My Quran Reflections

Bismillah. Muslims have lost the real worship of Allah because they have turned the Shahadah into a meaningless ritual. They say it often, but they do not implement its meaning into their lives. The Shahadah is a statement about our relationship and connection with Allah. This relationship is based on Allah being recognised as Lord and Master, while submitting to Him as His slaves. The connection between Allah and Muslims is one of worship and obedience. Until and unless, Muslims submit to their Lord as His humble slaves and only worship and obey Him, they will continue to be lost when it comes to the real worship of Allah.  Furthermore, the  Shahadah  is a declaration of loyalty to Allah, that Allah is the friend of the believer and Shaytan is the enemy. It also affirms that the believer fears Allah and that He is the only One worthy of worship. Once a believer makes this declaration, they promise to obey Allah’s commandments, and put their trust in Allah. ...

Bismillah. Muslims are a diverse group of believers who all unite under the belief that the Quran is their holy writ and that it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by God. Muslims have always united under this belief while they have differed in the interpretation of the what the text actually means and how it applies today. As such the Quran for Muslims is a living text which affects their daily lives and is part and parcel of their way of life. This can be seen from the artistic depictions of Quranic verses to taxi-drivers listening to its recitation as they go about their business. For the Muslim the Quran is their link with the divine. The role of the Quran in Islamic religious tradition is central, there is no other text that is comparable to it, nor is there any text like it linguistically in the Arabic language. The Prophethood of Muhammad started with its revelation and it ended when all of it was revealed. Muhammad was the guide, the teacher, and the interpreter of the...

Bismillah. Being Allah’s slave means that we have to be grateful to Him. Living here in Australia, we have so much to be grateful for. We have security and peace while we live in a time where most of the Muslim World is in chaos and the safety and security of people and their property cannot be guaranteed.  Allah says in Surah Yunus 10:60, “Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind, but most of them are ungrateful.”  And in Surah Surah Saba [34:13] Allah says, “But few of My slaves are grateful.”  So, we must be grateful. Even if we are small in number. Even though we find that other people are not grateful, we should be grateful. We have to strive to be that elite group of people which Allah says are few in number. That small group of grateful slaves. So that main question is how can we be grateful slaves of Allah? By recognising everything that He has given to you.  “Thus Allah makes clear to you His Ayat ...

Bismillah. Our relationship with Allah is the most important relationship in our lives. He is our Rabb, our Lord, our Master, Our King and our Sustainer. We are his slaves, and the success of the slaves lies in the total obedience and surrender, to the will of their Master and Owner. Annemarie Schimmel, the German orientalist scholar on Islam, wisely wrote, “The true slave ( abduhu ) of God is … the truly free person.” ( Celebrating Muhammad , p. 15) Being a slave of Allah is an honour, not a humiliation. But in order for us to be honoured we must submit and humble ourselves before our Gracious Lord. As you know, the prophets and the messengers are the best of Allah’s creation, and Allah calls them His slaves. In Surah al-Zukhruf 43:59, Allah says about Isa alayhis Salam, “He was not more than a slave. We granted Our Favour to him, and We made him an example to the Bani Israel.” In Surah al-Isra 17:11, Allah says about the night journey of Prophet Muhammad ...

Bismillah. The references are all from Surah Yusuf. Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) Alayhis Salam Loving son (12:4) Morally upright (12:23) In self-control - did not give in to temptation (12:24) Speak the truth (12:26) Ready to sacrifice his freedom for his beliefs (12:33) God-conscious - righteous (12:33, 53, 90) Trust in Allah (12:34, 90) Believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (12:38) Conveys Allah’s message to others (12:39-40) Patient in adversity (12:42, 90) Known as someone who tells the truth (12:46) His reputation is important to him (12:50) He wants the truth to be known (12:50) Even enemies testify to his upright character (12:51) Does not want any donut about his trustworthiness (12:52) Know your strengthens and qualifications (12:55) Generous to his family (12:62) Intelligent (12:62) Judicious (12:70-79) Defends himself (12:77) Confront wrong-doers with the truth (12:89) Forgiving to those who have wronged him (12:92) Family oriented (12:99...

Bismillah. From: Surah Ikhlas (112:1-4); Surah an-Nur (24:35); Surah al-Baqarah (2:255); Surah al-Hashr (59:21-24); Surah al-Hadid (57:1-3). Beauty Nothing comparable unto Him He is the Light Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being He knows what is open and what is hidden Truly exalted Most Gracious Dispenser of Grace Beyond our perception His limitless glory Maker of forms and appearances Truly Wise Everything in the heavens and earth extol His glory The Outward The Inward Majesty Allah-us-Samad He guides whom He wills Has knowledge of all things Ever-Living Neither slumber overtakes Him nor sleep Everything belong to Him Power over everything Tremendous Sovereign Supreme The One on whom all salvation rests The Giver of Faith The Almighty The One who subdues wrong and restores right The One to whom all greatness belongs His is the dominion of the heavens and the earth Grants life and deals de...

Bismillah. Recently a dear friend of mine posed the following question: Why does the Qur’an  specifically state that it is not poetry, while it is rich and affects the heart? “And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it suitable for him. This is only a reminder and a plain Qur’an."  (Surah Yaseen 36:69) When the Quraysh said to Waleed Ibn Mugheerah, “Then we shall say to the people that he is a poet.” Waleed, one of the wisest men of the Quraysh, replied, “But he is not a poet. We know the different kinds of poetry, and his words can’t be compared to any of them. He is therefore, not a poet.” (Mubarakpuri’s  When the Moon Split ) This is part of a much longer Hadith report. Reading tafsirs by different scholars it seems the main reason why Allah says that the verses of the Qur’an is not poetry, is because Arabic poetry has many rules which the Qur’an did not follow. Arabic poetry seems to have a certain way to be recited and composed which, interestingly...

Bismillah. In Surah al- Fatihah we recite in ayah number 5: “It is You we worship and You we ask for help.” The Most Noble of All Actions and the Best Act of Worship is Du’a And this is because Allah said in Surah adh-Dhariyat, “And I have not created jinn and humankind except to worship Me.” (51:56) The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, “The best form of worship is du’a.” (al-Hakim (1/491); as-Sahihah, no.1579) The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, “There is nothing that is more noble in the sight of Allah than du’a.” (Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim; Sahih al-Jami, no.5392. Allah Only Cares About Us If We Make Du’a to Him Allah says in Surah al-Furqan, “Say O Muhammad, ‘My Lord only pays attention to you because of your du’a to Him.” (25:77) As-Sadi, a commentator of the Qur’an said that this means that Allah cares and loves us only because we make du’a to him. Du’a Repels and Changes Predestination or Qadr The Prophet (sallallahu...

Why Shaytan? Because Allah calls him our open enemy more than 10 times in the Noble Qur’an. Allah says in Surah Fatir, “Surely, Shaytan is your enemy so treat him like your enemy.” [35:6] Why smile? Because it is sunnah and scientific research tells us that smiling relieves stress, lowers blood pressure and even a fake smile can lift a person’s mood. Jarir (radi Allahu anhu) said that whenever the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) saw him, he smiled. [Sahih al-Bukhari #3822; Jami at-Tirmidhi #3821: sahih ] Furthermore, the Prophet's (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) companions Ibn Jaz and Abdullah Ibn Haarith (radi Allahu anhum) said, he had not seen anyone smile more than the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). [Jami at-Tirmidhi #3641: hasan ; Shama'il Muhammadiyah #217] Abdullah ibn Mubarak was asked about good akhlaq and the first thing he mentioned was to smile. [Jami at-Tirmidhi #2005: sahih ] Remember these verses from the Glorious Qur’an and put ...

Bismillah. First and foremost I must make certain disclaimers here, as without a doubt there are principles, beliefs and pillars within Islam that are absolute. These include: 1. The Oneness of Allah 2. The Prophethood of Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam 3. Qur'an is God's word 4. Paradise and Hell 5. Angels and Jinns 6. Other prophets and their revelations 7. Day of Judgment 8. Sins and good deeds 9. Salah and du'a 10. Fasting in Ramadan 11. Shahadah 12. Hajj and umrah 13. Zakat and Sadaqah 14. Zikr and Athkar 15. Halal and haram In general, these principles, beliefs and rituals are agreed to as part of Islam by the scholars and there is no disagreement that they are not within Islam. Of course, the details and descriptions of each one mentioned has a myriad of differences of opinion within Islam. It is these differences of opinion that are the subject of this blog. Muslims today view diversity of opinions among the scholars of Islam in a very ne...

Qur'an Recitations that Touch the Heart A wonderful young hafiz from Morocco Qari Muhammad al-Kurdi Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Qari Ismail Noori

Why is contemplating about Surah al-Fatihah important? Allah tells us in the Qur’an many times to reflect on the Qur'an To help us concentrate in our salah To know why this Surah is important to us on a personal level To realise the power and relevance of this surah 25 Life Lessons from Surah al-Fatihah 1.Never forget that Allah reminds us, He announces to us, that He is Compassionate and  Merciful. 2. This compassion and mercy of Allah is evident everywhere we look and every blessing He gives us and allows us to have and enjoy. 3. No-one deserves more praise than Allah. 4. The God you believe in is the Master, the Controller, the Sustainer and the Provider of the entire universe. Do not think for a moment that He does not know you or care about you. He is the Rabb of everything. The Lord of things we know and things we do not know and may never know.  5. Mercy and compassion were so important to Allah that He mentioned it twice. Allah does th...