The Quran: Allah's Priceless Gift, Our Responsibility To Use

The Quran: A Divine Gift We Must Treasure

ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ونشهد أن سيدنا وحبيبنا ومولانا محمدًا عبده ورسوله

أما بعد

Beloved brothers and sisters, esteemed and honorable guests of the house of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

A Parable: The Gift Left Unused

I would like us to imagine for a second — that if we were on our way to the masjid, or maybe on our way to work, and we saw a friend who was struggling with the cold. He was battling, he was finding it very difficult. And then day after day you see them coming to work, or you see them on their way to the masjid, and their nose is running and they're sniffling. And you can see by the time they come in the masjid, their ears may be red or their cheeks are puffing, gasping for air, trying to cover themselves with their coat. You can see they're having a very hard time struggling with the situation outside.

Now imagine if you went out of your way — you went to the store or maybe you looked online for a really nice warm hat or a scarf — and you went ahead and you purchased it. And then the next time you saw him, either at work or in the masjid or wherever it may be, you approach that individual and you said, "You know, subhanAllah, I've been seeing you struggling with the cold for so long, and I got you a special gift — this is for you, and I want you to use it." So then he takes it and he's appreciative, mashAllah, he thanks you for that.

But then the next day you come to work, and the next day you come to the masjid, and you see this person — he's not wearing it. He's still struggling with the cold. And then maybe you think, okay, maybe he forgot it, maybe he doesn't have a habit of using it. Give him an excuse. Next day, the same thing. Third day. Now a point will come where you'll think to yourself: what is wrong with this individual? What is wrong with this man? What is wrong with this person — that I went out of my way to give him this gift, he's battling, he's struggling, he's enduring so much difficulty and he's going through so much hardship, and this is there for him. He didn't even have to spend a single penny. I gave it to him without any difficulty from his own side, without any investment from his own side. I gave it to him out of my own kindness. But yet this person — he's insane. You may refer to such a person as foolish.

The Gift of the Qur'an

Now let us think to ourselves — may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us and forgive us — but how many of us fall in the same scenario, or fall in the same situation, when it comes to the gift of the Qur'an? That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in Surah Fatir:

"We granted this book — this Qur'an, this miraculous divine book — to those servants of ours that we have chosen and selected": the Muslims.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says أَوْرَثْنَا — perhaps we may recognize the root letters in this word. We've heard of the word مِيرَاث — inheritance. And the same type of word is used when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about gifting the Ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ the Qur'an. In other words — when was the last time a person struggled to receive inheritance? You receive wealth and money because of the fact that you're a relative of that individual. You didn't have to work a single day to earn that money, but that money comes your way. It's your right, it's your inheritance. Similarly, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying: we granted you the Qur'an. We granted the Ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ the Qur'an — without any effort from their own side. We gave you that gift.

The Three Categories of People

Then Allah talks about three categories of individuals:

The First Category: Those Who Wrong Themselves

فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ — the first category is like that individual that we were imagining. The one who does not take advantage of this gift. In fact, the one who neglects this gift — that instead of utilizing it, reading it... Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"We have provided every single type of example whereby a human being can attain guidance." Allah talks about the Qur'an and He says:

He's not just addressing you and I. He's not just addressing the Muslims. Allah is saying يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ — O mankind. Imagine — there are very few times, in fact — people who have studied the Qur'an versus the Torah and the Bible and other such books, they mention that when we are reading the Qur'an, a lot of times we feel as though we are being addressed directly from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It's not just a narrative but rather it's a conversation. Allah is saying: O mankind, O my creation.

قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ — advice, good counsel from Allah has come to you. وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ — a cure for all ailments of the heart.

The scholars they mention — why did Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala say that the Qur'an is a cure for spiritual illnesses or sicknesses? Is that it? Is it such that the Qur'an is only useful for curing illnesses of the heart, or is it also beneficial when it comes to physical ailments as well? The scholars they mention that it can also be a means of curing one's physical problems as well. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sufficed on spiritual illnesses because those are the worst type of illnesses.

A person can live crippled his whole entire life — may Allah protect every single one of us, and those who are going through difficulties, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them shifa and may Allah grant them well-being. But a person can go through these difficulties his entire life, but if his heart is clean and pure and he passes away without any spiritual maladies, then you will find that person will enjoy eternal bliss for the rest of his life. But on the other hand, that person who was blessed with everything including good health and well-being — if he has spiritual illnesses and he passes away with such illnesses, such as kibr — arrogance — or hatred towards his fellow Muslim brothers or sisters, or he has whatever spiritual illness may be there — hasad, envy, etc. — and he passes away with those illnesses, then it's very possible that his entrance into Jannah will be compromised or will be delayed.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that not only has the Qur'an come to you as a means of good counsel, but even as a means of a cure for all types of illnesses — especially those of the heart. As a student, when I was studying — 2007, 2008, 2009 — doing hifz, sometimes we would use the excuse of being sick to stay home from class. And my mother would force me, even if I were to stay home, to read the Qur'an. And you would find — she would do this obviously, mashAllah, as a good mother — but also because she would find that that would also be a means of cure for whatever illness. If you have asthma and you get a cold, it's not like any normal person who catches a cold. You find that your lungs fill up with phlegm and it becomes more difficult to breathe, and you have to cough up more of that phlegm, more of that mucus. And by virtue of reading the Qur'an, you are going to be coughing up a little bit more. So that's like a very easy way to understand that it can also be a means of cure for physical ailments as well.

وَهُدًى — a means of guidance. We find many times we feel in life: what am I doing? What am I doing with my life? Many people they have certain milestones, and then once you've covered everything, you wonder — what's the purpose of my life? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: you read the Qur'an, you'll find a purpose in life. You'll find guidance on all matters. You'll find guidance how to deal with people who have betrayed you, how to deal with people who have been harsh to you, how to deal with people that have been kind to you, how to deal with your fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, how to deal with non-Muslims. All of that is found in the Qur'an.

وَرَحْمَةٌ — everyone goes through ups and everyone also goes through downs. Allah says:

"We have created mankind in such a manner that he will always be going through some sort of difficulty." Everyone has different problems that have been fashioned for their own lives — things that they themselves can deal with — but everyone is going through problems. So a means of mercy, a means of consolement, a means of something that you can lean back on. Allah says وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ — but all of these blessings are for whom? لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ — for those who truly believe that these blessings will be found there.

So there are again three categories of individuals. There are so many different benefits in the Qur'an, so many different benefits. But Allah says there are three groups of people.

فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ — that first group who, instead of using the Qur'an to secure all of these benefits, they are using it to collect dust on their shelves. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us. I remember also as a student going into the bookshop, then I would see certain students who were not able to read even a sentence of Arabic. But yet they'll go and they'll purchase a book — for $300, a voluminous book, 22 volumes, 20 volumes. And I'd think: what is this person going to do with this book? Maybe he's gifting it to someone. So I'd ask him: are you getting this as a gift? What are you doing with it? And he said, "I'm buying it so it can look nice on my shelf at home. It'll be like a really nice art piece." May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us and protect us. I hope it's not such that there are some individuals who purchase Qur'ans only for that sake. اللهم احرمنا جميعاً. But the purpose is there to read, to connect with it, to connect with your Creator.

Khabbab ibn al-Aratt radiyallahu anhu — he mentions:

You will never be able to come closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with anything more beloved and more virtuous in His sight — greater than the Qur'an itself.

The Second Category: The Moderate

وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ — you find those who do make the Qur'an a part of their lives. They do read it from time to time. They do benefit from it. Alhamdulillah.

The Third Category: The Forerunners

وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ — you have those who are at the forefront, those who are surpassing everyone in the amount of Qur'an that they are reading, the amount of Qur'an that they are acting upon, in the benefits that they are receiving from reading the Qur'an. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has mentioned these three examples so that we can all judge ourselves. I'm not here to judge anyone — in fact, I am here, after reading the ayah, to actually judge myself. And we all ought to ask ourselves: which category do we fall under? How much of this Qur'an are we truly benefiting from?

Our Excuses — and the Answers to Them

"I Don't Understand Arabic"

We may have a few excuses — why don't we read the Qur'an? Why isn't the Qur'an truly a part of our lives as it should be? One may say to themselves: I don't really understand what is in the Qur'an. I don't understand the Arabic language. So what's the point of reading something like a parrot? Well then — learn Arabic. There are so many translations, there are so many books of tafsirs that have been written in the English language by reliable scholars. For example, Ma'arif al-Qur'an or Illuminating Discourses — these are written by very reliable individuals. Mufti Shafi'i Uthmani's father is the one who wrote Ma'arif al-Qur'an, and it was translated. Mawlana Ashiq Ilahi wrote Illuminating Discourses — a book that's been translated by reliable scholars. We can benefit from that, or other English translations that we can benefit from.

We can also take out time in our lives to learn Arabic. Here, alhamdulillah, in the one year program, you find that students — after only one year of course, full immersion — are able to now access the meaning of the Qur'an through their knowledge of the Arabic language, after one year. So then maybe we don't have the ability or the time to sacrifice one year of our lives and give all of our time to a one year full time program. But on a part time basis we can definitely start this journey, and maybe over two, three, four years — provided that we are dedicated — we will be able to access the Arabic language. It is one of the easiest of languages to learn. This is something that we should do and we can do.

The Story of the Coal Basket

Perhaps others may not have the time to do so. Even then, it is still beneficial to read the Qur'an. On one occasion someone came — it was a young child, he was growing up with his grandfather. Children are, in this example — monkey see, monkey do. You see a little kid, he's like a sponge — he'll absorb everything around him. Whatever he sees being done, he will do it. Especially when they start learning how to speak — then you have to be very careful — because you can say one bad word on accident, one time. They'll just hear it once, and that's enough for them to repeat it ten times that same day.

So you'll find that this child — he saw his grandfather, mashAllah, had a very good habit. Every single day after Fajr he would pick up the Qur'an and he would read. The kid would also come and sit in his lap initially. Then he would also pick up a book and he would look and read. And then as he got a little bit older, he understood what the Qur'an was. He picked up the Qur'an, he started reading, he learned how to read Arabic. But then the time came where he began to question, and he asked his grandfather: "What is the point of this? You and I both know that we don't understand anything that's written here. So why are we still reading this every single day? What's the point? We're not benefiting, we're not retaining anything."

So the grandfather understood: I need to teach him a lesson. So what he told the grandson: "You know what — why don't you take this basket?" It was a coal basket — it was full of coal. He dumped it out. "Take this basket. We live next to a river. Go and fill up this basket with water and bring it back." So he went to the river, he picked it up, he came back — to no avail. There was no water left. It was a basket, after all. Then he went back, and the grandfather told him, "I told you — you should bring the basket full of water. Go back and try again." So he went back a little bit faster — again to no avail. Then a little bit faster. Then he decided: that's it, I'm gonna go as fast as I can. And he ran as fast as he could back from the river to his grandfather. But yet it was still to no avail.

Then he got so upset. He took the basket and he threw it on the ground and he started yelling at his grandfather: "What is wrong with you? You don't have any sense whatsoever! All the time you're telling us to read this Qur'an — it doesn't make any sense. And you're telling me to fill up this basket with water — can't you see? Are you crazy? This is a basket! How are you ever gonna fill it up with water? It's never gonna retain anything!"

Then the grandfather told the grandson very calmly: "Why don't you look at the basket?" Before, it was a basket full of coal — it was all dirty, filthy. Now it was gleaming. It was shining so bright. He said: "Just as even though this basket did not retain any water, the fact that you took it to the water and you tried filling it up — it cleansed it out without you even realizing. Similarly, I read the Qur'an because it cleans my heart. And you read the Qur'an because it cleans your heart."

The Reward for Every Letter

And in fact, we are blessed. From Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2910)

"That person who recites a single letter of the Qur'an — he will receive ten rewards." And in the example he said: Alif Lam Mim is not one word. Alif is one letter, Lam is one letter, Mim is one letter. No one knows what Alif Lam Mim means — yet Rasulullah ﷺ is still saying that you will receive reward. So yes, we should definitely endeavor to learn the meaning of the Qur'an, and of course you will benefit far more. But don't let that be a means of stopping you from connecting yourself to the Qur'an.

"I Don't Have Time"

Then we may think to ourselves: well, we don't have any time. Don't you think that the Creator of time — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — will make time for the one who makes time for Him? This is a miraculous book. It is miraculous in nature. It doesn't make sense — and if it wasn't a miracle, then it would make sense. But it is a miracle. Miracles don't make sense — that's why you call it a miracle. You find you make time for the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will put more barakah in your time. You will be able to achieve that, and you will be able to do far more.

"It's Too Difficult for Me to Read"

Then we think to ourselves: it's so difficult for me to read the Qur'an, and I put it down very quickly. Then we will end with this last hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ. Rasulullah ﷺ has praised those individuals who are capable of reciting the Qur'an, and he said that they are:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4937; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 798)

They — the skilled reciter — are at the rank of the angels. But that individual who recites the Qur'an and he stutters when he's reciting it, and it is very, very difficult for him — what reward will he receive? His "punishment" is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will reward him with two rewards. When was the last time, subhanAllah, a person is failing at their job miserably and expects to be rewarded? If you are going to work and you are messing up your job, then you're going to expect to be fired. But here Allah is saying: the fact that you're going through the difficulty, the fact that you're trying to connect with My kalam, you're trying to connect with the Qur'an — just because of that, you will receive one reward. And for the difficulty that you're experiencing, you're going to receive another reward. That individual will receive two times the reward.

Preparing for the Month of the Qur'an

So whether it is because of lack of time, or whether it is because of lack of understanding, or whether it is because of difficulty that we experience — all of these are just excuses. But this is the month of Qur'an that is coming. It's a month which has a special connection with the Qur'an:

So we have to do our absolute best — not to start from the month of Qur'an, but to start before the month of Qur'an. The month of Sha'ban is known as شَهْرُ الْقُرَّاء — the month of the reciters — because everyone begins in the month of Sha'ban to attach themselves to the Qur'an. So that when the month of Ramadan comes, we're already accustomed, our tongues are ready, and we begin to truly, truly maximize on our benefits.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all the ability to attach the Qur'an to our lives, to truly be amongst the companions of the Qur'an. Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned that Allah has special individuals — His choicest, select servants. Who are they? Rasulullah ﷺ mentioned:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 215; Mustadrak al-Hakim)

"The people of the Qur'an — those who have made the Qur'an truly part of their lives — they are the close servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala."

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to act upon what has been said.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Announcements

Our Sisters' Seerah Series — exclusively for sisters of all ages — will take place from 1:30 to 3:15. Their next session will be this upcoming Sunday, the 23rd, inshAllah. The seerah series will continue after Ramadan — that will be their last session, and then after Ramadan it will take place again.

We have mashAllah a guest speaker who has come all the way from Darul Uloom Deoband, who will be addressing us inshAllah after Isha Salah.

Additionally, tomorrow we have a special program to prepare ourselves for Ramadan — "A Strategic Approach to Ramadan" with Mawlana Yusuf Ghouth — which is Saturday, tomorrow, after Isha Salah.

Also, let us kindly pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously.

A few Ramadan programs that we will be having inshAllah: The main Taraweeh will be led by our very own Mufti Minhaj, Mufti Azimuddin, and Mawlana Farhan Sayyid, hafidhahullah. We will also have a 7-day Taraweeh khatm, which will be led by Qari Sulayman, Mahmood, Ibrahim, Hamza Qadri, etc. — in the gym for brothers and also the banquet hall for the sisters. So there has been more room allocated for this 7-day Taraweeh khatm.

We also have a Community Iftar which will be on Sunday, March 2nd. I'tikaf will begin from the 20th or 29th of Ramadan according to the moon sighting. Registration is on the website at majids.org.

Alhamdulillah, we also have our regular weekly programs: Team Fajr will be tomorrow after Fajr Salah at 6am. Tuesday Tafsir is continuing with Surah al-Ahqaf. We also have a weekly Urdu Seerah program every Thursday after Isha Salah. And we have a weekly on-site Sisters' Urdu Tafsir every Thursday from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. The date boxes for Ramadan are being sold at the food stall.

And lastly, before dispersing — we should all inshAllah make it a point to make a firm intention before leaving and create some sort of system, some sort of schedule for ourselves. If we do not know how to read the Qur'an, let us inshAllah learn how to read the Qur'an. If you know how to read the Qur'an, let us inshAllah — every Muslim should do their best to at the bare minimum finish at least one recitation of the Qur'an themselves, and also listen to one recitation of the Qur'an in Taraweeh Salah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us all the ability to do so.

Du'a Requests

Please make du'a for all of the Muslims that are suffering throughout the world — especially in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. Let us also make specific du'a for Arif Shakeel, as well as Mir Turab Ali Tawfiq, who passed away in Abu Dhabi. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them complete maghfirah.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant shifa to all the Muslim brothers and sisters of ours that are suffering throughout the world. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive and overlook all of the shortcomings of all of those Muslim brothers and sisters of ours that have passed away.

Second Khutbah

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلله فلا هادي له ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ونشهد أن سيدنا وحبيبنا ومولانا محمدًا عبده ورسوله

بيَّن يدي الساعة من يطع الله ورسوله فقد رشد ومن يعصِهما فإنه لا يضر إلا نفسه ولا يضر الله شيئًا

قال النبي ﷺ: أرحم أمتي بأمتي أبو بكر وأشدهم في أمر الله عمر وأحسنهم حياءً عثمان وأقضاهم علي رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين

وقال الله: الله الله في أصحابي لا تتخذوهم غرضًا من بعدي فمن أحبهم فبحبي أحبهم ومن أبغضهم فببغضي أبغضهم وخير أمتي قرني ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ، أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ