Student Notes
May 2012
Farhan Abdul Azeez | Connecting to the Creator through the Qurʾān
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says, "Those who are conscious of Allāh will be led to Jannah in
groups until they get to the gates of Jannah. When they get to the gates of Jannah, the gates
will be opened and the angels of the gates will say, 'al-salāmu ‘alaykum.'" When the believer
says "salām," the one whose heart is connected to Allāh - his heart longs for the moment he
will hear the same greeting from the gates of Jannah.
It just takes perspective to change our lives and connect to Allāh. The next time you say salām
to a friend, let your heart feel a longing. You will hear salām from Allāh in Jannah. When Allāh
will manifest Himself to the believers, He will say, "Ya ahl’l-Jannah, al-salāmu ‘alaykum." The
believers will respond, "O Allāh, You are the source of peace, and from You we get peace."
Allāh tells the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), "We reveal it in portions so that we may
firm your heart." We live in a time where fitnah is around us everywhere we look. You can't
go shopping, turn on your email, or go anywhere except that fitan are presented to your hearts
"as a straw mat, one stick after another." The Qurʾān is a solution to make firm your heart in
this time.
Allāh says, "I take an oath by the position of the stars. Indeed, this oath is a great powerful
oath Allāh is taking." Why is it a great oath? Because Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) swore about
His Words by His Words. When you hear the Words of Allāh, your heart shakes, īmān increases,
skin trembles. You can recite the same sūrah again and again and again and you will never tire
from it, nor will you stop you learning new lessons from the same sūrah. When you listen to
the Words of Allāh, you are listening to a recitation which if the mountains heard it, they
would crumble.
Umm Ayman was one of the first women to hold the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) after
his birth. If there was anyone who would be affected by his (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) death,
it would be her. When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) died, she was crying and she
was told, "Don't you know he is with Allāh and what he has is better than here?" She said, "I'm
not crying because of his death. I'm crying because the waḥy has stopped coming down." Do
we have this connection to Allāh?
Ḥasan b. ‘Ali was brought a glass of water. He began to cry. They said, "Ya Ḥasan, why are you
crying?" He said, "I remembered the statement of Allāh, where the people of Hellfire will call
out to the people of Jannah, 'Give us some water you have or give us something from what
Allāh has given you.' The people of Jannah will respond, 'Allāh has forbidden this on the
inhabitants of Hellfire.'" Imagine on the Day of Judgment: the sun will be a mile away and
people will be drowning in their sweat. Everyone will be thirsty except for one group. The
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) says, "I love to see my brothers." The ṣaḥābah said, "Are we
not your brothers?" He said, "No, you are my companions. My brothers are those who have
not yet come. Have you seen amongst the horses some that are all black and some that have
white foreheads and feet? Just like that, my ummah will come with their limbs and faces shining
because of the wuḍū’. I will be at al-ḥawḍ and when they come, I will give them a drink
from my hand, and after they drink, they will never be thirsty again." When you make wuḍū’,
long for Jannah. Long for the moment when these limbs will be radiating with nūr so that the
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) will recognize you and give you a drink.
Shayṭān comes to all of us and whispers evil things in our hearts. When this happens,
remember the Words of Allāh. Allāh says about the people of Jannah and the people of Hellfire:
"Between these two groups there is a barrier (al-a‘rāf) where the people are waiting for the
Decree of Allāh. They will see the people of Hellfire on one side and the people of Jannah on
the other side. They will say to the people of Jannah, 'al-salāmu ‘alaykum.' They are hopeful that
by the Mercy of Allāh they will enter into Jannah. When they see the people of Hellfire, they
will say, 'O Allāh, don't make me amongst them.'" The believer who keeps this in mind when
passing by the sinful in this world say the same du‘ā’. When you stand up and leave today, you
will leave a gathering which the angels surround. Imagine the crowds of people you will see
leaving from one door today when we leave for the lunch break. Your heart remembers what
the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Between two gates of Jannah is a distance of 40
years of travel. There will come a day when this distance will be full and crowded. The
believers will be there trying to enter Jannah." When you see the crowd, your heart longs for
those who will crowd the gates of Jannah.
The Qurʾān is the Word of Allāh. If you want to know your standing with Allāh, then look at
where the rank and position of the Words of Allāh are in your life. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)
has put true happiness and true contentment in obedience to Him. The Words of Allāh are a
tool for us to grow closer to Allāh.
Let our journey to Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) begin through His Words.
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Shaykh Navaid Aziz | My Creator, My Sustainer
When people are in their darkest moments, it is the best time to give them da‘wah.
We have all made vows to Allāh. "Remember when Allāh extracted the children of Ādam from
his back and they testified that Allāh is their Lord." This is the greatest vow made. Shayṭān has
won the battle in distancing us from Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).
This talk is dedicated to loving Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) again and getting to know Him again
in the hopes of fulfilling our vow to Allāh.
Allāh commands us in the Qurʾān: "I did not create mankind and jinn except for My worship."
‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās said about this verse, "To worship Allāh is to know Him." The greatest
form of worship we can do is getting to know who Allāh is because once we do this, we cannot
help but to worship Him.
Allāh tells us in Sūrat’l-Ḥashr: "And do not become of those people who forgot Allāh so Allāh
made them forget themselves. Indeed, these people are the transgressors." The solution to
having forgotten Allāh is that Allāh tells us who He is two verses later.
In these three verses, Allāh reminds us of who He is. He teaches us a second lesson also, which
is a logical proof of why we need to know Allāh. We are constantly told that this journey of life
is about self-discovery, but Allāh tells us in this verse that in order to truly discover who you
are and your potential, you have to discover who Allāh is first. You will become a
manifestation of what you ask Allāh for and what you obey Allāh with. You need to discover
who your Creator is in order to discover who you are. If your Creator is generous, then He will
create generosity in you. If your Creator is pardoning, then He will create pardoning in you.
This verse is about discovering who we are in the world. Are we the moral and ethical people
we claim to be?
Let's look at who Allāh is. The most glorious Name of Allāh is Allāh. This Name comes from al-
ilah, the worshipped. Allāh is a signification of our worshipping of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).
The reason why Allāh chose this beautiful Name to constantly be used in the Qurʾān and to call
upon Him is to remind us of our relationship with Him. Our relationship with Allāh is one of
worship and servitude. Throughout the Qurʾān, Allāh uses His Name to remind us that the One
who created and sustained us is the only One worthy of worship.
The Name Allāh is one of the greatest names of Allāh. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
said, "Indeed Allāh has a Name that if He is called by it, he responds and if He is asked by it, He
gives." There is an opinion that this Name is Al-Ḥayy Al-Qayyūm, and there is an opinion that
the Name is Allāh, which seems to be the strongest opinion. Call upon Allāh with this Name
and see the miracles that He performs.
Al-Wadūd: the Loving and Beloved. No matter how much love you have in this life from friends,
spouses, and parents, you will always have a void in your heart that can only be filled by Allāh.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, "Indeed there is a void in the heart that can only be filled with the love of
Allāh." People try to fill this void with the desires of this world. They become more and more
empty as they try to fill it with desires. This portion of the heart was created to be loved by
Allāh alone. Ibn al-Qayyim says, "The love of Allāh in the heart of the believer is like a tree. Its
roots are the fear of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). Its trunk is humility for the sake of Allāh. Its
leaves are modesty from Allāh. The fruit it bears is obedience of Allāh." Our relationship with
Allāh revolves around love.
Ibn al-Qayyim says, "Our journey of worship to Allāh is like that of a bird whose head is love
and two wings are fear and hope." A bird without a head will not survive. Similarly, if our
journey to Allāh does not begin with love, then it will not progress.
Allāh loves us and wants us to love Him as well. This is a unique Name because not only is
Allāh the subject, but also He is the object as well. Allāh is the Loving and the Beloved. Allāh
tells us in the Qurʾān that there is not a tree or bird or creation except that it is glorifying Allāh
but we don't understand their glorifications. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said,
"The skies shake and creak because there is not a distance of 4 fingers except that an angel is
making rukū‘, sajdah, qiyām to Allāh."
Where is our love for Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)?
Al-Sittīr: Allāh is the One who covers up. This is a beautiful example for all of us. Allāh created
us with deficiencies and mistakes, but Allāh covers them up. During the time of Mūsa, there
was a drought, and the people asked Mūsa to ask Allāh for rain to come down. Mūsa asked
Allāh, "O Allāh, time has passed and rain has not come down. Why?" Allāh tells him that there
is an individual in the community who has not sought forgiveness from Him for forty years,
and until he seeks forgiveness, rain will not come down. Mūsa tells his people, "There is an
individual who has been committing sins for forty years and not repented. Let him leave the
community so that rain can come down again." No one moved but miraculously the rain
started to descend. Mūsa asked Allāh, "O Allāh, no one left but the rain started to come down."
Allāh tells him, "My slave made a sincere repentance, and I couldn't help but forgive him."
Mūsa is curious who the man was and asked, "O Allāh, who is this individual who you have
forgiven?" Allāh tells him, "O Mūsa, I concealed his sin while he was a sinner. Do you think I
will expose him now that he has repented?" Allāh is Al-Sittīr.
No matter what sins you have, Allāh covers them up. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
said that all of his ummah will be forgiven except for those who expose their sins. Turn back to
Allāh and repent to him. Sufyān b. Uyaynah said, "Be grateful to Allāh that He did not create
an order for our sins, because if He did, none of us can sit with each other."
Al-Mujīb: the One who answers all supplications. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) tells us, "If My
slave asks about Me, tell him that I am near. I answer the supplication of every supplicator." A
man had a heart attack on the first day of Ramadan and was taken to the hospital. His
daughter realized what a terrible daughter she had been, and she said, "O Allāh, please grant
him life so that I can grant him the same righteousness that he gave me." Allāh gave him life
for a few more months, and she took care of him and fulfilled his desires. After the end of four
months, she realized that life was very difficult for her father. She made du‘ā’, "O Allāh, please
do not let him leave this world except in a state of obedience to You." He went for ṣalāt’l-
jumu‘ah and spent the day with his family and friends. He prays ‘ishā’ and then was feeling
tired, so his youngest daughter took him upstairs. A few minutes later, she called everyone
upstairs. He was saying, " inna lillāhi wa inna ilayhi rāji‘ūn " and died with these words. Allāh
answered the du‘ā’ of his daughter.
Yūnus (‘alayhi’l-salām) was in the belly of a whale. In your darkest moments, you have no
recourse except to turn to Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). Yūnus called out, "O Allāh, there is no
one worthy of worship except for You. I have been of those who oppressed themselves." The
Sunnah of Allāh is that He responds with better. Allāh said, "And thus We saved him from that
which was causing him sorrow." Just like Allāh saved Yūnus, He will save all of us if we call out
to Him.
Al-Razzāq. There is a predicament in our community of people not getting married. The
brothers worry that he is not financially stable, and the sisters worry that he doesn't have
enough money. Allāh makes a promise in the Qurʾān: "Allāh will provide for you." When does
Allāh say this? When the people of Madīnah stopped marrying the orphan girls and would
marry the daughters of the rich. Allāh tells them to put faith in Allāh and to marry the orphan
girl. "Allāh will grant you sufficiency and shall make you rich."
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) tells us, "If the children of Ādam placed their trust in
Allāh like the bird, then Allāh would take care of them like the bird who leaves in the morning
looking for food and coming back in the evening sufficed." How did you get to the state you
are in now? Allāh provided you with parents who provided for you. You got to your state
right now because Al-Razzāq provided for you. Put your trust in Al-Razzāq when seeking your
sustenance. Your wealth will only increase when Al-Razzāq says it should increase.
Know who Allāh is. Allāh uses His Names and Attributes throughout the Qurʾān to remind us
to reflect on those Names and Attributes to get closer to Allāh. When our īmān goes down, one
of the best ways to increase it is by turning back to the Qurʾān and seeing how Allāh uses His
Names and Attributes.
Allāh created you to long for and desire Him. He created us for one moment only, which is the
Day when we will meet Allāh.
Information doesn't turn into knowledge until you act upon it. Do not come to a conference
for the sake of mere entertainment. Come for the sake of coming closer to Allāh.
Shaykh Navaid was with his teacher in Madīnah. His teacher was driving very fast and then all
of a sudden stopped. His teacher got out of the car and did something and then got back in.
He said, "The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, 'The lowest form of īmān is to move
something from the pathway,' and I saw a bottle on the road and wondered if someone will get
hurt by it. The greatest moment in our lives is the meeting with Allāh. You never know what
that deed is that will allow you one extra second, minute, or hour to look at the beautiful Face
of Allāh and can say, 'O Allāh I struggled in this world for Your Sake. O Allāh, I sacrificed and
lived and died for Your Sake.'"
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Shaykh Kamal El Mekki | My Heroes
Imagine walking up to kids in your local community and telling them, "In a few years, you will
be inside the Ka‘bah." Would they believe you? If you asked them, "What do you think you
have to do to get to this level of being inside the Ka‘bah?", what would they say? This is a true
story of what happened in North America. A Qurʾān school opened and the children
memorized the Qurʾān in a few years. They scored high in a Qurʾān competition and were
allowed to perform ‘Umrah and go inside the Ka‘bah. What else in the world could have given
them this honor of being inside the Ka‘bah? Nothing else besides the glorious Qurʾān. This is
the nature of the Qurʾān.
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Allāh will raise people in rank with this Speech.
Others will be lowered because of their turning away from it." The one who has memorized
more Qurʾān leads the ṣalāh.
What is our relationship with the Qurʾān? Which group will we be with? No doubt, every one
of us wants to improve our relationship with the Qurʾān. Some people have a relationship with
the Qurʾān of it being just a book made of pages. They respect the pages and physical letters.
They keep it high on the shelf and only dust it off and read it in Ramadan.
Raising in ranks of people due to the Qurʾān has to do with understanding and acting upon the
Qurʾān. Some of the heroes we will discuss were raised in rank because of this relationship
they had with the Qurʾān of reading, understanding, and acting upon it.
Ibn Mas‘ūd gave advice regarding reading the Qurʾān: "Do not read it like you read poetry.
Stop at whatever is amazing in it and pause there and contemplate. Move the hearts with it.
Do not let the concern of one of you be the end of the sūrah." Don't bookmark the end of the
sūrah and keep checking how many pages you have left to read. Live in the moment of reading
the Qurʾān.
There is a narration: "I saw ‘Abdul-Raḥmān b. ‘Awf (one of the ten given the glad tidings of
Jannah) reciting the Qurʾān upon ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās." What is amazing about this narration?
He is a grown man reciting the Qurʾān upon a young man. How did ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās get to
this high level? Because of his relationship with the Qurʾān. He knew and understood it.
Salam ibn abi Muti‘ said about Qatādah, "He would finish reading the Qurʾān in seven days. In
Ramaḍān, he would finish every three days. In the last ten nights of Ramaḍān, he would finish it
every night."
Scholars say, "The further away you are from something, the more you find it to be
unbelievable." For example, if there was a young man spending a few months to memorize
Sūrat’l-Bayyinah and you tell him that there are people who have memorized the entire Qurʾān,
then for him, this is an unbelievable feat. If someone has memorized 27 juz of the Qurʾān you
tell him that there are people who have memorized the entire Qurʾān, it is not that amazing to
him because he is close to finishing.
‘Uthmān b. ‘Affān (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was the first person to recite the entire Qurʾān in one
night.
When you want to rush the ṣalāh, it becomes heavy and difficult. When you try to focus on it,
it becomes nice and easy. When you understand the Qurʾān and enjoy it, it is easy to read.
‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr b. al-‘Āṣ was married to a woman. His father asked her about him and she
said, "He is an excellent man except he doesn't come near." He was brought to the Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) negotiated with him to
finish the Qurʾān every three nights. He loved to recite the Qurʾān.
How can we get to that level? In Abu Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhi: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) says, "The one who recites the Qurʾān in less than three days will not comprehend the
message." ‘Abdullāh b. Mas‘ūd said, "Read the Qurʾān within seven days and do not read it in
less than three." ‘Ā’ishah said, "He would not recite the Qurʾān in less than three." According
to these narrations and aḥadīth, the maximum you should recite per day is 10 juz. Imam al-
Nawawi said, "This differs according to people. For the people of contemplation, don't read
more than 10 juz per day. Those in places of responsibilities, they should read it to the point it
doesn't prevent them from performing their duties. For others, it is best for them to read
much (so that they don't waste time) so long as it doesn't get to the point of boredom."
The Qurʾān is a book of guidance. There is reward for reading it. There is cure in it. There is
enjoyment in reading the Qurʾān. Because it is a book of guidance, we have to understand
what it is saying. The early Muslims would learn ten verses of the Qurʾān and act upon them
and then move on.
Abu Sulaymān al-Darini said, "I would memorize a verse and spend four or five days on it. I
wouldn't move beyond it until I understood what it is saying." A man was praying next to ‘Ali
b. al-Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ and when some verses were recited, he would faint.
One of the early Muslims was praying at night for a long time until his legs hurt him, so he sat
down. He then hit his legs and said, "Do the Prophet's (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) companions
think they are going to surpass us by far? How big will we allow this gap to be? We are going
to try to compete." He hit his legs with a stick and then got up to pray. Put effort and push
yourself.
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Shaykh Said Rageah | My Dear Sister
In the East, Islam has become cultural for many Muslims. Many go to the masjid only because
everyone goes and not because they love going. They take Islam for granted.
In the Qurʾān, Allāh mentions 17 women. Three of them are of the people of Jahannam, and
fourteen are from the people of Jannah.
In Sūrah Āle-‘Imrān, Allāh says, "Allāh chose Ādam and Nūḥ and the family of Ibrāhīm and the
family of Imran. Remember when the wife of ‘Imrān said." We don't know much about this
lady. When we talk about great women of Islam or women in the Qurʾān, we don't talk much
about her. This woman was deprived from having children. Her name was Hanna bint
Thaqouf. When she was walking one day, she saw a bird's nest and the mother bird feeding the
baby. This moved her, and she made du‘ā’, "O Allāh, bless me with a child." Allāh accepted her
du‘ā’. Imran came home, and from that night Allāh blessed her with a child. She wanted the
child to be a boy and to serve Allāh. She delivered a baby girl. She said, "O my Lord, I have
delivered a female!" Allāh said, "And Allāh knows what she delivered. The male is not like the
female." According to the jamhūr, Allāh is saying that what a woman can do for the ummah,
one man may not be able to achieve. She named the child Maryam. Look at the mentality of
Hanna. She wanted to have a child to serve the dīn who would be ṣāliḥ, not someone who
would be famous or an athlete.
Maryam said, "I wish I died before this." She was a single woman and righteous and in the
masjid all the time. When she was delivering the baby, Allāh said to her, "Shake the tree." The
dates fell. There is a ḥikmah. You need to work for the dīn. Even in the worst time in your life
and when you can't concentrate on anything else, you should still work for this dīn.
Allāh showcases two women: the wife of Fir‘awn and Maryam. The best of all examples. We
need women like them. We need ṣāliḥāt - women who know their roles and what they need to
do. They know why Allāh made them Muslimaat.
The story of Abu Darda: he relied on his wife. He was a wealthy man and had a farm with
hundreds of date trees. He was sitting with the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
and learn from him. When he is sitting there, an orphan came and said, "Ya Rasūlullāh, my
father died. I want to build a wall between my wall and my neighbor's farm. A tree from that
farm is between me and erecting the wall. I said to my neighbor, 'Give it to me.' He said no. I
asked him to sell it and he said no." The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) called the man,
and the man refused to sell the tree. The man stood up and left. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) said, "Give the tree to this orphan and you will have a tree in Jannah." The man said
he didn't want it. Abu Darda got up and walked behind the man and said, "O fulān, do you
remember my farm? It is yours for that tree." The man said, "Are you making fun of me?"
Abu Darda said, "No, by Allāh." The man said, "Take it!" Abu Darda came back and said, "Is
that reward still there?" The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Yes." Abu Darda said, "I
bought that tree, and it is for the orphan." The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "How
many trees are in Jannah for Abu Darda." Abu Darda went to his farm where his wife and
children were and said, "O Umm Darda! Get out of the farm!" She said, "Why?" He said,
"I have sold it!" She said, "To whom?" He said, "I sold it to Allāh and His Messenger." She said,
"What a successful transaction, Abu Darda." The children of Abu Darda did not want to go out,
and the mother was checking their pockets to make sure that they did not have any dates in
them. One of the children had a date in his mouth, and she took it out and said, "O my child,
we sold it to Allāh." They came out of the farm with nothing.
We need women like this. Women like the wife of Mūsa. We need women who take the
responsibility of being a mother. When Mūsa saw the flame, he told his family to remain
where they were. We don't know what she did, but it is understood because her husband was
delivering the message of Allāh, and she was doing her job taking care of the children.
Allāh mentioned three women in the Qurʾān from the people of Jahannam. One of them was
the wife of Nūḥ. She used to spy on him and tell her people how many people accepted Islam
with him so that they could be tortured. She drowned with her people. The wife of Lūṭ
reported that the angels who came in the shape of men had arrived. She told the people to
commit haram with them.
Do you play the role of Maryam and Asiyah? Or do you play the role of the wife of Abu Lahab?
Wherever you are, you are the carrier of the torch. You are the ones who can change the
future of the ummah. Observe the behavior of the children who receive everything they ask
for. We don't give them strong personalities. We give them whatever they want. Except a
few. We need to change this and be strong. Raise men.
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Shaykh Saad Tasleem | My iPath
Shaykh Saad was looking for purpose and for something that was missing from his life. He
didn't know what it was, but he knew it was something important. At one point, he thought he
could change the world through music, which wasn't right. What was missing was the
connection to the fiṭrah - the natural state Allāh has given us. Many converts say that when
they came to Islam, a huge burden was lifted off of their chests. They felt free. It was only
when Shaykh Saad submitted to Islam that he began his journey. But that is only the first step.
As amazing as the feeling is to come into Islam, it is only the first step.
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Say: I believe in Allāh and accept Islam. Be
upright." Be firm and continue in your īmān. Many of us get past the first step, but we have
problems in the second step. How many of us Muslims walk around on a daily basis with
something missing? The place where our heart is supposed to be is empty. Or worse, there is a
rock. The connection to Islam isn't there anymore. Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef coined the
phrase "īmān rush." The īmān rush isn't there anymore. One of the most common questions
he gets asked is: "I don't feel like my īmān is at that level anymore. How do I get the spark and
feeling back?" One of the first questions he asks this person is: "What is the status of your
relationship with the Book of Allāh? When was the last time you picked up the Qurʾān and
read it?" Usually the answer is: "I try, but not that much."
If we have abandoned our connection to Allāh and this guidance, how do we expect our īmān to
be at a high level? The Qurʾān is the source of guidance. One of the miracles of the Qurʾān is its
ability to take us from a state of restlessness to "all my prayers, sacrifice, life and death are for
Allāh." This is the miracle of the Qurʾān. Is there anything in your life more amazing than the
Book of Allāh? Is there anything more pure than the Book of Allāh? It is a shame that some of
us take this miracle and put it on the bookshelf and leave it there.
In Islam, there are people known as ahl’l-Qurʾān. They are the people who have chosen to
memorize the Qurʾān, and they have a high rank. They have taken the connection with the
Word of Allāh and put it in their memory. It is not at the tip of their fingertips but at the tip of
their tongues. Because of this, they are blessed. Allāh blessed them with the ability to
memorize the Qurʾān.
When Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was sitting in a room, the other companions would see
what he had to say before they would say anything. He was a young person. When the
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) died, he was 14/15 years old. During the time of ‘Umar, he
would gather the senior companions and seek their council. In this gathering, he would invite
Ibn ʿAbbās. Some of the companions would say, "Ya ‘Umar, why have you invited this child to
come sit with us?" ‘Umar would get upset and say, "I have invited him because of his position
amongst us." Later in his life, the streets leading to his house would swell with people coming
to try to learn from him. What gave him this rank in Islam? The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) made a special du‘ā’ for him and said, "O Allāh, teach him the understanding of the
meanings of the Qurʾān, and give him an understanding of the religion." Because of this
blessed du‘ā’, Ibn ʿAbbās reached the status he reached.
You can gather the best lyricists and songwriters in the world, and it will never equal an ounce
of the Qurʾān. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla), "The one who turns away from My remembrance
will have a constricted life." This is a life without Qurʾān. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says, "It is
by the remembrance of Allāh that the hearts find rest."
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) went through a lot of tests and trials in his life. Those
who are tested most severely are the prophets. There was a time when his beloved uncle and
his beloved wife passed away. His support system was gone. In this difficult time, Allāh
revealed verses to give the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) patience. The Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would find patience in the stories mentioned in the Qurʾān. Sūrah
Yusuf was revealed in Makkah, during a time when he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was going
through great difficulties. Yūsuf (‘alayhi’l-salām) was tested as a young child, and he faced test
after test after test throughout his life. This is a lesson.
How do people deal with hardships without the Qurʾān? How do people deal with life without
the Qurʾān? It is not possible to successfully deal with issues without the Qurʾān.
Ibrāhīm (‘alayhi’l-salām) was able to do amazing things as a young person. He smashed the
idols, and they said, "Have you done this to our gods, O Ibrāhīm?" He said, "The big idol did it.
Ask them, if they can speak." They said to him, "You know that they don't speak!" Ibrāhīm
(‘alayhi’l-salām) said, "Then why do you worship besides Allāh that which cannot benefit you in
any way? Don't you use your ‘aql?" This is a statement that you usually hear adults say to
their children when they do something wrong. They said, "Burn him." The irony of the
situation is that they are helping their gods, and their gods are not helping them. Allāh says to
the fire, "Be a coolness and safety to Ibrāhīm."
When you look in the Qurʾān and read about these people, they are on another level. What are
we doing? We obsess over video games, movies, and the latest sports scores. In the Qurʾān,
you see a different caliber of people.
Ibrāhīm tells his son Ismā‘īl, "O my son, I see in my dream that I have to slaughter you. What
do you think?" He said, "O my beloved father, do what you have been commanded. You will
find me, inshā’Allāh, from those who are patient."
The reality of this life is that we are going to be tested, sooner or later. No matter how much
we think we are going to be protected from hardship. The reality is that sooner or later we
will have to face a test. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says, "Do the people think that they will be
left alone simply because they said 'we believe' and they will not be tested?"
The generation of the companions went through numerous tests. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)
says in the Qurʾān, "Do you think that you will enter Paradise and that which came to those
before you has not come to you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and hardship until
they said, 'When is the help of Allāh coming?' Certainly the Help of Allāh is near."
Al-Zubayr said, "There is not a single handspan of space on my body except that I have a
wound on it from struggling in the path of Allāh." The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told
Yasser, "Be patient, O family of Yasser, because you have an appointment with Allāh."
Khabbāb (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was taken out in the hot desert sun and stripped of his clothes and
placed on hot, scolding rocks. They used iron rods to burn his flesh, and he said nothing
cooled his body except for his own sweat and puss coming out of his body. This was the
sacrifice of the companions.
At the end of the day, it is a matter of perspective. When you look at people who have less
problems than you, then you will think that you have the most problems in the world. When
you read books of seerah and about the companions, then you realize our tests are nothing
compared to those of the companions.
Ḥadīth: "There will come a time when holding onto Islam will be like holding onto a piece of
hot coal."
Look at life through the lens of the Qurʾān. Make the Qurʾān your glasses, and you will see that
everything will fall into place and come into focus. Things will begin to make sense, and you
will see that it is part of the bigger picture. Things begin to make sense.
Shaykh Abdullah Idris Ali | My Own Madīnah
Allāh says that He has sent down the Qurʾān with absolute truth. Every word and letter is ḥaqq.
The word mīzān in Arabic means "balance." In the Qurʾān, it is used to mean accuracy,
consistency, balance, intact.
There was a man who was dying. His mother, wife, and children were crying. He asked each of
them, "Why are you crying?" His child said, "I'm worried that when you die, I will be an
orphan." His mother said, "You are my dearest son, and I'm going to lose you. Who will take
care of me?" His wife said, "I'm going to lose my husband, and I'm worried about my
children." The man started crying about himself and said, "Everyone is crying for himself, and
no one is crying for me. No one knows where I am going or if my deeds will be accepted by
Allāh." The older we get, the more we worry about what Allāh is going to do about us. We
pray to Allāh to accept our deeds. We make them for Him and for no one else. People will
come on the Day of Judgment with all kinds of good deeds, but they will be gone by the wind.
The Qurʾān is full of relationships. Allāh tells us who He is. You have to know Allāh to be able
to worship Him properly.
The Qurʾān is not meant to just be read but also to be lived by.
How do we deal with the Qurʾān? The Qurʾān sets relationships with Allāh, the Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), ‘ulemā’, each other, the universe around us, the dunya, and the
ākhirah. The Qurʾān tells us that we are the slave servants of Allāh. When Allāh honored the
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), He called him "‘abd." "All glory be to Allāh who has taken
His ‘abd on this journey." When you enslave yourself to Allāh, you free yourself from
everything else.
Our relationship for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is absolute respect and obedience.
Allāh said, "Obey Allāh and the Messenger of Allāh." Obedience to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) is obedience to Allāh. Allāh says, "Indeed, whoever obeys the Messenger has
obeyed Allāh." We should honor and respect what the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did
even if he didn't command us to do it. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) assigns some people to gain
knowledge and spread it. Not everyone can do it.
Our relationship with each other: If our relationship is based on goodness and justice, then
imagine a society in which everyone is good and just to each other.
Our relationship with this dunya: Everything created is for the human beings. Allāh has said
that it has been made so that we can use it. Use it but don't abuse it. Our relationship with
this dunya is limited by time. None of us will last in it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
said, "Live in this world as if you are a traveler who has stopped to rest under a tree and then
moves." Some people live long and others live short. Our relationship with the dunya is
temporary, and we will depart.
Our relationship with the ākhirah: We will stand in front of Allāh, and there are only two
tracks. Families and loved ones will be split. One group will go to Paradise, and the other
group will go to Hellfire. Where are we heading to? What will make me in the track to go to
Paradise?
_____________________________________
Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef | My Lil’ One
When Shaykh Muhammad was eleven years old, he had the opportunity to go to Islamic
school, which was two hours away by plane. He was going to go to Islamic school to memorize
Qurʾān. He decided at the last minute that he could study at home instead of going, but his
father told him he needed to go.
Assumption: if you want to attach your children's hearts to the Qurʾān, they have to spend
time with the Qurʾān and specifically memorize the Qurʾān.
If you have a friend you have spent many years with and you know them, then any time in
your life you can say "this is my friend because I spent many years with this person." If you
casually see another person, then many years later you don't find a deep attachment to this
friend. This is an analogy for our children and their relationship with the Qurʾān. If they
spend their youth with long and intimate hours with the Qurʾān, then when they grow older,
they will have an attachment to the Qurʾān. Compare this to those who have a very casual
relationship with the Qurʾān. When they grow older, they are detached, and it is hard for them
to have a relationship with the Qurʾān.
What is the standard for our community?
Standard #1: The child should read the Qurʾān once in their life, and this is good enough.
There is a big party.
Standard #2: The "Juz ‘Amma" standard, which is those who just memorize Juz ‘Amma. They
should continue going and shouldn't stop. The community sets a roof on what is a big goal,
and once the person reaches that goal, then as far as the community is concerned, the person
is good to go. The bar should be raised. There will be different standards - some may not be
able to read the Qurʾān. But this standard should be raised to 5 juz. It would be nice to raise
the standard, and once that becomes a new standard in the community, then it can be raised
again.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) in Sūrat’l-Fajr speaks about the people on the Day of Judgment when
Hellfire is brought. "And on this Day, Hellfire will be brought." 70,000 chains with 70,000
angels on each chain will drag Hellfire. When the human being sees Hellfire being brought,
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says he starts reminiscing about his life. Allāh says, "How will it
benefit him now? He says, 'I wish I would have prepared for life.'"
Parents always say that they want to prepare their children for life. This dunya is very low
compared to the hereafter. You should have high standards for the dunya and high standards
for the ākhirah. People who have memorized Qurʾān have high standards and do well. Parents
want their children to be professional and do well in school.
Wake up your children for fajr. Take them to ḥalaqahs of the Qurʾān. The ultimate success is on
the Day of Judgment when Allāh crowns the child with a crown of nūr, and the parent also gets
a crown of nūr. Both the parent and child are successful.
When Allāh gives you a child, it is a gift. The number one teacher of your child is your wife.
Very critical to the child's success is the parents. If there are marital problems between the
husband and wife, it is very dangerous for the child's education. Parents don't have time to
educate their children.
Pour the best of knowledge into the child's mind.
Tangent: Sources of Islamic Knowledge
When AlMaghrib started ten years ago, the method of education that was prevalent amongst
Western audiences was the 8-week course (1-2 hours a week). Shaykh Muhammad wanted to
do a two-weekend course and was told it couldn't be done. It is taking the same amount of
time but putting it into a shorter time period, and it is immersion. As time goes by, people
started asking if that was enough knowledge. Over time, our education information has gotten
shorter and shorter: videos, Facebook, Twitter.
One of the weakest sources to prepare a speech is the internet. A book may be someone's life
work. If your source is the internet, then it is a very weak source. People aren't watching
longer videos anymore. The Islamic CD industry has gone down.
What do you do when you want to make a connection with the Qurʾān? We will discuss when
dealing with your children, but you can apply some to yourself. When it works is when you
have a dictator mother. When you are on your own, it is just you against yourself.
1. Set specific goals for your child.
In general, it takes someone 3-5 years to memorize the Qurʾān. The younger the child is, the
better they will memorize Qurʾān. Make the goal your goal. Some parents say that it is up to
their children if they want to pray or not or if they want to memorize Qurʾān or not. The child
doesn't have the mental capacity to make decisions like that. Tell the children and give them
the reasons. They will thank you later. Tell them, "Would you like to memorize Qurʾān now or
in half an hour?"
2. Start after fajr.
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "O Allāh, bless my ummah in its mornings." If you
are homeschooling your kids Qurʾān or teaching Qurʾān to kids, then after school programs are
not the time for them to be memorizing Qurʾān because they are burnt out. Memorizing is
mentally draining. The freshest time to be memorizing is starting after fajr. Start after fajr and
memorize for an hour or two, and then let the child nap.
3. Dismiss distractions.
Tell distractions to go away. Distractions include television, internet. If you are memorizing
Qurʾān on an iPad, get a 2-page display. Delete all other apps and keep only apps that help
memorize Qurʾān. Get rid of distractions.
4. The role of the mother is absolutely essential.
Shaykh Muhammad's theory: if someone has memorized Qurʾān, then he has parents who
prayed qiyām’l-layl. Ḥuffāẓ have special parents.
Shaykh Muhammad asked Shaykh AbdulBary Yahya if his parents prayed qiyām’l-layl, and he
said no. His grandmother lives in Vietnam, and when she starts praying maghrib, she ends at
‘ishā’. She doesn't recite anything without contemplating on its meaning. She prays qiyām’l-
layl.
When you are looking for a spouse, find someone who has a core that can be further and
further developed.
5. The child should be taught about the reward from Allāh (subḥānahu wa
ta‘āla).
Some systems of teaching neglect this. The child needs to be taught about the virtues of
memorizing Qurʾān and the rewards. He has to constantly have pep talks. This is a reminder
for the mother and father to give the child strength and energy.
6. Set milestones.
Set your goal of 3-5 years and milestones along the way. As you educate your child or yourself,
set milestones, which can be memorizing a sūrah or a juz. Give a reward leading to big rewards.
There can be parties, snacks, etc. Mothers who have experience with this say that children
don't need huge rewards to get excited. One mother said the reward was ten kisses from her.
7. Schedule.
In life, things come from many different directions and break your schedule. We all get busy
with something, and something gets priority and other things are put to the side. When
dealing with children, many mothers say that the schedule has to come first. There may be
some outings and places to go, and if the schedule will be thrown off, then the parents need to
sacrifice the outing in order to maintain the Qurʾān schedule.
8. Discipline.
Children need discipline such as things like time-out. Your children will thank you later.
Examples:
Many of the AlMaghrib instructors have the Qurʾān memorized. People who go far are those
who study with the foundation of having memorized the Qurʾān. They have a foundation of
Qurʾān.
Many people come back to Islam while in university. They may not have parents who are in
the category we have talked about (i.e. praying qiyām’l-layl). They are on their own and start
studying the dīn. What do you do in such a case?
1. Make du‘ā’.
If you don't have parents who are praying qiyām’l-layl for you to memorize the Qurʾān, then
you need to pray qiyām’l-layl for yourself to memorize the Qurʾān. This is the number one tip.
Be sincere in your du‘ā’ to Allāh. Make Allāh to bless you to be one of those who carry the
Qurʾān.
2. Be in a structured education system.
It should be tuition based. There are two benefits of this:
You have commitment.
The teacher has commitment. When it is volunteer-based, then it is not a structured
system.
When Shaykh Muhammad was in Madīnah University, he would go to Masjid al-Nabawi and
recite Qurʾān to a famous tajwīd teacher who had a ḥalaqah. It took him a year to finish reciting
Qurʾān to him - this was just a tajwīd recitation, and he would wait for hours just to wait to
read. At the end of the recitation, he was going to get an ijāzah and came with a tape recorder
at the masjid. The Shaykh started making du‘ā’. Shaykh Muhammad recorded his final
recitation and the du‘ā’. In the shaykh's du‘ā’, he said: "O Allāh, bless Muḥammad's parents
with crowns of light on the Day of Judgment." Shaykh Muhammad came back and gave his
parents the tape. His mother started crying and said this was the greatest gift he could have
ever given her.
Not everyone has to memorize the whole Qurʾān. Don't be intimidated by it. Raise the bar for
your children and have them memorize at least 5 juz of the Qurʾān.
__________________________
Dr. Reda Bedeir | My Pay Day
"Isn't it time for the believers that their hearts are humble and they listen to the reminder
from Allāh?" If the Qurʾān doesn't move our hearts, then nothing else will. Allāh addresses us
in the Qurʾān saying, "Don't they reflect on the Qurʾān? Or are their hearts sealed?" Do you
sometimes feel hard hearted? Do you want a recipe for that?
A man came complaining to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he has a harsh heart,
so the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to him, "Wipe over the hair of an orphan. Feed
the needy." This is a recipe from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). There was a man
who had a problem in the veins going to his heart and couldn't find proper treatment in his
country, so he went to the West. They told him that he needed a major surgery and may die.
He said, "Can I go back home and visit my family?" He went back home. He was with his
friends and family and saw from the balcony a lady going to the butcher. Whatever bones the
butcher threw away, she would take. He asked her what she was doing, and she said that she
had six daughters and nothing to eat. He told the butcher to give her 2 kilos of meet every
week for a year and paid him. He then went back to the West, and they asked which surgeon
had treated him. He said, "By Allāh, I have never had any surgeries." They told him that he
was perfectly fine. Allāh is testing us in this dunya.
When Allāh talks to us in the Qurʾān, He addresses us by "Bani Ādam". 89 times in the Qurʾān,
Allāh says "O you who believe." How do you feel the āyah? Sūrat’l-Ḥashr: "O you who believe,
be conscious of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). What have you provided for tomorrow?" What is
"tomorrow" in this āyah? Sometimes we read the Qurʾān without going deeper into the
meeting. In this āyah, "tomorrow" means the Day of Judgment - your pay day.
This dunya is meant to be a test and is coming to an end. We are here to work, and there is no
accountability. On that Day, there is accountability and no further chance to work. Allāh
(subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) created us in two main categories: the rich and poor. When Allāh
(subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) did this, it is nothing but a test. Sūrat’l-Fajr v. 15-16. If you have a lot, it is
a test. Allāh will test us also by tightening our rizq and provision.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) knows the nature of His creation. He explains this in the Qurʾān. In
Sūrat’l-Ma‘ārij, Allāh talks about the nature of man. If Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) hits us with a
hardship, people are impatient. When Allāh provides for us a lot out of His bounty, we
withhold. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says there is an exception: those who know Allāh and His
Word and give Allāh His due right. "...except those who pray on time and are punctual in their
prayer." Allāh has given us money. "In their money, there is a due right for the people who
come and beg and those who are deprived / needy." Who amongst you wants Allāh (subḥānahu
wa ta‘āla) to forgive all of their sins?
‘Uthmān kept giving and giving until the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his hands
to Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) and made du‘ā’ for him and said, "O Allāh, forgive all the sins of
‘Uthmān - past and future." We need to develop this character of giving. The Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "A person who spends on a widow and needy person gets
the reward of someone who is fasting forever, someone who established night prayers and never
sleeps, and someone who gives his soul for the sake of Allāh."
Who wants Allāh to increase their rizq? A tip from the Qurʾān: "Whatever you spend of good
will be given back to you (in full and more)." The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us in
a beautiful hadith that someone was walking and heard a command, "O cloud, go and pour
your rain to give water to the garden of so-and-so." That ṣaḥābi followed the cloud until he
saw where the rain had fallen. He went to the man and asked for his name, and it was the
name he had heard. He asked, "What is it that you do that Allāh is commanding the cloud to
send the rain to your garden?" He said, "Nothing. When I reap the harvest of my garden, I
give one-third for Allāh, I keep one-third for my family, and one-third I spend on the farm."
Allāh is subjugating the rain to him.
Sa'd b. Ubadah, one of the leaders of the anṣār, knew what it meant that Allāh would pay back
and more, and he would invite 80 people from ahl’l-suffah on a daily basis for dinner. He knew
Allāh would give him more. Why would the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) use the Name
of Allāh to take an oath? He knows the nature of human beings. When it coms to giving, we
always think our money will decrease. He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "By Allāh, your
money will never decrease if you give ṣadaqah."
If you have $20 and give $10, then by our calculation, your money decreased to $10. Allāh
promised in the Qurʾān that the money will not decrease. The $10 you gave became $100.
Allāh says, "Whoever gives one, it will be multiplied into ten."
We have to reconnect with the Book of Allāh.
A woman came to ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) and had two daughters with her. She said, "We
are starving and have nothing to eat." ‘Ā’ishah went through the house and couldn't find
anything. The only thing she found was a date, so she said, "I have nothing to give you but that
date." Don't look down upon anything you give for the sake of Allāh. She gave her the date
and the mother took the date and cut it into two pieces and gave one piece to each of her
daughters and she didn't eat anything. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "On the
Day of Judgment, you will look to your right and left and see nothing except what you have
done in this life. In the front you will see Hellfire. Make a valley between you and Hellfire,
even if it is with a date."
Don't look down upon something that you do for the sake of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Who amongst you loves the money of his
inheritors more than his own money?" They said, "We love our money." The Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Your money is the money that you spend for the sake of
Allāh. (You are investing with Allāh). Whatever you leave behind is the money of inheritors."
Do you own anything in this life? No. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, "And spend out of what
Allāh has entrusted you with." It is a trust in our hands, and we will leave it one day. Allāh
said, "..and give them out of the money of Allāh."
If you invest with Allāh, you will find it on the "pay day."
One day ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) slaughtered a goat and distributed the meat. She said that
she gave everything except the shoulder. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Know
that it is all invested with Allāh except for the shoulder, which we will eat."
Shaykh Mohammed Faqih | The Spring in My Heart
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says, "Say to them, O Muḥammad, that the pure spirit has brought it
(the Qurʾān) down from your Lord in truth to make firm those who believe in it and as a
guidance and glad tidings to the Muslims."
The state that we are in is very disturbing, and the numbers are very scary. We need to face
them and deal with the reality we live in. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the US
and 12% of Canadians, ranging from mild to severe impairment. Only 1/3rd of those suffering
receive treatment in the US. Anxiety disorders represent the most common of mental illnesses
in the US and Canada. They all agree that anxiety disorders can effectively be treated in a
community setting.
Symptoms of anxiety disorders: Intense and prolonged feelings of fear / distress that occur
out of proportion to the actual threat or danger. Feelings of fear and distress that interfere
with the normal, daily function.
How many times do we have people who say they can't function or are stressed out? Our
community has been bombarded with challenges.
There is another challenge in our community: mental and psychological disorders are not
seen to be issues. We are in denial as a community and don't know how to acknowledge it.
The Qurʾān is the greatest blessing in our lives. It is the greatest gift Allāh has given us. If the
Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was alive today and you had a chance to be in
his company, wouldn't you be in his company?
A man came to ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) asking her what the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) was like, and she said, "Don't you read the Qurʾān?" He said, "Yes." She said, "His
character was the Qurʾān." The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was an embodiment of the
Qurʾān. The companions of the Qurʾān in many of their qualities and traits resemble the
companions of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
understood the value of this book.
The day has come where we don't even realize the power and the effect of the Qurʾān.
‘Abdullāh b. Mas‘ūd narrated that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "No one would
ever be stricken by sadness, sorrow, distress, depression and then says '...O Allāh, make the
Qurʾān the spring in my heart and the light in my chest and the banisher of my sadness and the
reliever of my distress.'" The Qurʾān is the pure cure that Allāh sent. No side effects. No
allergic reaction. We haven't tapped into this great treasure that we have. People who have
strong connections with the Qurʾān are not as stressed and not as sad.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) tells the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in the Qurʾān not to be
sad and not to be overcome by grief. Allāh says, "la taḥzan" many times in the Qurʾān. Allāh
(subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) tells us in the Qurʾān, "We have indeed revealed in the Qurʾān that which
is mercy, healing and cure for the believers."
Many have fallen into a state of despair and have become desensitized and have lost hope. If
pain is not healed and taken care of, then it will hurt the person and damage their heart. The
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "In the body there is a piece of flesh that if it is sound,
then the rest of the body is sound and if it suffers then the rest of the body suffers. It is the
heart."
We are not reading the Qurʾān, and it is not the spring in our hearts - this is what happened.
We have taken the Qurʾān for granted. There is a solution for every problem in the Qurʾān. No
one is in control except for Allāh. There is always hope. There is a bright future ahead. The
Qurʾān tells us this.
In this du‘ā’, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) talked about two types of sorrow: ḥazn
(anxiety about something that happens in the past) and hamm. Think of any loss and approach
the Qurʾān and let it talk to you. Ramadan takes place every year. As soon as the month of
Ramadan is declared, Muslims get to hear and listen to the words of Allāh. They let the Qurʾān
have full access to their hearts through their ears. People hug each other and congratulate
each other. We have meals with family and do things we weren't doing because of the Qurʾān.
Let's go back to this friend. Be the companions of the Qurʾān. Allow it full access to our hearts.
Ponder and reflect on its meanings. Reflect on the power of this book. In it is a solution for all.
________________________________________________________
Shaykh Abu Eesa Niamatullah | Raising the Game: ‘Uluw’l-Himmah
‘Uluw’l-himmah is having high ambitions, a lofty aspiration, and the intention to taking it
higher and higher. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) created mankind from three basic components.
The first is the rūḥ, which is from the matters of the ghayb. Allāh tells us that of this we have
been given little knowledge. The second is the physical body. The third is the ‘aql (intellect).
Intellect is a very important aspect of our creation. It is by intellect that we are distinguished
from other creations. The angels are sent to those places where Allāh is remembered. Angels
have taklīf (legal responsibility - they have to do what they are told), but they have no desires.
Allāh says that they do not disobey Him in what they have been commanded. They exalt Him
night and day and don't tire.
Allāh created the animals which are the opposite in that they have no taklīf (legal
responsibility) and are overpowered by their desires. When we act in a very base way, we say
this is animalistic behavior.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) created man in the middle. We have been given the ‘aql and taklīf,
yet we have also been given strong desires which we have to control and will be held
accountable for. When we slip up, then Allāh describes us like the animals who have been
overpowered by their desires. Think about this. When you let yourself down with poor
behavior, Allāh compares you to the worst creation which has no objective or function.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) tells us the story of a man at the time of Mūsa (‘alayhi’l-salām). Allāh
had blessed this man and given him knowledge of the signs. Allāh said about him, "Tell them,
ya Muḥammad, the story of the one We gave knowledge to about Our signs, but he wasn't
interested, and he became from those who went astray." Allāh is telling us about a person who
was given knowledge and understanding of His signs. This means Allāh is talking about a
person who is the same as everyone here: a practicing Muslim, one who has been given the
knowledge of the reality and tries to act upon it. This man drifted away from those signs.
Shayṭān tries to hook these people up. When he takes these people down, then he takes the
community down.
Our brains have lost the ability to have patience with anything over a page long or anything
over 5 minutes long. We are getting so much information so regularly, stimulating our brains.
The mind cannot handle good, quality information anymore. We are completely shackled to
the reality of this current world. This behavior is becoming of animals only because our
desires cannot be held disciplined. We are losing our discipline.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says about this man that He gave him the signs and he went away
from them and Shayṭān hooked him up. "If We wanted, We would have elevated him by the
signs We gave him." The man became addicted to the dunya and clung to the earth. "His
example is like a dog." If you tell a dog to do something, it starts panting. If you leave it alone,
it starts panting. "That is the example of the people who deny Our signs. Tell them these
stories so that the people who listen will reflect." The dog is always panting.
If you don't let the Qurʾān impact you, then you are in for a big shock one day because the
Qurʾān is meant to be read and understood and acted upon. AE looks at this story and thinks
that there are hundreds of thousands of Muslims who this could be. People let their desires
take control and lose their religion. They are lost.
With respect to raising one's aspiration (himmah):
The word hamm is one's anxiety or stress. It also means one's concerns. That which is playing
on your mind and makes you reflect all the time. Allāh told the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) to not make this dunya our main concern. Make your himmah something higher and
not temporal. Make it the highest level of Jannah. It is a poor Muslim who thinks he only
wants to go to Jannah because he will be crying if he just accepts Jannah. The Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Do you see those stars in the east and west? That is how the
people of Jannah will be looking up at the chambers of those who are in Firdaws’l-a‘la. I swear
by the One in whose Hand is my soul, this is for the men and women who believe in Allāh and
His Messenger." Have some concern and want to reach the next level, and think deep and act
deep.
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "There are a hundred levels in Paradise. Allāh
has prepared them for those who strive for the sake of Allāh." Try your best in every aspect of
life. The distance between each level is the distance between the heavens and the earth. The
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "If you are going to ask Allāh for anything, then ask
Him for Firdaws." It is the middle of Jannah, the highest of Jannah, and the best of Jannah and
only the Throne of Allāh is above it.
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) expects you to take it to the next level and raise your
game. We are here to raise the game and ask for the best. Imam al-Shāfi'i said, "Ya Allāh, you
blessed me with Islam and I did not ask you for it. Ya Allāh, bless me with al-Firdaws, and I am
asking for it."
This is a competition and a game. Life is a game. We know the conditions and rules. We are
the players. In this game, let the people compete with one another. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)
says, "Race to that which is good. Rush for forgiveness, for a Paradise that is as wide as the
heavens and earth that has been prepared for al-muttaqīn." We have to keep pushing each
other and aiming higher. Firdaws is where it's at. Jibrīl (‘alayhi’l-salām) came to the Prophet
(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) on Friday and said to him, "This is a great day for you and your
ummah." The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "How so?" Jibrīl said, "There is one
hour in this day that if you ask, then your du‘ā’ will be responded to, and we also have
something. In Firdaws, on Friday Allāh comes to visit us. Allāh appears and says, 'Is there
anything I can do for you?' They say, 'We just want You to be happy with us. Allāh says, 'I am
happy with you. For you is whatever you wish.'" [al-Tabarāni, good isnād]
The Muslim chooses his actions and really dives into his actions and does them to the very best
of his ability: perfection and moving to the next level (iḥsān). You may think that this is
difficult and do what you can do of the obligations, and this is good, but don't be scared to take
it to the next level. The second you step up, Allāh is with you. Allāh says, "My slave does not
come close to me as he does with the obligatory acts of worship, but my slave does not
continue to come closer to me by the voluntary actions he does. If he does that, I will love
that. If I love this slave of mine, I will be the hearing that he hears with, I will be the sight that
he sees with, and I will be the hand that he strikes with., and I will be the foot that he walks
with." Allāh will bless your every action. Don't be afraid to up your game. Allāh will be there
for you when you up your game and help you.
We are suffering badly from poor ambition. We are suffering badly with this low concern
about taking it to the next level. We live in a generation where the parents have to kiss the
head and hands of children to ask them for something. Poor quality is endemic in our
communities.
How can we do something practical to see that we are moving forward? Many people do good,
māshā’Allāh, but the action of doing good has to have conditions. Examine your act of good to
first and foremost see if you are doing it for the sake of Allāh. If you aren't doing it for the sake
of Allāh, then you might as well chuck it in the bin. If it is for the sake of the person you are
doing it for, then the thanks of that person is your reward, and you are a fool because you
didn't understand what good actions were in the first place.
ʿAbbās said, "When you do an action, you have to do three things: do it quickly, consider it
insignificant, and keep it hidden." You keep an act hidden because you don't want people to
think that you did it for them.
A test to see if you really did something for the sake of Allāh: You give money to a person who
later treats you so badly. If you respond saying, "How dare you speak to me like that?" then
you know right then and there that your act was not solely for the sake of Allāh. If it was truly
for the sake of Allāh, then you would be delighted that he is ungrateful because Allāh will
reward you more for it.
Don't think that your acts are significant. Don't think that you are a hero. It is the faḍl of Allāh
upon you. People constantly remind others of the favors they do. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)
says, "O you who believe, do not invalidate your charity by reminding people and hurting
them with words." Muslims constantly remind others of their good. What is wrong with you?
What happened to the generation of people who did things for the sake of Allāh? What
happened to the people who read the Qurʾān and acted upon it?
If you are going to do an act of kindness, do it quickly. Don't let him humiliate himself and ask
for something and tell him to come back later to ask again. Do it quickly! This is the way.
For the Muslims who want to take it to the next level: don't belittle others in their attempts.
Be happy when other Muslims are trying to push themselves. Don't belittle those you see who
aren't trying to push themselves. You belittling others is a sign that your aspirations are low.
In the time of the tabi‘īn, a bedouin became Muslim. He was a super basic man. He was told
about Ḥajj, and he goes and makes ṭawāf. He sees a circle and goes to someone and asks and
was told that he was ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās and tells him who he is. He has no idea what all of this
means and it means nothing to him. He says, "Will he allow me to ask him questions?" The
man tells him yes. The bedouin goes through the people and forgets even the name of
‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās. He reaches him and says, "Ya hādha (hey mister)." ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās
smiles and asks how he can help. The man says, "Tell me something about Islam." ‘Abdullāh b.
ʿAbbās says, "Shall I recite something to you from the Qurʾān?" The bedouin says, "Did Allāh
send a Qurʾān to His prophet?" ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās smiles and says yes. The bedouin says,
"Yes, then read." ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās says, "And your provision is already written in the
heavens." The bedouin says, "Khalās, that's enough." ‘Abdullāh b. ʿAbbās looks at him and
smiles. He knows that perhaps this man is understanding just what he said to him better than
anyone else will who comes after him. Never assume!
Al-Ghazāli was a big scholar and had big scholars in his circles. He didn't want to be arrogant
that he was teaching big scholars. A man asked, "I have a question. In ṣalāt’l-maghrib, you
recited, 'Every day Allāh is ordaining a matter.' What does that mean?" Al-Ghazāli said, "I
don't know. Give me until tomorrow." The next day comes and the man asks for an answer
and al-Ghazāli tells him to come back. After the third day, he has a dream. In this dream, the
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) comes to him and says, "If a man comes to you and says to
you, 'What is the meaning of the statement "Every day Allāh is ordaining a matter," then say to
him Allāh has many of these issues and matters that have been shown to the people now but
ordained from before, meaning they are already ordained and people are seeing them
everyday. They will be raised by it or disgraced by it.'" Al-Ghazāli goes the next day and says
he the answer. He repeats the statement. This man says, "Ya Aba Ḥāmid, increase your
blessings and peace upon the one who taught you this in your sleep."
Don't ever assume things against other people. Someone may seem basic, but don't think that
he is worse than you. He can be so much better than you. People don't look big but they think
big and deep and act.
_____________________________________________
Shaykh Waleed Basyouni | Living My Father’s Dream
Ibrāhīm (‘alayhi’l-salām) is the father of the prophets. A few of his virtues: Out of honoring
Ibrāhīm, every single prophet who came after him is one of his children. Allāh gave him Isḥāq
and all of the children of Bani Isrā’īl. Allāh gave him Ismā‘īl and Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam). "We have given him Isḥāq and Ya‘qūb...the one on whom Allāh bestowed His
blessings upon from the prophets."
Allāh gave him barakah in his children. This has been given to him as a reward for him and as a
replacement for followers because he didn't have many followers. He spent more than 80
years giving da‘wah. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) as an honor for him made from among his
children so many prophets with many followers.
Allāh told us that He chose Ibrāhīm as khalīl. Khalīl is not the friend or the one that you love.
Khulla in Arabic is a level of love that can only be given to one person. Only one person can
reach that level when it refers to the love of human beings. The Love of Allāh is not like the
love of human beings, which is why Allāh has taken two as khalīl: Ibrāhīm (‘alayhi’l-salām) and
Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "Allāh
has taken me as khalīl as He took Ibrāhīm as khalīl."
When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) traveled on the journey of isrā’ wa’l-mi‘rāj, he said
that he entered bayt’l-ma‘mūr and found Ibrāhīm sitting there with his back against the house.
This is a very high level above the other prophets and messengers.
Allāh gave him special qualities and chose him to build the Ka‘bah. Allāh gave him the honor
of this. "O Allāh, accept from us." He is worried about the issue of acceptance when building
the House of Allāh.
When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was around 35 years old, the pagans of Makkah
decided to rebuild the Ka‘bah, and they didn't accept donations from people who earn from
riba or prostitution, which is why they didn't have enough money to build the Ka‘bah as tall as
it was.
Ibrāhīm will be the first one to be dressed on the Day of Judgment. People will come out of
their graves with no clothes. In Sunan Abi Dāwūd, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said,
"When the deceased passed away, he will be wearing what he wore upon his death." Al-
Bayḥaqi said that this will happen later when they reach the land of Resurrection.
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asks Allāh, "O Allāh, give me blessings similar to what
You gave to Ibrāhīm." Allāh says, "Ibrāhīm was an ummah." This means that he had the
qualities of an entire nation.
Ibrāhīm was a role model. The manāsik in Ḥajj are all following Ibrāhīm. There is a debate on
what the maqām Ibrāhīm is: the stone with the footprint or Ḥajj or Ka‘bah. It seems to be the
specific spot that has Ibrāhīm's footprint.
Ibrāhīm used to do ruqya on Ismā‘īl and Isḥāq even while Ismā‘īl was far away from him. The
Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to do the same ruqya on his grandsons even while he
was traveling and far away from them.
What made him reach such a high level? The trials. The tests that Allāh put him through. You
will never reach a high level and be strong in your life unless you go through tests that show
the real you. Coal is one of the cheapest things on earth while black diamonds are the most
expensive. They are both made of the same thing. The black diamond's structure makes it
able to resist pressure while any pressure can destroy coal. The more you have the ability to
resist pressure, the more valuable you are. The more Allāh puts you through tests, the more
He wants to strengthen you and make you strong.
In Texas, people love to eat codfish. The southerners would bring the fish from the north, but
they were old and not fresh. One man said he would bring fresh fish to the south, and he put
them in a big tank, but by the time they arrived, they had gone bad because they were not
moving in the tank. The man got the natural predator for the codfish which is the catfish and
put them in the tank, so for the entire trip, the codfish were very alert and moving around. By
the time they arrived, they were still alive. Sometimes Allāh puts catfish in your way to keep
you strong, aware, and fresh.
One of the greatest tests of Ibrāhīm (‘alayhi’l-salām) was the trial with his father. His father was
the closest person to him. His own father was an idol-maker. The same house had the light of
tawhid and the darkness of shirk. Ibrāhīm says, "Why are you worshipping these idols that
will never benefit you? I received some knowledge that you don't have. Follow me and I will
guide you to a straight path. O my father, don't obey the Shayṭān. You will be touched by
Allāh's punishment. You will be among the followers of the Shayṭān." Look at the adab of
Ibrāhīm and then the mean response of his father. His father said, "You don't want my idols?
Leave me! I will stone you!" Ibrāhīm said, "I will ask Allāh for your forgiveness." He
continued asking forgiveness for his father until Allāh forbade it.
Many have a husband who is not religious or a son who is not religious or a daughter who is
giving you a hard time or a wife who is not practicing or parents who are not Muslim. Ibrāhīm
went through this trial and shows nothing but commitment to Allāh and commitment to
continue making da‘wah to his relatives.
One of the tests was that they made a fire to burn him. Some of the mufasirīn said that if a bird
flew over the fire, it would burn. At the time, women who were sick would make an oath to
donate wood for the fire if Allāh cured them. While he was there, he said, "Allāh is sufficient
for me." He stayed there until the fire went out.
Allāh ordered Ibrāhīm to leave his own country. There are many brothers and sisters who are
forced to move locations. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) left Makkah with his tears
and said, "O Allāh, you know that this is the most beloved place to my heart."
Ibrāhīm for a very long time could not have children. He was 89 years old when he had his
first son. Allāh gave him another test of leaving his other son in a deserted area. Allāh
ordered him to sacrifice his own son.
Allāh wants us to pray five times a day on time. Can you do it? This is the test we have. Allāh
wants us to be modest. Allāh wants us to be good to our neighbors and those around you.
Allāh wants you to learn your dīn and commit and donate for His sake when there is an
opportunity.
