هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ۖ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٢٢هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ٢٣هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٢٤

“He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. He is Allah , other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. He is Allah , the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” [Quran 59:22-24]

SCENE:

<RAINING, THUNDER, LIGHTENING>

King Hasan <ushering people into a shelter>: Right this way, right this way. Don't worry folks. InshaAllah we will all be safe here. 

Dr. Fatima: Wow, SubhanAllah, the rain is really coming down today! I sure hope and pray that everyone makes it to safety and shelter. 

Jester: Yowza! Its raining ducks and chickens

Professor Hums: I believe the appropriate phrase is cats and dogs

Jester: Nope! Chickens. Fowl weather. Get it, get it?

<Loud crack of lightning, everyone jumps, jester leaps into King>

Jester: Allahu Akbar! Thunder and lightning scares the bejeebers out of me!

Professor Hums: Best to stay indoors. It's definitely not safe to be outside right now! 

Jester: How is King Hasan like this cloud? <everyone shrugs> They’re both currently reigning.

King Hasan: Alhumdulillah we’ve got some cover over our heads! But if this storm continues like this, will we be safe? 

Aunty Hiba (cozy in her home): Safety and the feeling of safety are so important for us human beings. We really don’t like feeling in danger or fearful. Thinking of this, I can’t help but consider two of the beautiful Names of Allah. They are both closely related to the idea of safety and protection. And they are: Al Mumin and Al Muhaymin. 

 These two Names are closely related to each other. 

Mu’min comes from the root alif-meem-noon. Aman means security, safety, and freedom from fear. 

Muhaymin comes from the root haa-meem-noon. One of the main meanings of this root is to oversee, protect, and guard, Linguistically, the root of muhaymin also means to extend a wing, like a chicken protecting her chicks. 

Do you see the similarities in the root words? Both the Names Al Mumin and Al Muhaymin are about protection and safety and guardianship of Allah. 

Al Mumin -  The Giver of Safety

Al Muhaymin - The Protector

And isn’t the idea of a mama hen extending a wing to her baby chicks just so heartwarming? Let’s watch a video to see it!

<Mama hen protecting her chicks from rain>

Aunty Hiba: Awwww, isn’t that so cute?! Isn’t that the sweetest thing? That Mama chicken is so cute I could eat her! <looks stricken> I mean not actually eat the chicken! You all know what I mean. What I mean is: Moms are great. They do so much to protect their kids. And Allah is better than any mother. Can you imagine how great Allah’s protection and Allah’s guardianship is?

Jester: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from Aunty Hiba. 

Aunty Hiba: All this rain is reminding me, the Quran mentions rain so many times! Today’s rain is a little scary, especially for the Jester, but rain is also a huge blessing from Allah. Plants, animals and humans depend on the rain in so many ways. Allah tells us over and over again in the Quran the process through which rain facilitates life on earth.

SCENE:

King Hasan: Ya ayyuhun naas! My dear kingdom, While we definitely should stay safe in the rain, did you know it is sunnah to allow yourself to get a little wet too? Professor?

Professor Hums: <clears throat> Anas bin Malik reported that “Whilst we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ rain fell upon us. The Messenger then exposed part of his garment so that rain fell on his body. When we asked him why he did so, he replied “Because it has just come from the Exalted Lord”.

King Hasan: As your leader, I ask you to make dua while it rains, for all of us! That too is part of the prophetic sunnah! May Allah make this a beneficial rain! May Allah nourish our land and our crops. May Allah accept all our prayers-aaack <loud clap of thunder, jester jumps into his arms>

Dr. Fatima: Oh Jester! Let me explain to you what’s going on. Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. Rain storms show nature at its most amazing — all loud and wet and windy and flashy. But as long as we’re in sturdy shelter, storms are nothing to be scared of. Underneath it all, weather and science are happening. It's the combination of water and all that electricity passing through clouds that produces lightning. The electric BOOM of lightning heats up the atmosphere, causing the noise called thunder.

Professor Hums: As Muslims, we further know that all science is born from the will of Allah. When we hear thunder, we feel a sense of awe. How mighty is Allah! We recall the chapter in the Quran called Surah Ra’ad. Ra’ad means Thunder. And we pray that the thunder and lightning brings us not punishment or trial but only glad tidings of a beneficial rain. 

Aunty Hiba: And did you know... there is a deeper meaning of why there is so much mention of rain in the Quran.

Just like Allah sends down rain to the earth from the sky, He also sent down the Quran to us from the heavens. Just like rain can soften dry and hard earth, the Quran can soften hearts.

What happens when hearts become softer? They are filled with Emaan. Do you recognize the letters alif-meem-noon in the word Emaan? This is another word that comes from the same root word as Al Mumin!

The one who has a strong and deep Emaan is called a Mumin. That's the same word that Allah uses for himself. The plural for Mumin is Mumineen. One mumin. Many mumineen. And the one who has Emaan, deserves the Aman, or the protection, of Allah! There is that root word Aman again!

Aunty Hiba: So to recap, Al Mumin provides Aman to The Mumineen who have deep Emaan! … Easy as pie? Let's all try that again, a little bit more slowly, shall we? 

King Hasan: Al Mumin provides Aman to The Mumineen who have deep Emaan!

Dr. Fatima: Al Mumin provides Aman to The Mumineen who have deep Emaan!

Professor Hums: Al Mumin provides Aman to The Mumineen who have deep Emaan!

Jester: Al Mumin...err...Aman, Emaan, oh I am so confucius! 

Aunty Hiba: It's okay, Jester. Let's do it again. Allah is Al Mumin, The Giver of Safety… who provides Aman, safety... to the Mumineen, The Believers… who have Emaan, faith.   

Six Pillars of Emaan:

Amantu billahi wa malaikatihi wa kutubihi wa rusulihi wal-yawmil-akhiri wa bil-qadari khayrihi wa sharrihi 

I believe in Allah, and his angels and his books, and his messengers, and in the Last Day, and in destiny good and bad. 

Aunty Hiba: That's a good phrase for us to memorize. It reminds us of the six pillars of Emaan. Did anyone catch the word Aamantu at the beginning of the phrase? It means ‘I believe.’  And yes, you guessed it! Same root word, Aman!

Guys. I have one more word. Last one for today I promise! Another word that comes from the same root word as Al Mumin is Amaanah. What is Amaanah?

Amaanah is a trust. It’s when you make sure you fulfill your responsibilities that are due to Allah and due to other human beings.  

SCENE:

Dr Fatima: King Hasan you are soaking wet! Why don't you come into the shelter? You must take care of yourself! 

King Hasan: I will come in as soon as everyone else is safe! As the leader of the people, I must discharge my duty to them by making sure everyone is safe and taken care of! Please do me a favor Doc...Can you please hold onto my crown so that I don't lose it. I must go make sure there is no one else out there who needs to be rescued! <hands over crown to Doc and dashes into the rain>

Dr. Fatima <making sure everyone is warm and dry>: Here is a warm blanket for you. Are you okay? Yeah?. And King Hasan you are back! Here is a warm blanket and here is your crown. 

Aunty Hiba: MashaAllah King Hasan and Dr Fatima both fulfilled their duties admirably. The King made sure his people were safe. The doctor took care of all the discomforts of the rescued people. And she returned the king’s crown safely as well. These are all wonderful examples of them fulfilling their Amanah. 

SCENE:

Professor Hums: The word amanah has reminded me of an interesting point to note: the Prophet (s) was called Al-Ameen, the trustworthy one. Ameen! Same root letters yes? Everyone in Makkah knew that the Prophet (s) was absolutely trustworthy. He would never cheat them or steal their belongings. Even after the disbelievers were angry at him for preaching Islam, they continued to store their possessions with him because they knew he would keep all of their stuff absolutely safe. How amazing to be so trustworthy that even your enemies trust you with their valuables. 

Aunty Hiba: Amazing indeed. And an important reminder for all of us to try our best to be trustworthy people ourselves! Let's wrap up with going back to Al Muhaymin for a second. Remember we said that Al Muhaymin means The Protector? Another meaning of Al Muhaymin is that it is reliable and trustworthy. In fact Allah refers to the Quran itself as Al Muhaymin. It's interesting that Allah uses the same Name for himself as he does for The Quran isn’t it? By referring to the Quran as Al Muhaymin Allah is telling us that the Quran is a reliable guide, a source of security for us and that we should apply it in our daily lives. 

FAJR TO ISHA

<Jester wraps blanket around himself and sleeps happily> 

Aunty Hiba: Alhumdulillah! And let us rejoice for understanding two more beautiful names of Allah. Professor, can you help us quickly recap, how can we live our lives based on Al Mumin Al Muhaymin?

Professor Hums: Certainly! As believers of Al Mumin and Al Muhaymin

1. We should have faith in Allah as our ultimate protector.
2. We should be trustworthy.
3. We should always be thankful for our safety.
4. We should read and implement the Quran in our lives.

Aunty Hiba: Thank you professor. Certainly those are important points to remember. Oooh I think King Hasan is just putting on our favorite tv show. All of us are going to watch it together. Come with?

Aunty Hiba: Wow that was really fun! I love a good game show! And I am so glad to learn Al Mumin and Al Muhaymin today. Allah is our ultimate protector  and thinking of this name we remember to be trustworthy, be grateful for our safety and keep the Quran in our lives. Alhumdulillah!

Aunty Hiba: Let's watch our Surah Hashr ayahs again. This time see if you can see and hear the beautiful name of Allah Al Mumin and Al Muhaymin!

 هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ۖ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٢٢هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ٢٣هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٢٤

“He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. He is Allah , other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. He is Allah , the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” [Quran 59:22-24]