And some of you have been with me, especially as we've been here in chapter 11, and I've taken a different task, tacked as I'm approaching our study in Hebrews. I've actually taken you through the passages and read quite a bit of information to you concerning some of these individuals that we see here in Scripture. And we're gonna be doing that again this evening as we look at verse 21. I'm gonna need to do that because in order for you to have an understanding of basically what is being said in verse 21, we need to summarize and read portions of Scripture in order for us to understand that. So let's look at verse 21. I'll read that passage to you and then we're gonna be turning our Bibles to the book of Genesis and we're gonna be looking from chapter 28, summarizing several chapters up to chapter 32. And so let's begin here at verse 21. I'll read the verse by faith Jacob when he was dying, he blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning on the top of his staff. And so if you wanted that verse just to be summarized for a moment, all I'd have to do is say to you, he learned his lesson, let's move on. But in order to understand what's going on, we actually have to look at the life of this man who is referred to as Jacob. We have to look at him in order to understand why verse 21 is important enough to be placed here in the book of Hebrews. And so in order to do that, we need to go into the book of Genesis and I'm gonna summarize several chapters for you. Turn with me please to chapter 28 of Genesis and I'm gonna read some portions and I'm just gonna summarize some portions and hopefully we'll get to the conclusion of our study and it'll make some sense there because what we're gonna be looking at and what I'm wanting to spend my time looking at really as we go through this passage in the life of Jacob is the breaking of Jacob because I think there's application there to see how God, God hold of a man whose name Jacob literally can be translated sneaky. How the Lord has broken a man whom is referred to in Scripture by the name of deceitful or sneaky and made him a man that was tremendously blessed by God. And so we'll be looking at chapters 28 and some portions in 29 we'll be looking at chapters 31 and chapter 32 to summarize and to read in order that we might be able to understand what is taking place. And so when we were last together we were introduced to this man who is named Jacob. We remember that Jacob was somebody that had actually been born in answer to prayer. His father Isaac had wanted to have a child with his beloved wife but she was unable to conceive. And so we already looked in Genesis 25 how that in verses 20 and 21 how it said that Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca and Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer and his wife Rebecca became pregnant. And so we know that in answer to prayer that Rebecca had become pregnant and the Scripture tells us in chapter 25 verses 24 through 26 when the time came for her to give birth there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red and his whole body was like a hairy garment so they named him Esau. After this his brother came out with his hand grasping Esau's heel so he was named Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when Rebecca gave birth to them. We saw that in their upbringing how that there was actually favoritism. We saw how that Isaac preferred Esau while Rebecca preferred Jacob. And Isaac preferred him because Esau because Esau was a man's man. But Rebecca loved her young son her son Jacob with all of her heart and she actually worked together with him so that he might receive the blessing that God had already stated he would receive but because his father had a partiality to his brother Esau we saw how that Rebecca began to devise plans to help Isaac rather Jacob steal the birthright and receive the blessing that God had given to him and so what had happened is by deceit Jacob obtained his father's blessing because his father was planning on blessing Esau. Rebecca had devised a plan and deceived her husband so Jacob could receive this blessing. Now this blessing that he was receiving was the original blessing that was given to Abraham as well as Isaac as is recorded in chapter 26 verse 24. And according to Genesis 27 verse 29 the blessing is may those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed. God intended all along to bless Jacob and had made this clear when Rebecca was pregnant. He had said two nations are in your womb two people shall be separated from your body one people shall be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger. But in spite of this Isaac had tried to circumvent Jacob's receiving of the blessing and so Jacob deceived Isaac dressed in Esau's clothing and passing himself as Esau. When Jacob received the blessing Esau began to comfort himself and we saw this last time by making plans in order that he might kill him. But Rebecca knew about this and so she sent Jacob to live with her brother. His name is Laban. She said in Genesis 27, 43 and 44 now then my son do what I say flee at once to my brother Laban in Heron stay with him for a few days until your brother's fury subsides. She goes on to deceive her husband by saying she wanted Jacob to go home to get a bride and claimed that she didn't want him to marry one of the daughters of Heth. When it says she doesn't want them to marry him to marry one of the daughters of Heth the word Heth there speaks of the Hittite nation. And so she's saying I want him to go home and receive a bride from his own people. So we arrive at chapter 28. In chapter 28, beginning at verse one Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him and said to him you shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise go to Padan Aram to the house of Bethwell your mother's father and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.  So Isaac sent Jacob away and he went to Padan Aram to Laban the son of Bethwell the Syrian the brother of Rebecca the mother of Esau and Jacob. So he travels he travels to Northern Syria in order that he might receive a bride. He goes there into the region of Mesopotamia. And so this is where we pick up in verse 10. Now let's begin reading and we'll look at some things here from verse 10 to verse 22. It says, now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went towards Iran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night because the sun had set.  Then he dreamed and behold a ladder was set up on the earth and its top reached to heaven. And there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. So he travels about 70 miles. He goes for two or three days. And as he's resting now in a certain place, notice the scripture says he begins to dream. And in his dream he sees a ladder that connects the earth with heaven. Verse 12 tells us that he sees angels and these angels are really carrying out assignments God's assignments. Heaven is now connecting with earth.  Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth. You shall spread abroad to the west and the east to the north and the south. And in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.  For I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, surely I ate too much salsa last night. No, he said, surely the Lord, I shouldn't have said that. Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it. And he was afraid and said, how awesome is this place? This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven. No doubt in the life of this young man, there had been stories that had been given to him concerning God's ministry and how that God had ministered to his grandfather and how that God had ministered to his father. But these were just stories. These are stories that he had heard concerning how God had ministered to Abraham and how that God had ministered to Isaac. Those stories now are going to become personal because this is a time that he is first personally met by God.  Now he does so through a dream and in the dream he sees the ladder. Now what is this ladder? Well, the ladder represents the gulf that separates earth from heaven being joined together. He sees the ladder connects heaven and earth. Now we know what this ladder is because in the New Testament, the ladder that connects earth to heaven is revealed for us in the Gospel of John. In the Gospel of John in chapter one, verse 51, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking and he says to Nathaniel, I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man. Jesus was making it very clear that the ladder that connects earth to heaven is himself and the point he was making at that time is that earth has a connecting. There's a way that earth can be connected to heaven and that's by a ladder. Jesus Christ comes to fulfill that. He's the ladder that connects heaven with earth because in order to go from earth to heaven you need to ascend that ladder and so this is a picture that we see prophetically in the Old Testament that will be fulfilled by Jesus Christ in his ministry because Jesus is the one who said that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by him and so what we have here is a picture. We have a prophecy, we have something that's fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ and it occurs first in a dream. So as this is taking place, the Lord repeats to him the promises that had been made to Abraham as well as the promises that had been made to Isaac.  You shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So these are promises that have been made to his grandfather as well as to his father. Now this is a man who's been growing up in his tents all of his life, in tents all of his life and now he's beginning to see that as he's being brought into a wilderness experience and as he's going from place to place that God is gonna be there protecting him. He says in verse 15, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. So you're about to go on a journey, a journey of faith but I want you to know that I will take care of you all of the time in every step that you take. And so as this takes place he begins to marvel. Verse 16, Jacob awoke from his sleep and said surely the Lord is in this place and I didn't know it. How often that can be true in our own lives by the way that God is doing a special work and we're not even aware of it. But it goes on to say he was afraid and said how awesome is this place. This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven. And so God has met me in a very special and a very personal place and I have seen heaven connected and God has spoken to me. So it says in verse 18, Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put at his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it and he called the name of that place Bethel. The word Bethel means house of God but the name of that the city had been Liz previously then Jacob made a vow saying if God will be with me and keep me in this way that I'm going and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on so that I come back to my father's house in peace and the Lord shall be my God.  And so what he does is he consecrates the stone as a memorial to the Lord. Notice he anoints the stone with oil and he renames that location house of God. He then repeats what the Lord had promised and promises to serve the Lord. Now you need to notice something here and I need to point this out, this isn't a bargain. This is his perspective of the covenant between himself and his God. Knowing that God had made a promise to supply the blessings to him, knowing this, well that was met with a promise to give back to God what God was giving to him. Now tithing at this time is not an obligation according to Mosaic law. Mosaic law does not exist. What he's doing is he's simply saying I'm gonna give back to God because I am thankful for what he has done in my life and I love him. And so he's not making a bargain at all. He's simply saying God has met me and I'm gonna give back to him. God has a work that he's doing and I am responding in this way. And so he does that. Now I'll just summarize a few verses in chapter 29. He finally arrives in a place called Haran. And at first he begins to speak to some shepherd boys. He's by a well. And as he's there he strikes up a conversation with these young boys who are there watering their sheep. He asks them in this conversation, do you know a man by the name of Laban? And they answer that they do know him. And so as he's speaking he asks concerning him is he well, how are things going with him? And they begin to respond by saying to him, well his daughter's coming, notice verse nine. While he was still speaking with them Rachel came with her father's sheep. She was a shepherdess and it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. Verse 11, then Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebecca's son and she ran to tell her father. This is one of those interesting portions of scripture. It was like, oh gosh, how do you say this? Love at first sight? I don't believe in that by the way, so it's difficult to say it, but maybe I should because it was love at first sight. It was a sense of like, this is it. This is the one who God has sent for me. Because remember, he had gone there to receive a bride. And the minute he saw her he said, this is the one that God has given to me. And she was a beautiful girl. Verse 17 says, Lee, his eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. She was an absolutely gorgeous young woman and he kisses her and as he kisses her, and I don't think that it was a passionate kiss, by the way, I think it was a kiss of greeting, but as he did so, he just looking at her and he's saying, God, you are too much. Look at what you've given to me. What an absolutely beautiful, beautiful girl. He's so excited. So he says, I am Rebecca's son and as he does so, she runs on home and she tells her father. Well, at first, verses 13 and 14, his uncle, Laban, is thrilled to see him and even invites him to come home and he begins to stay with him. As a matter of fact, he stays with his uncle in his home for a month. Now, after that month is up, verse 15, Laban said to Jacob, because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be? Now, Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah. The name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were delicate. It could be translated that she had poor sight, weak eyes. Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. Now Jacob loved Rachel and he said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter. Laban said, it is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed but a few days to him because of the love he had for her. What a romantic story. Seven years he works there. But it's just like time just flew by because he was looking for that time when he was going to be able to join together with her and become husband. And so the labor was worth it. He was willing to wait that long for her. One of the things that is interesting about love and I should probably inject this thought here is love is patient. Love is patient. There are times when I'm speaking to couples who are wanting to get married and all and sometimes they wanna get married right now and there can be pressures to be married. But one of the things that I have discovered is love is patient. And this man here waited. He was willing to wait and do the right thing and it took him seven years. But he finally accomplished the task and now he's expecting his uncle to keep his part of the bargain. You see, he kept his and now he's expecting his uncle to keep his part. But notice what happens. Verse 21, Jacob said to Laban, give me my wife for my days are fulfilled that I may go into her that we might have sexual love. Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening that he took Leah, his daughter and brought her to Jacob and he went into her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpa to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came to pass in the morning and my professor once said, these are the saddest words in scripture that behold it was Leah. Can't you imagine? And I don't want to. Behold it was Leah. There must have been a similarity in appearance. It would seem that Leah when she went in knew, of course she knew that she was deceiving this man. She didn't say anything. And he was so enraptured in love with whom he thought was his girl that he didn't even notice that it wasn't her. They had been eating all night. Perhaps he had been drinking some wine. I don't know. Whatever happened, the next morning he wakes up and he looks to his new bride and it isn't the one he thought that he had worked for seven years for. Behold it was Leah. And so what happens? He says to Laban, what is this that you've done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me? Laban said, it must not be done so in our country to give the younger before the firstborn, fulfill her week and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years. And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel, his wife also. And Laban gave his maid, Billah, to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went into Rachel and he also loved Rachel more than Leah and he served with Laban still another seven years. And when the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb. But Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son. She called his name Reuben. For she said, the Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore my husband will love me. Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, because the Lord has heard that I am unloved he has therefore given me this son also. And she called his name Simeon.  I have born him three sons. Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son and said, now I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.  She's thinking that perhaps he'll begin to love her because she's bearing him children. She's hoping that somehow the Lord will attach this man's heart to her. She's not loved. And that's a sad phrase, by the way. She knows that she's not loved. She begins to have all of these children. She names them Reuben. The word Reuben means behold, a son. She names Simeon, which means God has heard. She names one Levi, which means blue jeans. Now it means attached or cleaving. And then she names the other one Judah, which speaks of praise. And so this begins a war because as she's beginning to have children, well, Rachel gets upset.  Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel and he said, I am the place of God who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb. So she said, here's my maid, Billa.  She gave him Billa her maid as wife and Jacob went into her. Billa conceived and bore Jacob a son. Rachel said, God has judged my case and he has heard my voice and given me a son. Therefore she called his name Dan. And Rachel's maid Billa conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Rachel said, with great wrestlings, I have wrestled with my sister and indeed I have prevailed. So she called his name Napthali. This begins a war. Now they're having children through handmaidens. Rachel cannot have a child. She hands her handmaid to him and says, you have children through here. And that's what's taking place here. And they're having a war now that's taking place between them. You see what goes on is now Leah stops burying children. Now Leah can't have any children. So what she does is she introduces her handmaiden, Zilpa. You see that in verses nine through 13. And Zilpa begins to have children. She conceives and gives birth to one named Gad which means a troop. And then she gives birth to another named Asher which means blessed. Now Leah, as she continues having children and all has, they're beginning to have child after child after child. Now notice verse 22. In verse 22 it says, God remembered Rachel and God listened to her and opened her womb.  So she called his name Joseph and said, the Lord shall add to me another son. Now Joseph is an interesting name. That's my son Joseph's name. That means the added. And she has this son Joseph. Now he is the 11th son that is born. They have 10 sons that have been born to handmaidens as well as to Leah. But now she finally has a son of her own. She has a son by the name of Joseph. Now not only does she have a son by the name of Joseph she also has another son. And that son's name is Benjamin. That brings up the number of children born to Jacob to 12. Two of them came from the beloved wife the one whom he loves with all of his heart. But when she gave birth to her last son it's recorded in Genesis 3518. She died. She died giving birth to him. It says in Genesis 3518 it came to pass as her soul was departing. She died that she called his name Benani. The name Benani means son of my sorrow. And so she was sorrowing as she gave birth and she was about to die so she names him Benani. But his father called him Benjamin. The name Benjamin means son of my right hand. And so he now has 12 sons. Two of them born to his beloved Rachel and the other 10 born to Leah and handmaidens. And so it's now time for him to leave. This is one who has become prosperous and his prosperity is now causing problems. He's been there for 20 years. Now remember his mother had said you need to go to my brother's house for a few days. He's been gone now for 20 years and he begins to travel home. As he's traveling home we find it in chapter 32. He receives word, word that causes him to fear greatly. It says in verse six of chapter 32 the messengers returned to Jacob saying we came to your brother Esau and he also is coming to meet you and 400 men are with him. So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. Esau is coming to meet you as all of these men and he's afraid. Now this is where I wanna bring some application to our study tonight. Because at this point he begins to show how God has been working in his life. Remember with me it's been 20 years. And so let's see what happens to a man who is being broken by God. Chapter 32 verse nine Jacob said, oh God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac the Lord who said to me return to your country and to your kindred and I will deal well with you. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which you have shown your servant. For I crossed over this Jordan with my staff and now I have become two companies. Deliver me I pray from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For you said I will surely treat you well and make your descendants as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered for multitude. What does he do? The first thing he does is he prays and I want you to see this and in his prayer he reminds the Lord of God's promises. God you have said to me that you would bring me back safely. You said to me 20 years ago when I left my father's house to come and receive my wife you said that you would bring me back safely. And that's a heart of prayer. One it's dependence I'm afraid and so I'm speaking to you. And two it's a heart of remembrance. God in your word you have promised. And so that's what he's doing here. He's being broken. The Psalmist in Psalm 64 verse one says hear my voice oh God in my prayer. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Proverbs 29, 25 says the fear of man brings a snare but whoever puts his trust in the Lord shall be saved. And so he begins to pray and as he's beginning to pray he's asking the Lord for help. God you've got to be with me. Now notice verse 22 it says he arose that night and took his two wives his two maid servants his 11 sons crossed over the Ford of Jabba and he took them and sent them over the brook and sent them over and set over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of day. Now when he saw that he did not prevail against him he touched the socket of his hip and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said let me go for the day breaks but he said I will not let you go unless you bless me. So he said to him what is your name? He said Jacob. He said your name shall no longer be called Jacob but Israel for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed. Jacob asked him saying tell me your name I pray and he said why is it that you ask about my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved. Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank which is in the hip socket because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip and the muscle that shrank. Let's look at the breaking of Jacob. This is what I wanted to share with you today. We needed to get that background so we could get up to this point, the breaking of Jacob. Jacob according to verse 24 is left alone. Why is he left alone? Because that's a place that God can meet him without distraction. There's gonna be a time now a meeting between him and the Lord God. And notice with me the Bible says and I want you to see this in verse 24 that a man wrestled with him. Often I have heard people teaching in their studies concerning prayer and using of Jacob as an illustration they will say Jacob wrestled with this man. But when you read the Bible I want you to notice the Bible doesn't say and Jacob wrestled with him. I want you to see that. I want you to see that the Bible actually says that a man wrestled with him. It was the Lord who was initiating this contact. Now Jacob had prayed God I need your help but God is gonna go and do a work right now to break him, to make him dependent on him for the rest of his life. I believe that God does break us. I believe that and we'll see that in just a moment. But I believe that the best vessel in the hand of the Lord is gonna be the broken vessel and God has a way of doing that in our lives to make us dependent on him. And he also leaves us wounded sometimes so that the rest of our life we walk with a lift even as he did. Because there are things that the Lord will do in our life when God cripples us that makes us 100% dependent on him and the Lord will do that. And sometimes we think that he won't but he indeed does. Now when it says that there was a man wrestling with him until the break of day the question has to be asked who is this man? Well the man we know as a Christophany it is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. He is the one who is wrestling with him. And this is something that you find in scripture you have what is called a Christophany or theophany which is a God appearance. It's a God manifestation. And in the Old Testament there are times when Jesus Christ before he takes human flesh will actually come and communicate and have relation with men and that's what you have right here. That's what you see. Notice verse 30 how he had said I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved. So we know that this is simply an angel but this is Christ. In Isaiah chapter 12 verses three through five it says in the womb he grasped his brother's heel as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him. He wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel, talked with him there. The Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name of renown. And so we know that what he is doing is he's having a match with the Lord God and God is ministering to him. All his life he was used to getting his own way. All of his life and we saw that as we looked at him he stole his brother's birthright. He deceived his father to obtain a blessing. He fled to his family in Iran only to be deceived himself and he ultimately fled from the land to be pursued by a father-in-law. And now he doesn't know what is awaiting him. His brother has had 20 years to become more bitter towards him. There he is alone in the wilderness crying out to God and God has done a work in his life and he begins to cry out and say, God you have taught me many things but as he's there alone an angel begins to rest with him and God is now breaking him. And in verse 26 he begins to cry. He cries with tears and he cries out with humility and he begs for God's favor and clings to him unwilling to let him go because he has discovered that the only way that his needs can be met will be coming through God. And to forever keep that lesson intact God will give to him a constant reminder of it.  I believe that God allows that. Now this may sound foreign to some in this room as a matter of fact I'm certain that it does. I'm sure that it doesn't. Me even go against everything you've come to believe at this point. But I can tell you that's what's happening here. You can see it. The man, the angel of the Lord, pre-incarnate Christ wrestles with Jacob and Jacob hangs on to him for dear life. He's clinging to him. I will not let you go. What are you saying? I have learned to be dependent on you. I will not release you to go back to my own devices. I know where blessing comes from and I know whom I need in order to succeed and be protected. I've gotten to the point where I don't want to devise my own plans and do things my own way. I've gotten to the point where I understand that unless you go with me, then I should not go at all. I need your help. I am dependent on you. The Lord cripples. The Lord will bring us to a place where we do not any longer depend on our own strength, our own wisdom, our own might, but that we have the wisdom to know through the lessons that he has taught us over a lifetime that without him we can do nothing. In my own life, there have been places where I have not in a physical sense, but in a sense wrestled with the Lord. And the Lord has always won. He always will win. And he has allowed me to have places in my life that have been broken only to be healed by him, but I have a reminder that I carry that causes me many times to cry out and say, God without you, I can't do anything. I can't go into details because of course they're not necessary, not interesting to you and very deeply personal to me, but the bottom line is, is I know some of this breaking and I know what it does. And I know that some of us carry within us encounters that the Lord has allowed to remain so that we might remember that without him we wouldn't have survived. It's amazing how we don't remember everything but there are things in our lives that we just will not forget. They are things that we cannot forget. They were so monumental. They made such a difference for good or at that time maybe bringing pain. And sometimes we will look back to those places and remember that if the Lord hadn't rescued and delivered us, we would not have survived. And they're places of breaking and they're a crippling in our life, but they have caused us to be dependent on him. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 says something very interesting in verses seven through nine. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses seven through nine, Paul said this. He said, lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I've asked the Lord to deliver me, but the Lord has said my strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul, you could have such pride over the revelations and things that God has given to you. And because that is true, I'm gonna keep you dependent on the Lord through this thorn that you have in your flesh, this constant reminder of your personal weakness. Nobody actually knows what that thorn was, by the way. Nobody knows exactly what it was. It's referred to as a messenger of Satan. There are some who say, perhaps Paul was speaking concerning his physical illness, how that he had eyes that were swollen and diseased to the point that when he writes to the Galatians, he says, you would have given me your own eyes if it was possible. He had an infirmity in the flesh and he said, and you didn't despise me because of it. And there are those who would say that perhaps he was speaking concerning his inability to see and the great pain that he went through sometimes with this eye infection. There are others who would say that this messenger of Satan could very well have been some key individuals who were in opposition to him who were being used by Satan to keep him under intense persecution and affliction. We really don't know what it is. All we know is that Paul prayed and said, God, three times, God, remove it from me. God, remove it from me. God, I can't take it anymore. Remove it from me. And I've been there. I've been in that place where I prayed and so have you, I'm certain, where you've said, Lord, I don't think I can survive this anymore. You've got to do something to remove this pressure from my life because if you don't, I don't think I can make it. And then the Lord whispers to your ear, somehow, through the word of God, through prayer, through a friend, somehow he speaks to you and says, my grace is sufficient. My strength is going to be made perfect in your weakness. Hold fast, I will not forsake you. I will not leave you. I will be with you. I will deliver you. And you do make it through. You survive. You make it through and you walk on with the Lord but you have a limp. You have a constant reminder of that encounter that you had with the Lord. It's something that is there. And that's what took place in this man's life. He was grabbing a hold of the angel of the Lord and he was saying, I will not let you go unless you bless me. Well, what is your name? My name is Jacob. Well, Jacob, supplanter. Jacob, deceiver. Jacob, heal-catcher. You have prevailed with God and I'm giving you a new name. No longer shall you be called supplanter. You are now going to be called prince with God. Your name is Israel. That's what Israel means. And so the Lord took him and changed his name after 20 years of him learning lessons from God. He finally encounters God in a personal powerful way and the Lord cripples him, renames him and continues to bless him.  I would rather walk with a limp the rest of my life because of an encounter with God than to not have any encounters with God at all.  It's to cause you to cling more desperately to him. And that's what takes place. This encounter with him forever changed his life. This encounter with the Lord changed him for the rest of his life. So much so that ultimately, when it came to blessing his children, he made sure to follow God's plan concerning the heirs that God had given to him. Now, back in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 21, by faith Jacob when he was dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning on the top of his staff. Remember with me, Joseph was the 11th born and he gave to him a special blessing. Joseph was the chosen son to bless. Joseph's Jacob was to be blessed over Esau. Joseph was not the first born, he's the 11th but he still received blessing. He actually receives what is called a double blessing because he had two sons and both of his sons received blessings. Now, one son's name was Ephraim. He was a younger and he received a greater blessing according to Genesis 48, 19. And instead of a single tribe descending from him, two half tribes descended. In the blessing, the point that he's making simply is what was never physically possessed because he didn't receive the land and all of those physical promises that were first given to Abraham and Isaac and then to him. Even though he didn't receive them in his lifetime, he still passed on those blessings to future generations. And that's what we do, by the way. One of the greatest gifts that a father can give, and I speak to those who are fathers here, one of the greatest gifts that you can give to your kids is your blessing, your blessing. And as a father, my children, and you might find this interesting, I don't mention this often, but as a father, my children actually know that when they get married, when they get married, and I don't know if I should even, well, it's nothing that private, it is private, but it's not that private, that my children want to receive what they call their father's blessing, that's what they want. And the way that's gonna take place is when I put my hands on them and I pray a father's blessing over them. And I have told them that, and this may be personal and maybe even something you can't understand, but I've said, you children need to select your mate carefully because I wanna bless your marriage. As your father and the priest of this home, I want to, as a father, act as the priest in your life.  I wanna give you my blessing, a father's blessing and my children have remembered that. And that's something that they want to have. The day comes when I give them away to whomever it is that the Lord has prepared for them, I want to bless them. And I have also said this, but should you bring somebody home that is not whom you should marry? Don't expect it. Don't expect it. Don't expect it. I've gone so far as to say, if it's somebody that I know be on a shadow of a doubt and your mom and I agreed that this is not of the Lord and it's of the flesh, I will not bless your relationship. You need to know that. Now I'm not saying don't get married. I am saying I'll attend your wedding, but I will not perform it because if I am not in agreement with you, I will not hand you to somebody that I do not believe Jesus Christ has prepared for you. Now that sounds harsh, doesn't it? But that's a father and that's what I as a father have chosen to do. I'm not one of these fathers who says, go on, sort it out. No, I'm not that way. I take these things very seriously because I believe that I have a capacity as a believer to say, may God shine upon you as he has shown upon me. And I will definitely put my hands on my children the day that they get married. It's not a light thing at all. When I send them off, it's gonna be with a blessing. And my kids with tears have said I want that blessing and I'm gonna give it to them as long as we agree that this is the right one for you in your life. Why? Because I take that seriously. I take it very seriously because I want the hand of God to bless their life and they know that. And you know what? You see that in the Old Testament. You see the blessing of Isaac on Jacob and Jacob on Joseph. You see their hands on them and they give them a pronounce a blessing. May my God be your God.  May he cause you to be filled with his love and his joy. Those are blessings you can give to your children. Don't ever take it lightly. Don't take it as something that doesn't matter. Indeed it does. And I've gone so far as to say, and may the fruit of your womb be blessed by God that they may serve him also. May you have a generation of faith so that not only are my children blessed by God but may my grandchildren be blessed by God too. And may God's blessing just move through this family so that all the generations that follow that they are people who serve their God. And I do that with faith for the future. The way that you see that Joseph was being blessed by a father who was given to him a blessing that he himself didn't receive. He didn't receive the land. He didn't receive those kinds of promises but he had a hope that was still a far off and he knew his descendants would indeed do so. So he blesses him. That's a blessing of faith. And that's what took place in the life of a man who at first was called sneaky, supplanter, deceitful who became prince with God. When he encountered the Lord, God crippled him, kept him dependent on him and he learned his lessons and he said, and I bless you in the way that my father has blessed me.


This world relives no more than a pastime in pleasure's name The final hope that's life for sure With their knowledge this much attained بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم نالك يوم التينية من الصراطة المستقيم الصراطة اللي بينار عمت عليهم بينار المهبوم عليهم والله بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيدنا وعظيمنا وحبيب قلوبنا وشفيع نفسنا أب القاسم محمد وعلى أهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين واصحابه الغر الميامين الحمد لله الذي جعلنا من المتمسكين بولاية سيد مولاي علي ابن أبي طالب اللهم صلى الله عليه وسلم الحمد لله الذي هدانا لهذا وما كنا لنحتد يا لولا أن هدان الله أما بعد يقونا الله في كتامه الكريم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فلا أسألكم عليه يجرن إلا المودة في القربة بفاست بعوى صلواته أنا برسول الله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بالسكن أنا بمير المؤمنين علي ابنة بيطالب بالثان with your loudest voices and honor the Imam of our time Imam صاحب العصر والزمان respected scholars brothers and sisters سلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته إمام الحسين صلوات الله وسلامه عليه was born on the 3rd of شعبان and the 4th year after Hijra and died on the 10th of محرم in the 61st year after Hijra at the age of 57 he is revered by many as the greatest martyr in Islamic history as well as seen by many as an exemplar in terms of his leadership his generosity, his bravery and his humility a man from whose life many a lesson may be learnt and many a principle may be derived and a man whose acts in his life and standpoint have affected both Muslims and non-Muslims until today unfortunately however this personality has been understudied and the idea that when you look at the majority of our knowledge concerning his life the majority of our knowledge or much of our knowledge concerning his life relates to the last year of his life if you were to ask many people about the first 56 years of the life of Imam al-Hussain you'll find many who will not be able to come up with many anecdotes regarding the first 56 years of his life most people know about his life in the last few months when he left Medina to go to Mecca when he left Mecca to go towards Kufa and he stopped at an area called Karbala that is about as much knowledge as most people have of this personality's life and this is somewhat shameful on our part that a person who the Prophet described as the master of the youth of paradise and who the Prophet would say حسين is from me and I am from حسين Allah loves the one who loves حسين it is sad that we only know about the last days of his life if you were to ask yourself how many narrations do you know from the mouth of Imam al-Hussain as in how many hadiths can you narrate or if you were to ask yourself the question how many stories do you know about Imam al-Hussain you'll find many who will come forward and say that barring the tenth of Muharram our knowledge of Imam al-Hussain is quite limited that's why tonight let's have an examination of Imam al-Hussain from the day he was born until the day he was martyred in order to see the number of important lessons that we can learn from his life not only in understanding his relationships but also in understanding the principles that affected non-muslims as much as it affected Muslims today as we said he was born on the third of Sha'ban in the fourth year after Hijrah he was the second of the four children of arguably one of the most beautiful marriages within the religion of Islam as we know Imam Amir al-Mu'mineen when he was married and in that marriage they had four children they had a fifth child who was a miscarried child by the name of Muhsin but the four children was of course Imam al-Hussain Sayyeda Zainab and Um Kulthum and you find that Lady Fatima had conceived Imam al-Hussain and had known that she was pregnant with Imam al-Hussain 52 days after she gave birth to Imam al-Hussain 52 days later she knew that she was pregnant again and the narrations tell us that when it came to the time of the birth of the Imam the narrations tell us that there were mixed feelings surrounding his birth normally when you have a child who's about to be born in the family normally there is a sense of pride and a sense of joy surrounding the whole family as in it's very rare to see a grandfather who's quite sad or a grandfather who feels some sort of sadness or a grandmother or a father or a mother yet Imam al-Hussain many of the reports indicate that surrounding his birth there was a sense of a feeling that this child will have an ending that is one full of sadness the first to comment on this was Um al-Fadal the wife of Abbas the uncle of the Prophet Um al-Fadal came to the Prophet رسول الله I saw a strange dream last night he said to her what did you see she said I saw a piece of your flesh in my lap and I wondered what is this to which the Prophet said to her glad tidings Fatima will give birth and the boy will be in your hands then you find when Fatima gave birth to the Imam on the 3rd of Sha'ban the narrations tell us that the Rasool Allah walked heavily to the house of Fatima when Imam al-Hussain was born you found that Rasool Allah brisk to the house of Fatima whereas Imam al-Hussain when he was born the narrations say that the Prophet walked heavily he took heavy steps to the house of Fatima he called Asma he said Asma where is my Hussain and she bought Hussain as soon as she bought Imam al-Hussain to him he took Imam al-Hussain and began to cry she said to him Imam al-Prophet of God why do you cry as in this is a newborn child surely it's meant to be joy he said this child will be slain by an unjust group of people and may Allah not grant them intercession for what they did but do not tell Fatima for Fatima has just come out of labor and I do not want her to hear this news you therefore find that from the beginning his grandfather had a major connection with him and highlighted to us a very important point a child learns as much from the grandfather as they do with the father if both are living in the same house some of us were honored and fortunate enough that we were brought up in a house where our grandfather is alive isn't that true as in some of us when we were young our grandfathers were in our lives some of us even when we got to our teenage years our grandfathers were alive generations tell us that the importance of the grandfathers like the father the child picks up from the grandfather as much as the child picks up from the father and that Rasool Allah the first thing he did in showing his affection to the child was what was that he performed a series of ceremonies which would become lessons for us when a child is born in our family the first thing he did when Hussein was in his lab was he recited أذان in his right ear and إقامة in his left sometimes people ask the question why is it when a child is born in Islam you recite أذان in the right and إقامة in the left the prophet himself said because this moves away the whispers of shaitan from the child we know very well in the Quran what do we say أعوذ برب الناس ملك الناس إله الناس من شرل وسواس الخناس يا الله I seek refuge from the whispering of shaitan when we recite أذان in the right ear and إقامة in the left the meaning is that we want to remove away the whispers of shaitan that's number one number two what did Rasool Allah then have seven days later he had the عقيقة ceremony today when a child is born you have the عقيقة people ask what is this عقيقة ceremony why do you do it because the prophet we learned he did it with إمام الحسين what did he do the prophet with إمام الحسين he came forward and he said that a sheep is to be slaughtered and that sheep is to be given away to the poor and further than this a leg of mutton is to be given away to the midwife because of what she helped us with in the pregnancy some of us when our child is born in the hospital forget about the midwife we are more concerned you find that the prophet of God what did he tell us he said this midwife has been a helper in that child's birth don't neglect her position at least in this day and age offer a box of chocolates offer her some flowers offer her something in that time Rasool Allah said where's the midwife bring her to me when they brought her he said give a leg of mutton towards this midwife after that when he shaved the hair of إمام الحسين the weight of it the silver was given out to the poor and that is a sunnah that remains with us until today after that what did he do he recited a dua which I recommend any future fathers to recite a supplication which is available in any book on إمام الحسين's life the dua was a dua where he prayed ya Allah remove the envy of the people from حسين like the way إبراهيم prayed for you to remove the envy from إسحاق and إسماعين because not everybody when you tell people I've got the news of a child don't think everybody is happy there are some people maybe they are childless and there might be the tangs of envy in them there may be others who have one child but you've had your second who may have two child the children but you have your third who may have three children but you have your fourth not everybody looks at you and says congratulations but inside they want to stab you straight away sometimes what you should do is do what the prophet did the prophet said recite the dua that when حسين is born he recited ya Allah protect حسين and حسين like إبراهيم asked you to protect إسحاق إسماعين when he came to the naming of إمام الحسين there are three reports about the naming these facts are vital there are three reports we reject to them and we accept one of them there is one report which said إمام أميل المؤمنين when حسين was born when إمام الحسين was born he wanted to name him حرب حرب what does it mean in English war what's a beautiful name to name your son war imagine you look at your son and you say سلام عليكم صور رسول الله came to him and he said to him very clearly that no علي changed his name from حرب to حسين then when إمام الحسين was born إمام علي said now I want to name him war رسول الله said changed his name from war to حسين then the narration says when محسين was born and رسول الله held him رسول الله named him حرب or إمام علي named him حرب رسول الله said no changed his name to محسين why do we reject this number one محسين was never born محسين was a miscarried child of فاطمة number two علي ابنة بطالب when رسول الله once tells him not to do anything he doesn't do it three times number three there's no better name for علي ابنة بطالب to name than war these are the names of جاهلية جاهلية they used to name their son شيطان and ظالم and names like this very pleasant names for you to give your children so in جاهلية because they used to name their son إمام علي had no other name but حرب we reject this then there's a second narration which says إمام علي wanted to name حسين he wanted to name him حمزة and he wanted to name حسين جعفر because two of them had been but that's رسول الله said no we don't accept any of these it was رسول الله who decided that his name will be حسين and that attachment between رسول الله and إمام was a wonderful attachment sometimes it's a role model for a child sometimes a grandfather can be the best role model for a child how many times do you see in some films which appear in the media that the grandfather is this drunkard old man who's swearing the whole day and asleep in the night you see that sometimes the grandfather's just sitting down the whole day grumpy angry doesn't want to talk to anyone swearing the whole time رسول الله taught us that you as a grandfather that child looks for your behavior if you're rude or angry or unpleasant or have a mannerism where you are someone who is always stubborn that child picks up on your mannerisms whereas if you are the embodiment of warmth and humility the child grows up a warm and humble child today in Muslim communities I tell you we have some grumpy grandparents you have grandparents who the whole day all they're doing is nagging where's the food where's the tea where's the food bring me this bring me that or the child look at this what is this angry machine we've created at home or is this a human being where's رسول الله what did he try and show رسول الله tried to show very clearly that look at me as the embodiment of warmth and the embodiment of manners and if I have this warmth and manners then Hussein will grow up with warmth and manners as well in which way you know the Arabs for example Hussein he'd lengthen his سجود if Imam al-Hussein was on his back he'd be on prostration he'd lengthen his prostration if Imam al-Hussein was on the back if Imam al-Hussein he swam he would hug him kiss him embrace him there was an Arab man by the name of Al-Aggra that means his mother named him the bold one Al-Aggra saw رسول الله one day embracing Imam al-Hussein he said to him محمد you actually kiss your children he said to him yes why he said I've got 10 kids I've never kissed any of them he said to him why he said because sign of masculinity what am I doing kissing and hugging people all look at me and say look at him he's not a man رسول الله replied he who does not show mercy to his children will not be shown mercy by Allah Subhanahu و-ta'ala mercy that warmth that was there and number 2 the manners of the manners he looks if this man humble or is he arrogant is he easy to talk to or is he heart hearted Imam al-Hussein at a young age would see his grandfather humble with everyone respectful وإنك لعلى خلق عظيم his morals would be the highest morals and that's why a young Imam al-Hussein stands next to his elder brother seeing a man perform with him they're seeing this man perform with him and the man is doing with him in completely the wrong way he is washing his hands first then he is washing his face then he does his feet then he goes back to bed you could easily come to him and say oh man are you stupid or something and you do not know how to do look how old you are some of our people they will do this our people today Muslims when they see someone not practicing his prayers properly then look at this guy it's 50 60 he can't even pray properly Imam al-Hussein sees his grandfather's mannerisms he comes to the man with Imam al-Hussein they say to him oh sheikh you are elder than us do you mind looking at our wudu and tell us which one of us is doing it right which one is doing it wrong the man says our grandsons of رسول الله it would be my honor go ahead perform the wudu when they perform the wudu at the end of the wudu he looked at them and he said it is not you who are performing it wrong it is I who is performing it wrong look at the manner in which they approach the maturity at a young age was why was because I am looking in my grandfather's behavior when my grandfather in our house lives with us when his أخلاق is the highest أخلاق then the grand children will come out in that way and that's why Imam al-Hussein was only 5 years of age when one of the greatest and most important events in Islamic history happened his grandfather trusted him and Hassan to come alongside him what was the event the event مباهلة would you take a 5 and a 6 year old to the ambassadors of a christian country you wouldn't one is 5 the other is 6 the christians of najran came to visit the prophet they had a dialogue which I will discuss further Insha'Allah later on in my analysis of Bibi Fatima you find that when these christians came they discussed with the prophet he gave them an argument they were not convinced by it the prophet said to them very well if you dispute with me over the knowledge that I've given you then we'll bring our sons you bring your sons we'll bring our women you bring your women we'll bring ourselves you bring yourselves the christian religion and its envoys there was no one under the age of 40 as their ambassadors all of them were elders رسول الله was asked take your sons your women and a man who is like yourself the man who was like himself was Amir al-Mu'mineen the woman Bibi Fatima the sons he took Hassan and Hussein when one was only 5 and the other was only 6 what was he showing us he was showing us number one youths have to be at the front of this religion not at the back when we go to meet other religions if our youths are mature then they will lead this religion forward if our youth has to wait to go to Hajj then get married then becomes religious that's when you know you've got a religion which is quite backward what did he do with Hassan and Hussein with Hassan and Hussein he put them at the front when these christians came they were amazed they were amazed that Muhammad had trust in a 5 and a 6 year old but what was رسول الله doing he was showing us if you give young men responsibility from a young age then they will blossom and mature earlier then if you do not trust them then they'll have an inferiority complex that they are not trustworthy individuals Hassan and Hussein took this experience in their life and you found therefore when the christians of Najran saw this 5 they came out with the lion that we will not enter on Mubahela with these 5 because the amount of light that shines from their faces if it took the mountain to move the mountain it would move from its position therefore what you find Hassan and Hussein in those early years Imam Hussein very close and attached to his grandfather and that's why even رسول الله when he's dying رسول الله while he's dying Imam Hussein comes and lies on his chest and when Imam أمير المؤمنين wants to remove him you find رسول الله say no their grandfather is dying let me have more of them and let them have more of me and I ask as the famous poet says if you couldn't take seeing Hussein on your chest how did you take seeing شمر on the chest of Hussein the point here therefore what when رسول الله died Imam Hussein was how old he was only 7 years of age at the time and then only a few months later his mother فاطمة passes away imagine the double blow that affects the young Hussein as a 7 year old his grandfather dies بي بفاطمة dies and that's why from that day he built an attachment with his father like no other attachment I tell you nobody was as close to أمير المؤمنين like Imam Hussein when Imam our fourth Imam was asked what's your name he said I am Ali Ibn Al-Hussein they said to him we see your dad used to name all his sons Ali to which Imam زين العبن replied if my dad was not his sons he'll name them all after his father إمام الحسين the attachment to his father was phenomenal everywhere his father would go because you can imagine his father was the father of four orphans and Hussein was seven wherever his father would go Hussein would be alongside him whatever sermon his father would give Hussein would listen whatever piece of knowledge his father would give Hussein would take in that's why arguably one of the most famous حديث in Islamic history one of the most famous دعاز in Islamic history was a دعاء إمام الحسين learned from Imam Ali which دعاء مشلول دعاء مشلول مشلول means what مشلول means the one who is paralyzed or who is stricken with a severe illness إمام الحسين says I was with my father we were doing طواف of the Ka'ba all of a sudden our father we laid our eyes on someone who was holding on to the Ka'ba and crying and crying and crying I said to my father my father I've never seen anyone cry like this my father said حسين my dear son go and see what he wants what is it what's wrong when Imam الحسين he says I went to this young man he was holding on to the Ka'ba I said to him young man what's wrong with you he said I was a person who was rude and disobedient to my father brothers and sisters there is nothing worse in this religion than a disobedient child towards his mother and father nothing worse do nothing your prayers and your fasts will make up for disobedience to your parents heaven lies under their feet never forget this issue أهل الديت on numerous occasions many of their examples were related to parents and obedience to parents Imam الحسين what did you do he said on many occasions I was rude to my father when my father would request something I rudely speak back to him and there was an occasion when I pushed my father away from me and do you think this is surprising I'm telling you in Muslim communities today there are people who have actually pushed their fathers and that person actually thinks his love of حسين will be enough for him you've not understood the equation حسين's whole meaning is obedience to Allah أهل الديت and then the parents he said what did you do he said I pushed and my father said I will never forgive you and I'm going to read a dua against you for what you've done he said from the day he recited the supplication against me I have been paralyzed you see me now my hands are holding a kaaba and my legs don't even move the lower part of my body has no movement I beg of you help me Imam الحسين says my father the leader of my life the person who I take the best of examples from I said to him oh my father أمير المؤمنين what shall we do he said حسين is the young man sincere he said yes my father I saw tears coming from his eyes if you've disobeyed your father and you want forgiveness the first step is regret the second step is let there be tears shed show your sincerity Imam أمير المؤمن said let him recite this dua Imam الحسين what's the name he said دعاء مشلول whenever a person is ill or in grief or in a bad situation let him recite دعاء مشلول افتصالات العشاء and you will see the illness will be removed Imam الحسين went to the person he said to him today افتصالات العشاء he recited the following dua he began to recite دعاء مشلول for him the person who recited دعاء مشلول the next day Imam الحسين I looked at him I said to him how comes you are walking he said والله in the name of the prophet who God chose as his final messenger who is your grandfather last night in my dream I saw Rasool Allah and he said to me come towards me young man as you have recited دعاء مشلول he touched me on the area where I was paralyzed as soon as I woke up that whole area had been cured imagine Imam أمير المؤمن therefore Imam الحسين latched onto his father because Imam الحسين how old was he when his father died Imam الحسين was 36 years of age when his father Imam Ali died and Imam الحسين's wives many of them he chose on the basis of his father Imam الحسين how many women did he marry 7 how many 7 Imam Ali how many women did he marry 9 Imam Ali who were his wives Imam Ali had married فاطمة الزهرة he had married أمامة بنيص فاطمة he married خولة بن جعفار he married فاطمة بن حزام الكلابية who was the doness أم البنين he married أسماء بن أميس he married ليلا he married أم سعيد الثقافية he married الصحباء and he married who محيات the daughter of أمرأ بن قيس Imam الحسين who did he marry Imam الحسين his marriages were all monumental he married ليلا the son of عروب بن مسعود الثقافية ليلا her grandfather from one side was عروب بن مسعود who the Ahlulbayt referred to as the mu'min of أالياسين in the time of رسول الله ليلا's grandfather from the other side was أبو صفيان because ليلا's mother ميمونة is the daughter of أبو صفيان so علي الأكبر's great grandfather on the 10th from محرم was who أبو صفيان that's why يزيد ordered his soldiers tell my cousin because ليلا's uncle is معاوية and her first cousin is يزيد ليلا Imam married her she gave him who علي الأكبر the eldest of إمام الحسين's sons the historians are unanimous the oldest son of إمام الحسين is علي الأكبر that's unanimous there are a couple who said علي الأكبر might be younger than زي العبدين in my own personal opinion and in the opinion of many of the great historians علي الأكبر is elder than زي العبدين that's number one number two he married رباب رباب's father was originally a Christian he converted إمام علي married رباب's elder sister محيات إمام الحسين married the next sister حيات إمام الحسين married رباب number two number three he married a lady called شاة زنان شاة زنان إن عربك her name من سيدة النساء إمام الحسين when he married her إمام أمير المؤمنين she changed her name let her be called شهربانو because there is only one سيدة النساء فاطمة شهربانو gave زين العبدين who I will look at tomorrow إن شاء الله then you had أم إسحاق بنطلحة أم إسحاق بنطلحة used to be the wife إمام الحسين when إمام الحسين died in his وصية إمام الحسين ماري my wife she is a good woman do not leave her as a widow with no one to protect her then there are two other wives who the history books differ over their names in this period إمام الحسين had different children he had seven sons and four daughters of his sons علي الأكبار was the eldest علي زين العبدين then he had a son by the name of علي الأزغر now I know in many traditions is seen as a six month old baby in my historical research I have never found one reference for him being a six month old baby the six month old baby is called عبد الله الرضي that's why if you go to the Iraqi or the Iranian or the Lebanese community our communities will say the six month old is عبد الله علي الأزغر is more of an window pack trend علي الأزغر in the books of narration is the son of إمام الحسين now there's no doubt but he was seven or either twelve on the 10th of Muharram عبد الله الرضي in the books is six month old baby I think what must have happened was that there must have been confusion in some of the books where علي الأزغر was given the age of عبد الله both are sons of إمام الحسين but there was a difference in the names of the daughters إمام الحسين and the four daughters رقية who died in Sham yes رقية whose grave is in Sham سكينة in my historical opinion is different from رقية and lived until an old age but there is a narration which says سكينة lived until an old age and she was a poet and she was a singer and so on we reject this سكينة that was سكينة بنتخالد زبارية is the only narrator of this incident where he says سكينة بنت الحسين became a singer and a poet later on we don't believe in this that was سكينة بنتخالد زبارية this is different and he had a daughter called فاطمة do you all know فاطمة that daughter would marry إمام الحسين سن حسن and that daughter إمام الحسين used to say no lady looks like my mother like my daughter فاطمة and then he had by the name of زيناب and therefore in this period before كربلا was the period of the marriages of إمام الحسين and you find that he had his children in that time and on top of that what you find it was a turbulent period many of the great companions of إمام الحسن of إمام أمير were killed in front of the eyes of إمام الحسين his brother إمام الحسن was poisoned حجر بن عدي was killed عمر بن حماق was killed رشادي الهجر was killed و في that period was difficult but I tell you something أبا عبد الله before كربلا had displayed every attribute before كربلا the difference on the 10th of محبرم as they all came together in one day before كربلا on كربلا we always say إمام الحسين was generous don't we on the 10th of محبرم إمام الحسين years before كربلا showed his generosity إسام إبن زيج when رسول الله was about to die he told the companions going under the leadership of 18 year old usama do you remember 18 year old usama leave madina with his army this usama بن زيج the companions didn't join him this usama بن زيج وزد غدير when he saw رسول الله say do you know after رسول الله died they had come to usama was maybe a palim chosen by رسول الله he said I don't want to get involved in these things at the battle of jamal they said to usama usama who's right علي or them I don't want to get involved I don't know I'm not sure at safeen usama who's right علي or معاوية I don't know maybe they're both good علي and معاوية are both good I don't know usama who's on the right for all of us when you see injustice don't say you know what I prefer not to get involved get involved and say who's the truth with because you may be the cause of dissension in history because of your silence at the end we don't remember the words of our enemies we remember the silence of our friends when this usama was dying he had a 60,000 dina debt on his shoulders do you know who the only person he could think of to pay it back for him was حسينة بن علي tell me if your father every time it was his hack you just want people to speak out for your father and you know how much he loved his father every time people abuse your father's right you see this person who saw your father was on the truth and remain silent and now usama says please bring حسين please bring حسين so إمام الحسين comes he sees usama lying on the bed he says to usama what's wrong he says حسين please forgive me your dad was chosen on the day of ghadir I saw in my own eyes and at jamel I knew he was right in my own heart I knew because I heard رسول الله say علي is with the truth and the truth is with علي and at صفين I said I don't know if علي or معاوية is right and I know علي is in the heavens where is معاوية is on the earth حسين I'm in trouble please he said what is it he said I have 60,000 dinar debt please help me عبع عبدي الله said usama do not worry you are remorseful over your stand I don't mind may Allah forgive you he turned around to the person next to me he said please come and pay 60,000 dinar for usama that generosity others will not display today if my father's heart is taken in the community I tell you I will keep it on my shoulder for the rest of my life they didn't allow my father to become president they didn't allow him to become chairman they didn't allow him to serve water they didn't allow him to carry I don't know some sort of instrument I will keep it on my shoulder for the rest of my life إمام الحسين was so generous he looked at usama he said usama don't worry you may not have stood with my father but I feel you are hurt I'll pay the 60,000 dinar for me generosity number two عثمان was alone in his house the muslims were attacking him who do you think it was who stood by the door of عثمان to protect him so that the muslims are not disunited who was it حسن and حسين they stood at the door of عثمان do you know what they close said عثمان mistreated أبو ذار عثمان mistreated عبدالله بالمسعود عثمان took our dad's leadership no we don't want disunity to occur between the muslims let us remove and be tolerant and they were the ones who stood at the door of عثمان they were the ones who gave water to عثمان while muslims were attacking him and do you know what the sad thing later on is they say عليبنا بيطالب is the cause of عثمان's death عليبنا بيطالب sent حسين to stand for عثمان to be there at the door even if I differ with عثمان politically at the end of the day muslims should not take it in their own hands to come and stab another human being there is a particular legal system and there is a particular courtroom that's number 2 number 3 his generosity when it came to his knowledge before كربلا do you know how many great hadiths we have from إمام الحسين I tell you ask any muslim tell me one hadith of إمام الحسين إمام الحسين says I heard from my grandfather رسول الله saying that the best quality of a muslim is that he speaks little about a topic that does not concern him how many of us have to get involved in every topic isn't it every topic people who concern us don't concern us we have to get involved حبيب is none of your business stay out stay out know I want to get involved رسول الله إمام الحسين said I heard رسول الله say that the best quality of a muslim is what is that he does not he speaks less about a topic that does not concern him then he says I heard my father أمير المؤمنين say please listen to this unbelievable narration I heard my father أمير المؤمنين say I am surprised that the human being who refrains from food due to fear of illness but does not refrain from sin even though he knows about al-fair we refrain from food because we're scared of illness but we don't refrain from sin because we're not scared of El I am surprised that the one who refrains from food due to fear of illness but does not refrain from sin even though he knows about al-fair you would find that he provides and that's why one example of إمام الحسين years before Karbala a young man comes up to إمام الحسين says إمام الحسين I can't stop sinning and I'm just going to have to continue what do I do give me some advice إمام الحسين said keep sinning he said sorry he said keep sinning he said إمام الحسين I came to you for advice you tell me keep sinning he said yes keep sinning but there are five conditions when you sin but the first condition is sin in the place where Allah cannot see you sin not sin in the place where Allah cannot see you condition number one he said Abdullah Allah can see me everywhere he said okay condition number two sin but don't sin on God's earth go and build your own earth and sin there number three سن but don't use Allah's رزق as their energy to sin number four سن but when the angel of death comes to take your soul away don't say it's not the time number five سن but when you're punished in the fire of hell don't say I shouldn't be here get me out if you've passed these five conditions continue sinning there's no problem the person said I'm never going to sin again after that because it's impossible to go through those conditions you had that generosity that came with him with his knowledge even you had the self-sacrifice of Imam Al-Hussain that arguably the greatest moment of self-sacrifice before Karbala was related to Karbala someone says how before Karbala in the battle of Nahrawan you find even before this there was a moment of generosity that when Imam Al-Hussain asked the teacher he said to the teacher called Abu Abdel Rahman Al-Salam teach my son how to recite قرآن when that teacher finished reciting teaching the kid how to recite قرآن Imam Al-Hussain saw his son saying بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Imam got so much pearls and clothes and he gave it to the teacher people came and said about Abdullah all this person did was teach your son how to recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم and you give him this much idea to which he replied what I give him is never enough because of the person who teaches my son how to mention الله's name it can never be enough that person taught بسم الله الرحمن الرحمن الرحيم whatever I give him is not enough then on top of that the great self-sacrifice when you see someone come to him when his father died imagine when your father's died and someone comes up to you from Syria he sees you he says what's your name he says حسين son of who he says may Allah curse you and curse your father Ali if someone talked like that to you how would you reply back to him may Allah curse you and your father the guy's name was أسعام بن مستلق Imam said is the wind of this area hurting you or maybe you've had a disagreement with your wife is there a shelter for you to stay in or has no one provided you with clothing please come and stay with my house if you are a stranger in this area والله that person began to cry he said أبا عبدالله I cursed your father in front of you and this is the way you reply back to me by making your house available for you he said this is the family of Rasool Allah and the way we treat people people may come and curse us but we come back with morals because our grandfather Rasool Allah came to perfect the morals of mankind and that's why I will never forget the greatest self-sacrifice before Karbala notice none of these stories are anything to do with Karbala before Karbala before Karbala I will tell you about Rahwan the soldiers who were caught by Ali ibn Abi Talib were standing there one of the soldiers you all know him very well he was fighting Ali ibn Abi Talib on that day he had some rope around his hands it wasn't too tight but it was around the hands Imam Al-Hussain was walking past he saw that soldier and the soldier looked at him and said حسين I beg you please remove this rope from around my hand because the rope is causing nervousness in me remove it and I'm asking you Imam Al-Hussain went back to his father he said oh my father I'd like a favor from you he said what is it he said this person over there do you see him he said yes I see him he said I'll put it right around his hand even though you will never put a tightrope but it seems to have been hurting him and he asked me to remove it oh my father do you allow me he looked at him and he said Aba Abdullah go ahead Aba Abdullah why do you want to answer this he said father when someone asks through me how can I reject I don't want the person to be embarrassed when you realize who this person is that's when you realize how magnanimous a man this man is he went back to the person he said give me your hands and he removed the ropes from the hands of tell me which mercy did he show to you when he sat on your chest on the afternoon in Karbala this man you remove a rope from his hand because when a person asks you you do not want to embarrass them and that is the same man who sits on your chest on the 10th of Muharram that's Hussein before Karbala not one mention in our lectures of Aba Abdullah before Karbala this is Aba Abdullah before Karbala and that's why the 10th of Muharram wasn't Imam Al-Hussein Imam Al-Hussein four years had displayed these attributes Karbala was when all of them came together on one day generosity with knowledge and forgiveness and humility and care and honor and dignity that that that who was a commander of the opposition who had blocked water from the children of Hussein and yet the forgiving heart of Aba Abdullah forgives him and that's why when you look at Islamic history not only Muslims but non-Muslims come and say and the way he was forgiven the horse which man is thirsty but before he drinks the water he says horse you drink I can't bear to see you thirsty today Muslim countries have no respect for animal rights whereas the master of Islam displayed respect to his animal which man gives away his six month old baby which man lies on the ground with his killer on his chest and he says to his killer if you give me water I will intercede for you on the day of judgment and that's why Imam Al-Hussein when you look at his biography it's not just Muslims who have been affected by this colossal figure no non-Muslims as well look at Gandhi when he went out on his salt march with 72 people and they said to him Gandhi why have you taken 72 he said because Hussein took 72 and Hussein 72 were eternal I want my 72 to be eternal I learned how to achieve victory while oppressed through Hussein that was Gandhi Charles Dickens when he said that there is no way a man who takes his family and his children has gone out for worldly desires if it's for worldly desires you'd never take your family and your children it dictates that Hussein's mission was but a mission for God and God alone مهرو when he said Hussein belongs to brotherhood Hussein belongs to humanity Hussein belongs to the path of righteousness Look further Antoine Barra the famous Christian Lebanese says no battle in history has evolved as much sympathy and compassion and from which as many lessons can be learned than the battle of Karbala and the life of Imam Al-Hussein Dickens, Gandhi, Nehru, Antoine Barra all of them show us that Hussein continues to live in the hearts of every human being and that's why the Imam says in the martyrdom of Imam Al-Hussein there is a heat that will never subside in the heart of the believer we pray to Allah SWT to raise us with Imam Al-Hussein and to allow us to receive his intercession in this world and the hereafter allow us to be amongst those who follow his message and honor his example we pray to Allah SWT for all the Muslims around the Islamic world tomorrow we will continue with the biography of Imam Zayn Al-Abideen والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته


Everyone, Basel Chapman here for the 11 a.m. tiger financial news network market update and we're looking at the Dow giving back quite a bit giving back over half of yesterday's gains sometime today already it's a 34302 down 291 but the S&P is holding way better in fact the Dow which was a leader is not taking a bit of a breather very nice the S&P is down just two at 4077 have you made a new recovery high is trying I still got Friday to go for the weekly chart but it's trying desperately to break that resistance level we've seen it occur back in August we saw it back in April you could repel that this inside track repellent line we'll see if it's able to break through looking at the QQQ it is broken through and that's very important it doesn't even have to hold there as long as broken through once that's a good sign it's best if it's able for following week to have a follow through up session and right now it's up 48 cents at 293.92 a little toppy in the daily chart but looking pretty good IWM Russell 2000 is trading let's see it's up 5 cents at 187.42 off the yesterday's huge gain this is good but it's stuck in that 200-period moving average resistance we're looking at gold has it given back a little bit yet yeah it's given back just a little that it's spectacular move still spectacular 50 at 1810 nicely above the 200-period moving average of 1789 that makes it key support in the shorter term weekly chart finally got to a leg B we're looking at crude oil crude oil had a good move up out for the last four sessions green candles very nice move to the 8269 level up 2.14 the 200-period moving average which has been a full chrome going up and going down at 84 is going to be the target on the upside if it's able to break out looking at the looking at the TLT that is the bonds very nice move up and we were looking earlier at the 10-year yield coming down this is good action up 88 cents at 103.61 dollar gave back a huge amount it's coming off the low but while it went under the 200-period moving averages down a dollar at 105.05 so with that said this is going to be a consolidation day after yesterday what happens tomorrow into Tuesday is going to be absolutely imperative to monitor say you got great program for the rest of the day don't forget Tommy junior starts us off at 9 a.m. with the morning market kickoff fabulous so covers the fundamentals together with the technicals really good program and of course we've got great programming coming up stay tuned I'll see you tomorrow have a great day check out opening call daddy newsletter


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