Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi
Lecture One
Monday, 1 Ramadan 1445 A.H. (11 March 2024 A.D.)
The Importance of Embracing Allah's Guidance and Avoiding Heedlessness and Indifference!
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
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.
Living to witness the month of Ramadan anew is a precious, important, and renewed opportunity. The blessed month of Ramadan is a great opportunity for a person due to its blessings and unique atmosphere that help people benefit from the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him), remember, come out of a state of heedlessness, and pay attention to their selves, their realities, and their actions. That is because it provides an opportunity for a person to restore and purify his soul, to return to Allah (the Almighty) through repentance and seeking His forgiveness, and to elevate his moral, psychological, and faith reality in a way that is not easily achievable at other times. This is true due to the blessings granted by Allah during this month and the impact of fasting, night prayers, and righteous deeds one can experience by the grace of Allah and due to His great bounty. Therefore, it is important for people to realise the significance and value of this opportunity so as not to waste the blessed days and nights of Ramadan without benefiting from them.
In this life, people undergo countless changes. From one year to the next, they undergo changes within themselves and in their ages. The child grows up and eventually transforms into a young adult, embarking on a different path than his childhood. He gets married, starts a family, and shoulders new responsibilities in life, so he encounters various changes in his mental state and life circumstances. The young adult transitions towards middle age, leaving behind the energy, abilities, strength, health, activity, and power he once possessed in his youth. Indeed, he undergoes changes and moves towards middle age. Similarly, after middle age, a person enters the stage of old age and senility.
Actually, throughout their march in this life, people experience these changes at both a personal and age-related level. This is true if they continue living to the stage of youth, to middle age, and then to old age. However, many people depart from this life before reaching those stages. Many people pass away in the prime of their lives, some while still in their youth, and others at the beginning of middle age. Many are the people who pass away early.
Similarly, when it comes to the realities of life—from times of ease to moments of hardship, and from health to illness—numerous changes occur. Many individuals may transition from a state of good health, energy, and well-being to enduring chronic illnesses that persist throughout their lives. They suffer from the effects of these illnesses in various ways, depending on the nature and symptoms of the illness. Likewise, the circumstances of people, whether they live in poverty or wealth, or in security or fear, are subject to continual change.
Indeed, many changes occur to people in themselves, their circumstances, and their life conditions. These changes also extend to the external reality surrounding them. Many are the significant, diverse changes that occur in the reality surrounding a person and have an impact on him in one way or another.
The Importance of being conscious of the imminent return to Allah and avoiding heedlessness and arrogance!
However, regardless of these changes, they all take place within the context of a person’s journey through life. Throughout their march of life and this journey, with all the changes that occur, people are moving towards Allah (Glory be to Him), and their inevitable destiny is to return to Allah, Who says in the Holy Quran, {‘To Allah is the destination’}. A person perceives that he cannot remain in one fixed state but is always on a journey through life towards this ultimate end. {‘Indeed, to your Lord is the return’}: The ultimate destination, the return, and the final destiny are to Allah (Glory be to Him), just as He has said in the Holy Quran, {‘Indeed, it is We Who give life and cause death, and to Us is the destination’}. Allah (Glory be to Him) is the One Who has given you a life. He is the One Who has bestowed upon us this life. In the march of this life, it is Allah (Glory be to Him) Who grants us what we have, nurtures us, and brings us out of one stage of life into another, from childhood to youth, and ultimately to the end of this journey in this world. Then we return to Allah (Glory be to Him) and to the realm of the Hereafter.
{‘Indeed, it is We Who give life and cause death’}: It is Allah (Glory be to Him) Who gives us life and makes us die. {‘And to Us is the destination’}: The destination of everyone, the destination of human beings and the destination of all creatures, is to Allah (Glory be to Him). Allah (the Almighty) says, {‘And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the destination’}; {‘He is the forgiver of sin, acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no god but Him; to Him is the ultimate return’}. He also says, {‘And whoever purifies himself only purifies himself for himself. And to Allah is the destination’}.
The destiny of each one of us is with Allah (Glory be to Him), and the course of our lives directs us towards this very destiny. Our journey in this life—moving from one state to another and advancing through various stages—leads us to that fate: to Allah, the Almighty.
Therefore, no matter how stubborn, disobedient, conceited, heedless, or distant from the path of Allah (Glory be to Him) a person might be and no matter how neglectful, oblivious, negligent, careless, or ignorant towards his important future and destiny he might be, this will never exempt him from this destiny. He is bound, whether he wishes it or not, to this destiny: to Allah (Glory be to Him). Regardless of how deeply the state of heedlessness takes hold of him or how far he goes in stubbornness and arrogance, the inevitability of returning to Allah (Glory be to Him) cannot be avoided. Therefore, when Allah (the Almighty) says, {‘Indeed, to your Lord is the return’}, it serves as a reminder of this reality.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘To Him is your return all together’}. Can anyone exempt himself from this destiny, from this return to Allah (Glory be to Him)? Is there anyone in this world, regardless of his abilities, capabilities, status, or the means of protection he possesses, who can exempt himself from this return to Allah, the Almighty? The ultimate return of everyone, without exception, is to Allah; everyone is destined to return to Allah (Glory be to Him). The destination to which everyone is heading is none other than this: to Allah, the Almighty: {‘To Him is your return all together. Allah's promise is true. Indeed, He originates the creation then resurrects it back so that He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds, in justice. But those who have disbelieved will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment for their disbelief’}. The inevitable destination for humans in their march of this life is towards Allah (Glory be to Him); their ultimate end and destiny is towards Allah so that He holds them accountable, grants rewards, gives recompense, and inflects punishment. Hence, it is essential for one to realise that there is no escape, at all, from this return to Allah (Glory be to Him), a return for reckoning and recompense for deeds, as stated by Allah (the Almighty), {‘To Allah is your return all together; then He will inform you of what you used to do’}.
Therefore, it is essential for a person, if he desires good for himself and seeks safety and salvation for himself, to remember his responsibility before Allah (Glory be to Him) for his actions and to be aware that Allah is ever watchful over him and that he will be held accountable and rewarded accordingly. This remembrance of returning to Allah is essential. That is because a person does not know precisely when his time comes to depart from this life within this inevitable journey towards Allah and this return to Him. Indeed, he does not know when that will be. Actually, if he senses the nearness of meeting Allah (Glory be to Him), anticipates this meeting, and expects it to be soon, this has a significant impact on his psyche, on the recognition of the importance of his deeds, on being attentive to what he does, and on being diligent in performing deeds that lead to his salvation, success, triumph, and protection from the torment of Allah (Glory be to Him). That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says: {‘This is difficult except for the humbly submissive who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him’}.
Therefore, bearing in mind our return to Allah (Glory be to Him), the nearness of meeting Him, and the inevitability of this fate carries profound significance for us. This is why a person should recognise the value of such opportunities like this one, the month of Ramadan—a time when Allah opens up vast horizons for us and provides great chances to nurture and purify our souls, to accumulate a wealth of righteous deeds, and to embrace repentance and turning back to Allah (Glory be to Him).
The blessed month as the greatest opportunity to embrace Allah's guidance and give attention to reminders!
Among the most important things that we have to focus on in the month of Ramadan is to give attention to the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) and open our hearts to it. This should stem from a deep sense of need for it. That is because we can benefit from Allah's guidance, with all it contains and with all the reminders it presents, provided that we turn to it, open our hearts to it, listen attentively to it, and recognise our need for it. In Allah's guidance, there is, as Allah says, {‘healing for what is in the hearts’}. Indeed, in the guidance of Allah, there is healing for our hearts that remedies many negative influences. In it, there is what softens the heart when one directs himself to it, turns to it, and pays attention to it. Moreover, it contains what outlines the righteous deeds for us in the march of our lives and what guides us to the straight path that leads to great goals in our journey towards Allah (Glory be to Him).
A person, during his life's circumstances, may neglect. That could happen to him, as he might forget. However, if he is one of those who interact with reminding and benefit from it, as a believer does, he will come out from that state of negligence. Even if he slips into negligence, it remains a temporary state, never gaining total control or keeping him lost indefinitely. Therefore, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers’}. A believer benefits from reminding helping him overcome the state of negligence and be attentive to his shortcomings, to the great and significant deeds Allah guides him to—such deeds that lead to his success, victory, salvation, and overall well-being in this life and the Hereafter. Also, such reminding also helps elevate his faith, enabling him to grow stronger in his belief. However, if a person does not pay attention and his relationship with the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) becomes a routine habit, it becomes a dangerous state for him: He will no longer be able to benefit from what he hears or is reminded of in terms of guidance and Allah's verses.
Therefore, Allah (the Almighty) warns us of this state when He says, {‘Has the time not yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humble for remembering Allah and for the truth that has descended?’}. {‘Has the time not yet come?’}—how long will a person remain in a state of negligence, in a state where he interacts with the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) in a routine and ordinary manner, without being affected, without benefiting, without engaging in heartfelt interaction, and without any impact on his practical reality and his practical concerns? Allah says, {‘And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient’}.
At the beginning of Ramadan, one of the foremost priorities for a person should be to mend his relationship with Allah’s guidance. He should strive to be among those who remember, benefit from, and listen intently to the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him), actively seeking to benefit from it. That is because, as we mentioned, this is the characteristic of the believers, as Allah has made clear in the Holy Quran. The believer benefits from reminding: {‘And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers’}. Reminding leaves its impact on his soul, conscience, and feelings because, through faith, he becomes close to Allah (Glory be to Him) and develops a positive relationship with His guidance and the Holy Quran, thereby reaping its benefits.
The danger of failing to engage with Allah's guidance and turning away from it!
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘So remind, if the reminder should benefit. The one who fears will remember, and it will be avoided by the most wretched one, who will burn in the greatest Fire, then he will neither die therein, nor live’}. It is a serious state for a person when he no longer interacts with the guidance of Allah and when he is no longer affected by His guidance. In fact, for some, it reaches a point where they become repelled by the very sound of Allah's guidance and lose all desire to listen to it. Therefore, their state may lead them to refrain from hearing the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him). Allah reproaches those who reach such a state, saying, {‘Then what is with them that they are, from the reminder, turning away, as if they were alarmed donkeys, fleeing from a lion?’}. It is a dangerous state for a person. When a person reaches this state, it means that he no longer fears Allah, faith has faded away from his heart, and fear has vanished from his heart; the reverence for the Hereafter, for Allah’s promises and warnings, has become extremely weak or even extinguished. It has faded from his heart. Such a condition is truly grave!
Therefore, a person should strive to prepare himself and his feelings to receive the guidance of Allah, to benefit from it and from being reminded to get rid of any flaws within himself and to pay attention to deeds of great importance. He should be cautious so as not to reach a state of turning away from guidance, which begins with a cold relationship with the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) where one's engagement, responsiveness, and benefit gradually fade away. This gives way to aversion, desolation, and a complete loss of desire to listen to Allah’s guidance, or even to listen to or recite the Holy Quran. Eventually, a person may head down a different path in life (May Allah forbid).
Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘Who does greater wrong than he, who, when reminded of his Lord's verses, turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth?’}. A person falls into this state of turning away from the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) only after he loses his positive connection with His guidance, as his heart hardens and fails to be affected by Allah's guidance or benefit from reminders. He no longer benefits from Allah's guidance or interacts with it. It no longer has any effect on him and his practical reality. It is as if he did not hear, as if there were deafness in his ears—this is how Allah describes this state in the Holy Quran. As a result, a person falls into a very dangerous state: doing himself injustice and becoming one of the wrongdoers in this life who deviate from the teachings of Allah and His instructions. That is because when a person loses his connection with the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him), severs that bond, and distances himself from the guidance of Allah—he no longer hears it, interacts with it, or is influenced by it—this detachment reflects in his practical life too: In his deeds, commitments, behaviours, and actions, he will distance himself just as he has distanced himself from hearing the guidance, from interacting with the guidance, and from embracing the guidance. This reflects in his practical reality.
Because of the hardness of his heart, of being distanced from guidance, and of heedlessness towards guidance, a person starts to deviate from Allah's guidance, revelations, teachings, and instructions in his practical journey; therefore, he acts far away from that. He no longer has a sense of responsibility towards his actions, forgetting that he will be held accountable and rewarded and that he is obligated to perform righteous deeds and align his actions in this life with Allah’s teachings.
{‘Who does greater wrong than he who, when reminded of his Lord's verses, turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth?’} Indeed, the situation is truly a bad state for a person because he transgresses against Allah when he ignores His signs, his Lord. Allah (Glory be to Him) is our Lord, our Creator, the Bestower of blessings upon us, the Provider for us, and the One to Whom is our ultimate destination. There is no escape from that. We will all return to Him. Actually, when a person reaches a point where he no longer interacts with Allah's guidance, signs, and instructions (while Allah is his Lord and the Bestower of blessings upon him), it is a very dangerous state.
{‘… and forgets what his hands have put forth?’} A person may forget his responsibility towards his actions, as if life were chaos and there is no accountability, recompense, reward, or punishment. It is as if his actions had no impact or results on himself. He fails to realise that part of the effects and results of his actions takes place in this world, while the significant and more important part awaits him in the Hereafter, which is indeed a world of eternal recompense and great reward.
When a person reaches this state—where he loses his good relationship with Allah fades away and becomes a person of a hardened heart and turns away from guidance—then Allah forsakes him (We seek refuge in Allah). Indeed, he becomes forsaken, and success is not granted to him. That is why Allah says, {‘We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if you invite them to guidance, they will never be guided’}. Because of turning away, ignoring the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him), and directing oneself towards heedlessness—because he distances himself and no longer desires to hear the guidance of Allah or be reminded of His revelations—he ends up being forsaken by Allah, and his heart hardens. In his reality, heart, emotions, and way of listening to and responding to the guidance of Allah, his state becomes as if there were a covering, a cover, or a seal upon his heart. The state transforms into an extremely dangerous level where no light from Allah or from His guidance reaches his heart. It has become sealed (We seek refuge in Allah).
Turning away from the guidance of Allah makes a person behave as if he were truly deaf! He hears as though he had not heard at all, showing no response and remaining completely unaffected! The result is, {‘And if you invite them to guidance,}—guidance, which is meant for people, for their salvation, and for their triumph and success and which leads them to the greatest goals, the ultimate triumph, eternal happiness, and deliverance from the punishment of Allah—{they will never be guided’}. They persist in their blindness, loss, misguidance, and the path that leads to destruction, to a terrible outcome, and to the fire of Jahannam (We seek refuge in Allah). It is an extremely dangerous state.
Take heed before it is too late!
A person may persist in this type of stubbornness, arrogance, and insistence on turning away until death comes to him. When the time of departure from this life approaches, he will wake up but it will be too late. Indeed, it will be too late! He will no longer have a chance to correct his situation again, to remember, to benefit from the reminder, or to embrace the guidance of Allah and His instructions. He will realise in the final moment of this life that the opportunity will have ended. He will try to obtain an additional chance, but he cannot; it is not granted to him. {‘When death approaches any of them, they cry, “My Lord! Let me go back, so I may do good”’}. The opportunity has passed, and it is no longer possible for him to have an extra chance.
In the Hereafter, a person will indeed remember: After that arrogance, that stubbornness, and that insistence on turning away—after reaching a state where he may even exhibit extreme pride and stubbornness—on the gathering ground, when the moment of reckoning and accountability arrives, following the Resurrection, he remembers! However, it is too late when he remembers, as every opportunity has vanished. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘But no! When the earth is pounded to dust, pounding after pounding; and your Lord comes with the angels, rank after rank; and on that day, Jahannam is made to come forward, on that day man remembers, but how will that remembrance avail him?’}. {‘But how will that remembrance avail him?’} You should remember now, today, in this life, while you are in these great opportunities, in which you can benefit from remembering. Indeed, only now you can benefit from remembrance, correct your practical situation, and strive to elevate your faith.
However, when you resist now, when you do not pay attention to these opportunities that Allah has granted you in this life, in these seasons of great blessings, and when you insist, resist, and turn away, you will not benefit from the remembrance in the Hereafter. In fact, it will not be of any benefit to you at all; nor will that change that inevitable outcome you are headed towards, whether you like it or not. You will not be able to free or save yourself from that outcome.
{‘And on that day, Jahannam is made to come forward’}. In the worldly life, there was a reminder that reminds you of Jahannam, and you had the opportunity to do what would protect you from reaching Jahannam and from the most horrible punishment of Allah: Jahannam. You were reminded, in the worldly life, by the verses of Allah, in which Jahannam and the punishment in Jahannam were mentioned and precisely described. You were reminded of what would protect you from Jahannam and from that punishment and reminded of what would make you triumph and attain the pleasure of Allah and the great bliss in His Jannah. However, you did not remember or pay attention, and your direction was the direction of turning away and neglecting. Then when Jahannam is brought—{‘And on that day, Jahannam is made to come forward’}—you see it, hear it, and so remember it then. You needed to see it with your eye, with certainty, and from up close. At that time, you will no longer benefit from the reminder.
{‘And on that day, Jahannam is made to come forward—on that day man remembers, but how will that remembrance (then) avail him? He says, “If only I had put forth something for my life”’}. Here is the opportunity before you now in this life to send ahead for your eternal life, for your eternal future, and for your destiny in the Hereafter.
As for remembering at that time, regret, and remorse, they will not benefit you at all. Wishing on the ground of reckoning and gathering—{‘He says, “If only I had put forth something(good) for my life”’}—will not benefit you in anything. {‘So, that day, no one can punish as He will punish, nor can anyone shackle like He will shackle’}. When they reach Jahannam, they will be burnt in its flames; they will be tortured with various kinds of torture in it. {‘And they scream aloud therein, “Our Lord, take us out so that we can do good, unlike what we used to do.” Did We not give you lives long enough so that whoever wanted remember could have done so? And the warner came to you’} . You have been given ample opportunity in this life, but you did not benefit from it. At that point, it no longer benefits you to remember, to pay attention, to regret, or to remorse.
Therefore, during this precious opportunity (the month of Ramadan), we must realise its value and importance and turn to the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) with our hearts. We should listen attentively to His guidance and strive to understand it. We should turn to the Holy Quran and benefit from the reminder through it. We have to benefit from the programme in which we hear the guidance of Allah and the culture of the Quran. It is essential that we allow ourselves to be influenced by it, open our hearts to it, and look at our practical reality through it because the fruit of that manifests in reality.
Our journey (by the will of Allah) in this year's Ramadan lectures will start by discussing the importance of piety in two lectures. We will also talk about the Hereafter and present examples from what Allah has mentioned in the Holy Quran regarding it. Then, our journey will continue with Quranic stories. The stories in the Holy Quran are a great and rich source of guidance, lessons, and the necessary teachings that we need and benefit from. Allah has provided us with much guidance through these stories, which benefit us in this life regarding our responsibilities and the challenges and dangers we face. We also gain knowledge of many important true facts that we have to know as they increase our insight, awareness, and adherence to the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) and provide solutions to a lot of our problems in this life. Quranic stories are rich with guidance, insights, and important, great lessons.
By the will and permission of Allah and with His inspiration, we will present Quranic lessons in the lectures of this blessed season, this blessed month, through Quranic stories.
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.