Ramadan: The Month of Qur'an Revelation and Its Greatness

Jumu'ah Khutbah — The Month of the Qur'an

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Allah, the Exalted, said in the beginning of His revelation — after I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:

Sadaqallahul Azeem.

My dear respected brothers and sisters, elders and young friends. Allah's fadl is upon us, as we are enjoying the blessings of the month of Ramadan. May Allah allow us to complete this last Asharah with khair and barakah and aafiyah, and most importantly with maghfirah and qubuliyah in the court of Allah.

The First Attribute Allah Gives This Month

When Allah is introducing this month to all of us, the first attribute He mentions regarding this month could have been Shahru Ramadana alladhi furidha feehi s-siyam — this is the month of Ramadan in which fasting has been prescribed. Or this is the month of Ramadan in which sunnata feehi al-qiyam — the qiyam in the night has been declared to be a sunnah. Or this is the month of sabr, of patience, or the month of muwasah, of feeling compassion for the creation of Allah. So many different attributes of this month, which are all true and valid.

But instead of all of the above, when Allah selected the first attribute to give to this month when describing it, Allah says:

The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. So this is a very significant selection of Allah regarding this month and describing this month — this is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed.

All of the previous scriptures — from the Suhuf Ibrahima wa Musa, the Tawrah on Musa alayhi salam, the Injil, the Zabur — they were all also revealed in the month of Ramadan. The Qur'an in its entirety was revealed from the Lawh al-Mahfuz, the protected tablet, to the Sama' al-Dunya in this month of Ramadan. And from there onwards it was revealed upon Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam over 23 years, which also began in the month of Ramadan.

So there is a very strong link between this month and the heavenly scriptures, the heavenly revelation, the Wahi from Allah. Allah has given us this month to allow us to reconnect with His book, to reconnect with Him through His book.

The Greatness of the Kalaam of Allah

This kalaam of Allah is so azeem, so great. It is the sifah of Allah. When the heavens and the earth and everything will be destroyed —

Every single thing that is in existence that we see and do not see will be destroyed upon the blowing of the trumpet. But:

When Allah and His being and His attributes will remain, the Qur'an — being an attribute of Allah — will remain. It is from eternity and will last till eternity. It is azali and abadi, the kalaam of Allah.

If the kalaam of Allah is a sifah of Allah, and Allah is so great, then His sifah is so great. It is said:

When it was placed in the Lawh al-Mahfuz, the Lawh al-Mahfuz became great because it contained the kalaam of Allah. When it was brought down through the angel Jibreel alayhi salam —

It came through the angel Jibreel. Now, typically the one who is carrying a message is not the most important individual — because this is a low-level type of work, that you carry a message from here to there. You're a page boy, you're not making decisions, you're not the CEO, you don't have a corner office, you're not a C-level executive. You're just carrying a message.

However, this kalaam of Allah is so great that the one who was entrusted with the task of being the messenger — just to carry the kalaam — he became muta'in thamma, the one who is obeyed in the heavens. He ended up becoming the sayyid al-mala'ikah, the leader of all the angels, by virtue of how great this kalaam is.

And when this kalaam came down upon the heart of Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ — that heart became the best of all hearts. That qalb al-musaffa, al-mujalla, al-mutahhar, al-munawwar — it became the most purified, the most sanctified, the most beloved, the highest heart — because it was a heart selected to bear the Qur'an. SubhanAllah.

And then this ummah, which became the inheritors of this book — by virtue of inheriting the kalaam of Allah, it became:

You became the best of all the nations because you have inherited this book. Allah uses the word inheritance:

Then We have granted this book as a legacy, as an inheritance, to those from amongst Our servants that We have selected. SubhanAllah. The word istafa means to select. Just as Allah uses the word mustafa with respect to His Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — Mustafa, the chosen one, and mujtaba, the selected one — likewise, He uses these two verbs for this entire ummah.

And that entire ummah includes myself, yourself, and all of us sinners. We are also in the ummah of Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Here Allah says: ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا. We have selected from Our servants to receive this Qur'an. In another place He says: هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ — He has selected and chosen you.

So we are all mujtaba from Allah. We are all mustafa from Allah. That is another issue — whether we realize how important our maqam is, whether we are fulfilling the responsibilities associated with this position, or whether we are oblivious to it. It doesn't change the fact that this is a blessing from Allah upon us. May Allah allow us to awaken to this reality.

The Three Categories of Those Who Inherit the Qur'an

The reason we are selected and we are so great in the eyes of Allah is because we have been given this book. And by virtue of this book, we are great. It works both ways. But how do we react? How do we take this blessing of Allah? Allah mentions three groups:

The First Category: Zālim Linafsihi

There are those who do a great injustice with respect to this responsibility, with respect to this gift that is given to them. And this dhulm is to whom? To themselves. Because when we violate a right of Allah, we are doing dhulm upon our own self.

The rights and obligations can broadly be categorized into two: the rights of Allah and the rights of the creation of Allah. When we violate the right of the creation of Allah, we are doing dhulm on that creation — a husband violating the right of the wife, the wife the right of the husband, parents violating rights of children, children of parents, employer of employee, the ruler for the ruled and the ruled for the ruler, neighbor for neighbor, partner for partner in business. These are the huquq al-'ibad that have been violated — dhulm on other people.

And then there are the huquq Allah — the rights of Allah: the salah, zakat, sawm, hajj, and the tilawah of the Qur'an, the dhikr and ibadah, pondering and reflecting over the Qur'an, making amal on the Qur'an, developing a relationship with the Qur'an. These are rights of Allah. And if a person is violating the rights of Allah, then he is not doing dhulm on Allah, because you cannot do dhulm on Allah. Allah is above and beyond being mazloom or wronged. So when we violate the right of Allah, we are doing dhulm — yes, we are — but on whom? At that point, we are doing dhulm on our own selves.

Allah does not commit dhulm on anyone. Allah is neither zalim nor mazloom. He does not commit dhulm nor is He going to be receiving dhulm from anyone else. He is not an oppressor, nor is He oppressed.

So when Allah speaks about the different nations that were destroyed — مِنْهُم مَّن خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ — some of them the earth swallowed up, وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا — some of them were drowned, some of them أَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ — an angel came and screeched and their hearts were torn apart — all of these horrible ends, terrible disasters — then at the end Allah says:

Allah did not commit dhulm on anyone. People were doing dhulm upon themselves. So violating the right of Allah is a dhulm upon oneself.

The Second Category: Muqtasid

Those who go a little bit forward and then come back. Go forward and come back. They try to come on the right path but then they end up falling back because of their internal nafs al-ammarah bis-su', which is compelling them to go back. Then there is the evil environment, the bad company, the social structure not supporting them, and the shaytan regime out to get them. So with the combination of all of these factors, they go back. But then they make tawbah and try to come forward. So they are stuck halfway.

This is the nafs lawwamah stage — that you try to do good, then you end up committing bad, then you make lawwamah. It makes malamat and laments, it says: "Oh, woe unto you, you should straighten yourself up." Then you go one step forward, one step back.

The Third Category: Sābiq bil-Khayrāt

Then there are those who are far ahead of everyone else. They are doing a great job. They are coming close to Allah, running towards Allah in good deeds. And these are the people Allah says are sabiqun bil-khairati bi'idhnillah — with the permission of Allah.

This bi'idhnillah was not mentioned in category one or two, even though every single thing happens with the permission of Allah. But this is an etiquette you are learning — that مَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ, whatever good deed happens, whatever good thing happens, we attribute it back to Allah. And وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِن سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن نَّفْسِكَ, whatever bad happens to us, we attribute it back to our nafs.

As it is in the template of the mufti at the end of his fatwa — he writes: in kaana as-sawab, wa minallah. Anything in my answer which is correct is from Allah. Wa in kaana al-khata', fa minni wa min nafsi wa min ash-shaytanir rajim — it is from me, my nafs, and from Shaytan.

So Allah says that whatever good is happening, this is from Me — this is My tawfiq. وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ — Whatever tawfiq we have is from Allah. Whatever ability to do good deeds is from Allah. And yes, we should celebrate and be happy about those good deeds.

The Philosophy of Eid and the Happiness of Fasting

Going back to the ayah recited in the beginning, Allah says:

You complete the days of fasting, then you say Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillahil hamd — praise Allah at the time of Eid for the tawfiq that He guided you, and you thank Him for that tawfiq. Wa la'allakum tashkurun. That is the philosophy of Eid.

And when we are happy, that is a good thing. We are commanded to be happy. Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22070)

When your good deed makes you happy, and your sin makes you sad, then know that you are a true believer. Because Allah considered you worthy of doing the good deed — He selected you and gave you the tawfiq to do a good deed.

That is why Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in one hadith that is often misunderstood — that the one who is fasting has two moments when he is very happy:

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

There is one happiness at the time when he makes iftar. So when you read or hear the hadith, we say, subhanAllah, of course it is a very happy time — you can eat, you can drink, you can enjoy these blessings, quench your thirst, satiate your hunger. Because the month of Ramadan is more than the month of fasting — it is the month of feasting! In quality, quantity, and variety, in all metrics, the consumption of food is increasing across all fronts. So this is the opportunity to enjoy, and subhanAllah — let us party at the iftar party or whatever happens afterwards.

But in reality, the actual meaning of this hadith is that subhanAllah, the happiness is because a person was able to fulfill one fast, was able to complete this ibadah — and is happy not that "I did it, I'm so great, I fasted," but rather: "O Allah, You have selected me, granted me tawfiq and ability to fast one more day."

That is why on the 29th of Ramadan — as this year is also going to be coming — all the ahlullah and the awliya of Allah, the beloved of Allah, they will be hoping and hoping that the moon will not be sighted. Because one single fast is so valuable in the eyes of Allah. If it would be sighted they say: "Okay, we accept the decree of Allah." As if — when someone passes away, you say, "This is what Allah has decreed," but what are you hoping for when the baby is born? You're hoping for a live birth, you're not hoping for a still birth. But if there's a stillbirth you'll say, "Allah has decreed it, we accept His decree," and you are permitted to have a tear or two — but not to complain against Allah.

So that would be the condition regarding the sighting of the moon on the 29th. Because one fard fast is so valuable — the entire year of nafl fasts cannot equal one fard fast. That is how valuable one fard fast is.

So that is the farahatun 'inda fitrihi — the happiness at the time of iftar. And farahatun 'inda liqa'i rabbihi — happiness when meeting Allah. Farahatani — two opportunities of happiness. One is a daily happiness: "O Allah, You gave me tawfiq to fast." And the second is, subhanAllah, when you see the rewards from Allah: "O Allah, You have made me worthy of all of these rewards."

And even then, we praise Allah. Lillahil hamdu awwalan wa akhiran. In the beginning we praise Allah, in the middle we praise Allah, and at the end. Even in Jannah, the ahlul Jannah, when they receive the rewards, they will be saying:

All praise and all thanks to Allah — He guided us to this. This, referring to Jannah and its blessings. Hadana lihaza — He guided us to this. And for further emphasis: wa ma kunna linahtadiya lawla an hadana Allah — we would never have been rightly guided, we would never have been on the right path, we would never have been able to deserve these blessings, if it wasn't for the guidance from Allah. SubhanAllah.

Aisha's Interpretation of the Three Categories

So these are the categories Allah mentions about the Qur'an — faminhum zalimun linafsihi, some are wronging themselves; wa minhum muqtasid; and wa minhum sabiqun bil-khayraat. That is the fawzul azeem, the true success. So this is the month where we have to see which category we are in.

Someone came and asked Aisha Siddiqa radiyallahu ta'ala anha — "Ya Ummul Mu'mineen, Allah says that when you have something you need, then فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ — ask the wives of Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam from behind the curtain. I have this question: what do these three categories refer to?"

She said the first category — first from Allah's side, who is close to Allah, but third in the order of being mentioned — she said the sabiqun bil-khayraat are Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the early predecessors. They are the sabiqun as-sabiqun. They are the muqarrabun. They are sabiqun al-awwaluna min al-muhajirina wal-ansar. And then the second group who are halfway are those who followed them afterwards — the next batch, the next generation. And the zalim ul-nafsi? That's who's left behind — you and I. So we are among the zalimin.

This shows, subhanAllah, the level of fana' that Aisha Siddiqa had from that era — of completely cancelling out any pretense of self-accomplishment, and saying: "We are nothing, we have done nothing." She said zalim ul-nafsi — that's you and I. We are left behind, we are the zalims. The good people have passed before us, man qabalana. SubhanAllah. If she considered herself the zalim, then where do we stand? We don't even belong anywhere near her — near the dirt on her feet.

The Rights of the Qur'an

May Allah awaken us to fulfill the responsibilities of the Qur'an and reconnect in this month. The question is: if not now, then when? If not now, in this month of Ramadan, the month of the Qur'an — when day and night we are being bombarded by the message of the Qur'an, the recitation of the Qur'an, reminded that this is the month of Ramadan, this is the month when the Qur'an was revealed, we read it in the day, recite it at night, we listen to it — if we still do not develop that relationship, then when?

Developing the relationship from the perspective of learning to recite it properly:

They recite the Qur'an the way the Qur'an is to be recited — correctly.

Recite with tajweed — tajwid al-huruf, ma'rifat al-wuquf. To learn how to recite the letters correctly. What are the makhaarij, what are the sifaat. Where to end and how to end the ayah correctly — ma'rifat al-wuquf.

To learn the meanings of the Qur'an — Allah says:

So you may take heed. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ — so you may understand. لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ — so you may ponder and reflect. The Qur'an has been revealed for this purpose:

Do we not ponder or reflect over the Qur'an? Or are the hearts locked up? And then beyond that, we have to make amal. We have to practice upon it. We have to propagate its message. These are the rights of the Qur'an.

The Qur'an Will Either Elevate or Debase Us

May we be among those that Allah and Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam spoke of. Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 223)

The Qur'an will testify in your favor — shafi'an wa mashfu'an, it will intercede and its intercession will be accepted. Whereas on the other hand, it will testify against you.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 817)

Allah will elevate people through this book, and others will be debased through this book. Those who fulfilled its rights will be elevated. Those who neglected its rights will be debased. Which group are we going to be in? It's hit or miss — there's no gray area.

The dwellers of Jannah and the dwellers of the Fire are not equal. The dwellers of Jannah — they are the successful ones. So which one is it going to be?

Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is going to complain on the Day of Judgment:

He is going to say: "O my Lord, my people, from my ummah, they have abandoned the Qur'an." Mahjura — from hijrah. Hijrah is to migrate, to leave something. Just as you forsake your homeland and you move to a new land, that is how they will forsake the Qur'an, abandon it — do hijrah from it and go to some other book, some other place, some other lifestyle, ideology, culture, religion, whatever it may be. Ittakhadhu hadhal Qur'ana mahjura.

So do we want to be — la qaddara Allah — among those that Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is going to complain about? If Rasulallah is complaining, the Qur'an is complaining — then where do we stand? We cannot counter that.

May Allah make us among those whose status will be elevated through the Qur'an, rather than debased. May Allah make us among those who fulfill the rights of the Qur'an to the best of our ability. We can never fulfill it completely — ma 'abadnaaka haqqa 'ibadatik — but to the best of our ability. To such a level that Allah forgives us and accepts whatever humble efforts we are doing and presenting in His court.

But this is truly an opportunity for all of us to individually make muhasabah before it is too late:

Has the time not yet arrived for the believers that their hearts will tremble from the dhikr of Allah? The time is now. May Allah give us tawfiq to make amal on it, to grab the opportunity before it is gone.

Wa akhiru da'wana anil hamdu lillah, wal hamdu lillah.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, seek His forgiveness, believe in Him, and place our trust in Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our own souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, no one can misguide, and whoever He leaves astray, no one can guide. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner, and we bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and His messenger — may Allah send salutations upon him, his family, his companions, abundantly.

Allah says:

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3791; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 154)

O servants of Allah — may Allah have mercy on you — indeed Allah commands justice and excellence and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality and wrongdoing and oppression. He admonishes you so that perhaps you will be reminded. Remember Allah and He will remember you; supplicate to Him and He will respond to you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest. And Allah knows what you do. Establish the prayer.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right. Please donate generously in this month of Ramadan on the day of Jumu'ah. Allah will multiply the rewards and will grant us His divine protection. You can also donate online or through Zelle at donate@masjidds.org.

Please also sponsor iftar for the community and the dinner for the students by signing up with the QR code in the lobby. You will receive the full reward of those who are fasting — as Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam indicated in the hadith.

We are now in the last 10 nights of Ramadan, and the 10-day i'tikaf program has begun. Starting from 1 AM, there is a candlelight conversation with Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed. At 3 AM, there is a guided ibadah. After Fajr, there is the Rise and Reflect program on various topics. After Dhuhr, ilm corners with various 'ulama — different halaqat take place. After Asr, the Power of Prophetic Prayers with Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed — du'as of Rasulallah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And after Tarawih, the asbab al-nuzul — causes of revelation, the context beyond the text of sirah.

For the sisters: alhamdulillah, on Friday, March 21st and Saturday, March 22nd — the Salaam Collective has programs for sisters of all different ages, from 5 PM to Maghrib. There is an online sisters Qur'an recitation circle with an 'alima and naqibat muqimah. This is online for sisters only. There is also the Young Girls Pray, Play and Learn — Young Muslimahs Tarawih. This is a children's program on the sisters' side throughout the month of Ramadan during Tarawih time, so that the mothers can perform Tarawih while the kids remain engaged with snacks and Islamic activities.

Please save the date — we have our annual retreat coming up shortly after Ramadan, on April 25th to April 27th. Visit the website for further details.

We have guests today from Masjid al-Isa from Addison. They are urgently raising funds to complete their 9,000 square foot basement and expand their sisters' hall due to shortage of space. To be a part of this great Sadaqah Jariyah project, please stop by Masjid al-Isa's booth on your way out.

And we continue to make du'a for Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and the entire Muslim Ummah: