Why the Qur’an Transforms Everything | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Why the Qur'an Transforms Everything

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

How are you, Habibuna? Doing well? It's beautiful being back in Edmonton. Last time I came was in November and there was a snowstorm. And this time we came and there's an actual sun. So alhamdulillah, it seems like it's more welcoming. Allah bless you all, reward you all for being here and for supporting the event and being present.

May Allah accept the event, accept all the volunteers that made an effort behind it. These events are not done simply for the sake of gathering hearts. They're there for the sake of transforming hearts. These events are not there for the sake of filling a space. They're there for changing the state. Because believers, we don't necessarily believe in the concept of a space being the outcome. We believe in the concept of the state being the outcome.

That people can fill the spaces of the best of places. But there's a void in their heart that they're unable to define why it's there. And there are others who are struggling in the rubbles of Gaza and they're struggling in difficult spaces. But the state of their heart is in such a fulfilled state. Because they have Allah with them.

So when we come to these spaces, I would hope that insha'Allah we're able to also take that back, benefit, and insha'Allah continue being amongst those people that Allah gives the freedom to come to these areas insha'Allah. I'll take just a few minutes, say a few words, and insha'Allah we'll move on with the program slowly but surely.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the most honored of prophets and messengers — our master Muhammad, the Prophet of the worlds, whose name is written in the Bible and the Torah.

The State vs. The Space

Allah has said in His holy book:

Say: By the grace of Allah and by His mercy — and by that, let them rejoice. It is better than what they accumulate.

Allah has said in another place:

O people, a promise has come to you from your Lord and healing for what is in the hearts and guidance and mercy for the believers.

The Society Before the Qur'an

My dear brothers, sisters, elders and youngsters — if we were for a moment to try to trace back in the history of time, a community, a society, a group of people that were absolutely drowning in the ditches of injustices, that were engulfed by their own societal diseases — it would be difficult to identify a community that better fit this description than the community that was present before the coming of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the Hijaz. It would be difficult to find a community that could fit this type of description than the community that was living in the most sacred lands before the coming of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

As I mentioned earlier, they filled the space. But their heart was completely stripped of the state. When we as human beings chase after a space — and I say this very loosely, a space doesn't mean a home, it could be a car, it could be anything of material value — and we believe that that space has a power to reflect a change in my heart, we soon find out that the space does not equate to the change of the state of the heart.

These were people that were drowning in the injustices that they were living in, in societal diseases. These were people that made it the standard of their time to take from the wealth of orphans:

Imagine taking money from a child whose parents have passed away. Could there be something more hideous than that? These were people for whom it became the norm to wage war upon each other's tribes over the most trivial of differences. These were people for whom it became the norm to bury their own daughters alive:

It was the standard. My dear friends, when the Persians and the Romans would be told and informed about the people of Hijaz — "Why don't you come conquer these people? You all are on each other's necks everywhere else in the world. Why not just deter your path from Iraq and Sham and come to Hijaz? Conquer the land of these people." — the response they would give was that these individuals are simply not worth ruling. They will exhaust our resources and there is no trajectory of return. There's no potential. These individuals were recognized as a community not worth investing in. The lowest of people.

What Changed? The Qur'an

My dear brothers and sisters, the question that must be on all of our minds is: what changed? What transformed? That those same individuals that were seen not worthy of being ruled now became the rulers of the world? That the Persians and the Romans — their knees would buckle upon hearing the names of these companions?

Maybe it was their level of literacy that changed? Well, regardless of what we think, that's not the truth. At the time of migration, Ibn Hisham, who is a great scholar of Sirah, says that there were fewer than 33 people amongst the community of the Sahaba that knew how to read and write. It wasn't literacy that was the greatest factor.

And Iqra, as we may consider, is not Allah challenging the community to become literate. If Iqra was a command to learn how to read and write, then tell me why did the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, 20 years later, when he was signing the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, still not know how to read and write? When Suhail ibn Amr came and said, "Erase 'Rasulullah'" — because the treaty said بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ, and they came back and said, "We recognize who Allah is, but we don't know Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, so erase that." And the treaty had been written from Muhammad Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم. They said, "We know who Muhammad is, but we don't know who Rasulullah is. That's literally why we're having this engagement." So the Prophet of Allah told Ali ibn Abi Talib, "Can you erase my title and put Muhammad ibn Abdullah? Because I can't read."

So Iqra wasn't a call to learn how to read alone. The call of Iqra was:

The call of Iqra was so that we can become literate about the most important knowledge — the knowledge that will allow us to answer the questions in the grave. The most significant knowledge that will allow us to be able to pass the exam of the Akhirah.

Maybe it was wealth that allowed them to become these giants? We look at these companions — they did not become more wealthy when they became Muslims. They became less wealthy. They gave up their money, especially in the days of Makkah. Maybe they realized what families and tribes they were from? That didn't change. They were from the same tribes.

My dear friends, all that changed is that they were given the honor and the privilege of receiving the revelation that was given to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. The echoes of the Qur'an are not echoes that are heard in the ears. Their echoes are felt within the heart.

That when these verses would be recited, people's hearts would be touched.

Their hearts would be touched by the remembrance of Allah. The echoes of the Qur'an were not something of the ear. They were something of the heart.

What changed was the presence of the revelation that Allah gave to this community — that we're still able to benefit from till today. It's a timeless miracle. It was the echoes of the Qur'an that was heard by Umar رضي الله عنه that decided in that moment that all of his talents and skills and his presence would no longer be used to go against the Prophet of Allah, but rather to support this beautiful religion. It was the echoes of the Qur'an that Mus'ab ibn Umair heard when he sat in the Prophet's gathering and he recited the ayat of Surah Al-Haqqah and it changed his heart. It was the echoes of the Qur'an — Ibn Hisham mentions that more than 90 companions accepted Islam just from hearing the verses of the Qur'an. Nothing else.

This is what the echoes of the Qur'an was all about. It wasn't about whether or not the recitation filled my ears correctly. It was about whether or not the recitation touched my heart correctly — and they prepared their hearts for that.

Honor Comes Through Islam

The echoes of the Qur'an is what allowed these individuals to feel so secure — that even if it meant losing other aspects of life, it's okay. We have Allah's book with us.

When Umar رضي الله عنه walked into Bayt al-Maqdis on its conquest, where Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah was the general, the leaders of the Christian community simply requested that the leader of the Muslims come and take the key. So he was completing his hajj and rather than going to Madinah al-Munawwarah, he detoured and came to Bayt al-Maqdis. As he prepared to walk into the community and meet the leaders of the Christian community, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah looked upon him and said:

"Would it be okay — would it be too much for me to ask — for you to kind of change your clothes?" He doesn't look the part. You're the leader of the believers but you don't look the part.

How often do we hear that in our own communities? "You're so intelligent but you still pray in a corner and wash your foot in a basin. You don't look the part." "You've been promoted but look at how you dress. You look strange." And we respond to them by saying: strange by whose definition? Because the reality of our communities in America and Canada is that everyone is a stranger to someone else's definition of what normal is. Ultimately:

The only definition which matters to us is the one that Allah defined. So he responded the same way we respond:

That Allah gave us honor. We were people that had no growth plan. This is why the aunt of Umar رضي الله عنه would say to him: "Oh my nephew, there was a time where you were unable to handle the herd of sheep. And now you have the ability to be the leader of one third of the world."

Sometimes we think that when religion enters into the space, the potential of growth in my dunya decreases. Which is absolutely incorrect. It's quite the opposite. Whenever Islam enters into a space, or whenever the echoes of the Qur'an enter into a home, it only adds value.

Madinah: From Yathrib to al-Munawwarah

When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم entered into Madinah al-Munawwarah, it was a city prior to his presence that was known as Yathrib — which literally means sickness, disease. People would avoid the route of Yathrib because of this. They would get sick. Even the Sahaba when they came to Madinah got sick early on and became weak.

Yathrib was not an attractive place. People expected that the Prophet would have gone to Yemen because it was more attractive, or to Ta'if. Yet the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم entered into this land. And Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه says:

The moment the Prophet entered into the city, the entire city was illuminated. That same city that was known for its dullness became known for its light — al-Munawwarah. That same city that was known for its sickness became known for its purification — al-Taybah. The most pure, the most sanctified land.

That when deen, when the Qur'an enters into my home, it doesn't limit the growth that I have. Rather it accelerates it. It grows the potential.

The Sahaba had no potential — one could argue. But where would Umar have been great? He couldn't take care of a herd of sheep. Islam allowed that growth to take place. Bilal رضي الله عنه was who he was. And the Prophet is saying to him:

"Stand, oh leader, and bring comfort to our ears and our hearts."

The Qur'an as True Value-Added

Youngsters and elders — both of us must identify the same way we believe that wealth is value-added, that wearing a nice watch is value-added, that having a degree is value-added — how is it so that the Book of Allah is not something we attach to our value? How is it so that the sunnah of the Prophet is not recognized as synonymous to the value that we have in our life? Ultimately, all value lies within the secrets and the hidden gems of the Prophet's sunnah. Without it, there is no value-added. There's only an illusion:

Like a person seeing that there's water there, but they come closer and closer, and it's a mirage. It's not real.

The Prophet's presence brings barakah instantaneously. We've used the word barakah in such a way that we don't know that barakah actually means the potential of expansion — that it expands, it grows. Barakah is not ziyadah. It means that whatever I have, the potential of impact from it has grown. I can do more with my time. I can do more with my talent.

Imam Ghazali says: the same way that wealth has zakat because it's a ni'mah, every blessing has a zakat. So every blessing must be used.

Every blessing must be used to bring benefit to this beautiful religion and the people of this country as well.

We know the story of Halimah al-Sa'diyyah. She came and got stuck — there was no other child to take. She took Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, who was this orphan child. He was the last kid. She says: on the journey to Makkah she was the last one to reach. But on the journey back to her community, she was the first one to reach. What happened? The presence of the Prophet changed everything. The presence of the Qur'an changed everything.

The Space Is Not the Goal — The State Is

And I'll end with this. There's never a time that we gather together in our homes or within a space like this where the space itself is what's special. What's being done in the space is special. If it was just a space that was special, the munafiqeen would have been Sahaba. There were people that prayed with the Prophet, but we recognize them to be the hypocrites. Because being somewhere doesn't mean we've made it. Having the state of faith means we've made it. The state is the goal — as I mentioned at the start.

And one can never achieve that state without the Qur'an. One can never achieve the state of fulfillment — the state of being able to say that we've gone through so much yet we have a smile on our face. How is that possible? It is oxymoronic that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم experienced the most difficulty:

He had to face difficulties beyond our understanding and imagination. How could one bury six of his seven children and yet still be smiling? And how is it so that everyone finds comfort in his presence?

We say that hurt people hurt people. It's a nice bumper sticker. Hurt people hurt people when they're not healed by Allah. When a person is healed by Allah, that person doesn't hurt other people. They become a source of comfort for other people because their heart is already soft. They've already experienced.

The pursuit of happiness is a fallacy. Happiness is a lower desire. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to pursue contentment. Contentment is the pursuit — which is the pursuit of a higher, ambitious person:

I am content. Contentment doesn't change based upon your space. It changes based upon your state. The space can change.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is in Ghar-e-Thawr, and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه is saying: "Ya Rasulullah, if they simply look down beneath their feet, they'll find us here." And Allah speaks about them — that even in that moment:

They were able to experience a state of peace. So how was it possible that despite all of his difficulties, he was smiling in the community's face? Because he was given the intervention of revelation. In every difficulty, Allah revealed support for him. Why was the Qur'an revealed over the span of 23 years?

It was a form of comfort for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. How was it possible that I go through what I go through and yet I can smile at people? Yet I can be there for people?

What happens to us as we go through the smallest difficulties and someone says, "Hey, why are you so upset?" "Bro, you don't know what I've been through. I got a ticket coming here." Cool — why are you responding to your mother in such a way over a ticket? A believer's response is not built upon emotions. A believer's response is built upon principle.

The Believer Is Like a Honeybee

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 17900; also narrated by Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim)

That a believer is like a honeybee. And he explains several different ways that a believer is like a honeybee. I'll mention just three of them quickly in passing.

You know that story about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم walking to the masjid and seeing a youngster whose bird died? The historians mention that this incident took place in the heart of the time of Khandaq. Whilst they were digging the trench:

The most difficult moment for the Sahaba. The most difficult battle for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — this is the battle where the Prophet lifted his shirt and he had two stones tied to his stomach. Same situation: he walks into the masjid and he is still able to recognize the pain of a boy who lost his bird.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6129; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2150)

That's the miracle. How is that possible? Because the Qur'an was present in his life. Revelation was there.

How are we able to stabilize ourselves in a storm of emotions? Quite literally in America and Canada, we are in a storm of isms. A tsunami of changes — drifting us and pulling us in different directions. How do I find myself remaining stable, here and here, with my belief? Through the Qur'an. One that recites the Qur'an daily will find comfort. And one who finds that the Qur'an is on the shelf — even happiness will seem like dullness. Because they're missing something.

First Quality: Not Burdening the Ecosystem

The first way that a believer is like a honeybee — the honeybee, if you ever see it sit on a flower, it never fully puts its weight on the flower. The petal never breaks because of the presence of the honeybee. It takes nectar, but it doesn't burden its ecosystem. A believer is the same way. الْمُؤْمِنُ كَالنَّحْلَةِ — we don't burden people.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2317; Ibn Majah, Hadith 3976 — classed as Hasan)

The beauty of a person's Islam is that they don't burden people with things that don't relate to them. Like a honeybee — you come into a space, bring comfort, smile. That can't happen because we have a good life. That happens when we have a good relationship with the Qur'an. Because there's going to come a time where a good life isn't as good. There's going to come a time where you bury your loved ones, or you are buried by your loved ones. It's the reality of life:

That's a reality. But how do I stay upright in those moments? Like this honeybee. Through the Qur'an.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is struggling, he loses his wife Khadijah — Surah Yusuf comes. The Qur'an gives comfort. People listen to music for comfort. We're looking for comfort from people who don't have comfort. A person doesn't have something, can't give it to you. Comfort comes only from Allah.

Second Quality: Taking and Giving — Ihsan

The second quality of a honeybee is that when it does sit on the flower and takes nectar, it never takes except that it gives. It takes nectar, but it pollinates the ecosystem. It takes, but it gives. How often we just take, take, take, but don't give back. We take from the masjid, we take from a space, but we don't give back.

Our community relies upon this beautiful relationship. And we as believers are naturally supposed to be people who are seeking excellence in this relationship. The idea of Ihsan is well-known in worship:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 50; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 8 — Hadith of Jibril)

Worship Allah as if you can see Him. Imam Ghazali says that's the definition of Ihsan when it comes to worship. But what is the definition of Ihsan when it comes to relationships? It's:

It's to always give the other party more than what the other party deserves. That discussion of "what are my rights and responsibilities" changes to "what can I do more?" Imagine if the premise of a relationship with your spouse is not built upon rights and responsibilities anymore, the way our country taught us — rather it's built upon: how can I outdo my spouse? How can I outdo them in reward? How can I outdo them in service? This is how the Sahabas lived. They were not looking for "is this my responsibility?" Because there is no excellence in doing only that for which you're liable. Excellence — Ihsan — begins where one's liability ends. That's where Ihsan begins.

You know, when someone gives you their car at half a tank — most of us would return the car with just enough gas for the person to drive to the gas station the next day. That's Ihsan with rental cars only, because we're going to get charged more. People who are a little bit better would return it at the same — half a tank for half a tank. And they think they've done their part: "I gave him his car back at half a tank. We're equal." No — he still gave you his car. The third is the category that we want to reach, which is not possible without the Qur'an.

The absence of the Qur'an is what allows the morals and ethics of people to decay without them even recognizing — because that's the reference. And the presence of the Qur'an makes you your own biggest critic.

The third category are people that will fill it up to the fullest and say: "I don't have to do it, but I want to be a muhsin." Why did the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم teach us that when someone says as-salamu alaykum to you, you respond by saying wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh? Because a muhsin always gives more. Ibn al-Qayyim has a beautiful comment — he says, if they say salam in that full manner, you should be the last one to lower your hand, because you're trying to catch up. You're always trying to catch up. We're not looking for rights and responsibilities anymore. We're looking for how we can outdo people.

I'm not speaking about oppression. I'm speaking about normal day-to-day interactions. Not every inconvenience can be categorized as an oppression. If we're inconvenienced by people, that's not oppression. Oppression is very specific. May Allah protect us from doing it and being on the receiving end of it.

Third Quality: Seeking What Is Pure

The third quality was that this honeybee will not sit on a pollinated or spoiled flower. It will look for a fresh flower. A believer doesn't look for mistakes in one another.

A munafiq is like a fly — always looking for dirt, even though there's a flower there. But a honeybee won't do that. It sits only on something pure. We only speak about pure things. Positive energy doesn't come from music and movies. Positive energy comes from the Qur'an. There is nothing more positive in our life than the Book of Allah.

Conclusion: The Echoes of the Qur'an Fill Our Lives

All of this is to say that the echoes of the Qur'an — the concept of it — the echo is felt in the masjid. The echo of it is felt in how you raise your children. The echo of it is felt in how you work with people. The echo of it is felt even when you're sleeping, because Allah is rewarding you if you recite the three suras before you sleep. The echo is not something which is confined to a moment or a space. The echo is continuously filling our hearts.

If we are people that live by the Book of Allah and the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — this is the pursuit of a believer: how can I wake up the next day and have more of this in my life than the day before?

Ali رضي الله عنه would say:

Whoever has two days that are completely identical — they are the biggest loser. How can my yesterday and today be completely identical as a worshipper of Allah? How can I do a little bit more? How can I smile more at people? How can I make sure to pray my sunnah of Maghrib today? Don't ever trivialize a good deed. Every good deed will be seen by us on the Day of Judgment. Every good deed will have an impact.

The deed is not what Allah looks at. It's the effort that we make — which is something we must recognize. Allah's system is not a system that rewards people based on results. Allah's system is the only system that rewards people based upon effort. The more effort we make, the more reward Allah gives us.

May Allah make us amongst these people. JazakAllah khair everyone. May Allah bless you Edmonton. Shaykh, forgive me for my shortcomings. May Allah bless you all.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.