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You can understand the true Haqq of the Kitab of Allah, Jalla Jalaluhu. The truth is that it should be understood, acted upon, and lived by—not merely read, no matter how beautiful the Qira’at of the Qari is; not merely memorized, no matter how strong the Hifz of the Hafidh is; nor enough to write it in beautiful calligraphy. Even if you do not understand what you are looking at, these beautifully illuminated volumes provide an artistic delight just to see. This is not the Alhamdulillah. All of these things—reading for aesthetics, memorization for recitation, writing for art—are nothing wrong with them individually. They are all things Allah granted us regarding *how* to approach this Kitab. But this is not the Maqsad (purpose). These are not why Allah sent the Kitab.
If you think about the Sahaba, there is not one of them who memorized the Quran in order to lead Taraweeh. Do you know any Sahabi who said, “I am memorizing the Quran so that I can lead Taraweeh”? No. So if somebody is memorizing the Quran and he is reading Talabi, Alhamdulillah, nothing wrong with this. But I must ask: Is that the Maqsad?
Allah told us what the true purpose is. Allah says, “You are mentioned in it.” So the Ulama and Salaf went into the Kitab and asked, “Let me search for myself. Where am I?” Obviously, you and I are not mentioned by name. But Allah mentioned people with certain *awsaf* (qualities), and He mentioned what will happen to people possessing those qualities. The beauty of the Quran is that nothing is left incomplete; everything is complete. Allah did not just mention names. He mentioned qualities and described the outcomes for people with those qualities.
Therefore, my submission to you and my reminder to myself is: When we read the Quran al-Kareem, let us read it with this awareness and say, “Where am I mentioned in this Kitab of Allah?” And InshaAllah al-Musta’aan, we ask Allah to make this Haqq for us. If we find ourselves among the people with beautiful qualities, leading to a beautiful ending, Alhamdulillah, then we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for *istiqaamat* (steadfastness) until our last breath, so He takes us in that stage where He is pleased with us. On the contrary, if we find that we are in some other place—not such a nice place to be—where our qualities, behavior, or beliefs seem reflected among people about whom Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala did not mention a good ending, then also Alhamdulillah for being warned. You do not want to discover your state when you meet Allah; you want to discover it now. So if there is something to be changed, I can still change it. The greatest Ni’mat of Allah is this life—the fact that we are still breathing. Because as long as we are still breathing, the door of Tawbah and Istighfar is open. But when the curtain is lifted and we see the Malaika, it is shut.
So now let us see what Allah mentioned. Allah mentioned the believers (*Momineen*) and their qualities. He described them so beautifully and completely that with these Ayats, I can look at myself. You can look at yourself and say, “Am I a Momineen?” And InshaAllah, the answer is yes. Then, what quality of Iman do I have? What kind of Momineen am I?
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said:
> إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا ۗ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ (27) [Al-Hajj]
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said, “Verily and truly, the believers, the *Momineen*, are those who are extremely *Wajil*.” Allah mentioned five qualities: three internal and two external. The first quality is that they are those whose hearts shiver with awe and majesty when the Dhikr of Allah comes before them, or when they see the signs of Allah in the world around them. Their hearts tremble (*Wajilat Qulubuhum*). It’s not a dead heart; it’s not just there pumping blood. It’s a heart which is alive. Allah introduced Himself. When you read Ayatul Kursi, does anything happen to your heart? Do you reflect on yourself and say, “I am reciting this”? Is anything happening to my heart at all? Many of us, Mashallah, are merely *Asatiza*. We teach children in Madaris and Darut Tahfiz. When the child is reciting before you, do you stop him and ask, “What is happening to your heart right now?” Or are we focused entirely on whether his Tajweed is correct, his Makharij are correct, if he is pronouncing it correctly? Nothing wrong with any of that—that should be done. There is no virtue in reciting the Quran wrongly. But the Maqsad must be achieved.
The child is reciting. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentioned what should happen:
> لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَىٰ جَبَلٍ لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (2) [Al-Hajj]
“The mountain will submit; the mountain will disintegrate from fear of Allah.” Now the child is reciting. He recited. Then he says, “Huwa Allahu…” or “Khaliq,” or “Bahri,” or “Mutakabbir,” or “Jabbar,” or “Kahar.” What happened to the heart? Why don’t you say, “Why don’t we say this?” Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is saying this is the sign that you are Muslim. That when I am mentioned before you, something happens to your heart. May Allah have mercy on us. The mountain will disintegrate. But we have mountains inside here. Nothing happens.
And when the Ayat of Allah are recited before them, their Iman increases (*Zaadatum Imana*). When they see the signs of Allah in the morning, you wake up and look in the mirror—you are seeing a sign of Allah, your own self. Does my Iman increase? Or is my heart still filled with all kinds of anxieties and *pareshani*? Worried about this, worried about that: “What will happen? Donald Trump is the president. What will happen?”
> إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (30) [Al-Baqarah]
So if the Iman is increasing, Imam Shafi Rahmatullah Alayhi Sayyid, also Imam Ibn Taymiyyah Rahmatullah Alayhi Sayyid, said the sign that you have Iman is that there is no fear of anyone other than Allah. The sign that you have Iman is that in your heart there is no fear of anyone or anything. No human, no animal, no condition, no *halat*, nothing except Allah in your heart. This is a sign that you are a Muslim. And that’s exactly what this Ayat of Surah Al-Anfal is saying. Allah is saying this thing:
> وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخْتَلِفُوا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ۖ وَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ صَفْوَةٌ (25) [Al-Hajj – Note: Context implies general description of believers vs hypocrites]
Actually, referring back to the concept of increase: *Zaadatum Imana*. Then what is the reward? My understanding may Allah bless my shiukhu explain this to me: Tawakkul is an Inaam from Allah for having Taqwa. InshaAllah if there is a chance we’ll talk later, but only the Muttaqi can be Muttawakil. You cannot have no Taqwa and be Muttawakil. Tawakkul is min Allahi ta’ala. Allah gives this Sukoon. When you say “I have total faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala,” what does it mean by total faith? It means Allah gives complete Sukoon. The whole world can be in Taqwa Ilayh, Alhamdulillah. My Rabb is in control. Somebody asked me yesterday, “What does the future look like?” I said, “I don’t care.” Why should I worry about the future? The future is in the hands of our Rahman and Rahim. How will it be? Imam Ibn al-Khayyim said, “If you knew what Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala saved you from, you would fall in Sujood for every Dua that you did not get. You would fall in Sajda and Shukur for everything that Allah did not give you if you realized what Allah was saving you from.” This is Tawakkul.
And then two signs outside—external:
> وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ (3) [Al-Hajj]
Establish the Sala. Not read Sala. Not make Sala. Not do Sala. Not just like my boy South Africa making Sala finish. No. *Aqeemus Sala*. Perform the prayer. Is it some action? Are you an actor? You are performing? Among the performing arts is also Sala? What’s the meaning of performing Sala? We are not performing Sala; we are establishing Sala. Subhanallah, there is no time for Sala. There is nothing which is more important. I have to go for Sala. What about this meeting? What about…? I have to go before Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Whoever else is there is bigger than Allah? Establishing Sala. But if you are only reading Sala, making Sala, or performing Sala, Sala is okay. We do the performance after half an hour. What does it matter? It’s a performance anyway. We need to change our language. When you say “Iqamatis Sala,” now you become, “Oh, I am supposed to establish Sala.” Subhanallah, there is no time for Sala. There is nothing which is more important. I have to go for Sala.
What about spending from what Allah provided?
> وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ (4) [Al-Hajj]
A very dear friend of mine passed away. May Allah Ta’ala grant him Jannah and Firdous. He used to tell me: *Jeb Musulman Hona Chahiye*. The pocket has to become Muslim. The world is in need. Alhamdulillah. Allah has given us so much. The Hadith of Mr. Salman says: If you wake up in the morning healthy, right? And you have a roof over your head, so you are in safety. There is no bomb falling on you or anything. You have a roof over your head. And you have food enough for that day. How much food? For that day. Then it is as if the entire world has been collected for you. Alhamdulillah. We have food; just open the fridge. In America where I live, there is a fridge in the kitchen, and then there is a freezer in the basement. And there are many households where at the end of one year they simply take out all the stuff out of the freezer in the basement and throw it into the garbage because the expiry date has gone up. This and that. So good food to eat. Just throw it into the garbage. This is how much Allah has given us. I am not talking about whether good or bad—you decide. But the point is: Allah has given us all of this. How much of that do we spend in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala?
Now people who do all of this possess these *Awsaf*. May Allah make us among them, InshaAllah. Allah said:
> أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا (4) [Al-Hajj]
“These are the people who are the true believers.” Who is giving this *Mu’minuna Haqqa* certificate? Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala Jalla Shanur, Alimun Bidhaati Sudur. He knows what’s in the heart. And then as I said, the Bayan of the Quran is Mukammal—complete.
> لَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ (5) [Al-Hajj]
People with these qualities get a specific ending. They get the certificate. They are the best. And Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says for them: *Darajaatun Inda Rabbihim* (Stations of honor with Allah), *Maghfiratun* (Forgiveness), and *Rizqun Kareem* (Honorable Provision). One meaning of Rizqun Kareem is Jannah; the other meaning is that in this Dunya itself, Allah will make your Rizq full of honor and easy. You don’t have to work from morning till night exhausting yourself. We ask Allah to make us among these people, InshaAllah.
We’ve got two minutes left. Okay, so very quickly. Because we have to talk about both sides of the story. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentioned some other kind of people:
> وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ (14) [Al-Baqarah]
“They say they believe in Allah and the Last Day, but they are not believers.” Why? Because they try to fool Allah (*Yukhadiboon Allah*). But those who truly believe do not lie. They do not fool anyone except themselves (*Wa ma yaqdaoon illa anfusahum*), and they do not even realize it (*Wa ma yash’uroon*). And there is another group:
> وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مُّرَدَّةٌ ۖ فَأَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَدَّةً ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (16) [Al-Baqarah]
“From among the people is one who says in his heart ‘I am a believer,’ but he is a hypocrite.” Allah did not say they deny; He said they *say* they believe. Allah did not say they are Kuffar or Mushrikin. He said they say they believe. But the One Who Knows (*Aaleemoon*) knows better. What does He say? “They are not believers.” Why are they saying this? They are trying to fool Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. But they don’t fool anyone else. They only fool themselves. And they are so stupid that they don’t even realize what they are doing. They have no awareness of their own deception.
And then what does Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala say? Does Allah say, “No, I will cure them”? No. Allah said He will increase their condition because of the disease in their hearts (*Fi Quloobihim Marada*). The disease is Nifaq—something on the tongue and something else in the heart. And Allah said, “I will increase this.” And He will give them a special punishment:
> فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ (16) [Al-Baqarah]
Because these people are liars. Liars. We ask Allah to save us from this. I remember myself and you. To close the loop: The Quran al-Kareem came for us to reflect on. Do they reflect on the Quran? Or is it that their hearts are sealed? Do they have *Khufal* on their hearts? Do they have locks on their hearts? We ask Allah to not put locks on our hearts. And if there are locks, to remove them. So let us reflect on the Quran al-Kareem. Let us think about this. Let us look at our own lives and try to live our lives as Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala commanded us to live them according to the blessed Sunnah of Muhammadur Rasool Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Ala Alihi Wa Salam.
Rabbana, Faqfir Lana Dhunubana, Wa Kaffir Lana Sayyatina, Wa Tawaffana Ma’al Abrahama. Rabbana, Aamana Faqfir Lana Dhunubana, Wa Kaffir Lana Sayyatina, Wa Tawaffana Ma’al Abrahama. Rabbana, Zalabna Anfusana, Wa Illam Taqfir Lana Wa Tarhamna…
> لَّا تُلْقِ إِلَّا مَعَ الْبَرِيَّةِ (Note: Context implies asking for mercy)
Assalamo Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.