بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
How to recite the Qur'an and act upon it
The Prophet ﷺ said:
يُقَالُ لِصَاحِبِ الْقُرْآنِ : اقْرَأْ وَارْتَقِ وَرَتِّلْ ، كَمَا كُنْتَ تُرَتِّلُ فِي الدُّنْيَا ، فَإِنَّ مَنْزِلَكَ عِنْدَ آخِرِ آيَةٍ تَقْرَؤُهَا
It shall be said to the companion of the Qur'an (when he enters Paradise): Recite and ascend. Recite melodiously as you used to recite in the world, for indeed, your rank shall be at the last verse you recite.
[Authenticated by Al-Albani and graded Hasan]
Who is the Companion of the Qur'an?
An-Nawas Ibn Sam'an said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
يُؤْتَى بِالْقُرْآنِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَأَهْلِهِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ بِهِ تَقْدُمُهُ سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ وَآلُ عِمْرَانَ
The Qur'an will be brought on the Day of Resurrection as will its people, who used to act upon it, led by Surah al-Baqarah and Aal-Imran.
[Muslim]
What are some of the descriptions of the the Companion of the Qur'an?
a) He adheres to the Qur'an
This adherence is measured by the amount of time you spend with it. A companion is considered a companion when you spend time with them. Seeing someone for minutes cannot be called adherence.
b) He loves the Qur'an
The companion should love his companion. The criteria for love is truthfulness and this is shown when he defends the Qur'an, always talks about what is in the Qur'an, and refers back to it. He supports and defend the Qur'an as companions defend one another.
c) He has detailed knowledge about the Qur'an
Adherence and love necessitate that the companion knows his companion well. If the Qur'an is your companion, you should know it thoroughly and in detail. The relationship should be deep; not superficial. You should know everything about each Surah in the Qur'an. If someone asks you how many times the story of Adam عليه السلام is mentioned in the Qur'an and which Surahs and contexts it is mentioned in, you should know. The more one adheres to the Qur'an, the more one knows about it.
Is the Companion of the Qur'an the memorizer of the Qur'an?
There are many opinions, the most correct of which is that it is not a condition for the Companion of the Qur'an to have memorized it. Memorization is a gift from Allah; He gave some people strong memory while He did not give it to others.
The praise in the Hadith is for the companion of the Qur'an and not the talent of memorization although the person who has fulfilled the three conditions and memorized the Qur'an is better than the one who fulfilled the conditions and did not memorize it.
If you love the Qur'an and know it in detail but have not memorized it, you will not be deprived on the Day of Judgement. The Scholars said in their explanation of the Hadith in Muslim that the person will be reminded of the verses he acted upon even if he did not memorize them and he will be made to forget the verses he did not act upon even though he memorized them.
How do I act upon the Qur'an?
Action is not limited to action of the limbs. There are verses related to action of the limbs such as praying, fasting, going for Hajj, but the majority of the verses require actions of the heart, then actions of the tongue and limbs. Even the actions of the limbs are based on actions of the heart. And the most important action of the heart is belief in Allah. Belief in Allah entails belief in His names, attributes, actions, how He deals with His servants, etc. Then come the rest of the articles of faith. If you believe, you have acted upon the verse.
The matter is difficult on us because we are in haste. Take your time with the Qur'an, enjoy it, increase your faith with it. You will be rewarded for every minute you spend with the Quran and your time will be blessed.
E.g. Surah Fatir [35:1-6]:
This is a Makkan Surah which is also called سورة الملائكة (Chapter of The Angels) because it begins speaking about the Angels. In the beginning, you just get to know the Surah. You do not open the Tafseer Book, you just recite.
"All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the (only) Originator [or the (only) Creator] of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, - two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things."
"Whatever of mercy (i.e.of good), Allah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter. And He is the AllMighty, the AllWise."
"O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allah upon you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Him)?"
"And if they belie you (O Muhammad SAW), so were Messengers belied before you. And to Allah return all matters (for decision)."
"O mankind! Verily, the Promise of Allah is true. So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah."
"Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire."
Divide each verse into sentences. This helps you understand the verse more.
Verse 1:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ ۚ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
"All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the (only) Originator [or the (only) Creator] of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, - two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things."
1) "الحمد لله"
Allah begins the Surah praising His noble self. Any Surah that begins with الحمد focuses on Tawheed and denunciation of Shirk, such as Surah al-Kahf and Surah al-An'am.
لام الإستحقاق (Lam al-Istihqaq) = Allah deserves all praise
Why? Because of His perfect attributes and actions + His abundant blessings.
One of the themes of Surah Fatir, in addition to the articles of faith, is that Allah reminds us of His abundant and various types of blessings.
From Allah's perfect actions:
2) "فاطر السماوات و الأرض" - The Originator of the Heavens and Earth
You may ask yourself: What is the difference between Fatir and Creator?
You put this question aside and check in the Tafseer Book after you are done.
Allah brought the heavens and earth into existence. From among the creation of the heavens:
3) "جاعل الملائكة رسل"
Allah made the Angels Messengers between Him and His Prophets.
4) "أولي أجنحة مثنى و ثلاث و رباع"
They Angels have wings. This means that the Angels fly and are quick in bringing the message of Allah to the Messengers.
Some Angels have two wings, some have three, some have four, and some have more than that. The Prophet ﷺ saw Jibreel عليه السلام in his real form, and he had six hundred wings.
5) "يزيد في خلق ما يشاء"
Allah mentions this generally. This means that it includes everything.
As-Suddee said, "Allah increases their wings and creates them as He wills." - Allah increases them in their strength, beauty, limbs, in the beauty of their voices, etc.
6) "إن الله على كل شيء قدير"
Nothing is impossible for Allah.
You have to recite and explain it to yourself.
Names, Attributes, and Actions of Allah:
a) الحمد لله - Allah praises His noble self for creating the heavens and earth and all what they consist of creatures.
b) فاطر السماوات و الأرض - This is a restricted name of Allah
c) جاعل الملائكة - This is a restricted name of Allah
d) يزيد - This is an action of Allah. Allah increases the creation as He wills.
e) يشاء - This is an action of Allah. No one can force Allah, no one can repel the command of Allah. Whatever Allah wills will happen
f) إن الله على كل شيء قدير - The verse ends with this, thus it is talking about Allah's ability. We have to see Allah's ability in this verse:
- He brought the heavens and earth into existence.
- He made the Angels Messengers
- He increased to the creation what He wills
It also indicates Allah's vast dominion and His mercy, when He made the Angels Messengers. The Angels bring down messages from Allah, which are good for the human.
Whenever you hear مشيئة (will) of Allah, know that it is based on Allah's knowledge and wisdom.
You have to think deeply about the verse. It is enough to come out saying: Allah is praising His noble self for creating the heavens and earth and making the Angels Messengers, and He has the ability to increase in His creation.
This is all affirming your belief in Allah. Nothing else is required from you.
Belief in the Angels
a) The Angels are Messengers
b) They have wings
Verse 2:
مَّا يَفْتَحِ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا ۖ وَمَا يُمْسِكْ فَلَا مُرْسِلَ لَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
"Whatever of mercy (i.e.of good), Allah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter. And He is the AllMighty, the AllWise."
1) "ما يفتح للناس من رحمة فلا ممسك لها"
2) "و ما يمسك فلا مرسل لها"
This verse consists of two sentences, each of which contain an affirmation and negation.
Affirmation: Whatever Allah opens of His mercy
Negation: No One can withhold it
Affirmation: And whatever He withholds
Negation: No one can grant it
Mercy is everything good. It could be knowledge, good health, good family, good husband, provision, gatherings, etc.
Allah ended the verse with:
"والله عزيز حكيم"
Each name is suitable to the context of the verse:
عزيز: If Allah grants something or withhold no one can compel Allah to give or withhold it.
حكيم: He knows whom to grant it to; He knows who deserves it from those who do not.
Names and Actions of Allah in the Verse:
a) يفتح
b) يمسك
c) العزيز
d) الحكيم
How should we affirm our belief in Allah from this verse? What should we tell ourselves?
We should have hope and fear:
If you hope for any mercy or desire any good, then hope it from Allah alone and no one else. This is Tawheed. Allah is the One who gives and no one else, and if He gives none can withhold it.
You should have fear of Allah withholding mercy from you, for if He does, no one can give it to you.
E.g. You were enjoying good health. This is a mercy from Allah. Suddenly you became sick. Allah withheld good health from you. You do not say because so and so gave me evil eye, or because of this medicine, etc. Allah is the One who opens and withholds. Leave the means and causes aside.
E.g. You were enjoying a good life and suddenly you had many problems. Allah opened this happiness from you and now He is withholding it from you. Do not accuse your family, husband, or any other person. It is Allah's action. You have to implore Allah, and ask Him to open this mercy for you.
E.g. A husband was a loving husband and he suddenly changed. Allah opened the love of your husband for you, then He withheld it from you. Do not say because of the mother in law or sister in law, Allah is the One who يفتح و يمسك. This is a belief you have based on this verse.
E.g. If someone threatens you, you dismiss it, because you know that no one can withhold the blessings of Allah from you. This poor person thinks he can do something in the dominion of Allah. He does not know that if Allah grants something, no one can prevent it, because He is العزيز الحكيم.
E.g. She used to go easily to class then it was made difficult.
Every situation you go through, whether it is sickness after good health, hatred after love, tell this verse to yourself.
الله يفتح و يمسك. Hope in Allah and fear His punishment. Ask Him to open it for you again, do not go knocking on the doors of people.
After ever obligatory prayer we say:
لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد، وهو على كل شيء قدير.
اللهم لا مانع لما أعطيت، ولا معطي لما منعت،
ولا ينفع ذا الجد منك الجد
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli shai'in Qadir.
Allahumma la mani'a lima a'tayta, wa la mu'tiya lima mana'ta, wa la yanfa'u dhal-jaddi, minkal-jaddu
"There is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent.
O Allah! None can deny that which You bestow and none can bestow that which You hold back;
and the greatness of the great will be of no avail to them against You."
[Agreed Upon]
If Allah wills to touch someone with harm, no one can remove it except Allah. And if Allah wills to do good to someone, no one can close that gate from him.
Verse 3:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ هَلْ مِنْ خَالِقٍ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ
"O mankind! Remember the Grace of Allah upon you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky (rain) and the earth? La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turning away (from Him)?"
1) يأيها الناس
Allah is addressing the people. Who are they? Me and you.
What is the command?
2) "اذكروا نعمة الله عليكم"
Whenever Allah commands us with something, our attitude should be to say: "سمعنا و أطعنا" (We hear and obey).
How many of us remember the favours of Allah upon us in detail? In order to act upon this command of Allah, remember the first blessing we have in the beginning of the day. Allah enables us to wake up, gives us the strength to get up and walk, and all the food and drink we consume are blessings from Allah. You go out to seek your livelihood and earnings, and the strength you have in doing all these actions are blessings from Allah, until you enter the night. The night by itself is a blessing from Allah. When you hold the cup of milk to drink it is a blessing. Had Allah not created the cow, sent down rain, brought forth the plant, created the milk in the stomach of the cow, processed the milk by the strength of the man, until we got it without any effort, we would have not had it. But how many of us remember this blessing? We eat and drink as if life should be like that.
We have to remember the blessings of Allah upon us in detail.
3) "هل من خالق غير الله يرزقكم من السماء"
Many people do not remember the blessings of Allah because they find difficulty in attributing the favour of Allah back to Allah. They think that they planned, they put effort, they got the result, and they earned because of their intelligence and skill.
Allah asks: Is there a Creator other than Allah? No, there is no Creator besides Allah. No one claimed that they created the heavens and earth, brought the mountains into existence, put the stars in the sky, and the seas in the water.
Answer the question to yourself; do not just pass it.
And when He created us, did He leave us without giving us provision? He is the One who created us and He is the One who provides for us.
We think that if we do not work there is no way we will get money. But where is Allah in our life? If you want to act upon the verse, admit that there is no creator except Allah and admit that He is the One who provides your salary for you. To think that you are providing for and sustaining yourself is an incorrect way of thinking.
4) " لا إله الا هو"
There is no one who deserves to be loved, magnified, worshipped except Allah. No one provides for us except Allah. No one arranges and disposes our affairs except Allah.
If you see Allah has honoured someone, know that Allah honoured him.
If you see someone humiliated, know that Allah has humiliated him.
You will not reach Tawheed until you remind yourself of the blessings of Allah upon you in detail. When you remind yourself of His blessings the result will be that you love Allah.
5) "فأنى تؤفكون"
If you connect the first sentence of the verse with the last: Allah is calling you, O mankind, how can you turn away?
Acting upon the verse is explaining the present situation you are living in according to the Word of Allah.
Think of yourself when you are reciting the Qur'an and think of your situation. Do not look at anyone else. When Allah says "يا أيها الناس اذكروا نعمة الله عليكم" (O mankind, remember the blessings of Allah upon you) think of the blessings Allah gave you in detail. This is how you apply the verse to yourself.
When Allah says "هل من خالق غير الله" (Is there a Creator besides Allah?) affirm that no one created you and the whole world except Allah. This is something ingrained in our natural disposition, that every event has a doer. Nothing comes into existence by accident. The Heavens and Earth should have a Creator. Where is He? He must be high, because the sky is high. He must be great, because His creation is great.
Verse 4:
وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ ۚ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ
"And if they belie you (O Muhammad SAW), so were Messengers belied before you. And to Allah return all matters (for decision)."
Although Allah mentioned His favours upon the creation, there are people who deny Allah. Therefore, Allah says:
1) "و إن يكذبوك فقد كذبت رسل من قبلك"
Allah is addressing the Prophet ﷺ and those who call people to worship Allah alone. Allah is consoling the heart of the Prophet ﷺ - if the people do not accept your Da'wah, then remind yourself of the Messengers before you. Their people denied them. You are not the first Messenger who was denied by his people. Be at rest. This is the attitude of the disbelievers; they deny the truth. And remember something important:
2) "و إلى الله ترجع الأمور"
The matter will return to Allah and He will take account of them. Do not kill yourself out of grief. If He guides them, it is up to Him. If he leaves them misguided, it is up to Him.
Verse 5:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ
"O mankind! Verily, the Promise of Allah is true. So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah."
1) "يأيها الناس"
Allah mentions this repeatedly in this Surah.
2) "إن وعد الله حق"
We have to believe that Allah's promise is truth. Search for all the promises of Allah in the Qur'an one by one and believe that they are the truth.
E.g. "اذكروني اذكركم"
E.g. "و من يتق الله يجعل له مخرجا"
E.g. "و من يتوكل على الله فهو حسبه"
E.g. "و لئن شكرتم لأزيدنكم"
E.g. "إنا لننصر رسلنا و الذين آمنوا"
When you go through any situation with your opponent, Allah will support you with victory. Support could come by Allah reminding you of strong evidence (حجة), Him keeping you firm, etc.
3) "فلا تغرنكم الحياة الدنيا"
Allah commands us to not be deceived with this world.
What is the Dunya? Every one of us has a Dunya different from the other person. It is the worldly matter which we are concerned about.
E.g. A teenager who is beautiful. Allah opened the gate of beauty for her. This is her Dunya. She is always checking her face, sad about her pimplem etc. Her Dunya is her beauty.
E.g. A person's Dunya could be her children and what they eat, what they drink, their future, if they are married, etc.
E.g. There are people whose Dunya is their husbands, others their job, others their money.
What is your Dunya which you are deceived by? We may not know that unless we ask Allah to open our eyes to see what we are concerned about the most. What is making you sad?
4) "و لا يغرنكم بالله غرور"
Who is the chief deceiver? The Shaytan.
Allah orders us to not let him deceive us concerning Allah.
Allah said that His promise is the truth in the beginning of the verse and said do not let the Shaytan deceive you at the end.
E.g. Allah promised you that if you spend, He will give you more. Shaytan comes and promises poverty. Allah said in Surah al-Baqarah [2:268]:
"Shaitan (Satan) threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit Fahsha (evil deeds, illegal sexual intercourse, sins etc.); whereas Allah promises you Forgiveness from Himself and Bounty, and Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower."
Whenever Allah commands you with something, do not think a thousand times if you should give or not. Give and believe in the promise of Allah.
Verse 6:
إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِير
"Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire."
1) "إن الشيطان لكم عدو"
2) "فاتخذوه عدوا"
3) "إنما يدعو حزبة ليكونوا من أصحاب السعير"
It is obligatory for us to take the Shaytan as our enemy. If we do not take him as our enemy we will be from his followers, and the end of the followers of the Shaytan is the Hellfire.
Do we take him as our enemy or not? How much do we realize his enmity towards us?
Check your إستعاذة - then you would know if you take the Shaytan as your enemy or not. He is a manifest enemy to the sons of Adam عليه السلام, especially the believers. The Shaytan and his cavalry fight the believers. Whenever the believer intends to do good, the Shaytan tries his best to stop him. He sends his followers from the humankind and Jinn to convince him not to do it.
E.g He wants to forgive, the Shaytan whispers in his heart: If you forgive you will be humiliated, the person will repeat the mistake, this is a weak characteristic, etc.
If we realize his enmity, we would strongly flee away from him. But he whispers and we listen and he whispers and we listen until our hearts become full of worries and concerns.
Check your patience. Lack of patience, lack of gratitude, having suspicions in people, doubting in Allah's promises, thinking evil about Allah, are all from the Shaytan. Grief and sadness is from the Shaytan. This is because you listened to the whispers of the Shaytan. You did not run away from him and take him as your enemy. This is the problem we fall into. Shaytan is whispering, and we listen instead of saying أعوذ بالله. All this indicates that we are taking the Shaytan as our friend and not our enemy.
Every situation you go through in which you are distracted, worried, sad, crying, upset, having doubts about tomorrow and about Allah, are all from the Shaytan. And Allah said, "اتخذوه عدوا" (Take him as an enemy)
E.g. Shaytan whispers that he will divorce you tomorrow, take another wife, your children will leave you, and you sit crying although nothing happened. He makes scenarios of the future and you listen to him.
The Shaytan knows your weak point. He knows your Dunya. So he focuses on that matter all the time. How will you take the Shaytan as your enemy? By strong إستعاذة. It will be not strong unless you flee strongly. You will not flee strongly unless you truly take him as your enemy. Seek refuge in Allah who will give you peace and shelter. If He withholds none can give, and if He gives none can withhold. He promised and you believe in His promise.
Now, you go to the Tafseer Book.
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