Reflections of October 30, 2006

Valuing the Words of Allah (s.w.t.) Surah An-Najm: 1-18

"By the Star when it goes down,- Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him: He was taught by one Mighty in Power, Endued with Wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form); While he was in the highest part of the horizon: Then he approached and came closer, And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer; So did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant- (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey. The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw. Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw? For indeed he saw him at a second descent, Near the Lote-tree beyond which none may pass: Near it is the Garden of Abode. Behold, the Lote-tree was shrouded (in mystery unspeakable!) (His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong! For truly did he see, of the Signs of his Lord, the Greatest! " Surah Najm, 1-18

There is no love without respect... especially when it comes to the Quran
- Nabila Naz (New Jersey)

Students of the Quran
The tafseer of the first 30 ayahs of Surah An-Najm should be a lesson for all of us that will never be forgotten. The Majesty and grandeur of the Quran is beyond our imagination, but as much as we do realize it, are we giving it its due right and status? Instead of proudly proclaiming that we are studying the Quran, a lot of sisters prefer to say that they are learning Arabic, as learning different languages is a cool thing to do these days. If we proudly and confidently tell others that we are studying the Quran, we will be able to see the impact right away. We also studied that the Quran is a miracle; if we really believe that it is, then let us make others aware of this miracle. We are so lucky to be given the Quran without any effort on our part, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala has made it easy for us to learn it through a dedicated Ustazah, Alhamdulillah. But if we are not grateful and take it for granted, then we better be aware that it could be taken away from us, and given to the ones who will be proud to admit that they are learning the Quran, give it its due respect and practice it. If Muslims today just fear Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala and become the true followers of Islam - by practicing the Quran and Sunnah, no one would dare criticize what they do, say or wear. If the majority is trying to hide and modernize the little Islam that they are following, it opens the doors to criticism. If one woman goes out in public wearing Niqaab, and there are 10 others to support her, no one would dare to object. Unfortunately, there are 20 of her own who criticize. I hope we do not let go of this great treasure - the Quran that we have, so easily received… for if we do, we will not be harming anyone but our own selves. The Quran will be a witness either in our favor or against us on the Day of Judgment… but do we really care??
- Fakhri Hameed (Ottawa)

Focused
The Prophet (s.a.w) was a man of great determination and focus. He would never stray from his tasks. We on the other hand, are people who are easily distracted. For example, during tafsir we move around vigorously and if someone gets up to go to the washroom, we follow them with our eyes until we can no longer see them. We lose our focus and concentration very easily.
This one small verse can be very beneficial to us. All we need to do is practice what he (s.a.w) did and we can do our tasks more quickly, effectively and successfully. InshaAllah
- Fatima Malik (Mississauga)

It's a thing to wonder that how the Prophet (saw) didn't look around when he (saw) was in the midst of the 'beauty' (Lote tree)...what a scene/place it might have been AND what was the thing that gave him the self control....??!!
I loved what Ustazah said '' If Allah's love and respect is the highest thing near us, then all the rest becomes secondary...as if NO BIG DEAL'' beautiful tip!!
This faith and love gave him (saw) the quality of being focused...such a mind blowing atmosphere didn't make him (saw) cross limits because the first thing on his mind was to obey, respect and follow Allah (s.w.t)
If we set our priorities right, then this world, its attractions, sorrows, tensions seem nothing great...
May we all set our priorities right and give the due respect and importance to Allah and His word (the Quran)… this will surely benefit us in the hereafter AND our present life will become better with no sorrows. InshaAllah- Salma Ghansar (Mississauga)

Ustazah made a comment today about our casual attitude with the Quran. SO TRUE.
The Almighty, The Greatest, The Most Powerful sends us the Word of Guidance, The miracle book, AL-QURAN. The description of Jibrail (A.S.), how the respected mighty angel appears upon the horizon, encompassing it fully and at the same time so near our Prophet (s.a.w.) to convey to his heart the revelation. Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.), an exemplary character for the humanity, how he himself is so careful and with full involvement of his heart takes what his Rabb gives him through Angel Jibrail (a.s.).
I was wondering during the lecture upon hearing the honor of receiving the Quran; do I even give due right of holding or handling THE BOOK OF ALLAH (s.w.t) properly or is that also casual? Am I absorbing everything I am receiving with an open heart and mind? Am I taking my notes beautifully? Allah would definitely like the work done in the best way possible. Am I able to reproduce everything I learn at the right moment so it could be practically applied? Am I organized with my studies or not?
I pray to Allah (s.w.t) to help us all really love and value the QURAN the most. And to GIVE Allah (s.w.t) priority above all by giving His BOOK its due right. To make us sincere and come up to HIS demands. AMEEN
- Ayesha Asad (Etobicoke)

As I imagined one of the strongest creations bringing the best book to the greatest man on the face of the earth I can say I felt a weird excitement, fear and shame.One of the best creation Angel Jibrail, the biggest of the angels, who covered the horizon from east to the west “When he was on the uppermost horizon.” [53: 7], his strength so great that none could defeat him. His beauty so splendid. Can you imagine how great the creator is then? This entire universe is a ring compared to His foot stool. This Supreme Being sends his word down to this earth to a man who is the mercy to mankind an illuminated lamp, Muhammad (SAW), whose guidance would never fade. What was his source of guidance? The Quran, the word of Allah, which has not changed till this dayI felt excitement of being able to learn it, the fear that I have to absorb this book and implement it and now I have a responsibility of conveying the word of my Lord properly, and shame for not being able to give it it's right.
- Sada Mohsin (New York)

When the first few verses of Surah An-Najm were being explained in class, I was 'sinking' in my spot out of shame! The scene of the Revelation being conveyed to the Prophet (saw) was being explained in the verses. The scene of Jibrail (as) coming close to the Prophet (saw) while his wings had filled the horizon. This Knowledge, these Words coming from the Exalted Creator, sent through the strong and mighty angel Jibrail (as), revealed to an honored and highly respected Prophet of Allah, Mohammed (saw). This is the Word given to us, The Quran. We, Alhamdulillah have this in our homes, but what importance do we give it? This Book that was sent down with such honor! How much conviction do we have for it's greatness? How much do we value it's teachings?
After going through the tafseer of these verses, I realized that we must change the casual attitude that we have towards the Quran. We need to stay focused, and keep the Quran as the top priority in our life. May Allah (s.w.t) give us the ability to value the Quran, and benefit from it as we should. Ameen.
- Ayesha Baig (California)