Messenger Audio 34.1 (21-Jan-1983)

Freedom of choice to believe or disbelieve. From death to resurrection will seem like one night even if it is millions of years. We all experience death we all know what it is like.

(0:00) So, he started, I have given you the freedom of believing or disbelieving, (0:11) whether you accept the revelation, you follow the guidance of the ..., (0:21) or reject the guidance and follow the path of loneliness, and then what the hell? (0:34) And God says, even among you there is no compulsion to believe or disbelieve in God alone. (0:46) But whoever believes God alone is going to be blessed, (0:52) and blessed by God for the kinship, that's what he says. (0:59) And so far that is, and you hear in the verses 53, God gives an example of Abraham. (1:12) You are so determined that if you follow those idol worshiper things, (1:27) then .... the best. (1:44) I have another observation I would say. (1:50) It says in the first verse of that scripture, it says there is no compulsion in religion. (1:56) The truth is now distinguishable from falsehood. (2:00) It seems as though he followed every scripture as soon as they were in the beginning, (2:06) and distorted it the way it became. (2:12) Quran was preserved in all of its entirety, completely preserved. (2:16) And since the code is coming, this is a current verse, (2:20) the truth is now distinguishable from falsehood. (2:23) But the code verifies every single ayah in this book, alhamdulilah, every word, every letter. (2:30) So we don't have to guess. (2:32) And I think it's like a forecast for the people of the four generations to know (2:39) it's a symbol of victory. (2:48) Now in 257 I have an observation that God is the Lord of those who believe. (2:54) He leads them out of the darkness into the light. (2:58) In the darkness you don't see a thing. (3:01) But when God leads you out of the light, you see everything. (3:07) You can actually feel the difference. (3:10) You can feel that you know. (3:11) You just meet people who don't have a good portion of knowledge of reading the Quran, (3:16) and you see how ignorant they are. (3:18) For example, the subject of death is coming up. (3:21) They don't know what is going to happen, what we are here for, where we're going, (3:27) what is the purpose of our life, they just don't know. (3:30) They're completely lost. (3:32) And you see a person who is 65 years old, but you see that he has a baby soul. (3:38) You can feel it. (3:39) Aren't those two lines also a repetition? (3:47) If we have a choice, in a way it's turning it right around saying we don't have a choice. (3:51) We keep hearing about the veil, that only those people who are supposed to get the message (3:57) and do the law will be. (3:59) And here it's saying it's up to him or anyone. (4:01) He's the one who needs to talk about it. (4:03) Yeah, but that does, you have the freedom of choice in your decision to believe or not to believe. (4:09) That decision will absolutely free. (4:11) Based on that decision, you are either guided or misguided, deliberately. (4:17) So if you make a decision you don't have anything to do with God, the veil comes down. (4:23) If you make a decision to believe in God, all circumstances will work out to direct you to the right path. (4:30) Now the rest of the verse says, (4:31) While those who disbelieve, their lords are their idols. (4:36) They lead them out of the light into the darkness. (4:39) Now we had a brother come here who was studying the issues that we have in this mosque (4:46) and he decided to take my translation and write comments on it. (4:50) And he sat out there in the balcony and he took a big notebook (4:55) and he wrote down his comments and he had a plan to come and try these a week ago or two weeks ago (5:03) to debate the issue with me. (5:06) He also went around the other mosques to talk to them and explore (5:13) and when he came across the Islamic Center, they told him, (5:18) Oh no, don't go back and debate the issue. (5:21) Mujahid can tell us the story there. (5:24) He was really determined to come and debate the issue. (5:27) But they want him to stay in the dark. (5:29) They are afraid that he may come across something that will open his eyes (5:33) and make him see the truth or see the light. (5:37) They don't want to debate. Right? Mujahid? (5:41) Wasn't Ahmed was determined to come and debate the issue? (5:45) And we were ready the Friday before last. (5:49) And then all of a sudden he became very silent. (5:53) They convinced him not to talk to us, not to debate anything. (5:58) Right. (5:59) Well then he was supposed to call me and then he never called me. (6:02) And Sheef and I have been trying for a few months now to have them set a time and a place (6:08) and their own terms to go and debate the issue. (6:11) They want the people to stay in the dark. (6:17) They don't want to discuss anything or look at anything. (6:20) And some of them said they were afraid he might convince them. (6:27) That's the funniest statement. (6:28) But it's a true statement. (6:59) I think we're going to set a reward. (7:08) That will be the next step, Racine. (7:10) We're going to have a reward for people who come and debate the issue. (7:14) I don't know how we can encourage them to come and debate the issue. (7:18) I want them to have the place, the time, their own terms. (7:22) And it just doesn't work. (7:25) Maybe we'll set up a reward. (7:27) But the verse here says that their lords are their idols. (7:32) They lead them out of the light into the darkness. (7:35) And certainly, discussing the issues is enlightenment. (7:41) But if they want to keep them in the dark, they keep them in the dark. (7:44) They don't want to discuss it the idea , anything. (7:50) It's very important. (7:52) I know you feel that you came out of the darkness into the light. Alhamdulila (8:09) Edip, do you want to go to 259? ... (8:195)How can GOD revive this after it had died?" GOD then put him to death for a hundred years, then resurrected him. He said, "How long have you stayed here?" (8:29) He said, "I have been here a day, or part of the day." He said, "No! You have been here a hundred years. Yet, look at your food and drink; they did not spoil. (8:38) Look at your donkey—we thus render you a lesson for the people. Now, note how we construct the bones, then cover them with flesh." When he realized what had happened, he said, "Now I know that GOD is Omnipotent. (9:03) This verse tells us that God is never forced to follow scientific doctrines (9:18) anybody who dies (9:18) will never be resurrected. (9:22) Like it says here, God gives you .... (9:37) Just a little bit off the subject. (9:40) On this verse and the next verse, is God talking directly to the person? (9:58) We don't even know if he's there. (10:01) You' mean who's speaking to him? (10:03) Yeah. (10:04) It could be some kind of inspiration. (10:09) Some kind of inspiration? (10:10) Some kind of inspiration. (10:12) How do we know that? (10:14) How do we not know it? (10:16) Well, I'm asking by the words. He knows it by the words. (10:23) Throughout the Quran, it says he said. (10:26) We don't know who he said, who's he. (10:28) We don't even know who's he. (10:31) It could be an angel, it could be anything. (10:36) So it doesn't say God's name. (10:49) The word qala, you know, he said, it doesn't have the same definite meaning in Arabic as it does in english. (11:01) Well, that's why I just put he said, but it doesn't necessarily mean God. (11:07) And you can tell from the verse that it is some kind of inspiration. (11:14) I think I'll speak. (11:15) Will God speak? Go ahead (11:17) In the English, though, that you have here, you've got in one sentence, (11:21) God then put him to death for 100 years, then resurrected him and asked. (11:26) And that's implying God asked. (11:28) Right. (11:39) There are many ways of delivering the question. (11:46) Oh yeah, that's Abraham. (11:49) But he didn't speak to Abraham. (11:52) We know God did not speak to Abraham. (11:56) You see, when God spoke to Moses, the Quran makes a big issue out of it throughout the Quran. (12:01) When God speaks to someone, it's a big thing, and it has to be mentioned specifically. (12:08) So God speaking to Abraham, even when Muhammad was taken to the seventh heaven, God did not speak to him. (12:16) It is mentioned specifically that he was inspired. (12:22) Maybe he spoke to them or not. (12:24) Yeah, what's the big deal? It doesn't make any difference. (12:26) Well, speaking can be all different. (12:27) it's not a crucial issue that affects our doctrine of la ilaha ill Allah (12:31) speaking doesn't necessarily mean with a tongue. (12:35) Here it implies that Allah was speaking to him in this translation. (12:40) No, I think that the big deal is, at least maybe the way we read the Quran, (12:50) and so how we're interpreting it, what we're saying. (12:52) Maybe we question things we don't need to be questioning, (12:55) or maybe we're taking a lot more out of something than we should, because of the way the English is written. (13:02) No, but that's a different question. (13:04) The same question is applicable to Arabic. (13:08) However, it is not important. It really isn't. (13:10) The important issue here is the death and resurrection. (13:14) How long is it between death and resurrection? (13:21) Yeah, but he told us. (13:24) Allah knows and He told us. (13:27) He said the period between death and resurrection is one night. (13:33) When you die, you open your eyes the next morning, and it's the day of resurrection. (13:40) Even if it was a million years. (13:44) You were dead for millions of years. Remember? (13:48) How long was it? (13:51) So long. (13:56) See, we all experienced death already. (13:59) We know how it feels like. We know how long it takes. (14:02) We know how aware we are of the world's affairs. (14:06) Remember Napoleon Bonaparte? (14:14) No. (14:15) You were there. But you were dead. (14:19) I miss a lot that day. (14:20) And when you die, the second death, there are two deaths and two lives. (14:29) When you die the second death, you're going to miss the president of the united states in the year 2088. (14:38) It has to be divisible by four. (14:43) And you don't care. (14:46) You don't care either. (14:49) Okay, looking at the... (14:52) Now why do we have this verse in the Quran? (14:55) What is the lesson that we derive from that? (14:59) That 100 years passed like one day or part of the day. (15:05) And in Surah 18, we learn that 309 years passed like one day or part of the day. (15:11) Therefore, the concept of time disappears.