Suleiman Hani – Qur’an Convos #6 – Taking Quran Personally

			Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah and welcome to Quran condors, a Podcast where we explore the many ways
you can connect with the Quran in this season. As you know, we've been covering the topic of today's
book, or how to reflect deeply on the Quran. This is based on the works of Imam Al Ghazali Rahim
Allah the tendon would act for the recitation of the Quran.
		

			hamdulillah today as we explore how to connect with the Quran, like it's speaking to you, we have
two guests who are of course specialists in this area. We have with us Dr. Gina and Dr. Usman Mia
and loss of pounds I reward them so that like what happened to La Dr. Simone, Dr. Gina and how are
you today?
		

			I can sit down and humbler the levels and blessings from a lot of you here. Thank you for having why
they construct a law class which is akin to lockdown for having us Sorry for interrupting you Dr.
Eggman. I think I came in too quickly there.
		

			Nautical things that mostly actually Dr. Jim, I wanted to start by asking you this question we asked
all of our guests just in case it might inspire, motivate help someone was listening to this
inshallah to Allah on this topic of tender, but is there an instance in your life that you're
comfortable sharing in which reading or listening to the Quran or maybe even studying to see it
evoked a deep emotional reaction? Like what was happening? What did you read or hear? What did it
make you feel? I know this is a personal question. So share in proportion to how comfortable you
are, but something that could motivate others to interact with and engage with the Quran inshallah
		

			listening.
		

			Firstly, just like Mala Halen, for having me for asking me this review, beautiful, beautiful
question. I think, I mean, there are many situations where I've felt this deep emotion, or I've had
a deep emotional reaction to the Quran.
		

			And I think one that comes to mind right now, that I've been thinking about was probably in my very
early days of starting to practice Islam and getting very excited and just, you know, wanting to do
everything to please Allah subhanaw taala. And I think anybody who's gone through that kind of stage
where you feel very excited, and you have this a lot of zeal, you also think of your responsibility
towards other people. And I was thinking about my responsibility towards my friends, and I was
thinking, if my friend is always up for pleasure, you know, what's my responsibility? Am I supposed
to, like get mad at her and say, you know, you have to do this, like, what is how do you, you know,
		

			how do you take that deal to other people without being overbearing, and I was thinking, you know,
of that role. And subhanAllah your 3d you know, Allah Subhana Allah speaks you through the Quran,
and everything in the Quran is relevant to you. And so, I was reading, you know, a surah that, you
know, it's one of the shorter sutras in the Quran. So what's the last year and the versus the 3d
hits me was when I was kind of tired of saying to the prophesy, salam for the Cure in Nama and with
less stylee him be Muslim. And you know, I was a teenager. So this was without any tests, yet, it's
just a basic understanding of Arabic but you know, Allah subhanaw taala telling the prophesy send
		

			them, you know, remind them, you're only a Reminder, you're not over the controller. And of course,
this is with regards to, you know, inviting the people of Makkah, who are not, you know, believers,
but at that time, I remember it hit me because I said, subhanAllah, my, my, my job is not to get
angry at people for not practicing in a certain way. But it's actually to remind people, right, this
is to be a reminder to other people. And the reason why it was emotional was because of how I felt
that Allah answered my question without me almost asking him it was it was an internal dialogue I
was having with myself was a monologue, not really a dialogue, but reciting that verse and is
		

			thinking, Oh, my God, subhanAllah this, this is the answer. And I think, you know, that's something
that's always touched me that, you know, you know, the answer is for a lot of our questions easier
in the Quran. And I think that's kind of guided the way that I deal with myself as well as other
people that remind people just via reminder for people that Muslim medical people may Allah subhanaw
taala utilize all of us as reminders for others, and make us folks those who benefit from these
reminders. For our listeners, of course, Dr. Janine is a senior fellow at tf clean Institute. And
I've benefited a lot from your articles, especially as resources are for many of our students about
		

			the names and attributes of Allah subhanaw taala. She is also the author of the recently published
book reflecting on the names of Allah. Dr. Osman, I'm going to ask you the same question. And I
asked Allah subhanaw taala to bless you for those who are listening. Of course, Dr. Usman is the
director of Survey Research and Evaluation at Yelp clean, as well as an associate editor for the
editorial review board medical people in
		

			Santa Monica. So my response will be quite different than Dr. Jean and she was on the site of
already, you know, being deep into her practice and looking how to help others I was on the opposite
side I needed you know, the way to help me learn how to live my life. So I remember very vividly,
one of my deepest emotional experiences with the Quran was when I was in my first year in the
university
		

			Since back, you know, well over 20 years ago, I was living in the dorms. And for those who have ever
experienced such a life, they know it's not a very Hala life, right? What happens in the dorms is
not very
		

			clean. And I witnessed this all around me, I witnessed, you know, people who were drinking alcohol
or engaging in relationships in ways and you know, as a young man is 18 years old, who is trying his
best to keep his faith, you know, you just see that, and you see that, and it's, you know, and
there's this, this nagging kind of inner voice that says, hey, you should try this, to try this,
everyone looks like they're having so much fun. And, you know, handler loss, Panda had kept me away
from this to that point. And so one day, I remember just kind of really just feeling almost kind of
bad that everyone seems to be having, you know, so much fun. And I'm sitting here, just kind of not
		

			doing anything. And so I decided, you know, after, you know, some hours is open up the Quran, which
I don't, I wasn't typically doing at that time in my life.
		

			And I opened it up just randomly to a page. And lo and behold, I find sort of at the cathode. And so
I read, you know, my Arabic reading wasn't so great. So kind of more on the translation side, but
you know, reading that, you know, Al Hakim with the catheter that, you know, this life is simply,
you know, you know, that you've been deceived by this competition, right? And that only of course,
when, you know, does Ottoman macabre, right, you know, when when death comes, you realize that this
life was all about. And so reading that Surah, which is very few number of verses, it really slapped
me in the face. And it was like the perfect kind of reminder for me that look what these people are
		

			doing, competing in dunya for popularity, and having, you know, looking cool, and having boyfriends
and girlfriends or whatever, moving up the social ladder, right, it was not what this dunya is all
about. And so it really, really grounded me from that day on just be like, you know, like, be
comfortable with who you are, know that you have a different mission in life. And it really began my
commitment to saying, you know, I need to join the Muslim Student Association in the university, be
more committed to spending time with Muslims. And so I mean, I'll never forget that just kind of
that could open any verse But why Allah Allah allowed me to stumble across this surah I'll always be
		

			grateful for Allah's you know, gentle, loving hand guiding me they're so so had a lot that's one of
the most powerful antidotes for any worldly thought to desire pursue. Just the experience that you
shared is profound is that most Aidan Necrozma actually, sort of take out there isn't one of my
favorite ever said it often in Joomla are in the masjid. And a lot of times community members will
ask why this sort of like why do you keep reciting the surah? It's such a powerful reminder. So does
that look good? And for sharing that I think that's relevant to so many people's lives, when we
become distracted, or when our thoughts stray to what other people are pursuing have no desire to
		

			worship or self worship or the pursuit of societal pressures. Does that make it and medical people
Dr. Osman and Dr. G none. Last week for this series, we discussed how to overcome the barriers to
understanding the Quran. This week, the inward act that we are focusing on from the list of 10, once
again, is considering the teachings of the Quran specific to oneself. So of course, we believe as
Muslims, the Quran is a message to all of mankind. And it is guidance for the righteous for the God
conscious for those who are seeking the loss of Panasonic.
		

			But if a person reads it, and uses it to advise or diagnose the ills of others without applying it
to to oneself, then of course, we believe they'll be in a state of loss. So we believe that we
should consider that the Quran is speaking to us personally, if we want to connect to all of the
lessons, all of the benefits all of the value that it comes with, and it contains, and not just the
ones that we want to feel addressed by not just when it's convenient for us. Subhanallah I was
reflecting on a quote I had shared a few days ago by Hassanal bossley Rahim Allah, one of the
earliest scholars, and he says What's translated as Oh Children of Adam, you will never find the
		

			reality of Eman the completion of belief, as long as you fault people for doing what you yourself
are guilty of, until you clear yourself of that fault. And you correct it, then thereafter, you will
not correct a fault in yourself except that you will notice another fault. So your occupation will
become correcting yourself. And this is the most beloved thing to Allah subhanaw taala when you're
in a state like this, the question I believe we can start with here, based on this inward act of the
recitation of the Quran is how can a person reach a point where they always feel like the old man is
addressing them? Personally? It's a question that can take us into many different directions. We'll
		

			start at Charlottetown at this time with doctors mathematical it
		

			was a very heavy question right? And you know, remember those values so much to say on this for me
		

			I would start with one step higher. And I will start by, you know, you made this statement that, you
know, we know the Quran is a book of guidance. And I think we know it here in our head. But I don't
think a lot of people know it here in their heart. And what I mean by that is that we are
socialized, at least many of us, you know, from, from our cultural backgrounds of the Quran is a
book of blessings. It's a book of Baraka. And so we're taught from a very early age that our
relationship with the Quran is one that is based on how much we read it in Arabic, and how much we
memorize it. And so for a young age, the emphasis always is in the abundance of its recitation and
		

			memorization, as paths to nearness to Allah subhana montado. And as we get older, we're often told
that you should study the Quran and against studying the Quran. If you attempt to study the Quran,
you will find courses on Illumina and see, you know, Tajweed you know, an other Quranic sciences and
all this is important. But again, I wanted to distill this at the most central purpose of the Quran
is to see and to believe the Quran is a book of guidance for you first and foremost. So maybe it's
just too grounded because I know it's simple, but that I have to believe that this the purpose of
the Quran is not for me to understand, you know, the sciences of it. That's, that's a level to
		

			aspire for. But the most basic is ALLAH is talking to me and telling me how to live my life. And
what does that mean? It's doesn't mean just how that haram because also we reduce it to that, that
if I need to know if I can do something, or I can't do something that I open the book of ALLAH
SubhanA wa Tada, but rather, it's comprehensive in how am I supposed to walk in this world? How am I
supposed to think how am I supposed to feel about what happens? Right? What am I supposed to believe
about the current events and the political events and the historical events? And then what do I do
on a day to day basis and if you begin with this understanding of the Quran is here to address my
		

			knifes I have been created by Allah subhanho wa Taala in this world, he created this universe, He
created the guidance. And the Quran is a book where my lord my Creator, is telling me out of his
immense love, how to make sense out of everything. And this begins to place the reader now in this
place, or at least me so you know what? This happened to me today? When I read the Quran, how do I
make sense out of what happened to me today? How do I understand when something good happened to me
a blessing fell upon my lap? What about when something bad happened to me or I perceive to be bad?
Ha, how do I frame it in a way that is Quranic? Or how do I frame it in a way that is Rabbani or
		

			godly? And ultimately, I believe that one one really sees the Quran is speaking to themselves,
they're trying to get this big picture understanding about I don't want to miss the forest for the
trees. Sometimes we read the Quran, we kind of get caught up in like, really tiny, tiny particulars,
and we obsess over them as a reader, but rather to say, look, there's this message in its totality,
that is shaping my my ways of seeing this universe. And if I can allow myself to be patient, and not
being in a rush, and knowing that, at this stage in my life, if I'm a 25 year old Muslim man, the
Quran doesn't speak to me differently than when I'm 45 years old, and I may be married and I have
		

			children. At every stage of my life, the Quran is speaking to me differently. And that is why the
Quran is a book that is timeless and eternal. Because it's not like, you know, what, should I read
the Quran I'm done, I should understand how to live my life. Like it's the when you read it today.
And then you read it tomorrow, each day, it's gonna hit you differently, into personally
differently, because today I was in a good mood, and I understand how to deal with my good mood.
Tomorrow, I was in a bad mood, I know how to deal with my bad mood. Today, my kids were difficult
with me, I know how to respond to that I made money, I lost money. It's just that attitude of every
		

			single day. I need reinforcement from Allah subhanho wa taala, how to process my thoughts. So I'm
just going to begin with that because it is simple. But I believe to be one of the things that
opened my heart because I was one of those who began to obsess over, you know, the Istanbul Newzoo.
And why did this verse come out? It's like, no, no, no. What does this verse do for me today? Right?
Aloha
		

			does that. And that's beautiful. And I love the example they gave doctors and medical Orphic
oftentimes, people connect to the Quran on occasions. And by occasions, I don't necessarily mean,
you know, something of a celebration. But oftentimes, as many community members, you know, will
express something difficult has happened, and then they'll turn to Allah subhanaw taala, or someone
has passed away in their families or communities. And then they'll turn to the Quran and start to
recite, and of course, what will hit them hardest at that point is what's relevant to their
situation? And we'll ask, you know, in these conversations, how did you how did that make you feel?
		

			They said, Well, I felt like the last path of speaking to me to my situation. I felt like so much
more fulfilled spiritually, even while going through grief or hardship. And we always ask, and it's
a reminder for all of us, what if you were to take that in that source of guidance and benefit and
personal relevance on a daily basis you had
		

			Dealing with like a daily re citation. And not just every citation on the tongue but your heart was
presence you were paying attention. You understood what you were reciting to an extent, then you
would take, as you mentioned, Dr. Osman you would take in everything you need for the experiences
that you're going through in your life, whether you're close to a loss of Hannah Italeri feel
disconnected and distant, it'll remind you and bring you back. Whether you're happy for something
that you have a life of relative ease of hamdulillah May Allah grant us all avea or you're going
through a hardship May Allah grant us all relief, reminds me of a statement of one of the companions
		

			who said turn your happiness, your moments of happiness, into gratitude for a lot and turn your
moments of sadness into solder for a lot of perseverance and willpower and patience. And at the end
of the day, the Quran gives us those reminders, and we are always needed that were that good for in
a difficult environment mean remind for rarely the reminders benefit the believers May Allah
subhanaw taala make us amongst those who are constantly taking in the shift this healing, as we
discussed that concept of healing. In another episode, Dr. Gina and I'm going to ask you, in short
answer the same question. How can a person reach a point where they always feel like the Quran is
		

			addressing them personally, medical people? That is a common law. Hi, Ron. Firstly, thank you, both
of you, especially Dr. Swan, as you were speaking, I was nodding the whole time with everything that
you were saying that Camilla Highland. I think another thing perhaps that I would add to that is
also to consider who the Quran is from, I think it's something it's very, very important because
sometimes we view the Quran as
		

			even like a book of information or you know, a book of miracles and all of these different things so
that we can be, you know, an author of the Quran.
		

			And, you know, it's definitely very important for us to Book of guidance, but then it's like, who is
guiding us? Allah has synthesis book, Allah has synthesis as a as a mercy as a Book of guidance, as
you know, glad tidings for those who believe right? And so, when we think of this is actually a
personal message to humanity, but to us specifically, from Allah and who's Allah Spinetta, Allah is
Amanda Haim. He is the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate he is an admin Hakeem, he is the All
Knowing the most wise. So, you know, it's like if somebody, you know,
		

			came and tried to give me advice about something, and even if it sounded good, I'd want to know
their credentials, right? So, you know, let's just if I was giving nutritional advice to someone,
they'd be like, Well, that sounds you know, that sounds great. But what's your background? Have you
studied Nutritional Sciences, right? Like you want to know and so that's why sometimes when people
read the Quran, they might have perhaps because of our you know, modern age kind of skepticism
towards the Quran. But when you start to consider it, this is not a book that was sent by you know,
by a person by human being, this is actually by Allah like, can you imagine we have the speech we
		

			have the words of Allah subhanaw taala that is addressing you that is addressing me and who is Allah
again, we go to the names and attributes of Allah subhana Tada. So we know that Allah knows
everything, you know, the past and the present and the inner and the outer, we know that last kind
of data is more merciful towards us, then you know, our own our own mothers. And so everything in
this in this book, it's a guidance and it's out of care for you. It's the guiding you towards
guiding you to Allah spanakopita himself and guiding you to Jannah like that is the purpose. And so
if you take the lessons for yourself and sha Allah, that is where you're going to end up that's what
		

			Allah is promising us with the Quran. And so in order for us to feel that the Quran is addressing
the person, you have to remember what Allah created me. And Allah, you know, calls the Quran a
guidance and Allah cares for me so much so you start to develop this personal relationship. Like if
you're looking you know, at your phone and you get, you know, a WhatsApp message from someone who
you love, you're much more excited, you're much more willing to take the message from the person. So
Subhan Allah you know, Allah is far above any analogy, but we look at the Quran it's like these
messages in the Quran are from Allah Who cares about you more than anybody in this world more than
		

			the person who you think loves you the most Allah Bannatyne has more care and concern for you than
even that person.
		

			And the other thing I think, is very, very important. And I think you mentioned that
		

			shift that you know, we should see ourselves in the Quran you know, a lot of times we might be read
the story of, you know, a bliss and you know, Adam Allison and we might put ourselves in the
position of other is sound because we're the children of Adam. So we might take the lesson that you
know, other forgot and Adam sinned and you know, so we kind of we understand that okay, as human
beings we're forgetful that we need to turn back to Allah. But we should also almost see ourselves
in the bliss as well. Because sometimes as human beings, we might have certain tendencies like
these, you know, being defined towards Allah being arrogant because of how he was created. And so
		

			it's like Allah's putting that there not for you to be like, how terrible abuses how horrible I
would never be like that to actually look at yourself and say, You know what, sometimes I'm like
that I'm like, I'm
		

			You know from this country or from this nationality or from this ethnicity and I'm better than
someone else.
		

			And I think that's you know, those are some of the ways that we can you know, feel that the Quran is
addressing us when we remember who it's from, and we start to see ourselves like really that
everything in the Quran has purpose and we start to see ourselves and all of the people and the
characters that are described in the Quran is that more hidden Dr. Jian Bata coffee combos are
excellent examples and very practical as well may Allah subhanaw taala reward you. The example that
you gave is really, it's really relevant. And it reminded me of two things. One was the statement of
a brother in one of the classes or workshops. He was sharing what motivated him to change his life
		

			and start praying. He said he struggled as an undergraduate student. And then one day he was
listening to a lecture about the story of the mighty Islam, and how IBLEES refused to prostrate. It
was one such day, he said, and I was really afraid because this whole time I always saw myself as a
good person. And there was some pride, you know, covering up. But he said, When I found about the
methodology that at MIT salaam, in the methodology of the devil, he said, I realized I wasn't even
refusing one prostration I was refusing an entire Salafi years of my life. And he said, although
it's not the same exact thing, he said, it scared me because I wondered, do I have too much pride?
		

			Or arrogance? Am I really a good person as I claim? Or is there some evil that I need to take care
of and rectify? Before it gets worse, God forbid. So he actually sent that story in that example of
just looking at the, I guess the lens or the motif of heroes versus villains. And subhanAllah. Last
year, we did a similar series to this for the Milan at another was called prophets and devils. We
did the same thing by taking the stories of the righteous the good people or the prophets, and as
well as stories of villains and evil people at times, so that we're looking at the Quran or we're
engaging with it, recognizing traits of those whose stories are mentioned. So that when we are
		

			experiencing some insight and introspection, that we are sincere and honest with ourselves about
where we are, in addition to this, Allah subhanaw taala says with Kudo no matter Allaha li one that
ends at Alec when we know Kitabi when Hekmatyar, evil ILO can be translated as remember the fever of
Allah upon you, and what has been revealed to you of the book, the Quran and wisdom by which he
instructs you. In other words, we should be grateful for the Quran, we should really be grateful for
the Quran, we will be lost without it. Allah subhanaw taala is so merciful, that he didn't just
create us, aimlessly or without purpose, or did not send us a messenger with a very clear, timeless
		

			message, until the enough times that message that is miraculous and accessible to all people from
all walks of life, all backgrounds, all languages, that they can understand that this is from Allah
subhanaw taala they can see intellectually and emotionally psychologically. So are we grateful for
it? We recite the Quran in proportion to how grateful we are to Allah subhanaw taala for this
revelation, may Allah subhanaw taala make us brief or long? I mean, a follow up question I have for
both of you about o'clock people is how can we make the Quran stories relevant to our personal life
similar to I guess the example that Dr. Jean and you just gave of reading into, you know, at the
		

			mighty Salaam and how you know, when they were reprimanded, they repented. When Reese was
reprimanded, he blamed the loss of Panatela instead. So how can we in a very specific way make the
Quran stories relevant to our personal lives? Maybe a brief response and shout out to Dr. Smith.
I'll ask you this question Shama coffee,
		

			just below the cost of the Quran, the story is of the Quran, right? That's thematically about a
third of the Quran. But in terms of ayat, right, it's substantial.
		

			I like to take this from the perspective of every single one of us lives, unique lives, and to
recognize the ALLAH SubhanA, who wants to have selected these stories from hundreds of 1000s of
stories in the history of the universe. And from the 1000s of prophets and messengers. He only
selected you know, maybe 100 or so, right? And the question you have to ask is why. And in the story
of musante, Sam or use of Eisen and new highlights from these major Anbiya that Allah and Rasul
Allah has selected, what Allah is telling us that their stories are timeless, and the lessons are
eternal. And this is really big, because I think often we look at the Quran and we say, well, this
		

			is a book of history and humanity has changed today. And this is actually a false way of looking at
the source of the Quran. And actually, the reality is that the human tendencies will not change over
time. So the exact same things that happened to you know, Adam and Eve bliss, right, you know, from
the beginning of time that happened to Musa and frown, right that happened to new heights.
		

			People, we see it being manifested every single day. And so by definition, right, these stories are
timeless and eternal because our human nature does not change. There will always be people trying to
convey the truth and fight for the hop. Right? There will always be people who are fighting against
the truth. There will always be stories of people who err and then find redemption. They'll always
be stories of people who thought they were righteous, and they will be led astray by their
arrogance. So in each of us who live this unique lives, my life is different than yours is different
inductor genes, at every stage of our life, a different story may resonate with us in different
		

			ways. So if I'm a, if I'm a sibling, and I feel like my siblings are plotting against me and giving
me a hard time, you know, use of story reads very differently to me, than if I'm a father who I have
kids. And I'm like, you know, I gotta be careful, my kids don't start to have animosity and rivalry.
And so the what I find beautiful to say, and we keep growing right now under law, you know, I have
many children, right. And I'm getting great, I look at the stories differently as a perspective of
someone who's, you know, who's trying to be a father figure and trying to be someone who's helping
their children grow, rather than when I was a young child. So looking at each story and saying, How
		

			does this story in my phase of life really speak to me? So that's what I personally tried to do. So
I say, okay, Musa story, right on a sitcom? What did he go through, like, I love rings with the
process as an example, right? It's really one of my favorite surahs, because you see the evolution
of his life. And you see how he was like, as a young boy, and then his struggles getting married,
and then the struggles dealing with stubborn people. And if you're an oppressed minority, and I see
this, the African American community in America, and I love when I learned from them, they found
Musa stories spoke to their predicament. And they were really able to see it as being almost a
		

			blueprint for their own way or out of the struggles that they faced. And so what I tried to do
personally, is do the exact same thing, when I read the story of a man or a cinema, you know, or,
you know, whether he's a prophet or not, is debated, right. But the idea here is that if I'm a
father, am I raising my child this way? And if I'm a son, how am I interpreting my father
interacting with me? And do I see this stuffing manifested in my life? And so it's kind of that
personal lens that I try to apply? Because at the end of the day, what matters is not all the
historical gems in this verse, And all the you know, jazz and the miracles that are in it. But does
		

			this resonate with my life? Can I connect the dots? Okay, I see that Musa did a, b and c in his
context, how can I do that in 21st century America. And that's, it takes some effort. But that's why
the Quran is enjoyable, because it's not like it's speaking to me, like a child would says, Go and
do A, B, and C, because that wouldn't make sense if the Quran is going to be timeless, because our
times and our contexts are always changing. So really, for me, it's about how does this story in
that context, how can I through study, help internalize it for myself in my cultural context, in my
age, that I live in the gender that I am, right in my you know, whether I'm a parent or a child,
		

			whether I'm a boss, or I'm an employee, right, whether we're in a position of power or being
oppressed. That's why I personally try to approach these stories to bring them to life along on
national law, does that look at that person. And that's a beautiful, beautiful example and the fact
that you referenced Of course, Musa salaam, the most reference prophet in the Quran for a number of
reasons, right, there are lessons in every phase of his life. I find it on a lighthearted note, I
find it interesting that oftentimes,
		

			people read into the relevance of the stories when it comes to the drop of the single status of
Musashi salamis, making dua you know, when the two daughters of shrine, but really, if we are to
think about just one example, in which our community really excels in this every year, it's it's
Eagle Ultra, right with the stories of Prophet Ibrahim ICMR, shared in detail and as a, as a son, as
a father, as someone who's oppressed by his society and someone who speaks the truth. As someone who
spoke truth to power. There's so many examples in these stories, every one of these stories, and
oftentimes the ones that are not addressed as well, does that Mohit and it's a beautiful, beautiful
		

			example. May Allah subhanaw taala accept. As we mentioned before, the Quran is intended for all
people. But there might be some individuals who feel like they needed less than others, or like it's
for everyone else, except for them. So the question that we have here, and I'll direct this question
to Dr. Gina and in sha Allah, how can we nurture a feeling of personal responsibility to connect
with the Quran despite the fact that the message is generally universal? So what is the means of
connecting with a personal sense of responsibility? Because oftentimes, our community members may
express that they feel like well, you know, part of it speaks to me, but most of it's for everyone
		

			else. So what is some practical way to do this in Charlotte? Atlanta, is like Mala halen. I think
one thing is, it goes back to the point that I made previously about, you know, realizing that it's
from Allah subhanaw taala. And therefore, like, yes, it's for everybody, but there's always going to
be
		

			Be a personal
		

			part that is for you, and all of the stories and all of the and all of the verses as well. And you
know, when a las Panatela you know,
		

			when certain verses in the Quran, you know, they speak to us and they say, you know, do something,
you know, Sunday as well because other for example, right? You know, at the end of the day when
Allah subhanaw taala saying that the Quran, right, like it's not it's for everybody with myself like
this is actually for you, right? And so we have to interact with the Quran as the Quran is speaking
to us personally and realizing that like yes, it's from Allah, it is for one last time that either
and what is the Quran and the Quran tells us that it's a guide that is sort of minder that and so
I'm supposed to be if it's a guide, then what is the Quran guiding me to? So what are the things
		

			that are supposed to take from the verses me personally? And then similarly, the Quran is a reminder
what is again, what is the Quran reminding me of, so when we understand what the what the purpose of
the Quran is, and who sent the Quran to us, we have to feel that this is actually a personal message
to me. And I think one of the ways that we do this, as well is to have some kind of regularity with
the Quranic commitments in the Quran, and a commitment not just to kind of recite, but to actually
reflect. And one of the things that like I personally used to do, this was for, you know, a sort of
cast, so we all you know, sha Allah recites a little calf on Fridays, and I started to find that
		

			after a while, I was just reciting it with my tongue when I wasn't taking the messages, and I was
also kept like, Okay, we recite salted calf and shut up. So we are protected from the journal. And
that's without actually trying to internalize, you know, any of the messages. And then when I, you
know, took a step back, I think, no Subhan Allah, like, there's a reason why Allah chose this, you
know, this particular chapter of the Quran to be recited, he could have chose any other chapter, the
Quran could have literal, so that uses a certain Bacala with Allah spanner or the prophesy seven
taught us that, you know, we should read this surah, in particular,
		

			every Friday, so I was thinking, Well, wait a second, then what is the sort of thing that is unique,
or that is different that I need to be reminded of it every week? And so this kind of, you know,
peak in my life, I guess, my curiosity, and I was thinking, Okay, what is what are the verses
saying, and so in order to ensure that I took this surah this chapter very seriously, I started
saying, you know, every week, I'm going to make sure that I take one thing from sort of that calf,
and I have to write it down, I have to write down my reflections. And so when I have to take away
something practical, something that's for me, and so I started to do that, and sometimes I you know,
		

			I need help with it. So I would go to the to see if sometimes I've listened to a lecture, and then
slowly just out of reciting it became a habit of,
		

			of trying to extract these lessons that are for me, that are for you know, for my life and for what
is happening to me and like, you know, Doctor, I sponsored and like you said, shifts today, man that
suddenly you find that the lessons are so pertinent to where you are in your life. And so then you
understand you're like, This is a book for everybody. And this is definitely a book for me
personally, as well. And you will see that and how you interact with the Quran, and the Quran
interacts with you in your life. Does that make sense? And oxygen, that's an excellent, excellent
insight. May Allah subhanaw taala accept from you. We know that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
		

			sallam told us the odor and is an intercessor, and intercedes, and a truthful opponent, whoever puts
it in front of him, it leads into paradise, whoever casts it behind and drives them to the hellfire.
And the commentary on this hadith, recorded by day, hopefully, is oftentimes about the level of
gratitude and responsibility that we have with regards to this revolution. As Dr. Grossman, you
mentioned earlier, it's not a book of science. It's not a book of history, although contains a lot
of history. And in fact, that history is yes, a component of urges and many other things. It's
timeless guidance for all of humanity. And it really is universal, and it's for all people to
		

			recognize the reality of Allah subhanaw taala to recognize the purpose of life. And so every time we
interact with it, we are fulfilling the responsibility we do have. And as Muslims, we should
emphasize this point, really emphasize this point that one of the virtues of our Ummah, of being
followers of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is being able to follow the final
messenger on a Salatu was Salam peace be upon him and to have the final message after which there
are no more scriptures or revelations or messages from Allah subhanaw taala in that sense, and so we
do have a level of responsibility to engage with it, to understand it, to recite it, to teach it to
		

			others to take you know, it's lessons to memorize and review as well to teach those who don't know,
Allah subhanaw taala tells us what he does is he Domina aneema Who are sheep out on what matters and
what we need? We bring down or send down of the Quran that which is a
		

			Healing she thought and a mercy for the believers. So every time you engage with it in terms of
fulfilling that amount of that responsibility, you are increasing your prescription of healing and
mercy. May Allah subhanaw taala encompasses, with his mercy. And a very practical question that
comes up here. And one of the most, I think one of the most critical questions we get when it comes
to the Quran, and I'll direct this towards the doctors man, if you will get a coffee. What is your
advice for a person who wants to build a personal relationship with the Quran vertical people, I
always like to use the analogy of exercise that works well for things. If somebody is very
		

			physically ill, right and really just needs some sort of rehabilitation right of their body. Right,
they might go to a physical therapist, right, they might go to, you know,
		

			a coach, right for weightlifting or something else. Because you know, that you need some expert to
help you kind of regain like, you know, your physical senses and your physical strength properly.
And the Quran, it's not a, it's simple enough for the average person to understand, but there's so
much depth and complexity and how its structured. Many people when they open the Quran, one of the
most common things you hear from the novice reader is that it seems very random, right? Because you
have is that talk about a story, and then it jumps to a law, and there's some theology, and then
it's just, it seems all over the place. And that's to the untrained eye, essentially, right to the
		

			untrained reader who has not built the medical or the expertise in understanding the text. So my
advice is that for anyone who deeply wants to, you know, get to that level of saying, I want to have
a personal relationship, where I can begin to look at it from a, from a lens, that's, that's, you
know, it's unique to myself, begin to have a relationship with a mentor who can help coach you
through this. And that can be you know, the shape and MSJ the right it can be some other halacha
that you join, that's specific to looking at how do I learn to read the Quran, and doing this with
Sahaba, right, with this good companionship, it also builds that mutual love and and you'll see that
		

			everyone has a different lens, right? You know, I'm very blessed to be like, in a huddle call with a
number of others now for for many years, and you see that every person has a different approach. You
know, one brother says, I love to look at, you know, every time the eye ends, you know, when Allah
mentions His names, right, you know, they say, you know, Why did Allah mentioned he's, you know,
before Rahim in this verse, right? Why did Why do you see Hollywood Hakeem in this verse? And that's
really what gets them. And they've learned how to do that, because they spent time with someone who
showed them that and you see somebody else and they say, then and I'm really interested in how this
		

			source connect. Now, why does this sutra come after this surah. And then some say, Well, I want to
understand how you know the themes within a surah. So there's so many perspectives that one could
take when it comes to how to build that relationship. But what you need at the end of the day is
someone who begins to show you this is how the Quran is structured, this is how it's organized is
how you can begin to build a personal relationship with it. And then once you kind of have that,
that footing, right you have the you know, the skill set to say, You know what, I'm going to
personalize this for myself in some ways. So that's, to me the ideal that one could go with, and
		

			maybe I'll leave it at that and have people aspire for the ideal. It's indispensable to have a
teacher of the program. Does that make it and I agree 100% doctors, man, I think one of the most
effective practical tips just in terms of years of seeing our own experiences and experiences of
those around us, is some kind of mentorship or accountability through a teacher or a program or a
course something that will keep you consistent Inshallah, tada, in addition to one's own practice,
such as having a personal must have at times, it's yes, maybe not for everyone, but at times, having
your own personal must have, at times setting a time for it, especially in the morning time. There's
		

			some Baraka there that you won't find any other time of the day. Another practical tip is to review
often in terms of what you're trying to read or memorize. But I really liked the emphasis that Dr.
Jean gave earlier as well. And that's something we did cover in a different episode in detail. But
just a reminder, recognizing where it's from, you will want more of a personal relationship with the
Quran. The more you reflect on the fact that it's from ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. There was a brother
once who said, I wish I could have seen the splitting of the sea is like man that more Gza would
have just solidified my Eman in a way like no other Subhanallah we think about the physical
		

			violation, like the violations of the physical laws of nature, or we think about, you know, the
splitting of the moon or the staff turning into a serpent, the splitting of the sea, the sea fire
per billion mighty salaam, and we say because of the empirical and materialistic society we're in I
wish I could have seen that because that would have solidified my end that miracle. But we're alive
now. And we have access in fact to the greatest miracle from Allah subhanaw taala which is important
and it is timeless, it is a mortgage. So the fact that we are alive during this time is a blessing
and honored. May Allah subhanaw taala allow us to take advantage of it alone. I mean, Dr. Jannatul
		

			asked
		

			See the same question, in brief, any practical advice that you might have for someone who wants to
build a personal relationship with the Quran? And I know that person adaptogen I know, this is a
question that, in fact is the the theme of entire topics for two to three hours. But any advice you
can share will be short and beneficial for the for the listeners kalithea COMM I mean, definitely I
agree with the advice of Dr. Schneider but having having a mentor, and like you were saying that,
you know, but if someone doesn't have that, because a lot of people, you know, they come they come
to me sometimes, or I get messages that I don't have access to anyone, you know, like, okay, there's
		

			things that are that are online now, which is amazing, and people can definitely access more things
online.
		

			But in terms of, you know, having this personal relationship with the Quran, there's other things we
can do in our day to day that I would say, that have helped me and I think one thing, like you were
saying, shifts the name on. One thing is what the regularity I think, like once you tell yourself
that, you know, every morning, you know, after fajr, or you know, when you know, if you sleep after
fajr, and you wake up afterwards, when I wake up afterwards, I'm going to have 20 minutes, half an
hour, just whatever it is that this is my time with the Quran. I mean, that's really important. And
you have to be able to say that nothing is gonna get in the way of this time around and a lot of us
		

			you know, we set time aside for a lot of things that are important to us, some people it might be
exercise, some people might be something at work for some people, it might be, you know, their own,
you know, their own self care time or you know, whatever it is but you know, we do that for things
that we prioritize and we say You know what, I'm not gonna let anything get in the way of x. And so
we have to realize that the Quran is asperity I want to personally ship with the Quran because this
is Allah's words to me, this is like, you know, what I'm feeling Boston, my life when I'm feeling
stressed in my life, I, you know, the Quran is there on so setting that regular times, like you have
		

			like a date with the Quran, right, like, every morning, like you were saying this Boudicca of the
morning, I think the other thing is, you know, and also, you know, part of this is just being
committed and saying, Nothing is gonna get in the way, this time, I might be late for something
else, you know, I woke up late, but no, my time was, belongs my time with the Quran. I think another
thing that is accessible to, you know, everybody, in addition to kind of signing up to, you know,
courses that are really dope, high quality that you can do, you know, online, there's also you know,
you can even if you have, you know, a chef that you are, that you're comfortable with that you would
		

			like their style, you know, there's so many things that are even just, you know, on YouTube, for
example, not saying, you know, go to random few, I mean, you know, somebody who really knows, you
know, the Quran, and you feel comfortable,
		

			or you find their style accessible to you, then that's something that you can do, like, once a week,
I'm going to listen to, you know, shift or most of the day man, for example, talking about you know,
this,
		

			these verses in the Quran, something that you know, is almost like it's it's light, but it helps you
to access to the Quran in a different way. And one thing that I would recommend, and maybe that's
just because like I write, I like writing, and that helps me is to write reflections, you know, when
you read that, if you're, if you're having a baby wants to put on, write down your favorite idea
from that word of the day, for example, and just reflect on that idea. And if you do that, like,
every day, you're going to have your own bank of reflections on a specific idea of the Quran. If you
do that every day, you know, you're gonna have 30 reflections in 30 days. And I think that really
		

			helps you to feel close to the Quran, if you're close to Allah and really feel that the Quran is
relevant to you, because you're taking the time to say, Okay, I have to find something today that,
that I love that I feel that I'm connecting to. And it's this idea or the other idea. And I think
that's really helps. Does that Mohit and Dr. John Mayer was Pathri Would you agree with everything
you were saying? That first man as well, those are really, really practical advices? Here's a
challenge for anyone who has any social media app that you open more than once a day, especially for
those who are opening them. And one time we asked some youth like how many times a day are you
		

			actually opening this app and one of them said like 200 times 100 times 50 times just a challenge a
challenge on is to prioritize opening up your portal and up more than you opening up your social
media apps. One brings you benefits and hide in countless ways in this life and in the next life and
the other may bring you some good but also could be wasting a lot of your time. May Allah Subhana
Allah protect us. I'll end on this note as we wrap up here with a Hadith from the Prophet salallahu
Alaihe Salam reported to Dr. Adel, the loved one. This hadith is really interesting. It's not oft
cited. It's found in the Muslim Imam Muhammad Rahim Allah, the messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
		

			reportedly said rejoice. In other words, glad tidings be happy wine. For verily, verily this quarter
and one part of it is in the hands of Allah and the other part is in your hands, meaning you have
access to it. Therefore hold on to it for you will never be destroyed nor will you go astray after
it. You have something that brings you a divine link between you and Allah subhana wa Tada. And it
is also a response to that question many people ask
		

			which is how do I know where I stand with Allah? How can I show Allah subhanaw taala that I really
love or that I love the messenger Salallahu Alaihe Salam or I want to increase that love. In another
report found in Sahan Gemma is authenticated at the Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam said, whoever
wants to love Allah and His Messenger, then let him read the most half meaning read that which the
Quran is written upon, read it and engage with it, reflect on it. The other is a brother who is
extremely busy and he teaches other people how to manage their time. And he reached down he said,
I'm struggling with one thing that I never thought I would struggle with. He said and that's it. And
		

			so he asked me to look at his schedule to see where there might be a gap so he can start adding in
the task of connecting with the Quran. And then I told him, you know, with all due respect, I think
it's it's a mind set and here's the paradigm shift, and I'll end on this note, Inshallah, Diana,
don't think of your engagement with the Quran as a side task or as a small task or is a thing that
you will do once you're finally free, because you'll always be busy and you won't end up really
getting to it. Rather make the Quran a central part of your journey in life, your experience in life
a central part of part of reinforcing your Eman, your worldview, protecting you guiding you healing
		

			you, may Allah subhanaw taala keep us consistent upon the piano forgive us for our shortcomings with
regards to it along that I mean does that Murthy and Dr. Osman and Dr. Gina and we can talk for
hours about this topic because you've shared so many beneficial pieces of advice. May Allah subhanaw
taala reward you both medical or equal to our brothers and our sisters. Once again. This Quran Convo
has come to an end really quickly. Subhanallah but we invite you to get your own habit started your
own conversation started with a friend with a family member with a teacher. We encourage you to take
some action today or to rekindle your relationship with the Quran. May Allah subhanaw taala accept
		

			from all of you and bless you and reward you. We'll see you next time in sha Allah wa Salaam Alaikum
Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh