why in the Quran,

in Surah Al-Qalam: "So they departed, conversing in secret tones,"

the owners of the garden: "No poor person shall enter it today," letting no one in.

They were preventing good from reaching the people.

When it burned, what did they say? "Woe to us! Indeed, we were transgressors."

A transgressor oversteps their own rights onto the rights of others.

You see? So when you prevent good, what happens?

You transgress against people in this way.

Some people think it is just a word. No.

Today, you find officials whose specialty is preventing good.

Officials who have no job other than putting a spoke in the wheel.

Wherever they see a project progressing, they obstruct it.

Why? Because this project is not under my authority.

Without even realizing it.

"If this project were mine, I would support it."

But since it belongs to other officials,

by Allah, I will obstruct it; it won't go through.

But he doesn't do it intentionally, Abu Nahar. He does it out of fear. Why? I mean, there is no one...

This is preventing good.

No, no, no. Unfortunately, many people, if success does not come through them, they oppose it.

"Either success is in my name, or I will oppose it."

How far is this from Allah's ﷻ words: "Cooperate in righteousness and piety"?

On the contrary, if I see you in a successful project, I must — not merely may — cooperate with you.

If I am able to do so, I must support you in this matter.

Whereas this person, because he prevents and blocks good, has ultimately become like a stick in the wheel; wherever the wheel of good moves, he stops it.

As narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah, from the Prophet ﷺ,

to be a key. Imagine being raised on this idea.

Wherever there is a good project, you contribute to its development,

and wherever you see bad behavior, you contribute to stopping it.

You are sitting in a gathering where they are backbiting a certain person.

Change the subject. Change the subject.

Here, you are a barrier to evil, a barrier to evil.

They were gaining sins from this and attacking the honor of your friend, and so on.

But just change the subject — you need not argue with them.

"O people, this backbiting is Haram." Close the door.

If you see people you know working on a business project, and you know they...

have a very big loophole and will get into trouble,

Be a barrier to evil.

Tell them, "This leads to such-and-such," and close the door.

Always strive to be a key to good or a lock to evil.

Imagine if our educational model and system were based on this idea,

on the student being a key to good and a lock to evil.

You fear making or missing the mark. I mean, me.

No—if you're sure, meaning if you know and are experienced.

But I don't mind making mistakes, as long as I don't change.

Even you, coming to me saying, "I have a project but lack such-and-such, and I have this."

When I think with the logic of being a key to good, I will support you.

But when I think, "By Allah, if this succeeds, what do I gain?"

Here the equation changes completely for a person.

So you must act on the logic of being a key to good and a lock to evil.

Education now is supposed to reinforce this idea every year with different exercises and training for the child,

until they grow up with this firmly and clearly established.

I liken the educational model to an example that might seem strange,

but I see it as the closest way to illustrate the educational model in the Quran.

When you read the educational Quranic verses,

you get the impression that man, in the Islamic conception,

was not born in the middle of a flat path,

meaning, a flat path like this table. No,

man was born in the middle of a mountain path.

No one was born at the top of the mountain,

and no one was born at the bottom.

We were all born in the middle of this mountain path.

The Quranic project and the divine trial for man: how do you reach the summit?

You have two options; for each: "He inspired it with its wickedness and piety."

You have the ability to ascend, and you have the ability to descend to the bottom.

The choice is yours.

Now, Allah ﷻ tells you that you have two main enemies,

each of whom wants to pull you down to the bottom.

You will ascend, you will try, but you face two enemies: Satan and the nafs.

Satan has a clear mechanism that the Quran has explained repeatedly.

It begins with instigation (nazgh)—so either...

“And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allāh. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.” (Quran 7:200)

A whisper, a passing thought that comes to your mind:

"It is fine, there is no problem, do it."

Then he beautifies it for you, right? "He made their deeds fair-seeming to them."

For example, suppose you have an inheritance, and your sister is young, for instance,

you say, "By Allah, she doesn't know, and I spend on her anyway."

Right? A whisper first. If you seek refuge in Allah, the matter ends.

You say, "No, I will give her her full right."

If you respond to this whisper, what happens? It develops and becomes beautifying.

"Brother, you are the one who spends on her,

and you are not throwing the money away; in the end,

you are her brother, so what's good for you is good for her."

And so he beautifies it for you until you love the sin,

and then you are dragged from one sin to another, until you sink to the bottom.

Going down is easy. Like any mountain — going down is easy.

That is why the Prophet ﷺ says: "Hellfire is surrounded by desires,"

meaning, it is appealing for a person to go down.

Some say, "If a person's affairs run smoothly, he must be doing well,"

"his affairs are going well." No,

sometimes ease is not a measure of right and wrong.

Ease may indicate you are on the wrong path.

The proof is the action itself: is it right or wrong?

Do I have scriptural legitimacy for the action's correctness or error?

Ease and difficulty are not proof.

The path of good may be difficult, and the path of evil may be easy.

That is why Allah ﷻ says:

"and We will ease him toward difficulty."

There are people Allah ﷻ eases toward difficulty.

They find that the path of wrongdoing is made easy for them,

due to their accumulated mistakes.

So, Allah ﷻ begins to ease for them the path of disobedience.

That is why people say, "So-and-so's affairs are going smoothly."

No, smooth affairs do not mean one is on the right path.

Sometimes, this ease is just the ease of going downhill.

Climbing is hard. That is why the Quran often uses

the concept of Jihad, "strive," because effort involves enduring hardship.

Now, what plunges you completely to the bottom,

in a state of free fall, so to speak,

not a step or two back then forward — no,

a total free fall is Shirk.

If you fall into Shirk, you have fallen in a free fall.

This expression comes from the Quran itself,

“Inclining [only] to Allāh, not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allāh - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.” (Quran 22:31)

Look at the expression: "as though he had fallen from the sky." A free fall.

“Inclining [only] to Allāh, not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allāh - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.” (Quran 22:31)

"We push it aside." Meaning, you have no escape; there is no salvation.

Shirk is your end—the end of your chance in life, unless you repent to Allah ﷻ.

But whoever falls into shirk, all their good deeds are gone.

That's it—you have left the circle of competition.

To clarify shirk: in the last episode, some asked what shirk means.

Mhm.

Shirk is to take another god besides Allah ﷻ.

Ibn Hayyan says the majority of commentators hold that shirk is taking another god besides Allah ﷻ.

And "ilah"—what does it mean?

An ilah is anything you submit to absolutely—absolute submission.

Meaning, if he commands you, you do not reject it no matter what,

even if it contradicts revelation—you submit to him.

And this is not necessarily an idol.

The deity may be a person, like the Christians when they deified Jesus (AS), and the Quran stated this.

And it may be the scholars or leaders whom you take as such.

Why did the Quran describe the People of the Book as polytheists,

even though they claim to be monotheists?

"They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah ﷻ."

Yet, no Christians or Jews bow and prostrate to their scholars and monks.

But at the end of the verse He said: "Exalted is Allah ﷻ above what they associate with Him."

Why? Because they regarded them with veneration—absolute submission.

Whatever you submit to absolutely... Some Arabs used to venerate the jinn.

And Allah ﷻ described them as polytheists: "And they have made the jinn partners with Allah."

They committed shirk. Therefore, shirk is to take another god alongside Allah ﷻ, regardless.

Anyone to whom you submit absolutely, you have fallen into shirk in this matter.

But what is important here is to clarify the nature of sin in Islam, because we are talking about the concept of rising and falling in upbringing.

When you read Surah Al-Baqarah and understand the page about: "I am placing a vicegerent upon the earth"—

This page explains to you the patterns of human error.

All of our mistakes cannot fall outside of one of three types:

either an error of heedlessness, an error of weakness, or an error of rebellion.

Heedlessness, weakness, and rebellion.

Yes. There is no fourth error.

The error of heedlessness is the error of the angels—when they said...

“And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."” (Quran 2:30)

What did Allah ﷻ say to them?

He did not explain or justify to them.

Mhm.

Rather, He said to them:

“And [mention, O Muḥammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt You with praise and declare Your perfection?" He [Allāh] said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know."” (Quran 2:30)

They have erred in this objection.

Because when Allah ﷻ wills something, we must not question Him.

"He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned."

Servitude requires that we not ask Allah ﷻ, "Why did He do this?" or "Why did He create me?"

"Why did He make me this way?" That is it — Allah ﷻ created you this way. The matter is settled.

Do not question; Allah ﷻ is not your partner.

You are not in a partnership.

You are a servant of Allah ﷻ, and therefore, you must submit to everything Allah ﷻ does. This is the logic of servitude.

Therefore, when the angels asked, Allah ﷻ alerted them here.

Just a gentle reminder. For oversight, a mere reminder is sufficient.

or reminding. Yes, so they said, "Glory be to You,"

“They said, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise."” (Quran 2:32)

So immediately they confessed. As soon as they were reminded, they knew.

The mistake of weakness, the mistake of Adam. The mistake of Adam (AS).

Adam weakened before the temptation of Iblis.

He weakened before this. So what did Allah ﷻ say?

“And We had already taken a promise from Adam before, but he forgot; and We found not in him determination.” (Quran 20:115)

He was not resistant to Iblis's temptation.

He was weak in the face of this, and consequently erred.

Where was the biggest problem?

In the sin of Iblis.

Because Iblis's sin was the result of rebellion.

It was not weakness or desire — it was rebellion. He refused and was arrogant.

"He was arrogant and became one of the disbelievers."

Look, when Iblis refused to prostrate, Allah ﷻ asked him.

He said, "Were you arrogant..."

“[Allāh] said, "O Iblees, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands? Were you arrogant [then], or were you [already] among the haughty?"”

“He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay."” (Quran 38:75-76)

I used to ask him, "What is the difference between arrogance (istikbar) and haughtiness (uluww)?"

"The arrogant one is haughty."

"Right."

Right? No, arrogance is rejecting the command.

Haughtiness (uluww) is rejecting the commander.

For example, suppose you work...

...at a ministry. You are a department director, under whom is a section head.

The minister comes and says, "Let the section head sit before you."

You say, "No, I don't accept this. I am a director and he is a section head."

Here, you are not being haughty.

You are rejecting the command. You have no problem with the minister commanding you — he is your boss.

But you have a problem with the command itself — that it is wrong.

On what basis should he be prioritized over me?

So you reject the command, not the commander.

When you reject the commander,

you have entered the stage of haughtiness (uluww).

So what did Sulaiman (AS) say to the people of Yemen when he summoned them?

He said:

“Be not haughty with me but come to me in submission [as Muslims].'"” (Quran 27:31)

Meaning, do not think yourselves higher in status than me,

and that I have no right to command you. No.

“Be not haughty with me but come to me in submission [as Muslims].'"” (Quran 27:31)

Meaning, submissive to me, surrendered to me.

So when He asked Iblis: "Are you arrogant, or are you of the haughty?"

Iblis was not of the haughty. What did he say?

He said: "I am better than him."

No, my issue is with the command. I have no problem with Allah ﷻ commanding me, but why should I prostrate to Adam?

“[Allāh] said, "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?" [Satan] said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay [i.e., earth]."” (Quran 7:12)

Therefore, I am superior to him.

Here lies the problem. So what did the Quran intend by this entire story?

To show humanity that all your mistakes do not exceed these three matters:

Either a mistake of heedlessness, resolved by knowledge—like its resolution with the angels,

or a mistake of weakness, resolved by repentance.

“Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.” (Quran 2:37)

Or the error of rebellion, and this is fisq.

This fisq is the gateway to shirk.

Unfortunately, many Muslims—excuse me— fall into the error of Iblis.

Adam's error was a disobedience.

Look, Allah ﷻ was precise in the Quran.

How does He express it? The phrasing is precise.

When it came to Iblis, He said: "and he rebelled against the command of his Lord."

When it came to Adam (AS), He said: "And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred."

He said "disobeyed", He did not say "rebelled".

Because defiance (fisq) is the result of rebellion— [as if saying], "No, I disobey out of rebellion."

And this is our problem. Our problem— you see, man usually disobeys out of ignorance and desire.

For example, "By Allah, they told me this business deal is Haram, but the profit is high," so I got into it, then later regretted it.

Right? Here, there is no problem; he repents, feels guilty, and says, "May Allah forgive us."

or drinks alcohol, for example,

he says: "If Allah ﷻ wills, He will forgive me."

This is a sin resulting from desire.

But there are people who persist in this matter.

He says: "Alcohol isn't even clearly forbidden in the Quran."

"There is no clear proof in the Quran that alcohol is forbidden."

"And why is riba forbidden?"

"I benefit, the bank benefits, and we all benefit. Why is it forbidden?"

Look — we have moved from the issue that

I am a sinner, I made a mistake, and I need to repent,

to actually legitimizing the sin.

He makes the sin permissible for himself.

This is how a person is.

When a person commits a sin, he feels remorse.

So what does he do to rid himself of this remorse?

He goes and legitimizes the sin.

Rebellion.

Yes, just like Iblis did.

He rationalized his sin. He said, "No," meaning he brought a logical argument.

He said, "I am better than him."

This is the problem. Therefore, when a person leans towards this way,

they enter the gateway of shirk.

We moved from a natural sin to the sin of rebellion, which is the sin of Iblis.

There is a difference between the sin of Adam (AS) and the sin of Iblis.

Adam's (AS) sin was due to weakness — the common failing of humanity.

When Allah ﷻ presented the model of Adam (AS) and Iblis,

to show us that Adam's (AS) mistakes are not a problem,

all humans will fall into such mistakes.

All humans. And the solution is simple.

Seek His forgiveness.

Repentance. That's it.

“The repentance accepted by Allāh is only for those who do wrong in ignorance [or carelessness] and then repent soon [after]. It is those to whom Allāh will turn in forgiveness, and Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise.” (Quran 4:17)

...in ignorance," meaning out of folly.

"and then repent soon after."

That's it, he did it, felt remorse, and repented. We're done.

But the mistake of rebellion is the problem. Look at you now, for example,

when the Al-Aqsa Flood occurred,

many people, by Allah, said, "Brother, we can't do anything, we can't."

Every time he sees the massacres, he feels pangs of conscience. - 100%.

Then what does he do? To get rid of the pangs of conscience, he goes and legitimizes abandonment.

- How? - He says, "Actually, they made a mistake.

Why should they try to liberate their land when Israel is a strong state that cannot be confronted?"

They brought trouble upon themselves. They brought it on themselves.

If they had just sat there — okay, there's a blockade, torture, daily killing, but just one or two.

They have no problem with slow killing; only if it happens all at once.

If you count those killed daily — look at the West Bank since the Iron Wall operation began.

They kill normally and no one speaks. Three, four, five — no problem.

The point is: don't kill them all at once—that hurts my feelings. But gradually? No problem.

This is how some people perceive it. So, what is the point?

To justify it, he gives many justifications: "Why confront them? Why..."

"Israel is a nuclear state, backed by the West, and so on."

Based on this logic, you must yield to whoever occupies your country.

Because if Israel occupies your country, you must not resist—

it is stronger and will annihilate you, as it did in Gaza.

Same logic.

The same logic. Therefore, you must accept.

So here we have moved from sin—from the sin of weakness to the sin of rebellion.

The biggest mistake a Muslim can make

is when Iblis leads them from an unintentional mistake to a mistake of fisq,

as a result of this rebellion. Here, you fall into the problem of fisq.

And this gradually drags you into shirk.

No—if you commit a sin, immediately remember:

“Indeed, those who fear Allāh - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.” (Quran 7:201)

"Indeed, those who fear Allah, when touched by Satan..." even a God-fearing person can be touched.

There is no infallibility; in Islam, there is no infallibility. "...they at once foresee."

Okay? Let's go back to the mountain model.

A person recovers, of course—but once in the stage of fisq and shirk, you are quickly brought to the bottom.

So the Quranic educational project upon which the educational system in our current era, or at least in the Islamic world, should be based,

is how to help the student and the youth rise from the middle of the mountain where they were born to the summit.

Staying at the summit doesn't mean the work is over—it has conditions.

The summit has conditions you must uphold to remain there.

When we speak of the peak, we are using it metaphorically—

but the peak I am trying to understand from you is Paradise, that you reach...

No—the reassured soul. We reach a state of peace, a soul at rest, for whom obedience becomes easy.

I'm glad you clarified—I thought reaching the peak meant...

No, that is after death. There is no Paradise in this world, but I mean—

I mean that you reach it, that you walk this path, that you can die while you...

No, no, when a person gets used to obedience,

and gets used to subduing and suppressing Iblis, and suppressing his soul that commands evil,

After a while, he feels comfort and tranquility in obedience.

His soul has adapted. The soul is in a training period—

the more you accustom it, the more it adapts.

Just as you see in many things—even with a diet regime—

how people in two or three weeks get used to a specific diet and get along with it.

Everything, after a certain period, the human soul gets used to it.

So when it gets used to obedience, your soul becomes tranquil,

functioning well.

But this also has conditions to continue in this state of tranquility,

and you remain striving like this

until Allah ﷻ takes your soul.

So self-discipline is a continuous process.

The point is that the teacher...

In the educational process, when he realizes he is within the context of

moving the student from this stage, the middle stage, to the peak stage,

he will enjoy this project because he gains the reward

of this student as he rises with him to the peak.

Well, Abu Nahar, if we had a school today applying the Quranic educational system

compared to the current traditional system, because you just said,

if we teach them just one thing, for example, how to be grateful,

and compare it to today, where children in school are taught how to thank people,

how to appreciate others — if someone does something good, to value it,

but it is completely different from the quality or the concept you mentioned.

So, if we take this path and teach the child more than one Quranic concept, how would they evaluate themselves

against current concepts that also seem good? When people enter school today,

you don't see them teaching anything negative — you feel they teach students, especially young ones, good things,

like how to be a good person, how to apologize, and how to thank those around them.

So, to some extent, there are good qualities present, compared to Quranic attributes or teaching children this way.

How can we imagine what a child would be like if taught the way you described?

No, no, they would be completely different. I mean...

Okay, I appreciate the positive aspects you mentioned,

but the Quranic educational model, if implemented on the ground, cannot be compared to contemporary models, no matter how good they are.

Look, if we assume that a student actually entered a school

that embodies the Quranic education model as it is,

it will produce a student who is free in his mind.

Free in his mind, because Islam forbids sanctifying people.

Usually, when people love someone,

they bestow great qualities upon them, sanctifying them and giving them an aura.

The Quran rejects this. It commands the Islamic mind

to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

"Say, 'Produce your proof, if you should be truthful.'"

“Those who associated [others] with Allāh will say, "If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything." Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but misjudging."” (Quran 6:148)

The human mind mostly tends to revere the masses,

and tends to worship the majority.

The Quran does not care about majorities, nor sanctify them. "Indeed...

“And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allāh. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.” (Quran 6:116)

Yes, I respect the majority, I respect the masses,

I respect and value their feelings, but I do not sanctify them or submit to their desires.

I follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Nay, more than that, Islam liberates the human mind from its biases and whims.

Even your own whims — it liberates you from yourself.

Allah ﷻ says, "O you...

“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allāh, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allāh is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.” (Quran 4:135)

Even if the truth is against you, you must admit and acknowledge it.

If I debate you and discover I am wrong,

I must acknowledge and admit it, for I am free even from my own self.

This is objectivity in its clearest form.

Even if you do not know...

If the mind does not know, what does the Quran command?

It commands it to stop.

"And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge."

Imagine a student graduating with this mindset:

free in his mind, submitting to no one, yielding to no one, respecting people

and valuing them, but yielding to none without proof.

What do you think of such a mind?

This is on the intellectual level.

Now consider the psychological level.

He is firm within himself, reassured within himself, and composed.

Why? Because Allah ﷻ commands him to fear none but Allah.

He commands man to fear none but Allah and to hope in none but Allah.

People possess good things, but I do not cling to them.

People have power, but I do not fear it.

If a calamity befalls me, I do not despair,

if good comes to me, I do not grow greedy and withholding. Such is the nature of the human soul in the Quran.

It instills courage in you. Tawhid instills courage in man,

whereas Shirk brings humiliation to man.

There is a remarkable verse that explains this. Allah ﷻ says:

“[Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."” (Quran 8:12)

Why? "Because they associated partners with Allah."

The letter 'Baa' here is causal — their shirk with Allah causes their terror.

It is as if shirk creates a foundation for you, making you predisposed to fear.

I see. — Yes, therefore, Tawheed instills courage.

Look at the fighters in Gaza today; where did they get this courage from?

It is the courage of Tawheed.

He knows that what has befallen him could not have missed him,

and what has missed him could not have befallen him — so what is there to fear?

That is why you find that a group of Israeli soldiers — technology stands on their side,

and all advancement stands on their side,

while the soldier in the Qassam Brigades or in the Al-Quds Brigades

possesses not even a hundredth of what they have,

yet his courage and psychological steadfastness

make them — they flee, with all the technology they have, they flee.

And we have seen many scenes of this.

A person will be self-assured if we raise the student on the Quranic educational conception of the human soul; he will turn out to be firm,

reassured within himself.

This is on the level of dialogue with others.

How they now raise them on dialogue, that we must dialogue with...

The Quran says, "and argue with them in the best manner."

Do not dialogue with others except in a way that is best.

You see, if you have a good way and a better way, no, use the best method.

Why? Because dialogue...

...involves disputes and differences, so the gentler you are in speech, the more likely your opinion will be accepted.

So it commands the best. Imagine the student only dialogues with others in the best way.

In general speech, He commands you to say only what is good to people.

People should hear nothing from you but good words.

"And speak to people good words."

Thus the student graduates saying only what is good to people.

On the level of history— history being the past—

Allah ﷻ tells us that we are not responsible for the sins of history.

Allah ﷻ says...

You are not accountable for the sins of the past.

A Muslim is not responsible for the sins of history,

but is still commanded to learn and benefit from the past.

So we read history through this dual approach:

moving past all mistakes, and drawing lessons from what is beneficial.

Thus, we do not become captives of our past,

while still benefiting from it for our future.

On the level of sacrifice in dealing with others.

Allah ﷻ commands us to sacrifice.

The student is raised on the idea of sacrifice,

on the idea of altruism over withdrawing into his own interests,

even at the level of dealing with enemies.

The student graduates dealing with his enemies fairly.

If he sees a virtue in his enemy, he will acknowledge it.

If he wrongs his enemy, he will admit it,

because the Quran commands me to be just with my enemies.

Do you know who this verse was revealed about?

About the polytheists of Quraysh.

The worst enemies in Islamic history —

He commands us to be just with them.

If that means...

David Hume says that it is very rare for a person to be fair with his enemies.

These are ordinary enemies —

so what about the fiercest enemies? The Quran commands us to be fair with them.

While with his partners, no, no...

He does not betray or break promises, because Allah ﷻ has commanded him to fulfill covenants.

On the level of protecting people's honor, he does not accept backbiting,

he does not accept gossip, nor does he accept spying. All of this protects people's honor.

Imagine a student graduating with these standards.

On the level of spending, he is not wasteful, nor does he show off to people.

He is moderate in his spending.

On the level of relationship with the vulnerable in society,

he does not limit his relationships only to the elite and the wealthy class.

Some people, when they have Zakat, you tell them, "My brother, find the poor and give it to them,"

and they reply, "By Allah, I don't know any poor people."

How can you not know any poor people?

What kind of life are you living?

You have no connection to the vulnerable of the earth?

Even though the Quran always connects them, as if making your relationship with the oppressed the measure of your relationship with Allah ﷻ.

The weaker your bond with the oppressed, the weaker your bond with Allah ﷻ.

That is why the constant mention of the orphan may surprise you.

The orphan is always present, the poor are present — because no one cares for them.

Poor things. So He wants to always connect you to them.

On the level of dealing with parents — being dutiful to one's family.

Allah ﷻ commanded him... to humble himself to his parents.

On the level of the relationship with the wife, if a separation occurs, God forbid...

...activate the positive memories between you. This applies to every separation.

In the culture of separation — if we separate, say you and I were business partners,

and we separated, what happens?

There are positive memories between us that we must recall at the time of separation.

Today people are used to: if we disagree, I only recall your negative actions.

"True." / "Yes, saying, 'Look, he did this in that situation.'"

Even things that could be interpreted positively, I say, 'No, he meant something else.'

And Satan begins to make all your bad deeds seem justified to me,

whereas the Quran rejects this, saying, 'No — you must activate the positive memory.'

Recall all the favor we shared at this very moment, the moment of parting.

Whether business partners, in marriage, or in any partnership whatsoever.

Parting has an etiquette in Islam.

It has an etiquette, just as connection has an etiquette.

Association and parting have a philosophy we must learn.

Just as facing enemies also has a philosophy we must learn.

So the point is that you graduate a student who is free in his mind,

firm in himself, dutiful to his family and parents, sincere to his community,

just to his enemies, loyal to his partners, helpful to the vulnerable,

protecting people's honor. What more do you want than that?

Today, students graduate...

Do not draw comparisons for the Quran or other educational models.

Just produce a student with half of these qualities.

Today, students graduate—especially the young from schools—

being a bit overly sensitive, especially this generation.

Yes, this psychological fragility.

What is called psychological fragility.

This results from the absence of psychological resilience the Quran instills.

Because if we applied these specifications or these outcomes now,

if we were to see them in a person, what would he become?

It will be that the Quran, which we find as a recited text in the Mus'haf, will turn into a visible text that we see with our eyes.

Even tawakkul... the concept of tawakkul.

Yes, the concept of tawakkul.

They fear the future; they fear what is coming.

When you rely on Him, "He is sufficient." The matter is settled—Allah ﷻ will handle your future.

Thus, if the student embodies these characteristics, they will turn into a visible Quran that we see with our eyes,

because he embodies Quranic character, as Aisha (RA) said of the Prophet ﷺ: "His character was the Quran."

He embodies Quranic character—this achieves true, comprehensive immunity.

This distinguishes the Quranic educational model from the deficient model.

Meaning: if a student graduates with these qualities, they gain comprehensive immunity.

Today we care about immunity, but only physical immunity,

so we work on vaccinations and so on to preserve the human being—and this is good.

But where is psychological immunity?

What system provides psychological immunity?

The Quran gives us psychological immunity through tawakkul,

through the qualities I mentioned, and by making you grateful,

by making you humble (mukhbit)—and we must understand what mukhbit means in the Quran.

All these qualities build psychological immunity for me,

by making me fear none but Allah ﷻ and hope in none but Allah ﷻ—this creates psychological immunity.

Then, it also gives me intellectual immunity,

It rejects blind following, rejects the herd mentality, rejects all of these things,

and grounds me in evidence, which bequeaths intellectual immunity.

Thus, the Quranic educational model grants comprehensive immunity,

immunity on the intellectual and psychological level,

and the self is the basis of all these matters.

Well, what about the subjects taught in school? You are talking about...

subjects the child must learn, like language, mathematics, and chemistry.

Where do these subjects fit in the model you are talking about?

Do we just learn the Quran and that's it? I want to understand.

No, I am talking about the educational level, not the cognitive.

Cognitively, you present everything to him,

everything that exists. But where is the educational dimension?

So the school is also responsible for the educational dimension?

Of course, because you spend half your life there.

So, upbringing is not just limited to parents.

In the end, people say it is the parents who raise them.

No, no.

The school is the one...

We are talking now, the school is concerned with two things: knowledge and teaching,

and this is what it does. Parents all compete in this already.

I am talking about the neglected aspect: upbringing.

Upbringing is on the margins of this matter,

What if we applied the Quranic upbringing model — how would a person turn out?

So you want to apply it as a foundation, to be...

That it be the foundation upon which we are raised, because we want...

a person built upon the Quranic upbringing model,

because if you raise such a person, you will live in a stable state in your society.

Well, Abu Nahar, if the traditional educational system is not giving us what we want,

what is our duty as parents and brothers, if we want to provide...

...the Quranic space for our children, unavailable in the educational system.

What should we do practically now?

As a parent, you are responsible for your child before the school is.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "All of you are guardians, responsible for your subjects."

Your duty now as a parent is to embody the Quranic educational system,

meaning you strive to embody the positive qualities we mentioned earlier within yourself,

learning them quality by quality, and shedding the negative qualities

mentioned in the Quran, so that you transition from the model of man to the model of faith.

Then you pass this educational system on to your children.

If there is a deficiency in the educational work at schools for the child, or a defect occurs,

parents are supposed to take charge of this matter and complete it.

But the problem today is that parents are busier securing livelihoods than securing morals for their children.

The most important thing today is sending children to prestigious foreign schools and boasting about it.

"My son is in such-and-such school, my son is in such-and-such school."

Then you ask him, "What about your child's upbringing? What about the moral situation at school?"

He says, "No problem — when he grows up, it'll sort itself out."

But now, at least, he has English, learning this and that.

Then, when the son grows up and the father sees that the son falls short in his responsibilities,

neglecting his duties towards his parents and family, distant from his siblings, self-centered and focused on his own interests.

Here, the father begins to regret, grumble, and complain about his children's state in every gathering he goes to.

He talks about how his children were not as he expected, and so on. This is natural.

What did you plant? You reap only what you sow.

You cannot plant a palm tree and then expect apples from it.

No, if you want apples, plant an apple tree.

But you cannot sow an improper upbringing and expect that in the end, when he grows up, he will have a proper upbringing.

Therefore, work now on the element of upbringing.

This is what will endure.

If a child grows up lacking information, it is a minor issue.

Minor?!

Yes — lacking information can be made up at any point in his life.

Even now, online, one can make up for any gap in any field of knowledge.

It can be made up through courses and the like.

But the problem is if he grows up with a deficiency in character.

And I always say: let me grow up lacking information,

but do not let me grow up lacking proper character.

If I grew up lacking information, I could compensate for it myself in any way,

and learn what I lacked in my childhood.

But if I grew up lacking upbringing, I would disrupt the entire society.

So we can say that upbringing is the essence.

This is clear to us.

But if we want to deconstruct the existing educational system,

how can we deconstruct it in a practical way?

Let's say, the difference between the system you are trying to explain or reach,

and the current system. How can we deconstruct it?

Look, I am not trying to deny the educational efforts in schools and the public education system.

Certainly, there are many and very significant educational efforts,

but they are not in the form we hope for,

and the flaw is very big, not small.

For me, if you ask me, I see the fundamental problem when I contemplate the education system...

I find that it is based on the concept of intelligence.

From the time a student is young until they grow up, they are filled with information,

and taught thinking skills in various thinking patterns,

at the level of all mental skills: analysis, interpretation, criticism, comparison, and so on.

Whereas the pillar of education in the Islamic conception is not intelligence, but Rushd.

Rushd.

What's the difference between intelligence and Rushd?

Intelligence is broad mental capabilities.

When you have broad mental capabilities in analysis, criticism, etc., this is intelligence.

And if intelligence is broad capabilities, then Rushd is the proper application of these capabilities.

Islam doesn't dismiss intelligence, but wants it combined with its proper application.

Because when you read the word Rushd in the Quranic discourse, you find it linked to proper conduct,

"...if you discern in them sound judgment, deliver their property to them."

If you see the orphan managing his wealth properly, give him his money.

The educational system in Islam is based on rushd, the centrality of rushd.

How do I develop your mental abilities? Your academic abilities?

But at the same time, how do I develop your awareness of these abilities?

Not just focusing on stuffing you with information from elementary to university—

as if you were a machine, with no regard for what you do with it.

Intelligence alone is not enough. It is merely a tool that can be used for bad or for good,

so the Quran does not praise it. Not a single verse praises intelligence.

Why? Because intelligence is a tool, and the Quran does not praise tools except in terms of...

their leading to noble ends, which is essential Rushd.

Yes, for example, the current era is the era of attachment to means, not ends.

Freedom, for example, was a means that became an end.

Knowledge, a means, became an end; intelligence, a means, became an end.

In Islam, no. It never praises means unless they lead to noble ends.

Consequently, you could be very intelligent, but not Rashid.

You could be very intelligent and foolish at the same time.

Meaning, you could be a genius but foolish.

For example, despite your sharp intelligence, you could be a racist person. - True.

Right? Isn't there, for example, a very great physicist who is racist?

A prominent medical scientist, yet he joins protests and demands allowing children to change their gender.

Does this not exist?

Or a Zionist, for example.

Or a Zionist, for example, or anything of the sort, or someone who despises women.

There is no connection between intelligence and Rushd.

This is the problem with the contemporary educational system:

it believes intelligence is sufficient,

that intelligence is enough, so it focuses on intelligence.

Yes, there is an educational aspect, but the main focus is on intelligence.

True.

The gateway to get into these schools is intelligence.

Intelligence. Almost all the focus is on intelligence,

so the goal is to produce a smart student,

whereas in the Islamic conception, the goal is to produce a mature student.

Maturity does not negate intelligence, but it requires it to be part of a larger process,

meaning one uses this intelligence wisely.

Therefore, education today must shift from the centrality of intelligence

to the centrality of rectitude, so that actions may be upright.

If you notice, in the Quran, in Surah Ar-Rum—

when it spoke about the Byzantine civilization, it brought only one verse, but it struck the Byzantine civilization to its core.

He said: "They know what is apparent of the life...

“They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware.” (Quran 30:7)

...heedless.' He acknowledged they have knowledge, but it is not beneficial.

When knowledge is not linked to noble goals, it becomes of no value.

Islam does not praise knowledge simply because it is knowledge,

but praises it when it is a responsibility — when it is beneficial knowledge.

Why only beneficial knowledge? Because it is a responsibility.

Today, we perceive knowledge as a status.

Today, for example, as an academic, I do not view academia as a responsibility,

and so you find many academics having no connection to their community.

'We, as academics, should not descend to society's level.' Imagine!

Consequently, universities' pursuit of international rankings is a pursuit of status,

meaning, universities strive for international ranking more than they strive to serve society.

Consequently, knowledge became a status, not a responsibility.

I view knowledge as status; as an academic, I must gain status in society,

so that society looks up to me,

gives me a prominent place in gatherings, and I gain social privileges.

This is how knowledge has transformed. Whereas in the Quran,

no, knowledge is a responsibility. Consequently, if you do not fulfill its right,

it becomes a curse upon you in the Quran.

Therefore, the first to be criticized were the scholars of the Children of Israel.

Why? Because they did not fulfill what was required of them.

Therefore, we must now bring ourselves back to square one.

What is the purpose of knowledge? Today, amidst this massive rush for knowledge,

the Quranic critique is repeated upon us.

Have you seen the Quranic critique of the Byzantine civilization?

"They know what is apparent of the worldly life,"

meaning they are attached to the means, not the ends. Right? -Right.

It is the same today. Universities in the Islamic world...

..."know what is apparent of the worldly life,"

producing generations who only know what is apparent of life.

“They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware.” (Quran 30:7)

...heedless. They have knowledge, but why?

You want a brilliant engineer, but what does he do?

You want a brilliant physicist, but what does he do?

This could do something... all this knowledge can be poorly utilized.

You know, when ISIS emerged, they did not lack knowledge.

They had experts coming to them from all over the world,

and technical capabilities that sometimes exceeded those of some Arab armies.

- True. - And some top university graduates joined ISIS.

So, the problem was not knowledge.

What does it mean to feed me information and leave me ignorant of how to handle it?

Knowledge is only a means.

We in universities do not realize that knowledge is only a means.

We treat knowledge as an end; what matters is academic excellence.

Right. What matters is academic excellence,

but what is your actual role in reality?

Maybe they now adopt some superficial things to cover matters up,

but we do not rely on the purpose and function of knowledge in our reality as a primary standard.

Even that, even the artificial intelligence race; today, people are racing to have the latest technologies.

So, Abu Adi, I have a question. Even when we were talking before the episode, you were saying, "Why this race for artificial intelligence?"

What is its cause? What is the goal behind it?

You also mentioned another point regarding rectitude and wisdom.

So I'd like us to address the second point first, then talk about this.

Yes, the Quran says:

“He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding.” (Quran 2:269)

It says: "He who is given wisdom," not: "He who is given intelligence."

And: "It guides to the right course," not: "It guides to intelligence."

Therefore, the Quran always connects Muslims to the goals and not to the means,

unlike contemporary civilization, which connects us to the means and not to the goals.

Therefore, we must always question what we see before us.

Everything before us — we must ask: what is its goal?

Do you want freedom? Why? Freedom in Islam is linked to justice, so it is linked to a noble goal.

Knowledge is linked to benefit and responsibility.

Today, the means have turned into goals.

Money itself today, they boast, for example, about having the highest rate, or whatever, etc.

Everything goes towards inflating and refining the means, meaning making them goals in themselves.

Okay, the first problem, which is the problem of intelligence...

The problem of relying on intelligence rather than sound judgment. Yes.

And this, by the way, results from a difference in conception.

Meaning, how does Islam conceive of the human being?

It conceives of the human as a being who wants to uphold justice,

and therefore, sound judgment must be their foundation and starting point.

So that is the ultimate goal. Yes.

Whereas in the contemporary modernist conception,

the human is a being seeking to maximize their self-interest,

so consequently, intelligence must be the standard.

So there is the economic standard. Yes.

So when the conceptions differed, the foundations differed.

The latter's foundation is intelligence, because it wants a human as an economic being,

while Islam's foundation is rushd, because it wants a human who upholds justice.

When the conceptions differed, all the foundations differed.

Now, look for yourself. I will not tell you, even though I already have.

Look at schools: do they focus on intelligence or on rushd?

Is the concept of rushd present among educational decision-makers?

I do not think this is the case,

but there is hope now, hope in a good movement

that we are starting to notice, as people have begun to feel the crisis.

And... do you feel there is a movement, Doctor?

Yes, honestly, I do not deny that some officials now

have begun to sense the current situation and the current crisis in the educational system.

And there is some decent work being done.

In Qatar, for instance, there was a new change in education a few months ago,

which people are optimistic about. I also notice changes in some other countries, but we are still...

we are still feeling our way.

We have not yet built an educational system that gives us authenticity in this matter.

And this sharp rush of ours after science, after wealth, after...

must stop for a moment so we can look beyond that, at what the goals are.

But the world is moving in this economic pattern,

you must participate with the world, with people, excuse me.

Is your standard the world, or do you have your own?

We have an authentic standard...

If you have an authentic standard, follow it and leave the world — it may be heading for a wall.

Throughout history, many life cycles have led the world to a wall.

Therefore, the European, Japanese, Chinese, etc., are not our standard.

You should develop your standard based on your culture and value system,

Then, what others do, you are not responsible for.

You only have to advise if others are wrong, and benefit if they are right,

but the other is not the standard.

Like, "The French did this, so we must do this,"

or "The Germans did that, so we must do that."

But there is a role we cannot deny,

which is the role of scientific development and research in the West.

I never said don't benefit.

Benefit from others, but don't make them the standard.

The problem now, my problem with—

They always say, "You criticize the West but not others."

I criticize that the West has turned into a reference point.

I want us, when we use Western ideas, to use them as tools.

Meaning, if it is useful, so be it; if it is not, we discard it.

But today, we import Western thought as a reference point for us.

He says, "No, we just benefit from Western thought."

He doesn't just benefit from it—he turns it into a reference point.

For example, when you adopt democracy—as a Western idea, democracy—

You say, "Fine, no problem—let's adopt democracy."

Then you say, "I'll just modify democracy; this idea isn't good,

we want a better one—say, on separation of powers, I have a better idea."

They say, "No, no, no. How can you introduce an idea not in practice?

Democracy worldwide doesn't work that way."

But you said it's a means—so let us refine that means.

No. Freedom House,

and the institutions concerned with democracy indices say that this is not democracy.

Suddenly the West became the reference, after being merely a source of benefit.

So I have no problem with the idea of importing itself;

I have a problem with the logic of importing—by what logic we import Western ideas.

Even universities today, why do you use the university? Why do universities exist?

Let's modify the university system. It runs four years.

What if we changed it to one year or a year and a half, intensive,

or six years, or changed anything about the university?

No, no, don't change it.

Every idea you bring to the university system is rejected,

unless the West changes first, and then we follow.

We may have touched on this in the first episode—

that the problem is they deceive us, saying, "We only adopt mechanisms, we only benefit from Western ideas."

Gradually, these ideas become our reference point.

If any official in the Arab world tries to make a change, they face fierce resistance

from the traditional systems, because these academic institutions later turn into rigid molds that prevent any movement outside them.

I'll set this idea aside and we'll discuss it more broadly:

to see what our problem is today, why we are lost today, why we think—are we weak?

Do we not have a specific idea or a specific project?

I'll clarify this idea for you in more detail.

But I want to finish dismantling the current imported educational system,

if you will, or the traditional system we currently follow.

We spoke about the pillar. When the focus is on intelligence rather than rushd,

This is the first problem we noticed.

And from this arose the idea of separating tarbiyah and education,

and this is practiced, for example, in the narrative of...

Perhaps not all European countries follow this, but some, like France and others,

that tarbiyah is a private matter, and education is a public matter.

The state's job is not tarbiyah; its job is to educate people.

Some Arab and Islamic countries were influenced by this logic and separated them,

saying we are only responsible for education, and thus separated tarbiyah from it.

But this is dangerous talk, dangerous talk.

When you say tarbiyah is the individual's responsibility, you delegate it solely to the family,

implying that every family is capable of providing a sound upbringing for its children,

and this is not true.

Many families are actually incapable of providing a sound upbringing,

and many families are actually the root of the problem for their children.

The parents might have many incorrect perceptions,

and the child learns negative perceptions from them. Therefore, here, it is the school's role to raise them.

Consequently, when we say that upbringing is a private matter, we are delegating the task to families only,

which implies the assumption that every family is capable of providing a sound upbringing for the children, and this is not true in reality.

Also, if we advocate for separating upbringing from education, this means that the state does not have an educational vision of a good citizen.

States always repeat: "We want a good citizen and good citizenship."

But the word "goodness" is an educational and cultural concept. Goodness by whose standard?

Faisal has a standard for goodness, Nayef has one, so-and-so has one.

So, for you, a European is a person with what values? What are the values that make him good?

When you say, "As a state, I have nothing to do with tarbiyah," you are saying you have no vision of what makes a citizen good.

This is a very big problem.

We could say a good citizen is one who obeys the law,

who doesn't break the law. That could be the concept of a good citizen: that there are laws in the state, and he follows them.

Yes, but not everything is governed by law.

The law governs outward behavior, but what about ethics?

What about ethics? For example, your conception of a citizen today

is that they sacrifice for the country, but sacrifice is not required by law.

Right? The law speaks of rights and duties; it does not speak of anything beyond that.

Consequently, how do you instill a good upbringing in a person,

how do you make them active in their society?

This is a completely different educational system.

The state must have an educational vision of what a citizen should be like,

otherwise, in the end, this admits that the state has no vision in this matter.

And this is the danger: when you feed students as if they are machines,

feeding them information and leaving them without a sound upbringing,

Here, the use of knowledge starts in different ways, as we discussed a moment ago.

And here I recall the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ when he said:

"The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it."

Sometimes, when people hear this hadith, they say:

"How can the best of you be those who learn the Quran and teach it?"

"Could there be more important things?

Medicine benefits us a lot, engineering benefits us a lot, etc."

Is the Quran really the best of sciences? Yes, it is,

because the Quran provides you with awareness, which is more important than knowledge.

Because knowledge without awareness becomes a very dangerous, lethal weapon

that may turn against man.

Was the one who invented the nuclear bomb not smart? He was.

Was the one who invented all the prohibited weapons not smart?

He was smart, but he annihilated humanity with these things, right?

How many were killed by these banned weapons? Millions of people.

So the question is: which is more important, knowledge or awareness?

Awareness. So where do we get awareness from?

Knowledge does not bring awareness.

Knowledge has nothing to do with awareness.

Knowledge gives you information,

but awareness is how you act on that information.

And here comes the role of the Quran, which guides man

in how to deal with his mental and psychological abilities in his life.

Does critical analysis increase your awareness?

No, it increases your abilities,

but why do you criticize? For what purpose?

Meaning, when I criticize, that is good,

and expanding my critical abilities is good — but then what?

Because criticism has goals and purposes...

This is also linked to the concept of awareness when we return to it.

Okay, I will ask again: focusing on,

focusing on intelligence and separating upbringing from education,

To be honest, if I have a child now whom I am sending to school,

with all due respect to all teachers, I do not think they are raising my children.

Do you get my point? Regarding the Quranic system you are talking about,

there is a shortcoming even among teachers. They might have issues they could pass on to my children, while I am protective of them.

Some people are protective of their children and do not see schools as a place for upbringing at all.

No, I do not think so,

in this way or as a general rule.

There are indeed schools that focus heavily on character development, and there are schools that excel in the nurturing aspect.

Schools vary; in some schools, the nurturing presence is very minimal,

while in other schools, the nurturing presence is very high.

They vary; we cannot generalize, especially with private schools, each having its own approach to upbringing.

But we are talking now about the absence of Quranic nurturing in the Quranic sense.

Yes, this is a widespread, general condition.

If it exists, it is only in rare cases,

which is why in every country only three or four outstanding schools are mentioned.

True.

Yes, it is not the default state,

So our countries must now make this the default state,

that Quranic nurturing for the student is the default state.

Okay, so we have the separation and the focus on intelligence—

the separation between nurturing and instruction, and the focus on intelligence.

And as we were talking, you also mentioned...

...that today in schools, there is something called practice,

...and something called study. I'd like to unpack this with you.

I say that nurturing is, in essence, practice more than study.

Meaning, nurturing is not studied theoretically in a classroom.

Nurturing is lived practically; you train for it through practice.

Therefore, you might find nurturing on a football field more than in a classroom.

When you play football with children,

you will find all nurturing issues present,

and it is the greatest area and place for nurturing correction.

When children play football—even adults, but just play with children—

For example, you find the selfish player who always tries to hog the ball from A to Z,

and even if he loses it, no problem—as long as he has the ball.

Even if another player could score, he'd rather lose it than let them score.

True.

You find the ungrateful one who, if he scores a goal, goes and celebrates by himself, ignoring those who assisted him.

You find lying, right?

A child whose ball goes out of bounds says, "I swear by Allah it didn't go out," and swears by Allah,

even though it did. But this tendency is present.

You find those whom the Quran describes as anxious and impatient,

as soon as the other team scores a goal, he starts sowing frustration and negativity in his team.

"You can't even play! I was wrong to join this team!" and so on.

...until he discourages his whole team, while the match is still ongoing.

Right? Don't you see these examples everywhere?

I always say—I play football a lot,

so I always tell the team: the team's character shows when they are losing, not when they are winning.

Yes. When winning, it's easy.

If someone doesn't pass to me or give me the ball, I don't have a problem.

But if we are losing in the same situation, Subhan Allah, things change,

like someone getting angry: 'Why didn't you pass to me?' and so on.

So as you said, and I believe, one person can affect an entire system.

Yes, yes. Here, I see that when loss happens, it is a great opportunity to train students on proper upbringing.

When loss occurs on the field, this is where defeatism, frustration, and pessimism begin,

where mistrust begins, and they start blaming one another.

This is an opportunity, which is why I say upbringing should happen on the field.

Upbringing must be in practical situations, in practical applications.

As for teaching, there is no issue with it being in classrooms.

We must distinguish between the two fields. Upbringing must be based on practice.

The field of teaching is based on the various methods of instruction.

So what did the Quran do? The Quran, in fact, trained us;

it did not give us theoretical knowledge. The Quran commanded Taqwa, right?

Correct. But it did not stop there.

It gave us an annual training course.

“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -” (Quran 2:183)

The month of Ramadan comes every year for 30 days. Why?

Some say, "To feel for the poor," and others say, "To feel..." whatever.

These are correct meanings, but they are secondary.

But what is the meaning the Quran itself mentions?

He said: "...that you may attain Taqwa." What is Taqwa?

Taqwa is commitment to Allah ﷻ and to His servants.

If you are committed to Allah ﷻ and to His servants, you are righteous.

Even to the servants. That is why, how did Allah عز وجل describe the disbelievers? "Those with whom you made a treaty..."

“The ones with whom you made a treaty but then they break their pledge every time, and they do not fear Allāh.” (Quran 8:56)

Meaning, they do not honor treaties with you.

So you find that taqwa is often mentioned alongside treaties.

"So as long as they are true to you,"

“How can there be for the polytheists a treaty in the sight of Allāh and with His Messenger, except for those with whom you made a treaty at al-Masjid al-Ḥarām? So as long as they are upright toward you, be upright toward them. Indeed, Allāh loves the righteous [who fear Him].” (Quran 9:7)

...and so on. So the purpose of fasting Ramadan is to get used to commitment.

Doesn't Allah ﷻ want you to commit to the obligation to fulfill vicegerency on earth?

But commitment is difficult for the human soul.

So He tells you, "Fine, I will give you a training course every year."

The things dearest to you and those you need most, I will forbid you from them,

and you will commit to that for a whole month.

If you abstain from the closest things for a month, others are even more so.

All the sins that you claim you cannot leave behind.

When fasting comes, you abstain even from water.

True. For a whole month.

So if you want commitment, this training course qualifies you to commit every month.

This gives us a nurturing dimension: it is not enough, and He did not just say, 'Fear Allah ﷻ.'

No, He gave us an annual training course to train on how to be righteous.

And even in many verses, such as:

“And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, "Indeed, Allāh will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand." But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, "There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers." But those who were certain that they would meet Allāh said, "How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allāh. And Allāh is with the patient."” (Quran 2:249)

This is a trial, a training. What is the purpose of only drinking a single handful? The purpose is a trial and training.

So Allah ﷻ gives us signs in the Quran on the importance of training to achieve tarbiyah, and consequently, Talut was victorious in the battle.

Here, you must ask yourself:

When schools teach children the importance of trustworthiness, humility, gratitude, the virtue of...

For all of these, what training exercises have you provided?

What are the daily training practices? Training on moral character must be a part of your day.

To instill these morals.

Every day, you must set up different situations for them, different training on the field and off the field,

short clips they watch, some dramatic clips through which they can see moral values.

You must diversify so that every day he sees this value — gratitude — in a different way.

"Trustworthiness..." / "In different ways."

Sometimes in situations where he doesn't know it is acting,

but you guide him to certain experiences and situations so that he learns from them.

And people here, Masha'Allah, are creative in the methods and innovation of training mechanisms for students.

But you want an educational methodology to instill these qualities.

I mean, I'm trying to understand it a bit more now.

I want to move it from theoretical teaching to training and practice.

Right, but something more practical. What you're saying is:

upbringing cannot be learned theoretically — it must be practiced.

And schools, by default, focus on teaching rather than practicing moral matters.

That is correct.

Are there some issues we haven't addressed in the current educational system?

There is an issue that we do not pay attention to the psychological aspect as a gateway to knowledge.

Meaning, we treat humans as if they are only minds; if information reaches them, they will accept it.

This is incorrect. The Quran tells us that this is not true.

You might possess the intellectual and sensory sources of knowledge, yet you still do not accept the facts.

Allah ﷻ says: "And We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts,"

“And We had certainly established them in such as We have not established you, and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment] when they were [continually] rejecting the signs of Allāh; and they were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.” (Quran 46:26)

Imagine! They had intellectual and sensory sources of knowledge, but none availed them.

Why? Because they used to reject the signs of Allah ﷻ.

So their problem was psychological.

If the soul does not accept, your sources of knowledge are disabled — they won't work.

Look, the intellect has a barrier before it, which is the soul.

Every piece of information that comes to you — if the soul is not convinced, it usually does not reach the intellect.

So when you dislike someone, you reject the facts they state, even if they are speaking the truth,

but you don't accept them.

And you don't acknowledge them.

Why don't you? Because you psychologically dislike it.

So Allah ﷻ commanded us to argue in the best manner.

If you disturb the person before you, what happens? They won't accept the truth.

If you offend them with your words, that's it.

So sometimes when I enter a discussion,

and someone responds to you badly,

that's it — because he responded badly,

he provokes you, you provoke him, and it becomes a clash of provocations.

Right or wrong? And we gained nothing. The truth is lost.

We discuss to reach the truth.

To reach the truth, we must be gentle with the soul.

Because if the soul gets angry, it closes the door of the mind.

The mind won't accept any information.

You must please the soul so that the mind accepts.

You must win the soul over to your side.

Look, what does Allah ﷻ say to the Prophet ﷺ?

“So by mercy from Allāh, [O Muḥammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allāh. Indeed, Allāh loves those who rely [upon Him].” (Quran 3:159)

Imagine, he is a Prophet who possesses the absolute truth, yet He warns him.

He says: If your manner were harsh, they would leave you.

Who would leave him? The best of mankind after the Prophet ﷺ.

These are the best of the Ummah.

Yet He said: If your manner were harsh, they would turn away from you.

Imagine — the Prophet ﷺ possesses the absolute truth,

yet a bad manner could be a justification for turning away from it,

and he possesses the absolute truth. So what about us today,

when we only hold opinions that may be right or wrong — possibly even incorrect,

yet we argue for them in the worst manner.

And some people tell you: "This is out of zeal for the religion,"

meaning he justifies his bad manner in dealing with others as being zeal for...

If you were truly zealous, you would follow the religion.

Religion did not say, "And argue with them in a way that is worse."

It said, "And argue with them in a way that is best."

Why? Because Allah ﷻ — Who created us — knows,

and He knows what is inside us.

He told you: first, you must win over the soul.

See how anyone who approaches you kindly — how readily you accept his ideas.

One hundred percent.

Because once you accommodate the soul, you open the door to the mind,

and the moment you provoke the soul, the door to the mind shuts.

It is a very clear matter.

Therefore, we do not prepare students to accept truths even if they sometimes clash with their mood.

When I hear someone with a very bad manner, I might close the video immediately and not listen.

True. But I must train myself

that not all people have good manners,

not everyone has a good way of conveying ideas,

and not everyone is considerate of human psychology.

Therefore, try to separate [the two].

Try to separate them as a receiver,

but try not to separate them as a sender.

When I convey my ideas, I make absolutely sure to be mindful of this,

and express them in the best possible manner.

But when I receive ideas, I must keep in mind that not everyone presents their ideas in the best way,

and therefore, I must tell myself to be patient and overlook,

overlook the delivery and accept the truth from whoever brings it,

even if this is difficult for human nature, as I said.

For if the Prophet ﷺ...

...the Companions would have dispersed from him if he were harsh, so what about others?

Therefore, we need to stabilize the human soul, to nurture it to accept truths,

because when the soul is upright, the intellect follows.

Look at the verse about Moses' (AS) mother; Allah ﷻ says: 'And the heart of...'

“And the heart of Moses' mother became empty [of all else]. She was about to disclose [the matter concerning] him had We not bound fast her heart that she would be of the believers.” (Quran 28:10)

she was about to tell them about the matter,

“And the heart of Moses' mother became empty [of all else]. She was about to disclose [the matter concerning] him had We not bound fast her heart that she would be of the believers.” (Quran 28:10)

He steadied her psychologically, so her mind became sound. She was losing her mind over Moses' (AS) absence,

and she nearly—"would have almost disclosed it"— she was about to tell them what had happened,

but He steadied her psychologically, and her mind became sound in its thinking.

Therefore, a fearful person cannot think,

And those panicky people who, as soon as they hear bad news, start imagining bad scenarios and complicating things for themselves—no.

First, you must have psychological resilience.

If you have psychological resilience, you will think well.

So what does Allah ﷻ say? "O you...

“O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allāh much that you may be successful.” (Quran 8:45)

Without steadfastness, thinking cannot improve.

Look at Gaza today. Trump tells them: "We will open the gates of Hell if you don't release the hostages by Saturday."

"Open the gates of Hell, just as you threaten."

What do you think we are in the end? We are steadfast. Right?

Right.

They held firm, and it was they who got the caravans and aid in, just as the resistance demanded.

Steadfastness—had they panicked and complied, their enemies would have coveted them even more.

Therefore, first: psychological steadfastness.

So it is important to raise students on psychological steadfastness so their thinking is not disrupted,

and they do not yield to—whether sad news or happy news, because both cause recklessness in a person.

It really makes a difference. You talk about a good soul; if a person's soul is good...

Subhan Allah, things become easy, even among people; he wins people over

winning their hearts before winning their minds. - True.

It makes a difference for many. Some people, Subhan Allah, walk into diwaniyahs

and gatherings with a good soul, and people accept them.

But steadfastness, Abu Nahar, where does it come from? Does it come from...

You opened my mind to a new topic, the topic of steadfastness. This is nice.

Does this come from transitioning from a human to a believer and practicing your role, or...

What is the gateway to steadfastness? Is it faith, or...?

The matter requires training and submission.

Meaning, I submit to whatever decree comes to me.

What good came to me was not to miss me, and what evil came to me was not to miss me.

You just do this.

Do this because Allah ﷻ is your Trustee and your Reckoner in this life.

Here, do not fear and do not worry.

This evil that came to you—Allah ﷻ wants to test you with it,

and this good that came to you, He also wants to test you with it.

Testing is not only with evil, but also with good: "We test you with evil and good as a trial."

When his Lord tests him by honoring and blessing him...

Yes, so therefore, with evil and with good.

Some people say, "My brother, I have no trials in my life,

Praise be to Allah, my health is good, my finances are excellent,

my mind is sound, my appearance is good—my affairs are fine. I have no trials."

No, this blessing is a trial,

to test whether I am grateful or ungrateful. Right?

When Sulaiman (AS) received the blessing and saw the throne settled before him,

“Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful - his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful - then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous."” (Quran 27:40)

This is a blessing, but it is also a trial.

Therefore, when you are conscious of the fact that all of life is a trial, and the purpose is for you to...

...succeed in this trial through patience during adversity and gratitude for blessings.

If you follow this rule, you will be granted steadfastness. What else could happen?

Everything is decreed. Everything is decreed, so you do not panic, fear, or covet these things.

Okay, now, to close this topic,

once again, is there anything we missed regarding the issues of current education before I move on to the next topic?

The issues of upbringing are many, Faisal. If we open contemporary problems—because I compare with the Quran,

I compare with the Quranic educational model, and then I see the gaps between it and...

the educational reality. And if you open this door, it never ends.

One thing that just came to mind is the separation between ethics and worldviews.

This is a general problem, but it also exists in education.

The Quran does not separate them.

It does not separate ethics from worldviews; it does not present a moral value isolated from the existential worldview that underpins it,

nor from the moral obligations that follow it.

When you ask me to be trustworthy, why should I be?

When you ask me to be just, why should I be just?

When you tell me to be good to people, why should I?

There are existential worldviews that underpin these things. For example,

Allah ﷻ says:

“Believe in Allāh and His Messenger and spend out of that in which He has made you successive inheritors. For those who have believed among you and spent, there will be a great reward.” (Quran 57:7)

Look, first, correct the perception in your mind.

He says: you spend, right? He made spending obligatory upon you,

and charity, but it is not from your own wealth.

This is not your wealth; it is the wealth of Allah ﷻ.

You are only a trustee over it.

And here, what happens? When you correct the perception, it makes the practice easier,

making the duty and obligation easier.

Now, if I give you one hundred thousand riyals as a gift,

but tell you, "Faisal, give ten thousand in charity," that's fine,

perfectly fine — I gave you the hundred thousand to begin with.

Right.

So it becomes very easy to give ten thousand in charity.

But when the hundred thousand is yours,

earned from your salary, your business, or anything else,

and I tell you, Faisal, to donate ten thousand — that feels very heavy.

Correct.

So what did Allah ﷻ say? "Spend of that which He has made you trustees over."

He reminded them that this wealth is not theirs.

So if I am a trustee and Allah ﷻ is the One Who gave me this wealth,

it will be easy for you to donate.

So we link it to a concept...

He links it to a greater concept so morality becomes easy for you,

because morality in isolation from concepts is difficult.

How do you convince someone to be trustworthy?

You must motivate them with greater concepts.

True, they might listen and become trustworthy or truthful,

but linking it to existential concepts makes it more firmly established.

And it does not stop at concepts, but even constraints,

the moral constraints on Sharia-based Taklif.

For example, when Allah ﷻ commanded charity per the concept of Istikhlaf,

In another verse, He said: "O you who

“O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders [of it] or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allāh and the Last Day. His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of what they have earned. And Allāh does not guide the disbelieving people.” (Quran 2:264)

Here, He restricted it. True, you give charity, but beware,

there must be no reminders of generosity, no hurt.

Al-Mann (reminding of generosity) is clear:

going around saying, "I gave Faisal a hundred thousand,"

"I gave to so-and-so," "I gave to so-and-so,"

or reminding him each time you meet. This is Al-Mann.

This is clear.

Al-Adha (hurt) is to hurt his feelings,

to hurt his feelings. That is,

some people, if they help you with a certain amount,

after a while, they ask you for favors in other things,

because now you are embarrassed, indebted to him,

and he has a favor over you.

He says, "My cousin needs a job with you in such-and-such."

"My cousin wants to work here, my cousin..." and so on,

"or my brother needs this, or I need that on such-and-such day."

or they start asking things that put you on the spot,

or they give you money in a slightly humiliating way.

The Quran, at the end of Surah Al-Baqarah, focused on this—the feelings...

...the feelings of the needy person. Do not toy with them.

Do not toy with them—don't go take pictures with them,

like some people do today, going to a poor person, giving them charity, and then filming it,

while the poor person does not want that.

If they agree, there is no problem.

But they don't want it, and you know they only agreed to get the money.

This is offensive to them; this is harm.

In this case, the charity does not count; you get no reward.

Why? Because it turned into harm.

The purpose of charity is to relieve their hardship, not to cause them harm.

Therefore, the Quran is very precise in these matters,

and very precise regarding feelings. I ask every listener now

to go to Surah Al-Baqarah after this verse,

and see the succession of verses in considering the psychology of the needy, poor recipient who asked for money.

He has a state of mind that we must consider and respect,

and respect his feelings, so as not to spoil the purpose of charity,

Because the purpose of charity is cooperation and helping one another,

and not to inflict upon you psychological or material harm through these matters.

Therefore, this idea,

the idea that when Islam presents its rulings, it presents them linked to existential concepts and ethical constraints.

In the education system, do we present moral rulings in this manner, according to their existential conceptions and moral constraints?

We need to establish such a matter.

Yes, true. I was thinking there's no connection,

and based on what you said, even without a connection one might still adhere, but—

There is a connection sometimes, but not in the way—

But if someone is honest, but times get tough, and there is no existential conception—

He will abandon it.

He will abandon it, because he will think, "In this world, I will gain more if I abandon honesty."

Ultimately, you won't end corruption on earth.

Even with Quranic upbringing, corruption will inevitably take its share of this world.

Why does Iblis exist? If Allah ﷻ willed that there be no evil in this world,

He would have ended Iblis right then.

But why did He keep Iblis? Evil will exist as a test for humanity.

Where is the test?

But what is required is to reduce corruption to its lowest level,

to restrict it as much as possible within human limitations.

This is what is required. So when you say an Islamic political system,

people assume it is an angelic system that will have no mistakes.

No, it must have mistakes — that is what makes us human.

If those running it were descended angels, then yes, mistakes would be shameful.

But since we are human, we will establish an Islamic banking experience full of mistakes,

a political experience full of mistakes, and Islamic educational experiences full of mistakes.

This happens, and there is no problem with that.

But the advantage of the Islamic system is that it has a self-correcting mechanism.

If it deviates, the Quran itself contains a self-correction.

Whenever we deviate, it brings us back to the right path.

Like now — the West has deviated on the issue of freedom.

We all see that. What is the West's self-correcting mechanism?

It no longer has a self-correcting mechanism,

because it no longer has a transcendent reference point.

Whereas the Quran gives us a self-correcting mechanism. If, for example,

we were to go in a racist direction,

what do we do with Allah's ﷻ words: "the most noble of you is the most righteous"?

There is a self-correcting mechanism that follows us — whenever we deviate, definitive texts pull us back.

And this is something lost by everyone who abandons the sound transcendent reference free from distortion.

Well said. Now, I want to close this...

No, no, don't close. There is one last point — let me conclude with it.

Yes, go ahead — the compass idea.

I always repeat this idea: that the greatest thing a person needs

in their life is what they lack most in their educational system.

Meaning, when I study from elementary school until I graduate with a PhD, not just a bachelor's degree,

and I see that this entire educational system does not give me a compass in my life.

How do I deal with this life? How do I confront it? How do I present?

How do I dialogue? And how do I present? How do I criticize?

How do I move past? How do I overlook? How do I end relationships?

How do I build relationships? How do I deal with my friends?

How to deal with issues that concern every person

which, if ignored, can cause you misery and depression in your life.

The things that govern your psychology until you die are those you do not learn in schools.

Schools feed you information, but do not provide you

with a life compass to manage your entire life.

The advantage of the Quranic system: it gives you a compass

to manage your entire life by, a completely clear compass.

I could mention twenty examples of embodying the Quranic compass.

For example,

in the past, I used to debate with everyone;

I would debate anyone — no problem.

But when you return to the Quran, it tells you that debate is not with everyone,

Because people are of two types: those who love truth and those who hate it.

Some hate truth because truth is a responsibility,

and responsibility requires action, and action has a cost,

and man dislikes cost and wants comfort.

So he does not want truth, to avoid bearing its consequences.

Dialogue is useless with them — they do not want truth to begin with,

and dialogue is meant to convey truths. If they do not want it, why dialogue?

This is clearly explained at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah. Allah ﷻ says:

“Indeed, those who disbelieve - it is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them - they will not believe.” (Quran 2:6)

So what is the point of calling them to Allah if the disbelievers are beyond benefit?

No — He means the category of willful deniers, those who reject the truth.

No benefit in dialogue with them; leave them. But later come verses:

“O mankind,” addressing the general public who want the truth.

These are the ones who are astray from the truth, not knowing the truth.

These are whom He dialogues with: "If you are in doubt..."

“And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allāh, if you should be truthful.” (Quran 2:23)

Discussion and dialogue are with those who want truth but do not know it.

But one who has taken a negative stance — because he does not want truth at all —

do not open dialogue with him. This is how I found peace of mind.

First, I look at the psychological motives of the person.

If he indeed shows that he does not want the truth at all,

and this mostly happens when the issue is personalized.

For example, when it concerns a famous figure whom he loves deeply,

he cannot discuss it with you rationally.

He is completely, 100% supportive of this person.

So you just say, "May Allah ﷻ make you happy with him and ease it for you,"

"but I cannot discuss any of his ideas with you."

Because your standard is not evidence; your standard is this person.

Since this person said it, it must be correct.

And so on in many things, or sometimes in political opinions.

He supports such-and-such country, so it can only be right.

Such-and-such country only produces errors. That is it.

A person who is centered around things and people, rather than evidence,

there is no use in debating him.

Therefore, Allah ﷻ said: 'So turn away from them.' That's it.

Okay, among the things that the Quranic compass helps you with,

and has benefited me personally: confrontation versus turning away.

When do you confront, and when do you turn away?

In the past, we thought we must always confront any falsehood,

but the Quran tells us that falsehood is of two types.

Falsehood that dies by confrontation, and falsehood that dies by turning away.

There is falsehood that dies if you confront it,

and falsehood that grows and flourishes if you confront it.

Let me give you an example. Take Salman Rushdie in the early eighties,

when his book, The Satanic Verses, came out.

One of our professors used to say that he was a colleague of theirs in London at that time.

When The Satanic Verses came out, no one knew about it,

and no one had heard anything about it.

They ignored it.

People had simply ignored him; he was an unknown writer.

Until Khomeini came and issued a fatwa calling for his blood.

He became the talk of the world, hosted on every international platform, receiving awards...

And his book became one of the most widely distributed in the world.

What did he do? He promoted it for free,

and this falls under cooperating in sin and transgression,

because you contributed to making it famous.

You contributed to the spread of this falsehood through confronting it in the wrong way,

so it became famous and well-known because of what? Confronting it.

Had you turned away from it, as the Quran says, the matter would have ended.

Look at the opposite: what did the Zionists do with El-Messiri?

El-Messiri (RH).

Abdel-Wahab El-Messiri.

Abdel-Wahab El-Messiri was one of the best Islamic minds of the modern era.

In the year 2000, he published his encyclopedia,

his great encyclopedia about Jews, Judaism, and Zionism.

He was anticipating the Zionists' reaction,

What would they say about him?

That they would write books, hold conferences, and write articles about him,

but they did nothing.

They left it completely; they ignored it completely.

Even El-Messiri (RH) used to call it the conspiracy of silence.

They left it so that the project would die,

because if they had confronted it and spoken about it, people would have sought it out:

"What is this? What did he say? What ideas did he have?"

And they would start taking interest in the book. But they ignored it,

so El-Messiri was very angry at this disregard.

But they applied this very thing we are saying today:

the idea that confrontation is not for everything.

We don't confront just for confrontation's sake; it's not about flexing.

So if there is a trivial person —now this applies to media platforms—

if there is a trivial person, sometimes hosting them

might increase the spread of this triviality.

Sometimes, ignoring this person and these ideas...

I am trying to find a practical way, for example, even for myself.

Yes. No, those famous people who rely on triviality and bad things to spread,

why do they spread? Because of our attention to them.

If we stop paying attention to them, ignore them, and turn away from them, they won't be able to continue.

They might at least correct themselves later.

Attention here is fuel for them. Attention here is fuel for them.

Have you seen a car, no matter how luxurious, run without petrol? It can't.

You must put fuel in it for it to run.

Their fuel is attention. If we don't pay attention, they won't go anywhere.

So he wants to get your attention. What does he do?

He has nothing positive, nothing good, nothing beneficial to offer people.

So he starts doing bad things,

exploiting all people,

exploiting friends, and some even exploit their own families,

exposing them to people; the important thing is getting attention.

When you start talking about him to warn against him, you don't realize that you are promoting him.

He wants this attention; he wants this notice,

and the matter is ultimately subject to people's judgment. Correct.

Because if the falsehood is very big and widespread, it must be confronted,

but a minor falsehood, by ignoring it, it might end; you must turn away from it.

We must understand the philosophy of confrontation and turning away in the Quran,

as it defines your compass in life: when to confront and when to turn away.

Many times you find fake battles opened up for you, in which you are guaranteed victory.

But you turn away.

Sometimes, you have a primary goal in your life,

but anyone who has a primary goal in life and succeeds in it

will attract enemies.

These enemies will drag you into side battles.

So if you say, "I'll respond to this one and that one," even guaranteed to win...

True.

But all of it drains your effort,

and burns through your strategic reserve for your main project.

Over time, what happens? These side battles become

your main goal, and you forget your original one.

You get preoccupied with...

I have witnessed this firsthand.

I have seen people who started major projects in their lives,

but when they clashed with opponents, they were made to forget their main goal.

They spent their whole lives consumed by side battles,

until sixty or seventy, realizing their entire path was one big mistake.

So if you don't understand the philosophy of confrontation

and turning away in the Quran, you will suffer a lot.

Nothing is easier than side battles being opened up for you,

and nothing is more tempting than the desire to win these side battles.

You say, "I can crush this — I can crush this person."

For example, sometimes a manager is difficult,

You could break this manager, but it costs you your effort.

You ask, "What's the point?"

What does it serve your main project, your primary goal in life?

Let it go; overlook it.

Even if he made a mistake, if it does not lead to public harm in society,

yes, let it go. If the harm is only to me personally, I can overlook it.

If someone wrongs me personally and a chance for revenge comes my way,

no — I forgive.

If the matter is personal to me,

but if his wrongdoing and corruption affect the public interest,

I do not confront him on this matter,

because a great benefit depends on it.

But if it is only personal — merely a desire for revenge —

no, I let it go.

because if I take revenge on this one and that one — be careful, that's it.

Be careful. The devil always tempts you with what? That you are capable.

True.

Capable — and a person loves to see the effect of revenge on others.

if you wronged me, I want to see your situation after I wrong you back.

how I respond to you, I mean.

But a person must be firm in these matters.

Because the desire for revenge is deadly.

This is where the Quran's compass guides you clearly to these matters.

But in schools, you do not get into these issues.

Not at all.

Yes, far from the things you actually need in your life.

I tell you, your entire life could be wasted — your only chance in this life could end

due to mistakes in these matters, which you never learn in today's educational system.

You should teach a child from the start when to confront and when to turn away,

because many will wrong him.

Will he confront everyone? No — you must know when to confront and when to turn away.

so that you learn such things. Also, among the things that benefit me in...

The Quranic compass guides me to this idea: when to criticize? How to criticize?

We like criticism — that is good. Criticism is not bad; it is important, but it has its time.

Criticism is a virtue,

Like every virtue, it has its time. A virtue done outside its time is no longer a virtue.

I mean, right now — fasting is good, right?

Correct.

But if you fast on the day of Eid—

You cannot fast.

You cannot.

Islamically.

It's wrong, right?

Islamically, it is not permitted.

But fasting is a virtue.

But when you do it outside its time, what happens? It becomes wrong.

Reciting the Quran — is it a virtue or not?

A virtue.

But if you recite it during sujood — no, that is not its time.

Correct.

During ruku' — no, that's not its time. It is a virtue, but not its time.

Criticism is the same — a virtue, important and necessary to correct the course of human life.

But if it comes at the wrong time, it becomes negative.

This is something you learn, for example. Look, for instance, at the Battle of the Flood.

During the Battle of the Flood, people were criticizing mid-battle.

Correct.

What do you achieve during the battle?

What do you want from the fighters when they hear you criticizing them?

To throw down their weapons? The battle has already begun.

Now, if your criticism is that the Battle of the Flood should not have happened,

Okay, say that after the Flood. The battle has now begun.

We only have two options: surrender our weapons — and Israel takes all of Gaza and displaces everyone —

or we resist, with a chance of breaking the Israeli military establishment.

So let's take the second path.

And as you saw today, the resistance fighters were able, for a year and a half,

to incapacitate the Israeli military establishment in settling the Gaza issue.

If I, as a fighter in Gaza — from Al-Quds Brigades or Al-Qassam Brigades —

hear someone say, "Why did you even start? The beginning was a mistake."

"If only you had waited until such and such, if only you had waited until..."

I would doubt the legitimacy of what I am doing.

Correct.

I would lose motivation to resist, and thus throw down my weapon,

and consequently Israel would take control of all of Gaza,

so we would suffer a free defeat.

So it is wrong to criticize while the battle is ongoing.

Look at what Allah ﷻ said: "O you...

“O you who have believed, when you encounter a company [from the enemy forces], stand firm and remember Allāh much that you may be successful.” (Quran 8:45)

...stand firm.' At the time of encounter, speak only of standing firm.

“Indeed, Allāh loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly.” (Quran 61:4)

During the battle, uniting the ranks is the priority.

Now, the battle has begun. Before the battle, go ahead and criticize.

The resistance in Gaza in general faced a lot of criticism before the Flood.

Many articles were written about it, even by Islamists themselves.

And after the Flood, the files of the Flood must be opened: why this and why that?

Even the negotiations must be discussed, questioned, and so forth.

Even though we have offered nothing to the people of Gaza to question or debate them,

but at least to benefit them in this matter.

Criticism before and after is fine — indeed, it is a Sharia duty.

But during the battle, why do you criticize?

During the battle, you contribute to breaking the resistance's will to stand firm.

You break the will to fight, the will to resist breaks, and they suffer a needless defeat.

That is why we used to blame the brothers who criticize during the battle.

Once the battle rages, no voice rises above confrontation and unity until it ends; then we talk.

Therefore, what does the Quran do? After every battle, it opens its files.

The Battle of Badr ended, and its files were opened.

The Battle of Uhud ended, and its files were opened.

The Battle of Hunayn ended, and its files were opened.

Every battle must be followed by a process of critique,

indeed, after any event that occurs,

so we may benefit, learn, and not repeat the mistakes.

But to open the files of criticism while the battle is still ongoing is like aiding the enemy against our brothers.

Therefore, the Quran gives you a compass: when do you criticize?

The most important thing is the Quranic compass — what we lack in schools.

When and how do we criticize? Confront? Dialogue? Even the idea of withdrawal.

In the past, when you felt the horizon was blocked, you would withdraw.

That's it, there is no solution — even during the Flood.

You say, "What can I do? Every day I see massacres in front of me, every day."

Some have even muted all Gaza-related tweets and stopped following the news.

They say, "I can't do anything."

"I can't do anything. What can I do?"

There are people who do that.

But when you read the Quran, it tells you that withdrawal is not an option in Islam.

It is not an option. Withdrawal is not even on the table.

There is no tactical withdrawal.

No, withdrawing from the scene does not exist. Look,

when the Muslims in Mecca were besieged in the Valley of Abi Talib, a tight siege,

to the point that they ate the leaves of the earth.

You won't find a single verse saying, 'Things have become difficult.'

'Let's stop for a year or two until better conditions exist regionally and globally,'

'until a breakthrough occurs, until a suitable environment is available.'

No, no, no. Not a single verse says, 'Stop, stop. There is no horizon.'

You act according to what is possible. "So fear Allah as much as you are able."

“Allāh does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."” (Quran 2:286)

What are the limits of your capability? Work within them.

By Allah, I cannot support them with weapons.

I cannot support them with money.

But I can support them technically.

I can lead media campaigns in the West to counter the Zionist narrative.

Work in this field.

Donate.

I can make films about the atrocities of the Zionist entity and promote them in the West.

I can support the families of the resistance fighters.

The one who resists, strives, and stands guard on the frontlines has a family, right?

And some of their families might be outside of Gaza; I can help them and check on them.

So you can contribute. No one is unable to.

No one is unable to. We just justify this to ourselves to ease our conscience.

I always feel guilty. So some tell you, "Brother, I shut the door and no longer watch the news."

He thinks he did something clever: "I turned off the news, I hear nothing, I'm at peace."

No, this is a mistake in understanding Islam. The Quranic compass tells you: there is no withdrawal.

If you cannot do step number one, move to step number two.

If you can't do number two, go to nine or ten. There are countless steps you can take.

You do not have to either be a resistance fighter in Gaza or sit idle, doing nothing at all.

No — between them are ninety stages.

Supplication is the weakest of faith. The weakest of faith.

You must act through any means — this applies to everything.

We are talking about an educational model. Today, all institutions might not listen to us.

But work in any field.

This podcast now is part of the work, right? In any field.

Some people produce cartoons and publish them. Beautiful work.

Sometimes I see an educational entity. Some people make short clips.

The important thing is that you work.

The idea that either everything must be rosy just as I want, or I won't work, is not found in the Quran.

So it explains the difficult circumstances the prophets (AS) faced, and those the righteous faced,

and all of them worked.

And this is what we must be raised upon in our childhood.

A child should know from a young age there is no such thing as a closed horizon.

You must strive in any way possible.

Allah ﷻ is always there, so there is no...

You must, you must work. Your job in life is to work.