Bringing Back The Prophetic Lifestyle

The Prophet's standard (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was to be smiling, not to be frowning, to be friendly and to care for others, not to be haughty and selfish. These are the values we have to bring back into our personal lives, communities, and our characters.

The Fruits Of Guidance (Hidayah)

Bismillah

Human being consists of several elements. They are the physical element, the mind and soul. Each one of them has its own food and its own environment. 

Before the soul was blown into the fetus by the angel, the soul has its own habitat -- the heaven. Its nutrition is the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala (dhikrullah). 

Therefore, if a person in his life did not do dhikrullah, did not abide by the rules of Allah, or even go against them, physically he might look great, but his soul is in misery, eventhough he lives like a king, in comfort and luxury.

The tangibles like money, food and home, they only feed our bodies, things that eventually turn in dust. The soul is satisfied, quenched and satiated by getting closer to its environment -- the heaven. And to bring the soul closer to the environment of the heaven is through remembrance of Allah.

 ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ‎﴿٢٨﴾‏

Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured." (Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:28)

Always Be In A State of Repentance

Bismillah

When the angel of death comes, you better be in the state of repentance.

Make a sincere repentance now and Allah will forgive you. Allah does not monitor how many times you have sinned. Allah does not concern Himself with the quantity of your sins but He is concerned with the quality of your repentance. 

So every single time you sin, you repent.

On the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 

Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it. 

عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ ، يَقُولُ : قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى : يَا ابْنَ ادَمَ ، إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتََنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي ، غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْكَ وَلَا أُبالِي . يا ابْنَ ادَمَ :لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنانَ السَّماءِ ثُم َّ اسْتَغْفَرْتَني ، غَفَرْتُ لَكَ . يَا ابْنَ ادَمَ : إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَنِي بِقُرَابِ الأَرْضِ خَطَايا ثُمَّ لَقِيتَني لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْأً ، لَأَتيْتُكَ بِقُرَابِها مَغْفِرَةً رواهُ الترمذي (وكذلك أحمد) وسنده حسن

(Tirmidhi)

Good Companion vs Bad Companion

Bismillah

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam told us to have good companions. Good companions are like perfume, and in their presence you are going to be good. Bad companions are like the blacksmith's furnace, and in their presence you are going to go down. If you are with people who when you are with them, you start doing bad things, then you have to cut them off.

Narrated Abu Musa:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof."

حَدَّثَنِي مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بُرْدَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بُرْدَةَ بْنَ أَبِي مُوسَى، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالْجَلِيسِ السَّوْءِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ، وَكِيرِ الْحَدَّادِ، لاَ يَعْدَمُكَ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا تَشْتَرِيهِ، أَوْ تَجِدُ رِيحَهُ، وَكِيرُ الْحَدَّادِ يُحْرِقُ بَدَنَكَ أَوْ ثَوْبَكَ أَوْ تَجِدُ مِنْهُ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً ‏"‏‏.‏

(Sahih al Bukhari)

Stay Away From Haram

Bismillah

In this world, everything is halal (lawful)  except a small list of things that is haram (forbidden).

Despite the fact that the vast majority of things in this world is halal -- halal foods, drinks, pleasures, intimacy, friendships, entertainment, etc -- still shaytan comes and whispers to us that the haram is better than the many halal.

Anything haram is physically and tangibly harmful for your body. Allah does not make things haram that is good for you.

 ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلْأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْخَبَٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَٱلْأَغْلَٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ ۙ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ‎﴿١٥٧﴾‏ 

Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful. (Quran, Al A'raf 7:157)

Take A Great Share Of The Inheritance Of The Prophets

Bismillah

The religious knowledge is the inheritance of the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them), whereas wealth and power are the inheritance of other than the prophets. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 

“Prophets do not leave behind dinar or dirham, but they leave behind religious knowledge, so whoever takes it has taken a great share.”

Choose Your Friends Wisely

Bismillah

 وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ ٱلظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِى ٱتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ ٱلرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا ‎﴿٢٧﴾‏ يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِى لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا ‎﴿٢٨﴾‏ لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِى عَنِ ٱلذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَنِى ۗ وَكَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ لِلْإِنسَٰنِ خَذُولًا ‎﴿٢٩﴾‏ وَقَالَ ٱلرَّسُولُ يَٰرَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ مَهْجُورًا ‎﴿٣٠﴾‏ 

And the Day the wrongdoer will bite on his hands [in regret] he will say, "Oh, I wish I had taken with the Messenger a way. (27) Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend. (28) He led me away from the remembrance after it had come to me. And ever is Satan, to man, a deserter." (29) And the Messenger has said, "O my Lord, indeed my people have taken this Qur'an as [a thing] abandoned." (30) (Surah al Furqan 25:27-30)

On the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers will say in regret, "O, I wish I had taken the path with the Messenger." "I wish I had not taken that one as a friend."

You may have that kind of friends -- the friends that make you do the things that the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam would never do; the friends that make you talk the way the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam would never approve of. 

When you hang out with bad friends, you become bad people and you will not be able to blame your friends in the Day of Judgment. 

Those friends are useless. You won't even remember their names on that Day -- eventhough you check their FB everyday, message them everyday, have fun together, and you care about them in this life. On that Day, because you didn't care about the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam, in this life, your friends are just going to be "so-and-so" ("fulan"). 

We have to make a really good assessment of who our friends are and what kind of lifestyle they are leading us down. What this means, we have to make a solid effort to  find the company of people that make us more respectable, make our manners better, make our speech better, make us more courteous, and make us patient. 

If you have elders in your family, spend more time with them. You will learn patience. If you have an ego or pride problem, spend a lot of time with your parents. It can humble you down and build your character because parents will put you down if you deserve it.

There is a reason Allah told us to be patient with our parents. There is no specific ayah to be patient with everybody else. Why? Because parents can say things that can test our patience. Allah knows that. That's why He told you to do it. It builds your character.

May Allah help us choose our friends and grant us righteous companions. Aameen.

Show Mercy And Allah Will Show You Mercy

Bismillah

When we say Allah is Ar-Rahman, we can't grasp it totally in our brains except that we know Allah is All Merciful. 

Allah give you so much mercy in everyday of your life and all He is asking for you to do with your life is to do your best to be grateful to Him, to do your best to worship Him, knowing that you are going to make mistakes, that you are going to sin, and when you do so, to turn back to Him in repentence, and He will forgive you. This is Ar-Rahman. 

You think you are not going to Jannah because you think your life is too bad and you have have done too many wrongs and so much has happened between you and Allah that you can't be a good Muslim anymore. Who are you fooling? You are not fooling anyone and not even yourself. Allah is Ar-Rahman. 

Think about the problems we have with each other. Think about the families that are broken up over arguments. Think about siblings that don't talk to each other in years over incidents. Think about parents and children who are estranged. Yet we want Allah to let go everything that we have done go but you can't let it go? If you want to be forgiven, you have to learn to forgive. If you want to be shown mercy, show it yourself.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, 

Allah will not show mercy to a person who does not show mercy to other people.

Mercy is only removed from the one who is destined for wretchedness.

Be merciful to those in the earth, so the One above the heavens will be merciful to you.

May Allah rain down His Mercy upon us and the Ummah.  Aameen

Life Is Temporary

Bismillah

This life is temporary. No matter how happy you are, this world is going to be a world of testing and trials. Life and death does not stop for anybody. Everyone has a long list of things to do and desires, and when death comes, the list and desires are gone out the window.

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,’ meaning death.” (Ibn Majah)

Establish Prayer And Speak Up For What Is Right

Bismillah

Allah commanded us, through the tongue of Luqman, to establish prayer and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.

يَٰبُنَىَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱنْهَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ ٱلْأُمُورِ ‎﴿١٧﴾

O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination. (17) (Surah Luqman 31:17)

Establish prayer and speak up for what is right means you have to have a lot of courage. You are completely okay being weird when everybody else think it is wrong but you know better that it is right and you stand by it. It doesn’t matter who makes fun of you, what friends you lose, what popularity you lose, who gets angry at you, because when you stand in prayer, you learn to fear only Allah. 

When you stand in prayer, you realize the day is coming when people won’t matter and you are going to be alone in front of Allah on Judgment Day. If you maintain that, it makes you courageous to deal with everything else, because everything else become less scary. Then you are going to do what Allah says is right and everything else is wrong and you have no problem saying it. And you are going to gently encourage others. You can’t encourage somebody else to do something right if you are not standing by it yourself. So included in enjoining what is right is telling yourself to stand by what is right. And then you can tell others. 

You are standing by it and you are not keeping your business to yourself. It is one thing that you don’t do bad things and it is another thing you let others do bad things. You can interfere in somebody else's business sometimes. 

Luqman's advice to the son and later become the command from Allah that you must speak up for what is right and stand against what is wrong. 

Abu Sa'eed said:

"I heard the Messenger of Allah [SAW] say: 'Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue; if he cannot, then with his heart- and that is the weakest of Faith.'"

When something is evil, it doesn’t matter who is celebrating it or who is giving it a beautiful name.  If it is evil, it is still evil. If it is something that is hated by Allah, it is something hated by Allah. If something is against the fitrah that human beings were created with, it is against the fitrah. You can’t change morality. 

Morality has changed  What used to be okay or bad 10 years ago have changed. Something that was weird before is now a normal thing. Something that was okay before is now viewed as extreme. There is a society today if a woman wear hijab, it is a crime against the state. What actually a good thing has now turned into evil. And things that were evil before are not as bad, then they become okay, then they become kind of acceptable, then they become mandatory. The bar keeps shifting and by the time another 10 years go by, the world sees what is right is going to change again. The definition of right and wrong is going to change again. And they will say it is personal freedom. 

For a believer our personal freedom is we freely give ourselves in slavery to Allah. That’s what we do. When we do that then we don’t decide anymore what is right and wrong. Our conscience in line with the revelation of Allah, with the teachings of the Prophets, which have been consistent throughout history. Prophets came in different societies, cultures, continents, languages and yet what was right and wrong was exactly the same.

Don't Harm Others

Don't harm others. Allah's justice is infinite. As you do unto others, it shall be done to you. Thos who you have caused problems to, they will be able to get their revenge.

كما تدين تدان

Be Thankful To Allah And Your Parents

Allah stresses to us so many times in the Quran the importance of “birr biwalidayn”, obeying, honoring and respecting our parents.

وَقَضَىٰ رَ‌بُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ‌ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْ‌هُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِ‌يمًا ﴿٢٣

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. (23) (Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:23)

وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّ‌حْمَةِ وَقُل رَّ‌بِّ ارْ‌حَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَ‌بَّيَانِي صَغِيرً‌ا ﴿٢٤

And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." (24) (Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:24)

Imam ibn Qayyim started his discussion on this topic by saying, if you have a child who is disobedient to you, the default is usually that you messed up as a parent. But not every parent who has a disobedient child or a child who harm or even kill another, is at fault. Prophet Adam and Ya’qub are good examples of that. Not every parent who has a child who does not love the religion is at fault. Prophet Nuh is the primary example of that. But the majority of the time, that is the case. 

Allah has created every human being with selfishness. People tend to treat everyone essentially like a business contract. In any relationship in this life, you will find most people want to extract maximum benefits from you while they want to give you the minimum. When they are on the receiving end, they are with you. Whenever the equation tilts the other way, then they will start acting differently. At their time of need you are there for them but at the time of your need, they find you a nuisance and run away from you. 

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said. “The one who is not grateful to people will never be grateful to Allah.” Imam al Qayyim said that this statement can be flipped, i.e. The one who is not grateful to Allah will never be grateful to people.” 

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says,  

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَ‌بُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْ‌تُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْ‌تُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ ﴿٧

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' (7) [Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:7]

What is going to keep your child loving you, responding to each one of your requests? What is going to keep your child loving you when the time comes, when you are in a dependent phase, when you are the one who needs your diapers changed? What will keep your children in that state is having gratitude towards Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, understanding the commands from Allah to respond with that same mercy that you gave them when they were little, even respond with greater mercy and compassion. 

If you want your children to be good to you and to never forsake you, teach them to love Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, teach them to be grateful to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, teach them to be thankful to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. If you can succeed in instilling in them the love of Allah, when they get older, they are going to love you too because Allah commands them to do that.

Put In Your Utmost Effort -- Nothing Is For Free

The message in the Quran is that you don't get anything for free, not even Jannah. You have to put in an effort. Even if the result is much more priceless than the price you pay, you need to pay some price -- though Jannah is not worth our actions but in shaa Allah, He will give it to us if we follow the means to get there.

In the Battle of Badr, the Angels did not fight single handedly and get rid of the Quraysh of Makkah while the Sahabah sat and did nothing. The Sahabah was doing something (e.g lift the sword) and the angels finished it off. Never that we hear an incident that the Angels did the whole chore for the Muslims in the battle. Badr was an ultimate victory, yet still it was not given to the Muslims until the Muslims, were in the thick of the battle, among the swords, then Allah's help came down. This is tawwakul. When the Muslims put their trusts in Allah, they passed the test and achieved victory eventhough the enemy greatly outnumbered the Muslims.

You have to traverse the path to get to the destination. The destination is not going to be picked up and brought to you. Even if you don't get there, Allah will bless you.

Even Maryem alayhassalaam, who was in the state of labor (giving birth), must shake the palm tree the best she could for the dates to fall on her lap. The dates won't just fall on her lap without any effort.

Allah will give it to you if you strive to get the destination. What Allah wants to see from us is  giving it our utmost and when we do that, then Allah will give what He has willed and what we deserve to get.

Don't Worry About Your Hidden Enemies

Sometimes we feel that we have enemies we don't know, and Allah knows this. Sometimes we feel unsafe from the gossip and jealousy of those people. 

Allah says, He will test us with a little bit of uncertainty or issue of enmity with people we may know or we may not know. At times you might have hypocrites who would smile to you on your face but turn around and stab you on your back. What should I do about this? Because If I start worrying about those people, I will become saddened and depressed, and I might not be able to progress in life. I need to get up in the morning with a fresh smile on my face. I need to have a renewed hope in the Mercy of Allah. What should I do? Allah beautifully answers in Surah An-Nisaa

وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِأَعْدَآئِكُمْ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ نَصِيرًا ‎﴿٤٥﴾‏

And Allah is most knowing of your enemies; and sufficient is Allah as an ally, and sufficient is Allah as a helper. (Surah An-Nisaa 4:45)

Who can there be better than Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to help and protect us?

Conveying Knowledge To Others

“May Allah bless a person who heard my statement and conveyed it to others. It might be that the carrier of knowledge does not [fully] understand and he might carry it to someone more knowledgeable.” Ibn Mājah 231

Let's Read Surah Kahf Today (Friday) -- Avoid Quarrelsome

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ ۚ وَكَانَ

 ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ أَكْثَرَ شَىْءٍ جَدَلًا ‎﴿٥٤﴾‏

And We have certainly diversified in this Qur'an for the people from every [kind of] example; but man has ever been, most of anything, [prone to] dispute. (Surah al Kahf 18:54)

It was narrated from `Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) came to him and Fatimah at night and said `Why don`t you get up and pray?” I said:

O Messenger of Allah, our souls are in the hand of Allah and if He wills to wake us up, He will wake us up. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left when I said that to him and I heard him, as he was leaving, strike his hand against his thigh and say: `But, man is ever more quarrelsome than anything` (al-Kahf:18:54). (Musnad Ahmad, sahih)

Narrated `Aisha:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The most hated person in the sight of Allah is the most quarrelsome person." (Bukhari)

Tie Your Camel And Tawakkul

Allah has linked efforts with causes. Nothing comes for free. There must be an effort before you get to your goal. Even the miracle of the night journey of the Prophet sallallahu layhi wasallam, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, has to saddle and mount the borak that took him from Makkah to Jerusalem.

سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ‎﴿١﴾‏

Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (Surah Al Isra')

Allah was going to bless Maryam with the dates but it doesn't just fall from the tree. She has to put in the effort by shaking the trunk however slight. 

وَهُزِّىٓ إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ تُسَٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا ‎﴿٢٥﴾

And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. (Surah Maryam)

To part the sea, Musa alayhissalaam had to strike the sea with his staff. 

فَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنِ ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْبَحْرَ ۖ فَٱنفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَٱلطَّوْدِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ‎﴿٦٣﴾‏

Then We inspired to Moses, "Strike with your staff the sea," and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain. (Surah Ash Shu'ara)

If you want money, you have to work. If you are sick, you take the medicine if want to be cured. If you want knowledge, you have to seek it. You don't just sit at home and say tawakkal 'ala Allah.

Practice What You Preach

One of the most terrifying ignorance is the failure to put knowledge into practice. There are people who completed their studies from an Islamic institution, but they do not act according to their knowledge. From their speech, they mislead people. From their deeds, they don't resemble their knowledge. 

Allah denounces the corrupt ulama', those who are knowledgeable but they do not practice what they preach.

 أَتَأْمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ‎﴿٤٤﴾‏

Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason? (Surah Al Baqarah)

So for the corrupt ulama', this ayah is used to be a warning for the people of the Book. They behave like donkeys that carry many books but do not benefit from them.

مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا۟ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ ٱلْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارَۢا ۚ بِئْسَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ‎﴿٥﴾‏

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (Surah al Jumu'ah)

The ulama' give lectures inviting people to do good but he himself does not practice what he preaches. 

When we study the Deen, we attend many gatherings of knowledge -- halaqa in the morning, halaqa in the afternoon, halaqah in the evening, months of halaqa but do we put anything into practice ourselves?

Ultimate Source Of Good Is Allah

The ultimate source of good is Allah. And the Quran is the ultimate object of good in this world. Everything about the Quran is barakah.

تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَٰلَمِينَ نَذِيرًا ‎﴿١﴾

Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner - (Surah Al Furqan)