Our Relationship with the Qur'an | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Friday Khutbah @OfficialADAMSCenter

Our Relationship with the Qur'an

My dear brothers, sisters, elders, and youngsters, if we were for a moment to step back and review the history of humanity and mankind and aim to identify a community, a society, an era in which people, that society, that community were absolutely drowning in the ditches of darkness, were plunging in the ditches of oppression, societal diseases, a community that was plagued by societal illnesses, a community that the world will look at and say that these are people not worthy of ruling. It would be difficult to find a community, a society, that would fit this description better so than the community that was present before the coming of our Habib ﷺ. Such were these people, that every vice and ill could be found within that society. Such were these people, that it was the norm of their time to disrespect their elders and to speak back to their parents.

It was the norm of their time to take from the wealth of orphans and take advantage of the opportunities of those that were less fortunate.

Such were these people, that it became the norm of their time to bury their own beloved daughters alive. Such were these people, that when they were told, why don't you set your sights upon this area? Why don't you set your sights upon these people? They would say, these are people not worth ruling. They would exhaust our resources. They would waste our efforts. We'll let them be and let them live in their misery and be the way they are.

Such were these people, that people from neighboring tribes were unable to do business and have day-to-day cordial interactions with each other. Such were these people, my dear friends. What changed in the span of less than 40 years, that these same individuals that were seen to be nothing in society, through the coming of something, and through the inception of something, they became the most honorable people in the world. The same individuals that others saw to be people not worthy of being ruled became the rulers of those lands. What changed?

What Transformed a Broken Community?

They say in English, don't fix what's not broken. Today we live in a society that is also plunging in darkness, that is also plagued with societal diseases and illnesses. But what fixed that community? What allowed the people in that society to be mended in such a manner that now individuals saw them to be the epitome of honor and reverence? What changed? Was it their level of wealth that increased? Was it the level of education? Indeed these are factors that bring honor, that bring impact. But they understood that impact and change was predicated upon the connection that they had with Allah. What changed was divine intervention.

On a beautiful night in the cave of Hira, Jibreel عليه السلام begins his journey of deen for our beautiful community by saying:

Not just اقرأ — which is: educate, and learn, and teach, and talk, and walk around as if we have every degree in the world. No — اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ: educate your community about the oneness of Allah.

They say the greatest education is an education that can take care of the most difficult exams in life for us. The most difficult exam in life will be the exam that we have when we are rested six feet beneath the ground, and the question that will be asked before anything else will be:

Who is your Lord? Who gave you what you have? Who allowed you to live the life that you live? Who allowed us to be the beings that we are? Who allowed us to be impactful not only in our families but in the community at large?

The Story of Adam and the Gift of Knowledge

Adam عليه السلام was created. For 40 days his physical body is resting and the community of the heavens is observing his body. The angels, Iblis is coming, and they all leave and then they say to Allah: This is your mighty creation that you were speaking about.

That there is this creation that will become the ambassador upon the earth — it looks very ordinary. There are creations that are stronger than us. They live longer lives than us. They have different abilities. The angels are made from Noor. Why is this creation so unique?

And after 40 days, Allah endowed in Adam عليه السلام his soul. And then:

He gifted him the knowledge of who Allah was. The knowledge within instantaneously showed the angels his superiority amongst the heavens, where now they were told:

Prostrate to Adam. What changed this community was identifying a point of reference which was لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ. What changed this community was connecting themselves to the concept of connecting with Allah.

The Most Inclusive Yet Most Principled Community

What allowed such a community to be born that was not based upon ethnicities, or the background of a person, or the socio-economical backgrounds of an individual — what built a community that became known till today to be the most inclusive society the world has seen. And the more inclusive a community becomes, logically it becomes less impactful because everyone is coming from everywhere. Harvard is Harvard not because of who they let in, it's because of who they leave out. They remain exclusive.

Our community became inclusive and that is the strength that we had, because we became the most inclusive community when it came to our backgrounds — the color of our skin, our financial abilities, our educational backgrounds — but we remained till today the most exclusive community when it comes to ideals and values. When it comes to what we believe in, which allows us to be who we are, which allows us to walk on this earth with a sense of presence — not because of who we are externally but what we hold internally.

Umar and the Keys of Baitul Maqdis

When Umar رضي الله عنه walked into Baitul Maqdis, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, the general of the army — where Sophronius, the general of the Christians, had told Abu Ubaidah that we will hand over the keys of this blessed land of Aqsa — بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ, the land of prophets — we will hand over these keys to you as long as your leader comes and takes them from us.

And Umar رضي الله عنه comes, he camps with the Muslims. The next day as he is preparing to visit the Christian army and the Christian leadership, he is dressed in a robe that has a few patches. This is the lifestyle that he chose to live — not that you have to live like that, neither is it encouraged for everyone to live in such a manner, but he chose to live this lifestyle. And as he is walking out, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah رضي الله عنه comes to him and says:

يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ, do me a favor. أَيْنَ يَنْبَغِي لَكَ أَنْ تُبَدِّلَ ثِيَابَكَ؟ Would it be okay? Would it be too hard to press for me to ask you to change your clothes, change the way you look, present yourself differently? Because I know the Christian leadership — they will be coming in different robes, being carried upon different types of carriages. They will have an entire entourage. And you are entering this community upon a donkey, and the clothes that you are wearing are not befitting of who you are. It will be better and it will be a source of more honor for our community if you simply change.

Not change because you desire to change — change because we think that it will give you more acceptance. Change is acceptable, but not change at the level of seeking people's acceptance. Change because it is better for the community.

And Umar رضي الله عنه looks at him and gives an answer that all of us can benefit from. Because how many times are we told — change your identity, change the way you pronounce your names, change the way you present yourself, change the way people see you and perceive you, so that you can be more accepted in a society which claims to be accepting of everyone? Just change.

And the response that he gave was:

(al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim, Vol. 1)

O Abu Ubaidah, we were the lowest of people. History that we have — O Abu Ubaidah, it was not too long ago where my aunt used to say to me, O Umar, I remember a time that you were unable to take care of a herd of sheep. And now you have the ability of taking care of one third of the world. The inception of deen in our life and the connection to Allah within our families can in no possible way depreciate our value and talent. It only appreciates it. It only adds value. It only gives more strength. It only creates more impact.

Bilal and the Power of Islam

Because these were people that had very little impact. Bilal رضي الله عنه was the same individual in Makkah al-Mukarramah who was being persecuted under a rock openly in the city, and there were very few people that could stand up and help him. There were very few people that had the ability of speaking up. Because speaking up is also a service:

Speak for people who are oppressed and who are in need. But that same individual, after Islam, in Fath Makkah, is being told by the Prophet ﷺ that in the same land — as symbolic as it was — where you were being persecuted for saying the name of Allah, now I command you to climb upon the Ka'bah and call the Adhan.

Bring us peace. Bring us comfort. Impact was predicated upon a person's relationship with Allah. Impact was founded upon a person's understanding of the benefit of having this beautiful deen in our life.

Change is acceptable. And Umar رضي الله عنه said, we cannot, because Allah gave us this deen. They say that we're strange, so change would be better. And the response is: we're strange in a society where the definition of "norm" has become the most subjective definition. In today's society, every single person is a stranger to someone else's definition of what normal is. Everyone is a stranger. We accept the idea that some of our values may be strange in the eyes of others. But as long as we are known to Allah:

The poet says: O Allah, if You are pleased with us, then that is all that really matters. Al-Imam Iqbal, an Urdu poet, echoes this sentiment where he says: O Allah, we found peace when we connected to the sunnah of Your Prophet ﷺ.

From Yathrib to Al-Madinah Al-Munawwara

And therefore, when the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah al-Munawwara — a city that prior to the Prophet's ﷺ coming was known as Yathrib, which is translated as sickness and disease, that people would avoid the route of Yathrib because of the negative effects it would have upon them — the Prophet's ﷺ father passed away in Yathrib. The Prophet's ﷺ mother returned to Allah on her journey back from Yathrib. It is well known, Ibn Khaldun رحمه الله says, that people would avoid the route of Yathrib when they would travel to Syria for business trips because they would fall sick.

And the Prophet ﷺ enters this type of a community — not a community which is known for its infrastructure, its landscapes, or its economical opportunities. He enters this type of a community and he creates all of that. As he enters, Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه says:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3618)

At the moment the Prophet ﷺ entered into the city of Madinah, it illuminated the entire city. And the name of the city changed from Yathrib to al-Madinah al-Munawwara, al-Madinah al-Tayyibah. And from that day onwards the Prophet ﷺ said: No one shall refer to the city as Yathrib; rather they shall refer to it as al-Madinah al-Tayyibah — the purified city, the illuminated city.

My dear friends, brothers and sisters, the name change had very little to do with the physical change of the city. Because the physical city remained the same, the agriculture remained the same, the landscape remained the same. All that changed was the coming of the Prophet ﷺ into that city. Whereas as we live in our lives, in our homes, and we find struggle, and we find difficulty — with tight corners, our backs against the walls — and we wish to be able to find a sense of peace, a revival, a sense of presence, a sense of comfort — that same concept can be heard and felt today. Where the Prophet ﷺ enters, there is peace. Where the Qur'an enters.

The Four Blessings of Connecting to the Qur'an

The Prophet ﷺ says in a beautiful hadith: when a community, a home, a family, connects and recites the Qur'an of Allah in their homes — they speak about Allah in their homes, they bring the Prophet ﷺ alive in their homes, within their own families, where they talk about the Prophet ﷺ.

The same way we ask our children as school is beginning — how the first week of school is — how often do we ask our children how their Fajr is doing? How their Isha is doing? How their relationship with the elders in the community is doing? How their service and time in helping those in need is doing? Where we connect our questions to Allah — not to any other reference.

Nonetheless, the Prophet ﷺ says, when a person does this, they are given four beautiful effects:

1. Peace and Tranquility

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6853)

Peace and tranquility enter upon that home, upon that family. Sakinah comes into the house through a person connecting to the book of Allah, through a person connecting to the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

At any level, the only system in this world which does not garner results — which does not garner reward based on results — is Allah's system. Every other system in this world will only reward a person based on results. If a person doesn't produce results, they will lose their job. They won't be able to move to the next grade. It's a result-driven society. The only system that is not result-driven is Allah's system. Allah's system is effort-driven:

Whosoever simply makes an effort, the results are in the hands of Allah. We make an effort, نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ — we will experience peace.

2. Allah's Mercy Enshrouds the Home

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6853)

The second impact and benefit is that Allah will enshroud that home with His mercy. Constantly we are being forgiven for the day-to-day sins that we commit.

3. The Angels Surround the Home

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6853)

He will produce for us the greatest insurance policy — angels that will protect our home and our families.

4. Allah Mentions You in the Gathering of Angels

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6853)

That Allah will make mention of our names in the gatherings of angels. He will call us by our names, simply through us connecting to Allah:

You speak about Me, I will speak about you in a gathering which is far more honorable.

Conclusion: Impact Through Connection to Allah

So a system that was created and crafted that allowed a society to come from the ditches of failure into the light of the entirety of this world — to be seen as a point of reference, as honor and reverence — that the people living in the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, when they would hear the names of Khalid and Umar, their hearts would quake and shake out of reverence and honor for these individuals. What changed is what we have been given today, which is this beautiful deen that Allah has endowed us with.

The more we value it, the more it will come into our life. And the more it comes into our life, the more impact we are able to have in the communities all around us. Because impact is not based upon resources. Impact is based upon the relationship that each and every one of us holds with Allah.

May Allah make us amongst those people and allow us to be amongst those communities and those individuals. As it is already known about your beautiful community all across the country — one of the greatest communities in our country, that we all can learn from each other. And allow this community to flourish even more. Allow this community to continue being a token of honor, a symbol of honor for the entirety of the country and all across the world.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Announcements

Just before the second khutbah — we will be here tonight, inshaAllah, having a short workshop for three hours between 7 to 10 p.m. on the story of Yusuf عليه السلام. We are coming from Michigan, and it is an honor for us to be in your community. May Allah bless your community, bless your board, bless your imam, bless Imam Magid for allowing us to be here today. All of you are encouraged to come, inshaAllah. There will be more information outside about it.

And on Sunday, September 10th, inshaAllah, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi will be visiting the community as well. There will be information outside about that as well, inshaAllah.