The Qur'an: Our Central Pillar Of Guidance, Mercy, And Cure

The Central Role of the Qur'an in Our Deen

Through the most noble of messengers, and the most noble of all angels, upon the most noble of all creation, Rasulullah ﷺ. The Qur'an is the central pillar of this deen. The Qur'an and the Sunnah are the sources and the foundations of Islam. And they are the inheritance of the Prophets, and the inheritance of Rasulullah ﷺ, which he left in the ummah after his passing.

Allah has made the Qur'an a very significant text, and has given it a very significant and central role in our deen. The Qur'an is a book of guidance, a book of mercy, a book of admonishment, a book in which Allah teaches us about the stories of the nations of the past, of the errors that they made, of the efforts of their Prophets and their guidance, so that we may as well take guidance from these stories. The Qur'an is a book which does not get boring after continual recitation; rather its treasures and its meanings continue to flow and continue to expand.

And the depth of the Qur'an is never ending. It is deeper than the ocean, and it is the people of Allah — those who are connected to Allah — who dive to different depths to extract the pearls of the Qur'an. Allah in His book and the Prophet ﷺ have mentioned many virtues for the Qur'an.

Virtues of the Qur'an

I will mention a few of these. Allah says in the Qur'an, for example:

O people, there is an admonishment that has come to you from your Lord. وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ — a cure for all the ailments of the hearts, the ailments of misguidance, the diseases that plague the human being. There's a cure in the Qur'an for all of that. وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ — the Qur'an is a source of guidance and mercy for all of mankind.

Not only the human being — rather the Qur'an is also a source of guidance for the jinn. We are familiar with the ayahs of the Qur'an. Allah says:

Tell them, O Rasulullah ﷺ, that it has been revealed upon me that there were a group of jinn who heard the recitation of the Qur'an. And so they came close, and they said, quiet down, let's listen to what is being said. And then they went back to their people, and they said, we heard a strange word. We heard a revelation of Allah that guides, that saves from misguidance. فَآمَنَّا بِهِ — so we have believed in this revelation.

In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani; also referenced in Ibn Hibban)

Take glad tidings, O people. Do you not bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah? Everyone said yes. Then Rasulullah ﷺ said: if you bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, then know that this Qur'an is a rope. Part of it is with Allah, and the other part is in your hands. So hold fast to the Qur'an, hold fast to the message of the Qur'an, for you will never be misguided so long as you hold on to the Qur'an. Imagine the significance of this hadith, the message that it is trying to give us. These are the words of Rasulullah ﷺ.

The People of the Qur'an

Additionally, some of the virtues of the people of the Qur'an. Rasulullah ﷺ said:

Verily Allah has very close people — believers who are very close to Allah. He was asked, O Rasulullah, who are these people? He said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 215; also Musnad Ahmad)

They are the people of the Qur'an — they are those close companions of Allah. And the virtues of the Qur'an and the people who hold on to the Qur'an go on and on and on.

The True Meaning of Being People of the Qur'an

My dear brothers, what is the reason that Allah has mentioned such virtue for the Qur'an? Could it be that these people are the closest people to Allah for no reason? For a very simple reason? No. Rather, there is a very significant reason why these people have been given this place in the eyesight of Allah. We're aware of the hadith of Uthman رضي الله عنه in which he says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5027)

The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it.

So what is the significance of the Qur'an? Is it simple recitation? Is it recitation of the words alone? No. Rather, my dear brothers and sisters, there is a message that the Qur'an is trying to deliver to us. The Qur'an has words and the Qur'an has meanings. And it is upon the contemplation of these meanings of the Qur'an and the implementation of those meanings into our lives that these great virtues and these great ahadith and ayat have been mentioned.

Allah mentions so many verses in the Qur'an on reflection, contemplation, and thinking about the meanings of the Qur'an. Allah says, for example:

Do they not ponder upon the meanings of the Qur'an?

The Ayat of Allah — in the Qur'an and in the Universe

My dear brothers and sisters, when we say that the Qur'an contains the ayat of Allah — the verses, the signs that are revealed from Allah — we should know that Allah's ayat, which means signs, are many and not only in the Qur'an. Allah says:

We will show them the signs of Allah in the horizons, and even within themselves. Allah uses the same word — ayat. And about the Qur'an, Allah also uses the word ayat: يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ — Allah sends a prophet so that he recites these verses or these signs upon the people.

So my dear brothers, what is our responsibility towards these ayat? Whether they be in the Qur'an, whether they be in the horizons scattered in the world, whether they be in ourselves — in our bodies and souls. What is the responsibility of the believer towards the ayat, towards the signs of Allah?

About the signs of Allah in the horizons, Allah says in the Qur'an:

Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the changing of the night and the day, there are signs — there are ayat — for the people of intellect. Those people who remember Allah in all conditions: standing, sitting, and reclining. And what do they do, my dear brothers and sisters? What do they do with these ayat? Do they simply read them? Do they simply see them? وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ — no, they think about them. They contemplate about the ayat of Allah.

And so this is about the signs that we see in the universe around us. And my dear brothers and sisters, it is the same with the verses of the Qur'an. It is not enough to look at the signs of Allah out in the world but to neglect pondering upon them and seeing the greatness of Allah in these signs. Similarly, when we recite the Qur'an, it is not enough to recite the words of the Qur'an — rather we have to think and contemplate upon the meanings of the Qur'an.

And this is the reason that the people of the Qur'an have such close proximity to Allah. They are not simply the people who recite the words of the Qur'an — that is also very important. Rather, they are the people who contemplate upon the meanings of the Qur'an, and in that way they are able to implement and bring the Qur'an into their lives.

We have heard the statement of Aisha رضي الله عنها in describing the Prophet ﷺ. She said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 746)

His character was the Qur'an — he embodied the Qur'an.

The Wisdom of Ibn Abbas on Contemplation

And there are many verses in the Qur'an that discuss this aspect of tadabbur and tafakkur — reflection, pondering upon the meanings of the Qur'an. There is one narration that a tabi'i told Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه: I recite the Qur'an every three nights. Ibn Abbas told him: for me to recite Surah al-Baqarah only in one night but to ponder upon its meaning is more beloved to me than that I should finish the recitation of the Qur'an every three nights. Again Ibn Abbas says that to read Surah al-Baqarah only in the night — instead of ten ajza', for me to read two and a half ajza' but to contemplate upon its meaning — is more beloved to me than to read that large amount but with no contemplation.

The Warning Against Empty Recitation

In fact Allah and the Prophet ﷺ have warned against those people who recite the words of the Qur'an but they neglect its meaning. And so you find that in terms of recitation, they are always reciting the Qur'an, but in terms of action, they do not represent the noble character that is presented in the Qur'an. They do not represent the guidance and mercy that is in the Qur'an, but you find that they are the exact opposite — rather their actions and their behavior and character all call towards misguidance, and yet they frequently recite the Qur'an.

My dear brothers, this is a very dangerous thing, something that we should be afraid of, something that we should take heed of. Allah says in the Qur'an that the Prophet on the Day of Judgment will say:

On the Day of Judgment the Prophet will say: O Allah, my people — they abandoned the Qur'an. The scholars mention that it is not simply the recitation of the Qur'an that is intended here. Rather, people will recite the Qur'an but it will not enter and penetrate into their hearts. Rather it will go into their mouths and will come out and it will not have any effect upon their actions and character.

And this is why, when describing the qualities of the Khawarij — the misguided people after the Prophet ﷺ — the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5058; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1066)

They will recite the Qur'an but it will not cross their throats — it will not go down to their hearts. It will simply remain in their mouths.

The Qualities of the True People of the Qur'an

In the Qur'an, my dear brothers and sisters, Allah describes the qualities of the people of the Qur'an. So this is now a practical example for us to see. Are we from the people of the Qur'an, or do we have some work to do? Do we have to reestablish that connection with Allah through the Qur'an?

Allah describes these qualities and, as you will see, they are not easy qualities to achieve. Getting the highest status of being in the close company of Allah, being with the scribes — the angels who are noble and righteous — being the best of creation: this doesn't come easy. Islam is easy. But the heights of Islam can only be achieved with discipline, and with effort, and with striving, and with passion, through the guidance of the ulama, and through the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ.

So let's look at some of these verses in which Allah describes the people whose hearts the Qur'an had penetrated, and its effect showed upon their bodies, and on their faces, and in their character. Allah says:

Verily the true believers are the ones that when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble — their hearts tremble out of longing for Allah, out of fear of the punishment of Allah, out of desire to meet Allah. And when the verses of the Qur'an are recited to them, their iman increases. زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا — their iman increases.

My dear brothers and sisters, when we recite the Qur'an, and when we hear the recitation of the Qur'an and the words of Allah — do our hearts tremble? Out of longing for Allah, out of fear of the punishment of Allah, is our iman increased?

In another verse Allah says:

These people are described such that when they recite the Qur'an, their very skins shiver with the fear of the punishment of Allah. Their skin shivers and trembles with the realization of the greatness of Allah. They truly understand who Allah is. The message of the Qur'an has penetrated into their hearts.

My dear brothers and sisters, who amongst us, when they recite the Qur'an, has this effect on their bodies? In the previous ayah, it had an effect on the hearts. In this ayah, the effect is so intense upon these people — their connection to the Qur'an is so strong that when they recite the Qur'an, it even shows upon their bodies. They have a physical reaction.

My dear brothers and sisters, how many of us have reached this station, this rank? How many of us have this strong connection with the Qur'an and the words of Allah?

In another verse, Allah describes the people who listen to the verses of the Qur'an. He says:

When these people listen to the verses of the Qur'an, you see the tears flowing from their eyes — مِمَّا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ — because they recognize the truth of the Qur'an. How many of us, when we recite the Qur'an, have our eyes flow with tears because we recognize the truth of the Qur'an, the truth of the message of the Qur'an, the greatness of Allah? How many of us does the recitation of the Qur'an have this effect on — on their bodies and on their hearts?

My dear brothers, it is not only enough to read the words of the Qur'an. Rather, these people are the ones who ponder upon the meanings of the Qur'an as well. What do they say? يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا — they say: O Allah, we believe in what You have said. فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ — so write us amongst those people who have truly witnessed to the truth of the Qur'an.

And finally, I will read one more verse in which Allah says:

There is yet another category of people whose connection with the Qur'an is so strong that when it is recited upon them, they fall in prostration to Allah. When they listen to the Qur'an, they fall into sujood for Allah because of their firm belief in what the Qur'an is saying. وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ — and they prostrate to Allah while weeping helplessly because of their sincere belief in the message of the Qur'an.

A Practical Call: Connect with the Qur'an

And so my dear brothers and sisters, it was my intention to pick a surah from the Qur'an and to read through it so that we can understand that we can all, to some capacity, connect with the Qur'an. And so I will say this: all of us should read the meanings of the Qur'an under the guidance of the scholars. Recite the meanings of the Qur'an just as we recite the words of the Qur'an. There is a basic level to the Qur'an that we can all understand, and that we can all derive guidance from and benefit from.

And so today is the day of Jum'ah. In the authentic hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ, he says that the one who recites Surah al-Kahf on the day of Jum'ah, it will illuminate for him the rest of the week until the next Jum'ah. The light of mercy, guidance, blessing, and tawfiq from Allah will light this person's week. So let us recite Surah al-Kahf today — not only the words, but also the meaning — and ponder upon the verses of that surah.

May Allah grant us tawfiq.

Announcements

The brothers are requested, inshallah, to come forward and pray their sunnah. A few announcements inshallah:

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah. Rasulullah ﷺ said that charity given on the day of Jum'ah is greater in reward than any other day.

Additionally, please note that there is no curb parking. Please do not park on the curbs behind the seminary building or on the swift highway. We have additional parking spaces in the used car lot.

Please join us for our weekly programs. Team Fajr will continue tomorrow. Saturday inshallah, Fajr iqamah is at 4:45. Additionally, Tafsir will continue with Surah al-Hajj on Tuesday after Maghrib.

Registrations are open for the following programs:

The three-week Arabic Essentials for brothers and sisters — please start your journey of learning the language of the Qur'an today. Classes start from July 24th.

Additionally, the Tadris Integrated High School Program — high school education in an Islamic environment. Classes begin from August 14th.

For more information, please visit the Darusalam website.

At MSI, there will be a seminar. Please join an extensive seminar at MSI Masjid on the current issues that are plaguing us — on atheism, liberalism, and so forth — and how Islam and the Prophet ﷺ provides guidance on this. It will be a whole day program starting from Dhuhr till Isha, with lunch and dinner being served inshallah.

There is a du'a request for Mirza Faraz Beg, who is on a ventilator and undergoing a brain test. May Allah give him complete recovery.