Al 'Aleem

"Exalted are You : we have no knowledge except what You have taught us." 

This was the honourable angels' response when they were asked to name the objects Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala showed them . Adam Alaihes salam was taught the names by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Himself and due to His teaching,  he was able to name them correctly. Whatever we know is from His immense Rahma (mercy) and Fadl (grace) on us . We are nothing without Him . He is the source of knowledge, Al 'Aleem . We only know what He taught us. And His knowledge is vast and without limit . This verse also reminds me of the start of Surah Ar Rahman. Allah , the most merciful, reminds us of the most important blessing, the knowledge of the Qur'an. He is the One Who taught us the Qur'an. Can we imagine being on this world without the Qur'an, the one and only , authentic Book of Guidance ? Which favour of our Rabb can we deny! 

Ramadan Reflections: Day 9

Bismillah

Assalamu alaikum my dear readers,

Alhamdulillah we have just completed the 9th fast of Ramadan. I feel sad as almost one third of this magical month is gone! The weather in London is quite hot and that's why I try to avoid going out as much as possible. I am getting quite hungry and thirsty by 12. I feel like sleeping most of the time! But my kids keep me busy, alhamdulillah. They are at that age, where you love exploring . They have been upto quite a lot of cheeky stuff. I try to control my reaction thinking once upon a time I was in that stage too. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward my parents especially my mum for having patience with me. Most of the time, it is the mum who has to deal with daily cheekiness! May Allah subhana wa ta'ala reward them and make it easy for them and the kids, ameen!

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. For me during Ramadan, praying taraweeh (night prayer) is really difficult. I try but feel quite guilty with the quality of my prayer. Most of time, I am sleeping. I am trying to concentrate more on reciting the Qur'an , alhamdulillah. The whole point of Ramadan is to gain Taqwa - Allah consciousness. I don't think I am really getting anywhere spiritually through the taraweeh apart from feeling exhausted. But I do love reading the Qur'an. Alhamdulillah last year, I started an intensive Arabic course through Quranic gems. It has been really intensive for me and I have decided to give up learning through the course. Alhamdulillah I have learnt some good rules and it has definitely made me understand the Qur'an more. As the course is too intensive for me, I hope to learn at my own pace inshAllah through brother Nouman Ali Khan's Arabic with Husna, bi'idnillahi ta'ala. 

Just to motivate me and you all to read, recite, study, ponder upon the Qur'an with the only goal to gain taqwa of our Rabb, I have gathered some beautiful hadith of our beloved prophet Muhammad Sallalhu alaihe wa sallam. 

Umaamah (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: 

"Recite the Qur'aan for indeed it will come on the Day of Judgement as an intercessor for its Ashaab (those who read, memorize and implement it)." [Saheeh Muslim]

An-Nawaas Ibn Sama'aan (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) reported: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say: 'The Qur'aan will be brought on the Day of Judgement as well as the people who used to act upon it. Surat-ul-Baqarah and Aal 'Imraan will then approach them.' The Messenger of Allah (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) likened them to three examples, which I have not forgotten afterwards. He (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: 'As if they were two clouds or two dark black canopies with light between them both or like two flocks of birds stretching their wings in the air pleading for the one who recited them.'" [Saheeh Muslim]

'Abdullaah Ibn 'Amr (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "The fast and the Qur'aan will intercede for the servant on the Day of Judgement. The fast will say: 'My Lord, I restricted him from food and drink, so allow me to intercede for him.' And the Qur'aan will say: 'I prevented him from sleeping at night, so allow me to intercede for him.' So they will be allowed to intercede." [Saheeh Muslim]

Subhanallah these couple of hadith is enough to understand how essential it is for us who are fasting to recite the Qur'aan much during these blessed days and sacred nights. For indeed, there is a special virtue for the abundance of recitation in these days, which is not found in any other month. We should take advantage of the nobleness of time during this month, in which Allah subhanau wa ta'ala revealed the Qur'an. 

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the tawfique (ability) and tayseer (easiness) to read, study His Book during this great month and let us become the people of the Qur'an, ameen! ameen! ameeeen!

Warming up for Ramadan inshAllah

I have been listening and re-listening some excellent talks to get me into Ramadan mode bi'idnillah. I hope to share some of the talks through my blog. May Allah subhana wa ta'ala give us the tawfique to do our best, ameen!

Ramadan, A gift for Muslims - Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan

So what did I learn?

In this talk, Ustadh went through the verses of the Qur'an which deals with Ramadan. 

Ramadan is referred to in verse (2:185) of chapter (2) sūrat l-baqarah (The Cow):

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. 
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. 
Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

The verse is in Surah Baqara and the topic is mentioned only once through our the Qur'an. Ramadan is a month of celebration as a new nation. Allah subhana wa ta'ala changed the direction of prayer (kibla) for Muslims from Jerusalem to Makkah. The Jews of Madina were furious. There are so many lessons to learn from the children of Israel. Allah subhana ta'ala has mentioned about them several times in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is sent as guidance for the humanity, not like other previous, divine scriptures revealed to their respective communities. 

With any profession which involves risk, regular training is very crucial for the employees. Ramadan is the training for us as Muslims. This is a very important time to re-connect to our Lord. And to do so, fasting is a must for every healthy and able Muslim. And reciting and studying the Qur'an is highly recommended. 

O Allah , make the month of Rajab and Sha'ban blessed for us and let us reach the month of Ramadan ( so that we can gain blessings from it), ameen! 

Learning Qur'anic Arabic

Bismillah... In the name of the Most Merciful

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aalameen. All praise to Allah subhana wa ta’ala, this week I am going to start an online course to learn Qur’anic Arabic inshAllah. I am really looking forward to the course. I have always wanted to learn Arabic so that I can really appreciate the Qur'an but the courses were not really suitable for me. Being a busy mother of three children ranging from 20 months to 5 years,  also makes it quite hard to attend any course. But Alhamdulillah when we intend something good, Allah subhana wa ta’ala makes it easy for us to fulfil our dreams.  I hope I can really learn a lot inshAllah from the course.  I hope this Ramadan I will be able to understand at least some bits of the Qur’an without the English translation.  MashAllah the teacher seems really good. May Allah subhana wa ta’ala reward her for starting the course. You can find more about course at Arabic Gems.

InshAllah we will be following Professor Alan Jones’s Arabic through the Qur’an. Aside from being the very latest Arabic grammar written by an academic, one of the special features of the book is its exclusive use in its vocabulary of Qur’anic rather than modern Arabic. I am not that interested to learn the modern Arabic. Learning the Qur'anic Arabic is my priority inshAllah.

I hope to blog on a regular basis to keep a journal of my progress bi’idnillah and also share my experience with you all inshAllah. May Allah subhana wa ta’ala bless each student on the course with tawfique (ability) and tayseer (easiness) to learn the Qur’anic Arabic, ameen!

Lady Maryam (AS) & her son Isa (AS)

As Christmas is approaching, we as Muslim parents need to remind ourselves the true facts about Lady Maryam (AS) who is widely known as Mary in Western world and her son Isa (AS) who is known as Jesus in this part of the world. If we want our children to grow up as confident Muslims, we need to pass onto them the true message of our faith, otherwise they will end up being confused by the Christian version. Alhamdulillah we have the Book of Allah (SWT) to refer back to.

In the Qur’an, Allah (SWT) mentions with great admiration the family of Ibrahim (AS) and the family of Imran (AS). In Suran Al-Imran Allah (SWT) says, ‘Allah chose Adam, Noah, Abraham’s family and Imran’s family over all other people, in one line of descent – Allah hears and knows all.’ – (Quran Surah 3:33-34)

As you can see Lady Maryam (AS) is descended from a noble family, the family of Imran. Her birth story is also a very inspiring one. Her mother is a great example of a God-fearing woman. She dedicated her precious child to Allah (SWT)’s service even before her birth. ‘Imran’s wife said, “Lord, I have dedicated what is growing in my womb entirely to You; so accept this from me. You are the One who hears and knows all.”’ – (Quran Surah 3:35)

When she delivered her she said ‘My Lord! I have given birth to a girl’ – (Quran Surah 3:35). Allah (SWT) loves us all regardless for our gender differences and that’s why He (SWT) said, ‘Allah knew best what she had given birth to: the male is not like the female.’ – (Quran Surah 3:36)

Maryam’s mother said’ “I name her Maryam and I commend her and her offspring to Your protection from the rejected Satan.” – (Quran Surah 3:36). Once again we can learn so much from her beautiful action. We as parents should make supplication for our children from the very start of their life and also need to remember their offspring too, insha-Allah. 'Her Lord graciously accepted her and made her grow in goodness and entrusted her to the charge of Zachariah.’ – (Quran Surah 3:37) Because of her great supplication, she wasn't just rewarded with a saintly daughter like Lady Maryam (AS) but also with a great grandson Isa (AS)! Subhanallah ! This just shows how much our good intention and dua can help us in gaining countless rewards from Allah (SWT).

The Superiority of Lady Maryam (AS) over other women

In Surah Al-Imran Allah (SWT) mentions, “The angels said to Maryam: ‘Maryam, Allah has chosen you and made you pure. He has truly chosen you above all women. Maryam, be devout to your Lord; prostrate yourself in worship, bow down with those who pray.’” – (Quran Surah 3:43-44)

The utter innocence of lady Maryam (AS)

In the Quran it is mentioned how Maryam (AS) reacted to the news of conceiving her son isa (AS). ‘She said, “My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?” The angel says, “This is how Allah creates what He wills: when He has ordained something, He only says, “Be” and it is.” – (Quran Surah 3:47)

The miraculous birth of prophet Isa (AS)

Allah (SWT) also mentions in the Quran the true story of the birth of Isa (AS) so that we as Muslims should never have any doubts regarding this great incident. ‘The angel said, “ Maryam, Allah gives you news of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Isa (Juesus), son of Maryam, who will be held in honour in this world and the next, who will be one of those brought near to Allah. He will speak to people in his infancy and in his adulthood. He will be one of the righteous.” – (Quran Surah 3:45-46)

‘He (Isa) will teach them the Sripture and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel. He will send him as a messenger to the children of Israel.’ – (Quran Surah 3:48-49)

Miracles of Isa (AS)

Isa (AS) was given several miracles by Allah (SWT). “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I will make the shape of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it and with Allah’s permission it will become a real bird; I will heal the blind and the leper and bring the dead back to life with Allah’s permission. I will tell you what you may eat and what you may store up in your houses. There is truly a sign for you in this, if you are believers. I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden. I have come to you with a sign from you Lord. Be mindful of God, obey me: God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him- that is a straight path.” – (Quran Surah 3:49-51)

There are so many ayats in the Qur'an where we come across the story of our prophet Isa (AS). Insha-Allah I would like to write more about Isa (AS) in future posts insha-Allah.