Stories from the Quran. Introduction

Transcription

1 Stories from the Quran Introduction Ramadan Project 2013

2 Deal with the Quran with Excellence! Don t use the Quran to satisfy your worldly matters. It is very easy to slip and use the Quran to benefit yourself in the way of degrees, accomplishments, etc. Don t use the Quran at least in this month to satisfy your worldly desires (to get praise, to finish something, etc). Ask Allah to make your relationship with the Quran very strong and only for His sake! Surah Baqarah #185 The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. This ayah mentions the relationship of the Quran with Ramadan We have the Quran in front of us! We can see it, touch it, our mind can understand it It is the speech of Allah everything in the Quran is from Allah The Quran is a mercy from Allah o Allah gave us the Quran that has important matters which we cannot sense, see or know about by ourselves o The Quran tells us our reality, our enemies, their plots, our destination, what we should do The Quran is peace and tranquility The Quran is healing for all types of problems o Internal and external issues / physical and spiritual but we need to have the certainty and trust that is it a cure for our sicknesses

3 The Quran is guidance o It s like alight that shows us how to behave with ourselves, with our Creator, with humanity o Guides us towards the goodness The Quran is the life of the heart Obstacles in the beginning of the month of Ramadan When we feel we can achieve excellence by ourselves - without the help of Allah We cannot do anything without Allah s help so how can we enter Paradise by ourselves? استعانة باهلل - help We need to rely on Allah completely, ask His Hadith There is a connection between generosity and studying the Quran in Ramadan! When you study the Quran in Ramadan (take it seriouslybusy yourself with the Quran-any little time you have you pick up the Quran), the level of faith will increase. Study the Quran with Ihsaan (excellence). Don t speed up to just finish the Quran. To be generous to sacrifice everything for the sake of Allah It is an impact of studying the Quran because studying the Quran will reform you. Being generous is one of the manners. It is from the power/strength of the Quran. The balance of the Quran in Ramadan! Do it perfectly! Don t be lazy with the Quran Don t be hasty with the Quran

4 The Quran will intercede for you in the Day of Judgment Hadith the Quran will speak on the Day of Judgment. It will say to Allah to give its recitor a crown of honor. He won t be satisfied so he will ask Allah to give him a gown of honor. He still won t be satisfied to he will ask Allah to be pleased with him. Then Allah will be pleased with him (recitor of the Quran). Allah will tell him to recite like how he used to recite in the world and he will be elevated in ranks. Remember you are hastening towards the pleasure of Allah! Surah Taha # 84 Manners/Etiquettes in dealing with the Quran (اآلداب الظاهرة) Apparent/visible etiquettes The recitor himself should have some manners o He should have wudu (ablution) o Prepare himself mentally o Can recite the Quran in any position (sitting, standing, walking, lying down) o The best position to recite the Quran is sitting with humility because remember its Allah s speech He is talking to you (should not be with arrogance) The Quantity how much should you read? o The righteous predecessors were always busy with the Quran some finished the whole Quran in 3 days, some in 1 week, some in one day!! Depends on the level of faith o Have a specific time to read the Quran don t focus on how much you need to finish (its only quantity) o Our goal is the pleasure of Allah so read as much as you can but your time is important! The more you recite the better it is! This is the way to do more Ihsaan with the Quran (الترتيل) Recite the Quran with a beautiful tune/recitation o Giving every letters its right o Prophet Muhammad used to recite each letter by letter pronounce each letter clearly o الترتيل makes its beautiful to listen to the Quran and helps you to focus, ponder and interact with the ayaat

5 Crying/feeling humble o Because it is the speech of Allah you want to cry because Allah has allowed you to read it, have it, understand it! o Ayaat of mercy will make you cry at the vastness of Allah s mercy o Ayaat of punishment will make you cry because you want to be protected from the eternal punishment To give each ayah its right o It s not just a book or words o Each ayah has its own rights upon you (use your 3D glasses! ) o Recite it, read every letter, understand each word, understand the whole ayah o This is the right of the ayah upon you Recite in a moderate tone o You recite with a voice but not screaming loud! o Don t recite the Quran mute without moving your tongue o Recite the Quran with a soft voice maybe little louder if it helps you to concentrate o It will help you to awaken your heart o 2 senses will be working reciting and hearing Beautify your voice o Remember it s the speech of Allah so beautify your voice o Hadith beautify your sound with the Quran o Allah is watching you/hearing you He will appreciate your efforts (اآلداب الباطنة) Hidden/Internal etiquettes Understand the greatness of the speech o Because Allah is the Greatest so His speech is also great Magnify Allah Make your heart present o You know that it is the speech of Allah so you want your mind and heart to be present Understand the Quran o Your mind will work when your heart is present o You will be able to understand better o If your heart is not in the Quran you will just utter it with your tongue and will not get the Ihsaan with the Quran Reflect on the Quran o Don t limit your time with the Quran o To understand it is very important o Once you understand the meaning then you need to know what is your reaction to that understanding (pondering/reflecting) o You know that Allah is the Most Merciful so what are you supposed to do about it? You make dua to get this mercy of Allah You hope for the mercy of Allah all the time o Don t detach yourself from the Quran! Imagine each verse is being addressed to you! Divine messages from Allah directed to you! o Interact with the Quran

6 Obstacles in understanding/pondering over the Quran: 1. Your worry/concern/focus is to finish the Quran The minute you think about how fast you will finish or your accomplishment your ihsaan (excellence) with the Quran is gone Excellence cannot be done if your pressure yourself with time Enjoy every ayah at a time If you feel your heart was not focused repeat the ayah 2. Your worry/concern/focus is only the tajweed and makharij (pronunciation & grammar) Remember tajweed is just a tool of recitation It is good to have it but if you don t then don t make that your goal Your goal while reading the Quran is to attain the pleasure of Allah by understanding the meaning and pondering over the meaning! Don divert your focus 3. Not asking for forgiveness for your sins and having pride Sins have an effect on the heart (black dots) The Quran is very pure! A blackened heart cannot take the Quran Always ask Allah for forgiveness Don t insist on your sins If someone has pride and arrogance in their heart he will be deprived from the benefits of the Quran The recitor of the Quran has to be humble! The heart is like a crystal clear glass and the Quran is a mirror on it! The heart needs to be clean and pure in order to understand the Quran اللهم اجعلنا أهل القرآن أهل هللا و خاصته