Praise be to Allah, the Lord (The One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his noble Folks, Companions, the trustees of his mission and the leaders of his banner, and be pleased with us and them, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
Reciting the Noble Quran as it should be recited:
Dear noble brothers, Allah, may His Glory be glorified, describes the believers and their connection to the Noble Quran when He says:
﴾ …Recite it (i.e. obey its orders and follow its teachings) as it should be recited (i.e. followed)…﴿
What is the proper recitation of the Noble Quran? Most Muslims recite the Noble Quran, but what kind of recitation does Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, accept? Some scholars said, "Reciting the Noble Quran as it should be recited means reading it correctly." For instance, in some Ayaat, there is inversion, so you should know the subject and the object in such Ayaat, lest your Salah is not accepted if you recite the Ayaat wrongly. In the following Ayah, there is a subject-object inversion (which is used for emphasis ) in the Ayah in Arabic; only those who have knowledge fear Allah, and not vice versa ( i.e. when you recite this Ayah in Arabic, the word "Allah" is the subject so you put a little sound 'a' (Fatha) on the last letter, whereas when putting a little sound 'u' (Damma) instead of 'a' (Fatha), this word turns into subject; upon reading the Ayah wrongly, the meaning will be that Allah, Exalted be He above such a meaning, only fear those who have knowledge):
﴾ It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving. ﴿
Reading the Quran properly means paying attention to the Arabic grammar. Concerning this point, our Master Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him said, "Learn the Arabic language, because it is part of the religion." Arabic is the language of the Noble Quran, which is the Revelation from Allah the Almighty.
The second meaning of reading the Quran as one should is applying the rules of Tajweed (The knowledge and application of the rules of recitation so the reading of the Quran is as the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, recited.) So, when man is bale to recite the Noble Quran, applying these rules, he recites it as Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, expects him to do. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Recite it (i.e. obey its orders and follow its teachings) as it should be recited (i.e. followed)… ﴿
However, reciting the Noble Quran, according to Tajweed rules, without understanding its meaning is not enough, because Allah wants us to recite Quran properly, understand it, and live according to it.
To clarify, if a foreign doctor prescribes a medicine for you, no matter how good your English language is in reading the prescription, and understating the indications, the warnings and the dosage of the medicine, and no matter where you keep this prescription, you will never benefit from it if you do not take the dosage as prescribed.
Consult your heart in all matters:
The truth is no book has been served in many incredible ways but the Noble Quran, because Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, protects it, and so the enemies of Islam failed in changing it.
There are many copies of the Noble Quran that are printed in different sizes and in beautiful and colorful ways, and this makes people benefit from such a job. However, let me tell you this truth which is a thousand times better than the comfortable delusion; the Noble Quran should be acted upon and not only recited according to Tajweed rules. Accordingly, you should be keen on keeping your income and expenses lawful, the relations among your relatives religiously disciplined, and your transactions in selling and buying lawful (the goods you sell have no forbidden substances), etc… A person said to me, "We can never import food stuff from a famous company in Germany but with wine, and this is obligatory, so what should we do?" What an excuse! If you commit something forbidden, because you think that you are forced, then you are in a big trouble.
﴾ Indeed this knowledge is faith (it contains the rules of religion), so carefully consider from whom you take your faith. ﴿
[ Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, on the authority of Abu Hurairah ]
Also, our Master Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said to his son Abdullah:
(( O Ibn Umar, your religion, your religion is your flesh and blood. Take it from the pious ones, and do not take it from those who deviated. ))
[ Mentioned in the relic ]
I assure you that every sin committed will be made lawful due to a false Fatwa (A religious opinion), but as a true believer, you should take the Fatwa from authenticated source that is based on religious texts.
Once, the person who used to occupy the highest religious position in the Muslim World gave a Fatwa, making the usurious loan lawful. I think you have heard of this Fatwa. As a believer, you are supposed to take the Fatwa that is based on religious texts not on personal opinion, because every sin even if it is major can be made lawful by a (false) Fatwa. What an irony!
Well, your success lies in your piety and fear of Allah, not in believing every Fatwa. In fact, you can know with your Fitrah whether the Fatwa is right or not, and the proof is the following:
(( Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels at ease and the heart feels tranquil. And wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the breast, even though people have repeatedly given their legal opinion [in its favour]. ))
[ Ahmad and Ad- Darimi, on the authority of Wasibah al-Asadi ]
By Allah, someone told me, "I made women fashion which expose most of their body. These are the fashionable designs nowadays, so what should I do?" Then, he said, "By Allah, O Ustaz, I have been given nine Fatwas that made my job lawful, but whenever I see a young woman wearing one of my designs, I feel guilty."
(( Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels at ease and the heart feels tranquil. And wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the breast, even though people have repeatedly given their legal opinion [in its favour]. ))
[ Ahmad and Ad- Darimi, on the authority of Wasibah al-Asadi ]
The believer's heart is pious, so he will never feel at ease upon taking a wrong Fatwa from someone.
The practical denial of the Quran is the most serious thing in life:
The delicate fact is that there are many Ayaat in the Noble Quran in which Allah the Almighty describes the believers, and I collected them in one page or so. What matters about these Ayaat is to ask yourself whenever you come across one of them whether you are described in it or not.
I would like to repeat what I have said earlier, the bitter truth is a thousand times better than the comfortable delusion. People care about having Islamic appearances, and there is nothing wrong with having Islamic decoration in your house, or having a copy of the Noble Quran in your car, which is good, but the question is: do you act upon this Noble Quran or your actions contradict It?
Once, while I was walking in the street, someone invited me to have a cup of coffee in his shop in Damascus. He said, "O Ustaz, a young man proposed to my daughter. He is handsome and rich. He owns a factory, a house in one of the most prestigious neighborhood in Damascus and two cars." I said, "Why are you hesitant then?" He replied, "He is not religious." I said, "Do you read the Noble Quran?" He answered, "Of course, I do." Then I asked him, "What do you say when you finish reading?" He said, "Allah The Magnificent speaks the truth." I said, "Allah the Almighty says in the Noble Quran, '…and verily, a believing slave is better than a (free) Mushrik (idolater, etc.), even though he pleases you.' [Al-Baqarah, 221]."
If you let your daughter get married to a rich man, but he is not religious, then you belie Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, because what you do is against Allah's Words.
Dear noble brothers, the most serious thing in life is the practical denial of the Noble Quran, not the verbal denial of It. I mean none in the Muslim World will ever dare to deny or belie the Noble Quran, because it is a Divine Book, but whoever does something that contradicts the teachings of the Noble Quran, he belies it practically. Actually, the practical denial is more serious than the verbal one. In other words, the practical denial is when someone's happy or sad occasions, his earning, and his expenses contradict the teachings of the Prophetic Sunnah. Nothing in his life is according to the Islamic teachings, but his ritual acts of worship, which are not enough.
Islam is a detailed way of life:
The ritual acts of worship are a small part of the transactional acts of worship. The ritual acts of worship are five. Indeed they are five pillars as it is indicated in the following Noble Hadith:
(( Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger, peace be up0n him, as saying, "Islam is based on five things: "The testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the observance of the prayer, the payment of zakat, the Pilgrimage, and the fast during Ramadan." ))
[ Al-Bukhari and Ibn Khazimah, on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar. ]
These ritual acts of worship do not represent Islam, but they are the pillars on which Islam is based on. In fact, Islam is a detailed way of life, starting with the private relationship of man with his wife and ending with the international relations. Let every one of us call himself to account privately and see whether he commits a sin in his activities, work or craft. Some people use prohibited substances under the pretext of, "What should we do? We are obliged to do that." What a pretext! Being forced means that you will lose your life or all your money if you do not do something, and in this case it is called a Shari'ah necessity. Otherwise, you should refuse to do anything forbidden. You are not supposed to do whatever that is beyond your scope, and the proof is this Ayah:
﴾ Stand (to pray) all night, except a little. ﴿
Whoever prays al-Fajr in congregation, then he prays part of the night, and whoever prays two Rak'aat before al-Fajr, then he prays all night. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Stand (to pray) all night, except a little. ﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Those who spend their wealth (in Allah's Cause) by night and day, in secret and in public… ﴿
The believers spend their wealth. Besides, they are as Allah the Almighty mentions in this Ayah:
﴾ …And defend evil with good, for such there is a good end… ﴿
Whoever commits a sin can apply this Ayah:
﴾ Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). ﴿
Whenever you commit a sin, you can repent, even if you repeat the sin or you keep committing sin, the key for your salvation is repentance.
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. ﴿
Submissiveness during Salah is not one of the virtues of performing Salah, but rather, it is one of its obligations, and there is a big difference between virtues and obligations. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. ﴿
In the next Ayah of the same Surah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden). ﴿
You may sit with people who gossip and say nonsense things. There are talks which elevate you, but other talks degrade you. Also, there are meetings which raise your moral position while other meetings lower it. There are meetings which I call self-underestimating, because they are about our backwardness and corruption. Well, we are fine as long as there are Islamic families who have humbleness, religious commitment and modesty.
The Muslims' positives are precious:
Upon leaving Australia, the head of the Islamic Community said to me, "Tell our brothers in Damascus that the garbage there is much better than the gardens in Australia." I said, "Excuse me, but I do not understand what you mean." He said, "Young adults in here will either become atheists or gays. Ask whoever you want if you do not believe me." There is a difference between the adulterer and the gay. Unlike the foreign countries, in our country the percentage of betrayal in our households is about 1%, because there is religious commitment; the husband has affairs with his wife, and he has children according to Shari'ah rulings.
A young man in America wanted to get married to a young woman, but when he told his father about her, the father said, "You cannot marry this girl, because she is your sister, but your mother does not know that." He wanted to marry another young woman, but the father refused for that same reason. After refusing the third young woman, the son was fed up of his father's reaction, so he told his mother about the whole thing, and she said, "You can get married to any young woman you love, because he is not your father, but he does not know that."
Moral corruption and deviation prevail in most western societies, while in our Muslim society, there are many virtues. Do not be harsh in your criticism to the Ummah, because we have a million virtues, but they are not apparent. There are religiously committed households where the families apply the Islamic teachings, so they do not do anything Haram. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness* And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden)* And those who pay the Zakat. ﴿
The disciplined houses apply the Divine Orders in such Ayaat:
﴾ Those who are faithfully true to their Amanat (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts etc.) and to their covenants… ﴿
[ Al-Mu'minun, 8
]
The trust is a delicate issue. Someone may entrust you with a certain amount of money without a receipt, but as a Muslim, you are supposed to give the money back to him. In some cases if the entrusted refuses to give the money back to its owner, his properties will be seized due to the verified receipt he signs upon taking the entrusted money. Some people give the trusts to its people due to the receipt they sign, but when someone gives the entrusted money back to the family of its owner after his death without having any receipt, this is heroism.
I know someone who was entrusted with 20.000.000 Liras, and the owner did not let the man sign any receipt before his death. However, the one who had the entrusted money kept looking for the hires till he found them and gave them their money without taking any penny from it. I have many similar stories of real heroes, and although they do not seem very religious, they give people their rights. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Those who are faithfully true to their Amanat (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts etc.) and to their covenants… ﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness... ﴿
The unbeliever lives his present moment. I was once in America and I noticed that the only two things they are concerned about are living their moment and enjoying their lives. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness... ﴿
The prudent is the one who never forgets the Hereafter:
As you know, death, the grave, the Divine Recompense, Jannah and Hell-Fire, are awaiting man, so he should never forget the Hereafter in his daily life and activities. For instance, the owner of the restaurant where wine is offered can have one million Liras as profit margins at the end of the day. Unlike him, the owner of a restaurant where chickpeas is offered can have smaller profit margins, but he fears Allah the Almighty in his restaurant, so he never offers something forbidden to the customers. According to the mundane standards, the owner of the big restaurant collects millions, so he is the winner, but in the Hereafter he will be the loser, whereas the owner of the small restaurant who never offers intoxicants to the costumers will be the real winner in the Hereafter and in Allah's Sight. Hence, success lies in connecting your daily activities in the worldly life with their results in the Hereafter, because this is how things should be measured. If one consider the standards of the Hereafter, which of the owners of these restaurants will be the winner, the intelligent and the prudent? Of course, the one who never offers wine is the winner, the intelligent one and the prudent. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness.. ﴿
Pay attention to the following Ayah, please:
﴾ And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness. ﴿
This means if you feel that the other party will never be convinced of your advice, just leave him alone, and the proof is in this Ayah:
﴾ Therefore remind (men) in case the reminder profits (them). ﴿
If he insists on his wrong thoughts and beliefs, then relax and stop trying to convince him:
﴾ And those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing. ﴿
This Ummah is the best due to enjoining Ma'ruf and forbidding Munkar:
The believers are those who repent to Allah (from polytheism and hypocrisy, etc.), who worship Him, who praise Him, who fast (or go out in Allah's Cause), who bow down (in prayer), who prostrate themselves (in prayer), who enjoin (people) for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all what Islam has ordained) and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds and all that Islam has forbidden). In the building of the university you will see this Ayah written in the best font:
﴾ You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind… ﴿
If someone asks, "In which sense is this Ummah the best among all nations?" Considering this Ummah the best one is based on this Ayah:
﴾ You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah. ﴿
The reason behind considering this Ummah the best one is enjoining Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar. Regarding this point, pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you stop enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar?" The Companions asked inquisitively, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." The Companions asked again, "What can be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah." The Messenger, peace be upon him, replied, "How will it be for you when you enjoin Al-Munkar and forbid Al-Ma'ruf." The Companions asked, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, but worse than that." The Companions asked, "What is worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you perceive Al-Ma'ruf as Munkar and Al-Munkar as Ma'ruf?" ))
[ Ibn Abi ad-Dunya and Abu Ya'la in his Musnad, on the authority of Abi Umamah ]
This is the most serious situation of the Ummah, and I call it changing principles. For example, you find that whoever earns ill-gotten money, establishes by it a great business, buys a luxurious villa, and buys three cars is respected by people and praised due to his intelligence. However, the wealth he collects is from gambling which is Haram. The majority of people do not care anymore whether the money is gained legally or illegally. Furthermore, they praise the rich regardless of the source of his money.
Allah the Almighty describes the believers in the following Ayah:
﴾ …Who bow down (in prayer), who prostrate themselves (in prayer), who enjoin (people) for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all what Islam has ordained) and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds and all that Islam has forbidden) ﴿
[ At-Taubah, 112
]
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
(( How will it be for you when you perceive Al-Ma'ruf as Munkar and Al-Munkar as Ma'ruf? ))
A poet in the era of Khalifah Umar bin Al-Khattab said this verse:
Let the virtues, and do not seek them
Relax as long as you are fed and well-clothed
***
The critics of literature said, "This is the most satirical verse the Arabs have ever said." Unfortunately, this verse has become the motto of everyone nowadays! Man's main concern is how much money he has, how big his house is, how prestigious his children are, how many cars he has and so on. The main thing for him is having no financial crisis and that is it. Well, this is selfishness, which has replaced collective cooperation, because everyone is seeking the achievement of his own interests and neglecting the Ummah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Who praise Him, who fast (or go out in Allah's Cause), who bow down (in prayer), who prostrate themselves (in prayer), who enjoin (people) for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all what Islam has ordained) and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds and all that Islam has forbidden), and who observe the limits set by Allah (do all that Allah has ordained and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden) ﴿
The only concern of the believer is Allah's Pleasure
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …Fighting in the Way of Allah… ﴿
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
(( He who dies without having gone or thought of going out for Jihad in the Cause of Allah, will die while being guilty of having one of the qualities of hypocrisy.
))
There are many types of Jihad: Jihad (fighting) against one's own forbidden desires, Jihad Da'awi (calling people to Allah), the constructing Jihad (striving to keep this Ummah the best among all other nations), and Jihad in the Way of Allah (fighting against the enemies of Islam). Hence, there are many kinds of Jihad:
﴾ …Fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. ﴿
Whoever belongs to those believers never cares about what people say, because his only concern is pleasing Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He:
﴾ Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." ﴿
Someone may say to you, "The entire world is against Muslims", which is true but Allah the Almighty is with them, so do not worry:
﴾ …But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: "Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)." ﴿
In another Surah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah [i.e. they have gone out for Jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e.they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allah] in the least. ﴿
In another Ayah of the same Surah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Those who convey the Message of Allah and fear Him, and fear none save Allah… ﴿
Also, Allah the Almighty says in another Surah:
﴾ And give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that ﴿
Allah the Almighty says about the believers:
﴾ The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Qur'an) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); ﴿
He the Almighty also says:
﴾ But they never lost heart for that which did befall them in Allah's Way, nor did they weaken nor degrade themselves. And Allah loves As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). ﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice… ﴿
Also, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers... ﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him… ﴿
[ At-Taubah, 100
]
These Ayaat are all about the believers, I collected them from different Suwar in the Noble Quran. Whenever I come across an Ayah in which Allah the Almighty describes the believers I highlight it. This is how the Noble Quran is recited attentively, so whenever you come across an Ayah in which Allah the Almighty describes the believers, ask yourself these embarrassing questions, "Am I included in this group of people? Do I have these traits?" This is how the Noble Quran should be recited. If you do not see yourself in the light of what is mentioned in the Noble Quran, how will you know whether you are right or wrong? So you should ponder over the Noble Quran; whenever you read a Divine Command in it, you are supposed to act upon it, whenever you read a Divine Prohibition, you should keep away from it and whenever you read a description of a certain group of people, you should ask yourself whether it is applied to you or not.
