Divine Speech (Literary Analysis of Quran)

Transcription

1 Things t Remember abut Islam Divine Speech (Literary Analysis f Quran) Remarkable examples f the ayats and surahs f the Quran that prve this is a divine bk frm Allah, n ther explanatin Quran is made up f 114 surahs N ther bk has surahs Allah in the very beginning sets his wn standards Yu cannt cmpare the Quran t any ther bk Inside Surahs are Ayats Has several meanings: Smething valuable Smething that makes yu curius Smething that pints t a directin (which is Allah) Smething Amazing Smething Beautiful Surce f cnvictin/certainty Quran says the skies and the earth have enugh ayats t cnvince yu abut Allah Three kinds f Arabic Spken Arabic Knwn as street Arabic, such as rdering a shawrma Frmal Arabic Arabic f the newspapers, Al-Jazeera

2 Big difference between spken and frmal Old Arabic/Classical Arabic Arabic started ff as an islated culture and language befre the intrductin f Islam Resulted in a very refined Arabic Three prtectin mvements arse t prtect ld Arabic Mvement t prtect the Quran Mvement t prtect the hadith Mvement t prtect Arabic We can nly analyze the Quran in the Arabic f the desert r it s like we re lking at the Quran with dirty glasses Verbal Idims in the Quran Yu cannt take wrds literally in any language Befre Islam, the Arabs had figures f speech that Allah uses in the Qur an Clness f the Eyes & Warmth f the Eyes (Surah 25, Ayat 74) May Allah warm his eyes arabs wuld use it as a curse First meaning: hping ne sheds tears f srrw Cling f the eyes means t shed tears f jy When a desert dweller finds prtectin frm a sandstrm, he says: my eyes have becme cl Secnd meaning: finding relief Allah says in the Qur an: Ya Allah, give us frm ur spuses and children the clness f the eyes

3 Meaning: spuses and children are suppsed t be refuge frm the strm (utside wrld) When Musa (AS) s mther was reunited with him, her eyes became cl Cried with happiness When Firn s wife fund Musa (AS), she said This child, he cls my eye Third Meaning: when smething stays in ne place her eyes stay lcked n the baby and nthing else The Prphet (PBUH) stated: The clness f my eyes was put inside the prayer He has t talk t the Quraysh all day, wh use ful language against him He gets hurt because f hw pure hearted and sensitive he is He is in a strm all the time His relief frm the strm is praying t Allah Idea f crying during Salah is true It makes us cry ut f the clness f the eyes Mves us with jy T Lwer/Raise yur wings (Surah 17, ayat 24) Cmparing a persn t a bird When it flies up, it raises its wings When it lands, it lwers its wings A bird can raise/lwer its wings anytime it wants This ayat is abut ur relatinship with ur parents Allah says even when yu becme independent, yu need t lwer yur wings when yu re with yur parents and act like yu dn t have wings at all

4 Means: t shw humility and d it ut f lve and mercy fr them Why shuld yu d it? Because f mercy and yu shuld have lve and care fr them Even if they re annying r criticizing Years ag, yu were annying as a kid t Allah reverses the rle f parents and children ver time When yu re humble t them, yu genuinely shw yur lve and care t them Yu want Allah s rahma, then yu better shw them rahma Allah will test yu by making yur parents unusually agitating Secnd Meaning: t prtect yur parents when rles are reversed bird lwers its wings ver the nest t prtect the nest children sacrifice themselves fr the parent Untie the knt afflicting my tngue (Surah 20, ayat 27) First meaning: give me clarity in speech Dua f Musa (AS) when he was ging t speak publicly in frnt f peple This dua can be used befre public speaking The Quran is Beynd Explanatin Ab-brama Wrd used fr tying things fr permanent purpses (tying tw beams tgether fr cnstructin) Quran uses it t describe peple wh d shirk (the Quraysh) Allah asks them a rhetrical questin: Have they tied the knt when it cmes t accepting Islam?

5 If it is set fr them, then Allah says: Then we have tied the rpe als. Meaning, Allah will make them permanently that way, unable t accept Islam Huge difference when Allah ties his rpe vs when they tie their rpe When they tie their rpe, they use a verb (temprary) When Allah uses it, He uses it as a nun (permanent) Lessn: As firm as yu think yu are, yu re nt as firm as yu think. Hwever, Allah s decisin is supreme t all. Expressin in the Qur an describing pets Didn t yu see that they venture ff int every valley? Usage f valley dictates that a persn starts frm high elevatin t g dwn t a valley Meaning they g frm a state f dignity t a state f humiliatin Als, there may nt be a way back up nce yu g int the valley Allah describes the pet as smene wh is willing t humiliate themselves fr the attentin f thers and their willingness t cmprmise their dignity Pets back in the day started t write dirty petry, because they thught it wuld sell better and catch mre attentin Allah says these peple have n purpse in life, they nly live fr their fans Quran teaches us t live in the wrld f What Is. Stry f Allah destrying a village and verturning it In this stry, Allah is saying that he destryed the twn in such a way that generatins went by that whatever walls were left als fell n tp f the rfs Span f destructin

6 Hw cme the Qur an uses the wrld al-madina six times and Yathrib nce? They bth refer t the same city the City f the Prphet (PBUH) Medina nt the riginal name f the city, it is the given name f the city nce the Prphet (PBUH) mved there The hypcrites (Munafiqn) in the Quran used the wrd Medina until the battle f the trench when they thught they were ging t lse Lessn: Hypcrites will stay hidden during easy times and shw themselves during difficult times Tw ayats in the Quran Bal-Aji-B and Wal-Aji-B Bal-Aji-B: rather they fund it strange (Surah 50, Ayat 2) Wal-Aji-B: and they fund it strange (Surah 38, Ayat 4-5) Tw separate ayats that are fund in different surahs In ne f the ayats, there are three mre additinal things that the peple f shirk (Mushrikun) fund strange The Quran is s accurate that elsewhere in anther Sura entirely, when they fund 3 mre strange things, the expressin signifies three degrees f usage instead f ne The Quran remembers perfectly frm ne surah t anther surah and balances them Take int accunt that the Qur an wasn t even written at the time It was nly said by the wrd f muth frm the Prphet (PBUH) We as human beings can t even remember what we said 5 minutes ag

7 Misc Nthing yu ever d fr Allah is wasted even if yu see results r nt Allah will nt waste the cmpensatin f any f thse wh believe Allah says when peple get up fr me, I will let n harm cme t them a. Battle f Uhud Dn't be afraid f Shaytaan and his friends, be afraid f Allah. Allah says: "Dn't let thse wh are making a lt f effrts t further disbelieve ever wrry yu" Allah is reminding us that whatever we wn desn't mean we get t keep it a. "Allah alne wns the entire inheritance f the skies and the Earth" Allah is saying t grw a spine, get strng, dn't be afraid f anybdy else, prve yurself t Allah and nne f the effrts yu d will g unacknwledged a. Battle f Uhud Abve and beynd everything else, make sure yu have Sabr: patience, cnsistency, cnstancy in everything yu d, like prayers, giving charity, and s n a. Allah is with the peple wh have Sabr Allah says: "My lve and care held all things" a. Cmpared with the kursi, size f earth and skies (entire knwn universe) is like a ring in the desert. And size f kursi cmpared t arsh, is like a ring in the desert. b. kursi hlds skies and earth c. arsh hlds the kursi d. and the rahma hlds everything In duniya, it is abut listening, and in the Aakirah, it is abut seeing a. Believers listen first, then they see n judgment day b. Disbelievers want t see first, then they listen n judgment day

8 When yu use the unusual rder, yu add the wrd "nly" a. Ex: We believe in him and upn him we rely -> We believe in him and we nly rely upn him Qur'an will cnstantly require us t think and nly Allah knws truly We are students f learning fr the rest f ur lives a. Cannt ever say that we definitively knw smething The Qur an is in perfect, divine rder a. Example: Surah #17 and Surah #18 are perfect cmpliments f each ther b. Surahs #105 - #114 is an entire argument abut the neness f Allah and the legacy f Ibrahim (AS) c. Beginning and end f Surah tul Hijr (and ther surahs) are crrelated Islam abslutely discurages arrgance. If yu have even a little f it, yu can't get int jannah. Islam encurages cnfidence thugh. a. When nbdy else is there t take up the task, and yu knw Allah has given yu a gift that can help ther peple, then yu d it (Cnfidence) b. Tw prblems f arrgance: i. when yu are impressed w/ yurself 1. des nt mean yu deny the gifts Allah has given yu ii. when yu think yurself better than thers Allah made the Qur an easy fr remembrance, but yu need t dive deeper t understand it a. Yu cannt understand the Qur an in trn pieces Qur'an teaches us acknwledgement in the gd even in the ne yu're ppsing. a. Musa (AS) in Ash-Shu'ara w/ Firn

9 Hld yur tngue back. Dn't say smething yu knw will hurt the ther persn. Dn't be dismissive fr the gd smene has dne fr yu. a. Ibrahim (AS) in Surah Ash-Shu'ara w/ his Father Allah says: "Whever fllws my guidance when they cme t this Earth, then there will n fear n them nr grief" Islam is nt asking yu t be perfect r t attain a perfect sciety. It is asking yu t always d better and better a. Allah will nt judge yu n hw perfect yu and I were. Allah will judge us n hw much effrt we made t be better and better Qur'an is teaching us that the disabled believers that are struggling t learn are the real VIPs f Allah, nt the pwerful leaders Favrite Ayats 2:257 Allah is the friend f thse wh believe. He brings them ut frm darkness int the light. And thse wh disbelieve - their allies are Taghut (idls). They take them ut f the light int darkness. Thse are the cmpanins f the Fire; they will abide eternally therein. #1 Surah Al-Fatihah (The Opening) Fatihah is Allah intrducing Himself t us First three ayats gives a cmprehensive picture f wh Allah is Entire Fatihah Meaning: 1.) All Praise and Thanks Belng t Allah.

10 Our religin begins with ptimism Has t be genuine and sincere praise Al-Hamdu is a nun, which is timeless and independent, which means praise and thanks t Allah is timeless Inna (indeed) was nt used in the beginning b/c yu can use Alhumdulliah fr bth emtin and infrmatin By using Allah s name, yu cver all His attributes Al means All r Ultimate, but sme Hamd can belng t thers as well 2.) Master f the Natins/Peple Rab has several different pieces t it: Malik (wner) Sayyid (in charge) Al-Murabbi (Care Taker) One wh ensures smething grws and is taken care f Ensures smething gets better and better Al-Qayyim (Maintainer) Smene wh makes sure things remain in tact Things dn t fall apart Ex: Allah cntinuusly making ur hearts beat Al-Mumin(Giver f Gifts/Favrs) Everything we wn/experience is a gift We have n right t cmplain if smething is taken away r smething is nt given t us Allah is ur Master (Rab) and we are his slaves (Abd)

11 Slavery t Allah frees yu frm slavery t everything else Human beings enjy nly freedm and n ppressin with Allah Wrship is ne part f slavery Our relatinship with Allah is nt a few times, it is all the time Salah reminds us that we are slaves t Allah Al-Alamin Natins/Peple een at the end f wrds talks abut peple Peple need warning, nt the wrld r animals Allah cares abut all the natins and peple frm all cultures/cuntries Fatihah is abut PEOPLE nt abut anything else 3.) The ne wh Lves and Cares Rahm wmb f a mther Rahma Yu have n idea what Allah des t take care f yu Yu are nt capable f hw many ways He is prtecting yu Rahma cmes frm Rahm Ar-Rahmaan the AAN signifies 3 things: Extreme lve and care happens at an extreme scale Immediately Lve and care is happening right nw Temprary lve and care can pssibly be taken away Guarantees Allah will take care f me right nw in extreme quality Ar-Raheem tw qualities Permanent Always lving and caring Nt necessarily happening right nw

12 Ar-Rahmaan cvers the present while Ar-Raheem cvers the future (afterlife) Rahma f Allah is beynd human imaginatin 4.) Master f the Day f judgment Balances ut the first tw ayats, s peple dn t start taking advantage f Allah s rahma Malik (Owner) Tw prnunciatins exist at the same time Maalik -> means wner Malik -> means king Owner small things King big things Allah takes wnership f bth the big and small details f judgment day Judgment day is a neutral ayat, nt a negative ayat because Allah will serve his justice t be fair, nt t punish peple 5.) It is nly t yu that we willingly give urselves in slavery and wrship. We seek yur help and nly yur help. Every Fatihah is revisiting slavery t Allah ver and ver We must g back t why we re Muslim ver and ver, which is a fundamental truth f Islam Nt an easy cmmitment t be Allah s slave, which is why we ask fr his help We first d fr Allah, then we ask fr help urselves Isti Ana Help when yu are exhausted yurself Allah is asking fr yur best effrt Results will always be in the hands f Allah

13 Allah will never give help when there is n effrt Guidance is the mst desperate help we need as human beings Guidance is like water, yu need it every few hurs We need t keep asking fr guidance in Salah all the time 6.) Guide us t the straight curse Guidance is the greatest f all gifts Ex: getting lst in the desert and having guidance can save yur life Sirat Straight path Wide rad Lng rad In this life, yur destinatin is the rad itself Our life as Muslims is nt abut perfectin, it s abut cntinual imprvement and prgress Everyne is n the path with peple mving slwly and quickly, but everyne is n it Cmpare yurself with yur prgress frm yesterday, nt t ther peple n the path Mustaqim (Straight up) Upwards path If yu stp, yu will fall Lust, temptatin, greed, etc.. will all pull yu dwn as gravity The higher yu get, the mre dangerus it is if yu fall int dunya

14 7.) The path Wh yu made ease fr/wh yu favred and nt f thse whm anger was directed and thse wh are lst An Amta (Wh yu favred/made ease fr) It is in the past tense Rle mdels wh have already made the jurney Tw different grups wh we shuld nt be like magdbe Thse wh d wrng even when they knw what they re ding is wrng Allah des nt like t mentin Himself with this grup, which is why it says they will receive anger They were the bin Israel mentined in the Quran Had all the knwledge, but tk n actin daaaleeen (lst) These were the Christians mentined in the Quran Had all the actin, but n knwledge Allah uses nuns fr bth grups b/c these grups are in the past, present, and future The entire Fatihah is a PERFECT balance, and Islam teaches us t balance ur lives. #12 Surat Yusuf 111 ayats The entire Surah is in perfect symmetry Nte that this was all recited nce, n edits invlved. SubhanAllah.

15 Every prblem discussed in the first half f Surah Yusuf is slved in reverse rder in the secnd half f Surat Yusuf Teaches abut cnfidence Allah even says at the end: "It's nt speech that's made up. Yu can't make this stuff up" #15 Surah tul Hijr (The Rcky Tract) 99 ayats Beginning and end f surah crrelated Allah says in the beginning: "Alif. Lam. Rah. Thse are the miraculus signs, the ayats, f the bk and a clear and clarifying Qur'an" #105 - Surah tul Fil (The Elephant) Abut the city f Mecca and Kaaba being attacked by an army f elephants Allah prtected the city under any circumstances #106 Surah Quraysh Ntes #107 Surah Al-Ma un (The Small Kindnesses) Ntes #108 Surah Al-Kawthar (The Abundance) Ntes

16 #109 Surah Al-Kafirun (The Disbelievers) Ntes #110 Surah An-Nasr (The Divine Supprt) Ntes #111 Surah Al-Masad (The Palm Fiber) Abu-Lahab, wrse enemy f Islam, cndemned and taken care f by Allah #112 Al-Ikhlas (The Sincerity) Ntes #113 Al-Falaq (The Daybreak) Revealed t prtect frm attacks that cme frm the utside n Tawhid #114 An-Nas (The Mankind) Revealed t prtect frm attacks f the whispering devils, r attacks that cme frm the inside n Tawhid Beautiful language that Allah uses in this surah Allah uses chest instead f heart t signify that the devils dn t have access t ur hearts Imagine the chest as a castle that has gates The nly ne wh can pen up thse gates t ur hearts is urselves

17 Imprtant Peple Salman Al-Farisi Cmpanin f the Prphet Muhammad (PBUH) wh translated the Fatihah int Farsi His translatin has always been used in Persian translatins Islamic Terminlgy Seerah the life f the Prphet Muhammad (PBUH) Wahjib an act that is necessary in Islam Ihsan highest state f Islam