Eemaan in the Qur’aan

In the name of Allah� When the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � lay on his deathbed, his wives had gathered around him when someone walked in. She walked exactly like the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam. She talked exactly like the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam. In fact, after the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � moved on to the Highest Company, when she would begin with bismillah the companions would start weeping in rememberance of her father � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam. It was Fatimah � Radi Allahu Anha.

She came into the room and the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � beckoned her closer. He � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � whispered something into her ear and she began weeping, the tears sliding down her blessed cheeks. Then, he � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � beckoned her again, whispered in her ear, and she began smiling. Aisha � Radi Allahu Anha � begged Fatima � Radi Allahu Anha � to tell her what he � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � had said. Fatima � Radi Allahu Anha � refused until after the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � had moved on and then she said, �As for the reason of my tears, my father had told me that Jibraeel reviewed the Quran with him once every year. This year however, he reviewed the Quran twice. �My only guess� he told me, �is that my time for death has come.��

As the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � lay on his deathbed, he advising us – his Ummah, �I have left two things, you shall not go astray after them so long as you adhere to them: The Book of Allah, and my Sunnah.�

In the Hadith of Jibraeel, in which he came to the Prophet � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � in the form of a man asking about Islam, Iman, and Ihsan, the Prophet � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � said when asked about Iman, �Iman is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His books, His Messengers, the Final Day, and the divine decree, the good and the bad thereof.� Today we shall talk about belief in the final book of Allah:

The Noble Quran.

The Quran is the word of Allah � Subhaanahu wa Ta �Aala � the first reference in Islamic Law. The first revelation was Iqra� and the final was: [And fear the day when you shall return to Allah�] – Al-Baqarah2/281

It was sent down on in most blessed month: [The month of Ramadan, (the month) in which the Quran was sent down�]2/185 On the most blessed night: [Verily, We sent it down (i.e. the Quran) on the night of Power�]97/1

Whenever someone dies it seems that is when the Quran is read unfortunately. Nay, The Quran was sent down to be read and understood and followed by the living, not for the dead; [That it (the Quran) may give warning to him who is living�]36/70.

It was sent down to be read and contemplated: [Will they not contemplate the Quran carefully?]

The Quran is a healing for the body, serenity for the soul. [And We send down from the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers.] Isra� 82.

Many have not understood the weight of this book that sits on their shelves. Allah � Subhaanahu wa Ta �Aala � explained to us: [Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder from the fear of Allah. Such are the parables that We put forward for mankind so that they may reflect.] Rock would fear Allah, what about our hearts.

LaBeeb ibn Rabee�ah was one of the greatest poets the Quraish knew. He was so famous that whenever he wrote poetry it would be hung on the ka�bah walls in honor of it. One day, as he was hanging some lines he had freshly written, a Muslim came and placed verses of the Quran beside it. Labeeb stopped what he was doing and stood reading the verses. Then at that moment his face ignited in happiness and he shouted, �By Allah, this is not the words of a man. I testify that there is no god but Allah!�

Everyday, over and over again we recite: Guide us! Guide us to the straight path. Just turn to the second page and you will find: [This is the book which in there is no doubt, a guidance for the God-fearing] 2/1

Dear brothers and sisters, the Quran is our guide and now it is up to us to breath life into our hearts and listen to what our Lord is telling us. Let us look and learn from the example of those that came before us:

Abu Ad-Dah Dah recited in the Quran: [Who is it that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, so then (Allah) will increase it manifold and to him shall be a generous reward.] He went to the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � and asked him, �Does Allah want loans from us?� He � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � said, �Yes.� Abud Dah Dah then said, �Give me your hand o Messenger of Allah for I have loaned my garden to Allah.� His garden had over 600 palm trees bearing dates. He went home and found his wife and children playing and eating in the garden. He called out to them, �Leave, for verily we have lent our garden to Allah.� His children had dates in their hands and he took them and threw them towards the trees saying, �We have lent it to Allah.� The Prophet � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � commented on Abud Dah Dah saying, �How many shady palm trees does Abud Dah Dah now have in paradise?�

And when Abu Talha recited the verse in Surah Baraa�ah: [March forth, light or heavy�]41, he called out to his children, �I have read that Allah is calling us out for Jihad whether young or old. Prepare my provision, I am going for Jihad.� The children pleaded to their senior father, �May Allah have mercy on you, You fought with the Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � until he passed on. Then you fought with Abu Bakr until he passed on. Then you fought with Umar until he passed on. Let us fight on your behalf; But Abu Talha refused. He joined the Muslim Navy and was martyred at sea. And For 9 days they could not find any land to bury him on. May Allah have mercy on Abu Talha. This is how they understood the Quran!

Part II: Neglecting the Quran

Dear Brothers and sisters, unfortunately there are a type of people that have not taken the words of Allah seriously and have chosen to neglect it. Allah describes these people: [And the messenger (Muhammad � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) shall say: My Lord, Verily my people deserted this Quran!] How does someone desert the Quran? It happens in different ways: � When someone does not believe and follow the Qurans orders and forbiddances he has deserted it. � When someone does not contemplate the Quran he has deserted it. � When someone prefers music over the Quran he has deserted it. � When someone fails to teach the Quran to his children he has deserted it and has cheated his children.

Someone might complain that there is no where for their children to learn Quran. When we were growing up we used to travel 2 hours by plane, leaving our parents to go to Quran school. The Quran was worth it. Now an Islamic school has opened in our backyard and for the most part OUR community has deserted it, has deserted Islamic learning. Our children are growing up Quranic illiterates, yes Quranic illiterates. One of them may reach 30/40 years of age and cannot recite al-fatiha properly. He will be shy to lead any payer because he may not know more than 2 small surahs. Who is responsible? Register your children in the Islamic school today! And help them to grow up Quranicly literate.

What does it mean to have Eeman in Allah�s book. It is not only to believe that it is the word of Allah, but to follow that into practice:

Refraining when the Quran forbids us, Striving when the Quran encourages us.

Thus when we read: [O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from the fire�]Tahreem 6. We must do everything in our ability to save our family members from Hell fire.

When we read: [And enjoin salah on your family�] we must encourage our family to not sleep in for Fajr, steering them to a life of worship of their Creator.

When we read: [And tell the believing men to lower their gaze�] Nur 30, it should be implemented in our days and nights.

For the sisters, when we read Allah commanding us [O prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and the believing women to draw their cloaks (their veils) over their entire body�] we must do as the Blessed Ansar women did, women of paradise, by covering our hair and entire bodies.

When we hear read [ O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from Riba (usury/interest), if you are (really) believers.] 2/278. We must stop the interest that we are taking and giving. And stop it now.

If this is not going to be our attitude to the Quran, I fear that we shall be included in the statement of Anas Ibn Malik: It may be that someone will recite the Quran and the Quran is cursing him.

Brothers and Sisters: Look back to the story of Abud Dah Dah. What did he lose? He lost dirt and bushes. What did he gain? He gained a paradise whose expanse is the heavens and earth, and above that: He gained the pleasure of Allah. Isn�t that what we want to. What are we going to lose if our children go to the Islamic school and what are we going to gain? What are we going to lose if we choose to turn our backs to the Quran and what are we going to gain if we turn our hearts to it.

All of us want to feel welcome and join a club. There is good news for those of us who choose to follow the Quran and become Quranicly literate: The Messenger of Allah � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � told us, �To Allah belongs family amongst humanity.� �Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?� the companions asked. The Prophet � Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam � said, �They are the family of the Quran. They are Allah�s family and His special ones.�

May Allah make us from the family of the Quran.