Ramadan Reflections

Bismillah Al Rahman Al Haman hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa salam to salam ala Sayidina Muhammad, Ernie he was heavy ng Marinova and

ensure la through Ramadan we will have

about 45 minutes before then and

we will have some kind of a session like this on Thursday,

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in sha Allah

she abdomen as well from Quran and Sunnah will be giving some of those sessions with me let Allah so tomorrow we'll be sharing

insha Allah.

My, my sessions will be on a small book by one of the great scholars of Islam who lived about hundreds 700 years ago.

And his name is Yvonne Raja Bill Henneberry. Imam Ibn legit humbling.

And

he has a very small book, but it's this it's extremely powerful, is a very powerful book. It's called Al Mahad. Jaffe sacred dolger It's basically the truth or the clear truth with regards to taking the path to Allah.

And

so he has beautiful advice, they're quite straightforward book very simple. It's about our relationship with Allah subhanaw taala we'll go through it

and make a commentary on it. But today just as a starter insha Allah because

I wanted to talk about some things that have to do with the Quran, specifically relating to the meanings.

So in total, we I was trying to catch telawi Before we the you know, we've done all sorts of Bacala until we couldn't make that in time.

So nonetheless, we can start now in this session. So we have the session on this insha Allah.

Again, the importance of understanding of the Quran is extremely, this is an issue of extreme importance that we often don't appreciate, we don't do really appreciate

because it's easier to deal with the words of the Quran, in terms of memorization in terms of reading, which is a great thing to do, by the way. But the point of the Quran is understanding it to be able to reflect

to be able to reflect because that's the main point of the Quran, the scholars have pointed out the last panel Johannes sent down the Quran to be reflected upon.

Allah is the word in the Quran, the QCL. And the Quran many times is referred to in the Quran itself as vichara, or vicar. All comes from the same root, vicar, or vichara means

reminder, that's the literal word and is to a word reminder of what

you remind someone of what they already know. That's what the Quran is, you remind.

So the Quran reminds you of something you already know you already have. And the scholars Yosei specifically the one who expounds on this. So like, in great detail, I remember him or him Allah to Allah. And he says, he says basically this faith is already in your heart in the form of a fitrah as a seed, and what the Quran does, it awakens that seed. And that's what the reminder is, it awakens that seed and it nourishes it.

So that's why it's what was called a reminder, so we already have this faith. So the message of the Quran the core message of the Quran is already inside of our hearts. So already in our Phaedra and what the Quran does, it sparks that growth of that natural belief, and then it increases it. That's why we find even to even Taymiyah Rahim Allah to Allah as he speaks about faith. He speaks about him and he speaks about Islam. He says, what Allah machete he says the establishment of Islam or of the whole system of Islam in NEMA, who have been fit the Lattimore Camella machete it Ramona, the doctor mocha mela boushie I think Mona Zilla, A WA Modine in nama Hua will facilitate mocha mela be Sherry,

I think Mona Lisa, he's saying the establishment of Islam and the reality of Islam is in the fifth law that is completed and grow

On by means of the revealed guidance,

the revealed system. That's really what Islam is. So you already have that seed and needs to be awakened through revelation and then nurtured through revelation. And that's why reflection is the most important thing about the Quran. Why? Because you can read the Quran and if you don't reflect on it, it will not trigger that fitrah

it will fall on deaf ears. And that's exactly the description Allah subhanaw taala gave of the old prophets of salaam gave off the house marriage, the prophesy Salam, when he described the house marriage, the one who rebelled against nature on against the companions of the Prophet SAW Selim first they rebelled against a man funnily Allahu anhu, they ended up killing him, and then they rebelled against aluminum, your tolerably Allahu anhu, and one of them ended up killing him as well. And the problem said, those people will always appear in Islam, they will, they will rebel against the true system of Islam. But seemingly, these people are very, very religious, the prophets of

salaam describes them to the Companions. So the messengers, Allah was speaking with the Companions, he says to the Companions, yet to Guam and the owner, Salah to come in our Salah team was the AMA calm, it is the army him, a people will come,

or people will come. And they truly came soon after the time of the Prophet salallahu. Salam, they you will belittle your prayer when you compare it to this. So when you see their prayer, your prayer seems like nothing. You don't pray as much.

What the owner so Yama comida see me and you when you look at their fast, you will see your fastest nothing. You don't do as much as they do. They seem to be more devout. Another Hadith the Prophet Salam describes them. He says, their forehead and their knees.

due to excessive sujood and prayer, the skin becomes hard and cracks. The president described it as the knee their forehead will seem like the knee of the camel. You know when the when the camel sits down? Neil's right. And it sits on its on its on its knees, you look at the knees, very hard, rough skin cracked. The problem said their foreheads will be just like that. Why? Because these people make so much sujood on hard floor,

on the dirt on the sand. A lot of prayer to the point that you know the for the skin of the forehead turns out to be rough and hard and it would be exactly like the knee of a camel. So imagine how much these people seem to be devout. They seem to be religious, seem to be practicing. But the prophet was a lump when he describes them. He says your moral own I mean an Islamic

Omiya these people

their example with Islam, their experience with Islam is similar to the example of an arrow when you shoot an arrow

and an animal to hunt it.

The same bird. If the arrow is strong enough is at a high speed. It will rip through the bird and leave it it will rip its body and keep going right

so the Prophet sallam said these people will rip through Islam just like the arrow rips through the body of the game.

So they will go through it and they will have nothing left with them of Islam just like the arrow goes through the the body of a bird or a rabbit and it leaves with any wood Nope, nothing on it.

Why because so fast. This is how these people this is how their experience with Islam is meaning they have nothing of Islam they have no connection, no real connection to Islam than the prophets of Allah Islam says about them. Your Quran Al Quran, Allah Yuja wissota aka your home they will recite the Quran. Obviously they pray and they fast and they read the Quran. But it will not go beyond the collarbones. The collarbones are the ones here

around your neck.

So the scholars tried to figure out because this is an analogy, it's more of a metaphor the prophet The Companions tried to understand what does that exactly mean? We know basically they're not like they were sat in the Quran, they're not taking it in that's the point. But so they they figured out these people recite the Quran with

their tongue, right? And maybe they're just thinking about what it means they're trying to study the basic meanings, but they're not reflecting upon it to the point that this Quran and its meanings and its impact reaches their hearts because if it reaches the heart is going to awaken difficult.

Allah Subhan Allah describes the Quran as Mytho Ania docshell womanhood Yulu Lydia nakshatra Bonfim Madalina julu dormakaba Hamidah decorilla Quran it has repetitive verses, some verses are repeated.

When it sends shivers through the body through the skin of believers, when they hear the truth, some connection happens to the hearts to their fitrah deep inside of them is sort of awakens that show that's the spark when the football awakens, they feel it so they have the Shiva and that's exactly when the Quran touches you feel this shiver and such as it's a warm and strange feeling right? But soon afterwards you pay attention to it, you start taking it in what happens Thalma Tallinn would you load

the hearts and their skin, their body sort of feels comfort with that it settles in and it sort of connects to the apple on why because it recognizes that's what I know inside deep inside. That's why for example, you have an example of a Zani.

Rahim Allah to Allah, he identified three levels of recitation of the Quran of experience with the Quran.

So let's just finish off with the coverage. So the coverage they read the Quran, they might sort of understand the basic meaning study it but not reflect reflection is not studying.

Reflection is you take it to your heart, you let it shape, your worldview, you let it inform you, you let it shape you and mold you inside. Studying it is understanding this verse means this this verse mean that this word means this this, it could help you this study could help you reflect but it does not guarantee that you will reflect reflection is the presence of your heart in the experience where you take it in.

So Emanuela Sally, so the the Hawaii bridge, they read the Quran and they understand the basic meanings and they understand the lichens what it says on the surface, but it did not mold them and shape them. And that's why they used it against the companions of the Prophet SAW Selim, they declared the companions of the Prophet salam to be Kufa. Why because they did not do reflection.

So the point of the Quran is reflection, if you let it

go in, shape you that's when the Quran does its magic.

So the amount of as Ellie identified three levels of people who recite the Quran, he said first level a person who recites the Quran with their tongue.

But their mind is wandering somewhere else, thinking of like their businesses thinking of their family thinking of their bills, thinking with their commitments and their obligations and other engagements.

So they're just reading, and they're not really their mind is not there.

And that's the lowest level.

Second level, which is higher is someone who recited the Quran and they're paying attention with their ears and their attention, they have full focus over what they are reciting. So the words of the Quran come from their mouth, into their ears,

and hopefully into their hearts.

That's the second level. So first level, they're just reading with their tongues, but it's not going in second level, they are reciting the Quran, but what they are reciting goes into their ears, from their ears into their minds and hopefully into the arts. He said, but which is a very good level, by the way. And that's what all of us strive to do. We're actually fluctuating between level one and level two, right, as some people are completely off. But this most of us struggle, hopefully struggle to be from reset as much as possible and then try to get to the second second level, which is basically you are trying to take it in and then reflect upon it. And he says the third level on

the Quran and that comes with people who really invest quite a bit of their life in in the Quran, that comes with time, because that's an honor and a privilege to earn the third level. He says that a person

who them meanings of the Quran are in his heart.

So when that person recites verses of the Quran, the experience feels as though the Quran is giving words to their heart giving expression to the hearts.

It's not easy to catch a repeated again. So he's saying someone who has the meanings of the ordinance already memorized. These are the meanings in the fifth

wha This is the fitrah natural recognition of Allah natural love to Allah, this natural tendency to, to know Allah and worship Allah and search for the truth.

So these meanings are there. So when a person

recites the Quran or hears the Quran,

it doesn't feel like they're taking it from the outside in, but they recognize it. It feels as if the Quran puts their, their, their faith in words.

It puts words to their experience. And that comes with a pure heart with someone who really put in the work and the time for the sake of Allah subhanho wa taala.

And like, we have something similar to that described in the Quran by the way.

Allah subhanaw taala

talks about

some of the people of the Scripture, some of the Jews and the Christians who search for the truth when they listen to the Quran when they hear the words of the Quran and the the grasp the meanings of the Quran.

What either sent me home at one mountain is either Illa Solita ha tuna home Taffy alumina them may be mahalo formula. Oh Luna Robina na, da shading when they hear the words of the Quran, or when they hear what was revealed to the prophet to the messenger SallAllahu sallam, you find the eyes T rub me model formula because they recognize the truth. If Oh Luna Robina Munna they say Oh Allah, we have believed. We have believed for Tekna Masha, he didn't write us among writers among those who bear witness to the truth. Another verse, Allah Subhan, Allah says in Hakuna in public he Hebrew slimming before that we will already Muslims believing in this. How come? Because they had the revelation

they believed in it. So anyone who has this is why there's why there were so many stories when the Prophet Susana spoke to someone Someone came to the messenger Salam asked them about Islam, the profs number such as some Quran, the man automatically wanted to become a Muslim, how come? Because that resonated with them. It resonated it resonated with their fitrah. And that's why Allah subhanaw taala repeats in the Quran often times that

the signs of Allah that benefit the people are the ones whose fitrah is still pure, and they are looking for the truth, searching for the truth, when they find the truth that matches their hearts in match which matches their human nature, and it resonates with them. So they recognize that they know it, it's not new to them. The Quran is not new to them. Yes, for the first time they hear these words, but as a spiritual experience as a faith experience, the meanings, we know that I know it. It's not new to me. It just puts words to what I have or what I already have inside of me. And that's truly the experience of faith. By the way. That's that's truly the experience of faith as

opposed to intellectual learning and understanding. So it's an intellectual learning understanding, you're filling up that empty vessel that study faith, no is you're really have the seed. You already have the seed you give it the water it grows. The seed is the fatwa the water is and the rain. That's the revelation the words of Allah subhanaw taala by the way, refer to that in the Quran in a very subtle sense. Allah says for example, in Surah many times, but one of them one of the examples is in solitary Allah, Allah Subhan Allah Allah says, hola, hola. Hola.

Well, Amma,

to him to Allah belong

the creation of Hulk and among the legislation to command

that means from Allah comes to creation, the form according to which you were created, which is your football

and the revelation.

Both of them came from him. They can't be different. They came from the same source. So they match together that's when faith happens.

When you take in the Quran, into your heart, through reflection,

and they get together now this chemical reaction takes place.

That's what faith is. And that's what Allah Subhan Allah says in the Quran, for example, in the future Allah kala Decra Lehmann can Allahu Allah,

O Allah subhanahu wa shahid. Indeed in this there is a reminder, a reminder, again, we explain what a reminder is, it awakens your fitline it reminds you of something you already know what a deeper level, in your fitrah in your very essence at your core

They call reminder Lehmann can Allah who called to whoever this is a reminder for whoever has a hot

not any hot but a hot that deserves to be called a hot McKenna who called

Oh l Kasam. Allah Who was your head oh here some of these professors and say I will means or but here doesn't necessarily mean mean all it means and okay but in some sense it means that's a little bit complex idea but we can take this simple meaning it means and

I look at some Allahu wa Shaheed and this sort of lender is the Arabic word is very interesting Alka sama they throw their hearing. You sort of lay out your hearing your faculty of hearing you lay it out, no resistance, it's open.

Alka summer. Wow who were Shaheed while they are completely present, completely present they are shaheed means witness, Shahid means also witness like Shahid Shaheed witness, witness what

your Fipronil witnesses this is the truth.

So if so, in order for someone to benefit from the created signs of Allah or the verses of Allah subhanaw taala the words of Allah in the Quran, they have to meet that the heart has to be has has to be there searching for the truth and Fatah in that sense, they have to so that's where the Quran is supposed to arrive at. So faith happens.

If your heart is obsessed with this world,

it's not ready. So it's not going to receive the call The Scholars say Al mahalo Hoonah Elisa be Farben, the, the the, the, the reception place is not welcoming, it's not open to that it's blocking any kind of message coming in. So it's not going to benefit.

If your heart is, is saturated with loving sins and loving, loving things, Allah Samantha hates

you, your heart is not going to it's not receptive. You can't take the Quran and read as much as you as much as you want. No point

in Canada who that's where the reception is, I will elke summer, which means and they open up the unblock, they can do it the channel that leads to this reception place, which is your hearing your hearing. So you have to let the words of the Quran come in, come in, they have to let them come in. If you are busy talking to someone else, or if you are checking your news feed or checking your social media, or you know flicking through videos on YouTube, right. And you're listening to the Quran, you read the Quran, forget it, you're not laying out your hearing. So it comes in.

So the A can do it or the channel is blocked or corroded. So you're not allowing it. And even if you have a good heart,

you're not getting it in.

While we're Shahid, you have to be completely present. And again, if you're going to take it, if you want to take it as a witness, you have to bring your essence out. You have to bring your fifth law out, because you have to be a witness. How are you going to witness these other words of Allah.

Your mind is a brain doesn't know by the way, because your brain just takes in information. It's only your heart that knows it's only your heart that knows. So you want to bring your heart and sort of I would say the word is to prime your Photron prime your photonic priming something getting get sort of provoking get to a point where it's very active, very active. So that's what you want to do a primal fiddle and that's why generally speaking people are guided moments when they are primed on some kind of life changing experience happens when their understanding of the world falls apart and they have to fall back on their football. So their football is primed. Their human nature is

awakened in a sense the searching for meaning they want to make sense of things.

They want to make sense of things. That's Shaheed that's you are present, you are a witness, you're experiencing the moment firsthand.

So that's when you'll benefit from the Quran. So that's why the Quran the main point with the revelation of Quran is reflection to

the Dumbo the at the bow, a yachtie so that they may reflect and ponder over the verses. That's why we ponder over the verses. We're not just studying words and what they mean and basic meaning and that's good, that helps. But the experience that we want is an experience of faith where you take it to heart, you bring the revelation with the essence of the

creation the fitrah with the revelation, that's when faith is born.

So that's what we want to do with the Quran. That's what we want to do with the Quran. So hopefully inshallah I'm not

we might give some Okay, I'll leave that for for later on. I don't want to make any commitments. But inshallah we will be going over the book as we said by Imam Abba notable humbly which is called an Mahad Jaffe, Sierra doula. Okay, we're gonna go over it and sometimes as well we might just for the sake of variety, we might add 10 minutes 15 minutes of reflections on certain Bacara Surah Al e Imran, etc, just to help you Inshallah, as the Imams recited or as you read maybe your own word of the Quran, but hopefully inshallah you can as well have these meanings in your mind that will help you reflect in sha Allah circumnuclear. So last, let me say that 120 Savio Salam, may Allah accept

from all of us, our first and there was a lot