Qurʾānic Reflections

Explanation of the Ḥadīth: “70,000 people will enter Paradise without accountability nor punishment.” [Bukhārī, Muslim]

Date:   23rd and 24th of September Day:   Saturday and Sunday Time:   9 pm (Makkah); 7 pm (UK)

New student registration, click here.

Note: Registration is one time only, after which you’ll be able to access the archives of previous talks and join future live sessions too.

Explanation of the Ḥadīth: “70,000 people will enter Paradise without accountability nor punishment.” [Bukhārī, Muslim]

Date:   16th and 17th of September Day:    Saturday and Sunday Time:   9 pm (Makkah); 7 pm (UK)

New student registration, click here.

Note: Registration is one time only, after which you'll be able to access the archives of previous talks and join future live sessions too.

He ﷺ said,

❞تهادوا تحابوا❝

What do you do in Ramaḍān? How do you spend your day to make the most of it?

In recitation, do you focus on quality (tadabbur) or quantity (numerous khatmāt)? If you’re memorising, do you continue to memorise? Or focus on recitation?

HOW do you do tadabbur if you’ve not done it before?

Do you pray night prayers with the imām or pray at home?

This and more, with a special focus on Qurʾān and how to combat ghaflah in Ramaḍān.

[Update] The recording is accessible on the website: QuranicReflections.com/Live_Stream 

If you are memorising the Qurʾān, is there any sūrah that you especially love reciting? Perhaps sūrat ar-Raḥmān? That’s an ‘easy’ sūrah to recite, isn’t it? The key to what makes it especially easy is that you hear it and recite it so often that it’s well cemented in your memory.

Now is there any sūrah that you find particularly difficult and that you don’t look forward to reciting? Maybe if your teacher was to test you, you would secretly think, “not that sūrah, not that sūrah”? This apprehension that you feel in your heart towards any part of the Qurʾān, or any part of this dīn for that matter, shouldn’t exist. Naturally, the one solution to resolve this apprehension is to clear out your schedule one weekend and spend some time with that sūrah.

Read the tafsīr of the sūrah, listen to an explanation of it, note down the reasons of revelation and any aḥādīth pertaining to the sūrah. Create a vocabulary list of all the new words that you encounter, and of all the repeated words, and of all the Beautiful Names and Glorious Attributes of Allāh in that sūrah. Create a list of the attributes of the believers, the hypocrites, and the disbelievers. Create a list of all the command and instructions towards the believers in that sūrah (anything that starts with يا أيها الذين آمنوا , for example). Reflect on what that command is or what that prohibition is, reflect on how it applies to you.

Reflect and find the connections between the verses. How is this verse connected to the next? How is this topic connected to the one before it?

Repeat the sūrah endlessly during that day and during that week, and when you’re not reciting it, listen to it repeatedly—until you no longer feel any apprehension in your heart towards it.

Now do this for the next sūrah, and the next. =)

May Allah make the Qurʾān, in its entirety, the spring of our hearts.

From: The Qurʾānic Reflections website

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Abū ad-Dardāʾ, raḍī Allāhu ʿanh.

The Qurʾānic Reflections website

The Qurʾānic Reflections website

Imagine the case of a person who shows up for a marathon, even though the last time he ran was in secondary school. What results do you expect from this person? He will probably start with a bang, and very soon will run out of breath and energy and will be forced to stop.

This is exactly what happens when people enter Ramaḍān with little preparation; they start with a bang but within a few days they run out of fuel and are forced to fall back into their normal routine with feelings of guilt and grief.

Doesn’t this sound familiar?

Every year people resolve to make Ramaḍān meaningful, to dedicate a major portion of their time to ‘ibādah, to stand the nights in prayer, to give in charity, to come out kinder and purer Muslims. And every year, without fail, they witness the days of this blessed month slip by with little to no progress. Until the month ends and they wonder: What went wrong?

The ṣaḥābah, whose righteousness is incomparable, would start preparing for Ramaḍān SIX months in advance. They entered the month to attain the highest stations with Allāh and it is their blessed footsteps that we hope to follow.

The first of these is titled ‘Ramaḍān: Striving for Excellence’, I’ve scheduled it for the 2nd of April 2017 @ 9pm (Makkah); 7pm (UK)

We will discuss some principles and some practical approaches for a better Ramaḍān.

InshāʾAllāh it'll be a thoroughly researched discussion based on āyāt, aḥādīth, and the teachings of scholars that I hope will add value to you, so don't miss it.

Do spread the word so that others may benefit too. =)

Register: Q u r a n i c R e f l e c t i o n s . c o m 

QuranicReflections.com

I’ve learnt something beautiful.

When Allāh knows that a person is sincere and dedicated in an act of worship, He facilitates it for them. When Allāh loves an act of worship from someone, He keeps them steadfast on it. He gives them the means and the support to remain persistent upon it.

Allāh is al-Muʾmin and from the meanings of al-Muʾmin is that He illuminates hearts with faith and He gives His believing servants reasons to remain steadfast.

Consider these two real life examples of this.

One of the most recurring discussions brought forward by expectant mothers is: I can’t fast this Ramaḍān; what should I do? How should I make up my fasts? For most women fasting while pregnant or nursing proves to be a feat. More often than not, they are forced to skip fasting to avoid harming themselves or their babies. Obviously, there is no blame upon them in doing so as their dīn gives them a leeway in this circumstance. But there are exceptions.

From the dozens that I know and the dozens more cases that I’ve seen, I have only seen one exception to this. There is one sister I know who was so dedicated to fasting—not just Ramaḍān; everyone is dedicated to fasting Ramaḍān—but nafl fasts. For the 5 years that I have known her, she has never skipped fasting Mondays and Thursdays and the Three White Days. And I’m certain that Allāh loved it from her, and so He made fasting easy for her. Throughout her pregnancy, until the very end, she could fast Mondays and Thursdays AND the Three White Days effortlessly. Even after giving birth to a healthy (huggly buggly) baby, as soon as she reached the state of purity she was fasting again.

This has little to do with a person’s own capabilities and everything to do with Allāh making a difficult task easy for a dedicated slave.

Another incident was related by a Sheikhah about a girl she met in Madīnah one summer. The girl, in her twenties, was nine months pregnant and was visiting the blessed city with her husband. There she heard about a summer intensive ḥifḏh course. She immediately went to sign up for it. The organisers were hesitant to sign her on given her circumstance, but she was far too ambitious to consider any other option. She signed on, and thus began the long days of the intensive course. Half way through the course she went into labour, and a few days later she was back with her muṣḥaf and her brand new baby—and up to date with her ḥifḏh portion. The teachers described the baby to be of a very gentle temperament, he wouldn’t utter a cry so as not disturb his mother while she was working on her ḥifḏh, and would only wake up to nurse and then go back to quietly sleeping. This grace from Allāh allowed her to complete the ḥifḏh course successfully. And truly, it was nothing but grace from Allāh sent to aid a slave bent upon seeking His Pleasure.

A few of the countless examples and ways in which Allāh helps His believing servants. =)

Read more posts on the Qurʾānic Reflections website: 

http://quranicreflections.com/2017/03/09/arrabb_almumin/

InshāʾAllāh, in the next month or so I'll be teaching a short online course on Ḥifḏh titled 'How to Memorise a Sūrah of the Qurʾān'. In this course we will discuss everything related to Ḥifḏh; how to do it, how to stay motivated, the hurdles, how to overcome them—and everything in between.

I'm working on the course with a few teachers and I thought it would be a good idea if I took in questions and doubts that students often have and then worked on solutions for those problems to offer the best solution possible.

If you've got any questions related to Ḥifḏh, please send them HERE: https://goo.gl/forms/gBUZLMm2h6wYSZG13

(Note: all questions will be anonymous).

Please also make sure that the question is a specific one and not vague. E.g. "How do I memorise the whole Qurʾān?" is a vague question. A better question is, "What's the first step to take that will allow me to memorise the Qurʾān?" This way we'll all benefit from your input, inshāʾAllāh. 😊

This will be a two part course (inshāʾAllāh) the second one will be titled 'How to Study a Sūrah of the Qurʾān' where we'll cover studying and understanding the sūrah.

Details about the course will be announced in due time, please sign up for the mailing list on the website: QuranicReflections.com

The Salaf would be happy and optimistic when something of this world became difficult for them.

I never quite understood this statement. Were they happy and optimistic because a difficulty meant eventual ease, as is Allāh’s promise? Was it out of anticipation of a fulfilment of a worldly need? Or was there something more to it?

Then it occurred to me after many years of returning to this statement that a man who sets out to find work and finds it easily and effortlessly is a man who misses out on a grand opportunity of begging Allāh and raising his worries and concerns to Him. The man who faces road blocks inevitably finds himself humble, submissive and desperate at the door of Allāh .

A man who goes in search of a job, a wife, a car, a home, some wealth and gets it readily each and every time isn’t necessarily successful. A man who can easily dip into his plentiful resources and fulfil a need perhaps misses out on the opportunity of turning to Allāh in the depth of the night and in the broadness of day; in solitude and in public, beseeching the One who owns all resources to enrich him with something from His Dominion.

A difficulty from this perspective isn’t as much of a set back as it is an opportunity to display ones need to Allāh, and is a reason to rejoice.

A big misconception people often have is they think success is only in getting what they want; if they achieve their goal, then they’ve been successful. If they get an immediate answer to their duʿāʾ then they’ve been successful. Here’s the thing, Allāh is al-Mujīb, He answers our prayers and He gives. If He answers our duʿāʾ, it’s not because of us, but it’s because of who He is. Our duty isn’t to get answers from Allāh, rather our duty is to make that connection to Him. Success isn’t in getting what we desire, but it is in doing what pleases Allāh.

Many moons ago, I was part of a conversation where the sisters were discussing a valuable device that each needed. One of them announces, “I’ll ask my dad, he’ll buy it for me.” The other, who didn’t perhaps have the same circumstances as the former, says at the same time, “I’ll ask Allāh for it.”

I couldn’t help but smile knowing who the more privileged party here was.

Find more posts on the Qurʾānic Reflections website: http://quranicreflections.com/2017/02/24/worldly-difficulties/

❝Know that Allah does not do to His slaves except what is good for them; be it something they love or something they loath (a hardship).

And Allāh does not remove a decree of hardship from a person until he is pleased with it. When the person becomes pleased with it, Allāh removes it, and it is perhaps for this reason that a period of hardship might extend [because a person is not pleased with Allāh’s Decree].

Thus, whoever wants relief from a hardship, then let him be pleased with Allāh’s decree—the good and the bad, for there is no greater act of worship than submitting to the Command (Decree) of Allāh, irrespective of whether it is sweet or bitter.❞

Read more on the Qurʾānic Reflections Website: http://quranicreflections.com/2017/02/22/the-greatest-secret-to-this-life/

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Free Online Course for Sisters.

In this three day course, we will study the themes and the stories of sūrat al-Kahf. We will cover the sciences and the objectives of this sūrah, the numerous Prophetic narrations related to it, and also cover the guidance, lessons and reflections from this blessed sūrah.

In essence we will form a picture of how one theme melds into another; one story into the next.

The purpose of this approach to studying a sūrah is to allow the students to have a good grasp of what is discussed in the sūrah, giving them a foundation to further their study and build their understanding.

The details are in the poster below. Each session will be an hour and a half, approximately.

Students are encouraged to attend the live talk as recordings will not be available immediately.

To register and for further enquiries, please visit: QuranicReflections.com

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A man reviled Ibn ʿAbbās, so he replied, “You revile me even though I have three traits: When I learn something about an āyah from the Book of Allāh, I wish that everyone would know it too; when I hear about a ruler from the rulers of Muslims who governs justly I become happy, even though I may never have to go to him for a ruling; and when I hear about a rainfall in a land from the lands of Muslims, I become happy even though I may not have any cattle in that land.”

These three traits are the clearest reflection of a pure, sound heart. A heart that is able to find happiness in the fortune of another person. This is the heart that doesn’t envy or wish bad for others.

As simple as these traits may be, they’re the hardest to come by. People love to be better than others and to remain superior to them, so they hold back in the benefit they can offer to others and they’re reluctant to guide people to the good that they’ve come by—the greatest of this good is what is linked to the Book of Allāh.

These traits are a few examples, perhaps not everyone will be able to relate to them. A more context appropriate example might be when you hear about a friend who recently got married or had a baby, how often do you find yourself rolling your eyes and thinking, “Ugh, another one! Everyone is getting married/having babies!” It’s in the subtleness of our reaction that we reveal what is hidden in our chests.

Apply this to whatever circumstance you wish (a friend got a well paying job; a new car; travels often…) and observe your reaction each time. Wherever you find resentment of not having received your blessings, change that to conviction in your Lord—that He can give you just as He gave them.

May Allāh purify our hearts.

Read more on the Qurʾānic Reflections Website: http://quranicreflections.com/2017/02/16/a-pure-heart/

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