Read Quran with Sincerity

[AbuMubarak]

Bismillaahirrahmaanirraheem
Nahmaduhoo wa nusallee ‘alaa Rasoolihilkareem


Assalaamu Alaykum

To derive the maximum benefit from the Holy Qur-aan,
the first prerequisite is that the reader must have
the right attitude and mindset. The following are the
important ingredients of the right attitude with which
to approach the Qur-aan:

1. Sincerity of intention

People may read the Qur-aan to seek blessings, to find
arguments in favour of a certain point of view, to
search for support in legitimizing some heretical
behaviour, etc. To understand the message of the
Qur-aan in its pure form, a reader must approach it
with a sincere intention of seeking guidance from it.
Otherwise, one will end up finding what he is looking
for, but not the guidance. As mentioned earlier, it
delivers to people what they want: ‘He misleads many
thereby, and guides many thereby’.

2. Clearing the Mind From Clutter

An essential prerequisite for seeking guidance is to
clear your mind from the clutter when you sit down for
its study. Set aside all preconceived ideas and
notions you have developed over time, baggage you have
acquired from the friends and society you have been
moving about with, the values of right and wrong that
you may have been conditioned to and ideologies you
have been impressed with. The Qur-aan must be
approached with open mind and willingness to start
from base zero, intending to learn everything anew.

3. Resolve To Change Accordingly

The seeker of the truth must also be determined to
change his ideas, adjust his lifestyle, shift his
paradigm and fine-tune his outlook according the
guidance he discovers from the Qur-aan. A person has
to get out of his ruts to find the guidance. If this
adjustment does not take place as he studies the
Qur-aan, he will end up having a mirage-like
experience. He will see it shining at a distance, but
will never reach it.

4. Reflection

Although the need of reflecting on the message of the
Qur-aan has been described in details earlier, its
need and importance cannot be overemphasized. The
beauties of the Qur-aan become evident to those who
reflect on it seriously. A cursory reading or a casual
study is not going to be of much benefit. It should
not be read like a book of fiction, but should be
studied with the presence of one’s heart and mind,
engaging the best of one’s intellect and reflecting
profoundly on the points it makes. However, an
appropriate level of reflection will perhaps not be
possible in the first reading. The whole Qur-aan
should initially be read with the help of an authentic
translation and Tafseer to get an overview of the
guidance; then it must be studied once again slowly
and reflectively; and then the process of study and
reflection should continue on an ongoing basis.

5. Following In The Footstep Of The Prophet

The guidance of the Qur-aan was intricately related to
the phases and stages of the Islamic movement launched
by the Prophet with the start of the revelation of the
Qur-aan. It provided timely and effective instructions
to the Messenger of Allaah in completing the mission
he was sent for. The same mission has been prescribed
for the followers of Islam. The real impact of those
teachings is fully perceived and absorbed only by
those people who undertake the mission of Islam in the
same manner and for the same purpose as was done by
the first recipient of the revelations. Those who do
so, the verse of the Qur-aan reveal themselves to that
person in their proper spirit and impact. This is what
Iqbal was referring to when he said:

Gar tairay dil pay na ho nuzoole kitaab
Girah kushaa hai Raazi na Saahibe Kashshsaaf

(If the Qur-aan does not descend on your heart, even
the works of the commentators like Raazi and
Zamakhshari will not be much help in bringing home the
essence of the message).

6. Duaa

With all the positive attempts to understand the
Qur-aan, one should also continue to pray to Allaah
for his guidance. A sincere Duaa to Allaah SWT adds
Allaah’s help and blessings to one’s sincere personal
efforts to produce the best possible results.

May Allaah help us seek guidance from the Qur-aan and
act upon it.

Wa Aakhiru da’waanaa anilhamdu lillaahi
rabbil’aalameen

Wassalaamu Alaykum
Ayub Hamid

[Nadia]

I have to almost go into a meditation state to read the Quran, thanks for your post, very good information.

[AbuMubarak]

please dont think that you have to go into meditation to read quran, anyone who tells you that is leading you astray

the article was basically looking at the problem of focusing on your deen and gaining the best benefit, and those were guidelines to use

the quran is not to be worshipped, (and i know you werent inferring that) its a book that we should repeat often during the course of the day and reflect upon its meanings

once a man was discussing meditation with the prophet (something along those lines) and the prophet said, our meditation is our salat

so if we remember the quran out of salat, and focus intently on the quran and the salat, that will improve us as people

[Bintul Huda]

Asalamunalaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
Peace to all

I think one of our major shortcomings as Muslims is our abandonment of the Qur'an. I remember a few years back I attended a Muslim-Christian dialogue session and the main speaker who was christian had studied Islam throughly and in my feeble attempts to counter some of his arguments, I was caught short when it came to quoting verses for my arguments. From that day I knew that I had to dedicate more time to the Qur'an.

In general, I feel that muslims just don't give it enough attention. We read it occasionally, perhaps do a khatm in Ramadhan, but on a daily basis, we don't not give it the proper place in our lives.

If each and every one of us read and truly pondered on the Qur'an; dedicated a little time per day to understanding it, we would have far fewer of the problems we have now. And we must not read the Qur'an in an attempt to see if its verses fit into our pattern of thinking, we must read it as though it is our teacher, and we its humble students. Most importantly we must adhere to its precepts, and truly take on board its ideas so that the Qur'an can 'run through our veins' (ie. become part of us); only then we can truly call ourselves 'Muslims', Insha'Allah.

Ma'asalama

[searcher]

todays' preperation leads to tomorrows' success
Read the Qur'an.

[Lala]

Originally posted by Bintul Huda
I remember a few years back I attended a Muslim-Christian dialogue session and the main speaker who was christian had studied Islam throughly and in my feeble attempts to counter some of his arguments, I was caught short when it came to quoting verses for my arguments.

I'm so sorry that you had to *defend* yourself at an "ecumenical dialouge". What kind of christians were they? My guess is some kind of born-agains (what we now call "Christians" with a capital C) & the "dialogue" was not for understanding, but actually some kind of attack/conversion thingy.

There is no value in such discussions, IMHO. They just make people angry and competitive. Any kind of productive dialogue should focus on what we have in common -- just societies, love of God and fellow man, inner peace etc. Any kind of focus on the differnece should be kept in private. What good does it do?

[Bintul Huda]

Salam, Peace to all

Hi Lala

The title of this particular talk i attended was "correcting misconceptions regarding Islam' and was given by a christian who knew a lot about Islam. Some of what he said was good, but on certain points, he managed to skew things so that he brought out certain concepts in a not-so-favourable light. As you may know, there are many different views on certain Islamic concepts. I'm not talking about the popular sunni-shia division, but within those groups there are many divergent views and my fustration was that the speaker was presenting Islam to be a certain way, neglecting other views. I left very frustrated, but only a few weeks later, i attended another christian-muslim debate, this time hosted by muslims. I could defenitely identify with the christians present who believed that the speaker was skewing their beliefs.

I think inter-faith (or indeed intra-faith) dialogue is a great thing. I don't think we should beat about the bush on these occasions, we should present our beliefs as we see them with no concessions. Difference is great beause it allows us to challenge our ideas and to avoid blind imitation. But such events only work if we enter with an open mind and are prepared to give and take. I don't mean that we should change our own beliefs, but just to simply empathise with the other point of view. We have to realise that we cannot be right about everything and be prepared to admit any fallacy in our beliefs. Also, we have to stop trying to make everyone else 'see the light'; dialogue doesn't mean we should agree on everything but because thats never going to happen. What we musn't do is enter with a closed mind, thinking we already know what the other party is going to say and judging all they say by our own preconceived prejudices.

I believe there is a Unity which transcends all theological inter-and intra-religious polemics. I believe this to be on the spiritual level and if we are able to concentrate on understanding the spirtual unity which binds us all, then we can carry on debating the theological aspects but in the true spirit that they should be debated.

Ma'asalama
Peace to all

[Outcider]

Raafi, would you and other scholars allow the Quran to be read out of curiousity and to learn what people's lifestyle was in the Middle East hundreds of years ago? Would I harm somebody?

[Ruqayyah]

Please read it. I have given English copies to most of my non muslim friends. As a muslim, i would peform ablution. But some say its not always necessary with the English version. Its better that a non muslim reads it without ablution than to never read it at all.:)

[jamila]

Originally posted by Outsider
Raafi, would you and other scholars allow the Quran to be read out of curiousity and to learn what people's lifestyle was in the Middle East hundreds of years ago? Would I harm somebody?

Most would not trust a non-muslim to treat an Arabic Qur'an right, and probably would not hand over such a qur'an if there were no notes or explanations along with the qu'anic text. A Qur'an in English, even with the qur'anic text, or any "study" qur'an with notes in any language (including Arabic) is not considered to be "the Qur'an" in the sense of the discrete "Holy Book". Hence they do allow people top read them out of 'curiosity'. It's how I came to read it, and how I came to embrace Islam (from the effect of reading it on my belief).

jamila :) :) :)

[Outcider]

Bintul-Huda, first of all thanks for a good post. Then, Rukaya, thanks for giving me at least one permission to read the book! Jamila, being more a translator than a journalist nowadays, it would be interesting to learn why the English translation of the Quran is not considered fully acceptable. Surely, Arabic cannot be an untranslatable language! If there is something that has no English equivalent, then that word or expression could be explained in parentheses.

[Ruqayyah]

is better to read it in the language it was sent in, that is why a muslim should learn Arabic.
The Koran was sent to the Jinn and MANKIND as a guidance. It was not sent for muslims alone. Many ppl in history, have been guided by it an have converted. Lots of Muslims I know give translations as gifts to non muslims. All we ask is that you respect it.
Muhammad Marmaduke Pickhall, has written in his translators foreword, in his English translation:

The aim of this work is to present to English readers what Muslims the word over hold to be the words of the Koran, and the nature of that book, in not unworthy language and concisely, with a view to be the requirements of English Muslims.It may be reasonably claimed that no Holy Scripture can be fairly presented by one who disbelieves its inspiration and its message: and this is the first English translation of the Koran by an Englishman who is a Muslim. Some translations include commentation offensive to muslims, and almost employ a style of language which Muslims at once recognise as unworthy. The Koran can not be translated. That is the belief of old-fashioned Shiekhs and the view of the present writer. The book here is rendered almost literally and every effort has been made to choose befitting language. But the result is not the Glorious Kuran, the inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy. It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the Kuran_ and peradventure something of the charm-in English. It can never take the place of the Koran in Arabic, nor is it meant to do so.........................

[llu]

well ok rukaya i am off to read mine :) thanks

[jamila]

Originally posted by Outsider
Bintul-Huda, first of all thanks for a good post. Then, Rukaya, thanks for giving me at least one permission to read the book! Jamila, being more a translator than a journalist nowadays, it would be interesting to learn why the English translation of the Quran is not considered fully acceptable. Surely, Arabic cannot be an untranslatable language! If there is something that has no English equivalent, then that word or expression could be explained in parentheses.

Rukuya gave a very good response to that.

By the way, if you wnt to read a Qur'an in English with explanations in parenthesis [and parenthesis (within other parenthesis) and other Kalimatan (words) in italics], then the "Translation of the meanings of THE NOBLE QUR'AN" by Dr M. Taqi ud Deen Al Hilili and Dr M. Muhsin Khan would be your cup of tea. I find it interferes with the flow of the reading - so I resort to Ibn Katheer's tafseer (translation of) when I need to delve into meaning.

Unfortunately, many Muslims (including myself) are not proficient in Arabic. I hope the next couple of years will see me reading and understanding the Qur'an in the language it was revealed in.

[Ruqayyah]

May i also add that, each person is going to be answerable for themselves, on the Day of Judgement. That is why the Quran is sent as a guide to ALL.
Muslims should encourage non muslims to read it , and not keep Islam for themselves. If a non Muslim mistreats the Holy Quran, HE ALONE will be answerable, not the Muslims.
Whilst Muslims honour the Quran, it belongs to Allah, not to Muslims. And Allah, out of love has sent it to ALL MANKIND.

Nobody needs to ask permission of the Muslims to read it. Anyone can enter a Muslim bookshop and purchase one. Or obtain one from the library.:)

[Lala]

I really liked these thoughts.

[Nadia]

Originally posted by Raafi
please dont think that you have to go into meditation to read quran, anyone who tells you that is leading you astray

the article was basically looking at the problem of focusing on your deen and gaining the best benefit, and those were guidelines to use

the quran is not to be worshipped, (and i know you werent inferring that) its a book that we should repeat often during the course of the day and reflect upon its meanings

once a man was discussing meditation with the prophet (something along those lines) and the prophet said, our meditation is our salat

so if we remember the quran out of salat, and focus intently on the quran and the salat, that will improve us as people

I do see what you mean Raafi, no Salat with out the Quran!
"You shall recite what is revealed to you of the Scripture and observe the Salat (Contact Prayers)." 29:45

[AbuMubarak]

Originally posted by rukaya
May i also add that, each person is going to be answerable for themselves, on the Day of Judgement. That is why the Quran is sent as a guide to ALL.
Muslims should encourage non muslims to read it , and not keep Islam for themselves. If a non Muslim mistreats the Holy Quran, HE ALONE will be answerable, not the Muslims.
Whilst Muslims honour the Quran, it belongs to Allah, not to Muslims. And Allah, out of love has sent it to ALL MANKIND.

Nobody needs to ask permission of the Muslims to read it. Anyone can enter a Muslim bookshop and purchase one. Or obtain one from the library.:)

my dear sister, the quran must be explained, or else the prophet would have just sent copies of the quran to the romans and byzantines

he sent good brothers to the land of the kafir to explain islam to them, not explain the quran, the quran is the foundation, not the exterior walls of islam

[jamila]

Originally posted by Raafi


my dear sister, the quran must be explained, or else the prophet would have just sent copies of the quran to the romans and byzantines

he sent good brothers to the land of the kafir to explain islam to them, not explain the quran, the quran is the foundation, not the exterior walls of islam

Assalam alaykum, Dear Brother,

You should know Rukaya doesn't think the Qu'ran = Islam. I have to agree with her. The Qur'an is the word of Allah, and does not need explaining at the first encounter. It, in itself, is a guide. And, as you are guided, it becomes clearer and demands explanations - which we have to look for in the Sunnah.

I don't think you have any idea the effect the Qur'an has, even in English, on the open heart of a non Muslim seeker. If you ask a revert why she converted, it won't be because of any (confusing and off putting) explanations given Muslims (from their entrenched taqleeds), but because the Qur'an reached her heart, at least in the majority of cases. (About 6 out of every 10 reverts I meet confirm this).

In fact, it is not umtil Islam is firmly established in one's heart that we can actually benefit most from human teachers. And the Rasul, solah allahu alayhi wassalam used to sent the purest and best practicers of Islam as his ambassadors, to provide the best example other than himself. So the envoys to the non-believers better be pure in their example - else they risk contaminating the Word of Allah.

No, I agree the Qur'an is not the exterior walls of Islam, but it is the foundation on which Islam grows. Islam cannot be "explained" except by referring to the need for submission. Only the exterior fiqh is explainable, but the basis of that fiqh (the iman, or faith) comes from within. Once it is established (the iman) then explanations of Aqeeda will be able to take root.

thank you

jamila :)

['Inayah']

Can anyone tell me of a way to maintain consistency in reading the qur'an? I seem to have a 'burst of action' but can't seem to maintain it. I know that the most loved actions are those that are consistent so I really want to be consistent. How can I do it? Any suggestions?

[AbuMubarak]

your faith goes up and down, enjoy it while its good and make strong dua when you feel weak

keep the tv and radio off

sit with the righteous

avoid useless talk

remember death much

think of the day of judgement and standing before Allah

read stories about the prophet, the companions and righteous people throughout history

['Inayah']

Jazakallah khairan for your reply brother Raafi. I, alhamdullilah do most of what you have suggested and with regards to keeping the TV off ... we don't even have one!:) I will inshaa'Allah keep trying to be consistent ... and struggling in the way of Allah.

Wasalaam.

[Ibn elsabeel]

Originally posted by 'Inayah'
Can anyone tell me of a way to maintain consistency in reading the qur'an? I seem to have a 'burst of action' but can't seem to maintain it. I know that the most loved actions are those that are consistent so I really want to be consistent. How can I do it? Any suggestions?


Dear brother/sister,
I advice you to read the book: Means of Steadfastness: Standing Firm in Islam by Sheikh Mohammed ElMunajjid

The link to the book:
http://63.175.194.25/books/wasaailthabat/english.html

Insha'Allah it will help you lot.

Assalam Alaykum

[Lala]

Originally posted by 'Inayah'
Can anyone tell me of a way to maintain consistency in reading the qur'an? I seem to have a 'burst of action' but can't seem to maintain it. I know that the most loved actions are those that are consistent so I really want to be consistent. How can I do it? Any suggestions?

Set aside a time when you can be contemplative, and make sure that you can do it on a regular basis. Start Small. Like anything, you can't start at the top, you need to train yourself, and take baby steps. I don;t know how much you want to be doing it -- but - lets say you start out setting aside two half hour periods each week. Be consisitent, try and make it the same day each week, & the about the same time. Find a time where you won't be interrupted, and a place where you can be contemplative. Don;t expect to much of yourself at first. Read for only 5 or 10 minutes, but don't leave this place. Stay still, calm you can reflect on the verses you have just read, or work on memorizing them. After a few weeks, do 15, 20 minutes, but still remain in the contemplative place for the full 30. Yoiu can work you way up to an hour or more. When you add a new day, I would suggest starting with the 30 minutes. Anyway, the most important thing is to be regular, & to train yourself that the (at first) 30 minutes, 2 days a week are calm, contemplative times.

Good luck in your pursuits

[AmGie]

My vote for the most religiously informative thread I have yet to read on ummah.com. It was particularly comforting to read about the baby steps. I received a copy of the Qu'ran from a Muslim I met here on ummah.com, and upon excellent advice, started my reading with a host of reference material. I soon became aware that by continuously going to the reference material, I was adversely effecting my ability to fully digest and reflect on what I was reading. I am now reading with little reference, thinking that this allows the message to impact me in its purest form. I am relieved to see that 10-20 minutes is at least one person's recommended reading schedule. I am used to sitting down and reading 400-500 pages of a book at a time, and was somewhat disturbed that my clear focus seems to last only 15-20 minutes and 20-25 pages.

I was at first somewhat suprised in how the language and delivery (I have the Pickthall translation) closely parallels that of the Old and New Testament, until I remembered it is all from the same Source. Particularly, there is parallel in the asking of reflective questions, and lining up a dozen or more examples to drive a point home. Also, with the patience, simple language and basic logic with which the message is revealed.

One thing that has become clear, is that it is not completely certain that I am going to be able to grasp the "big picture". I know there are finite and simple requirements, but right now it seems I am chipping away at a vast iceberg, and it may take years before I reach my point of incompetence. Does this make any sense to you?

One thing of interest though, is that the other day on the drive to work, I realized that I unquestionably believe that God spoke through Mohammed (saw), and further more that I have believed this since the time I was informed that Mohammed's (saw) message was simply building on that which had been revealed before (having stated this from the heart, please be gentle, this is very strange).

Please forgive my rambling and any inadvertant fumbles. I am on foreign ground here, have large issues looming ahead, and feel I am working without a net.

Peace,

Dissociatedly,

AmGod

PS - While I'm rambling on I might as well throw this in: I came to ummah.com shortly after 9/11 with the clear intention of building a bridge across the cultural and religious gulf (I am, after all, an engineer). My intention was to reach across the bridge, not walk over the confounded thing, and frankly parts of me are a little upset over this. While the path is unclear, this is very, very, very strange, to say the least. I welcome your comments and advice.

[AbuMubarak]

In the Name of Almighty Allah
Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalamualaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil Aalameen was Salaatu was
Salaamu 'alaa Ashrafil Anbiyaa'e wal Mursaleen.

Wa Ba'd:

All the injustice and human suffering that exists throughout the Doonya
today is the result of human wrongdoing, which is again the result of man's
ignorance of the purpose and meaning of his existence. To admit that man is
not his own creator is also to admit that the supreme purpose and meaning of
his being precede his existence and that such meaning and purpose must
derive from the same source that his being is derived: the Source of all
being. Hence the source of the meaning of man is the source of his being,
which is just another way of stating that the source of being is the source
of all guidance.

"Our Lord is He Who gave everything its creation, then guided it."

[Surah Qaf verse 50]

"Surely upon Us rests the guidance, and to Us belong
the beginning and the end."

[Surah Al-Lail verses 12 & 13]

Say: "Allah¹s guidance is the {true) guidance."

[Surah Al-Baqara verse 120]

"Magnify the Name of Allah, the Most High, Who
created and shaped, Who determined and guided."

[Surah Al-A¹la verses 1-3]

"Whoever holds fast to Allah, is guided to a Straight Path."

[Surah Al-I-Imran verse 101]


From the viewpoint of Islam, it is upon Almighty Allah
Subhanahu Wata¹ala to guide mankind. _ As declared in the verse:

"Surely upon Us rests the guidance"

and upon man to surrender to this guidance; for a life that is not lived in
faithful harmony to the ultimate purpose for which Almighty Allah Azza
Wajjal has brought man into existence violates the very ground of his being.

"And who is further astray than he who follows
his caprice without guidance from Allah?"

[Surah Al-Qasas verse 50]

"Those are they that have bought error at the price of guidance,
and their commerce has not profited them, and they are not rightly guided."

[Surah Al-Baqara verse 16]

"Those are they that have bought error at the price of guidance, and
chastisement at the price of pardon; what has given them patience to endure
the Fire?"
[Surah Al-Baqara verse 175]

This is how the Most Holy and Glorious Qur¹an describes a people who were
destroyed by Almighty Allah Jallah Wa¹ala due to their obstinate rejection
of the Divine Guidance that was offered to them by the Ambiyaa Alayhim
Salatu Wasallam:

"As for the Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness above
guidance, so the thunderbolt of the humiliating chastisement seized them for
that they were doing."

[Surah Ha-Mim verse 17]

The goal of Al-Islam is to bring up individuals and, as a result, a society
of human beings aware of the higher purposes of creation and moving in the
direction of those goals. Since these higher goals relate to human beings,
they transcend the earthly frontiers of class, caste,
colour, geography, tribe, descent, language, culture, nationality and,
ultimately, all the non-spiritual limits and boundaries that men ordinarily
set up for themselves. It is not that people are not aware and conscious of
their common humanity and their fundamental identity as human beings, but
unfortunately due to the lack of a higher consciousness, they allow their
ego and other lesser identities to obscure the great natural truth of their
humanity. They thus end up with false and counterfeit identities, which
appear to them to be more important and real then their identity as human
beings.


The Most Holy and Glorious Qur¹an does recognize the difference of race,
language and tribe but does not consider them as the basis of the
fundamental identity of human beings. Though it was revealed in the midst of
a people who attached great importance to lineage, kinship, clientage and
ethnic ties, it does not address them as Arabs but as human beings: "Ya
Ayyuhannas!" _ ŒO People!¹ or ŒO human beings!¹ _ is an address that echoes
recurringly throughout the Most Glorious Qur¹an.
Another frequent mode of address in the Most Holy Qur¹an is:

"Ya Ayyuhalladhina Amanu!" i.e.

"O you who have faith!" or "O you who believe!"

The reason for restricting the address at times is that when a speaker
observes that a part of his audience are not attentive and disposed to
listen to him, he restricts his attention to those who listen to him out of
regard for him and faith in his message. The purpose of this address is to
awaken the repressed sense of human identity within human beings, to bring
it to the fore, and to give it the foremost place in their consciousness and
sense of belonging.

The Most Holy and Glorious Qur¹an was revealed in a society that not only
gave the topmost priority to tribal and ethnic ties but had even sanctified
them in the form of tribal gods. These idols whose images of wood, stone and
metal had come to infest the Holy Ka¹bah, the first place of worship built
for the worship of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala.
This house of Almighty Allah was turned by the pagan Arabs into the house of
idols of tribal and ethnic identities, as the very identity of human beings
as creatures of the One Supreme Creator was buried under counterfeit
identities.

The situation of humanity today is not much different from that of pagan
Arabia at the time of the advent of the greatest human being who walked upon
this earth _ Nabee Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam _ the
Beloved, the final and the seal of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata¹ala¹s
prophets Alayhim Salaam.
Whereas on one hand advancements in science and technology have shortened
the physical distances and turned the world into a Œglobal village.¹ Ethnic
and national conflicts and rivalries based on regional, religious, political
and economic groupings underline secondary and counterfeit identities that
supercede the identity of human beings as the creatures of Almighty Allah
Subhanahu Wata¹ala. As responsible rational beings subject to the Supreme
Sovereign, to Whom they are ultimately accountable and answerable for their
conduct.

As long as these counterfeit identities continue their evil grip on the mind
and soul of mankind, and as long as the leaders and statesmen continue to
consider these masks as an essential and indispensable necessity of social
and political life, no progress can be made towards the establishment of a
peaceful, humane and just international order. Without any doubt it may be
said that this is the greatest aspiration of the masses of mankind today.

The situation of our world today is itself witness to the unfinished mission
of Islam in organizing mankind as a single human community and Ummah
liberated from false identities and united in a just international order
under a single world government. We believe that the world is speedily
moving towards such an order and that it already stands at the threshold of
such an era.

Alhumdoelillah! Islam bears the great promise of solving the biggest and
the most basic of the problems confronting humanity today by making man
realize his most fundamental and true identity as a human being and as a
creature invested with a great Divine Mission and capable of attaining to
the highest glories that Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal has reserved for him.

We live in a world devastated by counterfeit ideologies and false world
views against the true Din of Almighty Allah Jallah Wa¹ala that have run
their natural course and ended in ill repute and failure. The West, which
promulgated these false creeds and claimed to be the torch bearers of
civilization, freedom, justice, tolerance and human values and rights, has
finally reached the point where the depths of its blatant hypocrisy have
been fully exposed. It stands bankrupt, decrepit and sterile so far as all
higher human values are concerned.

It has not only lost the credibility to serve as a guide of humanity, it
constitutes the biggest obstacle in the way of humanity in its progress and
movement towards its noblest aspirations and goals. All that has remained
for it to Œaccomplish¹ is to carry on its miserable negative role in a
hypocritical disguise on the world stage. Obviously nothing new that is
humanly worthwhile can come out of old and tested evil and hypocrisy, to say
nothing of a new-world order. Yet what is most funny is that these predators
most shamelessly style themselves as the true champions of human rights.

Injustice, exploitation, oppression, aggression, hypocrisy, racism and the
like are universally considered evil. Every dictionary bears witness to
their unalterable evil and satanic character. The truth is that when man
becomes alienated from his Glorious Creator and Sustainer and forgets the
role and the destiny that He has determined for man, he generates to a level
below that of the beasts.

Islam repudiates all forms of discrimination between human beings in regard
to the application of higher human values and principles. It recognizes no
distinctions of race, region, culture and even creed when it comes to
upholding justice and human rights. Thus the Most Holy and Glorious Qur¹an
declares in Surah Al-Ma¹ida verse 8:

"Let the enmity for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable _
that is nearer to God fearing. And fear Allah; surely Allah is aware of the
things you do."

Islam as a body of life-giving teaching is the only remedy that could save
this society from perishing. But who can save a sick man who is the greatest
enemy of his own physician? In any case, the primary quality of the avowed
enemies of Islam is that they belong to the class of oppressors and
exploiters for whom interests supersede all values. In fact, the highest
value that they recognize is interests, for safeguarding and promoting which
they are willing to violate any values and norm as far as conditions will
permit.

The slave should not awake to his condition, and since the present Islamic
revival tries to awaken him and calls upon him to defends his God-given
independence and rights, Islam should be attacked from all sides and those
who play an active role in its revival should be defamed, suppressed, and,
if possible, wiped out.

While waging a worldwide war against Islam, the Western powers strive to
project their victims as the real aggressors, and while launching one
offensive against it after another, they try to appear not to be attacking
it. Hence the stupid label: Œfundamentalism,¹ and the recurring accusations
of Œterrorism.¹ By the means of such labels, the Western powers try to make
it appear to the gullible and simple-minded public that their war is not against
Islam and more than the one billion two hundred million Muslims of this planet.
Yet with all the devious methods and efforts to conceal their hostility, their
acts reveal the true nature and dimensions of the war that is being waged.

The Muslim nation needs to undergo a process of spiritual renewal, which can
only come from the Most Holy and Glorious Qur¹an and its Divine teachings,
which condemns racism, hatred and prejudices. On who studies the Most Holy
and Glorious Qur¹an cannot fail to notice the intense concern for the plight
of the misguided that runs throughout that most sacred scripture.

As true Muslims we must share that concern. Instead of harboring a feeling
of indifferent conceit towards non-Muslims, we should consider ourselves
responsible whenever we encounter misguidance and ignorance among the
children of Bani Adam. As the vicegerents of Almighty Allah, we must call
the people to the worship of none other than Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal, His
Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and the life-giving Book
_ the Most Holy and Glorious Qur¹an that was revealed to him, through speech
as well as deeds. For Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala declares His Promise
to us in verse 97 of Surah An-Nahl:

"Whoever acts righteously, be it male or female, and is a believer, We will
assuredly give him/her a goodly life; and recompense them their wage,
according to the best of what they did."

"The enemies of Almighty Allah's Din want to put out Allah's Light
but Allah's Light will shine More Glorious than ever. Wealth is for use
and on trust for mankind: Hoard not, nor misuse it. Fight A Straight Fight
in the cause of Righteousness: Go forth bravely to strive and struggle, and
prove yourselves worthy of Almighty Allah Jallah Wa'ala".

[Synopsis of Surah At-Tawbah verses 30 to 42].

Baarak Allaahu Feekum wa sal-Allaahu wa-Salam 'alaa
Nabiyyinna Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.

Was Salamualaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu.

Abdul Hamid

[AbuMubarak]

7 Reasons to Read The Glorious Quran







(1) Intimate:

It dares you to disprove it. How? It says that humans can not write a
book like this even if they pooled all their resources together and
got help also from the spirits. The Quran said this fourteen hundreds
years ago and yet no one has been able to disprove it. Billions of
books have been written - but not another one like the Quran.


(2) Incorruptible:
It is the only religious sacred writing which has been in circulation
for such a long time and yet remains as pure as it was in the
begining. The Quran was kept intact. Nothing was added to it; nothing
was changed in it; and nothing was taken away from it ever since it
was completely revealed 1400 years ago.

(3) Unsurpassable:
The Quran is God's final revelation to humankind. God revealed the
Torah to Moses, the Pslams to David, the Gospel to Jesus, and finally
the Quran to Muhammad. Peace be upon all of them. No other book will
come from God to surpass his final revelation.

(4) Indisputable:
The Quran withstands the test of time and scrutiny. No one can
dispute the truth of this book. It speaks about past history and
turns out right. It speaks about the future in prophecies and it
turns out right. IT mentions details of physical phenomena which were
not known to people at the time; yet later scientific discoveries
confirm that the Quran was right all along. Every other book needs to
be revised to accord with modern knowledge. The Quran alone is never
contracdicted by a modern discovery.

(5) Your Roadmap for Life and Afterlife:
The Quran is the best guidebook on how to structure your life. No
other book presents such a comprehensive system involving all aspects
of human life and endeavour. The Quran also points out the way to
secure everlasting happiness in the afterlife. It is your roadmap
showing how to get to paradise.

(6) God's Gift of Guidance:
God has not left you alone. You were made for a reason. God tells you
why he made you, what he demands from you, and what he has in store
for you. If you operate a machine contrary to it's manufacture
specification you will ruin that machine. What about you? Do you have
an owner's manual for you? The Quran is from your funtion for success
lest you fail to function. It is a healing mercy from God. It
satisfies the soul, and cleans the heart. It removes doubts and
brings peace.

(7) Your Calling Card to Communicate with God:
Humans are social creatures. We love to communicate with other
intelligent life. The Quran tells us how to communicate with the
source of all intelligence and the source of all life- the One God.
The Quran tells us who God is, by what name we should address God,
and the way in which to communicate with God. Are these not seven
sufficient reasons for reading the Quran?


Written by : Shabir Aly




*The Ar Rahman Organisation (A.R.O) is a non profit making Dawah and Islamic organisation, we sincerly hope you keep our efforts in your Dua's and help us to spread the message of Islam.

[AbuMubarak]

Golden Rules for Memorizing the Qur’an* (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#12)





http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/images/pic14.jpg
1. Be Sincere (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#01)
2. Correct Pronunciation and Recitation (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#02)
3. Apportion the Daily Number of Verses to Memorize (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#03)
4. Do Not Move to the Next Portion Till You Master the Present One (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#04)
5. Stick to One Specific Copy of the Glorious Qur’an (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#05)
6. Understand What You Are Memorizing (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#06)
7. Do Not Move from One Surah to Another Till You Connect Its Beginning to Its End (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#07)
8. Recite Frequently before Others (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#08)
9. Follow Up Frequently (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#09)
10. Pay Attention to Similarities (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#10)
11. Seize the Opportunity of the Golden Years to Memorize (http://www.islamonline.net/English/Quran/2004/07/article14.shtml#11)
1. Be Sincere
One must clarify and declare his intention to get the fruit of this task. Thus, memorizing the Glorious Qur’an must be observed only for the Sake of Allah and for winning His Paradise, Pleasure and His Great Rewards. Allah the Almighty says "So worship Allah, making the religion His faithfully. Verily the faithful religion is for Allah". (Al-Zumar: 2-3)
Also, He says "Say, “Surely I have been commanded to worship Allah making the religion His; faithfully". (Al-Zumar: 11)
Thus, there is no reward whatever for those who read and memorize it to be seen and over-praised by others. Also, the one who recites it intending to win worldly gains only is sinful.
2. Correct Pronunciation and Recitation
The first step to take after purifying one’s intention is to correct one’s recitation of the Glorious Qur’an. This will be possible only by listening to a skilled reciter or an excellent memorizer. The only way to become knowledgeable of the Qur’an is to take it orally from others, as the Prophet himself, peace and blessings be upon him, took it orally from Jibreel. Also, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite the Qur’an once before Jibreel during the month of Ramadan every year, but he did it twice before him in the year in which he died.
Consequently, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, taught it to his Companions orally. The generations that followed took it the same way from the earlier ones.
Thus, taking the Glorious Qur’an orally after an excellent reciter is a must. One should always correct his recitation and should not depend on himself, even if he is knowledgeable of Arabic and its rules, as there are in the Qur’an many verses that are in variance with the well-known rules of Arabic.
3. Apportion the Daily Number of Verses to Memorize
One who intends to memorize the Glorious Qur’an should specify the amount he can bear daily, be it a given number of verses, one or two pages, or one-eighth of a juz’ (one thirtieth part). Then, he starts to repeat and repeat till he perfects his memorization. He should recite aloud, first to follow the Prophetic Sunnah and second to perfect his memorization. Intoning the Qur’an is endeared to the hearing and helps with memorizing, as it gets the tongue familiar with a given tune and an error is easily identified when the usual tune varies in one way or another. When this happens, the tongue feels the variation and stops to correct the recitation. Besides, reciting aloud was advocated by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “The one who does not intone his recitation of the Qur’an is not one of us.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
4. Do Not Move to the Next Portion Till You Master the Present One
One who memorizes the Glorious Qur’an should not move to the next portion till he masters the previous one. One way to perfect his portion is to make it his business day and night to recite it during his silent Prayer and, in case he is leading the Prayer, in his aloud Prayer. Also, one should recite it in the Sunnah Prayers and while waiting for the beginning of the Prayer. In this way, memorizing the Qur’an will be easy and possible for everyone, even if one seems busy. This is because one will not sit down just once to practice this. Rather he will listen to the instructor once, then he will start repeating it himself during the times mentioned and in Fard (obligatory) and Sunnah (optional) Prayers as well. If something prevents one from memorizing his due portion in the specified day, he should not move to a new one portion till he has perfected his memorization of the former.
5. Stick to One Specific Copy of the Glorious Qur’an
One factor that helps to master memorization is to stick to just one copy of the Glorious Qur’an. This is because man memorizes things by sight as well as by hearing. The form of the verses and their locations on the page of the Qur’an are stamped in one’s mind because of the frequent repetition and the act of looking at the copy itself. Thus, if one changes his copy or memorizes from more than one, his memorization will not be so easy or good enough.
6. Understand What You Are Memorizing
One of the greatest aides to memorizing the Glorious Qur’an is to understand the verses and recognize the relationship between them. Thus, one who intends to memorize should read some explanations of the intended verses and should understand how they are related. He should also be attentive as he reads to easily remember the verses afterwards. He should not depend solely on his understanding of the verses; rather, the repetition should be the basis of memorizing. This is to enable the tongue to read even in times when the mind is not wholly attentive. The one who depends mostly on understanding is liable to forget and stop as soon as his mind is not attentive. This happens mostly during long recitations.
7. Do Not Move from One Surah to Another Till You Connect Its Beginning to Its End
After memorizing a whole surah of the Glorious Qur’an, one should not move to the next till he has mastered it perfectly. He should connect its beginning to its end, and his tongue should move with it smoothly and easily without exerting his mind in remembering the verses and continuing the recitation. Rather, his memorization should be as smooth as water and he should recite it without any faltering whatever, even if he is not attentive to the meanings sometimes. It should be like the case when one recites Al-Fatihah without any effort, and this, of course, is due to its being frequently repeated and recited. Likening this to Al-Fatihah is something figurative, as no one will commit the whole Qur’an to his memory just like it. The point is that one should try to fix the whole Surah in his mind, connected and smooth, and not to move to the next till he has memorized it perfectly.
8. Recite Frequently before Others
One who memorizes the Glorious Qur’an should not depend only on his memorization. He should always recite before another memorizer or even one who just follows along in a copy of the Qur’an. It is preferable that that person be an excellent memorizer to notify the new memorizer with the things he might forget or recite inattentively.
It is true that one may memorize something incorrectly and never notice it, even though he is looking at the copy of the Qur’an because reading precedes sight. The memorizer may look at the copy of the Qur’an and not recognize the fault’s location. Hence, reciting the Qur’an before others is a perfect way to amend these mistakes and set one’s mind always attentive.
9. Follow Up Frequently
The Glorious Qur’an differs from other materials intended to be committed to one’s heart as it is more fleeting from one’s mind, as shown by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, “By Him in Whose Hand my life is! It runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their tying ropes.” (Agreed-upon)
As soon as one who memorizes the Qur’an leaves it, it flees from him and he rapidly forgets it. So, one must follow up frequently and continuously observe in order to preserve it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The example of the person who knows the Qur’an by heart is like the owner of tied camels. If he keeps them tied, he will control them, but if he releases them, they will run away.” He also said, “Keep on reciting the Qur’an, for, by Him in Whose Hand my life is, the Qur’an runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their tying ropes.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
This means that one who memorizes the whole Qur’an should read at least a whole juz’ per day, and he should not exceed ten juz’s per day. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “He who finishes the recitation of the Qur’an in less than three days, does not understand it.” (Agreed-upon)
Through this frequent follow-up and permanent observation, committing the Qur’an to one’s heart can be kept free from forgetting.
10. Pay Attention to Similarities
The Glorious Qur’an has similarities in meanings, words, and verses, as Allah the Almighty says, "Allah has sent down the fairest discourse - as a Book, consimilar (and) oft-repeated, whereat shiver the skins of the ones who are apprehensive of their Lord; thereafter their skins and their hearts soften to the Remembrance of Allah". (Al-Zumar, 23)
It is a fact that the Qur’an has more than six thousand verses, around two thousand of which are similar in one way or another. In some locations the similarity is exact, while in others there may be a difference of just one letter or one or a few words.
Hence, one who memorizes the Qur’an should pay great attention to the similar verses. The more one pays attention to these similarities, the firmer his memorization gets. One may find help in reading the books that deal with similar verses. Foremost among these books are:
1- Durat Al-Tanzil wa Ghurat Al-Ta’wil by Al-Khateeb Al-Iskafi.
2- Asrar Al-Tikrar fi Al-Qur’an, by Mahmoud Ibn Hamzah Ibn Nasr Al-Karmani, and others.
11. Seize the Opportunityof the Golden Years to Memorize
The successful person is the one who seizes the opportunity of his early golden years from five to nearly twenty-three. Man’s memory during this period is in the best shape. Before five, one is too young to pay attention to memorizing, and after twenty-three his faculty to memorize begins to decline while his faculty of comprehension and understanding starts to increase. So, as much as possible, one should use these golden years to commit the Qur’an to memory.
Committing anything to one’s heart during this early age takes place very fast, while forgetting it happens slowly. On the contrary, when man gets old he memorizes very slowly and forgets very quickly. Thus, the Arabic proverb is perfectly true that says “Learning in childhood is just like engraving on stones, while learning in adulthood is just like drawing on water.”
So, we should not waste these golden years and should try to commit the Glorious Qur’an to our hearts. If we were unable to do so, it is better not to escape the opportunity in regards to our children. May Allah grant us all success, and send blessings on our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions as well.
*Translated from Arabic by Ali Al-Halawani, Head of Shar`i English Unit at www.islamonline.net (http://www.islamonline.net/). You can reach him at: alihalawani72@hotmail.com (alihalawani72@hotmail.com)


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