HADITH: Shu'bah narrated from AbdurRahman as-Sulami who narrated from Uthman Ibn affan that the Prophet said, "The best among you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it to others" Abu Abdurahman As-Sulami said, "This Hadith made me sit down in the masjid to teach it to others." He sat for 40 years teaching it. (Bukhari)
The virtues of the Qur'an are abundant and there are many blessings consequent to learning it and teaching it to others, because it is a book of guidance, happiness, and success.
Whomever Allah honours by teaching him the Qur'an, Allah has opened the gate of happiness and success in this world and in the next. It is a book of every good.
The scholars said that learning the Qur'an and teaching it to others includes two things:
1) Learning and teaching the wordings of the Qur'an and articulating it, its Tajweed,
2) Learning and teaching the meaning of the Qur'an.
The Prophet said this person will be the best amongst you. Whoever learns how to pronounce, articulate it correctly, and teach it, are all considered one of the best people. On top of that, learning the meaning of the Qur'an and teaching it to the people is even better.
The Sahabah didn't just take care of pronouncing the Qur'an correctly, they also took care of the meaning of the Qur'an.
They would study around 10 verses and not pass them until they learnt and acted upon it.
We need to take care of reciting the Qur'an correctly and understanding the meaning of the Qur'an.
Ibn AlQayyim said in مفتاح دار السعادة, "Learning the Qur'an and teaching it includes learning it's wordings and meanings and teaching it to others. But the latter is the nobler of the two knowledges"
When Abu Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami heard this Hadith from Uthman Ibn Affan it made him sit and teach it to others. This indicates the quick response of the Salaf when they heard any Hadith.
We may react to just one or two hadiths and become occupied with our lives and forget.
This is why the Prophet called them خير القرن. When they heard they immediately applied.
The Scholars said, "Learning the wording or meaning of the Qur'an is an act of worship which requires two things:
1) استعانه
You need Allah's help to stay firm
2) جحاد النفس
We need to strive hard."
"Taking care of the wording of the Qur'an is just a means" - Ibn AlQayyim
We don't take care of either one, we balance both. We take care of the means to attain the goal.
HADITH: Once the Prophet passed by the companions sitting in As-Suffah learning the Qur'an. He said, "Do you love that you go to But'ham and Aqeeq (Two valleys in Madinah where people used to sell camels) and get قوامين (two big humped she- camels) without committing sin nor cutting the relation between kith and kin every morning" They said, "All of us like that O Messenger of Allah" The Prophet said, "If you go to the Masjid every day and learnt two verses of the Qur'an and that would be better that two she-camels" (Muslim)
This Hadith shows us the insignificance of the Dunya.
It also shows us every Muslim should have a daily share of learning the Qur'an, either one or two verses, correct it's pronunciation and learning it's wording. This is the most beloved deed to Allah, because Allah loves the deed that is done regularly even if it's little.
These two Hadith emphasises that we need to take care of learning the book of Allah.
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THE HARDENED HEART
Allah has mentioned that the Qur'an is a healing for the sicknesses of doubts and desire.
There are many kinds of hearts which Allah mentioned in the Qur'an. One is the قلب القاسي (The hardened hearts).
Allah dispraised the hardened hearts and tells us that the Jews and Bani Israel had hardened of hearts.
The Prophet said, "There is a morsel in the body, if it is reformed, the whole body will be reformed. If it is corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt"
The heart will affect the person in manners, his acts of worship will be correct, there will be more submissiveness, and they will enjoy the acts of worship.
The heart that is corrupted will show no mercy, will be arrogant, heedless, following his desires, slave to the Dunya, his acts of worship will be heavy on them, and devoid of Khushoo. He is always after the Dunya, nothing ever satisfies him. He may have abundant fortune but he will always feel in need. This is a dead heart.
The heart has an affect on the person. The worst of the hearts and the furthest away from Allah is the hardened heart. This is a very dangerous state.
Malik Ibn Dinar said, "There is no greater punishment from Allah than the hardness of the heart. And when Allah is angry with someone, he removes mercy away from him"
Aaishah narrated that a Bedouin came to the Prophet and said, "You people kiss your children and we don't" The Prophet said, "I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah removed it"
Allah is the one who puts mercy in the hearts and takes mercy from hearts,
The Prophet kissed AlHasan Ibn Ali in front of Aqra. He said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have 10 children and never kissed any one of them" The Prophet said, "Whoever doesn't deal with others with mercy, Allah will not deal with him in mercy"
This is an evil heart that is afflicted with temptations of the Shaytan. He can overpower it with his evil whispers.
(22:53)
ليجعل ما يلقي الشيطان فتنة للذين في قلوبهم مرض والقاسية قلوبهم
(39:22)
فويل للقاسية قلوبهم من ذكر الله
The hardened heart is the lifeless heart. It is a heart which doesn't know who Allah is, or act upon the command of Allah. He is always in pursuit of his desires regardless if it makes Allah angry or not.
He loves for the sake of His desire, He gives, prevents, for the sake of it. He worships other than Allah with fear, love and hope. His اله is his desire. He is heedless. He is engrossed in excessive love of this Dunya. When He is called neither admonition nor warning affects Him. His pleasure and anger is for the sake of this world, not Allah. These are the people who are deaf and blind, they don't hear and see the signs of Allah, they don't seek except falsehood. They are the ones who will be admitted into hellfire.
The scholars have concluded this from the Qur'an.
Hardness of Heart in the Qur'an:
- قسا
- قست (Past Tense)
(2:74)
(6:43)
(57:16)
- قاسية (Noun)
(5:13)
(22:53)
(39:22)
- قسوة (Noun)
(2:74)
The opposite of قسوة is لين.
1) (2:74)
ثم قست قلوبهم من بعد ذالك فهي كالحجارة او أشد قسوة..
The Context (السياق): This verse came after the Story of the Cow.
In the beginning, Allah didn't mention why he told Musa to tell the Israelites to slaughter the cow. Bani Israeel didn't comply with the command of their Prophet, showed stubbornness and arrogance. They first accused him of being foolish and ignorant. They kept asking many questions.This indicates they didn't want to act upon the command of Allah. They made the matter difficult on themselves.
They didn't want to slaughter it, but they did. Allah then informed them of the reason. That a man was killed and his killer was unknown. He ordered them to strike the dead person with a part of the cow and Allah showed them His ability in giving life to a dead person. The dead person mentioned the identity of the killer. They saw all that with their own eyes.
Yet after Allah showed them all the signs which indicate His power and ability, instead of softening their hearts, their hearts became hardened.
This means that whenever any command of Allah comes, and the person doesn't comply with it, it indicates the hardness of the hearts of that person.
كالحجارة او أشد قسوة
Their hearts are hardened like stones, or even harder than stones. Stones are harder than steel and iron, because the latter melts in high temperatures, yet stones would never. It may break into pieces, but never does it melt.
Harder than stones because there are stones where rivers gush forth, stones which fall down out of fear Allah.
Ibn Uthaymeen said, "Even the inanimate submit themselves to Allah"
Even the mountains, trees, seas, glorify Allah. They know their lord.
"Even the stones are far better than their hearts" - As-Sa'di
As-Sa'di said regarding Verse 73, "لعلكم تعقلون" that Allah is showing them His signs in order for you to understand and comply with the command of Allah.
Ibn Uthaymeen said, "This hardness of the heart is an intangible hardness (قسوة معنوية)"
One of the descriptions of the hardened heart is that it doesn't comply to the command. And one of the causes of hardening of the heart is not complying to the command.
Arrogance, Stubbornness, Un submissiveness, No admonition affects them.
2) (5:13)
The Context (السياق): Allah took a covenant with the Children of Israel and appointed on them 12 leaders. These leaders were there to supervise their tribes and keep the covenant of Allah.
The aspects of the covenant
- Establishing Salaat
- Pay the Obligatory Alms
- Believe in the Messengers (Obeying them, respecting them, Following them and what they have been given of the book, and to believe in the final messenger)
- Assist and help the Messengers
- Lend Allah a goodly loan (Give voluntary Charity)
What Allah promised them of reward if they fulfilled the covenant
- Be with them. This is the companionship of Allah, which is one of His attributes. This is not with His essence, but His help, support and knowledge.
- Forgive their evil deeds
- Admit them into Paradise
The punishment if they violated the covenant:
- They will be pushed away from the straight path. This person chose that path knowingly and purposely. Allah showed them the guidance but they preferred misguidance.
- Allah's cursed them. They will be excluded from the mercy of Allah.
- Allah made their hearts hardened
- They changed the verses, deleted, added, and hid many rulings and verses from the people
Nowadays we can find a lot of distortions in their books. This is a punishment of Allah, to make them like that.
- They نسوا (This has two meanings: Allah erased the knowledge from their mind and they abandoned action of what they learnt. With time they forgot)
They behave like ignorant as if they never learnt. This is a kind of punishment.
When Allah mentions to us about the state of Bani Israel, don't think it concerns them and no one else. Allah tells us their state in order for us to take care not to adopt their way. Nowadays there are many Muslims, from deviated sects, changing and misinterpreting the Qur'an according to their whims.
There are people whom Allah had given knowledge, and you wonder where this knowledge has gone. They act like an ignorant person.
- They are treacherous.
As-Sa'di, "No admonition will affect that heart, neither the verses or Hadith will benefit them, nor can any craving for the hereafter affect them. This is the greatest punishment"
The Lessons:
1) one of the causes of a hardened heart is breaching the covenant. Allah commanded us with prayer, zakat, to believe in the Prophets, to follow the Sunnah. If the person neglects these He will have his share, part of the curse, hardness of heart, changing the verses, will be untrustworthy.
3) (57:16-17)
الم يأن للذين آمنوا ان تخشع قلوبهم لذكر الله و ما نزل من ال
The Context (السياق)
Allah is talking about the male and female believers in Paradise and the male and female hypocrites in the hellfire. He is talking about the Day of the Judgement, and the state of both groups.
Then Allah says, Hasn't the time come for the hearts to humble themselves!? Why is your heart not softened
Allah is rebuking the believers for not submitting to Allah and to His remembrance. This verse includes encouragement for striving hard to attain a submissive heart towards Allah, His book, His remembrance, The Legal rulings, to take themselves to account if one falls into shortcoming.
Allah is telling us to not be like the Jews and Christians. Allah gave them the book, sent them messengers with admonition and reminders. They neglected the books, didn't act upon what Allah commanded them with, they changed the words in the books, etc. when the time prolonged, they fell into heedlessness, their faith was decreased and their hearts became heart.
They avoided acting upon the command of Allah, not remembering Allah, this caused them to fall into the hardness of the heart.
In order to stay firm and not to be like the people of the scriptures then always remember Allah. Remembrance of Allah will keep the heart alive.
Allah says "لذكر الله"
Any good you do for the sake of Allah is considered Dhikr Allah. You are doing the good deed with the intention of pleasing Allah.
Another act of worship is reflecting on the creation of Allah. When you sit down and reflect on the universe it is a kind of remembrance of Allah.
We should be doing it every moment of our lives.
Your state and the state of your heart, even if you didn't talk, just thinking and reflecting is a remembrance of Allah.
Thinking of your situation and the decree of Allah whether it is adversity, prosperity, sadness, etc, makes you remember Allah.
Remembrance of Allah makes the heart alive. Any heart or person which doesn't remember Allah, his heart will be hardened, like the people of the scripture. They were given all the means to soften their heart, but they neglected the books and followed their desires, which made them fall into the hardness of the heart.
Allah gives us hope in Verse 17:
Allah gives life to the dead land. Just as Allah gives life to the dead lands, He is able to give life to the dead heart.
Even if the heart is hardened, then don't lose hope in Allah.
One of the signs of the hardness of the heart is the dryness of the eyes. Even if you notice signs within you, know that Allah is able to give life to the dead hearts, just as he gives life to the dead land.
Lessons:
1) Avoid neglecting the remembrance of Allah. Remember Allah during every state of yours, with your limbs, tongue, heart.
2) Avoid heedlesness (الغفلة). One of the causes of heedlessness is being excessively indulged in worldly affairs.
Even if you get what you like in this world there is Imbitterment in it. There is no 100% enjoyment in this world. You will get it after pain, it is mixed with path, and even after it goes there is pain.
الدنيا بلغة منغصة
Allah tells us the reality of this life in Verse 20.