From the Blessings of Being a Student of the Qur’an

Sep 8, 2022

Alhamdulillah the Taleem al Qur’an journey is nothing less than a life-altering blessing that provides us with the lens of Truth to view life as it was made by Allah. Not only do we develop and strengthen our relationship with our Creator, but we also learn the life lessons to make our journey in this world easier, more rewarding and worthwhile, and in sha Allah our journey towards Akhirah more blessed as well.

Here are some of the precious lessons that I experienced and hold in my heart from my memorable days in the Taleem al Qur’an course. 

 

  • Stay steadfast in prayer- if you get that right, everything else will work out too.

  • Tests come but also pass-Turn to Allah first & foremost, & then again in gratitude.

  • Tawakkul/reliance upon Allah can even make the fire cool and serene!(like it did for Ibraheem (AS))

  • Win each battle with the strength of Eemaan!

  • Beware your greatest enemy (satan- his only goal is to derail you & me from the right path)

  • Keep up your armor of azkar day & night from every harm! (prescribed remembrance & supplications) 

  • Company matters! Choose friends who have good eemaan and a great character.

  • Never underestimate the power of dua- it can change destiny & be your strongest shield!

  • Supercharge your dua with the right etiquettes & Allah’s greatest names, and seize the moments  of acceptance!

  • Islam IS the middle path- easy and simple to follow. It makes sense & touches the heart. 

  • Our Deen (religion) is a ‘complete way of life’; it is completely PERFECT & perfectly COMPLETE! 

  • Fear Allah in every matter & relationship- Taqwa (God-consciousness) is the key.

  • Remember that Allah has made all the pleasures of this life for us to enjoy- and they will be most delightful when enjoyed the right way:)

  • Good Deeds are only those that have Ikhlas(sincerity) and follow the Sunnah.

  • No one loves and understands you more than Allah- and He is always there and very near.

  • The more you love Him, the more you will remember Him.

  • Make Jannah your priority, your goal, your forever destination!

With Gratitude to Allah and the Institute,

Sameen Fahmi

(If you wish to become a student of the Qur’an also, Alhmadulillah there are many options at Al Huda Institute to suit your lifestyle. Go ahead, don’t keep the blessings and rewards from reaching you anymore- check out Qur’an study programs at: https://www.alhudainstitute.ca/ )

Istiqamah on the path of Allah – Poetry

Aug 15, 2022

By Abeeha Imtiaz
(Masha Allah this poem is a Top winner in the Poetry category of the Competition at the 2022 MAC Convention)

 

“Indeed, Allāh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path.”
(Qur’an, Ale Imran: 51)

Intro- explanation about my piece of poetry:
When I think about thriving in the path of Allah swt, I think about connecting with the Qur’an. When it
comes to thriving on a path of someone – anyone – how can we tread that path if we don’t know what
the path is like? Is it rocky, smooth, straight, muddy, what is it? Similarly to Allah’s path, we need to
know what His path is. What does it mean to strive in the way of Allah? What actually counts in
striving? What is the path like? The Qur’an can only teach us this. Maintaining istiqamah on the path
towards Allah is connecting with the Book of Allah, the guidance Allah facilitated for us, the Qur’an.
Thriving in the path of Allah is doing all that Allah loves and approves of – which is all explained within
the Qur’an. Muslims need to connect back to the message of the Qur’an.

 

A Divine Appeal

The Qur’an, the greatest miracle from Allah, a mercy for all,
A blessing, a wondrous treasure, a call
The Qur’an, which is the kalaam of Allah, sent to the Prophet Muhammadصلى الله عليه وسلم
A speech that is unmatched, a book that is the core of Islam
A cure for what is within the chest,
Full of barakah, blessed
It is not addressing some scholar, just the Makkans, Arabs, or just men
Its a book for us all, a book that swears by the pen
And yet we are still heedless of it
Heedless of what it means and how we can benefit from it
When we recite it, the message does not reach beyond our tongue, or seep into our heart,
We are left unchanged, nothing affecting us, our egos not falling apart
We should be affected by what we hear, it should shake you, rattle your ego, penetrate your
beliefs, change your life for the better
This is a message talking to you, you are the subject of the verses, sent to you, its a letter
These aren’t just a bunch of random stories in Arabic, with no order and about some people
long ago

They are for me and you to look at, understand, take lessons and yes – in the true sense,
continue to learn and grow
We have forgotten the main purpose of the Qur’an and made it a sacred family inheritance,
focusing on its arabic art
To be treasured in exotic and expensive covers, yet to be untreasured in the best of all covers
which is the heart
To be recited and listened to in the best and melodious voices,
But it’s message being unpresent in our decision making and choices
To be placed high above all other objects in the room,
Yet to occupy the lowest station in their daily lives, as you can assume
To be read when a death has occured,
Yet to be ignored by the living who don’t get time to recite even a word
To be written in the faciest of scripts and in the most expensive of papers, these are our
manytimes our only ambitions,
all the while, we are heedless of its commandments and prohibitions
When the Qur’an seeps into the hearts of people, it produces an effect
Bringing out khair from people from unexpected places, in their personal, and public lives – it’s
a reformation – that’s correct!
Guidance from the Qur’an cant be bought, downloaded, speed shared on WhatsApp, attached
as a file on an email, or inserted into your brain with a micro chip or a USB
Its learnt with much hard work, blood, sweat, n tears.. But the good part? It will make you free
the Qur’an is a mirror teaching us what we need to see,
a reflection of who we are and who we need to be
We need to all connect back to the Qur’an and learn it’s meaning
Learn what the verses are about, what Allah wants from us, going through a heart cleaning

12 ways to strengthen your connection with the Quran

Aug 5, 2022

By Taleem al Quran (TQE11) student

Umarrah Javed Al Hadi

We pray salah in order to stand before Allāh and express our devotion. Likewise, we study
the Qurān in order to learn what the commands of Allāh are. This Book is not like any other
and therefore our connection to it cannot be like our connection to anything else.
Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-’Aas (may Allāh be pleased with him) narrated that our Beloved
Prophet ﷺ said:

“The one who was devoted to the Qurān will be told [on the Day of Resurrection:] ‘Recite [the Qurān] and ascend [in ranks] as you used to recite when you were in the world. Your rank will be at the last verse you recite.”’ (Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)

From another hadith we learn that, Abu Hurairah (may Allāh be pleased with him) narrated that our Beloved Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whenever a group of people assemble in one of the Houses of Allāh (i.e. Mosques), reciting the Book of Allāh and studying it, tranquility descends upon them, Mercy covers them, angels surround them and Allāh makes a mention of them among those who are with Him.” (Muslim)

With such priceless guidance, one can only want to dive deeper into the Qurān.

With that in mind, here are 12 ways to improve your relationship with the Qurān:

 

1) Make du’ā for Allāh to open your heart and increase you in beneficial knowledge:

Purify your intention for learning the Qurān, and ensure that it is for the sake of Allāh- to attain taqwa (God consciousness), to learn how Allāh wants us to spend our time in this life and to gain a comprehensive understanding of what has passed and what is yet to come. Once you are in a purified state, make sincere du’ā. Ask Allāh to open your heart to His Words and to make Qurān the basis of your life. A du’ā made by Our Beloved Prophet ﷺ can also be used here:

رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا

[O my Lord, increase me in knowledge]

 

2) Commit an amount to study every day:

Consistency is important to build a strong relationship and understanding of the Holy Qurān; for this, try to put at least one hour aside for this on a daily basis. Take into consideration your routine and attach your Qurān study to a particular time of day i.e. some people choose to study at Fajr for its spiritual benefit while others may choose to study half their daily amount at Fajr, saving the rest for a studying after a later salah i.e. between Asr and Maghrib.

 

3) Review what you have studied:

While completing your daily studies, ensure to take notes and write reflections in order to solidify your knowledge. You can do this digitally or with a notebook and pen but another alternative is to gather your family & friends and have a discussion about the verses you have read. The vocalization of your knowledge as well as being able to gain knowledge from others will surely help strengthen your understanding of the Qurān.

 

4) Learn the Arabic word for word:

Any translation is an interpretation. With that in mind, work towards removing barriers between yourself and comprehension of the Qurān in the way Allāh sent it for us. Having a firm grasp of the Quranic Arabic will enable you to read a verse and understand it without any further instruments – such a learning is truly enriching and absolutely attainable. Be patient and begin with one chapter at a time to memorize each word’s translation, test yourself and utilize tools and methods that can empower your learning.

 

5) Apply what you have learnt in your daily life:

Once you gain the definition and understanding of a verse or chapter. Apply its commands in your life – by the practical action of doing, you will further strengthen the connection between the word of Allāh and yourself. You can also memorize a chapter or parts of a chapter and recite them in your salah. For example, the greatest verse in the Qurān, Ayat-al-Kursi, is a good place to start memorizing.

 

6) Enrol in a class or course:

You will find many institutes, schools and organisations offering Qurān courses that can provide a good foundation, accountability and structure for your learning journey. Further to this, you can choose an in-person or online course but keep in mind that the knowledge sharing that happens in-person is usually more interactive, engaging, hands-on and overall a fuller experience. Check out what you have available around you and perhaps try a short course before you commit to a longer course.

7) Recite with Tajweed:

As the word ‘Qurān’ itself means ‘Recitation’, we cannot fully delve into The Book without reciting it. Within this recitation, there are many areas to nourish but the overall improvement and constant concentration on tajweed is fundamental to successful recitation. Tajweed is a collection of rules and instructions for the correct pronunciation of the letters with all their qualities i.e. giving each letter its due right (haqq). The best way to improve tajweed is with a teacher – there are many learned teachers that look forward to sharing this knowledge with their students. You may have to do some research, but in sha Allāh you can find someone locally around you (or online) that can help you to improve your recitation.

 

8) Listen to recitation:

While you are reading, reciting and pondering over the verses of the Qurān, listening to its recitation is another component to improve your overall relationship with this magnificent Book. Listening to its recitation engages different parts of your mind that are then able to retain the sound, vibrations and inflections which in turn can help you with your own recitation, word for word learning and memorization.

 

9) Make connections within The Book:

Once you start studying the Qurān with consistency, you will start to notice repetition of words and themes. As part of your note-taking and studying, try and retain the placements of concepts and relate them to other parts of the Qurān. Being able to create these connections within the ocean of the Qurān will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the prominent concepts that Allāh wants believers to understand.

 

10) Begin and end your day with the Qurān:

Making Qurān one of the first things you do as part of your morning worship and making it the final part of your night worship binds your day in a spiritual wrap. As beautifully declared in the Qurān:

‘…the recitation of dawn is ever-witnessed.’ (17:78)

From the above ayah we learn the majesty of reciting the Qurān at Fajr time. The fact is that while the world may be sleeping, your recitation is being witnessed by angels who are scribing your efforts, and Allāh- who is noting your devotion. For the evening and night, we have also been informed by Our Beloved Prophe tﷺ that one should recite the three Quls, Ayat-al-Kursi and the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah before going to sleep.

 

11) Understand the context and times of when verses were revealed:

The Qurān descended over the course of 23 years. The verses correspond with changing times and circumstances, therefore, making the Qurān a timeless guidance. With that being said, developing an understanding of the points in reality in which the verses were revealed is a knowledge that provides one with a fuller, greater and deeper connection to The Book and to Allāh.

 

12) Read the Seerah (Life of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ):

The Messenger of Allāh, our Beloved Prophet ﷺ is the example by which we should strive to live our lives. Among the countless blessings we received through him, the greatest is that it was his heart that was chosen for the Qurān to descend upon; the purest heart with the character that is often described as the living Qurān. Seeking knowledge of The Prophet ﷺ and his life, and discovering the events that coincided with certain verses being revealed are all incredibly beneficial tools to widen one’s way of thinking, grow one’s eemaan and soulfully comprehend the precious verses of the Qurān.

 

May Allāh make the gaining and retaining of beneficial knowledge easy and may He reward the sincere efforts. Aameen.

Truly in the Footsteps of RasulAllah (ﷺ)

Oct 19, 2021

By Sameen Fahmi
“Indeed, We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. That you [people] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect him [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)] and exalt Him [i.e., Allah] morning and afternoon.” (Quran, Surah Al Fath: 8-9)

 “Muhammad” is from the Arabic root hamd, and means ‘the one who is very praiseworthy’, and praised very much. 

Allah(swt) Himself praises our beloved Prophet Muhammad(ﷺ), and sends His blessings upon him(ﷺ).

“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet(ﷺ), and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” (Quran, 33:56)

It is our honor and pleasure to praise, revere, and send salutations upon the Prophet(ﷺ), but we do it just as he himself taught us and approved. We follow in his(ﷺ) footsteps, just like how the first, and the best three generations of Muslims did. We do so every day of our lives, and day of the year alike.

SubhanAllah, Allah(swt) is perfect, and His Deen is perfect and perfectly complete.

“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion.”(Quran, 5:3)

There is no room to add anything to religion, nor the permission to omit anything. And just like that, the status of the Prophet(ﷺ), given to him(ﷺ) by Allah(swt) Himself,  is already the highest possible rank any creation could be given, and there is no room to elevate that further either; as above that rank is only the Creator Himself, and there is no allowance for anybody or anything to even come close to Him and His attributes.

We worship and ask ONLY Allah(swt), and we walk in the footsteps of RasulAllah(ﷺ) to do just that.

“He who obeys the Messenger(ﷺ) has obeyed Allah..” (Quran, 4:80)

“And whatever the Messenger(ﷺ) has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. (Quran, 59:7)

“But they who believe and do righteous deeds – those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.” (Quran, 2:82)

The definition of a good deed is that it is one which has ‘Ikhlaas- purity in intention for Allah’ and ‘Itteba-e-Sunnah- following the way of the Prophet(ﷺ).

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Prophet(ﷺ) said, “Whoever has three traits within himself will find the sweetness of faith: one who loves Allah and His Messenger more than anything else, one who loves a servant only for the sake of Allah, and one who hates to turn back to unbelief after Allah has saved him, just as he hates to be thrown into the fire.” (Muttafaqun Alayh)

Alhamdullilah, Islam is a Deen(a complete way of life) based upon proof, it is that which makes complete sense to the intellectual mind; it is also ‘Deen-fitrah’- the true and natural Deen that hits the heart and our innate nature. Therefore, before we implement a way of worship, we must first verify its authenticity in the original and trustworthy sources. If the Prophet(ﷺ) did it, and the best and closest of His followers- the Sahabah, Tabieen, and Taba-tabieen did it- then we should do it too; otherwise, we must refrain from any such act, and ask Allah(swt) for forgiveness and return to the one and only true Deen- which is preserved as is, in the Quran and Sahih Sunnah.

Let’s go back and renew the fundamentals and the very foundation of our faith- pure Tauheed, as Allah has taught us through His Messenger(ﷺ).

Tauheed as divided in its three core concepts- ‘Tauheed-ul-Khaliq’, ‘Tauheed-ul-Ibadah’ and ‘Tauheed-ul-Asma wa Sifat’ makes it clear that we ask, and thus worship no one but Allah, the Only Creator, who shares none of His unique attributes and powers with anyone, including the ability of being the Only One Who can give and accept. Al Fatihah, the very 1st chapter of the Quran, also lays out this belief clearly- ‘..wa iyyaka na’budu, wa iyyaka nastaeen’- ‘It is You we worship and You we ask for help’.

Even the first pillar of Islam- the Shahadah, the very declaration of faith, entails that ‘we testify that there is no god but Allah(swt), and Muhammad(ﷺ) is His slave and messenger’, who was no other than His devout worshiper, who himself was dependent upon Allah’s mercy.

Today we must remind ourselves of the awakening words of Abu Bakr(RA) at the death of our dear Prophet(ﷺ), which shook the Believers back to the true reality of Tauheed. He said, “To proceed; whoever among you worshiped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshiped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die. Allah said, ‘Muhammad is no more than a Messenger and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will reward the grateful’.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir- Quran 3:144)

 

The sunnah of our beloved Prophet(ﷺ) is staunch Tauheed- he TAUGHT us how to be firm upon it, only to ask Allah and love Him and strive to please Him more than anyone or anything else; and how to only live the Quran-which was his way-the Sunnah. And whatever he did not show us from Deen, is not Islam.

 

In the following dua of Abdullah ibn Mas’oud(RA), as approved and adored by the Prophet(ﷺ), we ask Allah(SWT) to grant us the best of company- that of the Prophet(ﷺ), in Paradise, forever.

“اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ إِيمَانًا لَا يَرْتَدُ وَ نَعِيمًا لَا يَنْفَدُ وَ مُرَافَقَةَ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي أَعْلَى جَنَّةِ الْخُلْدِ”

(Allāhumma innī as’aluka emānan la yartadu wa na’īman la yanfadu wa murāfaqatah Muhammadin fī a’lā Jannat al-Khuld)

“O Allah, I ask you for firm faith that does not revert, and bliss that never ends, and then companionship of Muhammad at the highest (level) of eternal Paradise.” (Silsilah as Saheehah)

The Prophet(ﷺ) mentioned ways that we can be near to him by doing certain deeds in many ahadeeth. Some of those actions are: having good character, increasing in our prostrations, raising two girls to maturity(in Islam), helping the orphans, and staying upon his Sunnah.

“…Whoever revives my Sunnah has loved me, and whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2678)

Let’s do more of what is truly righteous and loved by Allah(swt)- let’s make a habit of loving and sending durood upon the Prophet(ﷺ) regularly and throughout the year; let’s revive his(ﷺ) everyday sunnahs and make them our own daily lifestyle. Let’s adopt his(ﷺ) akhlaaq to be truly the best of creation. 

“Umm Salamah reported: By the One who took the Prophet’s soul, peace and blessings be upon him…The most beloved deeds to him were righteous deeds that a servant performs regularly, even if they are easy.” (Sunan Ibn Mājah 4237. Grade: Sahih)

Which Sunnahs are you going to adopt to attain the company of RasulAllah in Jannah in sha Allah?

Attaining Qalb-e-Saleem

Sep 27, 2021

“The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children. But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. And Paradise will be brought near [that Day] to the righteous.” (Surah Ash-Shu’ara, 88-90)

Who doesn’t wish for Paradise…a life full of bliss that never ends? But to enter, one must have Qalb-e-Saleem, or a sound heart; yet, sometimes we all need reasons to forgive someone, and to truly clean our hearts.

Alhamdulillah for the guidance always present in the Quran and Sunnah, we can find those reasons whenever we feel the need. Here are some beautiful reminders to motivate ourselves for those times of need! 

1)Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to me:

يَا بُنَيَّ إِنْ قَدَرْتَ أَنْ تُصْبِحَ وَتُمْسِيَ لَيْسَ فِي قَلْبِكَ غِشٌّ لِأَحَدٍ فَافْعَلْ

Young man, if you are able every morning and evening to remove any rancor from your heart towards anyone, do so.

Then, the Prophet said to me:

يَا بُنَيَّ وَذَلِكَ مِنْ سُنَّتِي وَمَنْ أَحْيَا سُنَّتِي فَقَدْ أَحَبَّنِي وَمَنْ أَحَبَّنِي كَانَ مَعِي فِي الْجَنَّة

Young man, that is my Sunnah. Whoever revives my Sunnah has loved me, and whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise.

(Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2678)

2)Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لا تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُسْلِمُوا وَلا تُسْلِمُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا وَأَفْشُوا السَّلامَ تَحَابُّوا وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْبُغْضَةَ فَإِنَّهَا هِيَ الْحَالِقَةُ لا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ تَحْلِقُ الشَّعْرَ وَلَكِنْ تَحْلِقُ الدِّينَ

By the one in whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you submit to Allah and you will not submit until you love one another. Spread peace and you will love one another. Beware of hatred, for it is the razor. I do not say that it shaves hair, but rather it shaves away the religion.

(Source: al-Adab al-Mufrad 260)

3)Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ إِنْسَانٌ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ

No human being will enter Paradise if there is as much as the weight of a seed of arrogance in his heart.

(To not forgive is to have arrogance)

(Source: Musnad Aḥmad 6526)

4)The gates of Paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives every servant who does not associate anything with him, except a man with enmity between himself and his brother. It will be said: Delay these two until they reconcile, delay these two until they reconcile.

(Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2565)

(But what if we die before that?…)

May Allah(SWT) bless us all with a heart that is peaceful, safe and sound from anything that He dislikes, and that is firm upon His Deen and obedience. Aameen.

 

Author: Sameen Fahmi

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