Middle Nation is LIVE: Barsisa, Realism & Piety

We just started fasting, and, it's smoky in here because I was burning bokor. And the the charcoal actually just burned through the bokor stand and caught fire. So exciting morning while we were while we were praying. And now, sister Nisa is supposed to send me the comments, but I don't know if she's available or not. So, can you can you,

Do I go to the channel?

To the yeah. Go to the channel and see. Okay. My wife, again is, with me, so she will go to the try to go to the to, YouTube. Actually, let me check as well on YouTube and see if make sure that I'm actually broadcasting.

So I have the notification that you are live.

That I'm live. Okay.

So I

So I am. I want turn the volume down.

I'm sorry. I gotta okay. Got it. Okay. So I'm on.

So I should be able to see

Assalamu alaikum. I I see some people, commenting. I can't see who you are, but thank you for joining. One more moment, everyone. Patience, please.

Iowa. Alright. I am there.

I'm thinking now I am here.

I see I'm seeing so many people coming. Everyone for for joining. I think, last time we tried to do it at a time that was, suitable for people in the global South, but this time we're doing a a an accommodation for the brothers and sisters in the West. Think this is a more suitable time, inshallah, for people in America, The UK, and Europe, although it's maybe around midnight or so in in Africa. For for us in Southeast Asia, it's after Fajr.

So we started fasting.

Okay. So we we we are having a few questions, but it's not related to our

That's alright. We can start with that.

Okay. What's your take on attack on Russia? That's by MG. Mhmm. And then by Greatest Within, username, Greatest Within.

Hey, man. Thoughts on the red heifer?

Heifer. Red heifer. I I don't I I haven't followed that. I don't know what that's about. I I've I've heard about the red heifer thing.

I've seen some some little headlines about it, but I I haven't looked into it. I I know nothing about that. Okay. In terms of the attack on Russia,

the the immediate suspicion, of course, is that

that's gonna be an American intelligence operation. They're saying that I think The US is saying that it was ISIS. Although there's another piece of news saying that ISIS hasn't claimed responsibility for it on their telegram group, which is usually where the American media gets their information. I think that the my opinion this is my opinion. I think that the the ISIS telegram group has probably run out of the basement of the CIA.

If you if you were to check, you know, who's who's who's making those posts, think it's it's in Langley somewhere. And maybe they just didn't get around to to posting about it on Telegram because they take it easy on Fridays in America. Mhmm. So maybe they're they took the the rest of the day off after they were like, well, we had a successful attack in Russia. I guess, drinks on me.

Everybody left. I mean, who knows? You know, I'm I'm obviously, I'm I'm jumping to a conclusion. It's not a I don't think it's an unreasonable conclusion.

We have another one from Red Nimbus. What do you think of Gaza war being labeled a fitna?

Well, what else would it be? I mean, it's it's it's more than a fitna. It's a calamity.

There's a question in Arabic. I'm not sure how I will translate. I'm not sure if it's a question. It's a you know, I can't really Okay. What's been said.

But, anyway, let's go on to the next one. Well, do you think by greatest within again, do you think they'll continue breaking the foundation of ALAXA? I think you've already

I I don't think I I I I've said before, I don't think that that's a real thing. I think that they do have some some obviously, they do have archaeological, what do you call that, excavations going on. And it raises concerns about the foundations of Al Aqsa, but I think that it would be an absolutely catastrophic mistake for them to do that, for them to actually do it. And I don't think the majority of the majority of of Israelis or the majority of Zionists are not religious people. I don't think they care about the the so called third temple, and I don't think that anyone is actually serious about about doing that.

And like I've talked about before, it would be financially a catastrophic stupid catastrophically stupid decision to do that because, you know

I think you've covered this on the spaces Yeah. About

Yeah. The It it doesn't make any sense. And and people people who think that it makes sense is because you think that the Jews are religiously driven and that the Zionists and the Israelis are religiously driven and that they're just highly highly ideological. I don't believe that that's true. I could be wrong, but it's not likely.

I think that that they're they're driven by self interest and material self interest like everybody else. And if you think that, you know, it it would be peculiar, and it is it it is a peculiarity of the way some Muslims look at look at the Jews, with regards to, you know, when you when you when you juxtapose that against what Allah has told us about them. It's curious to me that there are Muslims who seem to believe that the Jews are incredibly pious in their faith and willing to sacrifice and and don't care about the dunya and just and just want to fulfill, you know, this so called their holy books or their their prophecies or their scriptures or whatever and, you know, the overwhelming majority of them couldn't care less about any of that stuff.

My opinion. Sorry. Another question by Rock Black, Salam Dear Brother. The situation seems very problematic. What's what is the possible outcome?

They take also Gaza. They take also West Bank. There's been news about seizing some 800 hectares of land in West I'm not sure if it's the West Bank, but how to solve this? You know?

Well, I think I think that efforts are underway right now. I mean, you have you have Lincoln meeting going going around again for another masochistic tour of the Middle East to the Arab rulers. Mhmm. And they are all unified in their position, which is the same position that they have been articulating since the beginning. And in fact, it's the same position that they articulated twenty years ago, which is the Outer Peace Initiative, the Outer Peace Plan, and they're insisting on it.

And and that includes, no displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or anywhere else. It includes the end of settlements, and it includes a legitimate, genuine process for establishing a Palestinian state and recognition of the Palestinian state. In fact, they're asking for that now Mhmm. For recognition of the Palestinian state at the United Nations.

Mhmm. 152 people watching live. MashaAllah. It's a

good time. I'm sorry everyone for last time.

Yeah. Okay. We have another one from the run. Thoughts on Somali lands and Ethiopia's MOU deal in which Ethiopia gets a port and Somaliland gets recognition.

I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm not prepared to answer that. I'm not prepared to talk about that, but it's an important issue. And and a number of people have asked me about it, but I have to admit that that particular Somalia and and the whole situation inside of Somalia domestically isn't one of my areas of experience or expertise. So it's something that I have to look into.

I have to I have to study it and research it a bit before I can answer that in any intelligent way. Otherwise, I'd just be spotting off the top of my head.

Okay. This is Ahmad Youssef. His question is I won't comment on the question.

Right?

What is the path to reestablishing an Islamic caliphate or the like? Brother? Brother Ahmad Youssef.

Okay. I'll I'll I'll I'll will take this question because you're a commissioner. You you have joined, and and this I I respect that, and I appreciate it so much. So let me take that question in a serious way. You have to first understand you have to have an accurate understanding historically of what the was and how it operated as a governmental system.

And that it was highly decentralized unlike what you hear from most of the people who call for khalafa who seem to think that it was just a very sort of totalitarian centralized authoritarian type of a system, and that's not the way it was. It was authority and power and responsibility were distributed throughout all of the Muslim provinces. And it's not that much unlike what we have now except that it was unified, except that all those provinces were unified and more or less unified and more or less following a a uniform policy. And I think that that's something that can be restored, and I think that that's something that we're actually moving forward towards. It's not the way the people who talk about would like it to be, but it's the most realistic way that I've that that I can imagine, which is the existing states, the existing countries working in concert, coordinating with each other, safeguarding their own interests, and also seek serving the interests of the whole serving the interests of the of of regionally and of the Muslims generally.

And I think that that is happening now. I think I've talked many times about the GCC and Saudi Arabia specifically forming what what appears to be a soft empire that more or less covers the the same territory as was under the Ottomans.

With a shot of five people to getting 200 people watching. Yeah.

So just

just a segment here that you've answered, you know, can be, like, sub there can be sub answers, you know, questions that

that Yeah. I mean, these are these are these are these are very complex, obviously, very complex subjects. One thing I I would just say, and there's a there's a very good brother

on a on a one of the one of

the other chats that is a middle nation chat that I belong to who is quite well educated, and I respect his his intellect a lot. And he has said many, many times, and I'll repeat it here, which is that Muslims generally, especially Muslims who like to opine about politics and about and so on and authority and the governments and all all of that, they tend to be sorely lacking in education in two areas, which is and history. I think that these are two things that if you if you care about, if that's like a priority for you, then I would say that those are two areas of Islamic studies that you need to focus on and become as adept and as informed as possible because that will tend to change your perspective on the issue of khalafa. When you put it in the when you're looking at it in the continuum of history, will give you a different understanding about khilafa, what it was, and what it can be. Mhmm.

And and how it how something similar to khilafa or something practically speaking the same as or even better than Khilafa, how that can realistically be achieved.

Sorry. Another question by Greatest Within. I believe he hasn't watched the latest on your comments on the America the ceasefire of America. So he's he's asking thoughts on the ceasefire with, quote, unquote, America thoughts on the cease fire America proposed. That's it.

This has to be

Well, they didn't they didn't propose a cease fire. They said that a cease fire wasn't was imperative. They didn't call for one. They didn't they didn't even mention Israel at all. It was it was it it it was a publicity stunt.

It's it's all it was. It was a PR stunt because they have vetoed every ceasefire resolution since October 7. They wanted to save face, and they wanna make themselves look like peacemakers while they're war makers. It's just like the ayah in the Quran Mhmm. About the people who make fassad and say that we're just peacemakers.

That's exactly what they were doing. And Russia and China and the rest of the the rest of the the the UN, really. You there was a there was a statement that I shared in the in our discussion group by the it's like a committee or a council of Arab ambassadors to the UN, and they have a a uniform position on that, which is exactly the same as what I said, where they're saying that this was not a ceasefire resolution at all. It was just a publicity stunt by The US to try to actually ensure that there wouldn't be a ceasefire and that there wouldn't be an end. And they they are now proposing Algeria, I believe, is proposing for Algeria.

They're proposing now a resolution that will be voted on I don't know if it will be today or tomorrow Okay. For a ceasefire for Ramadan.

They were one of the countries that

They brought they brought the when the ICJ Yeah. Made their ruling about the emergency provisions, the Algeria took it to they brought it there saying that that should be for a ceasefire.

Okay.

Yeah. Read read the ones that are I'm I'm seeing some that look like what they call super chats.

Yes. That's what I'm

I'm really

I'm just mainly

Don't ignore everybody else, but but read those first.

So by Rockblack, brother Rockblack, he has asked a question earlier, but now he's just providing a remark. Mhmm. Please do at least weekly live sessions for us in the West. We are thirsty for such knowledge. You provide me.

Allah bring us all together.

Oh, okay. Noted. And mean, the truth is I was I was kinda being a jerk last week, to be honest, because I was saying we're gonna decolonize the the the timing of the of the livestream. But the the fact of the matter is that that the majority of the viewers are in the West. So you're my brothers and sisters.

How can I how can I ignore your your needs? And the last time we did it, it was like time of so it's unreasonable.

Mhmm. Okay. 244 viewers in. Shall we proceed with the small

Okay. Which has Okay. What time is it there, by the way? Where wherever you are, if you can comment and let us know where you are at what time it is that you are. Okay.

I wanted to talk about this story that you might be familiar with, and I think that it's just to put a put a community post about the story of Barsisa, your worshiper.

11:20PM.

PM. That would be Africa. Right?

That would be I it doesn't say where. Okay. Canada, 06:20PM.

Iowa. Okay.

Bronxville, five

Isn't it, like, a start time for you guys?

Yeah. Copenhagen, twenty three. 11:00, 03:20PM. It's a think it's a decent time everywhere mostly. 10:20PM in London.

Iowa. Okay.

One hour from Iftar. Someone I don't know where they're from, but 06:20PM where they are right now.

We won't make you, miss Iftar.

Yeah. Oakland, 03:20PM.

Oakland?

Yeah. Morocco, 10:00, just after ten. Iowa. Washington DC, 06:20. 10PM in The UK.

Sweden, eleven just after eleven.

You know? We're all over the world. Middle nation, all over the world.

So a lot of them are going to have iftar an hour from now, which will end by then

anyway. Inshallah.

Okay. I mean, you can eat while I'm blabbing anyway. Brother Wilson for president.

President of what? Okay. I'm gonna read the story in case you in case you haven't read it. It's it's relatively short. Excuse my my poor reading.

Is a story that is from Ibn al Jawzi Ibn al Jawzi. He's relating a story that was that was related by Wahab ibn Munabbi. He related the following lengthy story from the people of the book. We presented here to show I'm just reading the thing here from Ibn Jawzi. We presented here to show you the way that Shaitan in his attempts to mislead mankind.

The story warns humans about Shaitan's sincere, quote unquote, sincere advice. One must oppose the thing that Shaitan is calling to, Waheb said. Okay. This is the story. There was a pious worshiper of the tribe of Israel who was the most pious person of his time during that's that's bad given how the story goes.

During his time, there were three brothers who had a sister. She was a virgin, and they had no other sister besides her. They were all about to leave the town to go for jihad. They didn't know what to do with the sister. They didn't know who to leave the sister with who could who they could trust to look after her.

They all agreed to leave the sister with that pious person who is Barcissa. He's a monk. He's living in seclusion. They all trusted him. They went to him and asked if he if they could leave her with him.

She would be in the building next to him, next to where he worships in his monk's cell, and he and she would stay in in her building next door to him until they returned from the fighting. He refused their request and sought refuge with Allah from them and from their sister. They persisted until he finally acquiesced. He said, put her in the house next to my place of worship. So they put her in the house and they left, leaving her there.

She remained living next to that pious person, so called, for some time. He would put food out in front of in he would put food out in front of his building, his place of worship for her to eat. Then he would lock the door and return to his place of worship. He would then tell her to come out of her house. He would shout to her to come out of her house and take the food.

Then Shaytan approached him softly, and he encouraged him to treat her kindly. Shaitan told him that it was not good to make the woman come out of her house during the day as someone might come upon her. If he took the food directly to her door, then he would get a greater reward. It's an act of kindness. This is what sheikh Khan is telling.

So he he did that. He started to do that. He would take the food directly to her door and, you know, I guess, knock on the door and say, hey, lady. Here's your food. He continued for some time to go to her door and place the food at the front of her door without speaking to her.

Then Iblis came again and encouraged him to do to do good encouraged him to do good and to get more reward. He said, if you took her the food and place it in the house for her, go in her house and place the food in her house Mhmm. Then you'd get a greater reward. Meaning, and it's better if the lady doesn't have to come out the house. So he continued to encourage him and he started to do that.

So he he started to take the food into her house and he continued like that for some time. Then Iblis came again and again and encouraged him to do good. He said, if you talk to her for a while, she'll be put at ease by your conversation as she is in a state of fear and she is all alone. He then started so so he then started talking to her from the top of his place of worship. How strange.

Mhmm.

He's he's sitting on the top of his his worship place

Communicating.

Having what you could call a conversation, I guess, shouting to her. Then Idlis came again, and he said, if you were to come down, instead of, you know, sitting on the roof, come down and talk to her while she sits at her door and talks to you, that would be even more comforting for her. He continued to encourage him and he came down and he did come down and he sat at his at his door. And she sat at her door, and they would talk or either that or she's inside the house. I don't know.

Anyhow, he's at his door. He's not coming inside. The girl would come out of her building and sit at her door. Yeah. Okay.

So they're both

sitting at their doors. Isn't that cute? They're just sitting at two doorsteps.

And they would talk for a while. Then Iblis came again and and encouraged him to get great reward for treating her well. He said, if you were to go from the door of your place, your place of worship, and sit close to her door, that would be even more comforting for her him until he did so. He continued doing that for a while, then Elise came again. This time he said, if you enter her house and talk to her and not make her show her face in public, then that would be even better for you.

He continued exhorting him until he entered her house and spent the whole day talking to her. I mean, what do they have to talk about anyway? It's it's like a rom com so far. Then when night fell, he returned to his place of worship. So they would sit there talking all day, and then he would go home at night or he would go back back to his place of worship at night.

And we all know what he was thinking about. Then Iblis came again, and that continued to then Iblis came to him after that and continued to make her more appealing to him. Iblis made her more appealing to him until the worshipper got upon got upon her and kissed her. And Iblis continued to make her look nice in his eyes.

It's an interesting phrasing.

It is. But it's also, you know, translates you know, we can't really derive much from that. I think it's just bad writing. Iblis continued to make her look nice in his eyes and desire her until he finally they got jiggy. They did it.

They did it. They committed zenna. She got pregnant and she gave birth to a boy. So nine months later Mhmm. Who knows what they were doing over the course of that nine months.

Then Ivelisse came out and told the worshiper, wow. Don't you realize that when those brothers come back, when the brothers of the girl come back, what they're gonna do to you when they see that she's given birth to your son? You won't be safe if they find out, if your matter becomes clear. You should go to the boy you should go to the boy, the baby boy, and kill the baby boy and bury him. That way you can conceal your affair, and they won't do anything to you for what you did to her because they won't even know about it.

And somehow that made sense to Barcissa, and he actually did, murdered the boy. And then Iblis came again and said to him, do you think that she's gonna conceal from her brothers what you did after killing her son? Obviously, she's gonna talk. So take her and kill her too and bury her with her son. He continued spurring him on until he actually did it.

He killed the woman and threw her in the ditch with her son, and then he put a large rock on top of them and and leveled it, buried them. Then he returned to his place of worship and worshiped there and worship therein. He stayed in that state for as long as Allah will until the brothers came back from the fighting. They came to him and asked him about their sister, and he mourned her loss, and he he started to cry. He said she was the best of women, and that's her grave.

So I don't know if he gave an explanation, but just basically she passed away. Mhmm. The brothers came to the grave and cried over it and cried over their sister and asked Allah to have mercy on her. They stayed at her grave for a few days, and then they went to their families. They went back to their families.

When the night which kinda brings a question. They're going back to their families

Mhmm.

Meaning they're not staying with her.

Right.

So, well, I guess they can now because she's

She's no

longer. She's no longer. They don't have to stay around. Right. Okay.

Got it. A little slow. Okay. So they went back to their families. And then when the night came, they went to their beds, obviously.

Sheytan then came to them in their sleep in the form of a traveler. He he started with the eldest of the sons of the brothers and asked him about their sister. The brother told him what the pious man had stated and how they were shown her grave. Then Shaitan in the dream told him, you know, the pious man, he's lied. He lied to you.

He said, he didn't tell you the truth about your sister. He got her pregnant, and she had his son. And then he killed and buried her and the boy out of fear of you, out of fear of what you do to him. Then he threw them both in a ditch that he had dug behind the door of behind the door of the house that she was staying in to the right of the entrance. He's being very specific about exactly where he'd find it even though they had already visited the grave.

But, anyway, go and enter unless he unless he showed him a fake grave. Mhmm. Go and into the house in which she stayed, and on the right of that entrance, will find everything that I told you about. Then he went to the middle brother and he did the same. Then he went to the youngest brother and he did the same.

When they woke up, they were all surprised at what they had seen, dream that they had all had. And when they met each other they all said, wow, I had this amazing dream last night, and they informed each other of what they had seen. The eldest brother said this dream has nothing to is nothing. This dream is haliwali, it doesn't mean anything, so just ignore it. But the youngest brother, and this is proof that the youngest child is always the best child, I'm one of those.

Let's proceed with the story.

Has to find out the facts, has to find out the truth. That's how the youngest child be. Okay. So the youngest child said, I will not leave it until I go and look at that place. Who does that sound like?

325 people listening in.

Sounds like this youngest child right here. They all went until they reached the door of the place where their sister had stayed. They opened the door and looked for the place that has been described to them and blah blah blah blah blah. I'm taking all of your time. You've probably all read it.

They they found the bodies.

Mhmm.

They found the sister. They found the baby. They found the evidence. So then they went and confronted Barcissa. He confessed, and he confessed confirmed what Iblis had told him in the dream.

So then, of course, obviously, as any brothers would do, they were gonna crucify him. They had him on a wooden cross. They'd already got him nailed, ready to kill him. And then Shaytan came to him again, came to Bar Sisa, and said, you know that I'm your companion who tempted you by the woman until you got her pregnant and you killed her and you killed her son. If you obey me today and deny Allah he says this is this is interesting.

He said, if you if you obey me today and deny Allah who formed and shaped you, he's reminding him.

Shaitan is reminding Barsisa.

Shaitan is reminding Barsisa of of why he should be grateful to Allah and fear him. Mhmm. He's reminding him of that. He says, if you deny Allah, I will rescue you. I will rescue you.

I'm the one who got you into it, and I'm the one who can get you out of it. It's basically what he's saying. I will rescue you

As long

as from your predicament. Then Barsisa disbelieved in Allah. He made kufr, made shirk, and he basically worshiped shaitan.

Yeah. He relied upon shaitan.

To try to get him out of it. Yeah. He believed that shaitan can get him out of it.

Yeah. That's right.

And he denied Allah. He did that, obviously, shaitan left. He left from between him and the brothers, and they crucified him. When the scholars related this story in their commentary, they related it to the following ayah. The following ayah.

Sorry. For the likeness of Shaitan, when he tells man to disbelieve, then when he disbelieves, Shaitan says to him, lo, I am innocent of what you do. Lo, I fear Allah, the lord of all the worlds. They mentioned this verse they mentioned that this verse refers to that worshipper, Barsisa, and to others similar to him in Allah's best. Okay.

So that's the story that I wanted to talk about because I find it very interesting. And I also find it very interesting how people talk about this story and what and the lessons that they think they're supposed to draw from that story. And that basically is what I've generally seen while women are tempting.

Yeah. I mean Women are women

are just temptresses and they're gonna get you in trouble. That's the way that I'm I usually see this story being the lessons that are supposed to be drawn from this story. Women are a big fit now. Women are a big temptation and women are gonna drive you off the path and get you in trouble.

Meanwhile, in the story, the main cast are anything but the woman.

Yeah. And it's all it it You know, woman's

not even highlighted.

Yeah. She's completely innocent. Yeah. The woman is is is innocent in terms of any wrongdoing except for that she succumbs to his advances. And and and Shaytan talks to everybody in that story except for the woman.

Yep. Shaytan talks to everybody except for her.

Yeah. He doesn't need he he wasn't convincing her. He didn't need any work on her.

Yeah. He didn't do anything with the woman. Yeah. And so the thing that I find interesting about this and what I think is the lesson is that let me let me I I wrote a note here.

Alright. Just bear with us.

Yeah. But okay. So see, there's about. First of all, as we all know, this is a story for this isn't a.

Okay.

It has been related different versions of it have been related by, I think, Abu Musa, Ashari, and there's a version also by Ali, but they're very different, very different tellings. So it probably refers to different people. But this is a story from the people of the book.

Okay.

They're saying it's from the Israelite, but clearly he was a Christian because he's a monk. They don't have that. The Jews don't do that. Okay. But we're allowed to talk about it.

And since even a Josie saw saw fit to to talk about it and to mention it, I thought it's it's a worthwhile thing to for us to to think about and reflect upon.

Because in the various narrations, there there's an underlying fact that stands out that Yeah. Most of us miss when we

I think so. I think so.

So I think that's why it's essential to

See, yeah. See, this is this is why the title of this livestream is Varshisa. What did I what did I say? Realism and piety or piety and realism. I can't remember how to put it.

Okay.

I think that there's a connection between realism and piety. I think there's almost a correlation between realism and piety. And I think that Barsheesa's problem is a problem that too many people have is with social media and being online Mhmm. And not having as much interaction with the world as we used to in my generation anyway. Where you are you're living in a bubble.

You're living in you're you're you're living in a in an isolation chamber.

Can I pause for a

pause for a minute?

Yeah. For for those who are saying that they are lost about the story, there's a link in the community.

There's a yeah. On the community post there's on the community post, you can see a link to that story. You can you can look it up also on Google. It's Barsisa. Barsisa, b b a r s I s a.

Barsisa the worshiper or Barsisa the monk.

Yeah. I didn't

even know the

the one that you're reading now. So, you

know. But the yeah. That link should be in the community post inshallah.

Okay. No. Sorry.

No. It's alright. And I'm reminded of the the the the hadith of that the one who mixes with the people and bears their harm patiently. Mhmm. The harm and the fitna of being around people is better than the one who doesn't.

The than the one who secludes himself and becomes a recluse. And I think that your imam is like it's like it's just like your immune system. Just like your immune system has to be exposed to germs and bacteria in order for it to become strong.

In order for it to be fortified.

In order for it to be fortified. Mhmm. And if you haven't done that, if you haven't been exposed, if you're a recluse like Barcissa was because because here's the other thing. Except for right at the except for right at the end first of all, that is also interesting to note that Shaytan didn't have to tell him to to have intercourse with the woman.

Mhmm.

He didn't tell him to do that. He didn't come up with justification for that. He knew that the that Varshish's own weakness would take over. Mhmm. And he has that weakness because he's living in isolation.

Because everything for going into the house, everything else that Shaitan told him to do was true. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with that.

That was correct.

But, I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. Yeah. He didn't lie to him. Mhmm. I mean, except for except for right at the end.

This is also interesting. Except for right at the end when he said that I'll get you out of

it. Mhmm.

Except for that, Shaytan never never lied. Mhmm. He never lied to Bersisa.

Yeah.

Exactly. The whole time he's telling the truth because when he said because it it's true. Everything that he said is true in terms of you'll get a better a greater deed if you do this. And that's in line with the statement of that the person who mixes with the people is better than the one who doesn't. You get a greater reward Mhmm.

Because you are exposing yourself to temptations and difficulties that require discipline, that require the discipline of your imam, discipline of your faith. And Barcissa had never needed to be disciplined in his faith because it never got challenged. He lived in seclusion. It's said in another version of the story that he was he'd he'd been a monk in isolation for seventy years. So what does he know about the world?

How had his faith ever been tested? His his his religiosity is in a vacuum. He's never been exposed to the world. So all of the things that an actually righteous person all of the things that that that Shaitan told him to do, an actually righteous person can do without any problem. We all do it every day.

Yeah. We

interact. Interact all the time. We interact with within Islamic guidelines. We interact men and women.

Mhmm. We socialize. We, you know Yeah. Move out in society.

And and and, I mean, like, look look at Barsisa's reaction to being asked to do a good deed to take care of the sister of Mujahideen in their absence. He should have thought to himself, that's a great reward. I I I must do that. But what was his reaction? I I I seek refuge in in a lot from you and your sister, he ran away.

Mhmm. Where's the how is this imam? How is this piety? How is this righteousness? Because you know or you is this is the thing.

You don't know that your piety is weak. Your piety is fake. Your piety is hollow. Your piety is anemic. You can't you can't actually and and that being the case, what good is it?

What good is it in the world? The brothers are obviously better than him. Mhmm. They're going for jihad, and they're worried about their sister. They wanna they they they wanna make sure that their sister is taken care of before they go out for jihad.

They're obviously better than he is. So how is he pious? This is a misunderstanding about piety. This is a misunderstanding of his righteousness. You know?

And then it it it also reminds me of I can't remember who it was, but someone was talking about, like, what's better? A believer who never feels tempted and who's who never goes through the challenges or or someone who does. Mhmm. And the the the the answer was given comparing Abu Bakr and Omar, you know, Khattab. Okay.

Because Abu Bakr was someone who was just pristine. He he you know, his his faith was just absolute, you know, from the immediate beginning with Rasulullah. He never wavered in any way. He never had any doubt or any uncertainty or anything at all. And it said that Omar faced trials and challenges and temptations, and that's something that he grappled with over the course of his life.

And this is what elevated Omar ibn al Khattab, Not above Abu Bakr Yeah. But this is one of the one of the sources of the elevation of Amr as a man and as a Muslim and as a leader and has helped to give him the Wisdom. Profound wisdom and insights to to human beings that Omar had that made him the incredible leader that he was. But but so people who who who their Islam and their imam and their piety exists in a bubble without any challenge,

it you will not be able

to rely upon it when you face a challenge, when you face a temptation, when when you're faced with any anything that requires religious discipline, you won't be ready for it. Because like I said, all of those things that that Shaytan told Barsisa to do, a normal rank and file Muslim would be able to do without it ending the way his story ended. But but but the fact that Barsisa completely derailed, he went completely off the rails Mhmm. Because he he just couldn't even control himself. Mhmm.

Well, what kind of piety is that? What kind of iman is that? It's the iman of a of of of a toddler, of a of an infant who's never ex who's who's never engaged with the world.

Yeah. Who's never has never been has never gone through any form of discipline whatsoever. Right. It's like commanding. Right.

His his commanding self has over

And he had and and he doesn't have the he he doesn't have the the conditioning Mhmm. To know how to respond. It's just like it's just like in like, I I I really I don't know. A lot of this kind of thing to boxing. When you're when you when you are in a fight, you get the adrenaline rush, and then you get that fight, flight, or freeze Mhmm.

Reflex instinct. And if you haven't been trained, then you'll freeze or you'll flee. And that's like Bersisa. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to fight it.

He didn't know how to fight. Yeah. That even the slightest interaction with a woman, he crumbled.

Yeah. I mean, because we when we talk about the nafs, we talk about the three levels of nafs. The commanding self and then the blameworthy self and then the. So the he he his is entirely from start to end. It's the commanding self that's taken over.

There's no reflection. There's no blame worth, you know, there's the blame worthy self is not even emerging. Mhmm. You know, the moment he realizes his his folly because he's afraid of being discovered by the brothers Mhmm. He tries to cover his tracks.

Yeah. Which which which also which which again and this and this is this is part of why it's important is that part of iman is furqan, is understanding right and wrong. Knowing good and bad, right and wrong. Morality, basic morality. If you've lived in seclusion your whole life and, okay, all you're doing is making adhkar, all you're doing is dua, all you're doing is salah, all you're fasting and so on, all of those things are great, all of those things are wonderful, all of those things you get reward for, But it doesn't make you strong, and it doesn't make you moral.