Seeing The World Through The Quran Lens

Bismillah

We think if we have more of something, better quality of life, better quality of materials around us, better social circles, that is considered more successful than the ones who don't.

Your time is running out but you are running after things that are nothing but loss. We are so obsessed with more and better but that has nothing to do with success and failure.

The Quran takes something so basic as success and failure and puts a new Quran lens on it and after we put this lens, our definition of success and failure would be different. The fellow Muslim who sees the world through Surah Al Asr and the fellow Muslim who does not will see two different things.

When you think of someone who is homeless or deported or in poverty, the picture in your mind is not success but a huge failure. When Islam became a global power, it was a popular thing to be a Muslim, but now we find ourselves at a time even in a Muslim family, if somebody comes towards Islam, he is a weird crazy one. Becoming religious is associated with some kind of loss. Many countries in the Muslim world, people are afraid that their young sons and daughters might become religious because if they do become religious, that means they don't get a good job or career, won't get a good education, or they become a fanatic. They have all these fears that they will lose out in this life. This is not based on Surah Al Asr at all.

Islam today has become a label. Basically Islam becomes just a few things that we do but practically the way we see life and view the world have not changed at all, and not much different than everybody else. We consider the same things as success and failures as our non Muslim colleaques considered success and failures. Islam has been reduced to a certain rituals but not the way of seeing the world.

The Quran first came to change the way we see the world, everything else is secondary. Its function is to make you see the world from the lens of the Quran.

وَٱلْعَصْرِ ‎﴿١﴾‏ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ‎﴿٢﴾‏ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ‎﴿٣﴾‏

By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (3) [Quran, Al Asr 103]

 

May Allah grant us a sound understanding of the Quran and our religion, and make us steadfast. Aameen.

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Enjoin Good and Forbid Evil

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that a believer is a mirror to one another. A mirror shows you things that you otherwise cannot see. It shows your flaws that you otherwise cannot see. For a believer to a believer, you are a spiritual mirror for the other believer. That means there is a necessary cleansing that you have to do to yourself and there is a function you have to the believers. If you don't cleanse yourself and serve that function, then you are a defective mirror. The collective decay of mankind is tied to people unwillingness to advise one another anymore. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam mentioned that people will remain in good so long as they enjoin good and forbid evil.

وَٱلْعَصْرِ ‎﴿١﴾‏ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ‎﴿٢﴾‏ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ ‎﴿٣﴾‏

By time, (1) Indeed, mankind is in loss, (2) Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (3) [Quran, Al Asr]

May Allah grant us noble character. Aameen

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Allah Has Not Abandoned You

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Allah has not abandoned you.... 

Our life is so fraught with trials and tribulations that when things are bad I just think of these powerful words.  

 لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

"Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity."

[Quran, Al baqarah 2:286]

I am grateful because, yes, I have suffered and suffer pain, loss and hardship than you could possibly imagine, but my life is also filled with miraculous stories of Allah saving me. That is because Allah says in His majestic Book, the Quran,

 فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ‎﴿٥﴾‏ إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ‎﴿٦﴾‏

“So for every hardship, there is ease. For every hardship, there is ease”

[Quran, al-Inshirah 94:5-6]

It is one of the only sentences in the entire Quran repeated twice in a row. Because Allah wants that point to really hit home for you. When this verse was revealed, the Prophet Muhammad ‎ﷺ came out literally laughing out loud in glee proclaiming glad tidings to his Companions saying,

‎(لَنْ يَغْلِبَ عُسْرٌ يُسْرَيْنَ، لَنْ يَغْلِبَ عُسْرٌ يُسْرَيْنِ)

“A hardship can never overshadow its relief which is twice as great! A hardship can never overshadow its relief which is twice as great.”

Be strong, have faith, be true.

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Hearts for Guidance and Knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

There is no word that is greater than the Quran. There is no advice like the Quran. There is no guidance like the guidance of the Quran. The Quran is perfect in every sense spoken by Allah and is meant for your heart to receive it. Even then there are hearts that are described as being hard as stones that they cannot receive it.

ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَهِىَ كَٱلْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً

Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder.  [Al Baqarah 2:74]

May Allah make our hearts the opposite of that. 

There are hearts that are like fertile soil, they receive the revelation and they continue to grow these beautiful crops, beautiful plants. May Allah make our hearts such fertile soil. Aameen

Abu Musa reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying:

The similitude of that guidance and knowledge with which Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has sent me is that of rain falling upon the earth. There is a good piece of land which receives the rainfall (eagerly) and as a result of it there is grown in it herbage and grass abundantly. Then there is a land hard and barren which retains water and the people derive benefit from it and they drink it and make the animals drink. Then there is another land which is barren. Neither water is retained in it, nor is the grass grown in it. And that is the similitude of the first one who develops the understanding of the religion of Allah and it becomes a source of benefit to him with which Allah sent me. (The second one is that) who acquires the knowledge of religion and imparts it to others. (Then the other type is) one who does not pay attention to (the revealed knowledge) and thus does not accept guidance of Allah with which I have been sent. 

 عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ مَثَلَ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْعِلْمِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَصَابَ أَرْضًا فَكَانَتْ مِنْهَا طَائِفَةٌ طَيِّبَةٌ قَبِلَتِ الْمَاءَ فَأَنْبَتَتِ الْكَلأَ وَالْعُشْبَ الْكَثِيرَ وَكَانَ مِنْهَا أَجَادِبُ أَمْسَكَتِ الْمَاءَ فَنَفَعَ اللَّهُ بِهَا النَّاسَ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهَا وَسَقَوْا وَرَعَوْا وَأَصَابَ طَائِفَةً مِنْهَا أُخْرَى إِنَّمَا هِيَ قِيعَانٌ لاَ تُمْسِكُ مَاءً وَلاَ تُنْبِتُ كَلأً فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُ مَنْ فَقُهَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ وَنَفَعَهُ بِمَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ فَعَلِمَ وَعَلَّمَ وَمَثَلُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ بِذَلِكَ رَأْسًا وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ هُدَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

[Sahih Muslim]

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Better Yourself

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Bismillah

All too often we busy ourselves on things and situations that don't concern us and we overemphasized discussions that are of no benefit to us. 

Allah reminds in the Quran that you are responsible for you own self. If people have gone astray, that will not harm you as long you remain consistent and rightly guided in your own life. 

So let's take care of our own selves and prioritize our own lives, and let's better ourselves. 

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُم مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا ٱهْتَدَيْتُمْ ۚ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ‎﴿١٠٥﴾‏

O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided. To Allah is you return all together; then He will inform you of what you used to do. 

[Quran, Al Maida 5:105]

May Allah grant us consistency in our worship and guide us on the straight path. Aameen

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Choose Your Spouse Wisely

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has told us, our experience has taught us and basic psychology teaches us that your friends influence you. If a friend can influence you, what impact do you think your spouse will have on you? If a mere friendship might positively or negatively influence you, then what do you think the lifelong partnership and the companionship of a spouse will have on your entire life and perhaps even on the eternal life of the next life? It is because of this that the importance of a righteous spouse to be your life partner is something that the Quran and the Sunnah stressed.

In fact, Allah reminded us in Surah An-Noor,

 

الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَالْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَاتِ ۖ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَالطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ

 

Corrupt women for corrupt men, and corrupt men for corrupt women; pure and righteous women for pure and righteous men, and pure and righteous men for pure and righteous women ...

[Quran, An-Noor 24:26]

 

This is the general rule. Birds of feather flock together. So your life partner, the one you choose to live with, is an extension of you are. The one who you choose to live with should be representative of who you are. And that is why Allah has forbidden for Muslim men and women to marry polytheist.

 

وَلَا تَنكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّ ۚ وَلَأَمَةٌ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تُنكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا ۚ وَلَعَبْدٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن مُّشْرِكٍ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ بِإِذْنِهِ ۖ وَيُبَيِّنُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ‎﴿٢٢١﴾‏

 

And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe. And a believing slave woman is better than a polytheist, even though she might please you. And do not marry polytheistic men [to your women] until they believe. And a believing slave is better than a polytheist, even though he might please you. Those invite [you] to the Fire, but Allah invites to Paradise and to forgiveness, by His permission. And He makes clear His verses to the people that perhaps they may remember. [Quran, Al Baqarah 2:221]

 

Allah says a slave who is a believer is better and pure for you than a non believing woman even if her beauty bedazzles you, and even if you think she is very good for you. Even a man who is a slave but a believer in Allah is better for you than a non believing man even if he bedazzles you, and even if you think he has wealth, power, status but since he doesn't have faith in Allah, he is not worthy for you, and do not marry your women to such a person. 

 

Simply by marrying a non believing partner, the potential to influence you is so great that you might end up on the path towards Hellfire. This is why Allah has forbidden marrying to a polytheist.

 

The Quran, the Sunnah and the life of the companions and human history is full of examples of righteous couples and examples of the opposite. 

 

For example, Allah praises Prophet Zakariyya a.s. and his wife in the Quran. Allah says about both of them,

 

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ ‎﴿٩٠﴾‏

 

So We responded to him, and We gave to him Yahya, and amended for him his wife. Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive. [Quran, Al Anbiya' 21:90]

 

Allah tells us that the two of them are team partners. They are in healthy competition and helping each other in good deeds, pray together, worship together and make du'a together, helping one another and gently pushing one another on the race towards Jannah, humbling themselves to Allah. This shows us the ideal couple. 

 

This is how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam described,

 

'May Allah (SWT) have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, then he wakes his wife and she prays, and if she refuses he sprinkles water in her face. And may Allah (SWT) have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, then she wakes her husband and prays, and if he refuses she sprinkles water in his face.' [Sunan An-Nisa'i]

 

There is this notion of husband and wife helping one another for righteousness, pushing one another to piety. How many among us that we might not be as pious and as righteous as we are had it not been that Allah blessed us with a spouse who is better than us, with a spouse who reminded us to not do evil deed and to strive for a better deed. Such a spouse should thank Allah and be appreciative of one's spouse. Simply having a righteous spouse your status changes. How many times we see the success of a husband, the wife rises up as a result of that success, and vice versa, the success of a wife, the husband rises up as a result of that success. Of course, along with that, the responsibilities come. 

 

So be careful before you get married -- who you are going to marry. After you get married, examine your spouse for their religiosity because usually speaking, not always, the spouse's religiosity is a reflection of your religiosity.

 

So like the righteous spouse helps the righteous spouse to Jannah, so too the wicked spouse can be a mechanism of leading to Jahannam.

 

One of the first revelations was about a couple who helped each other in evil, 

 

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ ‎﴿١﴾‏ مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ ‎﴿٢﴾‏ سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ ‎﴿٣﴾‏ وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ ‎﴿٤﴾‏ فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ ‎﴿٥﴾‏

 

May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. (1) His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. (2) He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame (3) And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood. (4) Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber. (5)

[Quran, Al Masad 111]

 

Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, Allah curses him, and in the fire of Jahannam, his wife will be carrying will be carrying fuel to her husband that is going to make jahannam for them.

 

So we see this reality, filthy are for filthy and pure are for pure.

 

This is the general rule but it is not always the cae, There are exceptions that are worthy for our reflection. Allah mentions this is the Quran. 

 

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ‎﴿١١﴾

 

Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, "Enter the Fire with those who enter." (10) [Quran At-Tahrim 66:8]

The wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut did not benefit from the piety of their husbands who are Prophets. 

 

رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَٱجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

 

Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.

Aameen.

 

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