The Treasure and the Key – #1

Auto-generated transcript:Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Alhamdulillah. My respected brothers, sisters, elders, you are on the second point of the piece of advice that the great scholar Ibrahim Azam al-Hathul Ali gave to the people of Basra. They asked him, why is it that we supplicate to Allah? Why is it that we make dua? But we find this dua is not accepted. We ask for protection, we don't get protection. We ask for sustenance, we don't get sustenance. We ask for different things, we don't get them. Our dua is not accepted. What is the reason? And he gave them a list of ten things, which is a checklist for us to use in our own lives and see how we fit in and how we fit in. And how we fit in. And how our life fits into that. The first of them I dealt with last Jum'ah, which was, he said to them, you know Allah, but you do not fulfill His rights. He said, you have known Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, but you don't fulfill His rights. The second one, which we will talk about today, he said, you recite the book of Allah. You recite the Kalamullah, the Kitabullah, the Quran. The Quran is the book of Allah. But you do not act upon it. You recite the book of Allah, but you do not act upon it. I remind myself and you that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent us His book, His word, His literal speech as the light of guidance, as a criterion between right and wrong. That is why one of the names of the Quran is Al-Furqan. By mentioning stories of previous generations the Quran warns us about dangers and pitfalls in the journey of life. The Quran gives us information that only the Creator can give about the Day of Judgment and beyond. It tells us what to expect after we die, which only the one who will not die, Al-Hayyul Qayyum, can tell us. The Quran came to prepare us for a life that is certain, but about which we know only, what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told us, and that is the life after death. The Quran came to show us what choices to make, which paths to tread, which lifestyle to adopt, and which priorities to have if we want salvation and eternal success. The Quran and its teacher Rasool Allah , the Prophet Muhammad , did not come to force us to make these choices. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, Nahnu alamu bima yaquloon Wa ma anta alayhim bi jabbar Fazakir bil-Qur'ani man yakhafu wa aeed He said which means, we know what, we know best what they say, and you, O Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, are not there to compel them to believe. So remind them in the Quran, those who fear my warnings. So remind them in the Quran, those who fear my warnings. They are not there to compel them to believe. So remind them with the Quran, those whose hearts are alive, those who understand. The Quranil Karim did not come only to be memorized and recited in a beautiful tone, written in artistic calligraphic fonts, and used for barakah and blessing to be recited before meetings, at weddings and funerals. It did not come to be carried on top of the head when entering a new house, or to be distributed to others by those who do not even read it themselves. The Quranil Karim came for one purpose only, to be read, understood and followed, as one follows a map to a destination they have not been to yet. You would follow such a map very carefully because you know that to miss a turn or take a wrong turn could mean the difference between life and death. In such a case, while you may be impressed with how beautifully the map has been drawn, your focus and concentration will be on following the map and walking along the paths that it shows. That is the choice that we must make with respect to the Quran. It is critical to learn Arabic, the language of the Quran, to the level of a native speaker, to be able to truly understand and appreciate the power of the narrative. Allah sent prophets to different people with miracles which challenged those people. It challenged them about things that they were the proudest about. In the case of Musa , in the case of Moses, he came with a miracle which appeared to be magic, where he threw his staff on the ground and it turned into a snake. But it was not magic. It was real transformation of one thing into another. And that is the reason why, the first people who believed in Moses, in Musa , and they converted to Islam en masse, were the magicians of the Pharaoh. Egyptian magicians were world famous for their very powerful magic, and the Pharaoh used them as means of intimidating and controlling his people. But when they saw what Musa did, because they were experts, they instantly recognized that this was not magic. It was not a magic trick. And they fell in sujood and prostration and accepted the religion that Moses brought, which is Islam. The religion that every prophet, from Adam peace and blessings be upon him, to Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, brought. And therefore, Greek or Greek upon Greek, every medicine was highly developed and was very famous during the time of Jesus peace and blessings be upon him, and so, Allah sent Jesus with cures for those in trouble, so as to cure leprosy, so as to heal that blind and impatient person, and in the end alcoholism. And these incurable diseases unthinkable to raise the dead, all by the power of Allah. This was to awe the arrogant into submission when they saw the Prophet's power came from Allah and that nothing they had would surpass that. In the case of Rasulullah, peace be upon him, in the case of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the Arabs of the 7th century were proud of their language and linguistic ability to the point that they arrogantly called all non-Arabic speakers ajam or dumb or mute. According to them, there was only one language worth their name and that was Arabic. Everything else was trash. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed his message to them in Arabic of such profound simplicity and beauty and such magnificence yet brevity and economy that the great poets and linguists of the time like Hassan bin Thabit and Ka'b bin Zuhair and others, when they heard Rasulullah, peace be upon him, recite Quran, they exclaimed spontaneously, this is not the speech of any man. Like the magicians of Musa, peace be upon him, of both of this time, they were the experts in the language and they recognized the truth before anyone else. And that is why learning Arabic is essential to appreciate the miracle of the Prophet. The Quran is neither prose nor poetry. It is unique in its linguistic qualities, its communication and the sheer ability to awe the reader and listener. It had a profound effect on Arabic literature and poetry and changed its standards of excellence forever. Though the sound of the Quran is itself immensely beautiful and melodious and spiritually uplifting, even for someone who doesn't understand the meaning, that is not the purpose of its revelation. It is not a song or a piece of music to vibe to. It is God speaking to man. It is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speaking to us, speaking to you, speaking to me. It is the greatest gift of the Creator, honoring his creation by guiding them on a path that leads to success in this life and the hereafter. The author of the Quran is Allah himself and it has been completely and totally preserved from the time it was revealed to the present day without any change. It shows a way called Islam which is full of beauty and compassion, blessing and benefit for all humanity, and all creatures. There is simply nothing like the Qur'an al-Kareem. To give you a taste of that, especially since we have guests here today, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in the Qur'an, He introduced Himself and He said, I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. He taught the Qur'an. He created man. He taught him to speak. The sun and the moon are in harmony. The stars and the trees are in prostration. The sky is raised and the balance is set. Do not be afraid of the balance. And set the weight with the balance and do not lose the balance. And the earth and the sky are in harmony. In it are fruits and the palm trees are in harmony. And the pomegranate is in harmony with the pomegranate. So which of the two is the best? And the earth and the sun and the moon is in harmony with the pomegranate? So when we read or recite the Qur'an, we do it with the awareness that we are repeating Allah's words to Him. When I am saying Ar-Rahmanu Allama Al-Qur'an, these words were first spoken by Allah Himself. The Qur'an, therefore, When we are repeating them to him, we take care to do that in the best way possible because he is the one listening. The Quran is spiritual sustenance. It is food for the soul. The Quran heals and comforts, calms and encourages, sustains and energizes. It removes fear and anxiety. It reminds us that we are never alone. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the glorious and magnificent is always with us, for us, watching, listening, knowing before we are even aware of the thought. He is our creator, protector, sustainer, maintainer and owner. We belong to him and he is ours. When we read the Quran, we do so with the awareness that we are reading words which are literally from out of this world. The words of the creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is beyond and all that is between. Words which were conveyed by Jibreel alayhi salam, by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, peace and blessings be upon him. Words which Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi salam recited to his companions, the blessed sahaba. And they listened and memorized and wrote them down and lived by them. Words that have been preserved with total integrity from the time they were first heard in the atmosphere of planet earth. No change, no versions, no variation. The same Quran. In the case of the Quran, it is not only a map, but it comes with a guide, a teacher, a trainer,