Surat Luqman, Qur’an 31: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

The next part of the ayah (verse) continues with أَنِ اشْكُرْ‌ لِلَّـهِ .  The word أن (an that/to) is called أن تفسيرية (an tafsireeyyah). That means that there is something going on that is not stated in the verse, but it is understood by someone who is strong in the language. The implied meaning is:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ …حين جعلناه شاكرا لله

“Indeed We gave Luqman wisdom when We made him grateful to Allah.”

And the reason the word أن is called أن تفسيرية (an tafsireeyyah) is because it is talking about the inner state of Luqman, not the outer state. Some scholars said this means Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) commanded him by saying, “Be grateful to Allah.” However, most scholars said that the meaning is as we mentioned previously, since Allah (swt) knows the inner qualities of people. That is why in Islam we are not allowed to judge anyone’s intention. We are forbidden to do so because Allah (swt) is the only One who knows the intention.

The phrase أن اشكر لله also means, “We made him,” that is, Allah (swt) guided him, “to be شاكر  shaakir (grateful/thankful) to Allah.” The word شكر shukr (gratefulness/thankfulness) is only used when someone recognizes a favor. This is different than الحمد al-hamd. Al-hamd is used to describe something that is deserving of hamd (praise). This is why we say الحمد لله alhamdullilah (praise belongs to God). The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “الحمد رأس الشكر  Al-hamd (praise) is the head of giving thanks.” So hamd is praise and shukr is thanks. That is why when someone does something good to you, in Arabic you respond with shukran.

So here Allah (swt) says that Luqman is shaakir (grateful). The scholars explain that this shows the first stage of being a good servant of Allah (swt) is inner shukr. Being thankful to Him and feeling in your heart that thankfulness to Allah (swt).  The scholars explain this is because:

1. Being thankful to Allah (swt) means that one recognizes that all favors come from Allah (swt). That recognition is indicative of Allah (swt)’s existence. They recognize that He is the Master of all things.
2. Being thankful indicates that one’s belief in qadr (predestination determined by Allah) is strong.

Next, Allah (swt) says, “We gave him hikmah (wisdom).” This statement can have two meanings: the first meaning we already spoke of. The second meaning is that because he was grateful to Allah (swt), Allah (swt) gave him wisdom. As Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

“If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]…” (14:7).

The second meaning could be, “We bestowed upon him wisdom because he was thankful to us.” So for any student of knowledge who wants to increase knowledge, then besides studying he/she should make sure to be shaakir to Allah (swt). We ask Allah (swt) to make us from those who are grateful.

Then Allah (swt) says, “And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself.” This is because Allah (swt) is not in need of our thanks. The ayah continues, “And whoever denies [His favor] – then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy,” (Qur’an, 14:8).

It is interesting to note that in the ayah the word يشكر  yashkur (to be grateful) is in the present-future tense, what is called المضارع  almudaariu. This present-future tense is used to show استمرار istimrar, consistency. When it is used, it brings with it the meaning of consistency. Sometimes we lose these things in translation. There is something beautiful here that we should notice. As Imam Ar-Raazi (may God have mercy on him) mentioned, when Allah (swt) talked about gratefulness He used the present-future tense. But when He talks about kufr (disbelief) He used the past tense: كفر kafara. The scholars noticed that when Allah (swt) speaks about the good qualities, He does so in the present-future tense. As if, Ar-Raazi says, Allah (swt) is telling you that you’re doing well, and you should stay this way. If you are grateful to Allah (swt) then continue being grateful.

But, on the other hand, Allah (swt) is not pleased that His servants are disbelievers. Allah (swt) uses the past tense when speaking of disbelief (although because it’s a شرط conditional statement it has to be in this form, but we don’t want to get into the grammar too much). Using the past tense is indicative of Allah (swt) saying, “If you are doing kufr stop immediately.” Once you realize that you are a disbeliever, and you realize that you believe in something other than Allah (swt), the Creator, then you should cut this away as fast as you can.  So Allah (swt) refers to it in the past tense as though you should leave it in the past.

Also, here كفر kafara is used as the opposite of شكر shukr. So instead of being grateful, one has rejected the favors of Allah (swt).

Now I have a question for you. Sometimes in the Qur’an we see similar wording, but the phrases are reversed. For example, in Surah Room, Allah (swt) says:

“Whoever disbelieves – upon him is [the consequence of] his disbelief. And whoever does righteousness – they are for themselves preparing,” (Qur’an, 30:44).

Why is it that in Surah Luqman Allah (swt) mentions thanks first, and then disbelief, but in other places of the Qur’an, Allah (swt) mentions disbelief first and then thanks?

Because here, Allah (swt) is speaking to us about the story of Luqman’s advice to his son, and Allah (swt) is praising the qualities of Luqman. Thus Allah (swt) is using this as an encouragement for the people who are grateful to Allah (swt) to continue to be thankful o Him. On the other hand, in the verse in Surah Room, Allah (swt) is commanding that we should turn towards the correct religion before a grievous day comes (i.e. the Day of Judgment), and then He mentions those who disbelieve versus those who are grateful. In Surah Room the order is reversed as a form of ترهيب tarheeb, to scare people and to wake up those people who are disbelievers.

Lecture by Suhaib Webb | Transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad

Surat Luqman, Qur’an 31: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Just a little background about Luqman before we begin. Most of the ’ulema (scholars) said that he was from the area of Sudan. Others said that he was from Nubia. They said that he lived in the time of Dawud `alayhi as-salaam (peace be upon him), and Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (Glorified is He) knows best. There’s a lot of discussion about who Luqman was. Was he a slave? Was he not a slave? All of these are mere conjecture. You’re not going to find any definite proof on his background. Was he a prophet or not? Most of the ‘ulema said he was not a prophet because the way he speaks to his son indicates that he is not receiving wahy (divine revelation). The word used يعظه (ya`idhtuhu, advising him) indicates that he was advising his son, not speaking to him from what was revealed by Allah(swt).

From these verses we’re going to take a number of points:

1. تكوين الداعي – The composition of the caller to Allah(swt), the Muslim
2. The foundations of Islam
3. The importance of our children and our families
4. The wisdom of speaking to people and addressing people when doing da`wah (the call to Islam)

The first point is about the components of the daa`ee (the caller) to Allah (swt). I don’t want to only say caller to Allah (swt) because someone might think, “Well I’m not a caller to Allah (swt), so alhamdullilah (thank God), this doesn’t apply to me.” No, every Muslim is a caller to Allah (swt). How many people have I met who became Muslim through bad Muslims? I met a brother, let’s call him Abdullah, who was around someone who used drugs. That person happened to be a Muslim. So one day Abdullah was sitting with that Muslim and that Muslim started to tell him about Allah (swt), even though that Muslim was completely inebriated. And Abdullah became Muslim in the park. Because you see they were homeless, hanging out using drugs and then, as Abdullah told me, “This guy started giving me mad da`wah. So I asked him what kind of Muslim he was, doing drugs? And he asked me, ‘And what kind of creation are you that you associate partners with Allah?’” Allah (swt) used this Muslim and Abdullah became Muslim. After he became Muslim Abdullah memorized the Qur’an in two months. Two months! And he wrote me a letter in complete Arabic, from beginning to end. Maybe Allah (swt) made Abdullah a means for his Muslim friend’s forgiveness. Maybe his friend is still a drug addict, but when he meets Allah (swt), Allah (swt) will bring Abdullah. Abdullah is now a Sheikh and a scholar. Maybe Allah (swt) will say, “This man became Muslim through you, so We will forgive you for all your drunkenness.” And maybe the Muslim man even forgot that Abdullah existed! But every letter Abdullah memorized might be counted in his Muslim friend’s favor.

So don’t say that you are not a caller to Allah (swt). Whether you like it or not you are a caller to Allah (swt). How many times in the grocery store would a woman come to my wife, here in America, and say, “Why do you wear that? That’s regal. Why do you look like that? Why do you have this honorable clothing? Are you a nun?” My wife will reply, “No, I’m a Muslim, that’s why I wear this.” And the response will be, “Wow, I respect you people. Right on. Fight the power.” My wife didn’t initiate the conversation, but every Muslim is a caller and Allah (swt) puts good in the Muslims.

I remember one brother who was in high school in Oklahoma. He told me, “I went one day with some WhyIslam pamphlets to give to the youth in the public high school. I didn’t give out many, compared to most days.” I said, “Really? How many did you give out?” He said, “About eighty.” Eighty people! Subhan’Allah (Glory to God), all of us are callers to Islam.

The one who thinks he/she is a caller to Allah (swt) is apt to fall into a lot of traps. That’s why Sheikh Sayyid Nuh Al-Azhari, who recently passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote a very good book in Arabic called, آفات الداعي (The Mistakes of the Daa`ee). It’s about seven small volumes. It explores the mistakes that people make when they call to Allah (swt).

One of those mistakes is that they think they know, but they don’t know. We have to be humble and have humility. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

“العلم ثلاثة كتاب ناطق وسنة قائمة ولا أدري.”

(Knowledge is three things: the Qur’an, the Sunnah and saying “I don’t know.”)

The biggest sign that someone doesn’t know (but thinks he knows) is that he’s weak in his worship to Allah (swt). He doesn’t feel that he needs to come to Fajr (dawn prayer). He’ll justify in his heart saying, “I’m ok.” You’re not ok.  Allah (swt) says, “You are impoverished to Allah,” (Qur’an 31:15). We need Allah (swt).

The second sign is to fall into the haraam (forbidden acts). We ask Allah (swt) to protect us. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, “Isn’t Allah sufficient for His servant?” (Qur’an 39:36). Imam Ibn Qayyim said that the answer comes from actions, not with words. So if someone feels that Allah (swt) has enriched him then he will not fall into the forbidden, because he will feel that there’s no benefit, there’s no good in the forbidden for him.

The third point we will discuss is the importance of family. How many of us use da`wah as an excuse to not spend time with our wives? And how many wives will use da`wah as an excuse to not spend time with their husbands? This is not da`wah. No da`wah should take you away from your family, because the most important responsibility that you have is to your wife and your kids, or to your husband and your children first and foremost. How can anyone change society if he can’t change his house? If he cannot have an impact in his family how can he have an impact on the people outside?

Allah (swt) states, “And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom,” (Qur’an 31:12).

We see the words و لقد in the beginning of the verse. The و (letter waw) is عطف (‘atf, a conjunction). Before this verse Allah (swt) gives the example of someone who leads people astray. After that example Allah (swt) uses the conjunction to give the example of Luqman, someone who is righteous and leads to the truth instead of falsehood.

The ل (letter laam) means “I swear by Allah”.

The word for “We gave” here is آتينا (aatayna). If we take the opinion of the majority that Luqman was not a Prophet, but a righteous person, then آتينا (aatayna) here means إلهام (ilham, inspiration). It means “We inspired him,” but not with revelation.

The word حكمة (hikmah, wisdom) comes from the word حَكَمَ (hakama). Hakama means to prevent something, to stop something. That’s why Al-Jarir says in the jaahiliy (period before Islam) poetry:

قال جرير: أَبَني حنيفةَ، أَحْكِمُوا سُفَهاءَكم، إني أَخافُ عليكمُ أَن أَغْضَبا

“O People of Banu Hanifah! Stop the foolish people amongst you!”

In the poem أَحْكِمُوا  (ahkimu) means “stop”.

That’s why when people go to the qaadi (judge) and he gives a ruling it’s called a حكم hukum, because it stops people from arguing and fighting. And wisdom is called الحكمة (al-hikmah) because it stops people from acting stupid (تمنع صاحبه عن الجهل – it prevents the one who has it from ignorance). Allah (swt) says, “Allah gives wisdom to whoever He wants,” (Qur’an 2:269). Here, wisdom means righteous guidance which causes someone to choose truth over falsehood. That’s why before this verse in Surah Baqarah, Allah (swt) tells us, “Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing” (Qur’an 2:268). Then He says he gives wisdom to whoever He wants. The scholars said that it is as though the one who has hikmah is the one who thought about the call of Shaytan and the call of Allah (swt) and then he chose the call of Allah (swt) over the call of Shaytan, so they said this is hikmah.

Thus, the first meaning of hikmah is الدين (ad-deen, the religion of Islam): someone who acts on the religion of Islam. Allah (swt) said about the Prophet ﷺ,  “He teaches them the book and hikmah (wisdom)…” (Qur’an 3:164). Here hikmah means the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet ﷺ .

Secondly, hikmah means to choose good over evil. Hikmah is not to choose the bad over the good, even if the mind doesn’t agree with what Allah (swt) sent, and this is not an easy task.

Thirdly, hikmah means to choose the better of a lot of good things. This could be based on the environment that one lives in. As related by Imam Muslim, in the hadith (narration) of Aisha bint Abi Bakr (ra), “The Prophet ﷺ said, “If it wasn’t that your people (i.e. the Quraysh) had just become Muslim I would order that the Ka`bah be destroyed and rebuilt on the foundations of Ibrahim (as).” Why didn’t the Prophet ﷺ  want to rebuild the Ka`bah? Because the people had just become Muslim, and if he destroys the Ka`bah those people would go crazy because they love the Ka`bah. This is hikmah. In his explanation of Sahih Muslim, Imam An-Nawawi said that this is an example of choosing a lesser good over a greater good where it is acceptable to do so to ultimately achieve a greater good. This is an example of hikmah.

Another meaning of hikmah is cleverness. I was reading a story of one of the great scholars of India during the time of the British occupation of India. I cannot remember the scholar’s name. During the British occupation this scholar was a wanted man. Of course in those days there were no “wanted” posters, so they didn’t know what he looked like. One day the scholar was walking through the streets and suddenly the British soldiers came running. The scholar got very scared, thinking this was the end. The soldiers asked him, “Was Sheikh So-and-so here?” The scholar took one step back and said, “Yes, he was just here.” So the scholar didn’t lie, but he achieved his objective. This is hikmah. He used wisdom.

In da`wah in America you have to be cognizant of where we live and use hikmah. Either Shaytan will inspire us to be hyper liberal to try to please people, in which case people will not have any respect for us, or Shaytan (as Imam Ibn Qayyim mentioned) will try to push us to be hyper conservative as a reaction to living in the West. Both of these are problematic issues. But the one who has hikmah is the one whose basis in the religion is solid and he/she doesn’t change those things, which he/she is not allowed to change. The Maaliki mathhab (school of thought) says that العرف كالنص – The custom of a people can be like a revealed text (at times). It has that much weight. Imam Al Qaraafi said that if someone comes to you from another country, don’t answer his question until you ask him about his country and what the people of his country are like.

I’ll give you an example. A few years ago I was invited to Malaysia. I went there and spoke at an event. There were a lot of Chinese converts to Islam in attendance. I saw that that first thing people told these converts was that they had to change their names. In my talk I said, “Why is it that the first thing we focus on is changing their names? Then they’ll go home to their mothers and fathers with new names and their parents will become angry. We should focus on other things.” Then the Sheikh there from Malaysia told me something. He said, “Suhaib, it’s different than in America. Here if you don’t change your name from a Chinese name you will not be buried as a Muslim.” See how my ignorance of one small cultural phenomenon changes the whole answer.

So in this country if we’re going to be involved in da`wah we should know the people. That’s why I recommended before (and many people got angry) that the Imams in America should watch TV for one year. We have to understand and know the people. That’s the advantage of young professionals, college students, high school students. Parents cannot expect their children to be a different nationality in America. They are Americans, and they know the people here. They’ll be very successful in da`wah insha’Allah (God willingly). I’ve seen a lot of brothers and sisters who have knowledge of the religion and knowledge of the place using that for da`wah. This is hikmah, as long as one does not go outside of the religion.

Surat Luqman, Qur’an 31: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (glorified is He) says, “If we had sent this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would see this mountain crumble and become weak from the fear of Allah,” (Qur’an 59:21). Imam Al Qurtubi said something remarkable about this mountain. He said, “If this is the state of a mountain, what about the heart of this believer whose heart Allah made such that it can hold the Qur’an?” Then Allah (swt) concludes the ayah (verse) by saying, “And these examples We present to the people that perhaps they will give thought.”

Here Allah (swt) says, “If We had sent this Qur’an…” As many of us know, when the word “we” is used in the Qur’an to refer to Allah (swt), it’s not implying that there are multiple gods. This is called نون التعظيم (noon at-ta’theem, the noon of greatness). It’s like the royal “we” in English. It’s used by someone who has a high position, like President Obama. If he were to send a letter to someone he would write “We” not “I”. It’s the same in the Arabic language, as we see in this ayah.

Next, we see the use of the word “هذا (haatha, this)”. Haatha is called an اسم  اشارة (ism ishaarah, demonstrative noun). It’s used to show closeness. So it indicates something close, not something far. But, think about the beginning of Surat al-Baqarah, where Allah (swt) says, “ذلك الكتاب (thaalika al-kitaab, that is the book).” “ذلك (thaalika, that)” is the opposite of “هذا (haatha, this)”. And the letter ل in ذلك is called the لام البعد (lam al-bu’d, laam of distance). It is talking about something far away. Why do you think that here, brothers and sisters, in Surat al-Hashr, Allah (swt) says, “هذا  القرآن (haathal Qur’an, this Qur’an),” indicating that it is as if the Qur’an is in front of the Companions, but in Surat al-Baqarah Allah (swt) said, “ذلك الكتاب (thaalikal kitaab, that is the book),” as if the Qur’an is far away? Why? Who knows?

<Audience gives an answer.>

Masha’Allah, that’s one of the interpretations. He said that in Surat al-Hashr “هذا (haatha, this)” is referring to the Qur’an that was around in the time of the Companions, it was close to them. And “ذلك الكتاب (thaalikal kitaabu, that is the book)” is talking about the Qur’an in لوح المحفوظ (lawhul mahfudth, the protected slate which is with Allah (swt)). Masha’Allah, nice job.

The scholars gave a few reasons. One of them is that “هذا القرآن (haathal Qur’an, this Qur’an)” is used to show the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ  how close the Qur’an is to them. Even though Allah (swt) sent the Qur’an, it’s close to you. You don’t get this in the translation, by the way. You find this in the Arabic language. Surat al-Baqarah is the beginning of the Qur’an. “ذلك الكتاب (thaalikal kitaabu, that is the book)” is used to make you feel that the Qur’an is something great, something far from you. Even though the Qur’an is in your hands you think, “SubhanAllah! I’m reading a book that’s amazing.” And Allah (swt) says, “If We had sent this Qur’an.” When Allah (swt) sent the Qur’an you weren’t holding it, but Allah (swt) wants to show you how close the Qur’an is to you.

After Allah (swt) talks about the mountain and the hearts, He says, “These parables We display for people so that they’ll think.” And here”يتفكر (yatafakkar, think)” means that the person tasks himself to think. Just like in the beginning we spoke of the hadith (narration) “خيركم من تعلم القرآن و علمه (The best of you is whoever learns the Qur’an and teaches it)”. “تعلم (ta’allama, learns)” means he/she tasks himself/herself to learn the Qur’an.

With that in mind we’ll start, insha’Allah (God willing), with Surat al-Luqman and the advice of Luqman to his son. Most people really like this part of the Qur’an so we’ll spend a few weeks explaining this advice. We ask Allah (swt) to let us benefit from the Qur’an. We ask Allah (swt) to help us. It’s not about quantity. Even if someone is able to sit, with his wife/family once a week, maybe on Saturday when there’s no work, reading the Qur’an and giving up some sleep for the Qur’an then masha’Allah, Allah (swt) will put good in it.

Surat Luqman, Qur’an 31: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

That being said, the discussion today is about mountains and hearts. In Surah Hashr, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) says, “O you who have believed, fear Allah.” (Qur’an, 59:18)

The word يا (ya) is usually used to call someone far from you, however it can sometimes be used to talk to someone close as well if you want to honor them or indicate that what you’re talking about is very important. For example, if my daughter was doing something wrong I would say, “Ya Shifaa!” even though she’s right in front of me.

In this ayah (verse), ya is used as نداء التشريف (nidaa at-tashreef), a call that has honor in it. It also implies that what Allah (swt) is about to tell the believers is very important, so pay special attention to it. What does He say? “Oh you who believe, have taqwa of Allah (swt).”

Taqwa comes from the root letters و  ق  ي  (waw, qaf, ya). The word وَقَيَ means to protect. Also, in Arabic وِقاية (wiqayah) is a shield that someone uses in the battlefield. In Surah At-Tur, Allah (swt) uses the word وقاهُم (waqaahum/he protected them) when He says “and their Lord protected them from the punishment of Hellfire.” (Qur’an, 52:18).

The scholars said that taqwa has two meanings in sharia (Islamic jurisprudence). The first meaning of taqwa is to place a barrier of good deeds between yourself and the possibility of punishment. We say the “possibility of punishment” because we don’t say that someone who leaves what Allah (swt) has ordered will be punished, rather we say he becomes eligible for punishment. This is because Allah (swt) can forgive who He wants and He can punish who He wants. Punishment and forgiveness are in the hands of Allah (swt), and we ask Him to forgive us.

The second meaning of taqwa is to do your best in obeying Allah (swt). It’s very important to note this as one of the mercies of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ said “ و ما أمرتكم به فأتوا منه ما استطعتم What I’ve ordered you to do, do it to the best of your ability.” This is why we have an axiom in Islamic Law that states “الأوامر مبنية على الاستطاعة  “Orders are based on ability.” As long as someone tries their best Allah (swt) will accept from them.

We aim to do our best to observe the orders of Allah (swt), first we do those things that are obligatory, then we add those things which are recommended to polish it off. And then we avoid that which is prohibited and leave some of the doubtful issues. Unfortunately we have inverted this process now and we go to the Sheikh (scholar) and ask, “Sheikh, can you find a way out to make this thing permissible for me? Maybe there’s a strange opinion that I can follow?” It’s like shopping for a fatwa. But the muttaqi (the one who has taqwa) is careful. That’s why the Prophet ﷺ said “من وقع في الشبهات وقع في الحرام Whoever fell into the doubtful issues fell into haraam [something forbidden].”

So, at the beginning of 59:18, Allah (swt) commands the believers and orders them to have taqwa of Him. He (swt) has already mentioned the believers, so as the ayah (verse) continues, there is no need to mention the people being addressed again. Allah (swt) could use a pronoun. But Allah (swt) uses a common noun in a place where there should be a pronoun. Let’s look at an English example. If I were to say to you, “I saw Suhaib and Ahmed at the store. Suhaib and Ahmed were drinking water. Suhaib and Ahmed bought this…” you would tell me “You can say ‘they’. Why do you keep saying ‘Suhaib and Ahmed’”?

In Arabic this is done to show the importance of something. It’s called إظهار في مقام الإضمار (showing/naming in the place of a pronoun). If you remember last year when we talking about Surat-ul Kahf, the 18^th chapter of the Qur’an, we mentioned this. Allah (swt) continues to refer to the people of the cave by saying “the youth” and “they were youth” instead of using the pronoun “they”. This is done to emphasize the importance of youth in Islam.

Here also, Allah (swt) says, “And let every soul….” Instead of saying “and you all should look”. Also notice the word نفس (nafs, soul) is indefinite. The scholars mention something beautiful here. They say Allah (swt) said “every soul” to remind every single person – whether they are a scholar or not – that they are responsible to Allah (swt). As Allah (swt) tells us “And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.” (Qur’an, 17:15).

Additionally, the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said in a sound hadith (narration): “Every soul is the barterer of itself. Either it will sell itself to destruction, or it will sell itself for success.” Allah (swt) also mentions: “Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise.” (Qur’an, 9:111). Allah (swt) also mentions those people who sold their deen (their religion/faith) for a small paltry price (Qur’an, 2:41).

So Allah (swt) is warning us that every soul should look towards what it will send tomorrow. The word غدا (ghadan) means tomorrow, but here it is referring to the hereafter. Imam Ibn Ashur mentions that the reason Allah (swt) used the word “tomorrow” to refer to the hereafter is because when the Arabs wanted to speak of something that was as close to them as possible, they would use the word “tomorrow”. So Allah (swt) uses “tomorrow” to remind us that the Day of Judgment is near. As He (swt) says, “Indeed, they see it [as] distant, But We see it [as] near.” (Qur’an, 70:6-7). Don’t become negligent, the hour is close. That’s why Abdullah ibn Umar said, “If you live to see the evening don’t expect to see the morning, and if you live to see the morning don’t expect to see the evening.”

Then, Allah (swt) says و اتقوا الله (and be dutiful to and fear Allah). This is interesting because Allah (swt) opened the verse with this command and closed it with the same command. Twice, Allah (swt) mentions being dutiful to and fearing Allah (swt).

Why does Allah (swt) say this twice? There are two reasons, according to the scholars. The first, according to the scholars, is fear of Qur’an. The second is to ensure that you stay upright on this taqwa. For example, Allah (swt) says “Oh you who believe, believe in Allah!” Why does Allah (swt) say “believe” twice? (Qur’an, 4:136) To command us to stay as believers, to be firm in this belief. So, here the second command is to remind us to maintain that taqwa of Allah (swt). If you’re lucky enough to fear Allah (swt) the first time, then fear Allah (swt) again.

Finally Allah (swt) ends with “Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.” (Qur’an 59:18) This is the reason why Allah (swt) says “Fear Allah (swt)” in the beginning. The sentence in the middle is an independent clause, but the ending answers the question “Why should we fear Allah (swt)”?

The word إنَّ (inna) means surely, and in this verse it’s used for purposes of التعليل (at-ta’leel) to answer the question “why”. Why should we fear Allah (swt)? Because Allah (swt) is خبير (khabeer). This word form is the فعيل (faeel) word pattern used to speak of someone’s essence, something that comes naturally to them.  For example, when you talk about me, you would say “Suhaib is طويل (taweel/tall).” because it’s part of my nature, I can’t be short. So, when we say Allah (swt) is khabeer, it means that it is from His (swt) essence and attributes that He is well aware of everything that we do. We should ask ourselves, how does this attribute of Allah (swt) rectify our attitudes and behaviors when we are dealing with Him as our Lord?

This verse that we have been studying is from Surat ul-Hashr (Chapter 59). This surah (chapter) mentions two major events that happened in the life of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. The first is the victory Allah (swt) gave them over Banu Nadir. Secondly Allah (swt) describes the hypocrites to the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions, and how Allah (swt) gave them victory over these hypocrites.

So in the next ayah, Allah (swt) commands: “And do not be like those who forgot Allah (swt)…”(Qur’an, 59:19)

The word “those” is a definite article, so it is as though Allah (swt) is speaking about someone He already mentioned in the Surah, and the listener of the Qur’an who lives in Madinah and hears these words knows who Allah (swt) is talking about. The scholars say these people are those two groups who were mentioned previously in the Surah. The first are the followers of Musa (the Jews of Madinah) whose attributes Allah (swt) describes throughout the Qur’an, and He warns the Muslims not to acquire the main attribute of those followers of Musa, which was knowledge without practice. The second is the hypocrites: those people who expressed faith but internally had no faith. What is the result of these people forgetting Allah (swt)? Allah (swt) caused them to “forget themselves.”

Allah (swt) continues to say that indeed these people are the people of fisq. Fisq means something that’s abnormal. For example, if the inner part of a date comes out of the skin in a strange way, the Arab would say فَسَقَ (fasaqa), meaning it has come out abnormally. We know that everyone is born on fitrah (innate natural disposition towards virtue and oneness of God). So when a person leaves the fitrah and rebels against Allah (swt), we say he becomes a faasiq, he left the natural human disposition and became something strange.

Then Allah (swt) continues in the next ayah to explain this further. He says: “Not equal are the companions of the Fire and the companions of Paradise. The companions of Paradise – they are the attainers [of success].” (Qur’an 59:20) Thus, if we stay on the Qur’an and are amongst the people who mind their remembrance of Allah (swt), then we will be from the people of Paradise. However, those people who forgot Allah (swt) and did not fear Him will be from the people of Hellfire. And Allah (swt) says they are not the same. The people of Paradise are faaizoon.

The word فائز (faaiz/winner/successful) is called اسم فاعل (ism faa’il) and Allah (swt) uses this ism faa’il here to show certainty. “Definitely, for sure, there’s no doubt, that they are successful!.”

(c) Rehan Shaikh

By Fuseina Mohamad

Reflections of a student from the Bayyinah Dream Program

“Ustadh Nouman, about this speech, how long should it be? Mine is four minutes.”

Ustadh shook his head and leaned on the pool cue. “No. Three minutes, max.”

“But…”

“Three minutes, Fuseina. Three minutes. ”

I’d been giving Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan grief for the past ten months and hoped to get away with one last request. Three minutes may seem long for a graduation speech but how does one summarize ten life-changing months in three fleeting minutes?

I turned to leave with this question in my head. The familiar sound of pool balls cracking against each other echoed in my thoughts as the game I had interrupted resumed.

Why Dream

I am a first-generation Ghanaian-American who spent most of my life in Saudi Arabia and Ghana before moving back to the United States 11 years ago. During the course of my stay in the States first as a college student then as an employee at a Fortune 500 company, I somehow became distant from the Qur’an. The little Arabic I had learnt as a second language had faded from my memory.

Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) I faced a personal challenge that forced me to acknowledge that my heart was quickly accumulating layers of dust. I desperately needed a light, and I resolved to find one.

Allah subahanahu wa ta’ala (Glorified is He) says in the Qur’an:

وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًى ۗ وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ مَّرَدًّا

“And Allah increases those who were guided, in guidance, and the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for recourse.” (19:76)

I see the proof of His promise in my journey to Bayyinah. The path that led me here spanned about 3 years.

In my search for knowledge, I became addicted to Islamic conferences, seminars and lectures, hungry for any understanding of Allah’s conversation with me in His Book. Imam Siraj Wahhaj became a favorite speaker of mine. His grandfatherly personality coupled with his real talk penetrated my conscience. Despite working a full time job while obtaining a Master’s degree, I would often drop everything to attend his lectures.

It was during one such conference that I was taught the importance of the Arabic language. Before Imam Siraj spoke another Imam was invited to the podium. I sighed. It was close to midnight on a Sunday. I faced a two and a half hour drive home and work at 7 the next morning. “Please,” I prayed silently, “hurry up.”

He didn’t, alhamdulillah.

The Imam’s captivating words shook me. He spoke of the challenges of post-modernity in the American society and demanded that Muslims raise the bar for seeking knowledge in America. As a convert, he had memorized the Qur’an and spoke Arabic with enviable fluency.

“Who IS that?” I whispered to my friend as the Imam took his seat.

“That’s Imam Suhaib Webb,” she responded. “He’s a convert. I think he’s studying at Al Azhar. ”

I was floored. A convert, hafidh (one who has memorized the Qur’an) and student at one of Islam’s oldest and most prestigious universities?

“What’s your excuse?” I scolded myself. A deep sense of guilt and urgency struck me. I wanted to understand the Qur’an and its key had just been handed to me. But where could I learn Arabic in America?

A few months later the answer presented itself at another conference. Again Imam Siraj was scheduled to speak, but was unable to attend due to health reasons. I stayed anyway, hoping to benefit from the other scholars and speakers.

I accidentally wandered into a youth session. I felt it rude to leave when the speech started, so I remained, trapped in a crowd of teenagers. I had never heard of the brother speaking, but his speech was good. His approach was friendly and open. “Good advice for kids,” I thought.  “Who is this guy?”

The conference program answered with his name: Nouman Ali Khan from the Bayyinah Institute.

I watched a couple of the brother’s YouTube lectures and decided that he seemed to know what he was talking about. I signed up for Bayyinah’s Divine Speech Seminar the next month.

Divine speech is not a class. It’s a journey to and through the beauty, depth and power of Allah’s Book. ((Bayyinah’s Divine Speech course is no longer available live, but can be viewed online at Bayyinah.tv))  The book that Br. Nouman shared with us that weekend was a book I’d never read before.

As the class came to a close I found myself in tears, grateful that Allah (swt) had allowed me to discover His Book. I swore that I wouldn’t lose it and prayed, “Allah, just let me understand this Book. I just want to understand these words.”

Br. Nouman leaned on the edge of the table and waited for silence. “I want to tell you guys about the Dream program…” He explained the idea: a 10-month Arabic immersion program in Texas, focusing on Qur’anic Arabic and understanding the Qur’an. SubhanAllah (Glory to God)—the power of du’a` (supplication)! “I’m going to do that,” I resolved.

Because I had two years of school left I was unable to join the first batch of Dream students. Alhamdulillah this was a blessing because I needed the time to plan. The next two years were spent saving, budgeting, memorizing Qur’an and pursuing local Islamic and Arabic classes. I reasoned that if was going to Dream I had to be prepared.

Living the Dream

The Bayyinah Dream sisters’ first party was held the Saturday before classes started. After a summer of emailing each other, finding housing, and figuring out roommates, we felt it would be good to put faces to names before serious work began on Monday.

Most of us came from outside Texas: California, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland and New York. For us, Irving was a different world. Over homemade rice, cookies, and summer fruit salad we marveled at the sheer size of the local masjid (mosque), commented on the Texas drought, and complained about the Texas heat. We peppered our TAs, students of the first Dream batch, with questions about the program and the teachers, especially Ustadh Nouman. Though they answered our questions every answer was suffixed with “…but you guys will find out on Monday.”

The Dream curriculum and schedule is ambitious for a 10-month program: four days of full-time class with a test every Friday, Saturdays off, followed by Sunday Qur’an Day.
The Dream program provides a solid foundation in Arabic grammar (nahwu), morphology (sarf), grammatical analysis (irab), and then continues with conversation, reading, studying and memorizing Arabic expressions, and other specialized topics such as tafseer (exegesis of Qur’an), media Arabic, hadith (narrations of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) studies, balaagha (rhetoric), seerah (biography of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), tajweed (proper recitation of Qur’an) and towards the end, a little fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).

But what’s impossible to capture in an essay is the love that we found at Dream. We didn’t have a campus, we had a home. We weren’t classmates, we were brothers and sisters.

When the going got tough, we would encourage each other, tutor each other, and feed each other. We planned lunch hour potlucks to celebrate class milestones, student accomplishments, birthdays, or just because. Future Dream students, especially sisters, should be warned of the Bayyinah 15.

Weekends were booked with horseback riding, shopping, kayaking, and road trips. We attended events, lectures, and classes at the local masaajid, especially the Islamic Center of Irving. The Irving Muslim community is one of the most welcoming communities I have lived in. The Muslims in Irving embraced us; their families became our families and their homes, our homes.

Don’t get me wrong; we studied hard as well. Study groups remained on campus after class to prepare readings for the next day. Class breaks would find groups of students reviewing Qur’an or quizzing each other for an upcoming test. The Islamic Center library and musallah (prayer area) were often occupied by Dream students. Late-night study groups gathered often for cookies and chai.

In class, our teachers established the same balance. They worked us hard and when the class seemed stressed or tired Ustadh Nouman would share a Qur’an gem with us or let us watch Kung Fu Panda in Arabic. Module endings were commemorated with lunch from Fadi’s or barbecues at Grapevine Lake.

As a class we bonded and we showed our teachers love the best way we knew how. We played pranks on Ustadh Nouman, baked a truck-shaped cake for Sheikh Abdul Nasir Janga and hounded Imam Zia in his office and on Facebook. Our teachers were our mentors and advisors. They pushed us to succeed, patiently putting up with the grief we would inevitably give them.

I particularly remember one tafseer class where I felt extreme sympathy for Ustadh Nouman. He was substituting for Imam Zia, our regular tafseer instructor. A few minutes into the class a silent panic settled over the students. We were supposed to read two pages of tafseer each day in preparation for class discussion, but at Ustadh ‘s rate we would quickly exceed our page limit before the class ended.

“We need to slow him down,” I said urgently to my partner in crime. She nodded and the whispered directive spread throughout the class. Brothers and sisters are separated by a barrier, so either a text message got sent to the brothers or they came to the same conclusion on their own. Soon I raise my hand.

“Ustadh, I have a question, if you don’t mind. Why is this word used in this ayah (verse) instead of a similar word?”

Ustadh Nouman paused, thought, then patiently answered.

Another hand rose. “Ustadh, there’s a similar ayah in another Surah (chapter of Qur’an) what’s the benefit of this wording here?”

“Ustadh, can it be argued that this sentence structure provides more emphasis than the expected sentence structure?”

“Ustadh, do you mind re-explaining that answer?”

Finally Ustadh Nouman looked at us suspiciously and asked “Do you guys ask Imam Zia this many questions?”

The bell for tafseer class rang soon after and we exchanged guilty grins with each other. We had been taught a wonderful Arabic expression the first week of class:

لا تترد في السؤل فالسؤال نصف العلم

“Do not hesitate in asking questions because questions are half of knowledge.”

We took this to heart and on rare occasions took advantage of it. May Allah forgive us (Everyone say, “Ameen!”). Our teachers were models of kindness and patience and we owe them our deepest gratitude.

We had been taught at the beginning of the year that a student of knowledge trusts his/her teacher and it is that trust that carries the student whose lack of experience and knowledge prevents him/her from understanding the teacher’s grand vision.

When Ustadh Nouman instituted the Arabic-only policy on campus we joked that campus was going to be extremely quiet. At first, it was. We would sneak English comments to each other, abruptly ending conversations when Ustadh Nouman walked by. But he persisted, reminding, encouraging, and threatening us.

“Anyone caught speaking English on campus will be sent home,” he warned.

We still spoke English but when Ustadh entered the room instead of falling silent we found ourselves quickly switching to Arabic. Eventually our halting Arabic exchanges evolved into entire conversations.

I personally believe that Ustadh was secretly proud of us when we would whine in Arabic for less homework, earlier breaks, and postponed tests. He would refuse to compromise, refuting our suggestions, thus forcing our pleas to become more creative, more eloquent, and more convincing. I remember once we attempted to persuade the Ustadh to cancel an Arabic class in lieu of Sunday Qur’an Day.

“No!” he staunchly refused, “I want you guys to learn some Arabic.”

“Ustadh,” one of the sisters responded, “there’s no better Arabic than the Qur’an!”

“Nice try,” Ustadh laughed. “But we’re still doing Arabic. We’ll do Qur’an on Sunday.”

The Qur’an came alive on Sundays. The Arabic concepts that I struggled to grasp during the week shone like diamonds on every page, treasures whose value I finally understood.

More importantly for the first time, I heard the Qur’an as conversation. During the week we studied the Qur’an, drowning in the grammar, sentence structure, and the tafseer with its varying points of view. On Sundays we surfaced from the depths of the sea of academics to simply appreciate the Qur’an. Sundays reminded me why I had left everything and come to Dream in the first place. ((Qur’an Day (formally called Qur’an Cover to Cover) is also available on Bayyinah.tv))

We visited my favorite surah (chapter), Maryam, on our last Qur’an Day. When we came to ayah 76, I looked back to our first day of class where, overwhelmed by the ambitious curriculum, I’d slowly penned the words of this ayah into the margins of my notebook—reassurance that I could not only survive, but excel, in the next ten months. I returned to Qur’an Day grateful for the reminder of how far I had come and fully aware of how much further I had yet to travel.

When I stepped in front of the microphone on graduation night, the nervousness I expected never materialized. Rather I felt completely comfortable—as if I was speaking to the closest members of my family. For four minutes I spoke in Arabic of our journey together and our upcoming responsibilities to the Ummah (Muslim community). I told inside jokes to remind myself and my brothers and sisters how much grief we had given our teachers and asked Allah (swt) to allow us to reunite in Jannah (Paradise).

My delivery wasn’t perfect by any means. Anything that seems impressive was simply a testament to the unending love and support of my family, classmates, and teachers, and to the extreme mercy and blessings of Allah (swt) who allowed me the opportunity to take this step towards understanding His book. I pray that the Most Merciful allows all of us to draw closer to Him, to drown in the beauty of His words. I pray that every day He allows us to be amazed by the Qur’an, and I pray that on the day when it counts the most He will allow the Qur’an to be a proof for us and not against us.

I’d like to add a note of thanks to all my teachers, especially Ustadh Bashir Ansari who offered corrections and suggestions for the speech.

Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX| Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV

If you want to know the importance of your heart, then look at the hadith (record of speech or action) of Umm Salamah. The people asked her, “What du`a’ [supplication] did the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him)] make the most?” She said, “He made the du`a’: ‘Allahuma, muqalib al quloob, thabit qalby `ala deenik. O Allah, the One who turns the hearts, make my heart firm on Your deen (way of life).’” This is the Prophet ﷺ. What about us? We walk across campus and can forget half a juz (part; 1/30) of Qur’an just because of the things we see. We go to class and in one minute our faith is shaken maybe because of something the professor said or maybe from something that fell into the heart. How many of us know this du`a’ and say it all the time? The sign of someone who is doing that is someone who realizes that they need Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He).

Now last time we said that al-Fatiha addressed a lot of issues in the heart, but we’re going to talk about three. We begin by talking about al-kibr (arrogance). Allah (swt) said in an authentic hadith that al-kibr means to be arrogant. The word kabbara means to make something big. We say, “Allahu Akbar,” (Allah is Greatest). Of course Allah (swt) is not arrogant. The Prophet Muhammed ﷺ said in a hadith qudsi (a hadith including the words of Allah (swt)) that Allah (swt) said, “Pride is My cloak and strength is My honor and whoever tries to compete with Me in these two issues then let them go to the hellfire.” We explained that the definition of arrogance given to us by the Prophet ﷺ is that arrogance is to reject the truth and look down on people. For example if someone comes to us and says, “You know, the deen (religion) says we should do this.” And we reply, “Well you know, I don’t do that. I have my own ideas. I think we should pray twice a day. Why pray five times a day? It doesn’t make any sense. That’s not logical.” This is rejection of the truth. This is a sign of kibr.

The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ would submit to the orders of the Prophet ﷺ and Allah quickly. But they also struggled. Unfortunately sometimes the only examples that we’re given are examples in which we hear that Allah commanded something and they all submitted immediately. Then we as young people think, “I can never be like that, it’s too difficult. It’s too difficult.” We go to the Qur’an and we find examples of the Companions showing that they also struggled to obey Allah (swt) in many situations, but they always overcame it. Like Zaynab bint Jahsh radi allahu `anha (may Allah be pleased with her).

Zaynab bint Jahsh (ra) was the fifth wife of the Prophet ﷺ. She came from the most aristocratic family in Makkah, in fact her parents held the keys to the Ka`bah. So these people were known all over the Arabian peninsula. She had it going on ’til the break of dawn. Then she became Muslim. Why? Because her brothers and her sisters became Muslim. So those of you who are older brothers and sisters can pave the way, like her older brothers and sisters did. She followed them into Islam in Makkah and because of their high status she was able to keep her nice lifestyle. Her family was favored by everyone and everyone showed them respect.

Then she came to Madinah and everything changed. The Prophet ﷺ built a society not based on who’s who, but based on the fact that we are brothers [and sisters] in Islam. So when Zaynab bint Jahsh (ra) came to Madinah nobody was treating her like a high class celebrity. She needed to get married and came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “Marry me, ya rasool Allah (Oh Messenger of Allah).” He said, “I marry you to Zayd ibn Haritha.” Zayd ibn Haritha (ra) used to be a slave. He was from the low class and she was from the high class. You know what she said? “Uh uh, not me.” If you read the books of seerah (life of the Prophet ﷺ) her response was kind of hardcore. She said, “I am the best of the women!” She was getting upset. How was she going to marry this guy? Didn’t the Prophet ﷺ know who she was? This is that kibr. She went to her brothers and sisters and said, “You know the Prophet ﷺ is trying to marry me to this guy!” Her brothers came to the Prophet ﷺ  and said, “Ya rasool Allah, you can’t marry her to this guy. She is of pure blood.” We hear that now even amongst Muslims. It’s crazy. So the Prophet ﷺ said, “I marry her to Zayd ibn Haritha.”

Someone may ask why the Prophet ﷺ married her to Zayd ibn Haritha (ra). Two reasons. First, Zayd ibn Haritha was a scholar and the Prophet ﷺ wanted her to marry someone who could teach her. Secondly, as my sheikh taught me, Allah (swt) wanted to teach Zaynab bint Jahsh (ra) to be humble before she married the Prophet ﷺ . So all of this egotism and arrogance and concern with who she was was broken. Then after sometime Zayd (ra) divorced her and she married the Prophet . But she was struggling with it.

The Companions used to struggle to control their gaze. Go to the hadith of Fadl (ra) found in Sahih Bukhari (one of the compilations of hadith). In Sahih Bukhari, in the chapter on Hajj, there was a guy named Fadl (ra). Fadl was riding on the back of an animal in ihram (a state of cleanliness entered into before beginning pilgrimage) on Hajj with Rasool Allah. Can you imagine being on Hajj with the Prophet ﷺ? Not only on hajj with him, but subhan’Allah (glory be to God), riding on the same animal with him. Anas ibn Maalik (ra) said the Prophet’s ﷺ face used to be like the sun and his teeth were like stars in the night. So imagine that Fadl (ra) is with the Prophet ﷺ in ihram on Hajj. Subhan’Allah, just imagine how he was feeling. Suddenly, as Imam Al Bukhari narrates, a dazzling young damsel appears over the horizon, steadily approaching the Prophet ﷺ and Fadl (ra). She catches Fadl’s eye, and Fadl starts checking her out. Read the hadith. Fadl (ra) was dumbstruck. He was bedazzled by the wonderment of her austere beauty. Ibn Qayis has a poem about a woman in which he says, “I’m drowning in your beauty because your love killed me.” This is how Fadl (ra) felt. With the Prophet ﷺ on the Prophet’s animal on Hajj. And he was a sahabi (companion). So you can’t tell me that the sahabi were drones. They struggled like we struggle. She kept coming closer and closer, and Fadl (ra) became even more immersed in her beauty.  Also, this is a proof that not all of the sahabiyat (female companions) wore niqab (face veil) because if she was in niqab he would not have been checking her out. That’s why many ’ulema (scholars) use this hadith to prove that some sahabiyat used to show their faces. So Fadl (ra) was checking her out. The Prophet ﷺ turned around and Fadl is in dreamland. This is very important for those of you who work with youth. Youth do this all the time. Fadl (ra) was lost. The Prophet ﷺ turned around and turned Fadl’s face to the other side. The Prophet ﷺ didn’t degrade him, slander him or disrespect his honor. But he checked him.

This shows us that the Companions were very real people. People in Madinah during the time of the Prophet ﷺ committed zinnah (fornication). People in the time of the Prophet ﷺ drank. There was a woman raped in Madinah during the time of the Prophet ﷺ and this still didn’t cause the Prophet ﷺ to ban women from the masjid. Things happened, they were human beings. So for us, when we hear stories about purification we should realize that those people, like Zaynab bint Jahsh (ra), took some effort to get there. It wasn’t a one day switch. For some people like Umar ibn Al Khattab (ra) it was a one day switch. Abu Bakr al Siddiq (ra)—one day switch. That’s why they are the leaders of this nation. But for most of us, we need five or six days to change.

So we were talking about arrogance, and we said that arrogance is to turn away from the truth. If someone is struggling with the truth that’s different than turning away from it. Someone who tries and is working on it, and fighting for it, insha’Allah (God willing) this is good. This is someone who is on the right path. But someone who says, “I don’t care, so what?” This is the problem. You can compare this to Shaytan (Satan) and Adam, in the beginning of time when Shaytan was told to make sujood (prostrate) to Adam. Adam was told not to come close to the tree. Shaytan disobeyed Allah (swt) and Adam disobeyed Allah (swt). They both disobeyed Allah (swt). But what’s the difference? Adam repented. He went back to Allah (swt). He and his wife repented and admitted to their mistake (Qur’an 7:23). Shaytan refused to do so. There is a story that my teacher told me, I don’t know the authenticity of it, that in the time of Nuh `alayhi as-salaam (peace be upon him) (Noah), Iblees (Satan) came to Nuh (as) and said, “I am ready to repent.” Nuh (as) became very excited. Alhamdullilah (all praise is to God) now we can all go back to heaven. The war is over, right? Nuh (as) told Jibreel (Angel Gabriel). Jibreel went and told Allah (swt) (although of course he doesn’t have to tell Allah (swt) because Allah (swt) knows). Allah (swt) told Jibreel to tell Nuh (as) to tell Iblees that if he wants to repent, he should go to the grave of Adam and make sujood, as he was ordered when Adam was alive. Jibreel told Nuh and Nuh told Iblees. And Iblees responded, “Anything but that, I am better than him!” His arrogance is killing him.

We said there are a few ways that one can become arrogant. First is by knowledge, especially Islamic knowledge. Nowadays somebody reads Al Akhdari, a basic book on Maaliki fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). It’s about twelve pages. Someone reads this and is proud of themselves. Masha’Allah (what God wills), when my sheikh’s son was five he knew Al Akhdari. Someone might boast, “I know Al Ajroomiyah.” Masha’Allah my sheikh’s son knew it when he was nine.

They used to come to Umar (ra) and say, “Oh Leader of the Believers, pray for us!” He would say, “Who am I? I am nothing.” Because of their love of knowledge, some `ulema would learn but appear very simple amongst the people. If there was a problem and knowledge had to be brought up they would bring up their knowledge, but they wouldn’t go around flaunting their knowledge as if it’s for sale in the market.

The second cause of arrogance was position. Don’t call me Sheikh, please. And don’t say, “Oh he’s just saying, ‘don’t call me sheikh,’ because he’s so pious.” I’m not. I know who I am. I’m an ex-Blood. I used to sell bags of marijuana in a neighborhood called Musgrave in Oklahoma City and I used to get shot at on the weekends. Don’t call me sheikh. I struggle just to wake up and pray in the morning, like you do. Subhan’Allah I was reading one story about Haram. He was from the salaf, from the early `ulema. He was very famous and he was a good speaker. He had this taqwa (God consciousness) about him that caused people to gravitate to him. He used to build a fire in the desert and when people would come he would make the fire really big. They would be coming to him and saying, “As salaam alaykum ya Sheikh. Peace be upon you, oh sheikh,” and he would reply to them and say, “Wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh, marhaban bikum ahlan wa sahlan. And may the peace and mercy of Allah be upon you. Welcome,” They would say, “We would feel welcome if there wasn’t this big fire between us and you.” And then he would say, “You want to throw me into a fire bigger than this by praising me. It is the fire of hell. So get away from me.” They used to fight this position.

Subhan Allah if you went to some of these conventions and met some big ’ulema, I remember sometimes you’d be sitting in a room chilling and you’d be asking someone, “Hey what’s up man? How’s it going? Everything’s cool?” Then someone would walk in and say, “This is the Sheikh [that you’re talking to]!” You see how they carry themselves, very simple and easy. And they deal with the people. They said that a small girl, about seven years old, could come to the Prophet ﷺ and take him by the hand and walk with him anywhere. And he would not leave her until she said, “Ok, I’m done with you. You can go now.” This is Rasool of Allah ﷺ being told he can go, the appointment is over. Why? Because he was very humble. Look at all of the leaders throughout Muslim history. Who are the leaders that we love the most as Muslims? Those leaders who were the most humble. And who are the leaders that most Muslims hate the most? Those who strove to be praised and be mighty. That’s why the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever made themselves humble for the sake of Allah, Allah will raise them.”

Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI| Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX| Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV

Alhamdullilah (praise be to Allah) this is our second gathering for the tafsir (interpretation and contextualization) of Surat al-Fatiha (The Opener, Quran 1) and its effects on the life and the tarbiya (disciplined upbringing) of the Muslim. Tarbiya comes from a word which means to plant a seed. In the last verse of Surat al-Fath, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) talks about tarbiya in the context of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. He mentions the example of the Companions of the Prophet as mentioned in the injeel (the Gospel). Allah says,

“And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers – so that Allah may enrage by them the disbelievers,” (Qur’an, 48:29).

Imam as-Sabooni, a scholar of tafsir, said the seed is a simile for Rasul Allah (the Messenger of Allah) ﷺ, and the stem is the Companions. So the Prophet ﷺ nurtured them from a very weak state to a strong state. This is the example of tarbiya. As the ulema (scholars) said, the Companions were very small in number in Makkah and they were very weak, then they became strong in Madinah. So this is tarbiya of the Muslim.

Al-Fatiha is like the seed, and we are like the stems. We want to take some things from Al-Fatiha that can make us strong so that in this university environment we can stand on our own. Because especially those people who are majoring in things like philosophy and physics, we are going to encounter people who are going to challenge their faith. Some people are going to read articles and opinions of people like Stephen Hawking and others which are going to shake the roots of their hearts. And if they are not nurtured in this tarbiya of Islam, it’s going to be difficult to survive.

For others, their challenge could be J Lo. J Lo can turn a man into a baby with one smile. For the sisters, Shahrukh Khan or Ben Affleck. One smile, one flash of his devilish blue eyes and the sister’s iman (faith) will be brought to its knees.

So Al-Fatiha is the seed and we are the stems. We want to drink the tarbiya. That’s why in many places in the Qur’an Allah (swt) uses the simile of the deen (religion) as rain. Rain is nurturing. It brings fruit. It brings vegetation. The same way this deen is to dead hearts and dead bodies. It brings them to life and also, something that’s important, is that it takes time to grow. Maybe a sister doesn’t wear hijab (headscarf). She says, “Man, I’m struggling.” It’s ok, everyone is growing.

Maybe one brother here says, “I’m struggling with my five prayers.” Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah) if we ask most Muslim students how many times they pray they say, “four.” Fajr (pre-dawn prayer) at 8:30 then dhuhr (noon prayer), asr (afternoon prayer), maghrib (dusk prayer) and isha (night prayer). We want to grow. We want to make tarbiya. The main source of the tarbiya of the Muslim is the Qur’an, and the main source of tarbiya in the Qur’an is Al-Fatiha. That’s why it’s called Al-Fatiha, the Opener. It opens up things.

We began two weeks ago and we talked about the scope of the Qur’an, and then we talked about how familiar we are we with Al-Fatiha. And we discussed some of the names of Al-Fatiha. Then we discussed the objectives of the Qur’an and we said that the Qur’an has five major objectives. So today we’re going to talk about those five objectives quickly to remind ourselves, and then we’re going to talk about Al-Fatiha and its effects on the worship of a Muslim. What are the effects that Al-Fatiha should have on my worship?

Sisters, what’s the main role of a Muslim woman?

Audience: Raise the family.

Okay, good what else?

Audience: To be a teacher.

That’s good, masha’ Allah (what Allah wills). What else?

Sisters’ first job is to be the slave of Allah. Never with brothers do we say, “What’s the role of brothers? To be a husband.” Nobody says that. They say to be the slave of Allah. It’s the same with the sisters, as Sheikh Tariq Ramadan told us the main role of a sister is to be the servant of Allah, and the main role of a man is to be the servant of Allah. Being the servant of Allah means we do `ibadah (worship). Today we want to talk about the effects of Al-Fatiha on our servitude to Allah. Servitude is al-`ubudiya (worship).

Al-Fatiha is a reflection of the Qur’an, and the Qur’an has five major objectives. We said the first one is tawheed (declaring the Oneness of Allah) and there’s a reason for this. It is because we have different types of `ibadah. For example, somebody can worship something which is not really deserving of worship. So Al-Fatiha in the Qur’an elaborates on tawheed to make it clear as to who should be worshipped, and insha’ Allah (God willing) we’ll elaborate on that.

The second objective of the Quran is promises and warnings. Allah says,

“Give good news to those who believe and do good […]” (Qur’an, 2:25).

I was just on a trip; I came from the University of Michigan. At every lecture I gave for the MSA (Muslim Students’ Association) there were eight missionaries, four women and four men. They would go and mix with the Muslims and ask them some questions. One of the common questions the Muslims students received was “What is your promise of salvation?” For example, the missionaries would say that they believe Jesus Christ died for their sins, so this is their promise of salvation.

So what’s the promise of salvation for a Muslim? It’s right here. Allah says,

“…Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward,” (Quran 48:29).

Here “a great reward” means jannah (paradise). Also the Qur’an talks about punishment. Allah talks about sending the Qur’an to warn people (Qur’an, 32:2-3). Those people who failed to fulfill a major objective, we’ll talk about in tonight’s class. They will be punished, but those who fulfill this objective insha’ Allah they will be rewarded.

The third is that the Qur’an trains us on correct `ibadah. Is it possible for someone to worship their academic status? Could that possibly become an ilah (god)? We say la ilaha illa Allah—there’s no deity or object worthy of worship but Allah.

Would it be possible for someone to make their academic status an ilah or an object of worship? Yes. Would it be possible for someone to worship, for example, Shakira? Subhan Allah how many of these famous stars have taken people to court for stalking them? They say for example, “I gave a world tour and I did a concert in Tokyo and that guy was in Tokyo. Then a week later I was in Switzerland and that guy was in Switzerland. A week later I was in South Africa and this guy was in South Africa.” This is `ibadah. Al-Fatiha teaches us the correct `ibadah. How to worship Allah (swt) and how to worship correctly as human beings.

The fourth is that the Qur’an and Al-Fatiha expound on tazkiyatul nafs (purification of the soul). Allah (swt) says,

“He has succeeded who purifies it [i.e the soul],” (Qur’an, 91:9).

The fifth thing is stories and news. The Qur’an gives us so many stories. Junayd al-Baghdadi, from the arifina bil lah (the people who know and were cognizant of Allah (swt)) said that stories are jund min junood Allah (soldiers from the soldiers of Allah). It is by these stories that the heart will become strong. For example, as a brother goes to campus and suddenly a dazzling young damsel throws herself at him and she says, “You know, Abdul, I’ve been checking you out for the whole semester and I’m just completely drowning in the radiance of your handsomeness.” Abdul is thinking, “Man, what am I going to do?” Then she says, “We’re going out this Friday night and tomorrow I want an answer.” And the lady is very beautiful. So he goes home and he thinks, “Subhan Allah, is there anything that I can relate this to in my life?”

Then he opens the Qur’an and he finds Surah Yusuf. There in the twelfth chapter of the Qur’an he finds that lady trying to seduce Yusuf `alayhi assalaam (peace be upon him) and Yusuf’s reaction to this problem. In the Qur’an he finds this soldier from the soldiers of Allah that strengthens him. Then (hopefully he’s looking down) when he kind of sees the girl next time he’s strong enough to handle it, because he sees that Yusuf (as) said,

“My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. And if You do not avert from me their plan, I might incline toward them and [thus] be of the ignorant,” (Qur’an, 12:33).

So Abdul says to himself, “Subhan Allah if Yusuf chose the prison over these women then the choice is easy for me.”

Maybe for a sister she feels that someone is asking her to do something that will shame Islam, and she has trouble doing this. For example someone asks her to join a club which is reprehensible according to our teachings as Muslims. She’s searching herself, thinking, “But I want to be successful academically and joining this club is one of the keys to be successful. But if I join this club and people see me as a Muslim woman involved in this club maybe it will bring some negative connotation to Islam.”

She doesn’t know what to do, but then she goes to the Qur’an and she reads the story of Maryam (as). This is amazing, this is really amazing. Maryam (as) knew that she was going to give birth to this child and she knew that no man touched her. After she gave birth to Isa (as) in Surah Maryam she said,

“Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten,” (Qur’an, 19:23).

We know that the Prophet ﷺ said “No one of you should wish for death.” But here we find Maryam doing so. Imam Qurtubi asked, “Why did the Prophet say this, but then you find in the Qur’an that Maryam said this?” He explains that there’s no contradiction, because there is one time when a Muslim is allowed to wish for death and that is when he or she believes their actions will shame Islam. Maryam is from the family of the Prophets and if she comes back with this baby and everybody knows that she didn’t have a husband, what would they say about her? They would say that she is a zanniyah (a fornicator). So she said she would rather die than shame Islam. So the sister reads this and she says, “Subhan Allah I found my answer.”

They used to say about the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ that even when they lost the reins of their camel they would go to the Qur’an for the answer to this problem. So the Qur’an gives us stories to make us strong. That’s why Ibn Qayyim al Jawzziyah said that knowledge is a person’s companion when he or she is alone. One has no one to talk to or get advice from so he or she goes to these stories. Allah (swt) said to the Prophet ﷺ,

“And each [story] We relate to you from the news of the messengers is that by which We make firm your heart. And there has come to you, in this, the truth and an instruction and a reminder for the believers,” (Qur’an, 11:120).

We find these stories reflected in Al-Fatiha. How? Because Al-Fatiha is the format (for those who are in the computer sphere) of looking at stories. Because out of all the stories in the Qur’an people are going to fall into three categories:

1. Those people whom Allah has favored, such as in the story of Ibrahim (as) and how Allah (swt) saved him from the fire.
2. Those people who have earned Allah’s wrath. Like the people of Fir`awn (Pharoah) and how Allah (swt) drowned Fir`awn. We know that Fir`awn knew the truth, but he rejected it. We say that those people who know the truth then reject it are those who have earned Allah’s wrath.
3. Those people who have gone astray. For example, if we go to the story of those people who said that Jesus is the son of Allah, people who say this without any knowledge are those who went astray.

In all of the stories of the Qur’an we can find one of these three categories.

Now today we’re going to talk about the scope of Al-Fatiha with regards to worship, and I gave everyone a riddle. Did anyone do it?

Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV

As we finish now, we’re going to talk about Surat al-Fatiha; that’s why most people came, to get the goods on the greatest Surah of the Qur’an. First of all, someone might ask, “Why this Surah? Why are you going to spend six weeks on this Surah? Can’t you do the tafsir (exegesis, interpretation, and contextualization) of this Surah in one week?”

First of all, this class is not tafsir. This is the explanation of al-Fatiha and its effects on the life of a Muslim. The Qur’an should affect us. Not that we’re going to sit and do an in-depth grammatical analysis of the Qur’an, but what we’re going to talk about is the effect that the Qur’an should have on us.

Most of us here, we’re laymen with the Qur’an. We’re not in here like Kobe Bryant hitting forty a night. We are here to be good Muslims, to hear what the Qur’an has for us, to practice it slowly but surely, and to better ourselves. And everyone can do that. Nobody has been excluded from this. We’re here to discuss the effect the Qur’an should have on us on a daily basis, especially here in the wild animal kingdom of the West, on the campus called Berkeley.

Now, somebody asks, “Why? Why this Surah and why six weeks?” Subhan’Allah (Perfect and Exalted is Allah), what I did is that I timed al-Fatiha. After you have kids you’ll get even more creative, as you’ll understand one day when you have kids, especially when it comes to stalling and using time correctly. Alhamdullilah (praise and thanks to Allah), I’ve seen the children’s video “Salaam’s Journey” about fifty-five times in two days. I’m becoming very creative to keep my daughter busy so that I can finish my projects and so forth.

I timed al-Fatiha. Um Salamah (r) described for us how the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ used to read al-Fatiha. You find some people, masha’Allah (God has willed it), they come to the masjid and they’re so important, and they’re so busy, masha’Allah they’re the CEO of something, so they come and recite Fatiha very quickly, until they end with “Aaaameeeeeeen.” At least they get the “ameen” right with the correct madd (elongation) and everything. Um Salamah (r) said that the Prophet ﷺ used to read al-Fatiha in slow measured tones, pausing at the end of every verse. Why? Because for the one who really has a relationship with the Qur’an, it’s like eating that good gulab jamon with that nice syrup. (Gulab jamon is a famous sweet. If you’re from the Indian subcontinent you know about it, and you can only eat it once a year or you’ll be really out of shape). The Prophet ﷺ used to read the Qur’an and he used to savor it. I mean, iman (faith) is savored. The Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih Muslim, “The true believer savors faith by loving others for the sake of Allah (swt). Three traits, if found in a person, allow him to taste the sweetness of faith: one trait is to love a person for nothing else but to please Allah (swt).”

He savored faith, he took the sweetness of faith. As we saw in Surat al-Hujurat, Allah mentioned that He decorated the hearts of the believers with iman (Qur’an, 49:7).

So when somebody has this relationship with the Qur’an, subhan’Allah, they love it. That’s why if you study the seerah (life) of the Prophet ﷺ, we know that for about two weeks the Qur’an was not sent to him and he became sad. Syed Qutb said, “Why did the Prophet ﷺ become sad? Because he was away from the Qur’an.” How many of us feel sad when we’re away from the Qur’an? But, look at this, if we want to know if we live for dunya (this life) or akhira (the hereafter) I’ll give you a good analogy. How many of us cannot live without email for one day? How many of us, if someone invites us, for example to a camp, the first thing we ask is, “Do they have a phone line connection over there?”

And when they ask why, we reply vaguely, “Oh, I need to do something.”

See how we’re connected to email? Do we feel this with the Qur’an? Do I have the Qur’an with me? Will I read the Qur’an today? Will I ponder on the Qur’an today? Subhan’Allah, I saw some people who if they don’t have email access, they really start going crazy. And then if you ask them, “Are you expecting something important?” They reply, “No, no, I don’t know. Maybe.” It’s funny, but this is what Allah (swt) has identified in the Quran as al-ghuroor, as mirages or false realities. So, do we have this connection with the Qur’an?

What about, for example, Indian movies? No offense to our brothers and sisters from there. Sometimes, subhan Allah, you find people who have like sixteen Indian movies, and each one is four hours long. So 4 times 16 is what? 64 hours. This is a lot of time to watch movies. What about music? [Some people feel] God forbid if I can’t listen to Shakira or whatever. If I can’t listen to music it’s like dialysis—oh my God, my life is over! Subhan’Allah, do I have this attachment with the Words of my Creator, Allah (swt), who sent this Book for me to please myself and to give me a good life.

So, we look at Surat al-Fatiha. I timed it. The average reading should take no less than thirty seconds.  Someone says, “Man, thirty seconds, that’s all?” At the Super Bowl people were paying 2.7 million dollars for thirty seconds for an advertisement. Thirty seconds.

If you’re reading Surat al-Fatiha in your salah (prayer) under fifteen seconds, you are, as my mother used to tell me in the back woods of Oklahoma, you are cruising for a bruising. Because you are not understanding what you’re saying.

Maybe someone says, “I don’t understand Arabic.”

Ok, what can you do to understand Arabic? You go and get a translation and you look at the word in Arabic, and you look at the word in English and you start to build your vocabulary. This is the minimum we can do.

Thirty seconds.

That is 8.5 minutes a day. If you are praying at least the fard (obligatory prayers), that is 17 times 30 seconds, which means that you are spending 8.5 minutes of your day with al-Fatiha. Imagine, 8.5 minutes a day engaged with something I don’t understand. In a week, that is around 59.5 minutes a week. Can you imagine if you sat for one hour and recited Surah al-Fatiha? And you were thinking about the Qur’an? Subhan’Allah, see how Allah is training us for long term dhikr (remembrance of Allah)? In a month, it is around four hours. Four hours a month you are spending with al-Fatiha. In a year, it is about 48 hours. In one year. In a lifetime, around 350–500+ hours of your life is going to be spent with al-Fatiha. So we should understand it.

Al-Fatiha has more than 33 names. Al-Fatiha means “The Opener.” This is ismu’l-fa`il (agentive), not ismu’l-maf`ul (passive). Ismu’l-fa`il “The Opener” not “The Opening.” It’s called The Opener because it’s opening things.

One of the ‘ulama’, Sheikh Abdul Hayy Faramawy from al-Azhar, said about al-Fatiha that subhan Allah it has thirty-three names. And he said that in Arabic when something has a lot of names this is a sign of two things. One of them is that it’s the sign of the greatness of something. That’s why Allah has how many names?

Audience: “Ninety-nine.”

No. He has an unlimited number of names. But He revealed to you ninety-nine names. That’s why in the famous hadith of the Prophet ﷺ when he said, “Teach me of the names that You revealed or You didn’t reveal.” (Muslim) If we say that Allah has a limit, this is not unique. But we believe about Allah that there is none like Him (Qur’an, 112:4). His Names are unlimited, that’s why He’s the most honorable, the most worthy of worship. Only Allah (swt).

The second thing that this number of names tells us about al-Fatiha is its comprehensiveness. It is extremely comprehensive. Some of the names of al-Fatiha are:

Umm al-Qur’an – the Mother of the Qur’an, because the Fatiha is an explainer of the entire Qur’an, as we’ll explain further.

Ash-Shifaa – the Healer. Some of the sahaba (Companions of the Prophet) used to read al-Fatiha on the sick person and they would be healed. Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas said, “One time we were in the desert and we found one leader of a tribe and he has been stung by a scorpion. We read al-Fatiha on him and he was healed. And then we came to Rasulullah ﷺand we told him and he said, ‘How did you know this?’ The Prophet ﷺ was very happy.” Thus, one of the names of al-Faitha is ash-shifaa, the One that Heals.

Al-Kafiya – the One that is Sufficient. This is because al-Fatiha is sufficient for everything in our lives.

Al-Wafiya – The Completer in its objectives and its goals.

As-Salah – The Prayer. Why is Al Fatiha called as-salah? Because the Prophet ﷺ said, “There is no prayer without al-Fatiha.” Also look, subhan’Allah, at how Allah (swt) honored al-Fatiha when He said in a famous hadith qudsi related by Imam Muslim:

“I have divided the salah between Myself and My servant into two parts, and My servant will have what he asks for.

So when the servant says:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“[All] praise is [due] to Allah , Lord of the worlds -” (Qur’an, 1:2). Allah says: ‘My servant has praised Me.’

And when he says:

الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

“The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,” (Qur’an, 1:3). Allah says: ‘My servant has extolled Me.’

And when he says:

مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

” Sovereign of the Day of Recompense” (Qur’an, 1:4). Allah says: ‘My servant has honored Me.’

And when he says:

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

“It is You we worship and You we ask for help’ (Qur’an, 1:5). Allah says: ‘This is between Me and My servant and My servant will have what he asks for.’

And when he says:

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينََ

“Guide us to the straight path –The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray” (Qur’an, 1:6-7) Allah says: ‘This is for My servant and for My servant will be what he asks for.’”

So Allah (swt) named Al Fatiha as-salah, the Prayer.

Also, it’s called ad-Du`a’ (the supplication) because, as we will talk about insha’Allah in our class, al-Fatiha teaches us how to supplicate to Allah (swt). For some people how do we supplicate to Allah? “Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Oh Allah, please get me married. Ameen.” This is not the proper du`a’. I don’t know what this is. Alhamdullilah, Allah will accept it, insha’Allah, because He’s so Merciful. But, how should we approach Allah? In this way? Of course not.

The other name of al-Fatiha is Umm al-Kitab – the foundation of the Qur’an, because all of the Qur’an is found in al-Fatiha.

Another name of al-Fatiha is a`tham Surah fi kitab Allah –  the Greatest Surah in the Book of Allah, as given by the Prophet ﷺ.

Now, al-Fatiha has done a few things. First of all, al-Fatiha taught us all of the objectives of the Qur’an in one Surah.

Objectives of the Quran

The first one is at-tawhid, the Uniqueness of Allah (swt). The Qur’an came to correct the beliefs of people. We make a major mistake when we go to interfaith meetings and we say, “We believe in God and you believe in God,” and that’s how we leave it. No. We believe in God, and you believe in God, but [explain nicely that] we differ in our concept about Him. There’s nothing wrong with saying this. Is it enough to say that we believe God is One? What does it mean when I say that I believe God is One?

Surat al-Fatiha starts with alhamdullilahi rabi’l-‘alameen. That means that no harm and no help can come to me except by the will of Allah. I don’t believe in rabbit’s foot, I don’t believe in Cleo at 3 o’clock in the morning, I don’t believe in anything. I believe only in Allah. The only one that can help me or harm me is Allah. It’s different.

Who is Allah? Rabbu’l-‘alameen (Lord of the Worlds). What does rabb mean?

Audience: “Lord.”

Rabb means Lord? No. Lord is one-fourth of the meaning of rabb. We can say in Arabic, Suhaib rabbu baytih, Suhaib is the lord of his house (alhamdullilah my wife is not here right now). This means that I pay the bills (alhamdullilah), I fix the shingles, I mow the yard, I take care of the people in the house, I maintain the house, I take care of the clothing of the people in the home. All the rights that my wife has on me I try my best to do them. So, you can say rabbu bayty (lord of my house).

Allah is Rabb al-`Alameen. He’s doing that for every single thing that moves, that exists. He is its Rabb: Cherisher, Sustainer, Nourisher, Provider, Lord, Creator. So many meanings for the word Rabb.

What are the qualities of this All-Powerful, Mighty God? Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem. He’s merciful.

What is He going to do? Maliki youm ad-deen (Master of the Day of Recompense).

“It is the Day when a soul will not possess for another soul [power to do] a thing; and the command, that Day, is [entirely] with Allah,” (Qur’an, 82:19).

He controls everything and He’s going to judge everybody on the Day of Judgement.

Who am I? Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nastaeen. I am His slave and I need His help.

What is the help I need? Ihdina as-sirata’l-mustaqeem. Guide us to the straight way, the way of those who earned Your Favor, not the ways of those who earned Your Wrath, or those who went astray.

So, the correct understanding of at-tawhid is the first objective of the Qur’an portrayed in Surah al-Fatiha.

The second objective is a promise and a warning. We find in the Qur’an promises. For example,

“And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds,” (Qur’an, 2:25).

And a warning for those who don’t.

In al-Fatiha we find a warning in maliki youm ad-din and we find a promise in ar-Rahman ar-Raheem – the Merciful to His believers, and those who worship Him.

The third objective is that it trains us on the correct concept of worship and it causes us to love worship.

Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV

How can we benefit from the Qur’an? Ibn Qayim al-Jawziya mentioned a verse in Surat Qaf:

“Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]” (Qur’an, 50:37).

One of the names of the Qur’an is “reminder.” Why? Because human beings always forget, and the main thing that we forget is that our purpose is to worship Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala – exalted is He). Allah (swt) says that this Qur’an is a reminder for the one who has a heart, and the one who alqa-ssam’a. Alqa means to throw, thus “throws his ears,” meaning they’re listening really intently. Wa huwa shaheed can be translated to “and he is a witness.” These are the three requirements Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziya mentioned in a book called Fawaa’id. He says that in this verse we find three requirements to benefit from the Quran, lectures, and from our learning experience in general. The First Requirement: The Heart The first one, as Allah (swt) says, is the one who has a heart. What does this mean, the heart? We know the heart is the essence to everything. That’s why we have a science in Islam called at-tasawwuf, to purify our hearts, which is related to tazkiyat al-nafs (purification of the soul) or ihsan (excellence in faith). And we find here that Allah (swt) said, “for whoever has a heart.” To really understand how your heart is the main variable conditioning your relationship with the Quran, listen to the following story: In the sixth year after the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ started, `Umar ibn al-Khattab radi allahu `anhu (may Allah be pleased with him) was not a Muslim. He became angry and decided, “I’m going to kill Muhammad.”

So he left his home with this big sword. His sword is huge, if you’ve been to Turkey maybe you’ve seen the sword of al-Farouk (i.e. `Umar). And so he went to kill the Prophet ﷺ. This is deep, what Sheikh Sha`rawy said about this.

`Umar went and he ran into Na`eem ibn `Abdullah, and Na`eem said to `Umar, “Where are you going?” `Umar said, “I’m going to kill Muhammad.” And he, Na`eem ibn `Abdullah, was Muslim. He said, “Why are you going to kill him? You need to go and kill your own family [first], they’re Muslim too. Your sister Fatima ibn al-Khattab is Muslim, and Zaid ibn al-Khattab, your cousin, who’s the husband of your sister, is Muslim.”

`Umar became incensed, and he went to the home of his sister Fatima where he heard the Qur’an being recited. And subhan’Allah (glory be to Allah), the ‘ulema (scholars) said that when `Umar heard the Quran he kicked down the door and [the people inside] heard `Umar coming. They used to say about him, “Umar was a door.” He was a big person. When he used to ride an animal his feet would hit the ground, he was that big. So they heard him coming. There were three people in the home including one of the sahabi(companions) who was teaching Fatima and Zaid the Qur’an. He hid himself.

`Umar (r) kicked down the door and he said to them, “What is this speech that you’re reading that makes no sense?” They said, “What are you talking about?” He said, “I heard you in here doing something.” They said, “No.” Then he said, “Are you all Muslim?” When they said yes, `Umar grabbed Zaid, his cousin, and started to beat him down. Then he slapped his sister so hard that blood was drawn from her face. Fa qad raqqa qalbahu (then his heart softened). `Umar (r), when he saw the blood coming from her face, said to her, “Show me what you’ve been reading.”

When he saw what they were reading, and he read Surat Taha. As he reached the fourteenth verse, where Allah says,

“Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance” (Qur’an, 20:14).

He became a Muslim. Why did the Qur’an affect `Umar the second time, but not the first time? What changed? It was his heart. The ‘ulema said that subhan’Allah when `Umar saw the blood coming from his sister’s lips he felt softness in his heart. So then he was ready for the Qur’an. That’s why when he heard the Qur’an the first time there was very little impact, but when he heard the Qur’an the second time he was impacted, as Imam al Sha`rawy, may Allah have mercy on him, said. So the heart is the main factor towards understanding the Qur’an. That’s why the Prophet ﷺ said, “Indeed in the body there is a piece of flesh, if it’s good the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted the whole body is corrupted. Verily, it is the heart.” (Muslim) So when we come to the Qur’an, we should make sure our hearts are in check. I should check myself. This is a long series of discussions but, in general, internally we should feel, “I’m reading the speech of Allah. Between my hands is the miracle of the Prophethood of Rasulullah ﷺ.” When you hold the Quran, it’s as if you’re holding the same staff that Musa `alayhi assalaam (peace be upon him) threw down that became a snake. When you’re holding the Quran, it’s as if you’re holding in your hands the dead person that Isa (as) brought back to life, by the will of Allah. You are holding the miracle of the Prophethood of Rasul Allah ﷺ in your hands. So the first important factor is our hearts. The Second Requirement: Listening The second important thing is listening. Maybe some people say, “Listening? Subhan’Allah why do we have to talk about listening?” Go to any Friday khutbah (sermon) and see how many people don’t listen. If you go to many Friday khutbahs you find, astaghfir’Allah (I seek refuge from Allah), some people doing their 401k on their cell phone in the back of the masjid, exclaiming, “Sell! Sell! Sell now!” Selling stocks in the back of the masjid. Look at the announcements in our masjids. Have they changed over twenty years? “Please park in the yellow lines that go to the curb. You put your car between there, not on it, not sideways. Please wipe up the water from the wudhu (ablution) area. Please don’t, please this, please that.” Subhan’Allah, nobody listens. And Allah (swt) made listening a condition for obedience when He said,

“We hear and we obey.” (Qur’an, 2:285)

Before I can obey I have to hear. In another verse Allah says,

“Who listen to speech and follow the best of it.” (Quran 39:18)

Those who listen and follow. So listening is very important. And, subhan’Allah, Ibn Al Munaya said that there are four things you should do if you want to listen in the way that Allah mentioned in that verse of Surat Qaf. First, you should be tranquil, physically as well as spiritually. You should be tranquil with your body, spirit, limbs, and you should lower your gaze. Subhan’Allah he said to lower your gaze. Al-Adab(manners and etiquette) always precede knowledge. Look at Musa (as) in Surat Taha again, when Allah (swt) called Musa from the valley Tuwa. Musa (as) saw a fire and he went to it. What’s the first thing Allah (swt) said to him?

“Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa,” (Quran 20:12).

Take off your shoes. Why? Al-Adab (etiquette). So we must have etiquette with Allah. As Ibn Al Qurtubi mentioned, in Surah Al Muddathir when Allah (swt) was talking to the Prophet (saw), He told him qum—stand up (Quran 74:2). “Stand up” has a few meanings. One of them means to be active in da’wah (calling to Islam), or to be active as a Muslim. But also stand up out of Al-Adab. That’s why the mother of Imam Maalik, `Aaliya (r), when she sent Maalik to Rabi al Raee, his first shaykh (scholar), she told him, “Learn from him his adab before you learn from him his knowledge.” `Abdullah ibn Mubarak said, “We are in more need of a little adab than we are in need of a lot of knowledge.” So the first criterion (of listening) is to be tranquil, and have tranquility all throughout the self. The second one is to pay attention, to force the self to focus. You know some people when it comes to listening they are like the limb on a tree: whenever the breeze blows they will move. Their thoughts control them like that. But Allah said about the believer, asluha thabit (they are firm) (Qur’an, 14:24). Focus and listen. The third one he mentioned is to gather the mind on what’s being said—to focus internally through hearing and cognition. The fourth one is to be excited and determined to act upon what you hear. How many of us, after this lecture, for the next two weeks we’ll touch the Qur’an? Now we should feel that, “Oh subhan’Allah, I should read the Quran.” This is a sign that I focused and took some benefit, and I listened. And he (Ibn Al Munaya) said, “And this is the listening that is loved by Allah (swt).” To repeat them: the first one is to be tranquil within the self; the second is to pay attention through hearing; the third one is to pay attention and gather the mind on what’s being said; and the fourth is to be excited to act upon what is heard. The Third Requirement: Witness The last thing Allah said (in the verse) is “and he is a witness.” Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziya and others of the ‘ulema commented that this means a witness in the heart. The heart is alive, focusing. Let me give you an example of being a witness with the heart. When you pray, why do you pray `Asr and Dhuhr (the afternoon prayers) without any voice? This is the time to train your heart to be awake. Why do you pray the sunnah (the optional prayers) quietly? This is the time to listen with your heart. How many of us, subhan’Allah, when we pray our hearts are all over the field? All of us. Everyone of us struggles with it. This is the listening in the heart, internally. When the Imam is reciting, try to focus on what he’s saying. Someone might say, “I don’t understand Arabic.” Learn Arabic. Try to understand what’s being said. So, he is a witness in his heart. That’s why Allah (swt) said in Surat Yasin that this Qur’an has been sent to warn the one who is alive:

“To warn whoever is alive” (Quran 36:70).

The `ulema said that this means alive in their hearts. The heart is alive.

Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV

Now, before we continue I’m going to ask a question.  Do you really feel in yourself this responsibility towards the Qur’an?  It’s difficult if you were raised on the ‘Bam!’ madhab. This has a psychological effect. That’s why, subhan’Allah (glory be to Allah), when I was in the masjid, I would find that the adults did not want to come to the masjid. And when they would see me, when I was dressed in my big beard with my topi and stuff on, they would see me and think, “Oh my God, here comes a mawlisaab, man. Do you see a stick?” Because their whole childhood was built on this.

Whereas the Prophet ﷺ was a mercy for people (21:107).  He was a very good teacher.  He was a forgiving teacher.  He used to deal with people differently.  For example, as related by Imam Muslim, one time a man came into the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet and his companions were in rukoo.  And you know we have that now also where people run to the salah line.  I can’t stand that.  Sometimes I break my rukoo on purpose just to teach them to slow down.  You know how it is when you go into rukoo and a guy walks into the masjid and he sees and then he makes the DSL wudu for about 10 seconds, and then he runs to the front line and pronounces, “Allahu akbar!” because he wants to let the Imam know he’s there now. The man in the hadith was wiser than we are.  He made rukoo in the doorway, and he walked to the salah of the Prophet like that while he was still in rukoo.  He was a sahabi (Companion of the Prophet). Sahabis were not clones, they were human beings.  And then he joined the salah.  After he was done the Prophet called him and said, “May Allah reward you for your enthusiasm!  But don’t do it again.” Subhan’Allah, look at the way of the Prophet ﷺ.

Another sahabi, Mu’awiya ibn Hakam, became Muslim right before the time of `Asr. And the Prophet ﷺ taught him. Nowadays when someone becomes Muslim before `Asr we don’t teach them how to pray `Asr until next year. When Mu’awiya became Muslim the Prophet taught him before the time of `Asr came. He also told him, “If anybody sneezes, say, ‘yarhamak Allah’ (may Allah be merciful towards you).” So Mu’awiya (ra) was excited. He repeated to himself, “Yarhamak Allah, yarhamak Allah. Masha’Allah, the Prophet ﷺ taught me this! The Prophet ﷺ taught me this!” He was so excited, subhan Allah.

Do we feel this excitement when we learn something? He was so excited. How many of us think we’re above the hadith and say, “Oh, I know the hadith, man. Who are you?” Or we say, “Oh, I don’t like that scholar, man, he’s a buster. He’s not with my group, I don’t like him.” Who are you, subhan’Allah? We should love all the ‘ulema. We should respect all the ‘ulema. We should ask Allah to forgive them for their mistakes.

So Mu’awiya learnt yarhamak Allah then the time of `Asr came and he joined the prayer, and somebody sneezed really loudly. And Mu’awiya said “Yarhamak Allah!” in Salat al-`Asr. And the Prophet ﷺ was the Imam. Then Mu’awiya said, “Yahamak Allah, man! What’s up? Yarhamak Allah!” He said it like that, subhan’Allah, he was hard. Then the Companions, as he said, “They threw their eyes at me.” And he said, “I was looking at them and said, ‘Yo, what’s up, man? Why are you all looking at me?’” Really, this is the translation from Arabic of what he said. He said, “May my mother lose me.” Which is like saying, “Hey, what’s up? You got a problem? Step outside.” So he said, “Why are you all looking at me like this?” Then they started beating their knees and Mu’awiya said, “I came to the conclusion they were telling me to shut up.” So he was quiet. And then afterwards, subhan’Allah look at the Prophet ﷺ. No stick, no verbal abuse, no physical abuse, no intimidation. Subhan’Allah, he had mercy with firmness.

Mu’awiya said, “The Prophet ﷺ called me. And by Allah, I never saw a teacher before or after better than the Prophet ﷺ. He didn’t hit me, he didn’t abuse me, and he didn’t do like this. He was so nice, the face of Rasul Allah ﷺ.” The Prophet ﷺ called him and said, “In this salah there is no talking. Only Qur’an and tasbeeh.” There was no hitting, there was no abuse, there was no intimidation, there was no shaming. There was teaching.

This should be our relationship with the Qur’an. But for many of  us our relationship began with mister green jeans with a big stick beating us upside our head. This was not the method of Rasul Allah ﷺ. Those of you who experienced this, wallahi, this is not the way of the Prophet ﷺ. This is the way of ignorance.

Aisha (ra) said in Sahih Muslim, “The Prophet Muhammed ﷺ never hit a woman.” Never. He never hit a woman with his hand. The Prophet ﷺ never hit people. He was not known to have hit anyone.

So we start now with the Qur’an, and how to benefit with the Qur’an.