THE BEST OF STORIES, HOW THE QUR’AN IS OUR TIMELESS MIRACLE
Sajid Ahmed Umar – surah yusuf for the 21st Century #3
AI: Summary ©
The importance of calibration in the digital age is discussed, including the need for calibration in the writing of stories and the use of words and phrases to describe experiences. The title "Art of the Quran" is also discussed, as it is not just a list of words, but a series of elements that make up a story. The use of the Quran in various aspects of religion and personal growth is also discussed, with the importance of prioritizing elective roles and working part-time to earn money. The discussion shifts to the benefits of the Quran and its use as guidance, as well as the importance of prioritizing certain roles and working towards goals.
AI: Summary ©
Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen are behind a stallion when I suddenly want to sell him and I caught him in the beginning the Vienna Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa seldom at the Sleeman, Kathira and Ely and within a matter of visually Sadri westerly Emery looked at me Lisa, and if only we begin in the name of Allah subhanho wa taala. And we request praises and blessings upon Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and we thank Allah subhanho wa taala, for blessing us with the month of Ramadan, blessing us with the act of fasting, blessing us with the nights of Ramadan, and allowing us to complete our seventh tarawih this Ramadan, that the seventh night there's so much
to go in terms of the night. And it's important that we make use of what we can from the night preparing for the last 10 nights of Ramadan for no doubt, when those nights kick in, we need to be ready to make even more use of those nights but Subhanallah we take note that a week in terms of the Knights are about to expire, and by tomorrow, an entire week of Ramadan
would have come to an end Subhanallah and I think it moved fairly quickly Subhanallah which means we have an idea of what's to come in terms of the upcoming weeks. And we also should extrapolate from that an idea in terms of our effort, our fuel injection, if I can use that phrase, what needs to come from us what is needed from us to ensure that our weeks grow in terms of excellence May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us that
Alhamdulillah Allah has also blessed us with another episode from the episodes of Surah Yusuf in the 21st century I believe this is our third episode we running several episodes at the Melbourne Medina Alhamdulillah courtesy of nationals the car Foundation, and hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen. And we discussed in previous episodes, lessons in the 21st century that we can extract from the murky Madani classification of sorrows in the Quran. And then we went on to discuss also lessons
that we can benefit from in terms of our lives today from the best mela Bismillah R Rahman Rahim and we discussed theory no doubt around these topics as well. And finally, we also discussed the disjointed letters in the Quran, and a lesson that we can benefit from the disjointed letters in the Quran as Muslims living in the 21st century Surah use of
opens with Allah subhanho wa taala. Well, after the opening, there's another opening and that opening is Allah subhanho wa Taala teaching us that this Quran has the best of all stories, the stories of the Quran, are the best of all stories, and Surah Yusuf in particular in terms of this verse and the surah that it's in is the best of all stories and the stories of the Quran are the best of all stories for many, many reasons. From them, we can go back to a footnote citation I shared with you all in the early episodes in terms of when Surah Yusuf was revealed the time when it was revealed the difficulties that the Muslims were going through, and then the Sahaba or the Allahu
Anhu. In one generation, they stayed they asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and they said low cost Lana, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would tell them
about MOA, about the Hellfire about Jana, about the era, and then that's known as more either that's known as as a reminder. And then there's also a portions of halal and haram to do and not to do. And then they asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam tell us stories and all that when they were asking the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam for stories. They weren't asking for fictional stories they weren't asking you for Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood and, and these
folk tales that we grew up. Did you guys hear these stories? Everyone's looking at me seriously? Like, we never had these when we're growing up really? I mean, I just thought it's part of the world that we grow in and it's they say the world is a corner. It's a global educational Should we call it a market right education is a market as well now, but the point is, I just presumed apologies I don't mean to catch anyone off track there's a lot of pious people here yeah, he mashallah nobody was read called the lochsa Don't worry back then there were no angels writing down anything right. And it was helpful to read about her.
Why should Allah so we will ask the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam. For
stories, they will not ask you for fictional stories because you remember they were asking for a story
already within context, they were going through extreme difficulty and I explained to you exactly when surah Yousuf was revealed after the second year the years of sanctioning, then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam loses his two greatest supporters. And then before the years of sanction the propaganda campaigns, the the the harms that were inflicted upon them by their own tribes and parents inflicting harm on their own children, their blood children Subhanallah, right, because of la ilaha illa Allah, because of a man who said, say, my your Lord is one Allah subhanahu wa to Allah. So they asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam for a story, a story that will be a
means of calibrating the emotions, calibration is important. We need that from time to time the world throws us to the right, sometimes throws us to the left, right, and then we need a moment of calibration, where we, you know, our our settings are able to go back to the to the defaults, and when they go back to the defaults, what happens when they go back to the defaults, we become productive at a level beyond our imagination, meaning a level set by Allah subhanho wa taala. So we need that calibration. And that happens in many ways. Sometimes it happens by switching off the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam would go to the cave, he would switch off he would go away from
the chaos and noise of the Quraysh and he would sit in the cave Why would he go to a cave is contemplating was contemplating he was calibrating himself to the best of his ability, his ability upon the way of Ibrahim Ali he set up but that needed, it needed seclusion. Right. So they asked for the story. And Allah subhanho wa Taala reveals the best of stories. Does this mean that the rest of the Quran doesn't have the best of stories it doesn't mean this. Because this area in Surah Yusuf is an ayah from Surah Yusuf but also an Ayah from the ayat of the Quran.
Which means when Allah subhanho wa Taala says national * Swati Casilla cos, Allah subhanho wa Taala Bhima or Hailey kaha the Quran Allah is saying we reveal to you the best of stories in that which We revealed in this Quran. That's number one number two nakasu is in the present tense. And in the Arabic language, the present tense carries a function far more substantial than the present tense in the English language and El Medora favorable mode, the present tense in the Arabic language carries the function of what the scholars of the Arabic language say Al Hal, what is the Cabal and others described as that * what is the Marar and others described as at hand with Dawa. This is
the function of the present tense, similar to what you and I call the Present Continuous in the English language, the present tense in the Arabic language carries the function of something being done now. And something that also continuously happens when Allah says national *. So we don't reveal the only now we're going to reveal to you the best of all stories as we reveal to you the Quran Subhan Allah. So, this is the reality of the story is of the Quran the the best of stories, because number one, the nonfiction
and number two, because they carry the best of whatever you can attribute to a best story today.
Irrespective of time space or span, irrespective of when you living and where you living. If the scholars of literature come together and they say that
these are the elements that make up a great story Wallah, he will Billa he will Allah he will find it in the studies of the Quran. When you look at Surah use of the talk about plots and climaxes it has a lot. It has a whole series of has has moments where your your blood pressure goes up, your heartbeat goes up Subhanallah moments where you you feel a sense of elation, absolute happiness, moments were Subhanallah if you with the story tears fill your eyes and fill your hearts.
And if you careful with the story, you can actually live it Subhanallah but also it's the best of all stories, because the Quranic stories speak to us in our place in our space in our time doesn't only carry the greatest features of stories in places and spaces and time, but it speaks to you in places and spaces and time, irrespective of your age, irrespective of your generation, irrespective of your century. These stories are timeless in terms of benefit.
So no story can match the stories of the Quran.
Another feature of the stories of the Quran, is they never have information, access to requirements grow, receive this in the stories of the Quran.
Subhan Allah, when Allah subhanho wa Taala begins Surah Yusuf, let's start with the reasons because we are discussing Surah Yusuf, how does he start Surah Yusuf, how does he start the story in Surah Yusuf is called the use of the abbey straight away,
straight away. It's called the use of the epi
when you sort of said to his father, that's how the story started stories of
when you said
to his father 40s Father, oh my father I saw in my dream. And then he mentioned his father the elements that he saw in his dream and what happened and and and that's a whole madrasa in and of itself. But again, focusing on the best of all stories.
And I said, a murderous in and of itself by Allah so the use of is a madrasa in and of itself. It's not a it's a an entire school. It's an entire madrasa. Really. It's an entire madrasa in terms of
sociology, in terms of human interaction, in terms of character, in terms of morality, in terms of spirituality, in terms of religiosity,
in terms of
self morale, subhanAllah
it's a it's a mantra, and that's why today today, they are post graduate thesis on psychology from Surah Yusuf Sociology from Surah use of economics from Seoul from Surah Yusuf
building a GDP from Surah Yusuf Allahu Akbar, through use of Surah use of Surah because this, this torah is a school.
There's postgraduate research deep studies done from this. Even in terms of human resources, people talk about the elements to look for when hiring and firing from Surah Yusuf
Allahu Akbar.
It says it's a madrasah. I don't believe this Ramadan will be enough, especially if we just sitting for 20 to 30 minutes daily. So the use of asks us to also take into consideration the nature of the crowd that we have in front of us the attention spans that's from Surah Yusuf as well. So the Quran has the best of all stories for all these reasons and more. And that is why the Quran can never ever be copied, and the stories of the Quran can never ever be copied. When Allah says the challenge, Allah is setting a wholesome challenge.
Right because because the Quran adjusts its miraculous nature is not just in its words, but it's in the words that come together, formulating it yet. And that's why when these words come together, Allah didn't call them verses you call them IR signs of Allah subhanho wa taala. This English translation of verse is only there for a lack of a better English term
really is in the Arabic language. Its meaning is far more in depth and substantial than the term verse in the English language. I yet I refuse to assign every quote unquote verse in the Quran is assigned from the science of Avila.
Because this book is standing the test of time,
no story has been matched. No chapter has been matched.
No idea has been matched
and even those who are the enemies of the Quran, and the Sharia, who study Islam and study Arabic not to benefit from the knowledge that Allah has revealed not to benefit the Muslims to attack the Muslims they themselves in their writings Orientalist writings, they speak about how the challenge to match the Quran has not been met. Today.
This is the Quran we recite every night in taraweeh and inshallah you are sitting with everyday this is the Quran, My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, the book, that when you sit with it, you can never finish reading it except that you are a better person than you were before you sat down, nothing will lie. This is the Quran.
No one sits with the Quran, except that when they finish, they're a better person than they were before. I swear by Allah, I swear by Allah forever later, you got 10 rewards those 10 rewards manifested itself in a big agenda for your agenda is far bigger than it was before you sat down with the Quran. Are you not a better person for it?
And I mentioned earlier when I was in Sudan, and we were driving in the middle of nowhere.
You cannot help but feel a sense of trepidation.
And we're so far out and to make our way back how many hours I needed to get back. And it's the middle of the desert. The temperatures are 50 Plus, there is no running water. And then you come to this settlement really they call it a hello.
A settlement in the middle of nowhere. But when he opened the door, Allahu Akbar i For me personally, I can only say this because this is my own personal experience. I wish I had. I'm not that person who has cameras with them all the time. You know, you get the influences wherever they move. They have cameras with them. Influences anyone now can be an influence. So you just need something called Instagram and something called YouTube and money to hire someone to record you 24 hours when you eat when you get onto the Internet.
into a vehicle when you come out of the vehicle when you go into the place to change your clothes, some Miskin poor guy who does his job. And Allah subhanho wa Taala is destined to keep his camera on you and then edit what you do. Right? I don't have that handy Laravel anime but if I had Subhanallah if there's one time where I wished I had it it was then because when I got it off the car and it's hard Can you tie it and you thinking we are Allah Where did these guys take us? hula hula stand yeah
I think you just hear children leading
ya Allah
He the hair stand on your skin.
You can't see them because they in this heart
but it's the voices of children reciting the Quran. You can't make up the words because everybody's squatted and everybody's words are mixing you've seen how a murderous sighs I'm sure you've experienced it. Allah He I can tell you from the time I put my foot under the desert ground I didn't think of anything I was thinking when I got there. And we ended up staying there two to three hours. How can you be such as the Quran I want you to appreciate this. That Oh servant of Allah and oh child of Adam don't let your relationship with the book of Allah be a relationship in which Subhanallah Ramadan finishes and it's on the shelf and you don't see it except when next time comes
to crawl Quran in the Quran, Baba, big cellcom, Leia iPhone Al Quran Allah Allahu Allah Allah Rama vodka Cara who said if the pious before used to say when they were asked about a people who only you know, they established themselves for Allah and Ramadan, and one of my bad finishes, they know it to be seen. The Quran doesn't see them. They say these are the worst of people they don't they don't know Allah accepting one month when Allah is the Allah every month of the year. And the Quran is the guide of every one of their Subhanallah for the Quran has the best of all stories.
Allah subhanho wa Taala and by the way, remember Surah Yusuf in the 21st century what is the benefit from what we're discussing here? To appreciate the Quran to love the Quran when I'm sharing with you these virtues of the Quran is to build within your heart, plant seeds of love of the Quran, that when you sincerely love the Quran, no one will need to tell you to read the Quran. You will miss the Quran when you far away from the Quran. You will want to go to the Quran when you far away from the Quran. Your day will feel Subhanallah like something's missing when you haven't had your sitting with the Quran.
You will feel this. When you have a relationship with the Quran. When you miss it, it will miss you. And when it misses you you will miss it. La ilaha illa Allah and what are we to pass away having the Quran as a companion, a companion and Allah He is a timeless companion is guidance is still the grave and his benefits are beyond the grave. Allah talks about Sora the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam tells us about Surah Al Baqarah and surah Al Imran, who will be our lawyers on the day of km. They will argue on our behalf on the day of camp for those who used to recite it. La ilaha illa when verses were revealed animals used to become an easy recognizing the power and mercy of Allah
subhanho wa Taala descending, such as we find in some of the reasons of Resolute revelation pertaining to Surah Surah TCAF. And Allah subhanahu Uttar Allah says if one portion of this Quran was revealed on a mighty mountain, it would have crumbled into little pebbles, Allahu Akbar, but Allah has given the human being a heart, the heart of a believer that can read this Quran and memorize it and preserve it.
But a mountain cannot
cannot Subhanallah it will become humble, it will surrender in status, it will become crushed into pebbles. But Allah subhanho wa Taala blessed in sun with the heart that can meet this Quran. Fire Abdullah Yeah, but Allah Aina into Aina and will cry Aina into will Kitab
where are you? And the book of Allah subhanho wa taala? Where are you and the Quran?
These are questions we need to ask ourselves, this is the benefit I want us to take from these sessions. So the use of in the 21st century that you sit down and you hold yourself accountable.
You take yourself to account.
And if Allah has given you a family, then you sit and discuss this with him as well.
When Allah subhanho wa Taala licks Yukawa leaves you in charge of your household. It's not just to become a sergeant major in your household, my dear brothers, and you just come out and do this and don't do that. And when they say Why is it because I said so, this is not go wham
wham is a is is is is far bigger and far substantial in reality that you nurture people to be general this
Allah gives you a people within your sphere of influence to be gender builder. So your role is to make them precise
Mr. alaka was solid he was stopped earlier. Learn as a local, national cook. Every father says, I'm too busy. I'm working say Father, idea, brother, your child, raise your child where are you? Allah He job, the job, you know, expenses, life, life of this world. It's too expensive to this. It's true that the shifts the workload, they if Allah says one or more alaka was solid, he was tabular Allah, command your families to the Salah and be persistent in that instruction.
It's not going to work by just speaking to them once. They have to be persistent.
Then Allah says what landless Alucard is called, we're not asking you to put food on the table. We didn't ask you to do that national Zuko we are the providers. You need to take the means that is suitable to your lifestyle. And as for the rest is from Allah subhanho wa Taala but don't be working jobs trying to earn so much but Allah has decreed for you an amount and that's the only amount you're going to get from Allah subhanho wa Taala
don't flout your mandatary roles in life, for elective reasons.
mandatary roles are roles that you carry 24/7 You can never give up on them.
Elective roles or roles that you have flexibility that you can have a job here you can have a day you can work part time you can work full time you can work from home you can work these are these are elective realities.
Because you can be selective with them.
Today, we give more weight to the elective at the expense of the mandatary
and Surah Yusuf is telling us otherwise,
the murky and many verses are telling us otherwise remember we spoke about prioritization?
So, the Quran if Allah puts people within our sphere of influence, then no doubt we should nurture them to love the Quran. Because if Allah tells you nurture your families who love Salah is their Salah without Quran My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam let's be serious.
Last salah, Telamon Lamia Cara before they headed kita for Corrado Murthy. Asami part and parcel of Salah is to read the Quran
is to read the Quran. So think about this, My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam now, by this I don't mean you need to force your children to become offended. Sometimes when we have these discussions, parents do come and then they say this, right? They say, Allah Hey, my child and have no Allah is not going to ask you on the Day of karma did you make your child to have faith? Allah is not going to ask him to do is I'm going to ask you a child on the day of km or euro half ago did your parents make you have it? But Allah is going to ask you a child on the day of pm about their character do they have the character of the Quran? And he's going to ask you Oh parent, did you
nurture your child to have the character of the Quran?
And that's why Allah didn't command us to become her father of the Quran.
How many Sahaba did we have and how many of them had memorized the Quran? You see the same names always obey even cabs even fair bit of the labor Mr. Rude,
why we are and so on and so forth.
But they all had the character of the Quran. We all have the knowledge of Helen and Hara, right? But if you have a child mashallah Tabata, Allahu Allah has blessed with the ability to memorize Well, hamdulillahi rabbil Alameen
facilitate the unique ability which Allah subhanho wa Taala and has given them but I highlight this so that we don't engage our children in a way that makes them Shepherd it makes them have anxiety when it comes to the Quran. Some parents you have to memorize and they're trying and can see they're struggling and maybe it's not the age but you push and you push and you push and you push to the extent where they don't understand why, because of the age they start developing a dislike to the Quran. Not that they want to sorry, this they have this reason, but they can't explain it this anxiety. We don't even come to this because the Quran is above that. But this you it's an anxiety.
They can't explain it, but they have it. So we must be careful as parents as well, recognizing the Shere Khan is Harris as well. But the relationship with the Quran is beyond just memorizing it.
It's about understanding it. It's about internalizing it, it's about implementing it. It's about inspiring others through it, it's about what yeah, he will be built Qurani propagate Islam, Allah says strive, be with the Quran, Jihad and Kabira the great striving that our will you call to the Quran and the message of the Quran and you have a desire that your non Muslim neighbor one day reads the Quran, or at least is introduced to what the Quran is. And if you know of somebody who has a misconception about the Quran, you feel within your heart and your soul, a sincere desire, it keeps you up at night. I need to fix that misconception that this person and this non Muslim has about the
book of Allah subhanahu Ettan just like you would if someone had the misconception about your own mother,
you wouldn't let it go. You take it personally right or wrong? Because it's my mother. What about the Quran?
What about the Quran? today? I feel Subhan Allah some of us have become
desensitized to what we see in the media. People want to burn the Quran now we just see another guy wants to burn the Quran we move on. No, we should feel it. We should have that Avira. It's from Eman
that yes, there's nothing we can do about it? Or can we do something about it? Or we live in a world where people have certain freedoms to do things, but in the least the heart should feel it not so. Not should not so the hands should go up and we should have a conversation with Allah subhanho wa Taala Allah, Allah who is Islam oh well Muslim in at least not so. But we see people today carry on. Oh, yeah, I had that news. Let's move on.
It's not a life journey with the Quran. I guess. We'll stop here because I wanted to move into the beginning of Surah Yusuf but Subhanallah that's a madrasa in and of itself. And that will be our next lesson in sha Allah parenting techniques from Surah Yusuf for the 21st century. In summary, today, we discussed the stories of the Quran, and what it means when Allah says that the best of all stories, and why they are the best of all stories, and also we extrapolated from it, a 21st century benefit. It's not a benefit just for the 21st century but in context of our lives today.
The Muslim in the book of Allah subhanho wa taala, Allah subhanho wa Taala because from the family of Allah Quran in this life, I mean, and we Allah raised us with the family of Al Quran in the Hereafter, I mean, and may Allah gather us with the family of Al Quran in Jana mean your O'Brien Amin has the whole island wa sallahu wa sallim wa barik ala Nabina Muhammad Ali he was so happy