The Quran: Before, After, and Today | Imam Nadim Bashir | Jumuah Khutbah

We are taking a thousand blankets to them because they are in dire need of blankets, plus socks and beanies and some non-perishable snacks. This is all from your support, your donation, getting put to work, where you're doing an implicit dawah with the people who are talking about us in the right light of what Islam, what we are supposed to be doing. So with that, I'm going to request all of you on your way out, please do support EPIC with your donations. If we can do $20 per person, that would really help us out, إن شاء الله. جزاكم الله خيراً. السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.

Announcements

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته. A few announcements. Number one is there's a request for Brother Sami Muhammad, who was the husband of Sister Zainab Sami Muhammad. He passed away. إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون. Next is Sister Sabah. She used to be one of our previous admins. She's requesting du'a for her grandmother. She also passed away today, this morning. إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون. And there's another request for du'a for Brother Harold. He's one of our brothers, a convert brother, who actually helps fix our vehicles and our buses. His mother, she's not feeling well. She has stage 4 cancer. So we ask Allah to grant her shifa. All those who passed away, may Allah have mercy on them. May Allah enlighten their graves.

And all those who are sick, may Allah give them shifa.

Ameen. رب العالمين.

Introduction and Opening Supplications

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. Whomsoever He misguides, none can guide him. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is alone and has no partner. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Verily, the best hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. And the worst of all affairs are its innovations, and every innovation is an invention, and every invention is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

I ask Allah that just as He has gathered us here today on this day of Jumu'ah, may Allah gather us along with our families in جنة الفردوس الأعلى, in the companionship of Rasulullah ﷺ and his Sahaba. Ameen. يا رب العالمين.

Preparing for Ramadan

We ask Allah to grant us Ramadan.

May Allah grant us the month of Ramadan, witness the month of Ramadan, and utilize the month of Ramadan the way it should be utilized. Ameen. يا رب العالمين.

Brothers and sisters, as we go through the month of Sha'ban, the ulema have always emphasized that the month of Rajab and Sha'ban are there to prepare yourself for the month of Ramadan. Preparation not in the sense of filling up your pantries. Preparation in the sense of what is coming up. Just like today, if you and I are going overseas for a trip, we begin to plan and start packing up our suitcases, because we want to make sure that that journey is a successful journey. Likewise, the preparation of Ramadan, if we have not started the preparation of Ramadan, then we are late and we need to start as soon as possible.

The True Purpose of the Quran in Our Lives

Brothers and sisters, with Ramadan just around the corner, it is very natural that we're going to start inclining towards the Quran. We're going to prepare our schedules, we will prepare our recitation, we will think about how can I make sure that this Ramadan is better than last year's Ramadan. And this in itself is a mercy of Allah. But before we open the mushaf, before we open the Quran, and before we calculate how many pages am I going to recite, and how often am I going to recite, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves one important crucial question. And that question is that what is the Quran actually meant to be in our lives?

Is the Quran restricted only to recitation? Is the Quran restricted only for certain events? Because the Quran in itself is not only a book that we respect, we recite it very beautifully of course, it is not a book only for Ramadan. When Ramadan comes, we open the book of Allah, but as soon as Ramadan finishes and shaitan is back out, many times we do not pay any attention to the Quran. When did Allah say in the Quran that the Quran is only for the month of Ramadan?

Yes, indeed. The Quran was revealed from the اللوح المحفوظ to the skies above the earth on the night of ليلة القدر. But the Quran is something that we should be reciting throughout the entire year, and that is not what's happening right now. The Quran has been restricted to ceremonial events. You have a nikah, you recite the Quran at the very beginning. There is a function, you recite the Quran at the very beginning. Why? For barakah purposes. This is what the Quran has been reduced to.

And not only that, but the Quran has been abused in that sense. Why? Because today we use the Quran only for our benefit. When we're trying to make a case point against someone else, we use the Quran. But when the time comes that we need to apply the Quran in our life, then there is no application.

The Quran as a Transformative Force

Go back to the time of the Prophet ﷺ. The Quran in itself was revealed as a force. It was a force that reshaped human beings. It was a force that stabilized societies. It was a force that brought discipline to those people who were in the position of power. It was a force that would heal hearts. And it was a force that would bring dignity to life in itself. And history has proven that. But at the same time, history also proves that when a society goes away from the Quran, or a society does not have any revelation, then that society will internally decay. It will rot internally. And that affects everyone in the society.

The World Before the Quran

Go back to the time before the Quran was revealed, brothers and sisters. What was the world like before the Quran came down from Allah? It was not as if humanity was strangers to education, or they were strangers to skill and intelligence. Empires existed. Businesses were flourishing. You had philosophy and art growing and developing. But at the same time, beneath all this growth, there was a moral decay.

If you study history, that before the Quran came, people and life, and human life do not have any dignity. Allah says in the Quran:

We have honored the children of Adam. But if you go into Europe before the Quran was revealed, such as if you say the history of the Colosseum, and how people were being torn apart by vicious animals. People were going after each other, killing each other. And society had reached such a stage that instead of condemning it, they were there celebrating it and cheering it on. Human life had no honor, no dignity.

Widespread Injustice and Moral Decay

At the same time, racism was rampant. Your dignity, your honor was based on the family that you came from. People who had money, they had honor. You look at other religions till today, there is a caste system. Society was like that everywhere. There was racism, your worth was based on your lineage, and there was this injustice and imbalance in society. Even till today, you look at the Hindu religion, there is a caste system.

The beautiful thing about our deen:

(Reference needed for complete hadith citation)

This is the standard that Islam set. But again, you go back to the time before this all existed, before the Quran came. There was no such thing called morality in society. People would dress in ways that the majority of their bodies were exposed. If you say the history of the Quraysh, they would do tawaf without any clothes. And not only that, but there was no haya. There was no sense of intelligence. There was no sense of doing things the right way. Wars would start, and wars would go on for centuries. People were burying their daughters alive. Why? Because women were seen as properties. Women were seen as burdens. And they thought that burying their daughter alive was the better option.

The Divine Intervention

All this is going on, and Allah understands. And as many ulema, they even state, Imam al-Bayhaqi رحمة الله عليه, he talks about this time. And he says that when Allah saw, that there was nothing that can bring back humanity. That is when Allah says, now is the time to send Rasulullah ﷺ. And now is the time to give the Quran, to give humanity something, a book, a source of guidelines that through which they can again stabilize themselves.

The World After the Quran

And سبحان الله, after the Quran came, the world changed. After the Quran came, the society of Rasulullah ﷺ changed. It changed them financially. A society that was riddled with injustices in business. The Quran came and put certain guidelines in place to ensure that no one is going to be cheated. Just because you have a status, you cannot cheat someone who does not have a status in society. The Quran came and transformed socially, it transformed the entire society.

That is why Ja'far رضي الله عنه, when he stood in front of the Najashi, he said so eloquently in front of the Najashi, who we were before the Quran came, and who we were after the Quran came. There was no morality, there was no haya. But after the Quran came, it changed all of us. It changed our society.

Individual and Social Transformation

And not only that, but the Quran changed every single person individually. That these people became such that wherever they went in history, they had an impact on people's lives. People want to say that Islam spread by the sword. Islam did not spread by the sword. If you want to go with that argument, every other civilization, the Christian civilization spread by the sword, the Mongols spread by the sword, every single civilization spread by the sword. But Islam did not spread by the sword. Islam went into other communities, and they showed what the Quran taught them. And they were admired by the... They admired the Quran, they admired the teachings of the Quran.

Even till today when you have people coming and taking shahada, they're not even reading the Arabic of the Quran. They're just reading the English translation of the Quran. And many scholars will say that the English translation of the Quran does not even come close to capture the essence of the Quran. Yet you see so many people who are admired but just reading the English translation of the Quran. Imagine if they read the Arabic. And that is what happens throughout the society, throughout time. So many people are coming to the fold of this deen, because the Quran had a presence in their life.

The Modern Revival of the Quran

But now you fast forward, go back to the 70s, go back to the 80s. The ummah had forgotten the Quran. There was no strong concentrated effort on the Quran. And سبحان الله, from the mid 80s, slowly and gradually into the 90s, people, the entire ummah overall is starting to come back to the Quran, slowly and gradually, slowly and gradually.

And alhamdulillah, where we are today is much better than where we were a long time ago. But brothers and sisters, why did I mention all that historical points before? Because that was a society that did not have the Quran. And today, though there are so many Muslims around the world, and yet there are so many huffadh, and alhamdulillah, there is a lot of work being done on the Quran. But then what is the issue today? Because the same problems that we saw a long time ago, where human life did not have any respect, today you look at the world that we live in. How many people's lives are being taken? The person who's taking the person's life does not know why they're taking their life. And the person who's being killed or who's the mazloom, the person who's oppressed does not know why is my life being taken. The history is repeating itself.

There was no dignity for human life, it's happening today. Immorality existed at that time, and today we're seeing the same exact things. So many Muslim women, they take pride in wearing the hijab. But majority of the Muslims today, they don't take any pride in wearing the hijab. They feel like the hijab is a burden. They feel like that the rules of morality that Islam has put in place is oppressive towards women. And therefore they want to expose themselves. You go to all these Muslim countries, and they are designing clothes for women today that where their body can be more revealed than before. And you see all this happening.

At the same time, what is happening to our society? Our society is internally decaying. Where is the brotherhood? Where is the sisterhood? The racism that existed at that time, the same racism is coming today within our own communities. Every single problem that existed before the Quran came, you see the same problems happening today too. And the question is, why is it happening? Even though we have the Quran. It's because it's not about just reading the Quran. It's about the application of the Quran. It's about bringing the Quran into our life. That is the most important thing.

Yes, reading is an important component. Yes, understanding is an important component. But today, how many people do you see? People who teach the Quran. People who read the Quran. People who are sitting there on YouTube, listening to hours and hours about understanding the Quran. But the minute the time comes to apply the Quran in our life, no, I have nothing to do with the Quran. And these are not people who don't come to the masjid. These are people who are actively engaged in teaching and reading the Quran. And people who are coming to the masjid on a daily basis, who view themselves that, I'm a very religious person, I come from a religious family. Those are the people today that I come across and I see that they're the ones who don't want to apply the Quran. Then of course we're gonna have problems today in our society.

Allah is not the one to blame. A person can come and say, well, this is the qadr of Allah. You can sit there and blame the qadr of Allah, but Allah gave us the Quran. And Allah gave us everything that we need. The problems that we have today in our society, it's not because of Allah, it's because of our own doing. The problems that we see the Muslim ummah going through right now. I mean, you can abuse anyone and you can be criminalized. The only group of people that you can abuse and say whatever you want to say to them, and you will not be criminalized, is when people say things against us, as Muslims. We are abused throughout the entire world. No matter how much numbers we have, we see where we are today. How people speak about Islam and Muslims. How people speak about Rasulullah ﷺ, saying such vile things. How do we get here to this point? It's because we have not put emphasis on applying the Quran in our life.

The Quran is for Us

The Quran is not for others, brothers and sisters, the Quran is for us. We need to take this seriously. And that is why the fact that I'm mentioning all this, why? Because Ramadan is just around the corner. And Ramadan is a time where we reset. We don't fast probably throughout the entire year. There are people who fast on Mondays, Thursdays, and the three white days, mashallah. But majority of the Muslim community does not fast. Majority of the Muslim community are not reading the Quran, or they're not engaged with the Quran.

Now I had a brother who came to me one time, he said, it's easy for you to say this because the position that you are in, you're actively reading the Quran, you're studying the Quran, you have to give lectures in khataras. So of course you're gonna be engaged with the Quran. But then I told that same brother that did Allah exempt you from the Quran because of this? Allah has told all of us that we all have to be connected with the Quran. Now if a person has a profession, that there are some people who come who teach Quran to children, they teach Quran to adults, and they are connected with the Quran, alhamdulillah. But that doesn't mean that it gives us a free pass that I don't need to be connected to the Quran.

How many of us are actually reading the Quran? Are connected with the Quran? Or have we put the Quran in the back seat that whenever I have time? That's the key thing. Whenever I have time, I will come back to the Quran. Reality is that none of us have any time. We don't have time for our families, we don't have time for Allah, we only have time for ourselves. This is where we are today.

Using Ramadan to Return to the Quran

That is why brothers and sisters, this Ramadan that is coming, we need to use this Ramadan to come back to the Quran. The Quran has everything that we need. Are you depressed? Go back to the Quran. Are you looking for solutions? Go back to the Quran. Are you at a crossroads in your life that you don't know in which direction you should go? Go back to the Quran.

If the Quran has been a source of guidance, and it took this Muslim community, this Muslim community at the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and it transformed them in such a way that human history has not seen any single text having such a transformational power and ability. The same Quran you and I are reciting, why aren't we changing? Why aren't our society changing? Because we have not understood what is the purpose of the Quran. So that is why I shared with you what history was before the Quran. After the Quran came, how did it change the community? And today, since we are neglecting the Quran to a degree, how has history repeated itself? History is repeating itself right now as it is. If you cannot see it, then you are blind to that reality.

But that is why Allah is giving us Ramadan. And do not just make it a point. There are people who come in Ramadan, they're like, you know what, I just need to finish one Quran, and my quota is done. So they will come, they will read one juz, and they're like, alhamdulillah, they will give themselves a pat on the back, that I'm fulfilling the rights of the Quran. No, you're not fulfilling the rights of the Quran simply by just reading it. The Quran is much deeper than that.

There are people, so many children, so many youth today who are leaving Islam. So many people are leaving Islam. And if you ask them just one time, did you read the Quran from cover to cover? What are your doubts about the Quran? The answers are there, but they have just never read the Quran. Or those who actually are reading the English translation of the Quran, which cannot capture the essence of the Arabic language, yet they feel like that, why isn't Allah guiding me towards the right path? Because you have not given time to the Quran, simple as that.

So that is why when Ramadan comes, we have to make it a point. Read the Quran, study the Quran, apply the Quran, make a sincere intention that we're gonna use Ramadan as a means to apply. I need to have the Quran in my ibadah, I need to have the Quran in my mu'amalat, how I treat others. I've talked about many issues of the community when it comes to the Quran, I don't want to get into that right now. But we have a serious problem today in our community. We have a serious problem within our own personal lives. We think the Quran is for others and not for us. The Quran is for teaching purposes, but when the time comes that I need to apply it, it doesn't apply to me anymore. This is why we have problems.

And so that is why Allah is giving us Ramadan. We use Ramadan for the right way, try to change our lives, use the Quran to come back to Allah, and use the Quran to bring your family back to Allah.

I ask Allah to change us, to change our society, to change our ahwal, to change the Muslim overall situation that is taking place. May Allah protect us, and may Allah grant all of us izzah. May Allah help our brothers and sisters all over the world, especially in Gaza, and wherever they may be, wherever they are oppressed, ameen ya rabb al-alameen.

And we ask Allah to keep us steadfast on the Quran. Us, and our upcoming generations, as times get difficult, we ask Allah to keep our children steadfast on the Quran. Ameen ya rabb al-alameen.

How Allah Describes the Quran

The Quran also talks about itself. The Quran has been referred to in different ways. Allah refers to the Quran as the Quran. Why does He call it the Quran? Because the word Quran means a book that is recited. Allah refers to the Quran as an ibrah, as a book that you can take lessons from it. Allah refers to the Quran as a maw'idah, in a nasihah, that it is filled with so many advices. The Quran has also been referred to as a shifa.

That anything that we're going through, Allah is telling us to read the Quran and we'll find a cure in that. Allah has referred to the Quran as a nur. And why did Allah refer to it as a nur? Because no matter what kind of a darkness that you might find yourselves in, you will find a way out of it if you have the Quran. If you are in any trouble in your life, if you have taqwa, if you apply the Quran, Allah will make a way out of it. Again, we have to go back and study the Quran and study these things. And study the Arabic language if you get a chance to study. Go deeper into the Quran.

And wallahi, I'll tell you this much and I'll finish on this. The deeper you go into the Quran, the more you're gonna fall in love with the Quran. The more you're gonna say subhanAllah. The more you're gonna be amazed how amazing this book is. I can do it. You can do it. We all can do it. It's just about time and priority. That's what it comes down to. May Allah grant all of us ability. Ameen ya rabb al-alameen.

Allahumma ansur Islam wal muslimeen. Allahumma ansur Islam wal muslimeen fi kulli makan. Allahumma ansurna ala man adana wa ahfad biladana wa aslih auladana wa ashfi maradana wa aafi mubtalana wa arham mawtana wa khud bi aydina ila kulli khayr wa asimna min kulli sharr wa ahfadna min kulli darr.

Ameen wa bil'alameen.

Remember Me and I will remember you, and be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful.

Establish the prayer. Straighten your lines, fill in the gaps. Sisters, straighten your lines, fill in the gaps. Please come inside the main hall.

Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Allahu Akbar

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh