Re: Relationship with the Qur'an
- From: "Torpedo" <guest@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 13:25:27 +1000
....like the toilet paper.
"Faris Jawad" <ana_faris_bila_jawad@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:axYVe.2809$1G4.415897@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Relationship with the Qur'an: Basic Prerequisites
>
> By Khurram Murad
> Sept. 12, 2005
>
> Certain basic states and attitudes of the heart and mind are necessary
> prerequisites to any fruitful relationship with the Qur'an. Develop them
as
> much as you can. Make them part of your consciousness, keep them
ever-alive
> and active. Integrate them in your actions. Let them penetrate the depth
of
> your being. Without the help of these inner resources you will not receive
> your full measure of the Qur'an's blessings. They will be your
indispensable
> companions too, throughout your journey.
>
> These inner resources are neither difficult nor impossible to find.
Through
> constant awareness and reflection, through appropriate words and deeds,
you
> can acquire and develop them. The more you do so, the closer you will be
> able to come to the Qur'an. The closer you come to the Qur'an, the greater
> your harvest will be.
>
> 1. Faith: The Word of God
>
> Come to the Qur'an with a strong and deep faith that it is the word of
> Allah, your Creator and Lord.
>
> Why should such a faith be a necessary prerequisite? No doubt such is the
> power and charm of the Qur'an that even if a man takes it up and starts
> reading it as he would an ordinary book, he will still benefit from it,
> should he read it with an open mind. But this book is no ordinary book, it
> opens with the emphatic statement: (This is the Book [of God], there is no
> doubt in it) (Al-Baqarah 2:2). Your purpose in reading and studying it is
no
> ordinary purpose. You seek from it the guidance that will transform your
> whole being, bring you and keep you on the Straight Path: (Guide us on the
> Straight Path) (Al-Fatihah 1:5) is the cry of your heart to which the
Qur'an
> is the response.
>
> You may admire the Qur'an, even be informed by it, but you cannot be
> transformed by it unless its words soak in to awaken you, to grip you, to
> heal, and to change you. This cannot happen unless you take them for what
> they truly are, the words of God.
>
> Without this faith you cannot come to acquire all the other inner
resources
> you will need to reach the heart of the Qur'an and absorb its message.
Once
> it comes to reside in your heart, you cannot but be filled with the
> qualities and attitudes such as sincerity of purpose, awe and reverence,
> love and gratitude, trust and dependence, willingness to labor hard,
> conviction of its truth, surrender to its message, obedience to its
> commands, and vigilance against dangers which stalk to deprive you of its
> treasures.
>
> Think of His majesty and glory and power, and you will feel awe and
> reverence and devotion for His words. Reflect on His sustenance and mercy
> and compassion, and you will be filled with gratitude and love and longing
> for His message. Know His wisdom and knowledge and kindness, and you will
> become willing and eager and ready to obey His commandments.
>
> That is why the Qur'an reminds you of this important truth again and
again:
> in the very beginning, in the opening verses of many surahs, and
frequently
> in between.
>
> That is why even the Messenger (peace and blessings be on him)is
instructed
> to proclaim his own faith, and all believers must join him: (The Messenger
> believes in what has been sent down to him by His Lord, and all believers
> too) (Al-Baqarah 2:285).
>
> You must, therefore, always remain conscious that each word that you are
> reading, reciting, hearing, or trying to understand has been sent for you
by
> Allah.
>
> Do you truly have this faith? You do not have to look far for an answer.
> Just examine your heart and behavior. If you have it, then where is the
> desire and longing for companionship with the Qur'an, where is the labor
and
> hard work to understand it and where is the surrender and obedience to its
> message?
>
> How do we obtain this faith, and how can it be kept alive? Although there
> are many ways, I will mention only one here. The most effective way is
> reciting the Qur'an itself. This may look as if we are moving in a circle,
> but this is not really the case. For, as you read the Qur'an, you will
> surely recognize it as being the word of God. Your faith will then
increase
> in intensity and depth: (Believers are only those who, whenever God is
> mentioned, their hearts tremble with awe; and whenever His revelations are
> recited to them, they increase them in faith) (Al-Anfal 8:2).
>
> 2. Purity of Intention and Purpose
>
>
> Read the Qur'an with no purpose other than to receive guidance from your
> Lord, to come nearer to Him, and to seek His good pleasure.
>
> What you get from the Qur'an depends on what you come to it for. Your
niyyah
> (intention and purpose) is crucial. Certainly the Qur'an has come to guide
> you, but you may also go astray by reading it should you approach it for
> impure purposes and wrong motives.
>
> (Thereby He causes many to go astray, and thereby He guides many; but
> thereby He causes none to go astray save the iniquitous) (Al-Baqarah
2:26).
>
> The Qur'an is the word of Allah, it therefore requires as much
exclusiveness
> of intention and purity of purpose as does worshiping (in prayer) and
> serving Him.
>
> Do not read it merely for intellectual pursuit and pleasure, even though
you
> must apply your intellect to its fullest for the task of understanding the
> Qur'an. So many people spend a lifetime in studying the language, style,
> history, geography, law, and ethics of the Qur'an, and yet their lives
> remain untouched by its message. The Qur'an frequently refers to people
who
> have knowledge but do not derive benefit from it.
>
> Nor should you come to the Qur'an with the fixed intention of finding
> support for your own views, notions, and doctrines. For if you do, you may
> then hear an echo of your own voice in it, and not that of God. It is this
> approach to the understanding and interpreting of the Qur'an that the
> Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has condemned. "Whoever
interprets
> the Qur'an by his personal opinion shall take his place in the Fire"
> (At-Tirmidhi).
>
> Nothing could be more unfortunate than to use the Qur'an to secure, for
your
> own person, worldly things such as name, esteem, status, fame, or money.
You
> may get them, but you will surely be bartering away a priceless treasure
for
> nothing, indeed even incurring eternal loss and ruin. Indeed, the Prophet
> (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone studies the Qur'an
> seeking thereby a living from people, he will rise on the Day of
> Resurrection with his face as a fleshless bone" (Al-Baihaqi). He also said
> that one who learns, recites, and teaches the Qur'an for worldly acclaim
> will be thrown into the Fire (Muslim).
>
> You may also derive other lesser benefits from the words of the Qur'an,
such
> as the healing of bodily afflictions, psychological peace, and deliverance
> from poverty. There is no bar to having these, but again, they should not
> become the be-all and end-all that you seek from the Qur'an nor the goal
of
> your niyyah. For in achieving these you may lose a whole ocean that could
> have been yours.
>
> Reading every single letter of the Qur'an carries with it great rewards.
> Remain conscious of all the rewards, and make them an objective of your
> niyyah, for they will provide you with those strong incentives required to
> spend your life with the Qur'an. But never forget that on understanding,
> absorbing, and following the Qur'an you have been promised much larger
> rewards, in this world and in the Hereafter. It is these which you must
aim
> for.
>
> Not only should your purpose be pure, but you should also, once you have
the
> Qur'an with you-both the text and its living embodiment in the
Sunnah-never
> go to any other source for guidance. For that would be like running after
> mirages. It would mean a lack of confidence, a denigration of the Qur'an.
It
> would amount to divided loyalties.
>
> Nothing brings you nearer to your Lord than the moments you spend with His
> words. For it is only in the Qur'an that you enjoy the unique blessing of
> hearing His 'voice' addressing you. So let an intense desire to come
nearer
> to Allah be your one overwhelming motive while reading the Qur'an.
>
> Finally, your niyyah should be directed to seeking only your Lord's
> pleasure, by devoting your heart, mind, and time to the guidance that He
has
> sent to you. That is what you barter when you surrender yourself to Allah:
> (There is such as would sell his own self in order to please God)
> (Al-Baqarah 2:207).
>
> Purpose and intentions are like the soul of a body, the inner capability
of
> a seed. Many seeds look alike, but as they begin to grow and bear fruits,
> their differences become manifest. The purer and higher the motive, the
> greater the value and yield of your efforts.
>
> So always ask yourself: Why am I reading the Qur'an? Tell yourself
> constantly why you should. This may be the best way to ensure the purity
and
> exclusiveness of purpose and intention.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
>
> * This series is based on the author's book: Way to the Qur'an, courtesy
of
> the Islamic Foundation. Here cited, with some modifications, from:
>
> http://www.ymofmd.com/books/wtq/Chapter_2.htm
>
> ** Khurram Murad(1932-1996) studied civil engineering at the universities
of
> Karachi, Pakistan and Minnesota, USA, and was actively involved in the
> Islamic movement and in the training of Islamic workers. Many of his
books,
> both in English and Urdu, are being published posthumously.
>
> http://www.islamonline.net/english/Quran/2005/09/article01.shtml
>
>
.
- References:
- Relationship with the Qur'an
- From: Faris Jawad
- Relationship with the Qur'an
- Prev by Date: Re: Qur'an as a Miracle
- Next by Date: Re: Scholars for Destroying Worship Places on Occupied Land
- Previous by thread: Relationship with the Qur'an
- Next by thread: Pondering on the Signs of God
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
