- Islamic creed
- /
- Facts of faith and miraculousness
The Qur'an is strongly related to our daily life
Dear brother, this is the 12th lesson of Islamic ideology and inimitability, and our subject today is how to live according to the teachings of the Noble Qur'an.
Dear brother, there is a fairly big difference between believing that the Noble Qur'an is the Word of the Lord of the worlds, which was revealed to the heart of the Prophet PBUH, and feeling that this Noble Qur'an is intimately and strongly related to your daily life. It is just like believing that the Prophet PBUH was a great person who possessed a unique character and who reached the absolute human perfection, so you only believe in him as a historical personage, while you do not follow the teachings of the Prophet PBUH in your life to solve your problems. Thus, we will not get benefit from Islam unless we believe for sure that the teachings of the Prophet PBUH are solutions to our problems, and the teachings of the Noble Quran are instructions for our daily lives. So, unless Islam is turned from heritage into being applied in reality, and from historical heritage into instructions, we will not succeed.
The Qur'an is a Divine legislation for all people
Dear brother, it is a serious mistake to believe that Islam is just a heritage, a tradition of our nation, which is not related to our life, to our problems, to the challenges we face, and to the failure we suffer from. So, the solution is to understand that Islam is related to our daily lives, it is not only a historical heritage, and the strongest proof of this fact is that Allah left mentioning the small details in the stories of the Noble Quran. Some scholars said: If Allah mentioned the smallest and the most trivial details in the stories of the Noble Qur'an, we would have thought that they were historical events that will not occur anymore, also, Islam would have turned into heritage, and the Noble Qur'an would have turned into a history book. Why did Allah the Almighty mention to us the story of Prophet Yunus when he cried through the darkness; the darkness of the belly of the whale, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the night. In fact, there is total darkness at a depth of 200m under the sea even if it is during the day, and there is no source of light in the belly of the whale, not to mention the darkness of the night, Allah the Almighty says:
"But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers."
Allah mentions to you this story, in which it was impossible for prophet Yunus PBUH to survive, and there was no hope at all, Allah the Almighty says:"So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress."
The most wonderful thing in the ayah is that Allah turns it into a law. Allah the Almighty says:"And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness)."
This ayah is not about a story of a noble Prophet that took place and will not occur again. So, it is a serious mistake to understand the Noble Qur'an as a history book which mentions to us a story of a Prophet, of course not, it gives us vital instructions which are applicable and relevant for all times. So, if you, as a believer, fall in distress, you should behave like that noble Prophet:"But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers."
Even though there was no hope to survive" and delivered him from the distress."
So that Allah the Almighty assures you that this story is for you and not only a historical story, He says:"And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness)."
The most serious mistake is to turn Islam into heritage
Consider the following noble ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
"And We inspired the mother of Musa (Moses), (saying): "Suckle him [Musa (Moses)], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers."
Is it rational that when a mother fears for her baby to put him in a box and throw him in the river (indicating Moses’ mother PBUH)? What do we deduce from this? In Whose Hand is that box in the river? Who moved it? Who sent it to the beach of (Pharaoh) palace? Who made it stop in front of a stick of the branches of a tree on the river shore? Who inspired the wife of Pharaoh to come to the beach? Who cast the love for that baby in her heart? It is Allah the Almighty. Thus, when you believe that Allah is the Real Actor (everything is under His Power), then you understand this story as a contemporary instruction, it is a kind of guidance to the believer at any time. Hence, the most serious mistake is to turn Islam into heritage which you boast or which you are proud of, rather it is a dairy and contemporary guidance.We should seek solutions to our problems in the Qur'an
Dear brother, unless the Noble Qur'an is our book at this time (unless we apply its verdicts in our life), and unless we look for solutions to our problems in it, we will be far away from its reality, as it is neither a history book, nor is it just a revelation sent down to the heart of the Prophet PBUH 1400 years ago, rather it is our daily book. Allah the Almighty has created the heavens and the earth, He has created the sun, and it is still shining, He has created the moon and it is still bright, he has created rain, sea, plains, deserts, mountains, plants, animals, and all these things are still effective; the sun shines, the moon reflects light, it rains, and the earth grows plants. Although these things were created in the past, it is still effective in our life, likewise the Noble Qur'an is the light of the universes, it illuminates them and it will remain the light of universes till the Day of Resurrection. Actually, you should believe that Allah has created the universes and has illustrated them by the Noble Qur'an. The most serious mistake is to think that the Noble Qur'an is only a heritage, or is only a book that was revealed in the past, or that the Prophet PBUH was a man of a great character, a great reformer, and a genius, rather we should follow the teachings of the Prophet PBUH in our lives to solve our problems, and we should seek these solutions in the Noble Qur'an. For example, Allah the Almighty says:
"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). * And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine."
This ayah means that the destruction of the whole universe is less important in the Sight of Allah than not to fulfill His Promises to His Servants. So, if you, as a believing young man, suffer from a problem, or you do not find a job to earn your living, or you do not find a righteous wife for you, or you do not find a way for you to get out from your problem, then you should fear Allah, and He will apply the verdict of this ayah to you, Allah the Almighty says:"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). * And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine."
The Quran's stories reoccur till the Day of Resurrection
Dear brother, I hope to clarify to you in this lecture that the Noble Quran is not a history book, and when the Noble Qur'an mentioned to us the Prophet's stories, it is not only to be stories, but to be reality which is applied among us. I mean, there are forces of oppression, there are armies who possess deadly weapons, there are air forces, there are rockets, there are atomic, bacterial, cluster, and nuclear bombs, there is an economic blockade and there are satellites which monitor every movement and stillness on the earth. Actually, when Pharaoh followed Prophet Moses (in oppression and enmity)- in every age there is oppressor like Pharaoh- he possessed deadly weapons, he was filled with violent hatred that is not known except by Allah the Almighty, he was arrogant and haughty, he followed that Noble Prophet who was with a small band of his weak, poor, and scared companions, while Pharaoh was following them with his weapons, he was filled with arrogance, haughtiness, dictatorship, hatred, superiority and conceitedness –like the arrogance of the oppressors nowadays- then they reached the sea which was in front of them while Pharaoh was behind them, it was impossible to survive and there was no hope at all. Consider a thousand unarmed people who were followed by an army, tanks, aircrafts, missiles, phosphorous bombs, and cluster bombs, which hit their targets exactly, and every human is watched:
"The companions of Musa (Moses) said: "We are sure to be overtaken.* ([Musa (Moses)] said: "Nay, verily! With me is my Lord, He will guide me."
If you believe that this story will not reoccur until the Day of Resurrection, then you are not a real believer in the Noble Quran. This story may repeat from now until the Day of Resurrection. You have heard from those who faced the mightiest army in the region how Allah the Almighty honored them, supported them, strengthened their wills, and filled their hearts with secure and tranquility. They faced the mightiest army in the region, By Allah, I hear some stories about them (how Allah supported them although they were few and weak). So, the Noble Qur'an is the book of your life, it is your dairy book, and unless you believe that the Noble Quran's stories may reoccur, you do not really reauthor the Noble Qur'an, you are just reading a history book.The Noble Qur'an is a healing for souls
I want to affirm to you that the Noble Quran is the book of our life in which there is a solution to all our problems. For example, if you ask yourself: Why some countries are powerful, beautiful and green, they have plentiful sources of water, and enormous wealth, while their inhabitants are infidels, atheists, sinners, adulterers, and drinkers of wine? Why they have the upper hand, and everyone should obey them? If you ask yourself why does that happen? This doubt hinders your way to get closer to Allah. Consider the following noble ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
"So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment,"
So, there is healing for people in the Noble Qur'an (it heals your soul from doubts). For example, you find some people who are weak, they are killed, their wealth is plundered, their countries are occupies, and their young men are killed, you ask yourself: What is the Wisdom of Allah behind that? Consider the noble ayah below in which Allah the Almighty says:"Verily, Fir'aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidun (i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.). * And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors, *And to establish them in the land, and We let Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and Haman and their hosts receive from them that which they feared. "
Hence, there is healing for people in the Noble Qur'anHe who reauthors the Noble Qur'an never gets depressed
Dear brother, it was mentioned in relic that the Prophet PBUH said:
((He who reauthors the Noble Qur'an will never be sad))
How could the one who reauthors the Noble Quran get depressed while Allah the Almighty says:"Then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. "
"And whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve."
Also, how could he get depressed while Allah the Almighty says:"Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves,"
"Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision),"
"Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Maula (Lord, Helper and Protector)."
"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness."
You should not separate between the Qur'an and your life
Unless this Noble Qur'an is the book of your life, whose instructions make you go along the path of peace with yourself, with those people around you, and with your Lord, you are not considered a real reauthorr of the Noble Qur'an. So, beware not to separate the teachings of the Noble Qur'an from your life.Once, an Arab country sent some hundreds of senior officers to get military training in new weapons in Western countries, the problem is that they all returned on the same plane, that plane was shot down, which means hundreds of military experts on the latest military weapons died in the shooting down of two planes. What did the Noble Quran mention?
"And he said: "O my sons! Do not enter by one gate, but enter by different gates,"
They would have returned in different flight, if they had reauthord the Noble Qur'an. Thus, the Noble Qur'an is a daily book and the book of life. By Allah, dear brother, I wish that when you read the Noble Quran, you compare it to your reality and apply its teachings in your life. For example, if a dispute occurs between two believing parties, no party should call for foreign troops, as what happened recently when there was a dispute between two Islamic countries, which led western armies to come to this region, this is against the ruling of the following ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:"And if two parties or groups among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them both,"
Why did not we applied the ruling of this ayah?The ideal solution to our problems is in the Qur'an
To be honest, if we seek solutions to all of our problems in the Noble Qur'an we will find the ideal solutions to them all. But our big mistake is that we consider the Noble Quran as a heritage book, we seek blessing from it, and we only reauthor it as an act of worship to Allah the Almighty. What should we do instead? We should consider its ayaat as solutions to our problems, this shows the size of our problem. Allah the Almighty says:
"Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful."
((Salah (prayer) is a light.)).
((Sadaqah (charity) is a proof. Sabr (patience) is a shining glory. The Qur'an is an argument either for you or against you.))
Once, I visited a faraway country, people there are accustomed to eat the fruit before meals, they are used to offering fruit first then the food. I know for sure that the natural sugar; i.e. fructose is fast-digested, it passes from the mouth into the blood in ten minutes, so if you enter your house hungry and eat one or two dates, or one or two apples or any other fruit which contains natural sugar, then you perform Az-Zuhur (the midday) prayer, then you will eat your lunch without feeling very hungry, Allah the Almighty says:"And fruit; that they may choose. *And the flesh of fowls that they desire."
So, Allah mentioned the fruit first which is a sign (that we should start with eating it.)Applying the rulings of the Qur'an leads us to Paradise
By Allah, dear brother, we can deduce thousands, or even tens thousands of instructions from the Noble Qur'an. For example, there are serious diseases which are caused by eating fruits before they are ripe, therefore Allah the Almighty says:
"Eat of their fruit when they ripen,"
Ibn Masood, may Allah be pleased with him, said:((The Noble Qur'an will be brought on the Day of Judgment to intercede for its reader so that it will lead him to Paradise or to be an argument against him (because he did not apply its rulings) so that it will lead him to the Hellfire)).
Thus, if you apply the rulings of the Noble Qur'an it will lead you to Paradise, while if man neglects its teachings, it will lead him to the Hellfire. Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said:((This Quran is a reward for you or an argument against you, so follow its teaching and never let it behind you, as the one who follows its teaching will be sent to Paradise, while the one who neglects it will be cast in Hellfire))
((A man might reauthor the noble Quran yet the noble Quran curses him)).
((He never believes in the Noble Qur'an he who makes legal what is prohibited in it)).
The Qur'an is an argument for man or against him
Some of As-Salaf ("predecessors" or "ancestors") said: Whoever reauthors the Noble Qur'an will never end with nothing; he will either win or lose, then he reauthord the noble ayah below:
"And We send down from the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism and act on it), and it increases the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers) nothing but loss."
And the Prophet PBUH said:((Sadaqah (charity) is a proof. Sabr (patience) is a shining glory. The Qur'an is an argument either for you or against you.))
Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Every letter in the Noble Qur'an calls: I am a message from Allah to you to apply me in your life and to learn lessons from exhortations.Allah the Almighty says:
"Do they not then think deeply in the Quran, or are their hearts locked up (from understanding it)?"
Reciting Qur'an according to the sound Arabic grammar
Dear brother, we should reauthor the Noble Qur'an as it should be reauthord. When Allah describes the believers he says:
"Reauthor it (i.e. obey its orders and follow its teachings) as it should be reauthord (i.e. followed),"
Some scholars said: The Noble Qur'an should be reauthord according to the sound grammar of the Arabic language. Allah the Almighty says in another ayah:"It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah."
The transliteration of this ayah is: "innama yakhsha Allaha min AAibadihi alAAulamao" A Fat-ha( an accent mark which is put over a letter when a short sound of "A" is supposed to be pronounced after the letter) was added over Allah’s Name to show that it is an object, while alAAulamao (those who have knowledge) is the subject because Ad-Dhamma (a small letter "Waw" over a letter which is put over a letter when a short sound of "U" is supposed to be pronounced after the letter) was added over it to show that it is a subject. If you read it as the following: "innama yakhsha Allahu" adding Ad-Damma to Allah's Name, this is a terrible mistake (because you turn it into a subject), because you make a severe distortion of the meaning. So, you should follow the rules of the Arabic grammar in reciting the Noble Qur'an, then you should learn Tajweed (the knowledge and application of the rules of recitation so the reading of the Qur'an is as the Prophet PBUH reauthord), then you should understand it. Sometimes man may listen to the Noble Qur'an without paying attention to what he hears, like when someone heard the ayah: "And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups" he said: O Allah, made us among them! As he did not listen attentively. To summarize, you should reauthor the Noble Qur'an according to the Arabic language grammar, according to the rules of Tajweed, and you should understand its meaning.Compare your psychological state with the Qur'an.
We will focus in our lecture today is on consideration which is totally different from understanding the meaning, and from the sound recitation which is according to the rules of Tajweed. Consideration is to reflect upon the ayah and to compare it with your situation, i.e. to ask yourself whether you apply it in your life or not. For example, Allah the Almighty says:
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts"
Do you feel fear within when you read the Noble Qur'an? does your skin shiver? Do you feel an ecstasy of faith? If you feel nothing then you have a problem. So consideration is to compare your situation to the Ayaat you read in the Noble Qur'an. You should always ask yourself this exact question: Do I follow the teachings of this Ayah? Do I apply its ruling? Allah the Almighty says:"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.)."
Ask yourself: do I apply this ruling? (do I lower my gaze?). Also, Allah the Almighty says:"And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes)."
Do you apply this verdict? So whenever you read an Ayah, you should consider it then apply its ruling. So reading the Noble Quran as it should be reauthord is to read, according to the Arabic grammar and the rules of Tajweed, then to understand it accurately, then to consider the Ayaat; i.e. to compare it with your situation whether you follow its teaching or not, then you should apply its rulings in your life, if you do these five steps then you are reading the Noble Qur'an as it should be reauthord. Allah the Almighty says:"(This is) a Book (the Quran) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses,"
Which means: the reason behind sending down this Noble Qur'an is that people ponder over its ayaat. Some scholars said:If you claim to love Me, so why do you abandon My Book?
Why do not you ponder over it to see the sweetness of My Speech
***
Islam is a great method that everyone is in need of
Dear brother, I want to clarify to you in this blessed meeting that the Noble Qur'an is not a history book, and Islam is not heritage, rather it is a method that we all need at any year, we need it in managing our affairs, in our families, in choosing our jobs, in times of prosperity and distress, in health and sickness, and in wealth and poverty. Also, we all in need of it, whether we are old or young, whether we are male or female, so every human being needs it. Thus, when you understand the Noble Qur'an as a method for you in your life, you turn away from the bad traditional understanding of the Noble Qur'an that it is only a Holy historical book, this is definitely wrong, you should seek solutions for your problems in it as well as in the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH.Once, a man wanted to catch up with the prayer behind the Prophet PBUH, and he made a loud noise, then when the Prophet ended his prayer he said to him: "May Allah increase your love for the good, but do not repeat it again" So the Prophet PBUH praised him (before giving him the advice). This is a method for everyone; for the parents with their children. For example, if your son comes home late and you know that your son is righteous, sincere, and honest, you should first praise his honesty and sincerity, then you blame him friendly for being late. Thus, when you tell him that you admire his honesty and sincerity, you assure him and help him acknowledge his positive qualities, then you draw his attention to his mistake, this is guidance and a method. By Allah, all of you can follow the teachings of Allah's Words as a method in all aspects of your life, in the management of your home, in your relationship with your wives, in your jobs, with those who are above you, with those who are below you, with those who are around you, by then the Words of Allah (the Noble Qur'an) become a method, not a history book, and Islam becomes a solution to our problems, not a heritage which we are proud of.
A scientific topic
Dear Brother, lets now tackle a scientific topic.
Newly discovered facts after heart transplantation
In fact, most scientists before 1984; before the heart transplantation, thought that the heart’s only function is to pump blood, it pumps each day 8m3, which means the heart of anyone of us pumps 8000 liters each day, of course the blood circulates throughout the body, so it pumps in the average age (60 years, for example) what fills the tallest skyscraper in the world, or at the world trade center building which was demolished in 11th September.It was thought to be only a pump, but after the heart transplantation, after 300 cases of heart cultivation in the world, new facts arises, this talk is not about the ruling of cardiac transplantation in Islam, this is another subject which is the specialization of jurisprudential academies, while we are now discussing this topic from scientific standpoint. When the heart was transplanted in about 300 cases, new facts were discovered. For example, an elderly man needed a heart, and a young man died in an accident, so they took his heart and transplanted it in that elderly man's body, before that operation, that man used to like classic music, but after it he liked the Jazz, also his taste of food changed, he became another man, he was repeating a word which he did not understand, so he telephoned the wife of the young man whom he took his heart, she told him that it was a code between them which means that everything is fine. There are many other similar stories, for example, a girl was hit by a car in her chest so she died, they took her heart immediately and transplanted it in another girl, so the second girl became always suffering from pain in her chest, so there are many other stories which are really fantastic.
The heart is the center of sensations, tastes, and feelings
It was proved that the heart is the center of sensations, tastes and feelings. Actually, the whole human is completely changed every five years; i.e. every five years every cell in your body is renewed, the intestinal villi have the shortest life which is 84 hours, which means each 84 hours, the inner lining of the small intestine is renewed, the most critical thing is absorption, while the bone cells have the longest life; your bone cells are totally renewed every five years, which means that all your cells are renewed every five years except for the cells of your brain, If the brain cells were renewed, you would have forgotten all your knowledge, and you would have forgotten your job, your children, etc… you will lose your memory, your experiences, your knowledge which you acquired through 33 years of studying, for example. In fact, our life is based on accumulated experience, memories, and skills, therefore the brain cells are never renewed so that we don’t lose all our knowledge, memory, experiences, practices, skills, and qualification, which are out of Allah's Bounty.
The relation between the heart and the brain
However, the reason why the heart cells are never renewed was not known, the heart was considered as just a pump, and the heart which is mentioned in the Noble Qur'an is the heart of the soul. Allah the Almighty says:
"They have hearts wherewith they understand not"
Then it was discovered that the heart understands, it was discovered that the heart, beside being the center of feelings and sensations, has nerve cells which send orders to the cells of the brain, so the brain receives orders from the heart. Moreover, the capacity of the nerve cells in the heart is 500 times stronger than the capacity of brain cells. So, the heart is the center of sensations, feelings, and tastes, and it masters the brain, by sending orders to it, this fact was discovered in 1984 and was not discovered before.Dear brother, a doctor of my acquaintance, who is a professor in anatomy, said: our feet have not gotten wet by the sea of knowledge yet. He considered knowledge as a sea that the scientists feet have not gotten wet by it yet. And the more science advances, the more unexpected new facts are discovered. For example, last lecture, I talked about the Thymus gland, which is located beside the heart, all medicine books for decades, or even for hundreds of years, confirmed that this gland has no function as it completely shrinks after 2 years, then it was discovered that it is the gland of the most critical function in the human body, it is just like a military school, and now Allah the Almighty says:
"They have hearts wherewith they understand not,"
The heart is surrounded by nerve cells which send orders to the cells of the brain, we may think that the brain orders the heart to pulse, while during a heart transplants, after the heart was transplanted it started to pulsed by itself without receiving orders from the brain. Nevertheless there is a correlation between the heart and the brain.The right knowledge draws you closer to Allah:
Dear brother, Allah the Almighty says:
"And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little."
"And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills."
I want to clarify to you that the more science gets advanced, the more it gets closer to Islamic religion, (the more it affirms the scientific inimitability of the Noble Qur'an), and I never praise Islam when it is in harmony with science, rather I praise science when it is in harmony with Islam, because Islam is the origin, and the absolute Revelation. Hence, science may make mistakes and may be right, but when it is in agreement with the Islamic religion, it is in the right.