Qur’an Convos #4 – How to Understand the Qur’an

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah and welcome to a Quran Convos a Podcast where we explore the many ways you can connect with the Quran. In Season One as you've seen, we've been covering the theme of tetherball and what it means or what it means to reflect deeply on the Quran. This is based on the works of emammal Hosea Rahim Allah, the 10 inward acts for the RE citation of the Quran. Today Alhamdulillah we'll be exploring the topic of how to understand the meanings of the Quran inshallah Tada

we are very excited to have our two guests today. hamdulillah cheerful Cemal spawn here and instead of talking about night here for summer, for those who are listening is the Imam of the ICPC in Clifton New Jersey was set up Fatima is a research fellow at TR clean May Allah subhanaw taala bless you both salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah Scheffel center. So the Fatima How are you doing today? When it comes Salam Rahmatullah hamdulillah doing well in Sharla. And when it comes to doing well as well,

and hamdulillah barkcloth equal? Before we get into the actual topic, I do want to ask you a question. We've been asking all of our guests, and it is a personal question. So feel free to share to the level of your comfort. Can you share one instance in your life when reading or listening to the Quran evoked a deep emotional reaction from you? What was happening? What did you read or hear? What did it make you do or feel? What what did it relate to or connect to? We'll start inshallah Tada with the following a lot of fluffy

was not meant for him. Yeah, you know, I can think of an instance that

goes back pretty far. I want to say I was 18. So 12 ish years ago.

And I believe the experience was

the inaugural ceremony for zaytuna college. So I was starting as a freshman.

And they do these inaugural ceremonies for the beginning of the school year.

And

it must have been cloudy Ahmed is his name was a well known cloudy, Moroccan cloudy, who resides in California. And he, I believe he recited so mad man. And I think that was probably the first time I'd heard a live recitation of Quran that have that

level of beauty and talent and gift behind it, I hadn't really been exposed

to people who specialized in this area of not only knowing how to recite the Quran, technically, but actually having a gift for reciting it beautifully beautifully. And for, you know, having a natural talent for reciting it beautifully. And I think that was probably the first time I was really exposed to Oh, my goodness, there are people out there who can read the Quran like this, you know, with this level of have talent and beauty and, and majesty. So I think I think that was a really powerful experience for me. And, and it was sort of the the beginning of many first, in terms of, you know, learning about the culture and learning about, you know, the, you know, economic sciences

and things like that. So it was a really beautiful opening to the beginning of that journey for me.

Sure, well does that more fit and so palates are really relevant. I think, story and example that many people will think about at some point in their lives, coming across every citation that is very powerful and beautiful, and not just technically correct, but impactful on the hearts and it's a reminder for everyone who's listening, a reminder for ourselves, when you recite the Quran, especially if others are listening, be as sincere as you can towards the loss of Hannah to Allah. For perhaps this will increase the impact that it has on the hearts of others who are listening. Chef Sam will ask you the same question in sha Allah, medical people, because I color fish or swim

on the left. I've come. Yeah, like you said, this is as Pamela, you know, a really personal question. But I guess the benefit, hopefully that could be in it is,

you know, developing that type of emotional and spiritual relationship with the Quran that can be very empowering, through the experiences that we go through in our lives. You know, I guess one that comes to mind, you know, takes me back to when I had just graduated high school. This was in the month of June, end of June, just graduated high school. And then as soon as July 3 came, I made myself ready to go

I travel halfway across the world to continue my studies in Egypt. And, you know, it was a really emotional time because it was the first time I was going to live away from home first time living in a Muslim country. And at that young age, I guess the challenge was, and the concern was, am I going to be able to do it, and people around me shared that concern, you're gonna be able to, you know, you know, find that strength to be fully independent of your family of your common surroundings and continue on that journey of knowledge. So, I guess there's one verse that initially, I kept on reminding myself of, to find the emotional strength to begin the journey. And then there's another

verse that I guess helped me throughout as I was there in my years in Egypt, studying so the first verses, and certainly

chapter four verse 100, and it's one when you hedge it visa vie the law here, just fill out the Morava man Kathy Hiromasa. familia Hirshman beta he mohajir en el Allahu Allah soon for me the recording mode for Kurt Volker Andrew and Allah so the first basically saying you know, when you journey and that journey is for Allah, you'll find many safe havens and you'll find much bountiful resources and the land and whoever leaves his home for Allah and his profits and then dies then his edge is by Allah and I guess the the emotion that was there was all right, what's gonna happen on this journey to me to my parents are getting older. Will I be surprised with something along the way

at that far distance, so I guess it was a very spiritually empowering verse for me.

And I the other verse ensuite units that, you know, I guess helped me along the journey was, you know, as you know, you spend time away, you know, in unfamiliar territories, you get much time for isolation and reflection, you know, and that other verse that you know, I felt was also very empowering was suited Eunice verse 61 where Allah azza wa jal says we're metta Kunal fish and then we're metronome in human Quran, Allah dama lunamon Amylin elcon, Alikum shahada, the verses, basically saying, You're never in a situation or condition. You never recite any part of the book of Allah, except that Allah is Ever Watchful over you ever seeing every act and every, every motion you

make. So, you know, those are two verses that, you know, struck a very,

you know, deep part in my heart, you know, ask Allah azza wa jal to make us of those who reflect on the Quran and live with it. mean, I mean, does that make sense chef was beautiful examples and Subhanallah I think that's also relevant to those who

are in the path of seeking knowledge, especially when they're traveling, they're moving, leaving families,

maybe isolated or independent for the first time in a more significant way. It's a really important reminder as well, so Pamela, and had you heard and perhaps you had heard that is so many times before and recited it and memorized it, but it hits differently when you're experiencing something that that point in your life. And there are many other examples like this even from the Companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them. The example of the most difficult day for the OMA the passing of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and how difficult it was to accept this news even for Audible football, but all the long run to the extent that when you go back to the law, one came out

as we all know in the story, and he finally addressed the people and he recited the iron woman Muhammad Allah Rasulo portfolio to public and also there's a report that honorable hotcopper the Allahu Anhu said it says though I was listening to this ayah for the first time, and he said only then did I really realize I fully processed that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam had passed away. Sometimes we will recite and we recite and we recite, and we're not reciting with an emphasis on reflection or on understanding may Allah subhanaw taala grant us understanding instead of faulty magic Osama in our first three episodes so far of this season, we've built an understanding of who

the speaker of the Quran is. And then number two, the importance of priming our hearts to connect with Allah's words, and also how to start engaging in tetherball or deep reflection of the Quran. In this episode, inshallah Tality inward act from the list from emammal lasagna, humble light that we are reflecting on his what he calls understanding or Tiffa home. And there are some people who might say that the Quran is straightforward and it is clear and anyone can not just read it but understand it fully and interpret it as they will. And there are others who say that the Quran can only be understood fully by scholars, so we have to understand it exclusively from them. And of course, we

know in the study of Alumina Quran that there's much more to this, there are qualifications

forum officers in one of the rule Quran classes I had taught in the past, we listed many 20 qualifications that the scholars proposed for someone who's going to see it. Whereas tele Bucha, as we mentioned before, is is something that can be done by people in different ways. And there are etiquettes and guidelines. I guess the question we can start with is the following. What is the very practical step by step approach, an average Muslim should take if they want to understand the Quran, meaning they want to take that first step and introductory level of understanding the Quran maybe we can start shortly this time with Chef or Santa and then started talking with

Zack law here.

Chifley man, so, you know, for me, just to, I guess, begin that discussion. The what resonates in terms of the difference between to Deb warrantyfor home is that to find a home is sort of looking beyond and understanding the profound message that's being conveyed by Allah azza wa jal

and then to de Bourgh is where am I from this verse? How does it relate to me? Or how can I draw personal connections with with the words of Allah azza wa jal, I think he members early in the section onto for whom he he clarifies that, you know, he gives a few examples of, of what he means by to fly home. And one of those examples is basically when you look at the creation of Allah azza wa jal of the heavens and the earth and the interchange of day and night, that you see something beyond and that is his doing, and you reflect on the greatness of his fear. And

so you go beyond the fear into the feral, the beyond the action to the one doing it, and that's Allah azza wa jal, and through realizing that you realize the greatness of what's being described in terms of the actions because our actions do not come near his action. Subhana. And he gives other examples besides that, but I guess, you know, to your point, how can I begin to, you know, develop that type of step by step approach, in my connection with the book of Allah, I would take, I would, you know, emphasize a few points. The first of these points is, you know, to understand that the Quran is a dress is meant for different levels of understanding. And so it's absolutely not a book

reserved for any category of people, scholars or otherwise. But rather, it is a book that is fully encompassing, in terms of being relevant to the different demographics and the Quran says this is a verse and Sushil Kumar chapter 54, verse 17, where Allah says, well look at your subtitle for analytical, we have made the Quran easy to be a reminder and a source of remembrance. So is there anyone then to be mindful, but on the other end, ALLAH SubhanA, Allah says, of course, not everyone, in terms of their reminder will be the same keytab and Angela, who they come about, we've sent down this book, a blessed book, so that they may reflect on its verses, and then the key words in the end

of the verse will lead to that Kara will LDAP and so that those people have intellect, and understanding and reason may be reminded. So we have both both components here that by the way, that versus chapter 38, verse 29. So the first point is, the Quran addresses different levels of understanding. The second is realize that it's a see without ashore, no matter how much I attempt to extrapolate it's versus and it's it's bounties, I will never reach its end and, and that's, that's, that's how the book is meant to be. And then the third point, I would say, is realize just as there's different levels of understanding, there's also different readings of the Quran. And, you

know, I guess we learned this from our prophets I send them the prophets I send them would often be in a position where he would lead the companions in prayer and he would recite to them the Book of Allah. But in one situation that the Sunnah, speaks about the Prophet sighs and I wanted to listen to the Quran as a means to get a new doorway of reflection, and that's when he came to him and Massoud and he said to him, recite to me the Quran. So the Prophet sighs, he said, nevertheless are a little bit alarmed. He said to the prophets, I said them, should I recite it to you when it's been revealed to you? The prophets I said and said, I love to listen to it from another. So the Prophet

Cicilline is teaching us how to build doorways to connecting with the book of Allah. And so he began reciting from certainly sat until he reached the verse that verse states and how then will it be when we bring for every nation witness and we've brought you as a witness over over these holder? Okay, that jitna mean Coolio Mati Bucha, he didn't what didn't epic Allah Allah Isha.

either. So when he recited this, the prophet sighs him told him stop right there has spoken and stopped right there. And he looked over to the Prophet SAW Selim and he saw him crying. And that's the spiritual empowerment and the emotional empowerment that the prophets I send them got from the book of Allah. Now, of course, there's much more to say, of course, I'd love to hear from Stella Fatima what she has to add to that, you know, in terms of the specifics that are needed to build a relationship with the Quran, if I if I think of anything else, I'll add it after that Shabbat Zachor look, like morphine and bad coffee cups. Yeah, totally. It was the following.

Yeah, I think that was, that was beautiful advice. And I would add to it, you know, I think it's interesting when it comes to I've gotten a lot of times Muslims feel either very intimidated by it, which the negative consequence of that is staying away from it, then

I mean, opposite is that people can feel a little bit too comfortable. And the negative result of that is thinking that they are then the standard by which to understand the book, you know, so there's inshallah Happy, happy middle place, because certainly, there is a level of intimidation that we should feel

by this revelation from Allah subhanaw taala. But at the end of the day, it has been revealed for our benefit, right, and so you can only benefit through engaging with it.

So, you know, I think, I think a lot of what in my ministers early is trying to get us to do is

to be fascinated and interested in the Quran, right, to engender a sense of fashio, of fascination of interest of interest in understanding the book, right, to have a certain to feel a certain pull towards it. Right, that will allow us to return to it time and time again, that will allow us to, you know, something comes to our heart or something comes to our mind. And we think to ourselves, naturally, Oh, I wonder what's in the book of Allah about this right, to engender that sense of fascination with it, that keeps us coming back over and over again.

And so that's why you know, all these different points that he's making, especially this point of, of tephra, home of, you know, try to understand come to the book of Allah, with the explicit intention of trying to gain an understanding of walking away,

you know, with more knowledge or certainty, or even more questions than you had before, but to have a real engagement with the book. And, you know, I think one thing that's interesting,

people who study literature, for instance, they'll say things like, in order to really approach a book appropriately, you have to take the author seriously. Meaning, the author wrote this book with intention and with purpose. Right, so you can't handle the book frivolously. And you can't assume when you read something in the book, that is pointless, or set in vain. And of course, that's just talking about books written by human beings, who it's, you know, it's essentially impossible for us to do everything with intention and

you know, with meaning behind it, although we can certainly try but when we're looking at the book of Allah, we know with certainty, that this is something that has meaning and intentionality

in every, in every verse in every word in every letter, right. So, we have to take it seriously. And we have to consider that nothing in it is being said in vain. And nothing is

you know, unimportant or frivolous or added last minute or something like that.

And then, you know, also in, in this understanding of have to devote is to treat with care, right? So it's it's a it's something that when we read the Quran, you know, we approach it with, with care, we approach it with gentleness, we approach it with

this mindset that we want to be

nourished by it, and we want to lend our intellect and our hearts towards understanding it, right. That's how we treat it with care. So

yeah, I would just I would just rewind

to say so much of what Imam Al Ghazali is trying to impart to us is, we have to engender this sense of fascination and interest with the book of Allah. And that's the first step towards getting something out of it.

Does that Makeda sort of fundamental, it's an excellent, excellent example and insight as well may Allah subhanaw taala reward you. You reminded me of the statement of one of the predecessors of the London robotic Rahim Allah, He, He gives an example of like an approach. And he says the first step towards seeking knowledge is the sincerity of intention. And so as we're talking about, of course, understanding and TFC and thinking about the Quran, and to the book, starts with the intention, and he says, then it's listening like listening often, then it is understanding. And so it's one of the first things that, that that's included in this list of advices, towards fully engaging with the

book of Allah subhanaw taala. And then he adds other things, memorizing implementation of what you are, you know, reading and understanding and memorizing and that it's also teaching others and conveying it. And the story that you reminded me of is actually from

the tough seat of him, I'm gonna quote liberal Hamilton analogy rather. And he says the metaphor of those who recite the Quran without knowing its meanings. Here specifically, it's tough see, it is that of some people to whom a letter arrives from their king at night, when they have no lamp. And at that time, of course, they had no lights, they are alarmed not knowing what the letter contains the metaphor of the one who knows the tafseer the meaning of the Quran is that of a man who brings them a lamp so that they can read what the letter contains. And of course, today in this day and age, we have to give an analogy that people can relate to until we ask some of the youth. If there's

a I don't know a celebrity or righteous, pious celebrity, someone you look up to someone you love, someone you admire, you would love to meet this person, and they sent you a video message, but you had no data, you had no Wi Fi, you couldn't download the message, you wouldn't benefit from it, you wouldn't know what to do you have maybe a sense of urgency, I need to understand what's here, like I received a message from this person, I really need to know what's here. And of course, this is a really clumsy analogy, because it doesn't highlight fully what we're talking about here when we referenced the speech of a loss of habitat or the words of Allah subhanaw taala. This is Calam law,

it is a miracle for us, it is a healing for us, it is a guidance for us, when the average Muslim tries to understand the Quran, sometimes they'll read a translation, sometimes they'll maybe listen to a short term seed clip or start studying to see if and when scholars try to research and understand and explain the Quran. They are usually delving into deeper study and analysis of the language and many other things as well, scholarly commentaries engaged with, but the average person usually is not expected to do something like that even a beginner student of knowledge oftentimes is not doing that deep research every time they start engaging with the Quran. So the question that

maybe we can ask is, what should we do to maintain a holistic approach to the meanings of the Quran? And instead of opting out, we'll start with you for this one and challenge on that.

Bismillah Yeah, that's a that's a good question.

I would start off with saying that, you know, trying your best to have a regular practice, of course of reading the Quran. And, you know, even if you're not sure what the future of your study is going to be with regards to the Quran, you don't know how deeply you're going to get to go. If you're, if you're going to have the opportunity to do formal training, things like that. Just start reading because I think what happens initially is that the more familiar you are with the Quran, the more it pops up, in day to day life, meaning, you know, you first start to see it happen and just your daily experiences, right, if something will happen.

In in your life, there's there's an event a circumstance, you know, a happy moment, a tragic moment, or just an interesting moment. And because of your familiarity with the Quran, something from it will,

you know, arise in your mind, right, and it has application for that moment that you're in. And, you know, ultimately, if that's as far as you ever get, that's still really great, right? Because the idea that, you know, I'm so familiar with the book of Allah, that when something happens in my life, I think, oh, wow, that reminds me of that verse, right? Or oh, wow, that's just like what

Lesson Plan went up by one Dallas said in that verse. And so I think in gendering that familiarity, so that when you're going about your daily life, you have the blessing of being able to call upon the Quran, or just the fact that it comes to your mind.

So I think that would be the first thing, you know, I really think it's, it's so important to, to listen to the scholars to read from the scholars to, of course, find scholars that you trust and resonate with.

Because ultimately, they will be a guide for you.

And understanding the book better and, and putting it into context so that you can understand it better. And there's nothing wrong with that, of course, we should endeavor to read on our own. But we're also a community that values scholarship and that values, you know, transmission and learning from others. And so we should be happy to hear from others about what they've gained from their study of the Quran.

And, you know, I think what happens is that, you know, people sometimes think, Oh, well, then you're just relying on someone else to interpret the book for you. One part of that is totally okay. Because just like in any other sphere of knowledge, you can't know everything. And there are people who study more than you, and so you should listen to them. That's one. But two, is that that's not all that happens, right? Sometimes it's that it's not so much that listening to the scholar reading the book, will elucidate everything for you, it might elucidate something in one part of the Quran. And then as you go on in your journey, you realize, oh, well, this has application for that, even if

the scholar may not have spoken about that particular verse, or you might not have read about that particular verse in terms of a Tafseer. But because you're allowing yourself to be in that world of hearing interpretations, and hearing scholars talk about it, your mind is going to then be able to apply reasoning to different parts and apply context to different parts. And it will slowly and slowly blossom for you. So I'd say those two things have familiarity with the books so that in your daily life, you feel the applicability of it, and then also feel comfortable listening to scholars because not only will they explain something in particular, but they will give you the context to

help you understand some things on your own as well.

Just like Mohamed Salah Fatima, you give so many useful advices. And you also touched on really a crucial point that arises partially due to maybe radical skepticism when it comes to religion when it comes to Islam. When it comes to what people see us, you know, man made interpretations and constructs, as well as in a way you kind of touched on the effects of post modernism today, where people are refusing to to look up to people who are proficient and experts in their fields. But oftentimes, it's in the it's in the domain of religion. And it really can confuse students of knowledge or sorry, an average Muslim who maybe wants to become a student of knowledge. If they

start off with with this notion of radical skepticism, towards scholarship, and they ignore a number of things amongst them the amount of sincere effort that went into,

you know, interpreting an IA of the Quran, the reliance and methodology on an unjustified quota and by the Quran, by the Quran by the Sunnah, or by the statements of companions, they might ignore the fact that the scholars have put in a lot of effort to ensure that everything they've reported is as authentic as possible. So there's just so many factors, there are many factors that arise but you kind of in a way you gave like a wonderful profound 62nd refutation of the the effects of post modernism when it comes to people's skepticism towards the tip see it, and one advice maybe we can give to those who may ask you as a follow up study is how do I know which scholars to trust or which

Institute's or organizations or books, it is a question that arises today, unfortunately, because number one, there's a lot of deviance in the world, although orthodox Islam is extremely extensive, and why does it scope there are a lot of things we do need to be honest and frank about in terms of warning, introductory students of knowledge and number to be

because there is a clear cut effort to meddle with the so called constructs of turf seed and interpretive methods of the Quran. And so when you have for students of knowledge and just the listeners around the world, when you have scholars clearly and consistently quoting the Quran as a source of tipsy and quoting the Sunnah of the Prophet salallahu alayhi salam as a source of tipsy and quoting the statements of companions, in addition to quoting the really deep, powerful intellectual tradition that we have, this is a good sign inshallah Tada. But if you hear somebody giving an entire booklet and all they've quoted or like philosophers for the last 25 minutes, not a

single reference to Hadith, or put it in, it's probably not a good sign. In terms of methodology. Obviously, there's more context, every hope but but my point here is look to those who are trustworthy in terms of what they've quoted and cited, as well as those who are themselves cited by others, by their colleagues, by other institutes by you know, organizations that are trustworthy May Allah Subhana Allah grant us the ability to see the truth as truth and follow it and to see falsehood as falsehood and to abstain from it. There's no standard use a lot to take from that Sheila Sama, same question for you Inshallah, to Allah Allah, what should we do to maintain a

holistic approach to the meanings of the Quran better coffee, was like a fish chef's lemon and Zach furthers those beautiful points, Article Luffy, calm. I guess, just to add to what I said, the Fatima was speaking about, you know, they say that the Quran is a book that if you give it your all, it'll give you some of what it has to offer the operator who

could like ARPA, I'll talk about that. If you give it at all, it'll give you some of what it has to offer, if you give it your all sorry about that. But, you know, I guess in that vein, you know, there needs to be a personal investment in this endeavor of building a relationship with the Quran. You know, yes, some verses of the Quran are self evident. But the more I invest, and, you know, learning the tools that will help me understand and internalize the words of Allah azza wa jal, the more that it will have a profound impact on me as a person. You know, and I guess, you know, in that regard, there's a beautiful verse in the Quran Surah Baqarah, where Allah subhanaw taala says, Those

who've given the book they recited it's do recitation, it's, you know, how Cotulla and when they explain it, they say that they act upon it, it's do action, they reflect on it, it's do reflection, reciting it, reflecting on it, living by it, that's actually what made the generation of the companions so distinguished. They lived in the shade of the Quran. And for that reason, each of His Verses and its chapters, transformed them as individuals. So if you take someone like Satan that I'm gonna bring up,

you know, when one of the woman companions by the name of Holub, and stand up, she came asking for Sedna AMA, and he was in a congregation. And at that time, he was immediate not mean, he was the Khalifa. He left that congregation and he stood with her to fulfill whatever her need was, and they said, Will you leave these important onto this important entourage that's with you to speak to an elderly woman? Why are you doing this? And he responded, and he said, Don't you know who this is, this is someone whom Allah answered her call from above seven heavens. And this is when sort of the magenta law was revealed. So you know, say now I'm gonna live the book. That's why he connected with

it so much. If the Quran is not the focal point of my existence, then how could it really be my guiding light in terms of the experiences that I go through on an individual level, I need to make that type of investment. In terms of learning about these tools of the Quran learning about Bulava rhetoric, it will open doorways of reflection that perhaps were not known to have existed to someone who never studied Bulava before. Knowing the interpretive tools. The causes of revelation what was revealed in Mecca was revealed in Medina, having a foundational understanding of al Qaeda in understanding Allah and His names and his attributes to the Quran. All of these are critical tools

that will help us develop more meaningful relationships with the book of a book of Allah. So there's different levels of recitation, I need to have my regular dose of reciting of listening to the Quran, I need to have a Hetman

a cycle of Quran that involves devotion through recitation and another cycle of reciting the Quran that incorporates devotion through reflection, and another one that incorporates devotion through listening to the Buddha

Have Allah azza wa jal, all these are really critical points in having that holistic relationship with the book of Allah, personal study, I need to dedicate some time every single day to connecting with the, with the words of the Quran. And, you know, there's just too many examples of that. And all in all, there's another statement that you know, I want to bring to your attention, in which it said in Allaha, El Faro, we had al Kitab acquirement. Well, that will be a Hareem. Allah elevates by this book groups of people. And some are find their ruin or their demise by it as well. And the focal point of that is, how am I living by revelation and enacting it in my life? Well, none of

those are the three points I would would advise the stock market walk in and Chef beautiful points very profound. May Allah subhanaw taala accept from you. There's so many things that we can talk about here, and so many directions we can go in, based on what you both shared. A lot of people might be wondering, you know, let's say they want to start for the first time studying tough seed or understanding like, Where do I even go to explore the world? Let's see, where do I even start beyond translations, and we had a separate Hamdulillah we have basically a different discussion on translations of the Quran. But for now, do you have any recommended resources for a person starting

for the beginning? Who wants to start exploring the scholarly interpretations of the Quran? They want to start exploring to see it for the first time? What are some advices that you would give or resources? Again, something for the absolute beginner students of knowledge or listener inshallah? Tana, instead of hoping we'll start with the intro.

Yeah, I would say I would say take a class, honestly, I think,

I think especially when it comes to the Islamic sciences, there's a few things better than finding a great teacher who can really walk you through step by step and that experience of being in person with someone or if it has to be online, it has to be online, but still, learning through that human connection, I think is so important. And, you know, they'll throw in their life stories and their experiences. And, you know, you can maybe get to learn about their teacher and how they came

to learn what they have learned. And so I think, really getting into a class I think is so very helpful.

Another thing I would say is that, you know, if you're really just looking to start off in your exploration, then explore, right, think about, okay, what is a particular surah? That has always interested me, that has always sort of stood out to me? And let me find some, you know, well written well established articles and pieces of content on that, because I think sometimes people try to, you know, they have this zeal in the beginning. And so it's like, Okay, let me read a book from cover to cover. But that book may start off with things that are not particularly interesting to you. And you know, we have to be honest about that we're human beings, we're not going to be

fascinated by everything we read, even if it's about the Quran, right? So let your fascination drive you in the beginning.

So that you can really have that fascination, fed, right and have your curiosity fed. And then in sha Allah that will lead you to be curious about more aspects of the Quran, but really start off

trying to uncover the meanings in the context and the history about something in the Quran that has already been interesting to you.

Does that mafia and also the Fatima chef or samurai same question for you in sha Allah Tala about again, the beginner student of knowledge who wants to start somewhere with Tafseer inshallah? Does that go ahead? Well, I couldn't agree more with a set of Ultima knights advice, I think really, the best way to go about it is,

you know, start off with a course and that that course that you may perhaps look for is something on alumina, Quran Quranic sciences, something, something that will give you a bird's eye view of what makes the Quran a miracle? What defines the Quran? And what are the aspects of its miraculous nature? What is the seed? What are its methodologies, I think that will be a good springboard to being able to access the actual books of seed. And then besides that, so I would take a class on that and then besides that, just investing in learning the language itself

separately, because the stronger your

mastery of the language becomes, the more access you'll have and

more fine and refined your understandings will be Aloha Anna. Does that Mohit and chef? Oftentimes, people ask as a follow up to what you both just mentioned, the barrier of language. And although it's something we explore in a different episode, there is always this question about resources for those who, like the majority of the OMA who are not native Arabic speakers or have not yet to learn Arabic, and I found Subhanallah, both of your advices deserve more credit. So the topic for emphasizing this notes of find a class a mentor, a teacher who is qualified to teach tough see, and because you'll take yes, some of the tradition, let's say they're citing some of the companions or

previous FSU, but also take some of the applications of that, you know, in terms of to the board. And so we've we've had a lot of, for example, converts, new students of knowledge, young and old, different walks of life, study aroma Quran with us, this was a few years back at an Islamic center. And initially, the thoughts of some of the organizers was, it's going to be too difficult to advance too much. But as you I think you mentioned the following a spark their curiosity. Now they learned about one thing just in terms of like Pepsi and said, I want to learn about all of this, this is the book of Allah subhanaw taala. And there are many ways for non Arabic speakers and readers to engage

in terms of Tafseer. Of course, learning Arabic is a really important thing for those who are able to put in the time and effort to simultaneously you know, find a teacher, a class a program to learn the Arabic language, it really will open up your eyes, it will help you it will benefit you in terms of your connection to the Quran. And I found it interesting that there's a statement attributed to the companion who is one of the most important components when it comes to the Quran, or even Carminati Allah one who said learn the Arabic language just as you learn to memorize the Quran. And this advice perhaps was really important as Islam started to spread to other regions, that people

were trying to engage with it and maybe just memorizing it, I really appreciate what you both shared about connecting with it, because oftentimes, we'll have put and memorization Institute's or Tajweed programs and those are important, every single program that helps with one aspect of connecting to the Quran is important and they're not mutually exclusive, or you can only do this or do that. But an advice to all the parents out there, and all the youth, everyone out there who is really prioritizing just the memorization of the Quran. The advice is make sure you're emphasizing the understanding of the Quran. Because there are many people who memorize the Quran who do not

understand it, and they are not acting upon it. And they are not reflecting the teachings of the Quran. And of course, there are those who have memorized less and they are implementing it because of their understanding and their sincerity towards it. So an advice here is to ensure that you are trying to study Arabic trying to study tafsir. If you if you both had to share with our listeners, one one resource for tiff see it beyond just a course. Let's see a translation of tiff seed is there one that you both prefer as a recommendation for new students, introductory students in sha Allah, I know that there are many out there. We definitely need more than English language in terms of books

and publications. But if you had to recommend one for new students, what would it be we'll start a faulting, and then she herself. Okay, I was hoping she could someone would go first.

I'm trying to I'm trying to think, you know,

I don't know exactly that I have one resource, but I will say this

you know, my,

my father who did as a as a convert to Islam, he never got the opportunity to study Arabic formally. But one thing he did, which I always saw him do, and I think is so beautiful is that he would purchase just about any translation of the Quran that there was.

And he did this because there would genuinely be, you know, verses that he would read and one translation, and he would be fascinated and wonder, you know, hey, I know I don't know, the Arabic language. So let me at least go to another translation to get you know, a different a slightly different coloring a different flavoring a different, you know, connotation of this particular word.

And I think that's, that's so important, especially, you know, if if English is your native tongue, and if you don't really first see that you're going to have the opportunity to study Arabic then

At least broaden, you know, your English sources to the best extent that you can, right. And then also get a good Quran dictionary a good color and dictionary that, you know, they have these, many of them now I think we're at you know, it'll have the the word and Arabic, and then it'll have, you know, a nice list of definitions and connotations for you to look at and to hopefully color your understanding. Because just because you don't know the Arabic language, and you may not get the chance to study it formally, does not mean that you can't have layers to your understanding, right, you can exhaust what's available in English, to the best extent that you can.

And, and really use that as as your resource and, and not be shy to do that. So I would say, now I get, you know, different credible translations of the Quran, read multiple.

And sometimes the differences in one translation to another may not be very significant, but they may give you a little something extra that makes you feel like oh, wow, I'm understanding this closer to the Arabic language than I would otherwise just having that one translation that I always go to.

Does that work? No. So that's really, really good advice. And may Allah bless your father, and all of our community members who are listening as well who have family members who have converted to Islam and perhaps are not able to, you know, access or study their decline, which may Allah subhanaw taala bless them as well. It's a beautiful example and inspiration. And practically here, anyone today can go to a port and.com and just check the boxes of the translations you want simultaneously, you know, four or five, let's see for some yet and try to get a better understanding of the ayat through yes through an attempt to translate the meanings of the Quran. But that's a really good

advice. Personally, I would recommend the clear put to end by Dr. Mustafa upon I think today in terms of the language and the way people speak, it's very relevant, very useful as well. And there's site International, which is always a useful one. There's Ms. Abdul Halim as well. Now the Oxford publication. And since you mentioned this, Estelle Fatima, I remember seeing the publication of the the clear Quran dictionary also by the Ford Foundation by Dr. Mustafa hotplug, and his team will reward them and you know, when I saw the copy and how useful it was for those who are trying to just start their journey connecting the opponent I thought was one of the best publications in English as

as a dictionary as far as the dictionary goes, so that's another recommendation that we can share inshallah Tada she of course, I'm I'm sure you have some advices and recommendations as well about o'clock people.

Yeah, I think there's so so many books that have been published on individual chapters and also on Quranic sciences that I think would be useful for someone who, you know, wants to at least prepare themselves until they find a course. I think some of the books on it are normal Quran that are available.

In English, there's a there's some a book series by Chef forehands VAD from Ioh K Institute of knowledge that I personally found very useful in some of the classes I taught. He has it on Quranic sciences, and then he has a few books published on individual chapters. I know there's also a long Quran by Dr. Yasir qadhi which is has a lot of detail and is very beautiful. I found it very useful for an English audience and also one of my friends dear friends from us hardship amor cuisine. He actually translated gateway to the Quranic sciences lexicon by CLT. So you can you can also find that there. And then there's a lot of others who have like the seed of sorts of Cujo, diets, for

example, or certain calf critical suitors of the Quran, that are in publication. So I think there's so much data out there that, you know, of course, the classical works like that should have been cathedra I really think that you need some level of foundation and Islamic sciences to be able to truly benefit from its from its content. But I think some of the modern works, where some of the scholars of today sort of like simplified that and given more detail and explanation for an introductory audience, you know, could be very useful Alon does that market share? That's a whole ton of resources and mashallah lots of hands on rewarding and reward all those who facilitate

beneficial knowledge alone. I mean, I think recently, someone told me as well, maybe in the last five years, 10 years, there was a translation for tipsy to Saudi English language and it's a very simple one. Good introductory tip. See it

There are also many abridged versions of even Catia for beginner students. But oftentimes they come with narrations and some is slightly higher than others. That's I've seen a sound is a very safe, simple introductory ch to start with an English language. I'm going to ask you both as we close off here and we kind of wrap up this episode Inshallah, tada, you've given us so much in terms of insights, gems and devices, may Allah subhanaw taala reward you both and your loved ones and your families. Perhaps the team will take this and clip this as a 15 second or 10 second advice. And I know that's very challenging. I know it's hard to condense something in 10 seconds. But if you had

to give one really brief piece of advice to someone who's thinking about starting the resuscitation, or engagement with the Quran today for the first time, or to rekindle that relationship, what's a 10 second piece of advice that you would give? This time we'll start with Shinzo samyama.

My advice would be always approach the Quran from a standpoint of action. Don't put the book down until you've identified at least one thing you could live by Ilana mirror for Zach Masayoshi. Man he did that in 10 seconds. mela Saturday. I think most people they mentioned the 10 seconds is hard. But Hamlet Zack Laughlin take one at least action item and everything in terms of the Quran has some kind of action, internal or external political upheaval shift. So the same question for you in Charlottetown

dilla I would say you know, don't be shy with the Quran really approach it and even if you know it's been a long time since you've read it, or you feel that you don't have what it takes to read it and understand it. Know that you know, in sha Allah your intention to understand and to connect with it will be rewarded and that God sees that intention and don't prolong approaching the Quran just because you've procrastinated with it before because it's always there at the ready for us to take benefit from those that walk in on wonderful advice. May Allah subhanaw taala accept from you both and reward you and elevate your ranks. This does bring us to the end of our episode, we ask Allah

subhanaw taala to guide us to that which is beneficial and to implement it as soon as we can and in a consistent fashion that is pleasing to Him. As one of the predecessors said read the Quran in proportion to how much happiness you desire. Does that market share for summer so the Falcon army and was supposed to reward you for your time with you have given us a lot to take an implement shallow to Allah? are our brothers and sisters listening from around the world this Quran Convo episode has come to an end. But we invite you to take action today and we ask Allah subhanaw taala to accept from all of you and to make us amongst the people of the Quran. We will see you next time

inshallah Tada wa salam ala Nabina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salam aleikum, wa rahmatullahi woman