Ihab Saad – Journey the Quran Preface
AI: Summary ©
The Quran is a book of life and is a series of recitation and deeper meaning. The title can be divided into major themes, including the " grantment of life" and the "by default," meaning the title is not recited or memorized. The title provides a summary of the four major themes, emphasizes the importance of taking action and following guidance from Allah, and provides a framework for the implementation of Prophet's teachings. Subhan servicing the universal service of Jesus, gives insight into the cycle of the story of a prophet or worker, and gives insight into the story of a prophet or messenger.
AI: Summary ©
Assalamu, Alaikum. Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. Welcome to this
series about our journey with the Quran.
This journey is going to last for Inshallah, the whole month of
Ramadan. So every day we are going to stop at some of the beautiful
ayat of the Quran, especially in the Jews, that would be recited
this particular night in the taraweeh in Ramadan.
This is not by default, a tafsir of the Quran. It's just some
comments, some reminders, some observations about some of the
ayat. So we're gonna stop at some of the significant ayat and all of
the ayat of the Quran, of course, are significant. We're gonna stop
to ponder upon some of the deep meanings of some of these ayat.
The scholars of Quran, by the way, when they look at the Quran in
general, which is a book of life, is not just a book of to to be
recited or to be memorized. It's a book of life. It's it shapes our
way of understanding the life and living that life. So these
scholars, when they talk about the Quran in general and the main
themes in the Quran, they mentioned that the Quran can be
divided into some major themes. One of them would be the dogma or
the Creed, Al aqidah or Al ahqid, and another one would be the
rituals al Ibadat, how to perform our rituals to get closer to Allah
subhana wa Taala and deserve his mercy, subhanAllah, entitling us
to Paradise, beybilla.
The third one is interactions or transactions that take place among
the human beings, so between the Muslims themselves and between the
Muslims and the non Muslims, different types of interactions.
And then the fourth one is the manners and the morals, or Allah
in a different way, another classification of the main themes
of the Quran. And this is my person understanding the way I
personally see it
Quran can also we can look at the main themes in the Quran as
probably four main themes. The first one is telling us about who
Allah subhanahu wa is. Allah subhana wa taala, with His mercy
and His kindness, introduced his great self Subhana wa Taala to us
so that we would recognize why do we worship Allah subhana wa taala?
Why is ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala and ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala alone
worthy of being worshiped, and not any of the idols and not any of
the partners that people associate with ALLAH SubhanA wa taala. So in
this domain, we're gonna find beautiful Ayat like Ayat al qur's
a for example, Allahu nur Allahu, Allahu, or the ayah that's called
Ayat nur Allahu, nursama atiwa, and different other ayat that talk
about Allah subhanahu wa and the unique, infinite, complete and
perfect powers of ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala and the attributes of Allah
subhana wa taala. So this would be our means to recognize who is our
Creator and why does his SubhanaHu wa deserve our love, our devotion
and our allegiance. The second main theme in the Quran is talking
us is telling us about a very old battle, the battle that's an
eternal battle that started with the creation of humankind on this
earth, Sayyidina, Adam Alain Nabi na Ali salatu wa salam, or even
before he was descended to Earth, with the creation of Sayyidina,
Adam Alain Nabi na Ali salat wa salam. And that is an eternal
battle that's going to continue as long as life continues on this
earth, it's the battle between truth and falsehood. Al Haqq Well,
battle and Allah subhanahu wa tells us about the very beginning
of this battle, when the shaytaan refused to prostrate, to
Sayyidina, Adam, Alain, Nabi na Ali salatu wa salam, based on the
Command of Allah subhanahu wa. Later on, we're going to talk
about the false logic of the shaitan and how some people,
unfortunately today, are mimicking that same false logic of the
shaitan. So that's the second main theme of the Quran, telling us
about this eternal battle between the truth and the falsehood. And
in this theme, we're gonna find the different phases, or the
different battles, battles of this big war, continuous war, eternal
war. So we're gonna find the stories of the different prophets
and messengers, Allah Nabi na Ali, Musa Salam, how Allah subhanahu wa
sent them with the truth to their people, how some of the people
followed the truth and the guidance from their prophets, and
many, or most of the people rejected that truth, and they
deserved the Wrath of Allah subhanahu wa.
The third main theme of the Quran is Allah subhanahu wa, again, with
His mercy and His kindness, SubhanAllah.
Gave us the results of that battle. Not only Allah subhanahu
wa told us about the events of these continuous battles forming
that eternal war, but Allah subhanahu wa also told us about
the end of this battle and the results of these battles, or this
war in the form of the Hereafter, the accountability and what Allah
subhanahu wa has prepared for his pious servants, obedient servants,
which is His mercy, subhanAllah and Paradise, and what Allah
subhanahu wa has prepared for the rebellious ones, the ones who
rejected to follow the guidance that the prophets and messengers
came with and they selected to follow the path of falsehood
rather than following the path of the truth. So again, ALLAH SubhanA
wa Taala is giving us the peace of mind to know exactly what would be
the end result if we select to follow the path of righteous
righteousness and obedience to Allah subhanahu wa, and warning
about what would happen if someone selects to follow the other caste.
So that would be the third theme of the Quran, talking about Al
Jannah, when NAR the Paradise and the hellfire and the enjoyment
that Allah subhanahu wa has prepared for his obedient servants
in Paradise, and the punishment that he Subhanallah has prepared
for those who selected not to follow the guidance from Allah
subhana wa taala.
And then the fourth and the last theme of the Quran is, what kind
of provision should the believers take on that journey towards Allah
subhanahu
wa should they do and what should they abstain from? So the do's and
the don'ts, which is the part that deals with the legislation or the
regulations or the commandments of Allah subhanahu wa and usually
we're going to find these commandments coming in two major
forms. The first form is addressed to all of mankind, all of the
creation, yahan Ness,
and another one addressed particularly to those among
mankind who selected voluntarily to obey Allah subhanahu wa, and
this particular specific group, Allah subhanahu wa addresses with
a very beautiful address, yahmanu. So whenever we hear yahan Ness, or
whenever we hear Yahuwah, let's listen carefully, because this is
a commandment from Allah subhanahu wa, an instruction, a piece of
guidance on that path leading to be Illah, the pleasure of Allah
subhanahu wa, what should we do, and what should we abstain from or
stop from doing? And Allah subhanahu wa gave us a summary of
that in the beautiful ayah, what as a word in the taqwa, which
means, take your provision, and the best provision. Provision is
mindfulness of Allah subhanahu wa, observing the Majesty of Allah
subhanahu wa, being mindful of Allah subhanahu wa, and fearing
Allah subhana wa Taala in the proper way that he should Subhana
wa Taala should be feared. So these are the four major themes in
the Quran. So I'm inviting my brothers and sisters, whenever we
are reading the Quran, let's ponder upon the ayat and think
about them. Where does this ayah fall? Is this an ayah that's
talking about the majesty and the greatness of Allah, subhana wa
taala, so that we would contemplate it, and we would fill
our minds and our hearts and our senses with awe and love for Allah
subhanahu wa taala, when ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala is telling us,
for example, in Nafi khalpi, Samaya wakilah, feel when Haile
Albert that in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the
variation of and the alternation of the night and the day, there
are signs to those who are mindful, those who think, those
who ponder, those who do not just pass by these signs without paying
attention to them, those that have been criticized by Allah subhanahu
wa in the air. What I even say, My dear Moon Ali, a
woman? What may you mean? Why may you mean? She couldn't that there
are so many a so many signs that Allah subhanahu wa taala has put
in the creation around us in the heavens and the earth, and indeed,
even in our own selves. As Allah subhanaw taala also says, Senua
himafi and fusim had Alam and Aul Haq, so we're gonna show them Our
signs in the horizons. Wherever they look, they're gonna see the
signs of Allah subhanahu wa and if they are short sighted.
They cannot see that far. They don't have to look too far. Just
look into your own self. Look at my own self. I should look at my
own self and see all the Majesty of Allah subhanahu wa in the
perfection of his creation SubhanAllah. So this is an
invitation for us whenever we pass by an ayah that's talking about
the Majesty of Allah, Subhanahu wa to recognize that he Subhanallah
is worthy of being worshiped. And then when we pass by another ayah
that's talking about the story of a prophet or a messenger, and how
that story keeps repeating itself in different cycles, as we find,
for example, in Surah, one of the very beautiful Surah of the Quran.
And all of the surah of the Quran are beautiful. We find that Allah
subhanahu wa gives us these cycles, one after another, these
waves, one after another, of the different prophets and messengers,
Allah Nabi na Ali, Musa alay wa salam, who have been sent by Allah
subhanahu wa guidance and how the story starts with kadabat, so the
people of this prophet or messenger denied him. They did not
believe in him. And then Allah subhanahu wa gives us the some of
the details. And then Allah subhana wa Taala takes us to the
end of the story. What was the end punishment for that group who
selected not to obey their Prophet and Messenger. So when we pass by
this ayat, we should remember that shaytaan is working relentlessly
to fulfill his promise to Allah subhana wa taala, the promise that
he made to Allah subhana wa Taala that he's gonna try to misguide as
many people as possible. And Allah subhana wa Taala responded to that
nasty challenge by saying Subhana wa Taala in naiba Ali in Sultan
Ilham, and it taba Amin Allah in you do not really have any control
over My servants, those who select to serve Allah. Subhana wa taala,
you do not have any control over them, except for those who select
to follow you on the
stray path, not the straight path. Instead of following the straight
path leading to Allah subhanahu wa they have gone astray to follow
the shaitan and the leaders of misguidance. So whenever we pass
by some of these ayat, let's remember where where is our
allegiance? Where do we select to align ourselves? Do we select to
align ourselves among the party of Allah subhanahu wa, who have been
described by Allah subhanahu wa as the victorious ones Allah in the
Hizballah, yomulo Ali bun, or do we select? Or do some people
select to follow the other party, the party of the shaytan, which
eventually is gonna taste the loss and the punishment for disobeying
Allah subhanahu wa.
And then, whenever we pass by, an ayah that is reminding us of our
future, our eternal future, be Ibn la in the Mercy of Allah subhanahu
wa and in his paradise, let's think about what Allah subhanahu
wa has prepared for us, and let's feel that whatever sacrifices we
do in this life are nothing compared to the reward that Allah
subhanahu wa is going to give us on the Day of Judgment. Anyone who
studied math would know that anything compared to infinity is
equal to zero. So however long we live, 60, 7080, 100 years compared
to eternity, that is nothing. That's just a fraction of a
second, or even less than that, as the non believers are going to
recognize on the Day of Judgment when ALLAH SubhanA wa Taala asks
them, ala come levitum, philadelin, for how long have you
lived on this earth? Kalu lebih naman, O baba, yaw fasalila, Deen,
oh, we have lived for just a day, or even a fraction of a day. Ask
those who have been counting. And Allah subhana wa Taala would tell
them indeed that you have lived for a very short period on the
earth, and now you are paying the price of what you have sent
forward. If you sent forward good deeds with the Mercy of Allah
subhanahu wa and his kindness and generosity, you're going to be
rewarded with paradise. If it is the other way, you will pay dearly
for your rebellion against Allah subhanahu wa. So whenever we pass
by an ayah of Al Jannah or annar Again, let's pay attention to that
and prepare ourselves to be entitled or to be recipients of
the Mercy of Allah subhanho wa taala, which, with the generosity
of Allah subhanahu wa entitles us to paradise. And finally, when, as
I said at the beginning, when we hear yay you and NES or
yahuwahdinah emmanu, let us recognize that this is a call,
direct call from Allah, Subhanahu wa to each and every one of us,
individually and collectively as a group. So whenever we hear that
address from Allah.