Sunday Tafsīr with Shaykh Amin Kholwadia

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:36-37). Submission to Allah and following the Rasul is most required when it is hardest. In this lecture: implications of adoption; reformative function of prophethood; the Turner of hearts; societal impact of submission; the ni'maat of Allah (S) upon Zayd (R); Allah (S) as the officiator; the honoring of Zaynab (R).

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:35). Success in Islam is measured within a framework spanning this world and the Hereafter. In this lecture: salvation-based belief; ahkam through the lens of submission; obligations imposed upon men; devoutness with obedience; Sidq and Sabr; Khushoo' as a value worth striving for.

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:28-34). How we see the Rasul (S) is crucial to a wholesome and complete understanding of our 'aqidah. In this lecture: the company of the impoverished; scope of the ahl-e-bayt; the Mothers of the Believers as role models in purity; equal access to Jannah. (We regret that only the first twenty minutes of this session are available due to an unexpected technical failure.)

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:25-27). Shaykh Amin provides a framework around the treason of Bani Qurayzah. He shares a few insights into the theory of waraathah and concludes the session by relating the relevance of Al-Ahzab to the Al-Fath.

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:16-24). The true colors of a people come out in times of test and tribulation. In this lecture: the plight of hypocrites; insights into sirah and sunnah; miracles for believers; the Nabi shares in everything - ease and hardship; uswat-al-hasanah; an impetus to be grateful.

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:9-16). Shaykh Amin describes the conditions leading up to the Battle of the Confederates. In this lecture: indispensability of hadith in understanding Quran; Salman's vision: glad tidings despite the odds; the sickness of the hypocrites in the face of tribulation and their calling; the sole guarantee of Muslims; the inviolability of treaties; historical amity amongst semites; th...

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:7-8). We need Nubuwwah to understand anything about our lives before conception in our mothers' wombs and after our deaths. In this lecture: the first covenant; the world of spirits; taklif; the covenant of the Anbiyaa; Ibrahim (AS) as an ummah by himself; the burden of a Nabi and the proof of his Nubuwwah; the resolve of a Nabi transcends social reform.

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:5-6). The prophet is an example to follow in worship as well as in intellectual discourse. The seal of prophethood is critical to understanding the accommodation of all Muslims without depriving them of their cultural identity. In this lecture: the prophet's closeness to a believer; the mothers of the believers; cultural accommodation in Islam; family values; the immense barakah...

Surah Al-Ahzab (33:1-4). The sajdah (submission) of a nabi is much higher than that of a non-nabi. Only a nabi can express the command of Allah (S) the way that Allah (S) wants it expressed. The objective of a nabi is to convey, not to convert. In this lecture: the love of a nabi for his people; the signs of nifaq; fear and trust; the humanness of the Rasul; nubuwwah confirms the truth and denounc...

Surah Al-Sajdah (32:23-30). Revelation comes from above, and hence its content does not lend to being contextualized based on the needs of the community. In this lecture: the Torah, a book of guidance; leaders versus followers; leading requires patience and steadfastness; the nature of constitutional disagreements; a universal view of impostors; the pervasive theme of submission (sajdah); similes...

Surah Al-Sajdah (32:15-22). Allah's Fadl surpasses His justice and is the sole determinant of salvation. In this lecture: arrogance an obstacle to sajdah; holding God hostage to His justice; seeking guidance in life decisions; the garden of refuge; arguing with God; heedlessness versus rebellion.

Surah Al-Sajdah (32:9-14). Aadam and Hawwa (AS) lived in paradise where their faculties with perfected before they were sent to earth. In this lecture: the three modes of creation; the levels of denial; focusing on the destination; the womb of the earth; angelic determination; the existence of jahannam; the absolute non-emptiness of space; reading Quranic aayaat as an observer.

Surah Al-Sajdah (32:1-9). Shaykh Amin provides an introduction to Surah Al-Sajdah and comments on the comprehensive meaning of the word sajdah. In this lecture: the soundness of saying, “I do not understand” after understanding the wisdom of Luqman; sajdah as a representation of the universal submission of the intellect; how the worship of Allah (S) makes one more knowledgeable; the fallibility of...

Surah Luqman (31:33-34). Fear has always been a positive agent for self-preservation. Shaykh Amin calls this reality into our attention in the concluding tafsir of Surah Luqman. In this lecture: fearing Allah; preparing for death; the guile of shaytaan; beneficial rain; linguistic insights; conclusory comments.

Surah Luqman (31:28-32). Human actions have an impact on the regulation of the universe. In this lecture: the unquantifiable knowledge of the Day of Judgment; Allah addressing His beloved; Allah's creativity and power manifested through the similitude of a ship at sea; Muslim attribution to Allah; the resilient and the grateful; hope through repentance; personalizing revelation.

Surah Luqman (31:23-27). The propagation of wahy weighs heavily on the Nabi, yet he fulfills his mission with purpose. In this lecture: the grit of a Nabi; Allah's all-encompassing control and dominion; Divine Constancy; Hadith Qudsi; creativity in words of remembrance; the mu'jizah of a Nabi.

Surah Luqman (31:20-22). Shaykh Amin shares some beautiful insights on what constitutes 'ibaadah and the blessing in learning and appreciating academic Islam. In this lecture: inaamaat: the outward and the inward; misplaced argumentation; ibaadah free of speculation; submission cannot be passive, it should be an active choice; the Muslim worldview; knowledge (the correct and the incorrect) carries...

Surah Luqman (31:18-19). This session dwells on the fascinating universality in Luqman’s advice to his son. In this lecture: humility without humiliation; gratitude to Allah wards off depression; empowering children to become responsible for themselves; focusing on Allah (S), not on other human beings; Umar as a towering example in islaah.

Surah Luqman (31:16-17). Shaykh Amin shares the parental insights of Luqman underscoring the need to understand how Allah (S) works. In this lecture: Allah tests us, not the other way around; the purpose of Revelation; Al-Lateef, subtle and imperceptible growth essential to Allah's Nidzaam; Al-Khabeer, the inescapability of Allah's Knowledge; a formula to create leadership; the value of salaat; an...

Surah Luqman (31:12-15). Wisdom is only good when it helps translate knowledge for the benefit of others. This is the hikmah that Allah (S) bestowed upon Luqman. In this lecture: Allah is above a need for gratitude; Luqman’s unique evaluation of Allah’s praiseworthiness; wisdom begins at home; shirk as a dzulm upon the self; insights into shifts in narrative; the universal value of appreciating on...

Surah Luqman (31:6-11). Modern day Muslims often contemporize the Quran’s universal criticisms, and miss the larger message warning against the human propensity for sin. In this lecture: the addiction of entertainment; societal norms facilitating the commission of sin; contrasting entertainment in this world with the possibilities in Jannah where creativity is unlimited; the deception in short-liv...

Surah Luqman (31:1-5). Shaykh Amin introduces Suarah Luqman with a definition of wisdom and its many levels. A reader of the Quran benefits most in recognizing the phased approach in which Divine wisdom is revealed. In this lecture: the Quran as a reservoir of guidance; guidance as a rahmah both in its reception and its distribution; personalizing rahmah; Ihsaan is transitive; practice must preced...

Surah Al-Rum (Summary). Shaykh Amin concludes the tafsir of Surah Al-Rum with a commentary on its relevance to present-day challenges faced by Muslims the world over. In this lecture: historical significance of Muslims seeking asylum in a Christian land; the need to recognize Christian nations that accommodate Islam and Muslims; a methodology to interpret world events; re-embracing the prophetic d...

Surah Al-Rum (30:54-60). God's creation is an expression of his knowledge. In this lecture: criminals on Judgment day, separated from the rest; time appreciated by those who believe in the end of it; Iman as an active submission; the world of the graves; rejection and denial inhibits spiritual development; true knowledge accompanied by patience; imagination and creativity found in revelation must...

Surah Al-Rum (30:42-53). Iman comes from Allah; belief is the prerogative of Allah and comes only by taufeeq, and is the greatest rahmah upon the human heart. In this lecture: the grave consequences of disbelief; the indiscriminate rahmah of God; seeking fadl and the higher levels of rahmah; order pervades the dispensation of rahmah; the similitude of knowledge and rain, and their life-giving qual...