How the Qur’an Changes Lives | Shaykh Furhan Zabairi | Miftaah Circle

How the Qur'an Changes Lives

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُرْسَلِينَ. وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

All thanks and praise are due to Allah. And may His peace and blessings be upon His last and final Messenger, His family, His companions, and those who follow them until the end of times. May Allah reward each and every single one of you for being such an amazing audience.

I know sitting and listening to back to back to back to back to back lectures can be very tiresome, can be very difficult, but it's something very rewarding. That what we're gathered here for today, this evening, is not something insignificant. It's something very, very important.

That we are gathered here spending time in the gardens of the righteous. We are spending time strengthening our connection to Allah, increasing our love for the Prophet ﷺ, increasing our love for his beloved companions, رضي الله عنهم. And being in a gathering like this, it brings immense blessing into our daily lives.

The Blessing of Gathering Around the Qur'an

The Prophet ﷺ taught us:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6853)

Whenever a community comes together in one of the houses of Allah, like we have done this evening, يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ — reciting the Book of Allah — وَيَتَدَارَسُونَهُ بَيْنَهُمْ — and studying it together — نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ — this peace, tranquility, comfort descends on that gathering. And this is something I'm sure all of us are experiencing right now. A sense of comfort, a sense of peace, a sense of inner joy in the heart.

وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ — Allah's divine infinite mercy encompasses that gathering. وَحَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ — And the angels surround them. MashaAllah, the musalla is full, but any space you might see is not actually empty — it's occupied by angels.

We are part of this angelic gathering. وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ — And then Allah mentions them to the angels in His divine presence. And that is the greatest honor of all. That our Lord, our Creator, acknowledges our effort. And He mentions us by name to the angels in His divine presence. And all of that comes from the barakah — it comes from the blessing of the Qur'an.

The Power of the Qur'an

The Qur'an is absolutely amazing. It is the actual divine uncreated speech of Allah. And that's something very humbling to reflect on. That these words we recite, these words we listen to, these words we memorize — these are not human words. These are the words of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing, the Most Merciful, the Very Merciful. These words are extremely powerful. They're beautiful, they're eloquent, they're profound.

Human words cannot capture the beauty of the Qur'an. And because human words can't capture the beauty of the Qur'an, Allah gives us an example in the Qur'an to give us somewhat of an understanding of how truly powerful these words are. He tells us:

Had We sent this Qur'an to a mountain, لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا — you would see that mountain humble itself — مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ — bursting apart into fine particles of dust out of the awe, the respect, the reverence and fear of Allah. These are the examples We give to mankind so that they can reflect.

In this verse, Allah uses very powerful imagery. A mountain is the ultimate symbol of strength and power. Often in literature, mountains are used as symbols of ultimate strength and power. It's something indestructible. Allah tells us that His words are so powerful, they are so profound, they're so beautiful, they're so eloquent, that if they were sent down upon a mountain — this ultimate symbol of strength and power — لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا — you would see it humble itself — مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ — and it would burst apart out of the awe, the reverence and fear of Allah.

If the Qur'an, if the words of Allah, can have that impact on an inanimate object, imagine the impact it can have upon the human heart. And that's what Allah wants us to reflect on. What impact can these words have on my heart?

The Qur'an's Impact on the Companions

We have seen the impact of the Qur'an on human beings throughout history — particularly the beloved companions of the Prophet ﷺ. The Qur'an impacted them in very powerful ways. It filled their hearts with iman, with faith. It refined their character. It served as an inspiration to reform themselves, both internally and externally. It served as a motivation to refine and reform society around them. That the words of the Qur'an elevated nomadic Arab tribesmen to sitting on the thrones of the Persian and Roman empires. That the words of the Qur'an transformed a would-be assassin of the Prophet ﷺ into one of his closest and greatest companions, Umar رضي الله عنه.

The impact of the Qur'an on the companions of the Prophet ﷺ is something that is a miracle of history. And unfortunately in the modern era, we don't see that impact on our hearts. These are the exact same words that were recited by the Prophet ﷺ. The exact same words that were memorized by the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم. But it had a very, very different impact on them.

The Story of Umar and the Ignorant Man

There is a beautiful story of Umar رضي الله عنه during his khilafah. Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه narrates that a man by the name of Uyayna came to visit his nephew, Al-Hurr ibn Qais, in the city of Medina. And Al-Hurr ibn Qais was part of the advisory council of Umar رضي الله عنه. Whenever he had an important decision to make, he would consult with them, he would seek their advice. And this council was made up of individuals who had knowledge of the Qur'an. So Al-Hurr ibn Qais was one of these members.

So Uyayna comes, visits him and says, "O Hurr, you have access to the khalifa. Is it possible for you to arrange a meeting for me?" So Al-Hurr says, "Sure, no problem, why not?" So he sets up this meeting. Uyayna comes before Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, and instead of addressing him with respect and honor, he begins to insult him. He says, "Ya ibn al-Khattab, O son of al-Khattab."

Now for those of you who are familiar with the story of Umar رضي الله عنه, you know you don't speak to him like that. Umar رضي الله عنه is a very powerful individual. He had a very strong personality. The Prophet ﷺ said that if you're walking down one alley and Shaytan sees you, he's going to go the other way.

So this individual ignorantly, foolishly comes and begins to insult him:

"You're not giving us a fair amount of wealth. You are misappropriating funds. You're not distributing wealth properly and correctly. And you're not ruling with justice." So he's basically insulting the integrity of Umar رضي الله عنه. He's saying, you're not fulfilling your amanah. You're not fulfilling your trust.

And as soon as he said these words, Umar رضي الله عنه naturally became upset. He naturally became angry — just like any other human being. So Al-Hurr noticed that Umar رضي الله عنه was becoming very angry and was about to respond — verbally or perhaps even physically. So Al-Hurr reminds him:

"O leader of the faithful, remember what Allah told the Prophet ﷺ: adopt an attitude of pardon, be gracious, be forgiving — وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ — and command good — وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ — and ignore the ignorant."

Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه says: as soon as he heard these words, he calmed down. His anger subsided. وَكَانَ وَقَّافًا عِنْدَ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ — And Umar رضي الله عنه was someone who strictly adhered to the Book of Allah.

This is a very, very instructive story because it gives us insight into the impact of Allah's words upon the heart of the companions رضي الله عنهم. Anger is a natural human emotion. It's something that each and every single one of us experiences and expresses in different ways. We have all been in situations where someone is making us upset — perhaps someone is insulting us, perhaps someone is annoying us, whatever it may be. We all have those moments where we're becoming upset and angry.

In that moment, if I heard these same words, how would I respond? If I am so upset that I'm about to use foul language, I'm in the heat of the moment, and then someone comes and recites these words to me — what would my response actually be? Would I calm down? Would I swallow my anger? Would I swallow my temper? Would I actually become gracious and pardoning and forgiving? Would I command good? And would I ignore the ignorant? Would I be وَقَّافًا عِنْدَ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ — someone who strictly adheres to the Book of Allah?

The Story of Abu Talha and His Beloved Property

There is a story regarding Abu Talha رضي الله عنه, one of the wealthiest companions in Medina. He owned several properties across the city. One of the properties he owned was called Bayruha — a garden outside of Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi, outside of the Prophet's mosque. It had a number of date palm trees and a well with water. The Prophet ﷺ would sometimes go and spend time in this garden as well.

He narrates that he heard about this verse from Surah Ali Imran:

"You will never attain true righteousness until you spend from that which you love. And whatever you spend, Allah knows about it."

He says: as soon as I heard these words, I immediately went to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "Ya Rasulullah, I heard that Allah says you will never attain true righteousness until you spend from that which you love. And Ya Rasulullah, this property — Bayruha — is my most beloved property. And here I am giving it away in charity."

When the Prophet ﷺ heard this, he said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1461; Sahih Muslim, Book 5, Hadith 2192)

"Amazing, awesome — that is profitable wealth. Amazing, awesome — that is profitable wealth." But instead of giving it away in charity to strangers, give it to your relatives. That way you can have a double reward — one for charity, and one for maintaining a healthy relationship with your relatives. And that's exactly what he did.

The reason why I'm mentioning this incident is again to highlight the impact of Allah's words upon the human heart. For the companions رضي الله عنهم, the Qur'an was not simply a book of devotional practice. It wasn't simply theoretical. The Qur'an was a practical book that they implemented into their daily lives. That when they heard the words of Allah, the meanings would penetrate their hearts. It would lead towards a feeling of humility. Their hearts would burst apart through various emotions. And they would put it immediately into practice.

So once again we can ask ourselves: if I heard this verse for the first time in my life, and I actually understood what Allah is saying — would I be willing to give up my most prized possession? Would I be willing to donate my property, my house, my car, a large sum of money? How would I actually respond to the words of Allah?

Our Relationship with the Qur'an

That is the question I want everyone to focus on this evening. What is the nature of my relationship with the Book of Allah? Do I even have a relationship with the words of Allah? When I recite the Qur'an, when I listen to the Qur'an, when I memorize the Qur'an — what impact is it having upon my heart? Is it leading to any change? Is it leading to reformation, whether internally or externally? Is it impacting my life in any way, shape or form? And that is a very important, a very significant question for all of us to reflect on.

The companions were elevated through the Qur'an. The Prophet ﷺ told us:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 1934)

Truly Allah elevates nations with the Qur'an. Meaning any community, any people who recite the Qur'an regularly and consistently, who try their best to reflect on its meanings, and then — most importantly — act upon the guidance of the Qur'an: Allah elevates them. He gives them honor, dignity, respect, authority and power. وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ — but there is the opposite as well. Whoever doesn't have a connection with the Qur'an, then Allah lowers them. He humiliates them, He disgraces them.

And that's something very important for us to reflect on — particularly in our current sociopolitical reality, where we know that the Muslim ummah is hurting globally, where we are in a position of weakness, where we are in a position of humiliation. One of the root causes can be understood from this particular hadith of the Prophet ﷺ: that there is a disconnect between us and the words of Allah.

In Surah al-Furqan, we're told:

That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ complains: "Ya Rabbi, O my Lord — إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا — my community, my nation, has taken this Qur'an as something to be ignored, as something to be abandoned." Now the context of this is the opposition of the mushrikun of Makkah. When the Prophet ﷺ would recite the Qur'an to them, they would ignore it. They would put their fingers in their ears, they would turn away. They would stop people from listening to the Qur'an.

Al-Imam al-Qurtubi رحمه الله mentions another plausible explanation — that this could actually be a complaint of the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgment regarding you and I. That on the Day of Judgment, the Prophet ﷺ is going to say, "Ya Rabbi, إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا — my nation, my community, my ummah, has taken the Qur'an as something to be abandoned, as something to be ignored."

And Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله, commenting on this, says:

Whoever doesn't recite the Qur'an — they have abandoned it. Whoever recites the Qur'an but doesn't reflect on its meanings — they have also abandoned it. And whoever recites the Qur'an and reflects on its meanings but doesn't put it into practice — they have also abandoned the Qur'an.

We do not want to be among those who have abandoned the Qur'an. We don't ever want to be among those who are going to cause any sort of inconvenience to the Prophet ﷺ, where he feels compelled to complain about us. We want to be individuals who strictly adhere to the Book of Allah.

Three Practical Steps to Connect with the Qur'an

I just want to leave everyone with three practical pieces of advice that all of us can start from tonight to nurture and develop a stronger relationship with the Book of Allah.

1. Find Motivation to Build a Deeper Connection

There are several ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ where he describes the virtues, the blessings and rewards connected with studying, reciting, memorizing and listening to the Qur'an. Almost any collection of hadith you come across is going to have an entire chapter dedicated to فَضَائِلُ الْقُرْآن — virtues of the Qur'an. Go home and read those ahadith. Sit with these words of the Prophet ﷺ and allow them to serve as a means of motivation for building a stronger relationship with the Book of Allah.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5027)

The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. And all of us have the ability to be among the best of people by spending time, energy and effort learning and teaching the Qur'an.

2. Daily, Consistent, Regular Recitation

Not a day should pass by where I don't spend some time looking inside the mushaf. All of us should have a portion of our day dedicated to reciting the words of Allah. And we all know ourselves better than anyone else — we know what we're capable of. So make a realistic goal that every single day, starting from this evening, I'm going to spend 10 minutes with the Book of Allah. I'm just going to recite half a page or one page.

The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are regular and consistent, even though they may be small. Daily recitation — without fail. If I consider something to be important, I'm going to make time for it. There is nothing more important than our relationship with Allah. There is absolutely nothing in this world more important than our connection to our Lord and Creator. And one of the primary avenues of connecting with Him is through His own divine speech.

And it can't just be recitation for the sake of a ritual practice. It has to be recitation coupled with understanding. We have to make an effort to understand what we're reciting. If that means reading a translation, so be it. If that means reading through a tafsir, alhamdulillah. If that means attending a Qur'an halaqa where they're discussing the meanings, alhamdulillah.

3. Connect Emotionally with the Qur'an

When we're reciting the Qur'an, when we're reading the meanings — try to connect with it emotionally. Don't read it as a third party. Approach the Qur'an as if you are being addressed directly. That Allah is speaking directly to your heart. Every single day I recite الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ — all thanks and praise are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. I should reflect and ask myself: why am I thanking Allah? Why am I praising Allah? What does it mean to me that He is رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ? What does it mean for my daily life that He is the Lord of the worlds?

Conclusion

So again: number one, find motivation to build a relationship with the Qur'an. Number two, recite daily with understanding. And number three, connect emotionally.

May Allah give all of us the tawfiq, the ability to do so. May Allah fill our hearts with love for the Qur'an. May Allah make us among those who recite the Qur'an regularly and consistently, who reflect on its meanings and implement its guidance into our daily lives.

جزاكم الله خيرًا — والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله.