Now that we have learnt about the Prophet Adam and the Shaytan, let’s now talk about Prophet Adam and the Shaytan.

Question: Have any of you heard the phrase:  إنما الأعمال بالنية  (innamal ’amaalu bi-niyyaat)? Does anyone know what it means? 

It means that actions are judged by their intentions. 

Question: What does it mean to intend something? Do you need to say your intention out loud?

An intention is something that you feel internally – it is the ‘why’ behind your actions. 

Question: Do you think we always make intentions behind the things we do?

If we really tried to make an intention behind every small thing, it would probably cause us some frustration. Most of our actions are done out of habit anyway; like making our beds, brushing our teeth, and making our meals. But, what if we started to be more intentional with the way we operated? What good do you think could come out of it?

Maybe we wouldn’t be so quick to lose our temper. Maybe we could get even more hasanat (reward) for transforming our ordinary chores into extraordinary acts of worship!

One day, Imam ash-Shafi’, a great scholar of Islam -may Allah be pleased with him-, had some students over at his house when they heard someone knock on the door. One of his students went to answer the door, and Imam ash-Shafi’ stopped him and asked him what he was doing.

“I’m going to answer the door,” the student replied.

Imam ash-Shafi’ said, “Before you answer the door, make the intention that if it is a poor person seeking help, you will give them charity. And if it is a guest, that you will host them.” 

Something as simple as answering the door became a way to get lots of rewards! How? Well, whenever we make a good intention, we get the reward for it even if we are unable to do it. That’s how generous Allah is, and Allah can reward a good intention up to 700 times!

I want each of you to pick something ordinary that you always do and make your intention behind it very big! 

[A parent can give the example of washing the dishes: Intend to have a clean home, intend to make dhikr while washing the dishes, intend to have clean plates and utensils for us to be nourished and well fed, all so that we can be healthy and remember Allah and His blessings etc.]

Now, who wants to share?

Now that we have learnt about Prophet Musa and overcoming fear, let’s now talk about Prophet Adam and the Shaytan.

Adam and Shaytan both made mistakes, but one is going to be rewarded and the other punished. 

Question: Can anyone tell me the one mistake that Adam  and Hawa made? 

Yes! They ate from a tree that Allah told them not to eat from. What did they do after they made a mistake?

They asked Allah to forgive them. They said:

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ 

“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.” [Surah Al-A’raf; 23]

Alhamdulillah, Allah accepted their tawba (repentance), and forgave them.

Question: What sin did the Shaytan commit?

Yes, he refused to bow down to Adam  even though Allah commanded him to do so. When Allah asked him why he refused to bow down, Shaytan responded by saying:

أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ 

“I am better than him. You created me from fire and you created him from clay.” [Surat Al-A’raf; 12]

Question: Did Shaytan ask Allah to forgive him?

No, instead he promises that he will try his very best to lead those that believe in Allah on the wrong path. 

Question: What trait is that called, when you know you did something wrong but you refuse to ask for forgiveness?

Shaytan is arrogant in front of Allah , while Prophet Adam  knows that every blessing he has is due to Allah’s generosity.

Do you see the difference between the two? As long as we continue coming back to Allah , we need to have firm faith that Allah will forgive us. 

Let’s read this beautiful Hadith Qudsi together:

قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى : يَا ابْنَ ادَمَ ، إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتََنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي ، غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْكَ وَلَا أُبالِي . يا ابْنَ ادَمَ :لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنانَ السَّماءِ ثُم اسْتَغْفَرْتَني ، غَفَرْتُ لَكَ . يَا ابْنَ ادَمَ : إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَنِي بِقُرَابِ الأَرْضِ خَطَايا ثُمَّ لَقِيتَني لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْأً ، لَأَتيْتُكَ بِقُرَابِها مَغْفِرَةً

I heard the Prophet Muhammad say: Allah the Almighty has said: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” [Tirmidhi]

So let’s never lose hope in the mercy of Allah and always remember to turn back to Him whenever we sin or make mistakes! 

Now that we have learnt about gratitude, let’s talk about Prophet Musa and overcoming fear.

I want you to close your eyes and think of a moment when you were afraid. 

Question: How did you feel? Did you feel like running away? Does anyone want to share that moment with us now?

Did you know that the Prophets also felt scared sometimes? 

Question: Can anyone tell me a time when a Prophet was scared?

There was a time when Prophet Musa saw a fire in the distance, and he went to see if there was anyone there because he was lost with his family. There, he spoke to Allah ! Allah asked him about his staff and told him to throw it down. 

Question: Does anyone know what happened when Musa  threw down the staff?

Yes! It became a snake! How did Prophet Musa react when it became a slithering snake? He ran away! He was so scared! 

Allah told him not to be scared, and that Allah would return it to its original form- a staff.

A little while later, Allah told Prophet Musa to go and speak to Pharoah. Now, we know that Pharoah was one of the worst humans to ever live. He did very evil things and treated the people of Israel very poorly. Musa was scared to speak to Pharoah, but Allah calmed his fears and told him that He is with him, and that He will allow Prophet Musa’s brother -Prophet Harun – to accompany him for support. This helps Musa feel calm for his meeting with Pharaoh. 

After he meets Pharoah and the magicians become Muslim, Musa takes the Bani Israel (the Children of Israel) with him, and they escape from the clutches of Pharoah and his soldiers until they see the Red Sea. Now, Bani Israel start to lose hope. They say,  “إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ” (We will surely be overtaken!)

Question: How do you think Musa responds?

Musa sees Pharoah and his soldiers galloping at a great speed about to attack him and his people, and instead of being afraid and running away he says: 

كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ 

“No! Indeed, I have my Lord, He will guide me!”  [Surah Ash-Shu’ara;62]

And that’s when Musa strikes his staff, and Allah parts the Red Sea and saves  the Children of Israel from the clutches of Pharaoh and his men!

Question: What was the journey that Musa took with his fear? 

First his fear was a physical response, and he runs away from the snake. Then he feels fear inside his heart, because he is so worried about confronting Pharaoh. But he realizes that without fail,  Allah is always there to guide him and help. So, when the Children of Israel feel afraid, Musa   knows to feel assured and confident that Allah is on his side.

So, every time you feel afraid, remember that Allah is always with you. He hears and sees everything.