Closer to Quran

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

The topic about al-Quran is always a fascinating topic for me when I start to learn again about this scripture. I love it and the Words in Arabic is nothing to be compared to any other literary style although it is not a compilation of poems. 

From the lecture delivered by Ustad Hibzi Abdur-Rahim who was a student of Insaniah I get to learn something about Quran today. I had missed the first part of the lecture and I regret it so much. I tried to access records for those lectures but can't find any. I would like to suggest to Kedah FM to help upload them or notify lecture listeners through the radio website. I can't find any there : ( 

Yesterday I went to the library to settle debts for locker key and didn't get to return home early to listen to the radio. Macam orang tua la pulak, hahahahaa. The university is organizing Convocation and Expo beginning yesterday and I hate to stay in crowd since I don't know anyone no more and nobody that I know remains here. So, today after I finished the class earlier since the lecturer of the repeating class which is Dr. Noreha feel sick and has to stop it. I feel a total liberation and right away running my way home to this room and listening for the lecture after Dzuhr prayer service, alhamdulillahi rabbil 'aalamin praise be to the Lord of the universe. The class and this course in general is torturing me and my heart is not in the class anymore. 

I just feel like I wanted to take out my Quran from the bag and just read it without bothering others because... I don't know how to say this. I just hate to see around anymore and letting people seeing sorrow in my face. Feel like wanted to burst out with tears seeing people do not have to stuck like this, that's just a personal feeling we are human. Urmm, maybe others would look to me like a freak but it's ok. Nobody would help me when environment is pressuring me, instead His Word and Miracle is helping me to gain peace and tranquility. I begin to wear skull cap in the midst of people now. It's just as a reminder that His Divine presence is surrounding me at least after I felt that I am not suitable to be tied to any organization such as Tabligh-e-Jama'at nor any other though I respect every brother and sister's organizations. At least I learned something from them. I should have had put skull cap on since I returned home from pilgrimage in the noble city, Mecca last five years but I had postponed it as I thought that I was young but now I am growing old. Death would not have to wait for me to grow old so I better take everything about Him seriously. Besides, I also talked about this with brother Sayyid Eidan last time and he told me about a sage who also wears the skull cap after being advised by his mother. Although we are of different religions but I respect him so much. I feel there is half of me in him, like mirror.

The ustad talked about the interpretation of the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura something and it must be the word from any surah in the glorious Quran. I try to find the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura and it happens to be in surah al-Furqan verse 30, the God says:

"And said the messenger (Muhammad): "Dear my Lord, indeed my people had make this Quran as something forsaken."

In the beginning of this part delivered by the ustad, he talked about the eternal life after the Resurrection. There would be no more death in the hereafter. It implies that while we are living in the world, we have to take care our act while living as we will be resurrected by the God and will be seeing Him. The faith to the hereafter and the day of Resurrection is a pillar in the pillars of faith. It notifies us about the importance of morality and conduct of life that would lead us to prosperity in the hereafter. The noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w mentioned: "And adulterer would have never fallen into adultery if he or she is faithful, and a drunkard would never drink intoxicate drinks if he or she is faithful to the God and His promises." A faithful person has the faith that the God is watching him or her. While doing such vices of adultery and drinking intoxicate drinks a person would feel the pleasure but it is only for a short term, but the longer term pleasure is in the hereafter. Thus, we have to think wisely and deeply before doing anything. It is said that if we follow a path, be a godly person.

Now comes to the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura from surah al-Furqan. The word is translated to forsaken in English. It also means leave. In this sense it refers to people who never learn the lesson of previous nations for example the tribe of 'Aad and Thamud. The tribe of 'Aad is a tribe of southern Arabian Peninsula while the Thamud is a tribe who inhabited the caves at the way from northern Arabian Peninsula to Syria. They carved caves to be their houses and neighborhood. Both tribes are ancient Arab tribes. They are not Hebrews and they have prophets and messengers of the God sent to them for their infidelity which are mentioned in the glorious Quran as Huud and Saaleh a.h.m.s. The word for lesson in Islamic terminology is i'tibaar or tadabbur. Other example for infidelity due to the power is the Pharaoh as he assumed himself as the God who could take the life of people and spare people's life. If we want to see example of patience in women, we may see Aasiyyah the faithful wife of the Pharaoh or Maryam the mother of Jesus Christ. They are mentioned in the glorious Quran.

Ibnu Qayyim al-Jawjiyyah interpreted that the word مَهْجُورًا mahjuura means leaving from judgement and rule of conduct in society based from the sources of the Quran. When human-being violating the universe, society, civilization and environment, the God is the One who decides for the judgement. For example, the rule and regulation regarding faraai'd or distribution of properties among recipients of legacy or heirs, if being left without any rule regarding this, servants of the God would be killing each other so the God has prepared the basis for the rulings in the Quran. This knowledge about rulings is now expanded to the branches of science known as Shari'ah or the Path. There will be Qadhis or Judges and Solicitors helping people interpreting the verses of the Quran regarding the rulings in certain cases for rights. For this topic, we need a specific post as to elaborate more or getting information from the Shari'ah Court. In Malaysia we have two systems which is Civil Court and Shari'ah Court. Shari'ah Court usually deals with matters such as matrimonial and it is subbed under states.

The God had revealed the rulings and basis for it in order to keep the mind of human-being. It is an obligation for every human-being to guard their mind from damages through clean and blessed food. Human-being must also guard their acts as they are also related to mind and mental. As for example the basis principle ruling for property is to guard the property of human since human have to work for the property. In a Hadith Qudsi, the God says: "O sons of Adam, I had already distributed your sustenance. Every son of Adam in the earth indeed have his portion for the sustenance through the reason of working to get the sustenance..." The God reminds human not to go beyond the limit and never work until we snatch others sustenance where the God had also saved for brethren. Take our rights with the peace of mind, but do not perform the act that hurt brothers and sisters in order to get the rights in property and sustenance. If we really insist on the worldly matters, the God will give it to us. But in the end, we must bear the burden of consequences for our acts before Him. 

According to Ibnu Qayyim in his exegesis, nations left behind the treatment of sickness and problems through the blessings of the holy verses of Quran. In the Quran, there are curing verses and verses of compassionate mercy for the faithful servant. Quran is able to help people who face sickness, diseases, and psychological problems. If we are sick, we may see the doctor first and if we can't find the root of disease, we may use Quranic verses to treat ourselves. Or we may begin the treatment with Quranic verses, there is of no problem. 

The 1-5 verses of surah Ta-Ha for example could help softening the heart of people. There was an incident where prophet Muhammad s.a.w companion before he becomes a Muslim was a fierce heathen. He is Omar al-Khattab, and he is a favorite figure for me too. When he listened to his sister, Fatimah reciting the Quran he asked her to recite it again as it makes him wonders and think. He is an Arabic speaker so supposedly he knows what makes him wonder. Then he went to see prophet Muhammad s.a.w but while he was in his way other companions of prophet Muhammad s.a.w obstructed his way as they afraid Omar would hurt the noble prophet. However the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w asked those companions to leave Omar alone. Omar spontaneously declaring his faith in the God and the prophethood of Muhammad s.a.w as the seal of the era. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had actually made prayers to the God as to help Muslims liberating them from tyranny either through Omar al-Khattab or Abu Jahal but the God has chosen Omar al-Khattab.

The Quranic verse is capable to soften the heart of husbands, wives, children, and sometimes when parents teaching lessons to children, they themselves are not confident with the ability of the Quran to assist their children. They may come to ustads and religious men with the words like "my child is so stubborn" jumped out of their lips. Their words will automatically be a prayer to the God and He listens to parents prayers. Parents could say dear ustad, please pray to the God for my children well-being. Do not use bad terms or words when talking about child or referring them. Say good things about them although sometimes we feel differently about our children.

How could we benefit from Quran? The first condition is we must know how to read letters in Quran. Nowadays many youngsters in Malaysia do not know how to read Quran. Maybe they could read but not many of them could further read other suras apart of those simple suras they memorized. If elderly come to ustad and say, they are old and now they are 70 years old but they can't read the Quran. That could still be forgiven. Because they perhaps had no time to learn, like women from the antiquity could not learn or further studies because of their parents are traditionalists. Perhaps they have no education because of poverty. But nowadays we have the Quranic lessons everywhere, we just need efforts. To prove to the God that we love Him, we must take our Quran and try to read it although it is difficult. 

From the exegesis of Ibnu Qayyim, there is a lamentation of the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w about the five basic constitutions where people tend to miss: 

1. They would ignore the Quran while it is recited     

2. They would not enforce principles of Quran in rulings

3. They would leave the judgement through precedents from Quran and the basic principles of the path

4. They would leave from benefiting the verses for psychological and healings

5. They do not care about what is forbidden or what is legal though they know and claim that they believe

How should we began to come closer to Quran? 

I. Look at Quran

II. Read Quran

III Try understand and take heed on lessons

IV Teach them to others who don't know when we acquire the skill of the contents and others related to the scripture

Use the skill to read the Quran and share it among friends and brethren. Knowledge and Science belong to the God. Thus we should not keep it to ourselves but teaching to others and sharing it. First focus for us to teach is our own family. The reciter and the fan of Quran would be accompanied by the most good amongst angels called the kiramul bararah. Those who practicing the Quran and teaching it to others who don't know are the friend of angels. Hopefully, at least I could have friends whom are the God and angels. I don't think any human wanted to befriend a weird person like me. Now, I begin to think that I am weird too... After many things happened I don't like to open up my mouth anymore nor looking at people's face.

Lessons from the Quran could be boundaries for us. For example the previous nations. What about nations who still exist today like the Israelites as an example? We do not condemn them, but we take them as mirror. We are not as holy as angels of the God too which is the fact that we should not forget forever. Quran is the source of legal precedents, civilization, manner, and moulder of science. Always recite His Words at our lips. Whatever that we read and memorize let them be with ourselves. It is favorable if our sons or daughters memorize the Quran. I believe that we ourselves will eventually have to save ourselves so I prefer to memorize it myself and not depending on others though it's not a sin to send daughters and sons to teachers to memorize the Quran. Everything must begin with ourselves and our own awareness. A person who memorize the Quran and practicing it will also being the salvator for his or her family members in the hereafter. If we can't provide our sons or daughters with Quranic education, we may also try to provide it to our grandchildren. 

The vessel of those who memorize the Quran will never be harmed by the earth, not touched by worms, and their vessel will be in the grave until the resurrection in peace and tranquility. In the end, the benefit of the Quran in a person could also salvate others as well. 

Goodness and evil will be written in a record where it will be displayed and everyone will look and listened to it. As for us in the world, everyone sees us as a good person but it appears that we are not like what we were in the world. We were actually committing vice behind of people while pretending to be a good person. We ask people to do good and performing charity while we never do what we preached to others. The impact to our face in the hereafter would be bad isn't it? In other word the impact is embarrassment before being dragged to the torment, na'udzubillahu min dzaalik may He forbids it!    

Isn't it great if we would be resurrected in the hereafter with the record being handed over to us at our right hand, and being judged and counted without any complication, later seeing our family again with joy? The ustad still remember when they listened to their honorable syeikh, syeikh Nuruddin said to them that everything must be initiated from right side since in the world. When we do everything good, it is suggested to start it from right before taking any action. When we are going in our house, start stepping in with right leg just like we enter the house of worship and holy places. Before we step into our working place, start it with right leg and everything with right side as it symbolizes blessings of the God. The prophet Muhammad s.a.w said: "be at the right side, as being right gives you blessings." When we want to go out of our working places, house, or other good places, start it with left leg stepping out. Teachers before starting the class could begin entering their classes with right step and reciting the Name of the God and praises to the God. As it is the place for teacher to make a living so make it a blessed place. When we undress, start it with left side as for example. All of these simple matters are also recorded by the God.         

May everything that we delivered benefit us all. May everyone receives blessings and let us pray may we be groups of people who receive salvation, let us pray may the Quran being our friend and companion while we are in the world and when we passed away entertaining us who will be alone in the grave. May prayers be granted... In the Name of the God the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent 1 Praise be to the Lord of the universe 2 The Most Merciful the Most Beneficent 3 King of the Day of the Religion 4 You are the One we worship, and You are the One follow 5 Show us the Straight Path 6 The Path which You agreed with 7 Not paths of those who raised Your anger, and not the path of those who went astray 8 Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!