Like a Donkey Carrying Books

My dearest brothers and sisters, the title of this quote is reestablishing our connection with the Quran. There's no better time to discuss the matter of the Quran with Ramadan just being around the corner.

Our attitude towards the Quran has changed dramatically from the time it was first revealed to the companions of the Prophet sallallahu earlier so the way they looked at the Quran and the way they were connected to the Quran was very different to the way we are connected to the Koran and I want to speak about four main attitudes that you and I have towards the Quran in in these times. But before we talk about the way the oma is with the Quran today, let us speak about how other people was spoken about regarding their relationship with their holy book in the Quran itself. If you turn to Surah Al Juma verse number three, Allah tells us about the people of other faiths and they

attitudes towards their book. Allah says methadone lettino Sharmila Terada from mala Mia, aloha Camus Alicia Marie Yamato estado bitsa methadone Camila Dena kW bi Tila,

Allah says the likeness of those that were entrusted with the Taurat lamea Aloha, but they did not carry it they neglected to carry it is like that of a donkey.

Carrying on its back as far which refers to sacred scriptures. What a despicable example to put forward of those that denied the signs of Allah subhanaw taala. Even after Ramallah said this verse is speaking about the Jewish and Christian communities that are living in Medina or around Medina during the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and according to be said, Allah chose the word as far

from the root of cifre, which means to hide, which expresses the way they were with their book, they would neglect its meaning

and ignore its message as if they were covering it up in our shows it the Jewish tribes at that time in Medina, they were very proud of their toe rot. And they would carry it from temple to temple, looking down at the pagan Arabs because they had no book like they had,

despite their respect for the book, they neglected

to understand its teachings and to communicate it to the world.

Look at this verse. Look at the contempt Allah has, for those people. A lot of describe their relationship with their book, like that of a donkey carrying on its back holy scriptures. Why? Because it doesn't matter what a donkey carries on his back, you will never know its value. In the same way, they lost the value of the book in their mind and in their hearts. This is speaking about other people. But it seems like it is talking about us, isn't it? Are we not like this? When it comes to the Quran? Do we not also

have much pride for the Quran, a lot of respect and love with the Quran, we wrap it up, and we place it on the highest places in our homes and we look down at other people, they have no Quran like us. We speak about our Pura the reciters of the Quran, and we love them, and we should love them. And we say we have something special, but at the very same time.

Do we even know what the Quran speaks about?

Do we reflect over the message in the Quran?

Have we ever communicated to the world the ideas that are being taught to us in the Quran.

So this ayah

was told to us by Allah in order for us to reflect over our relationship with the Quran.

And I will present to you from my own

experience, the Muslim community and their relationship with the Quran in four different scenarios. You see even the most casual Muslims. I'm talking about those that don't even pray.

They may never fasted in their lives. Even the most casual Muslim has respect for the Quran.

But despite this, what we see is that people usually interact with the Koran in four scenarios. The first scenario is the Koran for special occasions. When it's time for the wedding,

and the people come together, they dress to impress. They may sit in a big hole, maybe have a DJ playing music there.

Then the mom sob comes along. Now what happens? DJ g might turn the music down for a moment. We're gonna have some Koran recited, especially the occasion. We want the Quran to be recited, especially occasions, the sisters, all of a sudden the butter comes around the head, and the men sit up straight, low the gays. And as soon as the recitation finishes, DJ turns back on,

goes back to goes back to what it was before. And the only time they would ever interact with the Koran is on a special occasion. Is that true or not?

Number two scenario, the Quran for blessings.

When a person is about to die, or has died, that's when the Quran comes out

this person, even if he was a wicked man or a woman, you know what? Bring out the Quran. Let us recite some Quran. It has Baraka, it is blessing This person will benefit from it. And on top of that, so many innovative traditions have been made over the passing of a person reciting the Quran. And this is the only time they ever touch the Quran. When someone has to die Subhana Allah wa keila man rock as Allah says in Surah Al qiyamah when death is coming to the person, everyone becomes religious. Think 11 rock, it is said where's the Rocky? The one who's going to recite the Quran? Everyone knows when it comes to death you need to put on

Scenario number three. The Koran for remedy

when someone's ill, all medicine has failed bust out the Quran

isn't it? Oh, maybe when your child he was doing so well in school, you know, when it came to GCSE a stars A Levels he's failing. There must be a gene somewhere

called Rocky. This is the time we need the Quran to cure this black magic.

And this is the only time they will bring out to put on at the last possible moment or maybe go one step better than this for prevention is better than cure. So take the Quran or write it on some paper, put it in a little pouch rearview mirror or better still put it around my neck prevention.

And the fourth scenario upon the fourth scenario is the best of the four

is a person reads the Koran in order to gain reward from Allah subhanaw taala because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told us in a headies report webisode

series authentic man Tara whorfin monkey tabula for who has no one has an answer to that. Whoever recites one letter of the Quran you will be given a Hasina will have to be actually I'm 30 and one has a nice like that of 10.

But panela scenario number four?

Is it living up to the mark why the Quran was revealed? If I was to ask you a frank question my brothers and sisters, why was the Quran revealed to us? Why did Allah Subhana Allah send it down to mankind? Why

was it in order to read it on special occasions? For blessings for cure, or just for reward? Was it for one of these four? Was it for all of these four? Was it for something more than this? This question is answered in the Quran itself. Allah will tell us why he revealed the Quran and you will be shocked that it was not for what any one of these reasons. Allah says in Surah Saad read it today. Verse number 29 Kitab on ends and now who la comme Mubarak. Leah de barro, Aya t Juanita de Caro bap span LA, this verse, Allah tells us not one, but two reasons why he reviewed the Quran and not any of them is from the four that I have just mentioned before.

Allah says firstly in praise of the Quran Kitab on a book ends Allahu alayka sent down to you, O Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Mubarak, full of blessings. You know when something has Baraka? Its goodness is more than expected. And when something has Baraka is goodness lingers on.

You see, one of the things one of the biggest challenges for us in the Quran is that we feel, either consciously or subconsciously that the Koran will allow the Buddha is not relevant to my life. This is the reality. We feel that the Quran is speaks about the big things, but doesn't speak about my life, what I go through and what I need

and this is something we'll

Come to after telling you that it is Mubarak and Massachusetts upon law. every verse in the Quran, full of abundant goodness for the reader and full of goodness that will last until the piano. It is not irrelevant.

And then Allah said Why do you reveal it? LEAH that borrow the land in Liya de barro la Mota? eliel to give reasoning, why was it revealed?

Number one reason, dia de barro

in order to reflect over the verse,

the number one reason wasn't to read it, to use it for special occasions or for black magic. It was for what to contemplate over the meaning of the verse. I asked you by Allah. When is the last time you reflected over a verse of the Quran. When this is the first reason why a lot of you put on and maybe it is the last thing we have ever done Subhan Allah and the second reason

Leah Tibet cara, ooh, Al Bab, in order that you become affected by the meanings of those verses, that you become admonished. You find a reminder, you feel like wow, this has touched me. This has affected me who will be able to do this with the Quran oluwole Al Bab. Allah says at the end, the people who possess Al Bab Al Bab is the plural of the word Luba lobe is the inter the internal essence of something. Allah speaking about the intellect, people who use their intellect, by law never said Oh, cool. Allah said Al Bab, you know why, definitely Aachen and lobe is that the lobe is the mind that is pure and innocent, not being corrupted by preconceived ideas. Sometimes someone

goes to the Koran Eero to search out what he wants, not to learn what allowance, the one who comes to Allah and the Quran, with a pure, innocent mind. thinking, you know, what, what does this verse say? What does it mean?

Subhana Allah, this is what it is telling me. I have become affected by this. This was the reason why the Quran was revealed, you know, an amazing story and ultimately, a famous comedian from Buffalo. He said, once a better one visited me.

And he comes to me and he's not a Muslim. And he says, What do you have in your land? He said, we have the caliber of man, the speech of the incredibly Merciful One. He said, The Man has speech. He said, Yes. He said, recite something to me. He began to recite to him from there yet, until he reached the verse fell out of besana, you will out the in the happen me Miss Rama and akuntansi. Kuhn. He said, by the master of the skies and the earth, it is a truth, similar to the way you speak. When the Bedouin heard that, he said, Yeah, Subhan Allah, man, double jelly the hell off. He said, Who is the one who was angered Allah that He needs to take an oath by something? Do you see

what happened? He heard the verse, he began to think. So it'll be summer. God needs to take an oath by something to prove that he's saying the truth. Who out there? Who out there, claim that Allah doesn't speak the truth, who has made a lot angry, so that he has to take an old to Panama, the man who heard the Quran for the first time, did exactly what the Quran asked of it, to reflect over the meaning and to be affected by what is being said. And many of us, we don't understand Arabic. What do we do? You see, reading a translation of the Quran is as good as it's gonna get for many of us. But not every translation is the same. I'm sure you've had experience with translations. So many

brackets, ancient English, you don't know you're coming or going. But there are some very good translations now. And I'll recommend to you two of them. The first of them is the one by Ayesha Bewley. Ayesha beauty is translation of the Quran. I'm not talking about any other work I'm just talking about the translation of the Quran is one of the best for flow and accuracy. And the second is that a professor of the haleem, a professor in sauce University, they are translations are probably the best at the moment and you can order them today from me

I asked you by Allah, you take a commitment that you will read, cover to cover the translation of the Quran every day so that you finish the whole Koran once every year. Would you do that? make a commitment to yourself. You have no idea what the Quran speaks about Subhan Allah. It doesn't just speak about hellfire. And Jenna, it doesn't speak about stories. It speaks about beautiful things. This is number one that take a commitment cover to cover once every year to read the translation of the Quran. Now, the other big question

the Koran and its relevance in our lives.

You know, Cipolla gave a reminder once after fudger

a short reminder on lines five or six minutes. And an elderly man came to me. He's the Dean of the masjid. And he said, you know what you just told me there. That is the story of my life. I said, What do you mean?

This is a reminder,

this is about the story of Moses. And here's one of the most bewildering stories in the Quran. More Salah Salaam is commanded by Allah to go and seek some knowledge from somebody else. Imagine musala Sara, have you to go to somebody else to find some knowledge that he didn't have? His name was hidden.

After he reached him through so many challenges and difficulties, he says to him, hello, activity, Orca? He says, Can I follow you to learn something from you subpanel look at the humility, either. He makes it very difficult for him. He says you don't have the patience to study with me. So Panama. Imagine that. You come from far away to study with someone and they say you don't have what it takes to study with me. Maybe some of us, some of us would say you know what, humbler? Do you want to come anyway?

More or less I was determined. He said, No, whatever it takes. He said, okay, follow me and she don't ask me any questions. Imagine, do you say yes to you? I'm going to teach you don't ask me any questions. He's making it difficult for him. first lesson Hata EDA, Rocky Buffy Safin

until they went on a ship. first lesson is on a boat.

He goes to the bottom deck credit for ha ha he tears of a plank musala surround shocked. What have you done? He says da da da da you've done something which is illogical, unethical. What are you doing here that says Hang on a minute. I said you can't ask me any questions. masala Salam says Don't hold me to account for this. Please. Another chance. Heather says no problem. The next lesson is even more shocking than the first one

had either lucky or holum they're walking along what do they see? A young innocent boy or lamb below the age of puberty? What happens to the patella he kills him so panela more or less announcing What have you done

no car last time he said Mr. Now he's even more shocked you've done something which everyone knows is wrong. What are you doing?

This is I told you no questions so karnala masala surrounds you know ask you one more question call us and the story

for this is no problem. Lesson number three they go traveling and they passed by a village a town

first stop ama they asked the people to give them some drink some food there's no service station that those times said knock on a door can we have some food sorry there's no food here. Knock on another door just a sip of water so we don't do water here. People are very mean those same people inside the village they see a wall you read why young cop by the way wants to fall down the Quran says you know like the leaving therapies that you see the picture you think this is gonna fall that any minute now? What does he say to Musa masala Salaam? Roll up your sleeves we're going to rebuild this wall. rebuild the wall of these mean people. Masada Hassan says no *.

If you wanted you could take some money for that. You didn't ask a question this time. But he knew he was questioning him. He said how they felt Oh, baby. Oh baby. This is the time I'm gonna go my way. You're gonna go your way. But before you do, I'm gonna tell you the meaning behind what just took place. Firstly, that ship belonged to poor people. Just around the corner there was a pirate, a king who was going to steal that ship if it had been in good condition.

That is why I did what I did. Lesson number one. Sometimes a minor harm is done to save you from a great one. So Pamela, what's the lesson? But what about the child? There is no good in killing the chart.

You know that boy, righteous parents he has, but because they love him so much, and your HCA hamato yanaka for the boy would compel them to cover and rebellion. How sometimes parents loves their kids so much, they do anything for them, even haraam.

And then he said, Allah wanted to replace that child with another child, who would be a better worship of Allah and a better son to them. Subhana Allah, lesson number two, sometimes bad things happen to good people to save them from a disaster in the hereafter. Allahu Akbar. If they had him, they would have had a huge calamity in the life to come.

Number three, why did you build the wall? Why? that wall underneath it, there was a treasure belonging to two young boys orphaned No dad, is that wall fell, you know what the people are like, they would have come and stolen that treasure. And he said, Allah wanted a young aloha for them to grow strong and old. So when it does collapse, they can manage it. Lesson number three, sometimes we beg Allah for good things to come to us. But if they came at that time, we would squander it. We wouldn't be able to benefit from it upon Allah. Look at this RG. Now the man he came to me, and he said, this is a story of my life. I said, How comes? He said, My story is that I was a very big

businessman in Pakistan. I had a factory said I employed 500 people. Then he goes, I went to Iraq, I got a contract for $1 million. Then I went to Iran set up business there. And then I came back to Pakistan. Then my health deteriorated. I got heart problems. And so I got a bypass done. Then I said to my brothers, I'm going to go to UK and live there. When I came here. I got a phone call from my brother. He said, you know, the manager in Iran is defrauding you. He knows you're too weak. Then after a while the war began in Iraq, I lost my $1 million contract there after my brother says to me, you need to come back. The business back son is doing very bad. He says I can't you know, my

heart. He said, No, you have to he said I can't. He said, okay, send me your children. We haven't seen them for a while. He said that some I send my kids back to Pakistan. Then my brother phones, me. He said, you want to see your kids again. You've got to come back to Pakistan. He ran some my own kids to me, can you imagine? And then he goes back to go back to Pakistan. For the sake of my children, I started running the business again. But then my heart became weak once again. And then I said, I'm going to come to the UK and get the best treatment. He came here. He got a scan. The doctor said, you don't have four stents in your heart. You only have one. He said, I paid for four

stents in Pakistan. He said this doctor deformity in Pakistan. He said so hon Allah. At that moment, I realized everyone is trying to ruin me, everyone, even my own family. He said why don't I turn to Atlanta? He said, you know, after a while I became regular in the masjid. But then I became poor. He goes, uh, now, he said I had to start working in a factory for somebody else.

And then he said, I came to the masjid five times a day. And they said to me, why don't you become the other thing you hear all the time? It goes now I'm the mother of this machine, and I'm 83 years old. He says what you told me there is a story of my life. Because if those bad things never happened to me, I would never be prostrating my face to Allah No. Acid suparna line rd? How did we ever think the Quran is irrelevant? The Quran could not be more relevant. We have not we have just not open our hearts and minds to the Quran. This is the real challenge for you, my brothers and sisters. The first thing was the commitment for reading the Quran once a year cover to cover in

translation. The second is that whenever you hear about a lesson on Quran, the fear of Quran even if you don't know the speaker, always go to it. Never turn it down. Take your families with you. Online. Any talks regarding the Quran, always listen to them. Number three, after the

20 minutes reciting the Quran every day at Target to recite the whole Koran once every three months. This equates to full size of Quran every day, once every three months. And though recite the Quran quietly with your eyes. The Quran is recited out loud, don't disturb other people. But find somebody can recite it out loud and spawn the word unquote on council route of Allah crow Akira, which means to recite. You know what that is telling us that one of the ways you experienced the Quran is not with your eyes is with your ears.

upon Allah, the Quran is asking for you to read it aloud. And this is the impact the Quran will have if you read it consistently and aloud Believe me, believe me, I swear by Allah Your life will change. I swear by Allah. My brothers and sisters, today is the day that you change your relationship with the Quran. Today is the day of making commitments. Ramadan is just around the corner, we ask Allah to make us people of the Quran. We ask Allah to make us of those that reflect, contemplate and become affected by the Quran amenable and I mean, you ask Allah subhana wa Taala to make this quote on the light of our hearts and to make the Quran that which removes any distress and

worries that we experienced in our lives.