May the peace, mercy and the blessings of Allah (swt) be upon you!
It’s been about a week since Ramadan has passed. Which obviously means no more of “a good deed is multiplied by 75 times” or “devils are chained” or “the gates of Jahannum are locked” or the most important of all – “the night of qadr is better than a 1000 months” kind of Facebook reminders or Instagram stories. We’re even done with the “importance of fasting for 6 days of Shawwal” or “how much we must hasten to continue those deeds we began in Ramadan” kind of posts. The most common and my favourite among them would be “The Lord you worship during Ramadan is the same Lord you turn away from in all the other months”. And such posts truly hit us in the spot but the reality is it doesn’t stay for long.
Now most of us have resumed our routine which would be of school or college or work and some of us (including me) are still suffering from the hangover (by that I mean the disturbances in the sleep schedule ofcourse :P). In both cases, we begin to feel that the whole “continuing the Ramadan life even after Ramadan” is easier said than done. You’ll find that the kind of motivation and zeal we develop during the Holy month is impossible to achieve during the rest of the year. Some of us would have even tried very hard to keep the ball running but as a result of repeated failure, we have given up. And that’s where we begin to shackle our mind and heart and there commences the cycle of such events that eventually weaken our spiritual being and leads us to saying أللهم بلغنا رمضان so that at least now لنكونن من ألصلحين
Sadly, for the majority of us this situation reiterates every year.
So now what? What do I do so that I can stop this series of disappointing myself and above all disappointing my Creator? How can I help myself? How do I keep up with the fard salah and also perform the voluntary acts of worship? How do I not exhaust myself in this process? What if I fall back again?
What you do need my brothers and sisters is a constant reminder and some effort and sincerity on your side.
We obviously know how to row a boat right? You’re given an oar and you gotta push that against the water on both sides so that it forces your boat forward. Now imagine the boat to be yourself and water is your life. And the two ends of that oar are your Salah and Quran that push you forward and keep you going through your life. When you don’t use the oar, you’re just stuck and maybe if the water currents are high, it may even drown your boat. But as long as you constantly keep your oar moving through the water, your boat is balanced.
For all the students out there, I understand there’s homework and exams and projects and to top it all your parents complain of you being totally worthless and lazy. And then you are just being forced to attend Islamic classes or masjids. You are also being compared to every other Abdullah or Fatima in your neighbourhood and every atom of freedom is just snatched away from you guys. For the working folks, you’ve got deadlines and expectations of your superiors, you don’t even have time to eat, you’re just surviving on coffee and your parents or spouse just add up to all the tensions you are already facing in your life. And for that lot of the population who are never appreciated for all the work and effort they put in making our lives easier, our moms! The homemakers! Yes, you keep your nose to the grindstone; make all ends meet to give comfort to your family. You work all round the clock, break your back and yet there’s no acknowledgement of all the tedious jobs you do. Everyday is a struggle for you guys. But you know what’s going to give you that scintilla of joy that’s going to push you forward and give you the vigour you need after all the tiredness and mental agony you’re going through? A conversation with your Lord; an exchange of speech between you and The One who created you. And the only way that’s going to happen is through your prayers and your recitation of the Quran.
Most of us pray, offer salah but yet it doesn’t make a difference right? Why? There are 2 reasons for that. One, it’s obvious we don’t understand what we are reciting. And two, we don’t realize the seriousness of this command of Allah (swt). Yes, you look up on the internet on how to develop khushu’ or concentration in your prayers, Alhamdullilah you’re able to do it for a week but what happens after that? Prayer becomes a chore? Something that you want be done with just because it’s an obligation and you try to convince yourself saying “Atleast I prayed!!!” trying to hide your guilt? What use is that prayer which does not fulfil its rights and benefit you...?
But you know what? Nothing can make you realize the seriousness of this command of Allah azza wa jal except for His Book. And take this from a person who has experienced the same. The fear and love and the want you develop for prayer after learning it from The Words of Allah (swt) is beyond any explanation I could give. The sad reality is our relationship with The Quran is completely opposite to the definition of the Quran.
Linguistically, قرآن comes from the root words - ق ر ء So قَرَأَ or يَقْرَأُ means ‘to read’ or ‘to recite’. But the آن at the end of قرآن means excessive. So قرآن is something that which is recited or read excessively; again and again; repeatedly. But what do we do with the Quran? Let it rest on the shelf until next Ramadan...? But what is actually the Quran?
Allah (swt) says in Surah Shu’ra, (192-194);
وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
“And Indeed, the Quran is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds”
نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ
“The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down”
عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ
“Upon your heart [O Muhammad], that you may be of the warners”
الَر كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ
It brings us out of the darkness into the light. Now when you are in darkness, can you see anything? You could hurt yourself in that darkness, you could trip over or fall. But when you turn on a torch, the light guides your way through the darkness. Allah (swt) describes Ignorance as this darkness. So the Quran has been sent to us, to all of mankind in order to take us out of darkness, out of unawareness, out of ignorance into the light, knowledge and guidance.
Now we prioritize everything in our life right? We give each activity it’s status and then begin our work. But what is the status of the Quran? How has Allah (swt) described the status of the Quran, in the Quran?
قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ
“Say, in the bounty of Allah and in His mercy – in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate”
(Surah Yunus, verse 58)
What is this bounty of Allah and His mercy? What has Allah (swt) called as a gift in this verse? The fact that He has revealed the Quran. The fact that He has sent down instructions which are a guidance and mercy for all us. And because He has given us this gift, He is asking us to rejoice, be happy! Allah (swt) also says that this gift is better than what they accumulate. What are the things people usually collect? People only collect those things that’s precious, that which is dear to them and that which they have an extreme liking for. But Allah (swt) says no matter what collect is nothing compared to this gift He has given you. What He has bestowed you with is better than anything and everything you can collect. Subhan Allah!
And how do we treat the Book of Allah? Let dust accumulate over it? Just recite it in lightening speed, be proud of yourself because you at least touched the Quran and opened it? Or give yourself an excuse because you don’t know to read Arabic and need the help of a Qari or an Ustadh?
What about the Hadith in Sahih Muslim & Bukhari where the Prophet (saws) said, “Such a person who recites the Quran and masters it by heart will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person who exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward”.
Allah azza wa jal says in Surah Qamar, verse 17;
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
“And certainly We have made easy the Quran for remembrance, so is there any who will receive admonition?”
What is our excuse now…?
Yes, it is hard and tiring and very easy to give up. But remember, anything worth having is never achieved with ease. And Allah (swt), your Creator is Himself calling you, addressing you and asking you if you will remember His Book? How can we even have the heart of turning away from His call? This is a reminder to you and to me that Allah (swt) wants good for you. That is why He is sends you reminders. He asks you to come, receive guidance so that He can reward you in this world and in the Hereafter. So that He can bless you with peace, mercy and knowledge. Knowledge that will keep you away from the waswas (whisperings) of the shaitan, that will protect you and guide you, that will be your light in this world of darkness. It is okay if you take the smallest amount of time in a day to read His Book. Be it 15 minutes or 10 or even 5 but read! Understand! Comprehend! Reflect! Wallahi once you’ve started to understand (not just read) His Book, you will not be able to keep away from it. Every ayah is a reminder, every word is so deep and so rich in its meaning, it will leave you wanting for more :)
May Allah (swt) grant Barakah in our time and help us connect with the Quran, make us the people of the Quran and make the Quran our companion. Ameen.
