The Quran: Guidance For All, Benefit For The Pious

Opening Praise and Salutations

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and the Messengers. And upon his family and his companions, the pious and the pure. And whoever follows them with goodness and calls upon them with his call, and follows their Sunnah and follows their guidance until the Day of Recompense.

As for what follows, Allah, the Exalted, said in the Book of His Revelation, after we seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan:

Ameen, O Lord of the worlds.

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

The Qur'an: Guidance for All, Benefit for the God-Conscious

Allah, the Exalted, has revealed this Qur'an as a source of guidance for all mankind, for all humanity. And Allah, the Exalted, says that those who have taqwa and fear Him and are God-conscious, they are those who will benefit from this Qur'an. They will benefit from the guidance provided in the Qur'an. Even though the Qur'an has been sent for the guidance of all humanity, those who truly fear Allah, the Exalted, they will benefit from it. This is the way we can reconcile the two ayahs that apparently seem contradictory.

Where in one ayah, Allah, the Exalted, says that this is the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an has been revealed as a source of guidance for all of humanity. And Allah, the Exalted, also says right in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah:

This is the book, in which there is no doubt, a source of guidance for those who have taqwa. So this is a known fact that does not need to be proven. It's accepted by all that all of an-naas, all of humanity, are not muttaqeen. Some of the human beings are muttaqeen and some are ghayr muttaqeen, not muttaqeen. In fact, they are kafireen, they disbelieve in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created all of you — some of you are kafir, some of you are mu'min.

So He says that the Qur'an is a source of guidance for all mankind, and He also says, a source of guidance for the muttaqeen, or only the muttaqeen. So which one is it? Begs the question, which one is it? Is it for all mankind or is it only for muttaqeen?

The answer is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed it as a source of guidance for all of mankind. But only those who have taqwa, fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, they are the ones who will benefit from it. Just like, if somebody gives an open invitation that everyone after Jumu'ah Salah, there is a lunch at my home, everyone can come to my home for lunch — so the invitation is for everyone. But who will actually benefit from the food, enjoy the food, enjoy the taste of the food, and nutritionally benefit from ingesting the food, are those who take the trouble to go to the house, grab a plate, grab the food, take the food, put it in their mouth, chew it, swallow it — they will benefit. Even though the invitation is for everyone.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has sent this Qur'an as a source of guidance for all of mankind. The Qur'an is there as a source of hidayah. The question is: are we benefiting from it or not? Are we amongst the muttaqeen, that the Qur'an is granting us hidayah, or are we amongst those who are ignoring the message of the Qur'an?

Who Benefits from the Qur'an? The Condition of the Heart

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Verily in this Qur'an there is a dhikr, a source of admonition, advice. But for whom? Who is going to benefit from it? For the one who has a sound heart, the one whose heart is purified or is working on the purification of his heart, removing the sicknesses of the heart — لِمَن كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ — who has a pure heart. And he listens attentively: أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ. He is not only physically present, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually, with all his faculties, he's paying attention to the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, seeking advice from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, looking forward to see what is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanding him.

When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا — O those who believe — do his ears prick up? Does his mind pay attention? Does his heart focus? That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is addressing me. If I claim to be among the mu'minoon, the believers, then this is a direct command to me. Allah is calling out to me.

When we teach grammar to the students, we come across this letter — يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا — يَا is from the حُرُوفُ النِّدَاء, the articles of calling out to someone: يَا، أَيَا، هَيَا، أَيْ، أَ — the five letters that are used. And when we are translating it into English, we tell the students that typically such حُرُوفُ النِّدَاء are not used in the English language. When you call someone in English, you just say his name. It's very rarely you use the word "Oh." So if you are speaking to somebody, you will call him — Zaid, Amr, Bakr — and you address him. You don't necessarily say, "Oh, Zaid." It's a very archaic or very old-fashioned type of speaking, or some extreme circumstances. Otherwise typically you just take the name and go on.

But here Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is using this harf, this article to call out to us. The question is again: do we even feel that we are being addressed? أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ — are we physically, mentally present?

Attentive Listening Followed by Action

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, who are those who will benefit? Again, He says:

Those who not only listen to the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — for that Allah could have used the verb يَسْمَعُونَ; سَمِعَ، يَسْمَعُ means to listen. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala used a different verb: اسْتَمَعَ، يَسْتَمِعُونَ — which means to listen attentively, consciously. It's not some background music that's playing, or you happen to overhear something. But rather you make a conscious effort to focus: what is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saying?

And we don't just hear it and record it, take some notes, but rather after that follow it up with action. الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ — then follow it up by implementing, practicing upon the beautiful advices that are given.

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ — they are those whom Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guides. Those who listen attentively, those who focus on the message from Allah and His Rasul, those who follow it up with actions, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has promised: أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ — they are those whom Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will guide. وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ — and they alone are the intelligent ones.

The Command to Respond to the Call of Allah and His Rasul

On the other hand, we have examples wherein Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows us what was the attitude of the kafirun, the mushrikun of Makkah, the munafiqun of Madinah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, how did they respond when the ayahs of the Qur'an were revealed, were recited? How did they respond when Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was calling them?

One side Allah is telling us to listen attentively, focus. When the call is made, respond:

O those who believe — يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا — again we're being addressed. اسْتَجِيبُوا — respond. Respond immediately, say لَبَّيْكَ with your tongue and with your body. Spring into action. To Allah and His Rasul, when they call out onto you, إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ — when they invite you, when they call you — for what? لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ — towards such actions, towards such beliefs, towards such practices, that will give you the true life. The حَيَاةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ in this dunya and the حَيَاةُ الْجَنَّةِ eternally, insha'Allah. When they're inviting you, they're inviting you towards what? Towards that in which is your own benefit, not for their own selves.

Heedlessness in the Face of Reckoning

Now the attitude of the mushrikun and the munafiqun is described by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the opening ayah of Surah Al-Anbiya':

The time for reckoning, the hisab — اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ — the time for the reckoning, the time for giving an account of our actions in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, which is an ultimate reality. No one can escape it. There will be no place to hide.

That day you will be presented in the court of Allah and nothing will be hidden in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. On the plane of judgment, there will be no mountains or valleys to hide. Everyone will come in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala alone.

So that hisab, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ — the time for the reckoning has become qareeb, has drawn near.

The Nearness and Certainty of the Day of Judgment

Another place Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Al-Qiyamah:

Do the human beings think that we cannot recreate their big bones and put them together? In fact, why not? When we can recreate even the intricate details of their fingerprints. This is before people knew that each of our fingerprints are unique identifiers. Based on that we have all of the barcodes and QR codes that we learn from the way Allah ta'ala created us as unique identifiers. He asks, when is the Day of Judgment coming? Bring it on. أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ — when is the Day of Judgment?

Allah ta'ala says:

You think it is very very far. إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا — it's very far. But we see it as near.

O those who believe, again, inculcate taqwa — at Surah Al-Hashr. وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ — every soul should ponder and reflect and consider what they have prepared لِغَدٍ — for tomorrow.

Tomorrow — the tashbih is one perspective that as tomorrow is so near, that's how near the Day of Judgment is. And another perspective is: as certain as tomorrow is, that's how certain the Day of Judgment is. Just like we know that today is Friday and tomorrow will be Saturday. The sun will rise tomorrow. Whether it will be a cloudy day, we may not see it, or a clear day, we may see it. Whether in fact you and I are alive, we do not know. But we know that tomorrow is going to come.

Because all the major signs of the Day of Judgment have not appeared yet. And after that perhaps you could say maybe tomorrow itself is not even certain. But as of now, tomorrow is certain. So just like tomorrow is certain, the Day of Judgment is certain. Just like tomorrow is near, the Day of Judgment is near.

Anyway, going back to the ayah, Allah ta'ala says — اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ — the time for reckoning has drawn near for the people. وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ — yet they are heedless. And i'rad means to turn away. They're turning away, they're ignoring.

Hearts Oblivious to the Message

مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ لَاهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ — so Allah ta'ala says, whenever new ayat are revealed upon Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and he's announcing in as-salatu jami'ah, and the announcement is made and people come to the masjid to hear the fresh ayat. The reason I'm saying fresh is because the ayah says مُّحْدَثٍ — new ayat being revealed at that time. Of course, the Qur'an's revelation has been complete. And from the revelation perspective, you will not have new ayat. But for us who are ignorant of the Qur'an and have not studied the entire Qur'an, any ayah we study for the first time will be new for us.

Whenever these ayahs are revealed and recited and announced, the message is conveyed from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — يَلْعَبُونَ — they're playing. لَاهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ — their hearts are negligent, their hearts are oblivious, their hearts are not paying attention. And they mock. They mock the ayahs of Allah, His signs, His verses, His message.

In fact, mocking the ayahs of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or rejecting them is such a major sin and crime that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that forget about engaging in such a practice — even being in the company of such people is haram, from the Quranic ayah:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that when you see people rejecting my ayat or mocking my ayat or saying what's the point of this command or that command, what does Allah ta'ala mean here or there — فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ — then stay away from such people. Don't even sit in such a company.

Allah ta'ala says in another place: إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ — then you will be considered amongst them. You'll potentially face the same wrath as they will.

So may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to understand that the Qur'an, the word of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is not something that is merely for barakah and blessing, that we keep it on our shelf and adorn our home with its blessed presence — which of course it does have barakah — but beyond that, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has revealed it for us to recite it, to understand it, to ponder over it, to reflect on it, to practice it, to propagate its message.

Three Categories of People with the Qur'an

And I conclude with the other ayah wherein Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that how the people will behave with the Qur'an falls into three categories:

ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ — then we have granted this book as a legacy. الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا — to our selected servants. Who is that? All of us here, from the Ummah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. But how do the people treat my book? Allah says three categories:

Category 1: فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ — the first category are those who are committing grave dhulm against themselves.

Category 2: وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ — the second category are those who go forward a little bit, start learning tajweed in Ramadan, work on reciting, then forget about it afterwards. Go a little bit ahead, go back. One step forward, one step back. Halfway. The intermediate group.

Category 3: وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ — and then those who progress. And sabiq are those who win the race. They are ahead of everyone else when it comes to the study, practice, implementation, and propagation of the message of the Qur'an. سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ — this happens with the permission of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They do not claim any greatness to themselves, but rather they attribute and make nisbah of that towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

We ask from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He makes us among this third category. And we ask from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He protect us, that we not be among those that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, on the Day of Judgment, will complain to Allah about:

The Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, in Surah Al-Furqan, Allah ta'ala mentions he will say to Allah ta'ala: O Allah, these people who came after me, they abandoned the Qur'an. اتَّخَذُوا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا — hijrah. They made hijrah — migration — not from Dar al-Kufr to Dar al-Islam, or from Dar al-Bid'ah to Dar al-Sunnah, or from Dar al-Marad to Dar al-Sihhah, or any other type of the hijrah that comes in the books. They made hijrah from the Qur'an to the ghayr al-Qur'an. They abandoned the Qur'an. The Rasul sallallahu alaihi wa sallam will complain.

So what will be the situation of those unfortunate people? We seek Allah's protection that we be amongst them — rather, that we awaken to understand that this Qur'an has been revealed for our hidayah. And it is about time that we actively make plans to engage with the Qur'an, to study the Qur'an, and to insha'Allah implement it in our lives.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us all tawfeeq to make amal.