Ramadan Lecture Series 1445 A.H.

Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi

Lecture Eleven

Saturday, 13 Ramadan 1445 A.H. (23 March 2024 A.D.)

Through the Story of Adam in Surah Al-A'raf
(Part Five)
After Being Expelled from the Garden, Iblis Vows to Come After the Children of Adam!

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.

We have previously recited and shed light on some of the blessed verses of Surah Al-A'raf, in which Allah has clarified certain aspects of the story of Adam (PBUH) and revealed the hostile and obstinate position of Satan and the important lessons and insights that we can derive from that story.

Previously, we shed light on what Allah (Glory be to Him) mentioned about His great blessings upon humanity and human society as a whole: How He has empowered them on the earth and favoured them in their creation, shaping humans in the best form and endowing them with a beautiful and distinctive image. Furthermore, He honoured them with the blessing of the angels’ prostrating in honour of Adam (PBUH), a blessing that extends to all humanity and signifies the great honour bestowed upon humanity.

Allah clarified for us how Iblis (May Allah curse him) refused to prostrate with the angels and what the motive behind his action was. It became evident that his motive was arrogance (We seek refuge in Allah). He also clarified how He expelled Satan from among the angels, {‘Allah said, “Then get down from it! It is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out! You are truly one of the debased.” He appealed, “Then give me respite until the Day of their resurrection.” He said, “Indeed, you are of those who have respite.” He said, “Because You have led me astray, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. I will approach them from their front, their back, their right, their left, and then You will find most of them ungrateful”’}. We then discussed the horrible, bad, dangerous sins that branch out from arrogance.

Iblis (May Allah curse him) refused to prostrate to Adam, which was indeed a transgression. He then persisted in his refusal, which also constituted a transgression too. After that, he shamelessly talked to Allah (Glory be to Him) and accused Him of injustice and lack of wisdom. This constituted a terrible form of disbelief and a grave transgression. In addition to all that, after he requested respite and Allah revealed to him that he was indeed among those who would have respite, he revealed his intention, which was one of disobedience—a very grave disobedience—aimed at leading the front of misguidance and disbelief and dedicating all his respite to turning people away from Allah’s straight path and misguiding and tempting the sons of Adam. This was an immensely grave sin, and he wanted to persist in it throughout the remaining period of his respite. Prior to that, he transgressed against Allah by placing the blame on Him: He placed the blame for his deviation on Allah, even though it was him himself who fell into misguidance due to his arrogance.

This is how he went from one sin to another and from one transgression to another. In addition, the transgression of leading others astray from the path of truth encompasses countless other transgressions. Satan bears responsibility for every transgression that a person commits due to his encouragement, motivation, and temptation (We seek refuge in Allah).

There is a tremendously significant lesson in the transformation that occurred in the reality of Satan (Iblis), particularly in how he departed from that state of being a devoted worshipper among the angels for thousands of years—narrations do mention that he remained a worshipper among the angels for thousands of years and he elevated till he became a worshipper among them as if he were one of them, worshipping Allah alongside them. From that level of worship and elevation he had attained, he then turned into a disobedient, rebellious, wicked, and evil being who persisted in disobedience and directed himself towards the worst level of disobedience and evil (We seek refuge in Allah). Why did this dangerous transformation occur? This contains an important lesson.

Deviating from Allah's straight path: Causes and influences

In life and the reality of people, we find that there have always been individuals who embarked on the path of truth, faith, and righteous deeds, and they continued on this path for a long time—some of them even played a distinguished role, appearing to be a people of great faith and righteous deeds and standing out through their practical role that may involve jihad in the cause of Allah or any other righteous deeds. They would continue in this direction for a considerable time, even playing a distinguished role, but it was all about time before their reality changed at a certain stage, under specific circumstances, or in the face of particular events, leading them to completely deviate. Some deviated intellectually or doctrinally; others at the practical level in specific aspects; and some at the moral level. Thus, the situations vary depending on the different orientations, as well as the factors and causes behind one's deviation. So what is wrong with them? One cannot but ask what is wrong with them?! This is true, especially when considering the fact that when a person sincerely turns to Allah (Glory be to Him) with true faith and devotion, following the right direction and striving to eliminate any seeds of dangerous influences that may affect him later on, Allah (Glory be to Him) surely keeps His faithful servants from deviation. He is the one who says, {'And as for those who are guided, He increases them in guidance and gives them their piety'}. This is a very important verse that shows us that Allah (Glory be to Him) increases His well-guided servants in guidance and even grants them piety. He is also the one who says, {‘If you become mindful of Allah, He will give you a criterion’}. The Holy Quran contains numerous verses that reveal that Allah gives more to His servants who are guided, who believe, who are sincere with Him, who are devoted to Him, and who follow the right and sound path: He grants them more guidance, more faith, and more success, keeps them from deviation, accepts their repentance, brings them out of darkness into light, silently surrounds them with His kindness, and so on.

There are extremely dangerous matters that can have an impact on humans, among which is when they become self-centered and deeply engrossed in themselves. This state is extremely dangerous, as it ultimately transforms a person's soul into an idol in his own eyes and shifts the focus of his deeds towards himself rather than towards Allah (Glory be to Him). This is one of the perils that Satan fell into. Despite his long years of worship, thousands of years according to narrations, his sense of self grew immense, and he became consumed by his ego. After he worshipped Allah for such a long time and saw himself among the angels of Allah, residing among them and worshipping Allah with them, his sense of self grew more and more, and he glorified himself and became preoccupied with himself. His ego continued to inflate more and more until he fell victim to the disease of arrogance, which is one of the most dangerous diseases. The disease of arrogance is a very dangerous disease, a grave sin, and a severe corruption for any creature, whether it be humans or jinn themselves. It is an extremely dangerous state.

The same is true if there is any other seed of flaw. A person may have a seed of flaw within him, yet he does not make an effort to purify himself of it. He allows it to remain deep within his soul, and over time, it grows and grows. Eventually, he may face a specific test at a critical moment, revealing the extent of that flaw, which has grown over time. This flaw can grow, leading to a greater state of malice within the soul and an increased inclination and deviation towards that specific flaw to which the person is drawn and inclined.

Some, for example, are inclined towards their desires, and they are not content with what is lawful. This may involve sexual desires, as some may not be content with what is lawful. They have not purified their souls in order to keep away from the unlawful and detest it. As a result, this flaw grows bigger and bigger, and at a critical moment of testing, the person may experience a significant and resounding downfall.

Or for some, it is greed—material ambitions, as an example—from which they have not purified themselves, nor have they attempted to pursue the integrated faith-based path that can purify their souls. As a result, this flaw grows more and more within them; or still for some individuals, it is the ambition for social status: They desire to be of great fame and reputation and prominent status among people. This becomes their goal, and it keeps growing within them. Eventually, they make that goal the focus of all their deeds, instead of turning towards Allah. He is the One Who honours His believing servants and grants them love in the hearts of His servants. If a person turns sincerely towards Allah, Allah will be the One Who makes it His duty to grant him honour and instil love for him in the hearts of His servants, although that is not a goal for such a person. In fact, a believer's goal even with Allah can be much loftier than that: to seek to please Allah (Glory be to Him). As for the remaining matters, he entrusts them to Allah (the Almighty), as He is the One Who endows His believing servants with goodness, honour, and blessings, as well as generously bestowing upon them from His might, wisdom, and grace. In contrast, the dangerous state for a person is this: It is the flaw that starts as a tiny seed within his soul that remained therein and kept growing because he did not get rid of it.

 As previously mentioned, selfishness is another very dangerous state. Immersion in oneself and self-centeredness is one of the most dangerous issues that have affected and continue to affect many people, just as it affected the jinn before humans, including Iblis himself.

This grave transition is a guiding example and an important lesson so as to make a person alert and seek to direct his faith-based orientation correctly towards Allah and to transcend himself, not to be immersed in himself and not to be self-centered. He should also seek to turn only to Allah (Glory be to Him), be devoted to Him, and purify himself from any seed of flaw he becomes aware of within himself. Moreover, he should ask Allah and appeal to Him to purify himself even from the aspects that he may be unaware of and from any seeds of flaw unknown to him. He should seek Allah's help in that.

This is how Satan can significantly harm a person!

Allah has revealed to us the plan of Iblis, the accursed Satan—our enemy. His plan is this: {'I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path'}. He harbours intense enmity and wants to inflict the greatest, utmost, and most severe harm upon humans. So what is the harm he may inflict upon humans? It is represented in misleading and deviating them away from Allah's straight path, as this makes them suffer, lose immensely, fall into trouble, and be deprived of Allah's pleasure and Jannah in the Hereafter. Satan could not stand seeing our father Adam (PBUH) and our mother Hawwa (PBUH) in that garden where they began their march of life, let alone the Jannah of eternity and the Hereafter. There is no doubt that Satan wants to deprive everyone of it!

{'I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path.'} The straight path of Allah is His way and guidance for His servants: what He has directed us to and prescribed for us in this life. Satan wants to drive us away from Allah's way so that we do not follow His guidance or rely on His valuable way and teachings in the march of our lives. So Allah's way is the straight path that leads us to the great goals: the great victory, success and goodness in this world and the Hereafter.

{'I will approach them}—in his efforts to mislead and hinder them from the straight path—{ from their front, their back, their right, their left, and then You will find most of them ungrateful'}. This means in his efforts to mislead humans, Satan will use every means, every impactful method on them. He tries to approach them through any vulnerability, exploiting any weakness they have. If he finds a person ungreedy and cannot be approached through greed, he resorts to focus on other cravings to influence that person. He may influence some individuals by, for instance, focusing on their sexual desires, material ambitions, or any other cravings. If he fails to influence some individuals by focusing on such cravings, then he soon looks for other cravings to influence them.

He may influence some individuals through anger, about which the Commander of the Believers, Ali (PBUH), said, 'Anger is a great army from the armies of Iblis.' That is, it is a very dangerous vulnerability for Satan to exploit. It is also narrated that the Prophet of Allah Isa said, 'Nothing brings a person closer to the wrath of Allah than anger.' The moment of anger and emotional outburst affects many people and is a dangerous vulnerability for some people. That is because if one gets angry and loses control, he acts impulsively and transgresses, so he may say anything or do anything. Indeed, in reality, the moments of anger or emotional outbursts have led to countless serious crimes committed by people including murders, as well as sins committed through speech, such as severe verbal offences, slander, false accusations, and various types of injustice.

Some people may be approached by Satan through other vulnerabilities. They might not be quick-tempered, or if they do become agitated, they manage to regain their composure and move past that state. So Satan, as we mentioned, seeks to influence them through moral ambitions, positions of power, the desire for authority and influence, and the allure of commanding and forbidding. He searches for each person's vulnerabilities and weaknesses to see how he can affect them and lead them to disobey Allah's commands or prohibitions. Ultimately, Allah's guidance reaches us in the form of commands and prohibitions, and Satan tries to make you go against one of these divine directives, which can lead you into sin.

Even in religious matters, he may push some individuals into religiosity but in a misleading way:

• They may fabricate lies about Allah (the Almighty) in the name of religion.
• They may attribute to Allah what they do not know.
• They may go to extremes in religion, surpassing the boundaries of what is right.
• They may innovate things in religious practices that have no basis and attribute to religion what does not belong to it.
• They may make permissible what Allah has forbidden, or vice versa—this is just to mention but a few.

Therefore, even when it comes to religion, there are also pitfalls that Satan can exploit to influence those who are inclined towards religiosity. He may feel hopeless about turning them away from their religious path because some people have a genuine commitment to their faith. Instead, he tries to tempt them within the framework of their religious orientation—as we said, there are many areas where he can lead them astray.

On the other hand, there are those whom Satan successfully leads away from their religious commitment and the state of piety entirely, pushing them towards immorality and wickedness. This is another case where Satan entices many people, particularly those who surrender themselves to him and their desires and fall into these dangerous traps (May Allah protect us).

Therefore, it is necessary for a person to be aware that Satan will be lying in wait for him. If he fails in one direction or side, he will resort to another. It is important for a person to look for his weaknesses to identify the state where he finds himself prone to error: Is it anger and emotional outbursts? Is it desires? Is it ambitions related to fame, reputation, the love of power, etc.? A person should search within himself to discover his weaknesses and flaws, and through this self-discovery, he can turn to Allah and seek to purify his soul and exercise caution in such states. There are in the religion of Allah, in His teachings, and in His instructions, what assists a person. That is in addition to seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan and maintaining an orientation towards faith, where that serves as protection for the individual.

The importance and positive impact of recognising Satan’s intense malice towards humanity!

{'And then You will find most of them ungrateful'}. Satan’s malevolence towards all of the descendants of Adam is extremely intense. It does not satisfy him, nor is it enough for him, to lead a billion people astray, condemning them to Jahannam and making them burn with him in the fires of Jahannam. That is not sufficient for him. Fundamentally, if he had the ability to mislead every single person, his level of malevolence, enmity, and deep-seated resentment is such that he would not hesitate to do so. If he could, he would strive for the destruction of every one of them. He hates them all and harbours a profound malevolence against them, a hatred beyond our comprehension, an incredibly strange and intense hatred. However, his ambition is that if he cannot destroy all of them and lead them all astray, then at least he aims to mislead the majority of them, seeking the destruction and deviation of most humans.

His ambition stems from what he knows about humans, based on what he learned with the angels regarding mankind. This raises a question: If Satan did not exist or had not deviated and chosen to take on the role of tempting humanity, with the help of other devils from among the jinn he misled, would humans inherently be upright and righteous, with the only reason for their misguidance being Satan? The answer is no. The human soul, by its very nature, is susceptible to both good and evil: Allah says about the human soul, {'then with right and wrong inspired it!'}. Even if Iblis did not exist or did not act to mislead them, there would still be individuals who would choose the path of evil and could even reach the level of a devil among humans, because there are also devils among mankind.

When a person loses the element of goodness within himself and starts tempting and corrupting others, he has reached the rank of a devil. Indeed, he has become a devil, turned away from goodness and truth, and reached a point where he, himself, has become a source of temptation for others, seeking to lure, corrupt, and mislead them. When a person reaches that point, he is considered one of the human devils, as devils are of two kinds: human devils and jinn devils.

There is a positive point here if we truly understand it: When one realises that the one who calls to the path of evil and leads others in it is an extremely wicked enemy, a vile and malevolent being who has sunk to a very low level of depravity and dishonour, then being aware of his lowliness and wickedness and his enmity towards humanity can motivate a person to stay true to the path of truth and righteousness. As long as there is an enemy on the path of evil and temptation who opposes you, hates you, seeks your ruin, despises you, and aims to lead you to misery in this life and eternal damnation in the Hereafter, a very despicable and vile enemy—this should encourage you to turn away from evil and stick to the path of goodness and remain on a right course. Understanding this well can yield such a result.

After Allah revealed Satan's plan to humankind through his own acknowledgement, although Allah knows everything and nothing is hidden from Him, {'Allah said, "Get out of it, disgraced and rejected! I will certainly fill up Jahannam with you and your followers all together"'}. Previously, He had said to him: {'Then get down from it! It is not for you to be arrogant therein.'} After this dialogue, in which Allah made Iblis reveal everything, He expelled him: {'Allah said, "Get out of it,}—out of the heavens, from the place of worship among the angels—{disgraced and rejected!"'} The term 'disgraced' here means he is condemned and despised. Indeed, the state into which Satan has fallen is horrifying (We seek refuge in Allah). He transformed from a state of worship and sanctity and from the honour of obedience into the disgrace, shame, and humiliation of disobedience. This is a tremendous fall and a drastic transformation. He has become despised, stripped of any dignity or respect, tainted by the shame and disgrace of his wrongdoing. As for the term 'rejected', it means he was cast out in humiliation and disgrace.

{'I will certainly fill up Jahannam with you and your followers all together.'} Their large number is simply a multitude for Jahannam and does not represent a loss for Allah, for He is self-sufficient and stands of no need of His servants. The jinn and humans together are just a tiny speck, a very limited number in the vast dominion of Allah. The angels alone are created in immense and tremendous numbers. Although humans have today reached billions, they, along with the jinn, still represent only a small, insignificant fraction compared to the vastness of creation. This earth, which Allah has entrusted to us, is but a grain of sand in a boundless desert, an immense desert. In the vast dominion of Allah, we are nothing more than a very tiny speck. If all creation disobeyed Allah (Glory be to Him), their disobedience would not harm Him. The disobedience of those who disobey Him does not harm Him, nor does the obedience of those who obey Him benefit Him. Indeed, He is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy. Allah stands in no need of His servants. Therefore, regardless of the number of those who deny His blessings and misuse the bounties He has bestowed upon them (whether in their senses, faculties, or the blessings found in this world) whenever a person sinfully misuses these blessings that Allah has bestowed on him (whether those related to his understanding, senses, faculties, talents, and abilities or those made available and beneficial to him on the earth), then he harms himself and subjects himself to disgrace, destruction, and eternal torment in the Hereafter (We seek refuge in Allah from that).

This terrible expulsion demonstrates the immense anger of Allah towards Satan. He even cursed him. In other verses, Allah said, {'And surely upon you is My curse until the Day of Recompense'}. The state of disobedience is dangerous for both humans and jinn, and persisting in sin is a serious issue. Stubbornness, which can be alluring to some, is also very dangerous. Indeed, it has serious consequences for a person. We have seen how it affected the jinn before, including Satan himself.

{'I will certainly fill up Jahannam with you and your followers all together'}. We seek refuge in Allah. Jahannam will be filled up with Iblis’ followers. His followers, both from the jinn and humans, will fill Jahannam! This indicates that their numbers will be huge, which is why Allah (the Almighty) says, {'I will certainly fill up'}—we seek refuge in Allah! This is truly a frightening matter, so one should strive to ensure that he is not among that majority (May Allah be our refuge).

After being expelled from the heavens, Satan begins his efforts against Adam and Hawwa!

{'And "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in the garden and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers"'}. Notice that alongside the devil's disgraceful and humiliating expulsion, there came honour and care for Adam and Hawwa (Peace be upon them). Allah placed them in a garden filled with everything they needed—food, drink, clothing, and all their requirements available in abundance and ease, without any hardship. {'And eat from wherever you will}—the fruits and provisions were plentiful—{but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.'} Just one tree! This was the beginning of teaching them responsibility and limits. They weren't burdened with many demands; for instance, they were not forbidden from many trees or faced with a long list of do's and don'ts. It started gradually, allowing them to begin their journey of life without overwhelming obligations. There was only one tree they were warned against, with a clear consequence: {'lest you be among the wrongdoers'}.

After his expulsion from the heavens and separation from the angels, Satan set out to begin his hostile campaign and his first round with Adam and Hawwa (Peace be upon them). He approached them and devised a plan for how to target them, with the primary goal being to drive them out of that garden, away from that blissful and happy life where their needs were met comfortably. He aimed to lead them out of that and into hardship and suffering. He was desperate to mislead or corrupt Adam, so he sought to inflict suffering upon him—he wanted to ensure that Adam's journey began with struggle and adversity. He then devised a plan and focused on that tree. He sought to entice them into disobeying the divine command. Satan focuses on targeting our compliance with Allah's commands and prohibitions. He focuses on this matter.

{'Then Satan tempted them in order to expose what was hidden of their nakedness'}. The goal was to cause them suffering and despair and to lead them to lose that garden and all its comforts to the point where they even lose their own clothes. He wanted them to see themselves as weak, destitute, and broken in spirit and will, as this would have a profound impact on their psychological, moral, and material state. Satan aims to target the human spirit in the first place and then turns to target humans in their life circumstances.

{'He said, "Your Lord has forbidden this tree to you only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals"'}. Satan sought to portray the divine prohibition as not being in their interest, and this is what he focuses on in targeting the children of Adam: He tries to portray the divine command and prohibition as not being in the interest of humans, suggesting that their true advantage lies in disobeying divine commands and prohibitions. This is undoubtedly a deception! That is because Allah wants good for us when He commands or forbids us, and this is out of His mercy towards us.

{'He said, "Your Lord has forbidden this tree to you only to prevent you from becoming angels or immortals"'}. He claimed that the reason for the prohibition was to keep them from reaching a higher status as angels or living forever without death or decay. He claimed that this was the secret behind that tree. He claimed that eating from it would transform them into angels, allowing them to live eternally, free from death and decay. He was trying to tap into their desire for alleviation, the ambition to rise to a better and higher state, and the wish for immortality. He tried to tap into a particular desire they had. However, there were no such secrets about that tree; it was an ordinary tree. Rather, eating from it is an act of disobedience that would mean losing everything, even their clothes. Notice the stark contrast between reality and the illusion Satan presents through whispers—it's a complete and utter contradiction. Therefore, Satan aimed to exploit these things that matched their desires. It’s clear that he kept trying and didn’t succeed the first time. He whispered to them initially, failed, and then persisted with repeated attempts. This shows us the tactic Satan relies on: His tactic involves trying over and over again to influence the human psyche and lead a person astray.

{'And he swore to them, "Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors"'}. In the end, he made this oath to reassure them because it was clear they were hesitant and anxious, not fully trusting his seductive whispers or the illusion he had created for them. He tried to convince them by giving an oath. He presented a false claim and used an advice-based approach, falsely presenting himself as an advisor. Allah reveals to us how Satan operates, along with his followers and those misleading ones: They offer enticing and appealing claims while presenting themselves as advisors who genuinely seek the best for others. {'So he brought about their fall through deception'}. In the end, after his repeated attempts and his use of the method of swearing oaths, he placed them in danger—the danger of disobedience and the consequences that would follow. He deceived them with the allure and deception of a fabricated secret about the tree, a false and unrealistic secret.

Adam and Hawwa reap the regrettable and bitter consequence!

{'And when they tasted of the tree,}—because of that atmosphere that influenced them to the extent that they forgot and were heedless of the divine warning given to them about the tree and about Satan and his deception—{their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of the garden. And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is a sworn enemy to you?"'}. When they tasted the tree, they immediately fell into the regrettable result: They lost everything, and they were even stripped of the clothes of the garden. {'And they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of the garden.'} They took from the leaves of the garden to weave, stick, and interlock them together to cover their private parts. In fact, this is an immediate bankruptcy; they were immediately bankrupt of everything. They lost that garden and what was in it all at once, even the clothes they were wearing. Actually, this was the bitter result that Satan led them to and intended to lead them to. They felt the loss and felt that Satan had entrapped them and deceived them, and it was a difficult moment for them.

In that situation where they were certainly feeling ashamed and guilty before Allah and where they became aware of their shortcomings and remembered Allah’s prohibition, the call came to them from Allah: {'And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is a sworn enemy to you?"'} Indeed, there is no shortcoming on the part of Allah, the Almighty. He had warned them and forbidden them from eating from that tree and from approaching it. Actually, even approaching what is forbidden can sometimes have an effect on a person. In addition, He had warned them that Satan was a clear enemy, so he would never advise them or provide them with anything containing advice, even if he claimed or swore that he was just advising them. In fact, this is his state with humans and the state of his followers from the devils of humans and jinn, no matter how deceptive and attractive their titles may be, or the seemingly advisory nature of what they present. It is similar to what they do to different peoples in this era, including those within the Islamic world.

{'They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers"'}. They acknowledged their wrongdoing and turned to Allah in repentance, so not like Satan, who was stubborn, persisted in his wrongdoing, accused Allah, and transgressed against Him. They approached Allah with humility, remorse, and a recognition of their wrongdoing. They sought His forgiveness, expressing it in this way: {'They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves.'} Indeed, when a person disobeys one of Allah's commands or prohibitions, he is truly wronging himself.

That is enough for today.

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.