Qur'an - The Book That Shook The World

 The following is a rough transcript of the bayaan given at Noor ul Islam Masjid on 6th May 2012. The topic was, 'Qur'an - The book that shook the world'.

Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam has said in a hadith which has been recorded by Imam Muslim, “Trials and tribulations will come upon the heart like a straw mat, one straw after the other. Whichever heart accepts these fitnahs into his heart, it will become tainted with a black dot. And whichever heart rejects these fitn will have his heart marked with a shining, white spot. Until the hearts become one of either two types; the one who rejected these fitn will have his heart white, like shining marble, nothing will be able to give this heart harm for as long as the heavens and the earth remain. The state of the second heart is such, that it will become incredibly black, coal like. It will be a dark, empty vessel which has no nur inside. It does not recognise good and nor does it reject evil, it just follows its desires.”

Having understood this, I put before you a second narration; Abdullah ibn Abbas radiallahu anhu mentions that Jibreel alayhis salaam once came to Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam informed him that many fitnahs will appear. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, “What will the way out from it, O Jibreel?” He said, “The Book of Allah”.

Many of us today are impacted by many troubles, trials and tribulations which surround us on a regular basis. Some people may be living messed up lives, completely free from the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala. And this may even be the case for those of you who appear to be religious with a beard, juba, hijab, abaya etc. The reality is, that when fitn is hitting us left, right and centre, it effects our hearts tremendously. There are many, whose hearts have become tainted... blemished... murdered by an abundance of sinning. The hearts have become, dark, full of malice but such darkness will only remain if you let it remain there. When the Qur’an was first revealed upon Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam, it did not just shake the world but it shook the hearts of those who heard it. It was such, that the very Qur’an, which we read today, about which Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, “"Certainly, there is always a thing in which people take pride. And that which is glory and pride for my Ummat is the Holy Qur'an." 

This very same Qur’an has the ability to shake our hearts and take the spots of darkness out and recuperate it and make it like a twinkling star.

It is about this effect that Allah Ta’ala mentions,

إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوبُہُمۡ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتۡ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتُهُ ۥ زَادَتۡہُمۡ إِيمَـٰنً۬ا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ

“Certainly, the believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when (the name of) Allah is mentioned; and when His verses are recited to them, it makes them more developed in faith; and in their Lord they place their trust.”

ٱللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحۡسَنَ ٱلۡحَدِيثِ كِتَـٰبً۬ا مُّتَشَـٰبِهً۬ا مَّثَانِىَ تَقۡشَعِرُّ مِنۡهُ جُلُودُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخۡشَوۡنَ رَبَّہُمۡ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمۡ وَقُلُوبُهُمۡ إِلَىٰ ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ يَہۡدِى بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ ۥ مِنۡ هَادٍ

“Allah has sent down the best discourse, a book containing subjects resembling each other, mentioned again and again, shivered from which are the skins of those who have awe of their Lord. Then, their skins and their hearts become soft enough to tend to the remembrance of Allah. This is the Guidance of Allah with which He brings to the right path whomsoever He wills. As for the one whom Allah lets go astray, for him there is no one to guide.”

Once the Qur’an has penetrated the heart, then a person is directed towards that which is correct. Allah Ta’ala says,

إِنَّ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ يَہۡدِى لِلَّتِى هِىَ أَقۡوَمُ

“Indeed, this Qur’an guides towards that which is upright...”

My respected brothers and sisters, the reality is that we could speak about the power, the majestic nature and the virtues of the Qur’an for hours on end. Everybody sitting in this room understands that the Qur’an is something which is good, venerated, respected and loved. Everybody in this room understands that the Qur’an should not be disrespected. The problem is, we all understand the amazing nature of the Qur’an but we still don’t read it! That is the problem and for this we need some remedies.

I began to think about how we could bring ourselves to read the Qur’an? An I thought of perhaps six-seven points which we could use to perhaps bring the Qur’an into our life:

1. Learn the Qur’an properly with Tajweed. Do not delay or be shy – You must try your utmost best to learn the Qur’an. The hadith states that it is either a proof for you or against you. It will be a proof for you if you learnt it in the correct manner and then recited it beautifully. If you don’t even bother to learn tajweed, the Qur’an will curse you! The very same Qur’an that could be a means for you to enter into Jannah will be a source of you going into the fire of hell! Don’t be shy either, Aishah radiallahu anha says, “The best of women are the women of the Ansaar for they do not let shyness top them from seeking knowledge.” Be like the women of the Ansaar! Take lessons from them! How can you be shy? Will you live the remainder of your life distant from the Qur’an?

2. Maintain Wudhu – half the battle is done. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, “Only a believer looks after his wudhu.” When you have your wudhu, you will have a better chance of reading the Qur’an. Otherwise, when you want to read Qur’an, you’ll gets frustrated and put off by the fact that you have to use cold, cold water. If you already have wudhu, it will be easier inshallah.

3. Fix yourself an amount to read every day at a set time when you will not be busy. And don’t overdo it! – Fix it in your mind that you will do pray some amount of Qur’an everyday and establish it in your life. Find a time when you are free and your thoughts are free; then utilise it in reading the Qur’an. Maybe a page before you sleep! Those people who don’t read Qur’an at all, start by reading half a page or a page and then build it up. Those who are more proficient, try to read more but don’t overdo it! If you overdo it then you will get bored. So do little but be efficient and then progress like this.

4. Try to learn the meanings of the Qur’an, go to some good tafseer classes – You don’t need to learn Arabic, if you do that is good! But try to go and listen to the tafseer of the scholars. You will only abide by the Qur’an when you realise what it is telling you. Learn the stories and lessons in the Qur’an, they will give you solutions to things that you see in your life. Find suitable scholars and listen to their tafseer, you can’t understand the Qur’an by simply looking at a translation. There are many reasons and stories behind many of the verses.

5. Learn some Surahs of the Qur’an or some parts, it will come in benefit for you when you are in a time of need – Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, “That person in whom there is no part of the Qur’an is like a house which is barren and desolate.” Try memorising some of the Surah of the Qur’an. They will help you in your day to day life. Surah Fatiha is a cure for every disease, a person who reads Surah Kahf has a light emanating from beneath his feet to his heavens, Surah Mulk saves one from the punishment of the grave! Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, “For every single thing there is a heart and the heart of the Qur’an is Surah Yasin. Whomsoever read it, it is as if he has read the Qur’an 10 times.” In fact, even the Sahabah radiallahu anhum would train their children to memorise parts of the Qur’an. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiallahu anhu was close to passing away and he was leaving many daughters behind. Uthman radiallahu anhu insisted on giving Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiallahu anhu some money so that the daughters have some wealth to use after his passing as they were unmarried. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiallahu anhu said, “I have heard Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam saying, ‘Whomsoever reads Surah Waqi’ah every night, poverty will not afflict him’ and I have taught every single daughter of mine this Surah!” This shows us that we must memorise parts of the Qur’an and help our children memorise it also.

6. Live by the Qur’an, act upon it, don’t just think ‘Oh I can read the Qur’an’ that’s enough - Aishah radiallahu anha was asked about the characteristics of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam and she said, “His mannerisms were the Qur’an.” i.e. whatever the Qur’an commanded, he adhered and whatever it forbade, he stayed away from it.

7. Have a proper niyya (intention), don’t try impressing people with Quran.

8. Keep the Qur’an in your pocket on the train or on your iPhone – keep it with you so that you can read it on the tube and bus on your way to work or university. Make sure you have your wudhu if you touch the screen, this is the fatwa given by my beloved teacher, Hazrat Maulana Abdur Rahim sahib (DB).

9. Listen to it – If you can’t read it properly, then listen to it! This will help you. All this filth that we listen and enjoy on a day to day basis corrupts our mind and heart. So listen to the Qur’an, this will inshallah cleanse your mind and give peace to your soul. You will also begin to pick up recognise and memorise bits and pieces here and there.

10. Don’t doubt – When the Qur’an says, “This is the book in which there is no doubt” you should have full belief in this statement. It is not possible for the Qur’an to have doubt, Allah Ta’ala has stated this from the beginning. Thereafter, there is no scope for contradictions and false allegations which some people like to propagate. Allah Ta’ala has said, “Indeed, We have sent down this Remembrance (i.e. Qur’an) and We are its Protectors.” Once Allah Ta’ala has said this, it is the end of all doubts. If you still have doubts placed in your mind by mischievous people or by the way of your own conjecture, then go to a proper scholar and ask him in regards to it. He will give you a proper answer. Don’t look for it on the internet otherwise you will become confused even more!

The Qur’an begins with Baa and finishes with Seen – meaning BAS! So we shall end over here!

May Allah Ta’ala give me first the ability to act upon what I have said and give me the ability to fulfil the rights of the Qur’an. Thereafter, may Allah Ta’ala give you all the ability to act upon what has been said and fulfil the rights of the Qur’an. Ameen, ya Rabbal ‘Aalameen.

Video: Marriage - The Way of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam

This is an excellent marriage on marriage given by the most dear and beloved, Hazrat Maulana Abdur Rahim Sahib (DB):

Reality Check Event

Lessons from Hadith #8 - Being Calm

It is related from Al-Hasan rahimahullah that a man passed away and left behind a son and a slave. He appointed the slave as the child’s guardian. The slave did not desist in raising the child up until he reached the age of marriage and then he found him a wife. The young man said to the slave, “Prepare some provision for me, I intend to seek knowledge.” The slave prepared his provisions (for travel) and so the young man came to a scholar and sought (knowledge) from him. The scholar said, “When you intend to leave, tell me so that I may teach you (i.e. some final advice). (So when the time came) I said, “I am to leave, please teach me.” The scholar said, “Fear Allah, be patient and do not be hasty!” Al-Hasan who is the narrator of this hadith says, “This (advice) contains all good.”

He left and he could hardly forget these things for there were only three of them. When he reached his family, he dismounted. When he entered the house, there was a man sleeping apart from his wife who was asleep there. “By Allah! I am not going to wait upon this!” He went back to his mount and wanted to pick up his sword, but then he repeated, "Fear Allah, be patient and do not be hasty." So he went back until he was standing at the man's head and then said, "I will not wait at all to deal with this man!" He went back to his mount and again wanted to take up his sword, but he again remembered the words. He went back again and while he was standing at the man's head he woke up. When the man woke up, he ran to him, embraced him and kissed him. The slave asked him, "What happened to you after (you left) me?" He replied, "By Allah, I received a lot of blessing. By Allah, after I left you, (I had learnt such knowledge that) it was the knowledge which I obtained which kept me from killing you for I spent the night walking  three times between my sword and your head. " (This hadith has been related by Imam Bukhari in his Al Adab Al Mufrad.)

This hadith highlights firstly the fear of Allah Ta’ala. The reverential fear of Allah Ta'ala produces a barrier within oneself and helps that person say ‘NO!’ to sin. Take the example of a house which is surrounded by beasts and enemies etc. A dim person would build a short fence made out of weak wood, a clever person would make a medium height fence out of bricks and a truly wise person would build a tall fence out of iron. In the same way, a pious person understands that all these sins such as zina, backbiting etc all bring problems to a person and thus it is important to build an iron fence between him and the sins. A person who is a bit of a div will quite simply build a short wooden fence and go to sleep with the hope that when he wakes up, there will be no evil at his door. However, during his slumber, the very sin he was neglectful in warding off has entered into his house.

Quite simply, fearing Allah Ta’ala is a means of placing a barrier between yourself and the punishment of Allah Ta’ala.  The stronger the fear, the stronger that iron wall becomes. The weaker the fear, the easier that fence is pierced.

The first advice which is given is to fear Allah Ta'ala. The second advice which is given is to be patient. It is almost as if the hadith is saying 'when you see someting which shocks you, then fear Allah Ta'ala as this will prevent you from doing anything wrong to someone. Thereafter, be patient in regards to the situation you have found yourself in.' Sometimes, it may take time for us to see things in a particular way. To see something clearly, you have to wait for the smoke to go away. In the same way, when a person sees something that angers him, let that red mist disappear by being patient.

Finally, this hadith speaks about the virtue of being relaxed in matters and not hasty. Many a times, we get angry with others because we have got hold of the wrong end of the stick. We as Muslims must learn to become as relaxed as we possibly can as when a person has anger and haste coupled within himself, he will act first and question later. The problem is, when a person acts incorrectly with someone in the beginning, he may not have a ‘later’ with that person if that person is innocent. Take the example of a man who convinces himself that his friend has betrayed him. He has not taken any opportunity in speaking to his friend peacefully and rationally but rather he has acted in the heat of the moment and said some horrible things. As a result, his friend will become so hurt that even if the person cools down and apologises, the friend would not want anything to do with him as some words leave deep scars. Thus, it is important to be relaxed people. Sometimes it is very hard as the situation warrants us to become angry but we have to train ourselves to become calm quickly.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the ability to be calm, muttaqi people. Ameen.

How Do You Know It's Time To Get Married?

Many are of the opinion that a person should only really get married when his desire for intimacy increases; while this is correct, there are also other factors that a person should consider because not everybody has the same level of desire. Some people are highly amorous and thus need to get married quickly so as to protect themselves from falling into Haraam. On the contrary, there are some whom are quite mellow and their desires are well subdued. Such people can sometimes fall into deceit as they may feel that Nikkah is only for those who need to fulfil their needs. This is incorrect.

As a man, besides the obvious physical desire that is felt, there are other indications which also show that a male should get married. When you see that you are constantly missing meals, wearing un-ironed clothes, constantly feeling sick and missing out on a lot of sleep, know that you need the touch of a woman. When you have become completely injury prone and from every angle of your life there seems to be sloppiness and inaccuracy, you need a good wife to beat you into shape! Thereafter, your life will come back into perspective.

A person will no longer skip meals because he now knows he must eat his wife’s cooked food. Likewise, if she is a pious wife who wishes to sit and eat with her husband, he’ll feel that he needs to at least eat something so his wife can eat too. Likewise, if his appearance looks scrappy and ragged, when he is married, he will immediately change so that his wife is attracted to him. And if he still doesn’t care about his looks after marriage, his wife will make sure he wears clothes which are appropriate and represent able. 

A person constantly becomes ill because his lifestyle is not correct, it is hoped that by the guidance of a good wife, the husband can live a clean and healthy lifestyle. Men generally don’t take good care of themselves because they are always worried about something or the other. They also have a very rugged nature which as a result creates a lot of problems on the mind, body and soul. It is like a tank that goes through 100 walls, it keeps going and doesn’t care about the scratches it takes. However, the more damage it takes, the more weak it becomes. Similar is the case of a man, he feels like he is superman and tries to do everything but sooner or later, he gets burnt out. This is why he needs a wife, she will make sure he doesn’t over do it. When the husband sees anguish in the eyes of his wife, he begins to look after himself for her sake.

Quite simply, there’s more to getting married than just being able to fulfil one’s desires.