Episode Details

A quick note before we begin: from tonight, we recite Dua Qunut in Witr. The Shafi’i madhab holds that Qunut in Witr is only in the second half of Ramadan — following the practice established by Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab when he unified the companions behind one imam for Taraweeh and instructed Sayyidina Ubay ibn Ka’ab to lead with Qunut in the final nights. May Allah enter us among those who pray with the imam from beginning to end, and receive the reward of a full night’s prayer.

The Battle of Badr — Approaching

The Muslims left Madinah on the 12th of Ramadan. Tonight, in the timeline of history, they would have been settling into the plains of Badr — fasting, outnumbered, about to face something no one had fully planned for.

The original aim was to intercept Abu Sufyan’s caravan returning from Syria — laden with the wealth the Quraysh had confiscated from the Muslims at the time of Hijrah. Abu Sufyan’s scouts, however, found camel droppings containing date pits from the farms of Madinah. He understood: the Muslims are tracking us. He rerouted the caravan and sent the fastest rider back to Makkah with a call for reinforcements — the rider even smeared camel blood on himself for dramatic effect, to ensure the message landed with urgency.

Abu Jahl raised 1,300 men. By the time they reached the plains of Badr, the caravan had already escaped via a different route. Three hundred of the Quraysh army turned back — the property was safe, their reason for coming was gone. But Abu Jahl pressed forward with a thousand. This was no longer about a caravan. This was about crushing Islam once and for all.

When the Prophet ﷺ chose a campsite on the plains of Badr, one of the companions asked: Ya Rasulullah, is this position based on revelation, or is this your personal judgement? The Prophet ﷺ said: personal judgement. The companion said: in that case, may I suggest we move further, to control the Quraysh’s access to the wells?

The Prophet ﷺ accepted. He moved the entire army.

In that moment — a Prophet, the most beloved of creation, moving his troops based on a suggestion from a companion — is a masterclass in leadership. A good leader takes counsel. A good leader distinguishes between revelation and personal opinion. A good leader is not too proud to be corrected.

We continue the story of Badr tomorrow insha’Allah.

The Blame Game Has No End

Returning to Surah Al-A’raf — yesterday we saw the people of Jahannam blaming each other as they entered. The followers blamed the leaders. The leaders said: you chose to follow us. Taste what you earned.

Now Allah introduces a further dimension: the former and the latter — early generations and those who came after.

Think about what this means personally. If someone in your family tree was the first to introduce something harmful — idol worship, a corrupt practice, a tradition that led generations away from Allah — and their descendants followed without question, then when all of them meet in Jahannam, the descendants will turn to the ancestor: you started this. This is your fault. You deserve more.

It is a sobering thought. The decisions we make do not end with us.

The Reverse Is Also True

But the reverse is equally real — and this is where the heart lifts.

A thousand years ago, the ancestors of many Muslims sitting in our community tonight were not Muslim. The Malays were Hindu and Buddhist. The Turks were sky-worshipping pagans on the steppe. The Indonesians had their own traditions. And then — somewhere up that family tree — one person made a decision. I am going to be a Muslim.

Because of that one decision, generations of descendants were born into Islam. Every salah they prayed, every fast they kept, every act of charity they gave — a portion of that reward travels back up the chain to the one who made the original call.

That ancestor has been in his grave for per