The Quran's Reminder: A Source of Guidance, Mercy, and Joy

The Purpose of Tadhkir (Reminder)

May Allah grant us tawfiq that we make this coming year better than the previous years. May Allah make it a means for us to correct that which we did wrong in the past and to continue to do that which is good. And may Allah grant us all a khatimah bil khayr.

One beautiful principle that we learn from an ayah that Allah mentions in Surah Yunus — I would like to share with everyone as an opportunity to reflect on it, first and foremost myself, and insha'Allah for the believers. As Allah says:

"And remind, for indeed the reminder benefits the believers."

This is not a ta'lim per se, where there is some information being passed from the teacher to the student — a transfer of knowledge. But rather this tadhkir, in which the speaker is in greater need than the audience. It is an intention — the intention being how it can benefit me and everyone else insha'Allah.

That is why Allah says وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ — He doesn't say تَنفَعُ الْمُخَاطَبِينَ, that the reminder is beneficial for those who are being addressed. But rather it is beneficial for those who are the believers. And the speaker is a mu'min as well, is a believer insha'Allah. We hope to die as a mu'min. Haqiqatan, we are mu'min now and insha'Allah we hope to die as a mu'min.

The Command to Rejoice — Surah Yunus

The ayah that I wanted to share is where Allah says:

This is an ayah that comes after the ayah that precedes it, in which Allah is speaking about the Quran. Just to give context — Allah mentions four sifat (attributes) of the Quran:

"O mankind, there has come to you an admonition from your Lord, and a cure for what is in the breasts, and a guidance and a mercy for the believers."

Allah is addressing Rasulullah ﷺ — Qul, say, O mankind.

The Four Attributes of the Quran

This is the first sifah of the Quran: al-maw'idhah — this wa'zh, this tadhkir, this reminder. Sometimes through Allah's signs. Sometimes through Allah mentioning the stories of the past nations. Sometimes tadhkir bil-mawt, wa bima ba'd al-mawt — Allah reminds us about death and the stages after death. Different forms of tadhkir, as Shah Waliullah rahmatullahi alayhi mentions in his Al-Fawz al-Kabir.

So these are the maw'idhatun min rabbikum — from your Rabb. Allah didn't say min khaliqikum, from your Creator, despite the fact of course He is our Creator, nor min malikukum — any of His other sifat. But He said min rabbikum, meaning, the fact that He is giving this tadhkir, this reminder for us, this wa'zh, is a manifestation of His tarbiyah — as He is our Rabb, who is taking us tadrijan, tadrijan, slowly but surely, ila darajat al-kamal, to perfection. He is raising us, nurturing us.

So Allah says: Number one is maw'idhatun min rabbikum. Number two, wa shifa'un lima fi al-sudur — it is a cure for the sicknesses of the heart. Just as we have physical ailments, we have spiritual ailments, and the Quran is a shifa' for them. Wa hudan — a source of guidance. And a rahmah — a source of mercy for the believers.

Then Allah, after mentioning these sifat — which is something that should make us happy — He specifically commands us to be happy. And He says: Qul — say — bi fadlillah, the fadl of Allah that is upon you, wa bi rahmatihi — and the mercy of Allah upon you — fa bi dhalika fal yafrahoo: upon this, the believers should rejoice.

And this rejoicing and this command to rejoice is not limited to the mukhatibeen al-awwaleen, the first addressees of the Quran — the Sahaba — as the Quran was revealed upon Rasulullah ﷺ in their midst. But rather, Allah has commanded all of us, ila yawm al-qiyamah, ila yawm al-din, to be happy.

And that is the reason why Allah switched from the second person to the third person. He didn't just say فَبِذَٰلِكَ افْرَحُوا — "therefore you should be happy." Rather He said فَلْيَفْرَحُوا — "let them be happy" — meaning all people till the Day of Judgment. All of those who are from this ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ, who have been selected by Allah to be the recipients of the Quran.

Selected as Recipients of the Quran

In Surah Fatir, Allah mentions:

"Then We gave the Book as inheritance to those whom We selected from Our servants. So among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah."

Meaning the entire ummah. This entire ummah, Allah says اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا — He has selected us. Fa minhum dhalimun linafsihi — some turn their backs on the Quran and commit dhulm on themselves. Wa minhum muqtasid — some go halfway forward and back, like the nafs al-lawwamah — they take one step in the right direction and then go back in the wrong direction. Wa minhum sabiqun bil-khayrat bi idhnillah — and then those who go far ahead of the pack; they are close to Allah. This is bi idhnillah — with the permission of Allah. They are the sabiqun, and أُولَٰئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ — they will be near to Allah on the Day of Judgment.

So here, Allah gives us a command to be happy. What is the fadl and the rahmah mentioned here? The fadl is the Quran, and the rahmah is an ja'alana min ahl al-Qur'an — that He made us from amongst the recipients of the Quran.

Happiness at Good Deeds and Sadness at Sins — A Sign of Iman

This command to be happy is something that Rasulullah ﷺ himself mentioned as a sign of a mu'min — an 'alamah of iman: to have happiness over good deeds and sadness over sins. Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned this as an indicator of iman. In one hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22378; also reported in similar wordings in other collections)

"Whenever your good deed truly makes you happy, and your sin makes you sad — then know that you are a true believer."

SubhanAllah. So this is something we need to reflect on. Whatever good deeds we are doing — does this bring us happiness? And whatever sins we commit — does this bring us sadness? If we are not sad when we commit sins, then this is a very dangerous sign. A very, very dangerous sign. This is a symptom of the death of one's heart.

The Signs of a Dead Heart — Ibn 'Ata'illah al-Iskandari

Ibn 'Ata'illah al-Iskandari says:

One of the signs that a person's heart has died — not fallen asleep, but rather completely died — is the absence of sadness when a person loses the ability to do good deeds. When he misses out on al-muwafaqat — fulfilling the order of Allah, losing out on the act of ita'ah (obedience of Allah) — if he has 'adam al-huzn, he doesn't have sadness, this is a sign of mawt al-qalb, the death of the heart.

As some people came to Hasan al-Basri and said: O Hasan al-Basri, give us some advice, for we have fallen into sleep — نَوْمُ الْغَفْلَةِ — the sleep of being oblivious of Allah, and we want you to wake us up. So he said: What can I do? It is really beyond my ability right now. Because you are not asleep — you have completely died. And Allah is the مُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى — perhaps He can bring you back to life, but it is beyond me.

Wa tark al-nadam 'ala ma fa'alahu min wujud al-zallat — and if he doesn't have regret, true sincere regret from his heart, when he ends up committing sins. So there are two things mentioned here: ma fataka min al-muwafaqat and ma fa'alahu min wujud al-zallat — meaning when a person is deprived of doing something good, or ends up committing something wrong. In both of these scenarios, if there is 'adam al-huzn and tark al-nadam — he doesn't have sadness, he doesn't have regret — this is from the signs of the death of one's heart.

The Sahaba as the Standard of Iman

If you look at the example of the Sahaba, رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ — and we always give the example of the Sahaba as Allah has made them the standard. Allah clearly mentions in the Quran:

We are told to believe kama amana al-nas — the alif-lam here is referring to a specific group of people: the Sahaba, رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ, the way they believed. Allah made their iman the standard. فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنتُم بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوا — if the people coming afterwards believe the way you believe, O Sahaba, then they are on the path of guidance.

The Campaign of Tabuk — Grief at Missing Out on Good

So if you look at their condition — if they committed a sin, what was the level of their sadness? And if they missed out on an opportunity to do good, what was the level of their sadness? SubhanAllah.

In the entire campaigns of Rasulullah ﷺ, in all of the seerah, in all of the ghazawat, there is not a single ghazwah that would be easy. By definition, a ghazwah is a campaign in which you are facing the enemy. وَيُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ — it is kill or be killed.

The one campaign that the historians refer to as جَيْشُ الْعُسْرَةِ — the campaign of difficulty — is the campaign of Tabuk. So many challenges had all come together at the same time. The distance was far, it was extremely hot. The munafiqoon were saying:

"Do not go out in the heat. Say: The fire of Jahannam is far more severe in heat."

And the enemy was the superpower — the Roman Empire. There was a drought, and the fruits and dates of Madinah were finally ready to be harvested. They had to leave it all behind. It was a one-time thing — if you harvest it, you're good; otherwise you lose out until the next season. All of these things were combined together.

And when Allah was giving an exemption from the general order — the command was for everyone to go out:

"When it is said to you: Go forth in the way of Allah — you clung heavily to the earth. Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter?"

It was a general command for every person to participate. It was not optional. And yet, there were some people who came and said: Ya Rasulullah, we want to join, but we don't have a ride. There were ten people assigned per camel, taking turns — nine walking, one riding. And now finally, some people came forward. Allah says:

"Nor upon those who came to you that you might give them a mount, and you said: I cannot find for you something to ride."

So Allah says there is no haraj upon these people. They are exempted. Uthman radhiyallahu 'anhu had emptied out everything. Rasulullah ﷺ had said to him: Awjaba, awjaba — Jannah is wajib for you. But now there was nothing more. So what was the condition of those who were turned away?

"They turned back while their eyes overflowed with tears out of grief that they could not find something to spend."

Not only are the tears flowing, but mubalaghatan — Allah is saying, as if their very eyeballs were flowing down their cheeks from excessive weeping. Hazanan alla yajidu ma yunfiqun — out of grief and sadness that they wished they had money to participate. They were not missing out on a vacation package or some fun trip. They were missing out on the opportunity to do good.

So this is an example of having huzn — sadness at missing out on muwafaqat and good deeds.

Abu Lubabah and the Ustuwanat al-Tawbah — Regret Over Sin

And then there is the example of nadam and regret over committing sins. Every time we go to Madinah — may Allah take us back multiple times — when we go to رِيَاضُ الْجَنَّةِ, we see the sign: Hadhihi Ustuwanat al-Tawbah — this is the Pillar of Repentance.

It is an opportunity for us to see how when a zallah — a mistake — happened. It was not a cardinal sin based on the desires of the nafs. It was a mistake in judgment, a temporary lapse he committed due to his human nature. He made a mistake out of love for his family, and he divulged the secret of Rasulullah ﷺ. But the nadam he had was so much that he tied himself to the pillar. And the pillar bears his name till today.

This is just one example — every single page of every single biography of every single sahabi is a manifestation of these things. But this one example that comes to mind is Abu Lubabah radhiyallahu 'anhu, and how he tied himself up. Because that historical fact, from the pages of history, we can see the reminder. As Allah says:

"That they may witness the benefits for themselves." You go there and you see things that will benefit you. That is one of the maqasid of hajj, umrah, and ziyarah. لِّيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ — to go and witness things. Go see the Maqam Ibrahim:

Go and see his footstep. Go and see the jamarat. Go and see the Safa and Marwa. See these things.

So likewise when we see the Ustuwanat al-Tawbah, we see where Rasulullah ﷺ was born in Makkah, passed away, and we see his qabar in Madinah — he was a true historical figure. It is not a figment of imagination or fantasy or fiction. He was truly the Prophet of Allah, and everything about him is haq. So when we see the Ustuwanat al-Tawbah, we should remind ourselves of how Abu Lubabah tied himself up and said: I am not going to get released, I am not going to go home, I am going to be here until Rasulullah ﷺ comes and unties me with his own hands. And then Rasulullah ﷺ said: Well, he took his oath — now it's not in my hands until Allah reveals his tawbah. So that is an example of nadam.

The True Nature of Happiness at Good Deeds

And then there are examples of happiness. When we do any good deeds, we are supposed to be happy. As we see:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1904; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1151)

"The fasting person has two joys: a joy at the time of breaking his fast, and a joy when he meets his Lord."

Whenever we do a good deed like fasting — why is there happiness at the time of iftar? Not because we get to eat the food and drink, but rather because Allah accepted, insha'Allah, the fast. That is a daily happiness. And Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are also tied with happiness about doing good deeds.

But when we are being happy upon doing a good deed — idha sarratka hasanatuka — the good deed makes you happy — why should it make you happy? Ibn 'Ata'illah al-Iskandari takes it to another level. He says:

"Do not allow the good deed to make you happy because you were able to accomplish it. Rather, be happy with it because it is from Allah — it came from Allah toward you."

Look — your good deed should not make you happy because you were able to perform it. Rather you should be happy when you do a good deed because it is the tawfiq from Allah that He selected you and gave you the guidance to do the good deed.

Bilal's Joy — Rejoicing in Allah's Guidance

That is why, when the ayah was revealed at the death of Abu Talib — when Rasulullah ﷺ was telling his uncle: Say the kalimah. Say the kalimah — ahtajju biha 'inda rabbi — I will tell Allah on the Day of Judgment that you said the kalimah right before you died. And he died without saying the kalimah. Then Allah wanted to console Rasulullah ﷺ and said: You cannot guide whomsoever you want.

"But it is Allah who guides whom He wills."

So when this ayah was revealed, Bilal radhiyallahu 'anhu started jumping up and down with joy. And the Sahaba asked him: Why are you jumping up and down with joy? I mean, how does this tie up with you? Because this is a consolation for Rasulullah ﷺ upon Abu Talib's passing away without iman. He started jumping up and down with joy, saying: SubhanAllah — Allah says, you cannot guide whom you wish. If it were given into the hand of Rasulullah ﷺ, naturally he may have been giving guidance to all his friends, all his people, his cousins, and then the Quraysh, and then the Arabs and the tribes — I don't know if my turn would ever have come! But وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ — Allah is the one who guided. So Allah is the one who selected me and granted me hidayah. So I am pleased and happy for the hidayah from Allah to me — that Allah guided me.

So whenever we are supposed to be happy for good deeds — again, it is not about patting ourselves on the back. But rather:

— attributing that hidayah back to Allah.

Seeking Hidayah — The Need for Inabah

May Allah give us tawfiq to make amal and continue to guide us. And we cannot just wait for the hidayah to come, by the way. Allah says:

"He guides to it whoever turns to Him."

We have to have the inabah. This is a tafsir of the Quran — tafsir kalam Allah bi kalam Allah — Allah explains His words through His own words many times. So when He says يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ — He guides whom He wishes — and we are left wondering: man yasha', who is the one He wishes? So ambiguous. Well, the man yasha' is described by man yunib: يَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ — He guides who turns towards Him. So if we have inabah, and we ask from Allah guidance sincerely, then He will guide us.

If we go ahead and do good deeds:

"As for he who gives and fears Allah, and believes in the best [reward] — We will ease him toward ease."

We do good deeds, then Allah will facilitate the way further towards Jannah. So we have to put our step forward, then Allah will come forward and run towards us. May Allah give us tawfiq, and allow us to continue to do good deeds, and to continue to celebrate and be thankful for His tawfiq.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

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We have our weekend Islamic studies program for adults. Spring enrollment is open on Saturdays and Sundays. This semester, alhamdulillah, we have female instructors for all the sisters' classes — this is new for this particular weekend program. There are three classes on Saturdays and three on Sundays. InshAllah we should all look into it and try to register if we have not.

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Please save the date for our annual no-tech retreat — Unplugged: Connecting with the Creator — February 8th and 9th with Imam Zaid Shakir.

ICCD Masjid Des Plaines is hosting a weekend course with Shaykh Samir al-Nasr from Damascus, discussing collections of authentic hadith and fiqh, from January 3rd to 5th.

We have guests with us today from the city of Oswego. It is home to over 600 Muslim families. Currently there is no full-time masjid. In September 2024, they established Masjid Abu Bakr by renting a warehouse where they hold five daily prayers and Jumu'ah. Alhamdulillah, a church near the current masjid has come up for sale for $480,000. This is good news and a warning as well — good news that they are selling the church to the Muslims. A warning that if we do not make ta'mir of our masajid, then na'udhu billah, we do not want our generations to be selling our masajid. The property closing is at the end of January. May Allah protect our masajid from ever being closed out to other faiths or to anyone else. Please donate generously on your way out.

Weekly programs: Team Fajr will be tomorrow after Fajr Salah with Mawlana Zahid Chaudhry, covering the Asma' al-Husna. Fajr Iqamah is at 6:15. There will be no Tafsir this Tuesday — we will resume on January 14th. Weekly Urdu Seerah program on Thursday nights after Isha with Mawlana Abdul Basit. And Sisters' Tuesday/Thursday Tafsir with Alimah Nikhat Muqeem.

Please make du'a. We always continue to keep in du'a Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and all the Muslim Ummah. There is a du'a request for Dr. Yaqub, who will have surgery on January 16th, insha'Allah. Please make du'a for shifa'.