01/03/2021                            

الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله تعالى من شرور أنفسنا، وسيئات أعمالنا، ، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه  ومن تبعه إلى يوم الدين.

This is typically the time for setting New Year resolutions.  The mistake that most people make is to have a resolution related to substantial change of one predominant behavior but then find it difficult to achieve and stop trying.  A better resolution is to focus on making minor changes in your routine. 

Making changes is difficult and thus making small change that is sustainable is far better than trying to make big change that you cannot sustain.  Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) always stressed the importance of consistency; he (PBUH) said:

عن عائشة رضي الله عنها أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إن أحب الأعمال إلى الله ما دام وإن قل») صحيح البخاري (

“The most pleasing deeds to Allah are those that are done continuously, no matter how small.”

As example, instead of committing to read, say, one Juz of the Quran per day, commit to read only one verse with understanding per day. You may consider one verse is too little, but if you do this every day, by the end of the year you would have studied Surat Al-Kahf 110 verses (18), Surat Al-Furqan 77 verses (25), Surat Ysin 83 verses (36), and Surat Al-Waqia 96 verses (56). 

Let me, inshallah in the next 10-12 minutes give you a head start by discussing the first 5 verses from one of these 4 Suarts, it is Surat Yasin, it is number 36 and it has 83 verses. 

The first Verse in Surat Yasin is two Arabic letters (يسٓ), the letter Ya and the letter seen.  There are several surat in the Quran that start with individual Arabic letters and many scholars suggested interpretations for them but all are speculations since the Prophet (PBUH) did not explain any of them.  So, their meanings and relevance remain hidden secret in the Quran that you may be the one whom Allah guide to their meaning.  

يسٓ (١) وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ ٱلۡحَكِيمِ (٢) إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (٣) 

The second verse is an Oath by Allah and this is an Oath by the Quran itself. Allah says: (وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ ٱلۡحَكِيمِ) (By the Quran, full of wisdom).   The Question is do we recognize the wisdom in the Quran. Obviously, one cannot identify the wisdom in the Quran without serious analysis and study of its verses.   This is really important because this oath with the Quran affirms the third verse (إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ) “Truly, you (O Muhammad SAW) are one of the Messengers.”  

Allah is making an oath by the Quran that Mohammad (PBUH) is one of His messengers.   This means that the proof that Mohammad (PBUH) is a messenger of Allah is the Quran. Unless you truly understand the miraculous wisdom of the Quran, you would have no proof that Mohammad (PBUH) is a messenger of Allah.  You will be only accepting him as messenger based on your lucky birth to Muslim parents but not based on conviction.  You will be no different than the followers of any other religions who follows with no physical proof that whoever Messenger they claim following is a real Messenger of Allah.   

When Prophet Musa came to the people and declared that he is Allah’s messenger they asked for a proof.   His proof was changing his staff into a snake, changing the color of his hand and splitting the sea.  These proofs are only relevant to those who saw them.  But when Prophet Musa died his proof died with him and there is no poof now that he was a messenger of Allah or even the Torah is a revelation from Allah.  

The same situation is with Prophet Isa (Jesus) when the people asked him for the proof that he is a messenger of Allah.  His proof was raising the people from death and healing the blind and the leper.  These proofs are only relevant to those who saw them.  When he was raised to heaven, the proof left with him and there is no poof now that he was a messenger of Allah or even the Gospel is a revelation from Allah.

But When the people asked Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) for a proof that he is a messenger of Allah, he said to them that his proof is the Quran itself.  Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) died but the proof of his Messenger-hood remains alive, it is the Quran that we have.    

When you ask any Jew or Christian, how do you prove that Moses or Isa (Jesus) is a messenger of Allah, he will say it is by the belief and the belief is something that cannot be proven by intellectual examination.  But this is what everyone who does not have a proof say, the Hindo says it, the Buddhist says it, and so everyone else who follows a religion.  Only Muslims have physical proof that Mohammad (PBUH) is a messenger of Allah and that the Quran is the revelation of Allah.

يسٓ (١) وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ ٱلۡحَكِيمِ (٢) إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (٣) عَلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬ (٤) تَنزِيلَ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٥)

 The fourth verse describes the nature of the Message that Allah revelaed in the Quran to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) to deliver to mankind. Allah says:

إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (٣) عَلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬ (٤)

Truly, you are one of the Messengers, (3) On the Straight Path. (36: 3-4).

The translation of the term (صِرَٲطٍ۬) as path is not really proper, a better translation would be highway because the term (صِرَٲطٍ۬) means a road that is wide and clear that can be easily seen and travelled on and thus cannot be just any road. Allah adds another description to this wide and clear road that it is also straight (مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬).

So, this means that Islam, the last divine message to mankind is wide, clear and straight.  It is wide because it does not impose any undue constraint on people. A person who perceives that the teaching of Islam is constraining is either not following the pure message of Islam by adding to it constraints that are not part of it, or such a person is morally corrupt.  I am saying morally corrupt, because if a person feels that the prohibitions of injustice, betrayal, lying, stealing and backbiting are constraining, such a person is morally corrupt.   All the constrains that Islam imposes are intended to achieve happiness and security for the whole society.  All the rules in Islam are merciful, wise and beneficial.  

Verse 5 affirms that the Quran was revelaed by Allah and the verse provides two of His glorious names it says:

تَنزِيلَ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٥)

(This is a Revelation) sent down by the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful,

You can spend some time studying the two names of Allah in this verse ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ, to know what are the attributes associated with these names and how you can adopt elements of these attributes in your own character.  In the famous Hadeath that was narrated by Abu Hurriarah and reported in Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (PBUH) said: 

إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسمًا، مائةً إلا واحدًا، من أحصاها دخل الجنة

“Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred minus one, whoever “Ahsaha” them  will enter Paradise.”

 This simple Hadeath represents the cornerstone of belief and the building blocks of the character of a true believer, but in order to understand its significance we need to understand the meaning of the Arabic word “احصى “Ahsaha” that is often translated inaccurately as “count”.  However, the term “احصى is related to the word “Ihsaa” which is a branch of mathematics called “statistics” that involves data analysis and not just counting. 

Ibn Abbas said: The word “Ahsaha” involves two elements, the first is to learn the names from the Quran and the sunnah and the second is to apply them.  

The same idea of this definition is stated by Imam Al-Ghazali who said: “Whoever has no part of the meaning of the names of Allah other than understanding their meanings and believing in them is ill-fated and of lowly rank.  Those who draw near to Allah are those who adopt share of the meaning of His names and have longing and passionate love to possess the attributes in every way possible”.   

So, studying this verse will allow you to identify the gaps in your character that prevents you from being عَزِيزِ رَّحِيمِ. 

Verse 6 moves to inform the Prophet and in turn us that the purpose of the Quran is to warn people whose fathers have not delivered to them this message.  The verse reads:

لِتُنذِرَ قَوۡمً۬ا مَّآ أُنذِرَ ءَابَآؤُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ غَـٰفِلُونَ (٦)

That you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned, so they are heedless.” (36: 1-6).

Note that verse speaks of undefined people (قَوۡمً۬ا) meaning any people who are not aware of this message and not specific ones.  Obviously, when the message is delivered some people will heed the warning and accept it and others will reject it. 

The following verses will be addressing the two groups.  We will address Inshallah next time, but need to end here to allow us to join the presentation by Justice Shazado that will start at 7:00   

Asalamu Alykum WRAWB

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