Al-Aadiyat

We started school by listening to Muhammad Al-Shareef's lecture on Surah Al-Aadiyaat yesterday. N and S got out their papers and steeled themselves to take notes, web chart style. Even I learned new stuff, which is part of the objective anyway.

1. When Allah tetifies by something, that raises the status of the thing. For example when ALlah testifies by the war horses, that raises its status. In Juz Amma Allah testifies by many things such as the sun, the night, the dawn etc.

2. The war horses mentioned in this Surah charge right into the middle of the enemy force, showing the very nature of their purpose for living.

3. Rasulullah SAW used to lay in wait outside villlages before fajr and only attack when he didn't hear the azan being called out for fajr, signifying that they're not Muslims.

At this S commented,

"Azan? But we don't hear azan here?"

I had to do a double take at that. Realized that the kids are not used to hearing azan being called out at every prayer time. So I told them that we're currently living in a non Muslim country. Reminded them that F used to call out the azan whenever we're about to pray wherever we stop during our travels. Also told them that the azan is also to call to the jinns to pray. That surely caught their attention.

Then the surah went on about how humans are an ungrateful lot, and how they are greedy with no consideration whatsoever about the hereafter. Makes me think that we actually claim more than we deserve when people make statements like,

"It's not fair that we go to hell for not believing in your God, and it's not fair that if someone were to kill for a 100 years, he gets thron in hell for eternity."

Then, it's not fair either for a person who does good deeds and acts of true worship for a 100 years to live in Heaven for eternity, does it? Like most Muslims know, it's not their deeds that land them in heaven, but it's Allah's Mercy, so shouldn't we humble ourselves to Him in complete and total worship?

The surah also talks about how the contents of the graves will be dumped out when the time comes and S asked,

"Will everyone be 'malu' then?"

"Yes, but the Prophet SAW said that on that day, people will be so scared of meeting Allah that they won't even think about looking at other people's nakedness. This was what he said, when his wife, Aishah asked him about it."

What I loved was how Muhammad AlShareef used a metaphor with women's purses. He talked about how most women if not all will not let their purses have their contents dumped out. So in essence, the purses look very nice on the outside, but the contents might not be 'exhibit material'. It's just how it is with humans. We may look very presentable and pious on the outside, but on the inside only Allah knows and it's on that day that everything will be revealed.

So after listening to the tafseer of the whole surah, I got them to write a report on it. H came up with a picture of horses and of how the horse charges right into the middle of an enemy line. S practically summarized the whole surah and mentioned almost everything in it, from the physical of the horses to human beings being an ungrateful lot. N focused on how everyone will be so scared on the day they will wait to meet Allah and ended it with,

"You who are Muslim that does all good will go in Jana."

Well, understandings at three different levels allright.