Today, I was very disturbed after reading a verse from the Al Quran. I was searching the Quran to find something on the’ intent’ of the Al Quran. In the process I stumbled upon a verse which has made me very sad.
I do not know the Arabic language to understand what was written in the Al Quran Sharif. Nor did I ever make an attempt to learn Arabic. My time in Singapore is much tight like other Muslims who live here. Mondays to Saturdays I will be very busy going to work to eke out a living. I spent most of my time at work. I only have a splash of the day for my other personal matters- like understanding what is message in the Al Quran.
A language can only be mastered if the person speaks that language from birth. To say the Arabic language is easy to pick up is foolish talk. You have to be practical. But with the Mercy of Allah we have a good amount of translations by different writers in English. But then the grasp of any language is also influenced by how well the language is used on a personal level.
DISTURBING VERSE
The verse that is disturbing is verse 30 chapter 25
Waqala alrrasoolu ya rabbi inna qawmee ittakhathoo hatha alqurana mahjooran
The story is this. The people insinuated the Prophet salalaahu alahi wasalam said about the truthfulness in the message of the Prophet. They said:
‘tales of the ancient’ ‘copied or written’ ‘dictated to him morning and afternoon’.
They did not believe in Prophet Muhammad’s salalaahu alahi wasalam message. The disbelievers looked upon the message as ‘old fashion’. They said that Prophet Muhammad was telling a lie. They were happy with the way of their religion. They were happy with their lives. They also reasoned out Prophet Muhammad’s ability to remember the words by saying that ‘someone’ was dictating the entire read from a written source. This again is the weakness of human behaviour.
You can experience this kind of disagreement in our daily lives. Most disagreement happens when a proposed idea thought to affect personal growth. The next time when someone tells the negative side of another person, do not entertain such statements. There is always an ill intent in our hearts. We have to shy away from this thought for good.
The disbelievers also threw sarcasm against the prophet by questioning on his validity of the message as he himself a human. They said:
"Why does this Messenger (Muhammad salalaahu alahi wasalam) eat food, and walk about in the markets (as we). Why is not an angel sent down to him to be a warner with him?
"Or (why) has not a treasure been granted to him, or why has he not a garden whereof he may eat?"
"You follow none but a man bewitched."
Allah cursed them by saying “they cannot find a (Right) Path”
And whoever denies the truth will taste the blazing fire of hell. Allah says “and for those who deny the Hour, We have prepared a flaming Fire (i.e. Hell)”.
They will be thrown in a most uncomfortable, cramped “hell”. They ’will plead for destruction there and then!” How will you feel if you are placed in an extremely hot crammed place? It is the worst that can happen to anyone!
Allah will call those “allies” of those remorseful souls and ask them,
“Did you misguide My servants here”
Their gods /allies/auliyas answer will be:
“Glory be to You, it was not for us to take besides You any allies; indeed You gave them and their fathers luxury until they forgot the remembrance, and they were a lost people”
The root cause of not complying with Allah decree is summed up in the above verse. It was luxury or comfort that made them forget the hereafter. So it is alright to live a life from pay check to pay check. I am not remorseful at all for this kind of life. As long I do not forget Allah and His beloved messenger.
The worrying part is when our beloved Prophet Muhammad will say:
Waqala alrrasoolu ya rabbi inna qawmee ittakhathoo hatha alqurana mahjooran
And the Messenger (Muhammad salalaahu alahi wasalam) will say in the hereafter:
"O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Qur'an (neither listened to it, nor acted on its laws and teachings)”
And this verse is very disturbing to me. To desert Al Quran is to run away from it due to difficulty in complying with the message. The reason for non-compliance is that we are forgetful of God. If you think it is very uncomfortable to follow the Al Quran now you will be thrown into the narrow uncomfortable blazing crevice in the hereafter. Do you want that to happen to you?
Ya Allah protect me, my family and all muslims from falling into that category of people who desert the Al Quran.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
AL Quran
This is the picture of the Qur'an I have. I bought this Qur'an for $19/- dollars in 1984 in Bras Pasah Road. I was already working then in a government department known formerly as Land Office. My salary was only $430 dollars per month. After giving some portion of this to my mother, I still had a little money with me. Spending $19/- was big money in those days. I was 23 years old then.
Nevertheless, the quest of knowing what the intent of the Qur'an made that expense unnoticeable. When I got hold of this Qur'an I was very joyful as I wanted to understand Qur'an. I found a goldmine- that was how I felt.
Understanding Al Quran in those days was a tedious task. I was not a full time learner of Quran. I had to work for living. My mother sold spices in a stall and my only sister had just joined the teaching job. My father had passed away when I was a year old. Subsequently, my sister got married. However, until today she(two year elder than me) had been a supportive daughter in taking care of my mother, Aminah. May Allah bless her and her family in this life and the hereafter.
Nevertheless, the quest of knowing what the intent of the Qur'an made that expense unnoticeable. When I got hold of this Qur'an I was very joyful as I wanted to understand Qur'an. I found a goldmine- that was how I felt.
Understanding Al Quran in those days was a tedious task. I was not a full time learner of Quran. I had to work for living. My mother sold spices in a stall and my only sister had just joined the teaching job. My father had passed away when I was a year old. Subsequently, my sister got married. However, until today she(two year elder than me) had been a supportive daughter in taking care of my mother, Aminah. May Allah bless her and her family in this life and the hereafter.
Currently I am using online software to learn the Qur'an. It is much easier to cross reference. These are my favorites:
http://www.quran.org.uk/index.php?Page=search
http://corpus.quran.com/
While writing out this post I have just discovered this site in the Google search. Apart from Arabic grammar, syntax, this site shows morphological annotation and semantic ontology of the Arabic language. alhamdulliah
http://www.studyquran.co.uk/
Apart from online resources on Al Quran, I still use the hardcopy for my daily recitation of my favorite sura Surah Waqia- the inevitable event. I have been reciting this surah without fail for the past 25 Years. I will start a page of its benefits in another page.
The late Abdullah Yusof Ali, whose writing known for clarity, translated this copy of the Qur’an that I have bought at the age of 23. You can purchase this copy at the link below. See you next time insha allah.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)