Nouman Ali Khan – Ramadan 2016 – Approaching The Quran With Humility

			Because the first words of the surah are Alif, laam, Meem. These are three letters. They're letters.
And the only person who ever any, anybody who knows letters, the only reason they would know letters
is because they're learning to read. There's no other reason you should know letters. You know,
there are people that are uneducated, they never received any education in English, they speak
English, but they never went to school. You tell them A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, these words don't
make no sense to them. These letters have no value to them. What does that even mean? What do you
mean w? What is that? I have never heard this word before. Because the only time you worry about
		

			letters is when you worry about spelling. And the only time you worry about spelling is if you're
going to read or you're going to write. Yes. And that's something that profits high someone has no
access to. So when he recites Alif Lam, Meem it already sends shockwaves in that community. Wait,
who taught him letters? I thought he told me if he's saying Alif Lam, Meem? It must mean he has a
teacher does it because you can't learn those on his own. If he doesn't know he should just be
saying lm
		

			lm taraka darbuka vs habel fi. You know, that's that's what he should be saying. But the fact that
he's saying I live now meme necessarily means he has a teacher. So now even the people that are
listening to him are saying, who's his teacher? And what are they teaching him?
		

			I mean it already and why would they teach him these letters? So it created that question in the
mind of the audience. And that's very, very important. Because the question will be answered that
the teacher is Allah. He's the one who's taught him, right. But the and the idea that he is actually
receiving an education because otherwise there's no way he would even know what letters signify
anyway. The second thing you should know about Alif Lam, Meem is it's unprecedented usage, this is
very important. As we go through the diversity, this will become clearer and clearer, inshallah tada
that, the Quran said things in a way that had never been used before. Nobody talk like this. The
		

			Arabs were very proud of their language. They used to think of everybody else as adjunct, basically
incapable of proper speech, you know, * even you, which is a politically incorrect term.
Nowadays, they thought everybody has less because they don't know an idea. You know, and they're the
ones that are, you know, that mastered the language, and yet the Koran, from the kinds of verbs that
it used to the kinds of letters that it used to the kinds of sentences that use, it said things in a
way that had never been heard before. Nobody ever talks like this Not even close, you know, even
when a new poet comes and makes some amazing poetry, it is still based on 80%, the previous poetry.
		

			Those of you that don't appreciate poetry, the younger audience here, maybe they're into hip hop,
maybe they're into r&b, maybe they're into what some kind of music or another, you'll notice that
beats or rhymes. They're not entirely creative. There's elements of it, that is from previously
existing music, they take the ingredients that are already there, and then build on it something
new. But it's not entirely new. It's like maybe 10%, New 20% new majority of it is actually
something already somebody had already done. You see. So when the Quran says something like Alif
Lam, Meem even.
		

			This is unheard of. Why would someone speak like this? It will not only create the question, it will
actually create a curiosity. This teacher, whoever his teacher is, nobody's ever learned from this
teacher around here.
		

			Nobody's ever gotten that kind of education before. So the mind is already been prepared to accept
the revelation of the Quran just with Allah flamming. Just with that. And so when I left him, he
said the other thing for us for believers, because, you know, this didn't just have benefit for
those who did not believe. But even Alif Lam Meem has guidance for those who believe. We know by Mr.
Adama, even though some have some opinions, that no one knows what Alif Lam me means. It's wrong to
say it doesn't mean anything. That's wrong to say because everything Allah says has meaning.
Everything Allah says has purpose. But on the other hand, everything Allah gave us we know is for
		

			our benefit. Allah doesn't speak excel in the Quran. He doesn't speak unless it is something that
will teach you and me something. He himself says Allah Quran, Allah Quran. He didn't just say,
carnal Quran, he said the Quran, the kalamalka he spoke the Quran, no, Allah Quran, he taught the
Quran. The thing about teaching as opposed to speaking, when someone's speaking, they're just
running their mouth. But when someone is teaching who do they have in mind,
		

			the student so everything they teach is supposed to benefit who the student which means with that
formula, even when you read on the fly
		

			Meem is supposed to have some kind of benefit from you, for you. But then the question arises, I
don't even know what it means. How is it supposed to benefit me? Because in order for me to benefit,
I better have, I have to understand. And especially when you're sitting in a classroom, and the
teacher says something, and you don't get it, that means you didn't benefit. So you have to raise
your hand and say what I don't understand. Could you repeat that? Could you explain it to me? I need
a better explanation. But no matter who you ask in the world, can somebody explain Alif? Lam? Meem?
Could somebody tell me what it means? What's the Tafseer of these letters? What's the mystery behind
		

			them? Nobody has a clear answer. And nobody has had a clear answer. And seems pretty obvious.
Nobody's gonna have a clear answer, until you get come before a law on Judgement Day and beyond. And
Eliza allows us by His mercy to enter into his agenda, and we get the opportunity to ask our teacher
a lot. So again, what does that mean? But you know, then even then there's benefit. The question,
I'm building this question for you, what's the benefit, then? The benefit is, you know, what's
called for college students here they know, it's called student orientation.
		

			you've ever heard of student orientation? first day of class, the teacher comes into the classroom
and says, Listen, you have to have this attitude, you have to put this much hours in homework, you
better not do this, this, this and this, you better finish your assignments on time, the exams, you
better start preparing for them three weeks in advance. He prepares you mentally for everything
that's coming. Yes. And if you're not properly mentally prepared for the course, and the best one to
prepare you as the teacher himself, then you're not going to have the right attitude necessary to be
able to succeed in learning. The first orientation for the student of the Quran is that they don't
		

			know anything.
		

			The first orientation for the student of the Quran is Alif Lam Meem. What does it mean? You don't
know and you better get used to that?
		

			Well, La Jolla,
		

			let alone Allah is the one who knows you're the ones who don't know, don't come to this book, to try
to put criticisms on it and impose upon Allah that unless I understand I will not follow.
		

			Unless I am satisfied my curiosity is satisfied. Until then, I'm not convinced enough. I don't want
to follow it. No, no, no. You're gonna have to come to this book with humility.