Ramadan: The Month Of The Qur'an And Our Connection

Jumu'ah Khutbah — The Month of Ramadan and Our Relationship with the Qur'an

Opening Qur'anic recitation — Surah al-Baqarah, verse 185:

Sadaqallahul Azeem.

My dear respected brothers and elders, respected sisters and youngsters in Islam, Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

The First and Most Important Attribute of Ramadan

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has once again showered upon us His mercies in this month of Ramadan that we're all going through. This is a month that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has given many titles — he said that it is the shahru sabr, the month of patience, and the month of muwasat, of developing compassion for one another.

But when we see Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala introducing this month, amongst the many attributes, the first and most important attribute that He mentions is:

This is the month of Ramadan, alladhi unzila feehi al-Qur'an — in which the Qur'an was revealed. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala could have said, alladhi ufturidha feehi as-siyam — the one in which fasting has been made an obligation — or the one in which sunnah feehi al-qiyam — standing in the night in ibadah has been made a sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the qiyam of Taraweeh.

But instead, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, amongst the many attributes, the first attribute He selected to introduce this month to us — in the Qur'an, in Surah al-Baqarah — is alladhi unzila feehi al-Qur'an. This is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. And this shows very clearly the strong link that the month of Ramadan has with wahi in general, and particularly with the Qur'an al-Karim.

So when we think of the month of Ramadan, many times the first thing that comes to mind may be fasting in the day, or the Taraweeh at night, or increasing in sadaqah, charity and zakat. All of these are definitely there. But if you look at the order once again — what does Allah ta'ala say first?

It is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. So we have to make sure that in this month — as we are increasing in our fasting, as we are increasing in our qiyam, in our Taraweeh, in our sadaqat — what is our relationship with the kalamullah? What is our relationship with the Qur'an? Are we strengthening our relationship with the Qur'an or not?

The Greatness of the Kalam of Allah

The Qur'an — it is the living kalam of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is a sifah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is azali, abadi — it eternally existed from pre-existence. It was existing before anything else, and it will continue to exist till the end of time.

Even when the trumpet is blown and everything of this world will be destroyed:

Every single thing will be destroyed, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — with His dhat, with His being and His sifat — will remain. So imagine how great is this kalam of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala: when the trumpet is blown and everything is destroyed and turned into dust, still the kalam of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will remain. This is how powerful this kalam is.

The Qur'an as Intercessor and Witness on the Day of Judgment

This Qur'an will be a very powerful intercessor on the Day of Judgment — shafi'an wa mushaffa'a. It will be interceding on the Day of Judgment, and its intercession will be accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, as it is His own sifah, His own attribute.

And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 2, Hadith 432)

This Qur'an will testify in your favor, or it will testify against you. It will be a proof — it is a hujjah, evidence in the court of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — laka wa alayk, either in your favor or against you. There are no other options. It's not that the Qur'an will remain silent. So we have to see: is the Qur'an going to testify in our favor, or — na'udhu billah, the opposite — may Allah protect us from that.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself will also be testifying — in favor or against. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in Surah al-Furqan about Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's testimony in front of Allah with respect to the ummah and their disregard of the Qur'an. And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will complain to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala:

"O my Lord, verily my people — after me, my qawm, those who came after me — ittakhadu hadha al-Qur'ana mahjoora: they have abandoned, they have left the Qur'an." Hijrah means to leave one's homeland — like a person is a muhajir, he leaves his homeland and goes to another country. So mahjoora is matruka — they have abandoned, they have left the Qur'an.

So what will be our lot, and what will be our way out, and how can we even ever dream of salvation if the Qur'an is testifying against us — and, I seek refuge with Allah, if Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is testifying against us?

Our Neglect of the Qur'an — An Honest Self-Assessment

My dear respected brothers, respected sisters, elders and youngsters — the reality is that I'm not sharing some groundbreaking research or some very novel new concept that is so amazing. Rather, something that we've been hearing over and over again for all the years of our lives. But the sad reality is: what change are we actually making?

In this day and age, mashaAllah, all of us are so educated. We spend minimum 12 years to graduate from high school. Then we take 4 years for our bachelor's degrees — 16 years minimum. After that, some go to grad school, some go to law school, some go to medical school, dental school. Some do masters and post-grad, doctorates, PhDs. So we spend 15, 20 years of our lives — each second of which is so valuable — pursuing secular knowledge of this world.

And it is a necessity — we are not saying anything wrong about that. If it is to recognize the qudra of Allah, that is a path to ma'rifah, to see the greatness of Allah and His creation. If it is even for economic purposes — for earning, for livelihood — if the correct intention is there, that earning a halal livelihood is an obligation after other obligations, then a person will be rewarded for those years of efforts. So we are not suggesting otherwise — that we should stop studying or going to college or university.

But the question is: if we compare that with how much time we are giving to fulfill the right of the kalam of Allah — coming to the practice and propagation — the first of all, just learning. That's why we are comparing it with studying.

It's not that we are mentally challenged, or we have learning disabilities, and we can say: "I am exempt from these exams, I am exempt from learning because I do not have that faculty of understanding or comprehension." If that were the case, then we are exempted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Because:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not take anyone to task beyond their abilities. But alhamdulillah, we are so brilliant, and alhamdulillah, we are so successful in our worldly studies — we are in the top percentile in all of our exams, mashaAllah, collectively as an ummah here.

But the fact of the matter is: when it comes, unfortunately, to the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we honestly have to ask ourselves this question — if not now, then when? If not in the shahru Ramadan alladhi unzila feehi al-Qur'an — the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was revealed, in which the suhuf of Ibrahim and Musa, in which the Torah, Zabur and Injil — in fact all of the divine revelation was revealed in this month — and this month has a strong relationship with revelation throughout the times of the past.

Let us examine our relationship with this revelation, with this wahi. Do we actually have an idea what is going on in the 114 surahs, in the 30 ajza'? Have we just said: "That is for the ulema to learn"?

Two Dangerous Extremes Regarding the Qur'an

The First Extreme: Interpreting the Qur'an Without Knowledge

There are two extremes. One extreme are those who want to give their opinions about the Qur'anic ayat on their own without knowledge — sometimes even based on translations, without even having knowledge of the actual Arabic, the language of the Qur'an.

We have revealed the Qur'an in the Arabic language. So there are people who don't even know the Arabic language, and then they want to comment on the Qur'an and give their own meanings of the kalam of Allah.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has warned and he said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2952)

Whoever speaks about the Qur'an from his own opinion has committed a grave error and mistake, even if he coincidentally ends up saying the right thing. And whoever speaks about the Qur'an without knowledge — let him prepare his abode in the fire of Jahannam. Na'udhu billah. Allahumma ahfazna.

This first extreme says: Allah ta'ala says in the Qur'an "Afala yatadabbaroona al-Qur'an" — do you not ponder and reflect over the Qur'an? So we are pondering and reflecting. And if Abdullah ibn Abbas had an intelligence and understanding, so do I. And if Qatadah and Ikrimah, from the second generation, and Ata' ibn Abi Rabah from the Tabi'in — if they could figure it out, so can I. Nahnu al-rijal hum al-rijal — we are men just like they were men.

This is the one extreme — without having any knowledge of what Allah ta'ala is actually intending, and without the prerequisite knowledge of studying tafsir from the ulema, studying what is hadith, what is fiqh, what is aqeedah — even from the language perspective: what is balagha, what is fasaha, what is ilm al-bayan, ilm al-ma'ani, ilm al-badi'. None of the above. Not even basic nahw and sarf to understand the construction of the sentences. And yet giving their own opinions.

The Second Extreme: Limiting the Qur'an to Recitation Only

On the other hand, there is the other extreme. They feel that the Qur'an is to be recited for barakah. Yes, there is a reward in the tilawah, and we are making effort on our khatams — no doubt, that is very rewarding. But limiting it to that, and actually even verbalizing it — people say: "Don't worry about learning the meaning, because that is only for the ulema, the scholars."

The first group feels that what's the point of 1,400 years of scholarship? We don't need it. We are completely independent of that. And the opposite extreme feels that the Qur'an is not for us — it's just for a clergy class, like in the Catholic Church. But there is no clergy in our deen. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has revealed the Qur'an for everyone — yes, at different levels.

The Three Types of Admonition from the Qur'an

When it comes to taking advice from the Qur'an, softening one's heart, the tadhkir from the Qur'an — the tadhkir bi ala'illah, and the tadhkir bi ayyamillah, and the tadhkir bi al-mawti wa bi ma ba'd al-mawt — these are the three types of admonition that Shah Waliullah ad-Dahlawi, rahimahullah, mentions in his al-Fawz al-Kabir fi Usul al-Tafsir.

Number one: To take heed and advice from the Qur'an — bi ala'illah — from the signs of Allah's greatness. When we see those signs and we read and understand, our hearts fill with awe of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and our iman increases. When Allah ta'ala speaks about His signs in the Qur'an, it is an opportunity for every — I dare say — layman, every individual, not ulama specifically, but for every member of the ummah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, to take heed from the ala'illah.

Number two: Bi ayyamillah — as Allah ta'ala tells Musa, alayhi as-salam, in the Qur'an as well:

The ayyamillah are the stories of the anbiya of the past — all those incidents that have been revealed. They are there for us to take advice from, to take heed from, by learning — even if you don't know Arabic — by reading the reputable tafsirs of reputable, authentic scholars.

Number three: Bi al-mawti wa bi ma ba'd al-mawt — all the description of death and the stations after death. When Allah is talking about the Day of Judgment:

All of these vivid, arresting descriptions of the Day of Judgment and what will happen — they are for everyone. And this is easy for everyone to benefit from, because Allah Himself said it is easy.

Allah's Call to Action: "Is There Anyone Who Will Take Heed?"

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said:

We have made the Qur'an easy — for people to take admonition and advice. And then, everyone knows in Surah ar-Rahman there is a repeated refrain, fa bi'ayyi ala'i rabbikuma tukadhibaan. But the surah right before — Surah al-Qamar — also has an ayah that is repeated every few verses, over and over again. And what is that ayah?

Allah uses the word lam for taqid — emphasis — and qad as well: "Definitely, most surely, We have made the Qur'an easy — lil-dhikr — to take admonition." And then to really grab our attention, He asks the question: fa hal min muddakir — is there anyone going to come and take advice?

It's like if we said there is a beautiful gift basket available outside in the courtyard — and then on top of that announcement, I asked: "Who is ready to go grab it?" That brings the message home — it is the call to action. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is calling us to action.

Now, to address the opposite crowd who say "it's easy for everyone" — note that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala qualified it. He did not say:

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلِاجْتِهَادِ — "We have made the Qur'an easy for deriving juristic rulings."

He never said that. Rather, when it comes to istinbat and deriving rulings, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses the word min, which is tab'idiyyah — meaning partitive. Whenever you have an issue and you want to seek guidance, go back to Allah and the Rasul and the ulema. Then from amongst the ulema — alladhina yastanbitunahu minhum — those who are gifted with the higher, deeper level of knowledge of istinbat — they will be able to derive the rulings and share them with you, so that you can, inshallah, follow and learn what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants.

Not Even All Companions Were Muftis

Even amongst the Sahabah, there were around 12 to 14 different Sahabah who were granted the authority and permission from Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to issue verdicts and fatawa. So even among the Sahabah, the rest were the common Sahabah. Each one is a brilliant, shining star — it is very difficult to use the word "common" with any Sahabi. Each one of them was exemplary at the highest level, selected by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But with respect to ilm, each one was unique in his own aspect.

Khalid ibn al-Walid, one time, was asked to lead the salah and he recited very short surahs. Afterward he said: "I seek your excuse. As soon as I accepted Islam, I was sent to Mu'tah. And after that I was sent on campaigns — and Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: 'You are the sword of Allah.' I never had time to sit down and memorize too many surahs." And in one campaign, when they said: "Describe to us Rasulullah," he said: "A detailed exposition of his qualities I am not able to do. If you want a brief answer:

'The status of every messenger is proportionate to whom he represents. And he represents Allah — so you can figure it out from there.'" Those were powerful words of Khalid ibn al-Walid.

So different Sahabah had different levels. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaks about that. In Surah al-Tawbah, after the Battle of Tabuk — when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala was concerned that when the next call for a campaign comes, everyone would leave, even the students of knowledge — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

One group needs to stay back to gain depth of knowledge — so that scholarly class is mentioned in the Qur'an, in Surah at-Tawbah. They are exempted from going out in every single campaign. Their responsibility is to gain depth of knowledge so that they could warn, teach, and guide everyone else. SubhanAllah.

We Have Lost the Sense of Responsibility Toward the Qur'an

Now, those who say the Qur'an is easy for everyone will say: Allah said it's easy — lil-dhikr, to take heed and advice — not for deriving rulings left and right, and coming up with opinions that:

"Neither we nor our forefathers ever heard of such things" — as the deen is being reinterpreted. But alhamdulillah, the majority of us do not fall into that extreme. The sad reality is we fall in the other extreme. Allah ta'ala is saying:

"So that you may take heed." La'allakum ta'qilun — so you may understand. Afala yatadabbaruna — do you not ponder? And we're going through all those ayahs, and the saddest part is, there is absolutely no pinch. Like if we commit a sin or we are negligent, we feel it — we feel: "Oh my God, I'm committing a sin, astaghfirullah." But do we even feel it when it comes to the Qur'an? Because we have lost the sense. The concept that "I am responsible to know what Allah is saying" — that concept is gone.

The Reward of Reciting the Qur'an — Even Without Understanding

Most of the time I'm addressing the other crowd — we say: "What's the point of reading? Just understand, read the translation, you're good to go." Then we talk to them: No. Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he wanted to give an example of the rewards for reciting the Qur'an, he could have said al-hamdu — Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter — but he gave the example of Alif, Lam, Meem, those letters, the meanings of which are unknown.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2910)

To settle once and for all the debate — is there any reward for reciting the Qur'an without knowing the translation? Yes, there is. Because the example he gave is Alif, Lam, Meem — the translation of which is not known. So alhamdulillah, there is reward for reading without knowing the meaning. But we have to try to make an effort to understand the meaning. And we have absolutely no excuse worthy of acceptance.

We have the time. We have the assets. We have the energy. We have the tools. We have the brain. Everything is available for us. It is a lack of attention. It is a lack of focusing on this and recognizing it to be an objective that we have to work hard toward achieving.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, whatever level we are at, allow us to increase in our relationship with the Qur'an. When it comes to tajwid al-huruf — to recite it correctly — as this is a command:

And beyond correct recitation — understanding its meaning. And beyond that, of course, we have to make 'amal — practice — and propagate its message as well.

Wa akhiru da'wana an al-hamdu lillahi rabb al-'alamin.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right. Please donate generously in the month of Ramadan. Sadaqah tatfa' al-bala' — charity wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Please ensure the box reaches the other side. Specifically, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that sadaqah in this month is greater in reward than any other day.

Please join us for our daily Ramadan programs. Every day after Fajr, we have a khatirah — very brief advice that we can focus on throughout the day — to put us on the right track when starting our day. Then 25 minutes before Maghrib, after Asr, we have a program of spiritual discourse, dhikr and du'a together. The Asr Iqamah time has been made late for the same purpose — so if you need to rest after work, you can rest and then come for Asr, participate in dhikr and du'a in the masjid, and have the community iftar daily. If you come at Maghrib time and no one is here, go downstairs — the iftar is downstairs. Then after Maghrib, you can go home and come back for Taraweeh.

After Taraweeh, we have gems from the Qur'an — as we were talking about learning the meaning, what is Allah saying? There is an opportunity to participate in a daily tafsir program — small and brief — covering the ayat that were recited in Taraweeh.

Also, please register for i'tikaf. In the last 10 days of Ramadan, around the clock, there will be many programs taking place. Please note: under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registration is required — please visit the website.

Every Friday, we have the weekly brothers' youth qiyam — tonight from 11 p.m. to 3:15 a.m. They will have ibadah, talks, halaqat, basketball, and refreshments.

Likewise, we have the sisters' spiritual gathering every Friday, from 5:30 p.m. to Maghrib. There will be a separate program for elder sisters and a parallel program for high school and college-age girls. Food will be served for the sisters after Maghrib.

There are multiple du'a requests for brothers and sisters who are sick, and those who have passed away.

Second Khutbah

الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ الحَنَّانِ المَنَّانِ، الَّذِي جَعَلَنَا مِن أَهلِ الإِسلامِ وَالإِيمَانِ. نَحمَدُهُ سُبحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى وَنَشكُرُهُ عَلَى بُلُوغِ رَمَضَانَ. وَنَشهَدُ أَن لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَلَا نَظِيرَ لَهُ وَلَا ثَانِيَ. وَنَشهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَنَبِيَّنَا وَمَولَانَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، المَبعُوثُ إِلَى كَافَّةِ الإِنسِ وَالجَانِّ، صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصحَابِهِ إِلَى يَومِ القِيَامَةِ.

أَمَّا بَعدُ، فَيَا مَعشَرَ الإِخوَانِ وَالخِلَّانِ، قَد أَقبَلَ عَلَينَا شَهرُ رَمَضَانَ، فَاسعَوا إِلَى تَحصِيلِ بَرَكَاتِهِ بِالصَّومِ وَالطَّاعَاتِ وَالتَّنَزُّهِ عَنِ العِصيَانِ.

Allah ta'ala says in the Qur'an:

And Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 2361)

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1904; Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 2763)

And he said:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 2210; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1328)

So O brothers, hold fast to fasting and qiyam in Ramadan. Fear Allah and obey His Messenger, that you may be successful.

بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَنَا وَلَكُم فِي القُرآنِ وَنَفَعَنِي وَإِيَّاكُم بِمَا فِيهِ مِنَ الآيَاتِ وَالذِّكرِ الحَكِيمِ. هَذَا قَولِي وَأَستَغفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُم وَلِسَائِرِ المُسلِمِينَ فَاستَغفِرُوهُ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ.

الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ. نَحمَدُهُ وَنَستَعِينُهُ وَنَستَغفِرُهُ وَنُؤمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيهِ. وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِن شُرُورِ أَنفُسِنَا وَمِن سَيِّئَاتِ أَعمَالِنَا. مَن يَهدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَن يُضلِلهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ. وَنَشهَدُ أَن لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَنَشهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا وَنَبِيَّنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ.

Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and salute him with a worthy greeting:

عِبَادَ اللَّهِ، رَحِمَكُمُ اللَّهُ. إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأمُرُ بِالعَدلِ وَالإِحسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي القُربَى وَيَنهَى عَنِ الفَحشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالبَغيِ، يَعِظُكُم لَعَلَّكُم تَذَكَّرُونَ. اذكُرُوا اللَّهَ العَلِيَّ العَظِيمَ يَذكُركُم، وَادعُوهُ يَستَجِب لَكُم، وَلَذِكرُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَعلَى وَأَولَى وَأَعَزُّ وَأَجَلُّ وَأَتَمُّ وَأَهَمُّ وَأَعظَمُ وَأَكبَرُ. وَاللَّهُ يَعلَمُ مَا تَصنَعُونَ. وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ.

Please fill in all the gaps — please come in closer, particularly at the back of the masjid. The right and left sides of the main prayer hall always have gaps, so please fill those in so that those in the lobby can come inside. JazakumAllahu khayran.