Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Renew Our Commitment to the Qur'an

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Qu'ran is worthy of our time and attention. What came down is not a casual read. Every opportunity that we have to get closer to the Qur'an, we should take it.

Qur'an came down to change our lives. Don't be like the failed nations of the past who had shallow relationship with their Books, and long periods passed over them, so their hearts become hardened.

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ‌ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ‌ۭ مِّنْهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ ﴿١٦

Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient. (16)

[Qur'an, Al-Hadid 57:16]

Allah Almighty says in Surah Al-Kahf,

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ‌ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ‌ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرً‌ا حَسَنًا ﴿٢

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wassallam) the Book (the Qur'an), and has not placed therein any crookedness. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2)

[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:1-2]

The Qur'an is upright and safeguards the best interest of His servants. It will set anybody right. Even in the toughest of time, the Qur'an can help us stand up straight. It teaches us to stay within limits. It does not put a burden or responsibility upon the slaves of Allah the kind of burden or responsibility that they can't carry.

It will never fall short in the realm of guidance. That's why Allah sent the Qur'an as the last Book. The Qur'an is a complete guidance. Whatever troubles or crisis we are facing -- personal, national, ethical, political, factional, ignorance, morality, shamelessness, etc -- the Qur'an has the solution for it.

The world we live in now is not much different than the world before in terms of its crookedness and deviations. Qur'an is committed to rectify the most crooked of nations. So we must have hope that when we restore the relationship with the Qur'an to people, beginning with ourselves and our families, then there will be good things lie ahead. The Qur'an is straight and no matter how much society deviates, it will remain straight. It has the power to take that which is bent and make it straight.

The actual relationship we have with the Qur'an is when we are standing in prayer and reciting it, and when we are standing behind an imam and listening to it being recited. Our relationship with the Qur'an happens five times a day at least. If somebody's prayer is good, his Qur'an is good, and if someone is not engaging with the Qu'ran in his prayers, then his relationship with the Qur'an is entirely superficial.

Isn't it time we take the Qur'an seriously? The hearts of those who claim to have iman (the believers) should be filled with the grandeur of Allah, in awe of Allah's power, due to the remembrance of Allah. Their hearts should flood with tears because of the Qur'an. Our hearts should be filled with overwhelming sense of emotion because we haven't connected with the Qur'an yet.

We should act like the Ummah that we are supposed to be with the Qu'ran.

وَٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَ‌بِّكَ ۖ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مُلْتَحَدًا ﴿٢٧

And recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge. (27)

[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:27]

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ‌ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَ‌بِّهِۦ فَأَعْرَ‌ضَ عَنْهَا وَنَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ ۚ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرً‌ۭا ۖ وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَلَن يَهْتَدُوٓا۟ إِذًا أَبَدًا ﴿٥٧

And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth? Indeed, We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if you invite them to guidance - they will never be guided, then - ever. (57)

[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:57]

May Allah bring us closer to His Book. Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance. Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam