The Value of the Qur'an in Our Lives - Shaykh Aqeel Mahmood

Khutbah Opening

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ، نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

أَمَّا بَعْد، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

The Greatest Blessing: The Qur'an

Brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us in many, many ways. And from those blessings is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has revealed upon us a book through the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is to be and forever will be the greatest book and the most miraculous miracle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — the Book of Allah, al-Qur'an al-Karim.

And the Qur'an, brothers and sisters, is a means of our guidance in this world. It's something which will allow us to be able to enter Paradise in the hereafter. And it's also the greatest miracle that one could literally see in front of his eyes.

And we need to ask ourselves, brothers and sisters — this great book that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us with — how much of a connection and relationship do we have with this book? How much of the Qur'an is a part of our lives? How much of our lives do we dedicate to listening to, reciting, understanding, learning the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? This book, brothers and sisters, has so many virtues and it can have a great impact on our lives if we spend that time studying and reciting the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Qur'an Raises and Humbles Nations

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke about the Book of Allah being the means through which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will raise nations, and other nations will become humiliated through the Book of Allah as a result of their connection with the Qur'an itself. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"Verily, Allah, through this book, will raise nations, and He will humble and lower other nations through the Book of Allah."

(Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1934)

So one needs to reflect on the current state of the Muslims. There are many, many reasons and issues why we are where we are with regards to our weaknesses today, but one of those reasons is our connection with the Qur'an. The Qur'an is something which brought izzah — honour — to the companions and to the early generations because of their attachment to the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Your Station in Jannah is Determined by the Qur'an

This book, brothers and sisters, will be a means by which a person could enter Jannah. This book is the reason why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will raise your ranks — not just in this world, but also in the Akhirah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that on the Day of Judgment:

"It will be said to the companion of the Qur'an: Recite and ascend, and recite just as you used to recite in this world. For verily your final place in Jannah will be at the final ayah that you recite."

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1464; Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2914)

Your station in Jannah, brothers and sisters, will be determined by how much of the Qur'an you knew. And the more of the Qur'an you recite on the Day of Judgment, the higher your status will be in Jannah — the higher your status will be in the eyes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Permissible Envy: The Carrier of the Qur'an

And this book, brothers and sisters, is something that when it is given to somebody, that person is admired. And there are certain types of jealousies which are actually allowed — permissible, positive jealousies. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"There is no positive, good jealousy except in two things: A man who has been given this book — meaning the Qur'an — and he stands up in the night and he stands up in the day, reciting the book all day and all night."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5026; Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1933)

This person who has been given this blessing — people will look at him and they will wish that they had recited and learned the Qur'an as this person has recited and learned the Qur'an. They will want to have what he has, because they know its virtue.

That person who has learned the Qur'an and memorized the Qur'an and he practices reciting the Qur'an, and he obeys the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — this person will be given this respect, not only on the Day of Judgment, but also in this world. And the second person that a person will have positive jealousy for is a person who was blessed with wealth, and he gave that wealth freely for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Qur'an Fills the Heart with Light

Brothers and sisters, the Qur'an is the speech of Allah. When you recite the speech of Allah, this is something which is mubarak — it's something which is blessed. There is nothing but good that can come from you reciting the Qur'an, and even listening to the Qur'an. When a person recites the Qur'an, and even when he memorizes the Qur'an — even more so — it's something which is entering his heart, which is full of blessing and good and khair.

Now, imagine the person who spends his time learning and memorizing things which are actually haram, things which are sinful. Imagine the impact that has on his heart. When you're memorizing the Qur'an, when you're reciting the Qur'an, it's something which will only bring about benefit. It's only something which will bring about blessing in a person's life. It's something which will give him good outwardly, but also inwardly.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke about the person who doesn't hold anything in his heart from the Book of Allah, and he said:

"Verily, the one who does not hold anything from the Qur'an in his chest, in his heart, is like the example of a ruined house."

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2913)

That house has no benefit. You can't stay in that house. You can't benefit from the safety or security or warmth of that house, because the house itself is actually harmful. It's detrimental to a person. He avoids staying in that house, because if he stays in that house, the house may collapse. It's broken. It's beyond repair. He's not able to benefit from that house.

The person who doesn't have anything from the Qur'an in his heart — it's actually something which is harmful to him. He's hollow, empty from inside. There is no khair, there is no benefit.

The Qur'an's Impact on the Heart: The Story of Jubayr

And this is something which we have to reflect on, especially when we realize that in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, there were individuals who would hear the Qur'an just once and it would have an impact on their hearts — and they weren't even Muslim.

There was an individual by the name of Jubayr, and he was a captive after the Battle of Badr. And he was a prisoner in the Prophet's masjid in Madinah, and he narrates the story himself. And he says: "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recite the Qur'an." And he said it was as if his heart was about to fly away. Because of the beauty of the Qur'an, the impact those words — the speech of Allah — had on his heart, it was as if it was an out-of-body experience. The heart itself, he felt, was going to fly away. And this person wasn't even a Muslim. He accepted Islam after this, may Allah be pleased with him.

But look at the impact the Qur'an was having on people's lives. So one has to question, brothers and sisters — how much effort are we making to try and have the same thing, the same experiences happen to us in our lives with regards to the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? How much effort do we spend on a daily basis reciting the Qur'an, understanding the Qur'an, listening to the Qur'an?

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

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke about the virtues of the Qur'an and how it benefits a person on the Day of Judgment. And he said that verily it will come on the Day of Judgment as an intercessor for its reciter. The person will be given the ability to be interceded for through the Qur'an, protecting him and asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to forgive him as a result of his relationship with the Qur'an when he was alive. It will be given the ability to speak, and it will intercede for you on the Day of Judgment.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that verily these two chapters — the Prophet ﷺ said — will come on the Day of Judgment as two clouds come, or two huge flocks of birds come, offering shade to its companion, and giving it shade and comfort and tranquility on the Day of Judgment itself. The Book of Allah, brothers and sisters, is such that it will give a person protection in this life, tranquility and peace in this life and the next life.

Second Part of the Khutbah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى أَشْرَفِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ، نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ.

Brothers and sisters, we were speaking about the virtues and the value of the Book of Allah and how many times we spend our days, we spend our time looking for things which will bring about peace and tranquility — things which will help us relax, things which will calm us down.

The Qur'an as a Cure for Stress and Anxiety

And a person in this day and age, living where we are, is stressed because of work and money and family and other issues and responsibilities he may have. And this stress can affect him in his behavior. It can affect the way he speaks, the way he acts. It can affect the way he drives — he has this road rage, he has this frustration.

And many times we are the results of our own actions. We are responsible, because we haven't sought peace and tranquility through those means which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us. How many times has a person driven his car and he listens to things which are of no benefit to him? Whereas just listening to the Qur'an is something which will bring about benefit.

In fact, Allah Himself in the Qur'an speaks about the virtues of just listening to the Book of Allah:

"When the Qur'an is being recited, then listen to it and remain silent, so that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can give you mercy." Mercy from Allah can come just by us simply listening to the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Reward of Every Letter

Reciting the Qur'an has so much virtue. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us about the rewards of reciting the Qur'an. And each letter, as we know from this well-known hadith:

"Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah will have a reward, and that reward will be multiplied ten times. I don't mean that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter."

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2910)

A person can recite with sincerity and say الم and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will reward him with thirty good deeds just by him reciting those three letters. Imagine reciting a page, two pages, half a juz, a whole juz. Imagine the reward Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is giving you — plentiful reward, plentiful ajr. And this is a sign of the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Road Safety and Our Responsibility as Muslims

Brothers and sisters, there is a campaign taking place about road safety. And this is something which, no doubt, is connected to our connection with the Qur'an. When a person drives and he doesn't listen to things which are of benefit to him and he's frustrated, he's anxious, he becomes annoyed and frustrated on the road — and that's a means through which it can cause him harm and end up causing others harm.

The Qur'an, brothers and sisters, is a means by which you're worshipping Allah and it's something which brings about peace and tranquility.

"Verily, by the remembrance of Allah does the heart find ease." The heart is given peace and tranquility when you're worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

In this day and age, when we're driving — listen to the Book of Allah, recite the Qur'an, listen to something which is of benefit, and make sure that you're having a connection with the Qur'an, with the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

We're living in a time when a person will drive erratically, not paying attention to what's happening around him and not understanding the harms and consequences of his actions. And it's contrary to the statements of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ told us that from the lowest level of iman:

"...is removing something harmful from the path." — That is the lowest level of iman.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 57)

What then for the person who is that harm on the road, causing harm to others? May Allah protect us from this. We are the cause of being the problem and the harm that others end up enduring and suffering. Can you imagine the sin and the anger of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala upon the one who intentionally is causing harm? The one who isn't recognizing the rights of others — Islamically and based on the laws of the land.

The fact that this Muslim has a responsibility when he's driving — and this is something which is a responsibility upon every single Muslim when he's on the streets, when he's on the roads, when he's driving his car, or he's riding his bike, or he's driving a van or a truck, whatever the case may be. It's something that all of us — those who are responsible adults who are driving — it's something we all need to be wary of.

To the extent that some of the scholars would say: if a person intentionally passes through a red traffic light, then this could be considered suicide. Because he's doing something intentionally, fully aware of his actions. He may be causing harm to others, and he's causing harm to himself. If he ends up dying as a result of this, it could be considered suicide.

Closing: Strengthening Our Bond with the Qur'an

So brothers and sisters, we need to understand that reciting and having a connection with the Book of Allah — whether we're at home, whether we're driving, whether we're in our cars — is something which will naturally bring about peace and tranquility. And it's a means through which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will reward us. And it's something which Allah azza wa jal will use to increase our status and raise our status in this life and also in the akhira.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He gives us the ability to increase our understanding of the Qur'an, and that He allows us to increase our connection with the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.