Qur'an: Be patient

"O you who believe,

be patient,

be more patient than others,

guard your frontiers,

and fear God

so that you may be successful."

(Al-Qur'an, Surah Aal Imran, Verse 200)

Qur'an: People of Understanding

Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth,

and in the alternation of night and day,

there are signs for people of understanding,

who remember God

standing, sitting and [lying] on their sides,

who ponder on the creation of the heavens and the earth:

'Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain.

You are far above that!

So save us from the torment of the Fire.'

(Al-Qur'an, Surah Aal Imran, Verses 190-191)

Qur'an: Those who do good

"... Those who spend in prosperity and adversity

and who control their anger and forgive people.

And Allah loves those who do good.

And those who,

when they commit a shameful act or wrong themselves,

remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins

- and who is there to forgive sins except Allah? -

and do not persist in what they have done, knowingly.

Their reward is forgiveness from their Lord

and gardens beneath which rivers flow

where they shall live forever.

And excellent is the reward of those who work.

(Al-Qur'an, Surah Aal Imran, Verses 134-136)

We see here in this sequence of verses that qualities relating to the rights of men are mentioned together with qualities relating to the rights of God. It's important to remember though that the rights of God are not meant to benefit God in any way! God does not suffer in any way if they are not fulfilled. The one who worships Him is the one who gains.

Qur'an: Forgiveness, Paradise

"And race one another towards Forgiveness from your Lord

and towards a Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth,

prepared for the righteous..."

(Al-Qur'an, Surah Aal Imran, Verse 133)

Interesting that the mention of Forgiveness in this verse precedes the mention of Paradise. Perhaps this is to suggest that seeking God's Forgiveness is the way to Paradise, that entry to Paradise is impossible without humility before God, that Forgiveness tilts one's balance of deeds to be worthy of Paradise...

Qur'an: You are the best of communities

"... you are the best of communities raised for mankind:

you order what is right, forbid what is wrong,

and believe in God..."

(Surah Aal Imran, Verse 110)

If there's anything that singles you out as a community

it is your camaraderie

in establishing what is right and proper

and your assisting each other

in steering clear of the wrong and improper.

And your belief in God.

And there is nothing intrinsic within you

neither your blood line nor your skin colour

that warrants you for merit

except this.

Qur'an: Unity

"... Hold onto the rope of God, all of you,

and be not divided.

And remember the blessing of God upon you:

When you were enemies to each other

and He brought your hearts together

and you became, by His grace, brothers..."

(Al-Qur'an,  Surah Aal Imran, Verse 103)

The rope of God,

the connecting link,

between the believers and their Lord,

and the believers one to another,

it is the Qur'an.

And in the Qur'an is their unity,

and in their unity is their strength.

Qur'an: Spending the cherished

"You shall never attain righteousness

until you spend from what you love.

And whatever it is you spend,

God is fully aware of it."

(Surah Aal Imran, Verse 92)

Spending the cherished:

to give away what one likes and holds dear,

preferring another over one's self,
knowing with certitude that God recompenses.

Qur'an: The desires of the heart

"Beautified for people

is the love of that which they desire;

of women and sons,

heaped-up sums of gold and silver,

fine branded horses,

and cattle and tilled land.

That is the enjoyment of the worldly life.

And God has with Him the best return."

(Surah 3, Verse 14)

How lucky man is
to have in the desires of his heart

a means
to distinguish himself:

to realise the temporariness of his wants;

to act on them only in what is necessary;

to overcome them for deeds eternal.

Qur'an: The Ever-Living, the All-Sustaining

"God:

there is no god but Him,

the Ever-Living, the All-Sustaining."

(Surah 3, Verse 2)

Herein lies a declaration and a proof:

God has no beginning and no end,

and it is He Who sustains all that exists.

And can there be two gods

who have no beginning and no end,

and sustain all that exists?

And can there by any other than God

who is worthy of adoration and worship?

Qur'an: God does not burden a soul

"God does not burden a soul

with more than it can bear."

(Surah 2, Verse 286)

Meaning:

man is not taken to account for involuntary thought

but for intent.

"Each gains whatever good it has done,

and suffers its bad."

The verses of Riba in Surah Al Baqarah

Here's some points taken out from Ma'aariful Qur'an about the verses of Riba (interest/usury) in Surah Al-Baqarah. Worth a ponder!

1. The verses of Riba (verses 275-279) are surrounded by the verses of charity (verses 261-274 and verse 280), signifying perhaps that the two concepts are related to and at odds with each other. One is to do with giving (decreasing one's stock), and the other is to do with taking (increasing one's stock).
2. God does not respond to the reasoned argument that "Riba is similar to trade" with a counter-argument but, rather, responds by stating that one is allowed and the other is not. (See verse 275.)
3. God has stated that one who lived his life in the consumption of Riba will be raised on the Day of Judgement like one tormented by Satan's touch. Raising the consumers of Riba in this state is perhaps indicative of a certain parallelism: They lived their lives in pursuit of money, senseless & unaware of the harms of their actions, and thus they will be raised.

The etiquettes of giving in charity

Here's some lessons on giving charity taken out from verses 261 to 274 of Surah Al-Baqarah:

1. Give to attain God's approval, and as an affirmation of your faith, and not to be seen by people.
2. Do not follow your giving with reminders of benevolence or hurtful words.
3. A kind word and forgiveness is better than a charitable deed followed by hurtful words.
4. Give from the good things you have acquired and not from the bad things which you yourself would not accept.
5. To give openly is good, and to give in secret is even better, and know that God is well aware of all that you do.

Ikhlaas

Some say, it's
sincerity,
good faith
and a pure intention.

Ultimately, it's
that secret
none knows
but God and I.

The three dimensions of revelation

Recital.
Understanding.
Practice.

(Extraction from Surah al-Baqarah, Verse 129 of the core functions of a Messenger who would be inspired by God. Namely, to recite upon people the revelation, to teach them its meanings by means of instruction & example, and to purify them by means of their realising & practising it.)

Mathaabah - a place of returning

wa idh ja3alnaa-al-bayta mathaabatan-li-nnaasi...

"And when We made the House (the Ka3bah at Makkah) a Mathaabah (a place of resort) for mankind..." (Al-Qur'an, 2:125)

The word 'Mathaabah' in the verse above is used denote a place to which one returns again and again. And how fitting this word is when one of the undeniable privileges the Ka3bah enjoys is its being a place where people assemble from all over the world, and to which they long to return to timelessly.

Indeed, a person never has enough of visiting the Ka3bah and he parts every time with a greater desire to return. How spectacular this power to draw millions of people is when one thinks how little Makkah has to offer by way of landscape, and how little the Ka3bah has to offer by way of architecture and artistry!

Some even go on to say that a sign of one's Hajj being accepted is that, on parting, they find in their heart this desire to return and to present themselves at the Ka3bah once more.

(Paraphrased commentary of Mufti Muhammad Shaafi'ee's Ma3aariful Qur'an)

Hajj 2013 for me insha-Allah!!

When his Lord put Abraham to test

"And when his Rabb put Ibrahim to test with certain Words, and he fulfilled them. He (God) said, 'I am going to make you an Imaam for the people'..."

(Al-Qur'an, Surah al-Baqarah, part of verse 124)

Sweet commentary in Mufti Muhammad Shaafi'ee's Ma'aariful Qur'an about this verse! Boiled down...

We see in this verse the purpose of the many tests and trials which the Prophet Abraham was made to pass through. It was not punishment for a crime or anything like that! The attribute of God - Rabb - used in the verse conveys the purpose finely: it was to develop and nurture him, gradually, in stages, for his role, his reward you could say, to be an Imaam, a guide, a leader, for his people.

Ma'ariful Qur'an: The Free

On them shall be no fear,

for that which is to come.

nor will they grieve,

over that which has passed.

Ma'ariful Qur'an: Blessings – The tangible and intangible

Food, wealth, health, family, security.

Honour, happiness, intelligence, wisdom, guidance.

Ma'ariful Qur'an: The Prophet's Miracle

To celebrate the start of Ramadhan - the month of Qur'an - let's have a think to enumerate some of the Qur'an's distinctive qualities:

1. When listened to with even the slightest courtesy, the recitation of the Qur'an - the melody and rhythm alone - takes a hold of the heart of the listener – Muslim or non-Muslim, Arab or non-Arab – in a strange, undeniable, incomparable manner.
2. The more one recites, studies and ponders a passage of the Qur'an – any passage of the Qur'an – the more eager one becomes to recite it and to understand it in yet greater depth. Few other books – if any – can retain their charm beyond a fourth or fifth reading for even the most fervent admirer.
3. No other book or comprehensive collection of teachings is so easy to memorise and memorised by so many people.

You alone our Lord

To You alone we direct our worship.
Free we are from submission
to any beside You.

From You alone we seek our help.
Free we are from dependence
on any beside You.

In Your hand we are our Lord.