Qur'an Convos: Tadabbur
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Taking it Personally
How can we make the Qur’an’s stories feel more relatable to our lives? What can we do to always feel like the Qur’an is speaking to us personally? If the Qur’an is meant for everyone, how can we nurture a personal relationship with it?
In this episode, Sh. Suleiman Hani talks to Dr. Jinan Yousef and Dr. Osman Umarji about how to feel like the Qur’an is speaking to you directly.
Dr. Jinan is a Senior Fellow at Yaqeen and the author of the recently published book, “Reflecting on the Names of Allah.” Dr. Osman is the Director of Survey Research and Evaluation at Yaqeen, as well as an Associate Editor for the Editorial Review Board.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. And welcome to Qur'an Convos, a podcast where we explore the many ways you can connect with the Qur'an. In this season, as you know, we've been covering the topic of tadabbur, or how to reflect deeply on the Qur'an. And this is based on the works of Imam Al-Ghazali, rahimullah, the 10 inward acts for the recitation of the Qur'an. Alhamdulillah, today, as we explore how to connect with the Qur'an like it's speaking to you, we have two guests who are, of course, specialists in this area. We have with us Dr. Jinnan and Dr. Osman, may Allah subhansah reward them. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Dr. Osman and Dr. Jinnan, how are you today? Waikumsalaam, Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah, blessings from Allah to be here. Thank you for having us. Wa'alaikumussalam warakaatuh. Jazakumullahu khairan for having us. Sorry for interrupting you, Dr. Osman, I think I came in too quickly there. Dara khala fikum, jazakumul khairan. Actually, Dr. Jinnan, I wanted to start by asking you this question we ask all of our guests. Just in case it might inspire, motivate, help someone who's listening to this, inshallah ta'ala. On this topic of tadabbur, is there an instance in your life that you're comfortable sharing in which reading or listening to the Quran, or maybe even studying tafsir, evoked a deep emotional reaction? What was happening? What did you read or hear? What did it make you feel? I know this is a personal question, so share in proportion to how comfortable you are, but something that could motivate others to interact with and engage with the Quran, inshallah. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Firstly, jazakumullahu khairan for having me and for asking me this really beautiful, beautiful question. I think, I mean, there are many situations where I've felt this deep emotional, or I've had a deep emotional reaction to the Quran. And I think one that comes to mind right now that I've been thinking about was probably in my very early days of starting to practice Islam and getting very excited
and just wanting to do everything to please Allah. And I think anybody who's gone through that kind of stage where you feel very excited and you have this, a lot of zeal, you also think of your responsibility towards other people. And I was thinking about my responsibility towards my friends. And I was thinking, if my friend doesn't wake up for fajr, what's my responsibility? Am I supposed to like get mad at her and say, you have to do this. Like, how do you take that zeal to other people without being overbearing? And I was thinking of that role. And SubhanAllah, it's really, Allah speaks to you through the Quran and everything in the Quran is relevant to you. And so I was reading a surah that is one of the shorter surahs in the Quran, Surah Al-Ghashiyah. And the verses that really hit me was when Allah is saying to the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, fadhakkir innama anta mudhakkir, lasta alayhim bimusaytim. And I was a teenager, so this was without any tafsir, it's just a basic understanding of Arabic, but Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is telling the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, remind them, you're only a reminder, you're not over them a controller. And of course, this is with regards to inviting the people of Mecca who are not believers. But at that time, I remember it hit me because it said, SubhanAllah, my job is not to get angry at people for not practicing in a certain way, but it's actually to remind people, right? It says to be a reminder to other people. And the reason why it was emotional was because SubhanAllah, I felt that Allah answered my question without me almost asking him. It was an internal dialogue I was having with myself, it was a monologue, not really a dialogue. But reciting that verse and just thinking, oh my God, SubhanAllah, this is the answer. And I think that's something that's always touched me that the answers for a lot of our questions really are in the Quran. And I think that's kind of guided the way that I deal with myself as well as other people that remind people, just be a reminder for people.
Jazakumullahu khairan, barakallahu fikum. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la utilize all of us as reminders for others and make us amongst those who benefit from these reminders. For our listeners, of course, Dr. Jinnan is a senior fellow at Yaqeen Institute. And I've benefited a lot from your articles, especially as resources for many of our students about the names and attributes of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta-A'la. She's also the author of the recently published book, Reflecting on the Names of Allah. Dr. Usman, I'm gonna ask you the same question. And I ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta-A'la to bless you for those who are listening. Of course, Dr. Usman is the Director of Survey Research and Evaluation at Yaqeen, as well as an Associate Editor for the Editorial Review Board. Barakallahu fikum, Dr. Usman. Salaam Alaikum. So my response will be quite different than Dr. Jinnan's. She was on the side of already being deep into her practice and looking how to help others. I was on the opposite side. I needed the Wahi to help me learn how to live my life. So I remember very vividly, one of my deepest emotional experiences with the Quran was when I was in my first year in the university. This was back well over 20 years ago. I was living in the dorms. And for those who have ever experienced such a life, they know it's not a very halal life, right? What happens in the dorms is not very clean. And I witnessed this all around me. I witnessed people who were drinking alcohol, who were engaging in relationships in ways. And as a young man who's 18 years old, who's trying his best to keep his faith, you just see that and you see that. And there's this nagging kind of inner voice that says, hey, you should try this, you should try this. Everyone looks like they're having so much fun. And Alhamdulillah, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la had kept me away from this at that point. And so one day I remember just kind of really just feeling almost kind of bad that everyone seems to be having so much fun. And I'm sitting here just kind of not doing anything. And so I decided after some hours, just open up the Quran, which I wasn't typically doing at that time in my life.
And I opened it up just randomly to a page and lo and behold, I find Surah Al-Takathur. And so I read, my Arabic reading wasn't so great, so kind of more on the translation side, but reading that, Al-Hakam Al-Takathur, this life is simply, that you've been deceived by this competition, right? And that only of course, when, you know, Hatta Zurtumul Maqabir, right? You know, when death comes, you'll realize what this life was all about. And so reading that Surah, which is very few number of verses, it really like slapped me in the face. And it was like the perfect kind of reminder for me that look what these people are doing, competing in dunya for popularity and having, you know, looking cool and having boyfriends and girlfriends and whatever, moving up this social ladder, right? It was not what this dunya is all about. And so it really, really grounded me from that day on, just be like, you know what? Like be comfortable with who you are, know that you have a different mission in life. And it really began my commitment to saying, you know, I need to join the Muslim Student Association in my university, be more committed to spending time with Muslims. And so, I mean, I'll never forget that, just kind of that, it could open any verse, but why Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la allowed me to stumble upon this Surah, I'll always be grateful for Allah's, you know, gentle, loving hand guiding me there, so. SubhanAllah, that's one of the most powerful antidotes for any worldly thoughts, desire, pursue, just the experience that you shared is profound. Jazakumullahu khairan. Dr. Osman, actually Surah Taqa'at is one of my favorite. I recite it often in Jumu'ah or in the masjid, and a lot of times community members will ask, why this Surah? Like, why do you keep reciting this Surah? It's such a powerful reminder. So, Jazakumullahu khairan for sharing that. And I think that's relevant to so many people's lives when we become distracted or when our thoughts stray to what other people are pursuing of, you know, desire worship or self-worship or the pursuit of societal pressures. Jazakumullahu khairan. BarakAllahu khairan.
Dr. Osman and Dr. Jinnan, last week for this series, we discussed how to overcome the barriers to understanding the Quran. This week, the inward act that we are focusing on from the list of 10, once again, is considering the teachings of the Quran specific to oneself. So, of course, we believe as Muslims, the Quran is a message to all of mankind, and it is guidance for the righteous, for the God-conscious, for those who are seeking Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. But if a person reads it and uses it to advise or diagnose the ills of others without applying it to oneself, then, of course, we believe there'll be in a state of loss. So, we believe that we should consider that the Quran is speaking to us personally if we want to connect to all of the lessons, all of the benefits, all of the value that it comes with and it contains, and not just the ones that we want to feel addressed by, not just when it's convenient for us. SubhanAllah, I was reflecting on a quote I had shared a few days ago by Al-Hassan Al-Basri, rahimahullah, one of the earliest scholars. And he says what's translated as, O children of Adam, you will never find the reality of iman, the completion of belief, as long as you fault people for doing what you yourself are guilty of, until you clear yourself of that fault and you correct it. Then, thereafter, you will not correct a fault in yourself except that you will notice another fault. So, your occupation will become correcting yourself. And this is the most beloved thing to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la when you're in a state like this. The question I believe we can start with here, based on this inward act of the recitation of the Quran, is how can a person reach a point where they always feel like the Quran is addressing them personally? It's a question that can take us into many different directions. We'll start, inshAllah Ta'ala,
this time with Dr. Isma'il Barak-Lafiq. Bismillah, it's a very heavy question, right? And you know, Imam Ghazali has so much to say on this. For me, I would start one step higher. And I would start by, you made this statement that we know the Quran is a book of guidance. I think we know it here in our head, but I don't think a lot of people know it here in their heart. And what I mean by that is that we are socialized, at least many of us, from our cultural backgrounds, that the Quran is a book of blessings, it's a book of barakah. And so we're taught from a very early age that our relationship with the Quran is one that is based on how much we read it in Arabic and how much we memorize it. And so from a young age, the emphasis always is in the abundance of its recitation and memorization as paths to nearness to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. And then as we get older, we're often told, well, you should study the Quran. And again, studying the Quran, if you attempt to study the Quran, you will find courses on Ulum al-Quran, Tafsir, you know, Tajweed, you know, and other Quranic sciences. And all of this is important. But again, I want to just distill this, the most central purpose of the Quran is to see and to believe the Quran is a book of guidance for you, first and foremost. So I mean, I guess just to ground it, because I know it's simple, but that I have to believe that this, the purpose of the Quran is not for me to understand, you know, the sciences of it. That's a level to aspire for. But the most basic is Allah is talking to me and telling me how to live my life. And what does that mean? It doesn't mean just halal and haram, because also we reduce it to that. That if I need to know if I can do something or I can't do something, then I open the book of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. But rather, it's comprehensive in how am I supposed to walk in this world? How am I supposed to think? How am I supposed to feel about what happens? Right, what am I supposed to believe about the current events and the political events and the historical events? And then what do I do on a day-to-day basis?
And if you begin with this, understanding that the Quran is here to address my nafs, right, I have been created by Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la in this world. He created this universe. He created the guidance. And the Quran is a book where my Lord, my Creator, is telling me out of His immense love how to make sense out of everything. And this begins to place the reader now in this place, or at least me, and say, you know what? This happened to me today. When I read the Quran, how do I make sense out of what happened to me today? How do I understand when something good happened to me, a blessing fell upon my lap? What about when something bad happened to me, or perceived to be bad? How do I frame it in a way that is Quranic? Or how do I frame it in a way that is Rabbani, or godly? And ultimately, I believe that when one really sees the Quran as speaking to themselves, they're trying to get this big picture understanding about, I don't wanna miss the forest for the trees. Sometimes we read the Quran, we kinda get caught up in like really tiny, tiny particulars, and we obsess over them as a reader. But rather to say, look, there is this message in its totality that is shaping my ways of seeing this universe. And if I can allow myself to be patient, and not being in a rush, and knowing that at this stage in my life, if I'm a 25 year old Muslim man, the Quran is gonna speak to me differently than when I'm 45 years old, and I may be married and I have children. And at every stage of my life, the Quran is speaking to me differently. And that is why the Quran is a book that is timeless and eternal. Because it's not like, you know what? Sheikh, I read the Quran, I'm done. I should understand how to live my life. It's the way you read it today, and then you read it tomorrow, each day it's gonna hit you differently. It hit you personally differently, because today I was in a good mood, and I understand how to deal with my good mood. Tomorrow I was in a bad mood, I know how to deal with my bad mood. Today my kids were difficult with me, I know how to respond to that. I made money, I lost money. It's just that attitude of every single day. I need reinforcement from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la how to process my thoughts.
So I was just gonna begin with that, because it is simple, but I believe to be, one of the things that opened my heart. Because I was one of those who began to obsess over, you know, the asbab an-nuzul, and why did this verse come down? It's like, no, no, no. What does this verse do for me today? Right, Allahu akbar. Jazakumullahu khairan, that's beautiful. And I love the example that you gave, Dr. Usman Barakallahu fik. Oftentimes, people connect to the Quran on occasions. And by occasions, I don't necessarily mean, you know, something of a celebration. But oftentimes, as many community members, you know, will express something difficult has happened, and then they'll turn to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, or someone has passed away in their families or communities, and then they'll turn to the Quran and start to recite. And of course, what'll hit them hardest at that point is what's relevant to their situation. And we'll ask, you know, in these conversations, how did that make you feel? They say, well, I felt like Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la was speaking to me, to my situation. I felt like so much more fulfilled spiritually, even while going through grief or hardship. And we always ask, and it's a reminder for all of us, what if you were to take that in, that source of guidance and benefit and personal relevance on a daily basis? You had to deal with like a daily recitation, and not just a recitation on the tongue, but your heart was present, you were paying attention, you understood what you were reciting to an extent. Then you would take, as you mentioned, Dr. Usman, you would take in everything you need for the experiences that you're going through in your life. Whether you're close to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, or you feel disconnected and distant, it'll remind you and bring you back. Whether you're happy for something that you have, a life of relative ease, alhamdulillah, may Allah grant us all aafiyah, or you're going through a hardship, may Allah grant us all relief. It reminds me of a statement of one of the companions who said, turn your happiness, your moments of happiness, into gratitude for Allah, and turn your moments of sadness into sabr for Allah, perseverance and willpower and patience. And at the end of the day,
the Quran gives us those reminders, and we are always in need of it. Wadhakir fa-inna adh-dhikra tanfa'u almu'minin Remind for early, the reminders benefit the believers. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la make us from among those who are constantly taking in this shifa, this healing, as we discussed that concept of healing in another episode. Dr. Jinnan, I'm going to ask you, inshAllah Ta'ala, the same question. How can a person reach a point where they always feel like the Quran is addressing them personally, barakAllahu feekum? JazakumAllahu khayran. Firstly, thank you, both of you, especially Dr. Aslan, as you were speaking, I was nodding the whole time with everything that you were saying, jazakumAllahu khayran. I think another thing perhaps that I would add to that is also to consider who the Quran is from. I think it's something that's very, very important, because sometimes we view the Quran as even like a book of information, or a book of miracles, and all of these different things, so that we can be in awe of the Quran. And it's definitely very important for us to see a book of guidance, but then it's like, who is guiding us? It's Allah has sent us this book. Allah has sent us this book as a rahma, as a mercy, as a book of guidance, as glad tidings for those who believe, right? And so when we think of, this is actually a personal message to humanity, but to you specifically, from Allah, and who is Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la? Allah is Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim. He is the most merciful, the most compassionate. He is Al-'Alim Al-Hakeem. He is the all-knowing, the most wise. So, it's like if somebody came and tried to give me advice about something, and even if it sounded good, I'd wanna know their credentials, right? So, let's just say if I was giving nutritional advice to someone, they'd be like, well, that sounds great, but what's your background? Have you studied nutritional sciences? Right, like you want to know. And so that's why sometimes when people read the Quran, they might have, perhaps because of our modern age, a kind of skepticism towards the Quran. But when you start to consider it,
this is not a book that was sent by a person, by a human being. This is actually by Allah. Like, can you imagine, we have the speech, we have the words of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la that is addressing you, that is addressing me, and who is Allah? Again, we go to the names and the adverts of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. So, when we know that Allah knows everything, the past and the present and the inner and the outer, we know that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is more merciful towards us than our own mothers. And so everything in this book, it's a guidance and it's out of care for you. It's guiding you to what? Guiding you to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la Himself and guiding you to Jannah. Like, that is the purpose. And so if you take the lessons for yourself, insha'Allah, that is where you're going to end up. That's what Allah is promising us through the Quran. And so in order for us to feel that the Quran is addressing me personally, we have to remember, wait, Allah created me. And Allah calls the Quran a guidance and Allah cares for me so much. So you start to develop this personal relationship, like if you were looking at your phone and you get a WhatsApp message from someone who you love, you're much more excited, you're much more willing to take the message from the person. And so SubhanAllah, Allah's far above any analogy, but if we look at the Quran, it's like, these messages in the Quran are from Allah who cares about you more than anybody in this world, more than the person who you think loves you the most, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has more care and concern for you than even that person. And the other thing I think is very, very important, I think you mentioned that, Sheikh, that we should see ourselves in the Quran. A lot of times we might read the story of Iblis and Adam, alayhi salam, and we might put ourselves in the position of Adam, alayhi salam, because we're the children of Adam. So we might take the lesson that Adam forgot and Adam sinned. And so we kind of understand that, okay, as human beings, we're forgetful, but we need to turn back to Allah. But we should also almost see ourselves in Iblis as well, because sometimes as human beings, we might have certain tendencies, like Iblis, being defined towards Allah,
being arrogant because of how he was created. And so it's like, Allah's putting that there, not for you to be like, how terrible Iblis is, how horrible, I would never be like that. But to actually look at yourself and say, you know what, sometimes I'm like that. I'm like, I'm... You know, from this country or from this nationality or from this ethnicity, and I'm better than someone else. And I think that's, you know, those are some of the ways that we can, you know, feel that the Quran is addressing us when we remember who it's from. And we start to see ourselves, like really that everything in the Quran has purpose, and we start to see ourselves in all of the people and the characters that are described in the Quran. Jazakumullah khairan, Dr. Jina Barak, wa alaikum. Those are excellent examples and very practical as well, may Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la reward you. The example that you gave is really, it's really relevant and it reminded me of two things. One was a statement of a brother in one of the classes or workshops. He was sharing what motivated him to change his life and start praying. He said he struggled as an undergraduate student. And then one day he was listening to a lecture about the story of Adam Alayhi Salaam, and how Iblis refused to prostrate. It was one sajda. He said, and I was really afraid because this whole time I always saw myself as a good person. And there was some pride, you know, covering that. But he said, when I thought about the methodology of Adam Alayhi Salaam, and the methodology of the devil, he said, I realized I wasn't even refusing one prostration. I was refusing an entire Salah for years of my life. And he said, although it's not the same exact thing, he said, it scared me because I wondered, do I have too much pride or arrogance? Am I really a good person as I claim, or is there some evil that I need to take care of and rectify before it gets worse, God forbid? So he actually said that story in that example of just looking at the, I guess, the lens
or the motif of heroes versus villains. And SubhanAllah, last year we did a similar series to this for Ramadan at Al-Maghrib. It was called Prophets and Devils. We did the same thing by taking the stories, you know, of the righteous, the good people, or the prophets, and as well as stories of villains and evil people at times, so that we're looking at the Quran and we're engaging with it, recognizing traits of those whose stories are mentioned, so that when we are experiencing some insight and introspection, that we are sincere and honest with ourselves about where we are. In addition to this, Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala says, wadhkuru ni'matallahi alaykum wama anzala alaykum minalkitabi walhikmati yaAAidhukum bih, translated as, remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the book, the Quran, and wisdom by which He instructs you. In other words, we should be grateful for the Quran. We should really be grateful for the Quran. We would be lost without it. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is so merciful that He didn't just create us aimlessly or without purpose, or did not send us a messenger with a very clear, timeless message until the end of times, a message that is miraculous and accessible to all people, from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all languages, that they can understand that this is from Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. They can see intellectually and emotionally, psychologically, so are we grateful for it? We recite the Quran in proportion to how grateful we are to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for this revelation. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala make us grateful. Allahumma ameen. A follow-up question I have for both of you, barakallahu fi'kuma, is how can we make the Quran's stories relevant to our personal lives, similar to, I guess, the example that Dr. Jinnah and you just gave of reading into Adam, alayhi salam, and how when they were reprimanded, they repented. When Ibris was reprimanded, he blamed Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala instead. So how can we, in a very specific way,
make the Quran's stories relevant to our personal lives? Maybe a brief response, inshallah ta'ala. Dr. Usman, I'll ask you this question, inshallah. Barakallahu fi'kuma. Bismillah. The qasas of the Quran, the stories of the Quran, that's thematically about a third of the Quran, but in terms of ayat, it is substantial. I like to take this from the perspective of every single one of us lives unique lives, and to recognize that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala selected these stories from hundreds of thousands of stories in the history of the universe, and from the thousands of prophets and messengers. He only selected maybe 100 or so, right? And the question you have to ask is why? And in the story of Musa alayhi salam, or Yusuf alayhi salam, Nuh alayhi salam, these major anbiya that Allah and Rasul that Allah has selected, what Allah is telling us is that their stories are timeless, and the lessons are eternal. And this is really big, because I think often we look at the Quran, and we say, well, this is a book of history, and humanity has changed today. And this is actually a false way of looking at the stories of the Quran. Actually, the reality is that the human tendencies will not change over time. So the exact same things that happened to Adam and Iblis, right, from the beginning of time, that happened to Musa and Fir'aun, right, that happened to Nuh and his people, we see it being manifested every single day. And so by definition, right, these stories are timeless and eternal, because our human nature does not change. There will always be people trying to convey the truth and fight for the haqq, right? There'll always be people who are fighting against the truth. There'll always be stories of people who err and then find redemption. There'll always be stories of people who thought they were righteous, and then will be led astray by their arrogance. So in each of us who live this unique lives, my life is different than yours, it's different than Dr. Jinnah's. At every stage of our life, a different story may resonate with us in different ways. So if I'm a sibling, and I feel like my siblings are plotting against me and giving me a hard time, you know, use of story reads very differently to me
than if I'm a father who I have kids, and I'm like, you know, I gotta be careful my kids don't, you know, start to have animosity and rivalry. And so what I find beautiful is to say, and we keep growing, right? Now, Alhamdulillah, you know, I have many children, right? And I'm getting great. I look at the stories differently as a perspective of someone who's, you know, who's trying to be a father figure and trying to be someone who's helping their children grow rather than when I was a young child. So looking at each story and saying, how does this story in my phase of life really speak to me? So that's what I personally try to do. So I say, okay, Musa's story, right, alayhis salam. What did he go through? Like, I love reading Surah Al-Qasas as an example, right? It's really one of my favorite surahs because you see the evolution of his life, and you see how he was like as a young boy, and then his struggles getting married, and then the struggles dealing with stubborn people. And if you're an oppressed minority, and I see this with the African-American community in America, and I love when I learn from them, they found Musa's story spoke to their predicament. And they were really able to see it as being almost a blueprint for their own way out of the struggles that they faced. And so what I try to do personally is do that exact same thing. And I read the story of Luqman alayhis salam, you know, or, you know, whether he's a prophet or not is debated, right? But the idea here is that if I'm a father, am I raising my child this way? And if I'm a son, how am I interpreting my father interacting with me, and do I see this stuff being manifested in my life? And so it's kind of that personal lens that I try to apply, because at the end of the day, what matters is not all the historical gems in this verse and all the, you know, ajaz and the miracles that are in it, but does this resonate with my life? Can I connect the dots? Okay, I see that Musa did A, B, and C in his context. How can I do that in 21st century America? And that's, it takes some effort, but that's why the Quran is enjoyable, because it's not like it's speaking to me like a child who it says, go and do A, B, and C, because that wouldn't make sense if the Quran is gonna be timeless, because our times and our contexts are always changing. So really for me, it's about how does this story
in that context, how can I, through study, help internalize it for myself in my cultural context, in my age that I live in, the gender that I am, right? In my, you know, whether I'm a parent or a child, whether I'm a boss or I'm an employee, right? Whether I'm in a position of power or being oppressed, that's why I personally try to approach these stories to bring them to life, wallahu anhu. Asha'Allah, Jazakumullahu khayran, Dr. Osman. That's a beautiful, beautiful example. The fact that you referenced, of course, Musa, alayhi salam, the most referenced Prophet in the Quran for a number of reasons, right? There are lessons in every phase of his life. I find it, on a lighthearted note, I find it interesting that oftentimes people read into the relevance of these stories when it comes to the dua of the single status of Musa, alayhi salam, when he's making dua, you know, with the two daughters of Shu'ayb. But really, if we are to think about just one example in which our community really excels in this every year, it's Eid al-Adha, right? Where the stories of Prophet Ibrahim, alayhi salam, are shared in detail, and as a son, as a father, as someone who's oppressed by his society, and someone who speaks the truth, as someone who spoke truth to power. There's so many examples in these stories, every one of these stories, and oftentimes the ones that are not addressed as well. Jazakumullahu khayran. It's a beautiful, beautiful example, may Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la accept. As we mentioned before, the Quran is intended for all people, but there might be some individuals who feel like they need it less than others, or like it's for everyone else except for them. So the question that we have here, and I'll direct this question to Dr. Jina, inshallah, how can we nurture a feeling of personal responsibility to connect with the Quran, despite the fact that the message is generally universal? So what is the means of connecting with a personal sense of responsibility?
Because oftentimes our community members may express that they feel like, well, part of it speaks to me, but most of it's for everyone else. What is some practical way to do this, inshallah ta'ala? Jazakumullahu khayran. I think one thing is, it goes back to the point that I made previously about realizing that it's from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, and therefore, yes, it's for everybody, but there's always going to be a personal part that is for you in all of the stories, and in all of the verses as well. And when Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, when certain verses in the Quran, they speak to us and they say, do something, sabbihis wa rabbikal a'la, for example, right? At the end of the day, when Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is saying that in the Quran, it's for everybody but myself, this is actually for you, right? And so we have to interact with the Quran as the Quran is speaking to us personally, and realizing that, yes, it's from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and it is from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, and what is the Quran? And the Quran tells us that it's a guide, that it's a reminder. And so I'm supposed to be, if it's a guide, then what is the Quran guiding me to? And so what are the things that I'm supposed to take from the verses, me personally? And then similarly, the Quran is a reminder. What is, again, what is the Quran reminding me of? And so when we understand what the purpose of the Quran is and who sent the Quran to us, we have to feel that this is actually a personal message to me. And I think one of the ways that we do this as well is to have some kind of regularity with the Quran, a commitment to the Quran, and a commitment not just to kind of recite, but to actually reflect. And one of the things that I personally used to do, this was for Surah Al-Kahf. So we all, inshallah, recite Surah Al-Kahf on Fridays. And I started to find that after a while, I was just reciting it with my tongue, and I wasn't taking the messages. And I was just looking at like,
okay, we recite Surah Al-Kahf, inshallah, this will be a protection from Dajjal, and that's it, without actually trying to internalize any of the messages. And then when I took a step back, I was thinking, no, subhanAllah, there's a reason why Allah chose this particular chapter of the Quran to be recited. He could have chose any other chapter of the Quran, could have been Surah Yusuf, could have been Surah Al-Baqarah but Allah, or the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us that we should read this Surah in particular every Friday. So I was thinking, well, wait a second, then what is the Surah saying that is unique or that is different that I need to be reminded of it every week? And so this kind of, you know, piqued my, I guess, my curiosity, and I was thinking, okay, what are the verses saying? And so in order to ensure that I took this Surah, this chapter very seriously, I started saying, you know, every week I'm going to make sure that I take one thing from Surah Al-Kahf and I have to write it down, I have to write down my reflections. And so when I have to take away something practical, something that's for me. And so I started to do that, and sometimes I, you know, I'd need help with it, so I would go to the tafseer, sometimes I'd listen to a lecture, and then slowly just out of reciting, it became a habit of trying to extract these lessons that are for me, that are for, you know, for my life and for what is happening to me. And like, you know, Dr. Aslan said, and like you said, Sheikh Suleiman, that suddenly you find that the lessons are so pertinent to where you are in your life. And so then you understand, you're like, this is a book for everybody, and this is definitely a book for me personally as well. And you will see that in how you interact with the Quran and how the Quran interacts with you in your life. Jazakumullahu khayran, Dr. Junaid, that's an excellent, excellent insight. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la accept from you. We know that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam told us the Quran is an intercessor and intercedes, and a truthful opponent. Whoever puts it in front of him, it leads him to paradise. Whoever casts it behind him, drags him to the hellfire. And the commentary on this hadith, recorded by Al-Bayhaqi,
is oftentimes about the level of gratitude and responsibility that we have with regards to this revelation. As Dr. Osman, you mentioned earlier, it's not a book of science, it's not a book of history, although it contains a lot of history. And in fact, that history is, yes, a component of ijaz and many other things. It's timeless guidance for all of humanity. And it really is universal, and it's for all people to recognize the reality of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, to recognize the purpose of life. And so every time we interact with it, we are fulfilling the responsibility we do have. And as Muslims, we should emphasize this point, really emphasize this point, that one of the virtues of our ummah, of being followers of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, is being able to follow the final messenger, Alayhi Salaatu Wasallam, peace be upon him, and to have the final message, after which there are no more scriptures or revelations or messages from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la in that sense. And so we do have a level of responsibility to engage with it, to understand it, to recite it, to teach it to others, to take its lessons, to memorize and review as well, to teach those who don't know. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la tells us, wa nunazzeelu mina al-Qur'ani maahu wa shifa'u wa rahmatu lilmu'mineen. We bring down or send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing, shifa' and a mercy for the believers. So every time you engage with it, in terms of fulfilling that amana, that responsibility, you are increasing your prescription of healing and mercy. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la encompass us with his mercy. And a very practical question that comes up here, and one of the most, I think one of the most frequent questions we get when it comes to the Qur'an, and I'll direct this towards you, Dr. Osman, if you will, barakallahu fik. What is your advice for a person who wants to build a personal relationship with the Qur'an? Barakallahu fikum.
I like to use the analogy of exercise that works well for things. You know, if somebody is very physically ill, right, and really just needs some sort of a rehabilitation, right, of their body, right, they might go to a physical therapist, right, they might go to, you know, a coach, right, for weightlifting or something else, because you know that you need some expert to help you kind of regain, like, you know, your physical senses and your physical strength properly. And the Qur'an, you know, it's not a, it's simple enough for the average person to understand, but there's so much depth and complexity in how it's structured. Many people, when they open the Qur'an, one of the most common things that you hear from the novice reader is that it seems very random, right, because you have ayats that talk about a story, and then it jumps to Allah, and then there's some theology, and then it's just, it seems all over the place. And that's to the untrained eye, essentially, right, to the untrained reader who has not built the malakah, right, the expertise in understanding the text. So my advice is that for anyone who deeply wants to, you know, get to that level of saying, I wanna have a personal relationship where I can begin to look at it from a lens that's, you know, it's unique to myself, begin to have a relationship with a mentor who can help coach you through this. And that can be, you know, the sheikh in the masjid, right, it can be some other halakah that you join that's specific to looking at, how do I learn to read the Qur'an? And doing this with sohbah, right, with this good companionship, it also builds that mutual love, and you'll see that everyone has a different lens, right? You know, I'm very blessed to be like in a halakah with a number of brothers now for many years, and you see that every person has a different approach. You know, one brother says, I love to look at, you know, every time the ayah ends, you know, when Allah mentions his names, right, you know, they say, you know, why did Allah mention he's, you know, Hafur Rahim in this verse, right? Why do you say Ali al-Hakim in this verse? And that's really what gets them. And they've learned how to do that because they spent time with someone who showed them that. And you see somebody else and they say, no, no, no, I'm really interested in how the surahs connect.
Now, why does this surah come after this surah? And then some say, well, I wanna understand how, you know, the themes within a surah. So there's so many perspectives that one could take when it comes to how to build that relationship. But what you need at the end of the day is someone who begins to show you, this is how the Quran is structured, this is how it's organized, this is how you can begin to build a personal relationship with it. And then once you kind of have that footing, right, you have the, you know, the skill set to say, you know what, I'm gonna personalize this for myself in some ways. So that's to me the ideal that one could go with. Maybe I'll leave it at that and have people aspire for the ideal. It's indispensable to have a teacher of the Quran. Jazakumullahu khairan. I agree 100% Dr. Usman. I think one of the most effective practical tips, just in terms of years of seeing our own experiences and experiences of those around us, is some kind of mentorship or accountability through a teacher or a program or a course, something that will keep you consistent, inshallah ta'ala, in addition to one's own practice, such as having, you know, a personal mushaf at times. It's, yes, maybe not for everyone, but at times having your own personal mushaf at times, setting a time for it, especially in the morning times. There's a barakah there that you won't find any other time of the day. Another practical tip is to review often in terms of what you're trying to read or memorize. But I really like the emphasis that Dr. Jinnan gave earlier as well. And that's something we did cover in a different episode in detail, but just a reminder, recognizing where it's from. You will want more of a personal relationship with the Quran the more you reflect on the fact that it's from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. There was a brother once who said, I wish I could have seen the splitting of the sea. He's like, man, that mu'ajiza would have just solidified my iman in a way like no other. So SubhanAllah, we think about the physical violation, like the violations of the physical laws of nature, or we think about, you know, the splitting of the moon or the staff turning into a serpent, the splitting of the sea,
the safe fire for Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam. And we say, because of the empirical and materialistic society we're in, I wish I could have seen that because that would have solidified my iman, that miracle. But we're alive now, and we have access, in fact, to the greatest miracle from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, which is the Quran. It is timeless, it is a mu'ajiza. So the fact that we are alive during this time is a blessing and honor. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la allow us to take advantage of it, Allahumma ameen. Dr. Jinnan, I'll ask you, the same question in brief, any practical advice that you might have for someone who wants to build a personal relationship with the Quran? And I know, Dr. Usman and Dr. Jinnan, I know this is a question that, in fact, is the theme of entire topics for two to three hours, but any advice you can share will be inshaAllah beneficial for the listeners. Tariqa Allah Fikm. I mean, definitely I agree with the advice of Dr. Usman about having a mentor. And like you were saying, that, you know, but if someone doesn't have that, because a lot of people, you know, they come to me sometimes or I get messages that I don't have access to anyone, you know, like, okay, there's things that are online now, which is amazing, and people can definitely access more things online. But in terms of, you know, having this personal relationship with the Quran, there's other things that we can do in our day to day that I would say that have helped me. I think one thing, like you were saying, Sheikh Suleiman, one thing is about the regularity. I think like once you tell yourself that, you know, every morning, you know, after Fajr, or, you know, when I, you know, if you sleep after Fajr, and you wake up afterwards, when I wake up afterwards, I'm going to have 20 minutes, half an hour, a juz, whatever it is, that this is my time with the Quran. I mean, that's really important. And you have to be able to say that nothing is going to get in the way of this time with the Quran. And a lot of us, you know, we set time aside for a lot of things that are important to us, some people, it might be exercise, some people might be something at work, for some people, it might be, you know, their own, you know, their own self care time, you know, whatever it is, but you know, we do that for
things that we prioritize. And we say, you know what, I'm not gonna let anything get in the way of X. And so we have to realize that the Quran is a priority, I want a personal relationship with the Quran, because this, this is Allah's words to me, this is like, you know, when I'm feeling lost in my life, and I'm feeling stressed in my life, I, you know, the Quran is there. And so setting that regular times, like you have like a date with the Quran, right, like every morning, like you were saying this Baraka of the morning, I think the other thing is, you know, and also, you know, part of this is just being committed and saying nothing is gonna get in the way this time, I might be late for something else, you know, I woke up late, but no, my time with the Quran is my time with the Quran. I think another thing that is accessible to, you know, everybody, in addition to kind of signing up to, you know, courses that are really high quality that you can do, you know, online, there's also, you know, you can even if you have, you know, a shaykh that you are, that you're comfortable with, that you like their style, you know, there's so many things that are even just, you know, on YouTube, for example, I'm not saying, you know, go to a random view, I mean, you know, somebody who really knows, you know, the Quran, and you feel comfortable, or you find their style accessible to you, then that's something that you can do, like once a week, I'm going to listen to, you know, Shaykh Omar Suleiman, for example, talking about, you know, these verses in the Quran, something that, you know, is almost like it's light, but it helps you to access the Quran in a different way. And one thing that I would recommend, and maybe that's just because like, I write, I like writing, and that helps me is to write reflections, you know, when you read, if you're having a daily with the Quran, write down your favorite ayah from that word of the day, for example, and just reflect on that ayah. And if you do that, like every day, you're going to have your own bank of reflections on a specific ayah of the Quran. If you do that every day, you know, you're going to have 30 reflections in 30 days. And I think that really helps you to feel close to the Quran, to feel close to Allah, and really feel that the
Quran is relevant to you, because you're taking the time to say, okay, I have to find something today that I love, that I feel that I'm connecting to, and it's this ayah, or it's the other ayah. And I think that really helps. Jazakumullahu khair, and Dr. Jidan, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reward you. I agree with everything you were saying, and Dr. Osman as well, those are really, really practical advices. Here's a challenge for anyone who has any social media app that you open more than once a day, especially for those who are opening them. And one time we asked some youth, like, how many times a day are you actually opening this app? And one of them said like 200 times, 100 times, 50 times. Just a challenge inshallah ta'ala is to prioritize opening up your Quran app more than you're opening up your social media apps. One brings you benefit and khair in countless ways in this life and in the next life, and the other may bring you some good, but also could be wasting a lot of your time. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us. I'll end on this note as we wrap up here with a hadith from the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, reported through Jumeirah radiallahu anhu. This hadith is really interesting, it's not oft cited, it's found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmed rahimahullah. The Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam reportedly said, rejoice, in other words glad tidings, be happy. Why? For verily this Quran, one part of it is in the hands of Allah and the other part is in your hands, meaning you have access to it. Therefore hold on to it, for you will never be destroyed, nor will you go astray after it. You have something that brings you a divine link between you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And it is also a response to that question many people ask, which is how do I know where I stand with Allah? How can I show Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that I really love him, or that I love the Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam, or I want to increase that love? In another report found in Sahih al-Jamia is authenticated that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, whoever wants to love Allah and his Messenger, then let him read the Mushaf, meaning read that which the Quran is written upon, read it and engage with it,
reflect on it. There's a brother who's extremely busy and he teaches other people how to manage their time. And he reached down, he said I'm struggling with one thing that I never thought I would struggle with, he said and that's Quran. So he asked me to look at his schedule to see where there might be a gap so he can start adding in the task of connecting with the Quran. And then I told him, you know, with all due respect, I think it's a mind set, and here's the paradigm shift, and I'll end on this note inshallah ta'ala, don't think of your engagement with the Quran as a side task, or as a small task, or as a thing that you'll do once you're finally free, because you'll always be busy and you won't end up really getting to it. Rather, make the Quran a central part of your journey in life, your experience in life, a central part of reinforcing your iman, your worldview, protecting you, guiding you, healing you. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala keep us consistent upon the Quran and forgive us for our shortcomings with regards to it. Allahuma Ameen. Jazakumullahu khayran Dr. Osman and Dr. Jinnah. We can talk for hours about this topic because you've shared so many beneficial pieces of advice. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reward you both. BarakAllahu feekum. To our brothers and our sisters, once again, this Quran convo has come to an end really quickly subhanAllah. But we invite you to get your own habits started, your own conversation started with a friend, with a family member, with a teacher. We encourage you to take some action today or to rekindle your relationship with the Quran. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from all of you and bless you and reward you. We'll see you next time inshaAllah. Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
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