Ramadan Lecture Series 1445 A.H.

Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi

Lecture Six

Sunday, 7 Ramadan 1445 A.H. (17 March 2024 A.D.)

The Stories of the Holy Quran
An Introduction

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.

O Allah! Confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.

O Allah! Guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the Hearing, the Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.

Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'We have truly set forth every kind of example in this Quran for people, yet most people persist in disbelief'}; {'In this Quran, We have truly set forth every kind of example for people, but humankind is the most argumentative of all beings'}. He (the Almighty) also says, {'We have truly set forth every kind of example for people in this Quran, so perhaps they will be mindful'}.

The Holy Quran is a book of guidance, in which Allah has used many various methods that present divine truths and teachings in many and various ways. One of the methods used in the Quran depends on presenting very important lessons and insights through stories related to prophets and messengers, nations, and example characters, as well as very important events that contain lessons and insights that we desperately need.

The Holy Quran is as described by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F): 'In it is news of what came before you and news of what will come after you.' It includes accounts of past nations, offering significant examples that are extremely beneficial to us. The lessons and insights provided through these accounts are beneficial to us, and we are in dire need of them, particularly the stories of the prophets. Among those who benefited most from these stories was the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F). Allah (the Almighty) said, {'And We relate to you the stories of the messengers to reassure your heart. And there has come to you in this the truth, as well as lessons and reminders for the believers'}. This shows us the great importance of the examples of the prophets and messengers who preceded him, as they are of great benefits to him, including this critical benefit: {'to reassure your heart'}.

This is also among the proofs of the message and reveals unseen news, since the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) was not from the People of the Scripture and did not live among them. He did not have detailed knowledge of the news of past nations or previous prophets and messengers. It serves as proof of the divine message that Allah presented him with such unseen news about past events that were not previously known to him, his people, or his social environment and surrounding—totally unknown. Therefore, Allah (Glory be to Him) said, {'That is of the news of the unseen which We reveal to you. Neither you nor your people knew it before this. So be patient; Surely, the ultimate outcome is for the people of piety'}. Allah also said, {'This is news of the unseen that We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast lots to decide who would be Maryam's guardian, nor were you there when they were quarrelling'}. In other verses, He said, {'You were not there on the western side of the mountain when We revealed to Musa the command, nor were you among those present. But We have brought forth generations, and the ages took their toll on them. And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our revelations, but it is We Who do send messengers. And you were not at the side of the mount when We called but as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no warner had come before you that they might be reminded'}. This is one of the proofs of the message and reveals news of the unseen, serving as clear evidence that what the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) brought was from Allah, the Almighty.

The Holy Quran does not present stories and events as a historical book, not in this sense: It is not meant to be seen as a historical book or a book of stories. Rather, it is a book of guidance. What it presents in terms of stories and news about past nations, events, and the past that is unknown to us, is not presented apart from important truths and instructions and great lessons that we are in dire need of. It does not follow a historical approach in what it narrates; rather, it follows an approach that focuses on presenting important, beneficial lessons.

The stories of the Holy Quran: A source rich with diverse and comprehensive lessons!

The Quranic stories are diverse, encompassing a very wide range of topics. Therefore, they are very rich in lessons and insights. That is because they include all aspects and areas we are in need of. This is obvious in the Quranic discourse on the past, which is for us part of the unseen:

  • It discussed the beginning of creation, the formation of the heavens and the earth, the creation of humankind, and much more.
  • It also spoke about the angels, the jinn, and the human beings.
  • It presented important examples of the stories of some prophets and messengers, one of which is the story of the Prophet Adam (PBUH) and a group of the prophets, including Nuh, Ibrahim, Hud, Salih, Shu'aib, Lot, Yunus, Isma'il, Yaqub, Yusuf, Dawud, Sulaiman, Musa, Harun, Zakariya, Yahya, and others. This is just to name a few.
  • There are also important examples in the Holy Quran of the significant stories and beneficial past news that discussed and presented examples of some believers other than the prophets, such as the story of the believer of the family of Firaawn, the companions of the cave, the believer from the village in Surah Ya-Sin, the wise Luqman, and the believer who passed by a village in full ruins, as well as the disciples. This is just by way of example, not an exhaustive list.
  • Additionally, the Holy Quran encompasses extremely magnificent examples of believing women, such as the story of truthful and pure Maryam, daughter of Imran, (PBUH) in many places in the Holy Quran, and there is a surah named after her. Hawwa was also mentioned in the story of Adam (PBUH) in the Holy Quran; she is the mother of human beings. The Holy Quran also spoke about the mother of Musa (PBUH), his sister, and the wife of Firaawn, and this is just by way of example, not an exhaustive list.
  • There are important examples of stories that shed light on nations and peoples, containing numerous, profound lessons and guiding examples, such as the people of Nuh, the people of Aad, the people of Thamud, the people of Madyan, the people of Al-Rass, and the people of Firaawn, as well as Ya’juj and Ma’juj, Tubba, and the Children of Israel. The Holy Quran contains a very extensive discourse on the Children of Israel.
  • The Holy Quran also presents example stories of kings and leaders (both believers and disbelievers), such as the story of Dhul-Qarnayn in Surah Al-Kahf, the story of the Queen of Sheba, the king who was contemporary with Prophet Ibrahim (said to be Nimrod), and Firaawn. These are by way of examples.
  • There are also examples of merchants who transgressed with the wealth at their disposal, such as the story of Qarun and other stories on a larger scale, not a personal one, like the trade of Sheba.
  • The Holy Quran also contains examples of farmers and agriculture, whose stories contain significant lessons, such as the story of the owner of the two gardens in Surah Al-Kahf and the story of the people of the garden in Surah Al-Qalam.
  • We also find in the Quranic stories examples of the scholars of evil, like the story of the one in Surah Al-Araf who is said to be named Bal'am Ba'ura.
  • In addition, there are other examples related to peoples who inhabited villages, such as the story of the people of Sabbath.
  • There are also whole surahs in the Holy Quran that are named after important stories and events, such as Surah Al-Baqarah , which mentioned the story of the cow of the Children of Israel, and it extensively discusses the history of the Children of Israel and their stories, and all of that has to do with giving lessons, guiding examples, important facts and reminders, as well as establishing proof. This applies to Surah Ali 'Imran, Surah Al-Ma'idah, Surah Yunus, Surah Hud, Surah Yusuf, Surah Ibrahim, Surah Al-Hijr, Surah Al-Kahf, Surah Maryam, Surah Al-Anbiya, Surah An-Naml, Surah Al-Qasas, Surah Ar-Rum, Surah Luqman, Surah Al-Ahzab, Surah Saba, Surah Al-Ahqaf, and Surah Al-Fath, among other surahs.

Key features of Quranic stories!

In the Holy Quran, it is the lessons and guiding examples in these stories that one should focus on, since the Quranic stories are not merely ordinary stories we read for enjoyment or for the sake of general knowledge about the past or past events and news. Therefore, the Quranic stories have important features, one of which is that they are real-life stories.

The Quranic stories are real-life stories. What the Holy Quran mentions about the stories of the prophets, the stories of peoples, and the stories of individuals is true and has actually happened. They are not fictional stories, as humans tend to use the technique of fictional storytelling, especially in later eras where this has become a common technique. This is a well-known matter: Throughout history, people have written fictional stories and used them to address certain themes, establish certain concepts, or serve certain issues. Indeed, this is well-known in human society, and it has significantly developed in this era, as it is used in TV series, movies, and books, including the literary field, where fictional storytelling is a common technique. However, what is found in the Holy Quran is real-life stories, so they provide valuable lessons. Therefore, one cannot dismiss certain truths simply by considering them as based on fictional tales.

People find real events convincing, impactful, and trustworthy, as what is based on true events is perceived differently than that which is based on imaginary events. The Quranic stories are true stories, and one should engage with them with confidence. They contain lessons and insights for one learn, and one can have no doubts about this truth.

Also, the Quranic stories are free from impurities: Apart from Quranic interpretations, the stories in the Holy Quran are completely free from impurities, with no exaggerations, lies, fillers, or any additions beyond the truth and reality. This is a very important matter because, for example, what the People of the Book have and what is in many unreliable narrations contain many impurities, unreliable additions, and sometimes intentional distortions of very important historical facts. Many are the truths that the People of the Book have distorted in stories to tarnish the reputation of the prophets of Allah and insult them, change many truths, glorify and exalt evil individuals, and present incorrect concepts.

And thus, what they have of stories has been influenced by their misguidance, deviance, distortion, and erroneous inclinations. Therefore, they have altered such stories to serve their ends.

Throughout history, the so-called Isra'iliyyat (narratives invented by the Jews) that are adopted by the People of the Book have found their way to Muslim doctrines and influenced certain Muslim individuals who were involved in history writings, Quranic exegesis, and related fields. This has had a very dangerous impact on the reality of Muslims, as some Muslims have accepted such narratives and were influenced by them, adopting them as reliable sources that shape their attitudes towards certain facts, concepts, cultures, or perceptions. As a result, there have been serious repercussions, and Muslims have expressed concern about the influence of Isra'iliyyat, whether in the form of narrations, stories, news, or exegesis. It is widely recognised that all religious sects are crying out because of this influence and consider it to be an intellectual and cultural infiltration that has affected Muslims.

What Allah (Glory be to Him) has presented in the Holy Quran in terms of stories (in the Quranic text itself) is completely free from any impurities, and people can take such stories with complete assurance. This is why the Quran speaks about this feature, as Allah (the Almighty) says, {'It is We who relate to you their story in truth'}. The phrase 'in truth' means that it is free from any falsehood, impurities, lies, or fabrications. It is pure, sincere, and sound. This is indeed a great blessing.

The greatest and most significant feature of Quranic stories

The greatest and most significant feature of the Quranic stories, before all other features, is that their source is Allah, the Almighty. When we read His saying, {'It is We who relate to you their story in truth'}, as well as His saying, {'We relate to you the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Quran'}, this shows the immense significance of this feature.

Allah, the Almighty—the Knower of the unseen and the seen, to Whom nothing is hidden in the earth or the heavens—presents in His Holy Book beneficial stories that are rich in lessons and insights and filled with important truths that we are in dire need of. They are rich in knowledge that holds great value for our lives, affairs, knowledge, wisdom, and insight, among other things. With His knowledge, wisdom, mercy, and wide guidance, it is Allah Who chooses for us the best stories. Even when it comes to the selection of stories, those involved in such stories, and events, He chooses what resonates with the realities of our lives in many aspects, including doctrinal, political, economic, and social aspects. This is indeed a tremendously important and significant matter. It is truly the best of stories because it is the selection made by Allah (Glory be to Him) for the important and highly beneficial stories that benefit us.

The Quranic stories are not like those many stories that waste one's time and consume a lot of the time of many of those young people in the Ummah. Some individuals are captivated by narrative writings. Most of these stories, as we mentioned, are mere fantasies and have a negative impact on a person's psychology, thinking, culture, and orientation, which leads many people, especially the youth, to lose a significant amount of their time pursuing something that brings them no benefit, but rather harms them more than it benefits them.

On the other hand, the stories in the Holy Quran are related to facts, real characters, lessons, and insights, and they hold great importance and have a significant impact and valuable benefit. {‘We}—Allah (the Almighty)—{relate to you, , the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Quran although you were, before it, among the unaware'}.

And as it is from Allah (Glory be to Him), it also contains what only Allah knows. The Quranic stories sometimes express psychological matters, not just the events and facts in their external nature, but also their depth in the soul and their background in the human soul, in his thinking, and in his motives. This is one of the most important things that the Holy Quran presents, and it contains important lessons for humans because this aspect is one in which we need lessons and insights and addresses our need to benefit from historical facts and the past of nations. That is because it discusses matters that only Allah (Glory be to Him) knows, and He is the One Who narrates them.

Then at the level of presentation, the Quranic presentation is very elegant and distinctive: The Holy Quran is distinctive in presenting what is good and beneficial and following the correct style. Sometimes when matters are not presented in the right and wise way, this leaves a negative impact, even if they are based on facts. That is because even though they are based on facts, the way of presenting them must be beneficial. Take for example the story of Allah’s Prophet Yusuf (PBUH): One would find that some storytellers and writers may present some parts of this story in a negative way that leads to negative results. In contrast, the Quranic presentation of matters is very elegant, great, and distinctive and leaves a positive impact.

Quranic stories: A rich resource of lessons and insights for those of sound understanding!

The life stories of the prophets (Peace be upon them) contain extremely great and important lessons that were presented to the Prophet (PBUH&F) and also to the believing men and women in general and those striving in the cause of Allah. They are important lessons for all of humanity. That is why Allah said, {'And We relate to you the stories of the messengers to reassure your heart. And there has come to you in this the truth, as well as lessons and reminders for the believers'}. 'In fact, the Holy Quran tells us that the Messenger (PBUH&F) was in need of having the news of the previous messengers revealed to him. So it was narrated to him some of the news of messengers in the Holy Quran, which said the purpose of that is {'to reassure your heart’}. That is because the heart of the Prophet (PBUH&F) was a heart of a concerned man who kept working hard and making efforts in the face of all events, all rebels, all adversaries, and all difficult circumstances and situations. Thus, the news of previous prophets would have a great effect in firming his heart. {'And We relate to you the stories of the messengers to reassure your heart.'} {'There was certainly in their stories a guiding example for those of understanding'}. The Messengers of Allah and the nations to whom they were sent are a great number. The Quranic stories involve many nations, successive generations, different eras, diverse psyches, and varying circumstances.' One can notice this great richness and the vast lessons and insights.

'When you set forth while feeling a sense of responsibility before Allah (the Almighty) to support His religion and work in His path, it is then you will know the value and the importance of everything. Many are the prophets mentioned in the Holy Quran, and we have known a great deal of their stories and known about the nations they were sent to; however, we go through all those important stories without consideration, without drawing inspiration from those significant figures what we are in desperate need of, without getting to know the divine practices’—In fact, among the most important things we have to benefit from their stories and from the stories of those societies and nations is knowing the divine practices. Knowing them is important for our life and deeds—‘without familiarising ourselves with the important methods that those striving in the cause of Allah should adopt and implement. Indeed, you will find in the stories of the prophets what serves as great and important lessons for the people of understanding.’ This is an extract from the lessons of the Martyr Leader (May Allah be pleased with him).

Therefore, such lessons are important, and believers need to benefit and learn from them. They do need to take from these lessons what attracts them to the prophets and messengers of Allah and what enhances their relationship with them as role models and symbols.

There is also a beneficial extract in which the Martyr Leader (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

A person who attains faith and belongs to Islam in every sense of the word is the one who benefits from everything around him, from the changes in life, and from the ever-evolving events in life. Any incident that occurs in any corner of the world certainly serves as a sign, bears witness to a sign, and contains multiple lessons.

About those incidents that happened to past civilisations, the Holy Quran did tell their stories to us and to the Prophet (PBUH&F) himself to tell everyone, {'There was certainly in their stories a guiding example for those of understanding'}. {‘For those of understanding’}—those people of understanding who do not look at things superficially, but understand and contemplate things and look for their lessons in order to benefit from them.

What are stories in this context? They are those events that happened; doesn’t the Quran sometimes exhibit a word said by tribal leaders in the days of Nuh, Musa, Salih, Hud, or any other prophets? It mentions even a word, which serves as an event that contains a guiding example and indicates a lot. The same applies to prophets’ positions. To show the significance of this, He says, {'There was certainly in their stories a guiding example for those of understanding.'} {‘A guiding example’} means a lot of lessons, and lessons do not only mean getting knowledge—that a person gets the knowledge that there was a prophet who said this and his nation said that to him, and that is it. Rather, it is a guiding example that contains a great number of lessons and reveals to you the deep feelings of the people of falsehood, allowing you to know what holds people back from believing, why they worked hard and seriously to oppose one of Allah’s prophets, and how merciful, sincere, and advisory the prophets (Peace be upon them) to their peoples. Allah chose them and made them perfect, and yet you still see how no prophet to any nation was left in peace. You still see how no prophet to any nation was spared from being described as a sorcerer or madman. A madman is what they called that person whom Allah had chosen and perfected, whose heart got broken with disappointment and sadness that people did not get guided, and who spends all his time guiding people and leading them out from darkness to light. Such a person is rewarded by being described as a madman, poet, liar, slanderer, and sorcerer. Although he brought them a scripture from Allah, they said, {‘Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and evening’}.

There are indeed numerous lessons to be derived from events, whether it is the stories of past nations narrated in the Holy Quran or the events that occur in our recent or contemporary history as an Islamic Ummah. There is an abundance of events and changes in this present age.

Reflecting on the stories of the Holy Quran as a key to strengthening our trust in Allah!

These are very important and beneficial lessons to which we should pay attention and which we should contemplate in the Holy Quran.

They also solidify one's trust in Allah and strengthen faith in His true promise and His capability of making great changes, and they allow one to know divine practices, divine ways of arranging the affairs of this world, and the consequences of matters. In addition, they have to do with instructional aspects, as there is a wealth of lessons in this regard. There are also important, valuable lessons to be learned from the stories Allah has told us about towns and nations that He destroyed; the reasons for their destruction, their loss, and their miseries; and who played a significant role in leading them to their downfall: Allah (the Almighty) has said, {‘That is from the news of the cities, which We relate to you; of them, some are standing and some are a harvest ’}; He also said, {‘And you lived among the dwellings of those who wronged themselves’}.

Allah willing, we will discuss the details of the lessons and insights in the light of the blessed verses that contain these significant stories.

One of the things we should pay attention to is that we, as the Ummah of Muhammad, are the final nation. We have a very long history filled with lessons and insights. It was expected of us to be the ones with the highest and most elegant awareness and insight among the nations, to learn from the lessons from the experiences of past nations, and to immensely benefit from the stories Allah told about the messengers, prophets, believers, their communities, and the other things mentioned in the Holy Quran.

It is very unfortunate that we, as the last of nations, with a history full of lessons and a vast wealth of events, find ourselves having a very low level of awareness, insight, wisdom, and ability to learn from experiences. This is extremely regrettable: While it is fortunate for us to have a vast wealth of events that contain many lessons, it is a grave mistake not to pay attention to that and not to benefit from the lessons that we are in need of.

That is why the Martyr Leader (May Allah be pleased with him) says:

We, as Muslims living among the last nations, are lucky to have a great and important wealth of lessons and full of similar and contrasting situations, all of which are important lessons and important heritage. It is, however, strange and bewildering for a nation to go astray while having this great heritage and this important wealth of events revealed in the Holy Quran. Although the prophets of Allah reached perfection and despite the different circumstances and the types of nations they were sent to, you find that they enjoy unity and have the same spirit, regardless of the time gap between them and how significant that gap might be. It feels as if you are in front of a group of disciples who lived in the same era and received their teachings from one teacher. This itself is a living testimony that Allah's path and guidance have the ability to build a united nation.

Allah willing, we will start the lessons from the next lecture to discuss the Quranic stories. This lecture will serve as an introduction before discussing the detailed stories mentioned in the Holy Quran.

We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah! Have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are the Hearer of Prayer!

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.