Today insha'Allah (by Allah's will) I will tell you the story of Quranโจ๐โจ
The Holy Qur’an is the Speech of Allahโ๏ธ, which He revealed to our Prophet Muhammad by the ๐ธAngel Gabriel and revealed in stages over a period of 23 years.
๐The Quran is core to Islam๐
Believing in it is a requirement. One who does not believe in the Quran, in its entirety, cannot claim to be a Muslimโ.
Islam has two primary sourcesโ๏ธ, the Quran, and the authentic narrations of Prophet Muhammad, that explain the Quran.
๐ธ Prophet Muhammad was commanded by Allah to convey the Quran to all of humankind and the responsibility weighed heavily upon him.
The Quran explains the concept of God, it explains in detail what is permissible๐ and what is forbidden๐, it explains the basics of good manners and morals๐ธ, and gives rulings about worship.
๐It tells stories about the Prophets and our righteous predecessors, and describes Paradise and Hell.
๐ธ It is also important to understand that the Quran has ๐remained unchanged๐ for more than 1400 years.
โจโจToday when a Muslim in ๐Egypt holds his copy of Quran in his hands and begins to recite, you can be sure that in far away ๐Fiji another Muslim is looking at and reciting the exact same words.
โญ๏ธThere are no differencesโญ๏ธ
The child in France holding his first copy of Quran is for sure reciting the same words that flowed from the lips of Prophet Muhammad. ๐ธ
โ๏ธAllah assures us in Quran that He will surely protect His words.
He says, “Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e., the Quran], and indeed, We will be its guardian.” (Quran 15:9)
๐ This means that God will guard against anything false being added or any part of it being taken away.
๐ธOne of the ways in which it was preserved ๐was that the men, women and children around the Prophet Muhammad memorized Quran, paying careful attention to each word.
In the very early days of Islam the emphasis was on memorization, however soon, those who had mastered the art of reading and writing began to ๐write down the words of Quran on whatever writing material available๐คท๐พโ.
๐ They wrote on flat stones, bark, bones, and even animal skins.
๐ธAs the words of Allah were revealed, it is said that prophet Muhammad would call for a scribe to write down the words as they began to flow from his lips.
๐In the lifetime of the Prophet, the Quran existed on bits and pieces of writing material, rather than in book form.
โญ๏ธWhen the Angel Gabriel would reveal the divine words of God, he would also issue instructions by Allah's command, as to what verses and chapters belonged where.
Therefore the Quran was written down under the direct supervision of Prophet Muhammad.
โค๏ธ Uthman, one of the Prophet’s closest companions said :
“when something was revealed to him, Prophet Muhammad would call someone from amongst those who used to write for him and say, ‘place these verses in the chapter in which such and such is mentioned’ and if only one verse was revealed he would say, ‘place this verse in this chapter’”
And at the time of the Prophet’s death pieces of Quran were held in trust by many members of the Muslim community.๐ฑ
๐ After the prophet’s death, Battles and skirmishes took place and many of the men who had memorized the Quran lost their lives.๐
๐ So Abu Bakr, the leader of the Muslim nation after the death of Prophet Muhammad,was afraid that the Quran would be lost, so he consulted some of the senior companions about compiling the Quran into a single book. ๐๐ธ
And this is the story of The Holy Quran , the truth about Allah , His genuine speech whom He promised to guard forever in order to let His guidance prevail at all times and give the people the knowledge they need to know about the truth of this life and the hereafter โจโจโจ
So
Let's summarize the most important points regarding Quran ๐
What Does Belief in the Quran include?
1. To believe that it was truly revealed by Allah.
2. To believe that it contains the speech of Allah .
3. To believe the stories mentioned in it.
4. To believe that the prophet Muhammad delivered the Quran and didn’t write it
๐ฑ Last lesson we talked about the story of QURAN .. and we mentioned that Allah promised to preserve this book till the end of times .. an act of Divine Justice and Mercy that only the believer can sense.โค๏ธ
๐ช๐ช๐ช Today insha'Allah (by Allah's will) we will talk about some of the unique features of Quran and our duty towards this GREAT BOOK
But before thisโ๏ธ , I'd like to begin the lesson with one of Allah's most beautiful namesโจโจ that is so much related to our topic .. which is .. The name “Al Hafeez” or “Al Haafiz” โค๏ธโค๏ธ
๐One of the Muslim scholars said :
“Al-Hafeez is the One who protects that which He has created, and Whose knowledge encompasses that which He has brought into existence. He protects His slaves from falling into sin and disasterโค๏ธ, and He takes care of them in all situations. He records the deeds of His slaves and the reward or punishment for that.”
๐Al-Hafeez means al-Haafiz๐
Both are active participles but the form Hafeez carries a more intensive meaning, He guards or keeps the heavens and the earth and everything therein, so that they will remain for as long as they are to remain, and will not disappear.
๐ธThis is like the verses (interpretation of the meaning):
‘and their preservation tires Him not.’ [Quran, 2:255]
‘And as protection against every rebellious devil’ [Quran, 37:7]
๐ธ He is the One Who protects His slaves from destruction and calamity and disaster.
As He says (interpretation of the meaning):
(For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah . )
Quran, 13:11
๐ธ The name al-Haafiz is mentioned in the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He said, "Should I entrust you with him except [under coercion] as I entrusted you with his brother before? But Allah is the best guardian, and He is the most merciful of the merciful."” [Quran, 12:64]
๐ Allah also calls Himself al-Hafeez in several places in the Quran.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Indeed my Lord is, over all things, Guardian.” [Quran, 11:57]
๐ So can you guess how can we relate the name of Allah Al Haafiz with our previous topic “Quran” ?
๐Answer:
From the time of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until the present (more than 1400 years) the Qur’aan has stayed the same๐ธ, and not a single letter of it has been changed๐ธ, as ancient manuscripts and the hearts of generation after generation of people who ๐have memorized the entire text๐ช and earned the title of “haafiz” bear witness.
๐คฒ Allah, Al Haafiz protected Quran till this day… We ask Allaah to guide us to the true and straight path. โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
โ๏ธโ๏ธComing to our main topic for today which was ๐the unique features which distinguish QURAN from the other revealed books ..
๐ต 1. The Glorious Qur’an provides a summary of divine rulings.
๐It also came to support and confirm the command to worship Allah alone contained in the previous divine books.
๐ธThe Qur’an says, “And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book [i.e. the Quran] in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it." ( Quran, 5:48)
๐ธThis verse makes it clear that the Qur’an agrees with and confirms the truth, statements and beliefs, amongst other things, contained in the previous divine books and
๐serves as a witness over them๐
๐ต 2. All people, regardless of their language or race, must adhere to the Qur’an and act according to its dictates.
๐And they should do this no matter how far removed they may be from the time the Qur’an was revealed.
๐This wasn't the case with the previous scriptures which were revealed for particular peoples at specific times.
The Qur’an says, “And this Quran was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches.” ( Quran, 6:19)
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ And we've mentioned something quite similar to this when we said that the message of Islam has abrogated all the previous messages, and this makes Quran the only available divine speech of God , ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY .
๐ธโบ๏ธ Eventually, the part that matters most .. Our Duty towards QURAN .. in other words , what are we expected to be like when dealing with the WORDS OF ALLAH
โ๏ธ First thing, We must love and value its importance because it is the speech of Almighty Allah, which is unquestionably the best and most truthful speech.
โค๏ธAnd since love needs a proof , then We must ๐read it, recite it and ponder its verses.
๐We must also reflect on its spiritual guidance, statements and stories and take it as a criterion in our lives whereby we distinguish between truth and falsehood.
๐We must act on its dictates, obey its commands and make them our way of life.
๐ธWhen โAa’ishah , one of the Prophet’s wives, was asked about the character of the Prophet, she replied, “His character was the Qur’an.”
๐ธIn other words, the Prophet was the practical embodiment of the Qur’anic injunctions in all his actions and worldly life.
๐ He followed the guidance of the Qur’an in its entirety
๐ And provided an excellent example for us to follow.
As the Qur’an states, “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” ( Quran, 33:21)
Alhamdullilah for all His blessings , having bestowed upon us with knowledge of faith ๐ธ
REMEMBER .. The islamic faith includes mainly 6 things , our belief in :
๐ Allah
๐His messengers
๐His revelations
๐His angels
๐The day of judgment
๐The divine decree
We learnt this by Allah's help ๐
1โฃ THE MEANING OF BELIEF IN ALLAH
2โฃ THE BELIEF IN ALLAH'S MESSENGERS
Today insha'Allah (by the will of Allah) we will take the next pillar of faith .. ๐
3โฃ BELIEF IN ALL THE DIVINE BOOK
๐ This means to firmly believe that Almighty Allah has sent down some divine books to some of His messengers, and that they contain the speech of Allah which must be thought of in a manner that suits His majesty. These books also contain the truth, light and guidance for people in both this world and in the hereafter.
Examples of the divine books :
๐ Qur’an, which He revealed to our Prophet Muhammad
๐The Torah which He revealed to Moses (Moosaa)
๐The Gospel ( Al injeel ) which He revealed to Jesus (โEesaa).
Now comes a critical issueโ๏ธ ..
๐คWhat is the Islam view regarding the Contents of the Previously Revealed Books
๐A Muslim believes that the Torah, which was revealed to Moses, and the Gospel, which was revealed to Jesus, were the truth from Allah.
HOWEVER ..
๐Almighty Allah informs us in the Holy Qur’an that the People of the Book, that are the Jews and the Christians, ๐ฅhad distorted their divine books through โalteration,โ omission orโ addition to the original text, and are thus not as authentic as Allah first revealed them.๐
๐The Torah, that is available today, is not the same Torah revealed to Moses , because the Jews corrupted the original text by altering it and changing numerous rulings in it
As the Qur’an states, “Among the Jews are those who distort words from their [proper] places [i.e., usages] ” (Quran, 4:46)
Similarly, the Gospel available to us today is not the same Gospel revealed to Jesus , for the Christians distorted it and altered a large number of its rulings.
Concerning this, the Qur’an says: “And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah," but it is not from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know.” (Quran, 3:78)
The Holy Bible available to the People of the Book today, which consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament, has numerous wrong beliefs, misleading misconceptions and false statements and stories. ๐๐๐
๐คท๐พโ So what is our duty towards them ?
I’ll tell you..
๐ต We believe those statements and reports which are shown by the Qur’an or the Sunnah to be true
๐ต We disbelieve those ones which are shown by the Qur’an and Sunnah to be false.
๐ต As for the rest of the statements and reports, we must neither believe nor disbelieve them, because they are not proven in the Quran or Sunnah to be either true or false.
๐ต Despite all this, a Muslim ought to respect these books and must not demean or desecrate them, for they may still contain some of Allah’s speech which has not been distorted.
DEAL โ๐๐
Read this verse from Quran and ponder .. ๐๐
“And from those who say, "We are Christians" We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded. So We caused among them animosity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection. And Allah is going to inform them about what they used to do.” (Quran, 5:14)
Do you even imagine that those people were blamed by Almighty Allah ??!! ... They deserved being described as the worst people for their mistreatment of Allah's words ๐๐๐
Quran is a trustworthy and witness over the Books that came before it, and confirming them, i.e., confirming whatever is true in them and rejecting whatever alterations, distortions and changes have occurred in them and ruling that the previous rulings have been abrogated – i.e.,
๐they are no longer applicable๐
– and that new rulings and laws have been promulgated.
Hence all those who were following previous books should submit to it (Quran). ๐ช๐ช๐ธ๐ธ
And to make it clear , We'll revise together what it means to submit to Quran .. โค๏ธโค๏ธ
โญ๏ธ What is meant by adhering or submitting to the Quran is:
๐ธregarding what it permits as permitted and regarding what it forbids as forbidden.
๐ธobeying its commands and avoiding that which it prohibits.
๐ธpaying heed to its lessons
๐ธlearning from its stories and understanding its clear and unambiguous texts.
๐ธReferring to the exact meaning of its ambiguous texts to Allah.
๐ธNot overstepping its limits and defending it, whilst memorizing it, reciting it in a proper manner, pondering the meanings of its verses.
๐ธReciting it in prayer night and day, being sincere towards it in all senses, and calling others to do likewise with understanding.
๐ธLast but not least, We should Show gratefulness to Allah โ๏ธfor sending down such books which contain light and guidance for us in this life and in the hereafter.
Indeed, this is a great blessing for which we ought to offer thanks to Allah.โค๏ธโค๏ธ
Last lesson we talked about our belief in the Previous Books , including Our belief in The Bible ๐ธ
But we didn't emphasize Our belief regarding Prophet Jesus himself โค๏ธ
Therefore , this shall be our lesson today insha'Allah ๐ช๐ช
๐ค What is a Muslim's belief regarding Jesus PBUH โโ
Here comes the answer ๐๐
๐ต 1. He was one of the greatest of Allah’s messengers and one of those held in high respect. โค๏ธ
๐ต 2. He was a human being๐ค with no divine attributes whatsoever, whom Almighty Allah sent๐ to guide the Children of Israel and supported with a number of miracles
As the Qur’an states, “He [i.e., Jesus] was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel.” (Quran , 43:59)
๐He never ordered his people to take him and his mother, Mary, as gods besides Allah๐; he only told them to do as Allah commanded him to tell them: “I said not to them except what You commanded me –to worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” (Quran , 5:117)
. He was the son of Mary, a chaste, pious and truthful virgin who entirely devoted herself to the worship of Allah.
๐She gave birth to Jesus after miraculously conceiving him without a human fatherโ, his likeness in this being as that of Adam
As the Qur’an states, “Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.” (Quran , 3:59)
๐ต 4. There was no prophet between him and Muhammad PBUH. โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
In fact, Jesus PBUH gave the good news of the advent of Prophet Muhammad
As the Qur’an states, “And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad."But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic."” (Quran, 61:6)
๐ต 5. We believe in the miracles he performed by Allah’s permission ๐คฒ
๐such as his ability to heal the lepers
๐bringing dead people back to life
๐informing his people of what they ate and stored in their houses.
๐ธAll by Allah’s permission๐ธ
Allah gave him the ability to perform such miracles to prove he was a true prophet who came with a divine message from his Lord. โญ๏ธ
๐ต 6. A person will not be considered a true believer โ๏ธunless he believes that Jesus was ๐the servant and messenger of Allah
๐and strongly rejects the false statements Jews make about him and which Allah dismiss as untrue.
๐He must strongly reject the Christian beliefs about Jesus, who have gone far astray for taking him and his mother as gods besides Allah, claiming that he was the son of God ๐or adopting the doctrine of the Trinity, referring to Allah as “the third of three”.
Glorified is He and High Exalted above what they say!โ๏ธ
๐ต 7. Last thing, He was neither killedโ, nor crucifiedโ
๐instead, he was raised up by Allah to heaven.
๐In fact, Allah gave someone else Jesus’ appearance, causing everyone to believe that Jesus was crucified.
The Qur’an says about this, “And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.158. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. 159. And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him [i.e., Jesus] before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness.” (Quran , 4:157-59)
๐ธIn this way, Allah protected him and raised Him to heavenโค๏ธ.
He will eventually return to earth towards the end of the world, ๐rule by Muhammad’s law; ๐then he will die and be buried, ๐and will eventually be resurrected, like all human beings
As the Qur’an states, “From it [i.e., the earth] We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.” (Quran , 20:55)
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
congratulations , we've finished a great portion of Islamic faith lessons.
Our belief in :
โ
๐ Allah
โ
๐His messengers
โ
๐His revelations
๐His angels
๐The day of judgment
๐The divine decree
Today we'll explore the interesting topic of The Angels โญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
๐ค Now What Does Belief in the Angels Include?
๐ต They Include Belief in their existence: We believe that Allah made them from lightโจ and created them with a natural predisposition to worship and obey Him. โค๏ธ
๐ต Belief in those angels whose names have been mentioned to us, such as Jibreel (Gabriel) u.
We also generally believe in all those whose names have not been mentioned to us.
๐ต Belief in their attributes that have been mentioned to us.
๐ธThese include the following:
๐They belong to the unseen world whom Almighty Allah created solely for His worship. They have no divine attributes whatsoever and are naturally disposed to show complete obedience to Allah, as the Qur’an states, “ they do not disobey AllŒh in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.”
(Quran, 66:6)
๐ Allah created them from light, as evidenced by the hadeeth, “The angels were created from light.” (Saheeh Muslim: 2996)
๐They have wings, as the Qur’an states, “[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, [who] made the angels messengers having wings, two or three or four. He increases in creation w” (Quran, 35:1)
๐ต Last but not Least, Belief in the duties which have been mentioned to us and which they carry out with Allah’s command.
๐ธThese include:
๐The angel charged with the task of conveying Allah’s revelation to His messengers, namely, Jibreel (Gabriel).
๐ The angel charged with the task of taking away the souls of those destined to die, namely the Angel of Death and his assistants.
๐The angels charged with the task of recording all the good and bad deeds people do, known as the Noble Scribes (al-kiraam al-kaatiboon)
Having all this in your mindset is soooo important ..
It changes the way you look at this life and the life to come ๐ฑ
Bearing all these information about angels in your mind will benefit you in a number of aspects ..
โญ๏ธ One of them is Being aware of Allah’s absolute strength and power. The magnificent and great creation of the angels clearly testify to the greatness of their creator. The fact that Allah created the mighty angels from light and with wings makes us appreciate His attributes with the importance and appreciation that He deserves and revere Him even more.
โญ๏ธ Observing righteousness, since we believe that these angels record all our deeds.
This prompts us to fear Allahโค๏ธand try not to disobey Him, whether we are alone or with others.
โญ๏ธObserving patience while carrying out our duties towards Allah: when we become aware of the infinite number of angels in this vast universe who obey Allah and constantly worship Him, along with us, as He should be worshipped,
๐we become prompted to endure all the adversities in carrying out our duties towards Allah.
โญ๏ธ And Showing gratitude to Allahโค๏ธ for creating some angels to guard people against harm, prompts us to thank Him for His divine care.
๐ปWe have finishied explaining Our belief in :
โ
๐ Allah
โ
๐His messengers
โ
๐His revelations
โ
๐His angels
Today we will explain our belief in The Last day
๐Belief in the Last Day๐
Meaning of Belief in the Last Day๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
It is a Firm belief that Almighty Allah will raise people to life from their graves , then He will judge them according to their deeds.
๐๐ผThose who deserve to go to Paradise will be sent to it, ๐ฅฐ while those who deserve to go to Hellfire will be sent to it.โน๏ธ
Belief in the last Day is one of the articles of faith, and faith will not be valid unless one believes in the Last Day, as the Qur’an states, “Truly pious are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.” (Soorat Al-Baqarah, 2:177)
Why Does the Qur’an focus on the Belief in the Last Day?๐ค
๐๐ผThe Qur’an draws attention to it on numerous occasions, and linking belief in the Last Day with belief in Allah...
The reason for this is that belief in the Last Day is a necessary outcome of belief in Almighty Allah and His absolute justice.
๐ปTo illustrate:
Allah does not approve of injustice; He will not let the wrongdoers go unpunished, nor will He disappoint the virtuous by not rewarding them for their righteousness.
Many are those who suffered a great deal of injustice and died without ever obtaining redress for the wrong done to themโน๏ธ. *This means there has to be another life, other than the present life, where the righteous will be rewarded and the evildoers will be punished, everyone getting the reward or punishment they deserve.*
๐คฉWhat Does Belief in the Last Day Include?๐คฉ
Belief in the Last Day includes a number of things, some of which are as follows: ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ
1) Belief in the Ultimate Resurrection and Gathering: This means that Almighty Allah will raise people to life from their graves, and each soul will return to its respective body. People will then stand before the Lord of all the worlds for judgement. They will be gathered on a huge level plain, naked and barefoot just as Allah first created them.
๐กIndeed, belief in the resurrection of the dead is confirmed by textual evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah and has been proven rationally as well as through the inner nature (fitrah)..
The Qur’an says, “Then subsequently you will certainly die. Then on the Day of Rising you will be raised again.” (Soorat Al-Mu’minoon, 23:15-16)
๐กAll divine books have confirmed this fact, stating that part of Allah’s wisdom behind creating people is to set an ultimate day on which He will judge them for obeying or rejecting His commands which he sent down to them through His messengers, as the Qur’an states, “Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us?’” (Soorat Al-Mu’minoon, 23:115
2) Belief in the Judgement and the Balance of Deeds: Almighty Allah will judge people according to their deeds which they did in the life of the world. Those who worshipped Allah alone and obeyed Him and His Messenger Muhammad PBUH will receive an easy reckoning. As for those who committed the unforgivable sin of shirk and disobeyed Him, they will receive a severe reckoning
๐๐ผPeople’s deeds will be weighed in a huge balance. The good deeds will be placed on one weighing pan, while the bad deeds will be placed on the pan at the other end of the Balance. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be admitted into Paradise, while those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds will be sent to Hellfire, and Allah does not wrong anyone.
Allah say, “We will set up the Just Balance on the Day of Rising and no one will be wronged in any way. Even if it is no more than the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, We will produce it. We are sufficient as a Reckoner.” (Soorat Al-Anbiyyaa’, 21:47)
3) Paradise and Hellfire: Paradise is the abode of eternal bliss which Allah has prepared for the pious people who have obeyed Allah and His Messenger. In it they will find all that their hearts desire and their eyes find delight in.๐๐ฅฐ♥๏ธ
Almighty Allah says, “Race each other to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous.” (Soorat Aal- โImraan, 3:133)
As for Hellfire, it is the abode of eternal punishment which Allah has prepared for the unbelievers who have rejected Allah and disobeyed His messengers. In it they will find all kinds of unimaginable terrifying punishments and suffering.๐๐
๐๐ผWarning His servants against the Hellfire, Almighty Allah says, “Fear the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, made ready for the unbelievers.” (Soorat Al-Baqarah, 2:24)
We ask You, O Allah,๐คฒ to admit us into Paradise and to assist us in saying words and doing deeds that are bound to bring us closer to it, and we seek refuge with You from the Hellfire and from words and deeds that are bound to bring us closer