Importance Of The Qur'an

Assalamu Aleykum wa Rehmatullah. Bismillah al-Rahman Al-Rahim. La Hawla wala Quwat Illa Billahil Ali al-Azeem. Al Hamdo Lillahi Rabb al-Aalameen Wa Salallaho Ala Sayyedina Muhammad. Wa ala Aalehi al-Tayyabeen al-Taahireen La Sayima Baqiyatullah Fil Arazeen Ajal Allah Ta'ala Farajah al-Shareef wa Ja'alana min Awanehi wa Ansareh.

I should express my deep gratitude to Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala for this Tawfeeq to be here. I cannot thank Allah enough for being able to meet you here. I don't think you really can understand what is the significance of a meeting in which people come together just for the sake of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala. There is nothing other than love for Allah and Ahlulbayt that has brought us together. We are not here to make any business or we are not here to necessarily meet our relatives or even people from our own town or country. We are just here because we love Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala and Ahlulbayt and we want to spend our time together increasing our knowledge of them and inshaAllah realize how can we be a better Muslim.

So, when people for this purpose come together, no one can really know what is the value of this type of meeting. InshaAllah, tomorrow we will talk about this issue of being together and the significance of forming a community. What I decided to share with you, today, is a few points about the Quran, because, for us, the Quran is a gift from Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, which has no substitute. Nothing can be likened to the Quran. And if we really appreciate what Allah has given us in the form of Quran, we will not lose any opportunity in trying to know more of Quran and, inshaAllah, practicing more according to the Quran. If you want to have a kind of understanding of the Quran, the best thing is to refer to the Quran itself, which is the world of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala and to the hadith. I share with you a few points from the Quran and hadith and, inshaAllah, I hope there will be a chance for receiving your comments and questions.

Allah Subhana Wa Ta'ala has throughout the centuries sent many books for guidance, we don't know exactly how many books are sent because the Quran and Hadith are not giving us a specific number. There are some hadith but that is not something that is agreed on. But for sure, there have been many books which are sent by Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala: Quran, Taurah, Injeel, Zabur, the book of Ibrahim alihi salam. These are the things which are mentioned in the Quran. But we know that there have been more books and Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala in a very general way, says that "laqad ba'athnaa fee kulli ummatin Rasoolan", "He has sent to all the nations a messenger"(16:36). Either that messenger was given a book by himself or he was preaching the book which was given to a previous messenger.

But Allah has not left any group of people without guidance. Yes, some people they didn't appreciate the book which was sent to them, so their next generations were deprived of having the original message of God. But in Allah's plan, everything was planning the way that all people could have access to a message from Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala. But we are so blessed and so fortunate that Allah has sent to us His most complete message. Allah has sent us the Quran, which is something that Allah says, if you really could understand and if you really could absorb it, you all would be fully humbled before this message.

Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala says, Prophet Musa (a), under pressure from his people asks Allah, please show Yourself to us because his people were saying we want to see God. One of the things that we understand about Bani Israel is that they were very much interested in seeing things and touching things. They were very much interested in perception. They were somehow materialist. So, for example, as soon as they crossed the Nile River and they saw there are some people who worship idols, they said it's very good- they can see and touch their God. So they asked Musa, we should also have a God that we can touch "yaa Moosaj'al lanaa ilaahan kamaa lahum aalihah".[7:138] They have plenty of lords and gods we should have at least one God that we can touch, we can go close and maybe shake hands. This was the mentality.

Another thing was that they said to Musa, we should see our Lord. So ask your lord to show Himself to us. We want to see him by our physical eyes. So, Musa under the pressure and also to get answer right from Allah for them, conveyed the message to Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala that Allah show Yourself to us clearly so that they can see You. What did Allah say to Musa? Allah says to Musa: inna kalla tarani ya Musa, You will never see me. Although you are my prophet and you can hear me, but you can never see me, let alone other people. "wa lakin wa laakininzur ilal jabali" (7:143) Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala has this habit that He doesn't just give the answer and then says don't ask me anything further. Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala gives the answer and continues the explanation till you are convinced. And this is something that we have to learn. Like when Allah had this discussion with the Angels and they said, "ataj'alu feehaa mai yufsidu feehaa wa yasfikud dimaaa'a" (2:30), Allah didn't say, shut up, or, I know something about Adam that you don't know, full stop, no. Allah went further and tried to convince them. So He told Adam all the names and then said to the angels inform Me about those names and they said, we don't know. So on and so forth.

In this case, also Allah did the same. When Allah said to Musa, you cannot see Me, then Allah wanted to explain, why this is impossible. So He said, "uninzur ilal jabali fa inistaqarra makaanahoo fasawfa taraanee" But look at this mount, which is here, this hill, if that can remain intact, then you are able to see Me.(7:143) So, Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala said this is to try to see is it possible or not. "falammaa tajallaa Rabbuhoo liljabali ja'alahoo dakkanw wa kharra Moosaa sa'iqaa" When Allah made a manifestation to that mount, that mount was made into pieces and Musa fell down.(7:143) Musa the prophet of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala after Allah manifested Himself to the mount, fell down.

And the mount, such a huge creation of Allah, exploded and was made into pieces, so they got the answer. If they want to see Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, it means that Allah has to manifest Himself to them and they cannot take it. It's impossible for them to take it. Or Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala says that,"Innaa 'aradnal amaanata 'alas samaawaati walardi wal jibaali fa abaina ai yahmil nahaa wa ashfaqna minhaa" (33:72) "We have presented the trust to the mountains, to the earth, to skies. They simply cannot take it." We don't have capacity for this. If you have no capacity for something and you take it, you will explode. First, you will be streched, but then you're stretched too much. You will explode. They said we cannot take it. Amanah, they said we cannot take it. The message from God, they cannot take it. But when it comes to the Prophet Muhammad, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, Allah gave him such a great capacity that he could take the entire Quran at once in his heart. There is a hadith why Allah chose Prophet Muhammad, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and the hadiths says because he had the greatest heart in [terms of] capacity.

So, the Quran, which Allah says "Law anzalnaa haazal quraana 'alaa jabilil", (59:21) - if We had sent the Quran, like Musa We had made it manifest, "'alaa jabilil lara aytahoo khaashi'am muta saddi'am min khashiyatil laah" (59:21) was given to the Prophet without any problem. If this Quran was given to a mountain, that mountain could not take it. But the Prophet's heart was so great that he took it. Of course, you know, the Prophet struggled. Sometimes when the Prophet was receiving revelation, the Prophet was in a very difficult mood. People thought that he is going to die. It's like, if you connect electricity to someone, you know how powerful it is? It was very difficult for the Prophet.

Even sometimes hadith says that if Prophet was riding, for example, a camel or mule, the stomach of the camel was coming down. Even the body of the Prophet was becoming heavier, although this is not a physical thing, but it has impact on the physical world. But still, the Prophet managed to receive the Quran once all together in the night of Qadr and then gradually over 23 years. This shows the greatness of the Prophet and also shows the greatness of Quran, because Quran is a manifestation of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala that even mountains cannot take it.

Allah has made this Quran, which is His manifestation in a linguistic form available for us. Quran has come so many times down and simplified so that now we have it in our hand in the form of the 114 chapters. But the reality of the Quran is beyond our understanding. Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala says, please listen to this verse very carefully, "Innaa ja'alnaahu Quraanan 'Arabiyyal la'allakum ta'qiloon" (43:3) - We made it a thing which can be recited, can be read - Quran is something that you can read, something that you can recite; Quran is makru. In Arabic language or Arabic may mean clear because Arabic can be a language or Arabic can mean clear. Arabs call Arabic, Arabic because they think that it is clear and other people who spoke other languages, they are Ajam because they are not speaking in a clear way, OK. They also called non-living beings Ajmawaat. In any case, either it means clear or it means Arabic.

This is a Quran which has been made into a text which is clear 'la'allakum ta'qiloon' so that you may understand. OK? But "Wa innahoo feee Ummil Kitaabi Ladainaa la'aliyyun hakeem"(43:4). But this is not the reality of the Quran. This is just a representation of the Quran in the way that you can understand. We have too much simplified this so that you can understand. Otherwise, 'Wa innahoo feee Ummil Kitaabi' (43:4) Quran is in the mother of the book. Quran is in Lauh e Mehfooz. Ladeyna, with Us. Quran has not left Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala and come to us. This is something that you should remember from this meeting. If you remember this point, it's enough for me.

Quran is not a book which has been sent by Allah to us so it is no longer with Him. It is still with Allah and sent to us. You understand the difference? Sometimes I give you a book or something and I say, no, please keep this then you always remember me. But when I give you this its no longer with me, it's with you. OK? The Quran is not like this. Allah has given us the Quran, but still, it is with Him "Wa innahoo feee Ummil Kitaabi Ladainaa la'aliyyun hakeem"(43:4) Quran is in a very high position. Allah is Ali ul-Hakim also Quran is Ali ul-Hakim. Quran has a very high position and Quran is full of wisdom. If you want to understand the relation between Allah and Quran, this inshaAllah, will help you.

Sometimes a person writes a book. You may have this book tens of years after he writes the book. Maybe you have it when he is alive. Maybe you have it when he's dead. Maybe even that person has changed his mind. But still, the book represents his knowledge at the time of writing the book. OK? It doesn't show anything about what he thinks now, what is his condition now. When the book is written, the collection finishes. The book doesn't represent his way of thinking after it is written. OK, I write the book then there is no longer a connection between me and the book. It's is finished. I cannot change it. Or sometimes, I give you a picture. This picture is taken right now. OK, but if you look at this picture after a year, does the picture show you me after a year or does the picture show you my current situation? It shows you my current situation. Maybe when you see my picture, my face is changed. All my hair and beard is white, or maybe I have died. The picture shows my situation when the picture was taken. OK?

What about the Quran? Is the Quran a book that Allah has given us and then is disconnected? Is it a picture, a manifestation of Allah, which is disconnected? No. Quran is like a live picture. Quran is like a picture that you see in a mirror. If you see someone's picture in the mirror, then every little change is reflected in the picture. It's always connected. Quran is something that Allah has given us and it is alive. Its fresh. Quran is never outdated. Why? Because Quran is not disconnected from Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala. If you have a flower and you cut the flower - sooner or later the flower will die. It dries out. But if that flower is still connected to the roots, it will remain fresh. Quran remains always fresh. Why? Because Allah has still held the Quran. All of you know this famous hadith, that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, 'Inni Tarikum Fikum uth-thaqalain'. Or Thaqalain, there are two ways to read this. I leave, among you, two precious things or two heavy things, two precious things. One is the book of Allah, one is my household. The book of Allah, according to some version of hadith is, 'Hablun Mandoodun Bain us-Sam'a e wal Ardh', a rope which is extended between sky and the earth.

Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, who is in heaven, He has extended a rope to us. One side of the rope is in His hand. One side is available for us to hold it. 'Wa'tasimoo bi Hablil laahi jamee'an' (3:103). It's like sometimes you want to rescue from a helicopter. You send a rope, but you hold one side of it. If you send the rope altogether, there is no point for the person to hold it, its not going to do anything. Quran is not thrown. Quran is extended to us. Quran is with Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala and part of it, some aspect of it, is also available to us. If we hold the Quran then we are connected to Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala. Whenever you miss Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, hold the Quran. If you hold the Quran and you have this understanding, you feel you are connected to Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala because this is the book which is connected to Allah 'innahoo feee Ummil Kitaabi Ladainaa la'aliyyun hakeem'(43:4) & 'Innahoo la quraanun kareem Fee kitaabim maknoon'(56:77-78). This Quran is in a hidden book.

'Laa yamassuhooo illal mutahharoon'(56:79). Without wudhu, you touched this Quran. But the reality of Quran cannot be touched without purity. It is only those who are Mutahhar who have access to that reality of the Quran and who are Mutahhirun? ' innamaa yureedul laahu liyuzhiba 'ankumur rijsa Ahlal Bayti wa yutahhirakum tatheeraa' (33:33). Who else can have access? Those who follow them. Allah says to the Prophet, 'Khuz min amwaalihim sadaqtan tutahhiruhum wa tuzakkeehim bihaa' (9:103). Why we should pay Zakaat? Some people say we should pay zakat because there are poor people, [because there] are projects that we need for the common good. No, this is the very marginal issue. Zakaat is not because we have poor people. That is something on the side. Zakat is so that me and you can purify ourselves and have access to the Qur'an. 'Khuz min amwaalihim sadaqtan tutahhiruhum wa tuzakkeehim bihaa' (9:103). When you take Zakaat from them, they will be purified. Nothing like giving money can purify you. You can experience. If you do anything like praying, fasting, ziyar'at and hajj and you don't give money, you will not be completely purified. Why? Because Hub ul-Duniya, Raasu Kul e Khatiy'a - Hubb ul Duniya is the greatest germ, the greatest virus. If we want to purify ourselves, we have to get rid of Hubb ul-Duniya. Without giving money, you cannot get rid of this. Therefore, Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, says 'Lan tanaalul birr, hattaa tunfiqoo mimmaa tuhibboon'(3:92) - 'You cannot achieve goodness, you cannot achieve piety unless you give what you love' , not you give extra. There is stuff that you never use, you give them to poor people. No! 'hattaa tunfiqoo mimmaa tuhibboon'(3:92). Therefore, when we give something, who is the main beneficiary? The one who gives or the one who receives? The one who gives.

In aakhiruz Zamaan when Imam Mahdi, ajalallah ta'ala faraj al sharif, comes, [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa aale Muhammad] people go around to find a place that they can give Sadaqah or charity, because all people will be well off. But they know that they must give something. So they look for an opportunity to give money so that they can be purified.

In any case, if we want to have access to the Quran, which is with Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, which is in Lauh e Mehfuz, if we want to go beyond the surface, if we want to touch on the light of the Quran, we have to purify ourselves and we have to be with those who are purified. Allah says so beautifully, 'itt taqul laaha wa koonoo ma'as saadiqeen' , you have to have purity, but make sure that also you are with the truthful people.(9:119) Don't say I am Mo'min, I don't need to be with them. No, this is something that you cannot do individually. You have to purify yourselves and you have to join those who are purified, those who are truthful, those who are sincere.

There is a beautiful hadith in Usul al-Kafi. On the day of judgment, when all are assembled, mo'mineen see that there is a very beautiful person, someone in the form of a human being, they have never seen something like that in their life, they have never seen anything so beautiful, is coming. They think that he is coming to join them and stand in their circle. When it comes near, they realize that this is Quran. Quran manifests as a human being, which is the most beautiful human being. But hadith says in Al-Kafi, that Quran passes by them. Then martyrs, who are ahead of normal Mo'mineen, they see this beautiful face is coming and they think, OK, he's coming to stay with us but Quran passes by them. Then Anbiya, they see that Quran is coming. They think, Quran is going to join them, but they see Quran is passing by. And the hadith says Quran goes and stands on the right side of Arsh of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala. Arsh of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala is something which is where Allah is showing His authority. 'Ar-Rahmaanu 'alal 'Arshis tawaa'(20:5). Of course, that's physical thing. But to give us some idea. So Quran goes and stands on the right side of the Arsh of Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala and then Allah says, "wa 'izzati wa jalali wertifa'i makaani" - By My glory and dignity and the high position that I have, Allah swears by these things, "laukrammanna man akramak" - whoever has honoured you in Duniya, I am going to honour him. Whoever has shown respect to you, I'm going to respect him. "Wala ugheenanna man aghamak" -whoever has abandoned you, has disgraced you, has humiliated you, I'm going to do the same with him.

How can we honour the Quran? Is it an honour that we kiss the Quran and put it on the shelf? If we are ill, and a doctor has given us some medicine. To honour the doctor and to appreciate the medicine, what should we do? I say I'm very much respectful, I kiss the medicine and put it on the shelf. Every day I look at it three times. When someone is dying, I show him his medicine. If I, for example, have a Majilis, I read what is written on the box - or you have to take the medicine, you have to absorb the medicine.

In a sense, it is a kind of insult to Quran that we kiss the Quran, but we never practice the Quran. It is like an Aalim. Imagine a great Aalim comes to your town, everyone kisses his hands but no one listens to him. They do the prayer in the way they like. They marry in the way they like, they do business in the way they like but everyone kisses his hand and give him good food or whatever. This is insult to Aalim. The Aalim says, I have not come here so that you kiss my hand. I have come here to guide you. Allah has sent this great manifestation of Himself that Imam Ali, alayhi assalam, says in Nahjul Balagah, that Allah has manifested in Quran and without people seeing Him, He has done Tajalli, manifestations of Quran. This book is given to us, but we don't learn it. We don't understand it. We don't practice it.

(31:45)
The Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa ali, said, [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa aale Muhammad] 'Khiyaarokum man ta'llamal Quran wa "allamahu" (55:4)' - The best of you is the one who learns Quran and teaches the Quran. And I think in a sense, this is because we are following Allah and the Prophet , because Allah is the first teacher of the Quran and the Prophet is the first learner. 'Ar-Rahman (55:1) 'allama al-Quran' (55:2). Allah is the teacher of the Quran. The one who teaches Quran is following Allah, Subhana Wa Ta'ala, and the first student was the Prophet. The honour that a person who teaches Quran to his children or her children or his students or in the community is so high that no one can understand.

There is another hadith which says," 'adado daraja jannah bi'adad ayal quran'- 'the number of the ranks in heaven is equal to the verses of the Quran'. When people go to heaven, they will be said, Iqra wa Arqa, read Quran and go higher. Of course, this is not something that comes just by memorizing by mind. You have to absorb the Quran. If you absorb one point from the Quran, you will have one rank. If you absorb everything from the Quran, you go to the highest levels of heaven. Iqra wa Arqa. So what I request from brothers and sisters here, is that please pay more attention to the Quran.

Please make the Quran a book of life, a book that we start our day and we end our day with the intention of acting according to the Quran. A book that you take as your friend, a book that you know it is from Allah and with Allah, not just from Him - from Him and with Him. Any resource, any time that you need to spend on teaching the Quran to the next generation would not be more than enough, would not be something that 'Oh its too much. Why we should have spent so much on teaching the Quran? Why I should spent so much time on taking my children to Quran classes?'

No, whatever we do, we have not done enough. Otherwise, on the Day of Judgment, this Quran will complain. The Prophet will complain. "inna qawmit takhazoo haazal Qur'aana mahjooraa" [25:30]. The only time Quran will not be Mahjur is when Quran is acted upon otherwise - Mahjur, even if you kiss it.

May Allah make your community a community that inshaAllah sets up examples for other communities in acting according to the Quran. May inshaAllah, this community be a community that puts the Quran in its right position, in its due position. A book for action, a book for life, a book for the youths and elders of the community, inshaAllah. And that is the way that inshaAllah, we can expect to be with Ahlulbayt (a). As well, Ahlulbayt (a) want from us to be with the Quran and they show us how to be with the Quran. Thank you very much for your attention. 

"Wa akhiru ad-da'wana 'an al-hamdu li-Llahi Rabb al-'Alamin" (10:10).  [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa aale Muhammad]