Return to the Qur an - Dr

Khutbah: Return to the Quran

By Dr. Bilal Philips

Opening

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

(بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

: أَمَّا بَعْدُ

Introduction: The Place of the Quran in Our Lives

Brothers and sisters, today I would like to remind you of a topic which we hear from time to time, but we always need to be reminded of. And that is the place of the Quran in our lives. As it is the speech of Allah.

It is the word of Allah. In a way that no other book can claim it is the word of Allah. And all of the deen based on the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is derived from the Quran.

So the Quran is the spring from which the river flows. The Quran is the base, the foundation from which the structure of Islam is built. Therefore, the Quran should occupy a primary place in our daily lives.

As Muslims, this is a necessity. However, we find that the Quran instead of being that book of guidance which it describes itself as saying:

"This is the book in which there is no doubt, guidance for those who fear Allah."

So on one hand, if we are not extracting guidance from the Quran, it means that we are not of the Muttaqeen. We are not of those who truly fear Allah. Instead, we are of those who practice Islam culturally, ritualistically, traditionally.

Cultural Islam vs. True Islam

We do as our parents did, as our relatives, our neighborhood, our community, the people of our country do. We

do as they do. And that is the extent of our Islam.

Fulfilling the ritual obligations to whatever degree we manage to fulfill it. But that is not the Islam which will save us. Save us from the hellfire.

That is no different from Christianity, Hinduism, or any of the other traditionally practiced religions. Where the followers for the most part don't even understand the teachings. They just do as their parents, their communities did.

There is no difference. Because if that Islam, the ritual Islam, was the one which would save us, then we would have to say that God is not fair. Allah, God, is not fair.

Because who chose the families that we were born in? Did we choose? We were born in Muslim families, Muslim communities, but we could have been born in Christian, Hindu, Confucianist communities. So if this is not our choice, and Allah just put us in the Muslim family, and the Muslim ritual is sufficient to carry us to paradise, then we say, it's not fair. It's not fair.

That the Hindu would be born in the Hindu family and go to hell. And the Christian, and the Taoist, or any other of the existing religions, if they follow the ritual, as we follow our ritual, where is the fairness here? But Allah has clearly said:

"And your Lord will not be unfair to anyone." Allah is just.

So, this means that we have to reconsider this Islam that we are practicing. This ritual, no different in concept from the ritual of the Christians and the Hindus and the others. Where do we start to fix it? To make it right? To make a difference between true Islam and cultural Islam?

The Starting Point: The Book of Allah

The starting point, as the Prophet ﷺ used to say, in his speeches, he would begin it, after praising Allah, etc., saying:

إِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ

"The most truthful form of speech is the Book of Allah." He would always begin with that. Reminder.

So this is where we need to begin. We need to get back to the Quran and to understand it and to bring it into our lives to play a primary role in our day-to-day lives that currently is missing. And Allah in the Quran speaking about the time of the Prophet ﷺ and of times to come.

He stated in Surah Al-Furqan, that's the 25th chapter verse 30:

"And the Messenger said, 'O my Lord, indeed my people have boycotted this Quran."

Indeed my people have boycotted this Quran. In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the Quraysh sought to boycott the Quran.

They made a pact amongst themselves that no one would listen to it. And they warned all the other tribes and the people who came to Mecca to beware of the Quran. They boycotted the Quran.

But in our times, that boycotting amongst Muslims has become most dominant. In cultural Islam, the Quran is boycotted.

Five Ways We Boycott the Quran

Ibn al-Qayyim, a scholar from the 13th century, had identified five ways by which the Quran is boycotted.

First Way: Neglecting to Ponder Over It

The first, which we introduced in the very beginning, is neglecting to ponder over it or to comprehend it. Neglecting to reflect on its meanings. Seeking to draw understanding from it.

But only dealing with it from a ritual perspective. Where we put the verses on our walls. This is the sign of the Muslim home today.

That we have some verses of the Quran on the wall. Ayatul Kursi, Surah Yasin, and so on and so forth. Some of these verses or surahs, the Prophet spoke about.

Among them will be the three quls, for example. The Prophet told us to recite the three quls before we go to bed at night. It's a protector.

Also Ayatul Kursi. The Prophet told us that. But, what we have done is we have had it written in the most beautiful calligraphic styles.

In some cases it's so beautiful and beautified that if we didn't know what it was, we couldn't read it. It's not readable. It became an art.

Calligraphy amongst Muslims became the alternative art form. Because we weren't allowed to make pictures of people and living things, etc. Which other nations used for their artistic expression.

We focused on calligraphy. And other areas, it's not only calligraphy. But calligraphy became, we became known for it.

The calligraphic styles. Beautiful. And there is no harm if we are beautifying our homes with calligraphy.

There's no real harm. But when it comes to Quran, it becomes a harm. Because we are using the Quran to beautify the physical location.

Not to beautify our thoughts. To give us deeper understanding of the Quran. And increase our practice of Islam.

But simply to please our eyes. And for sure, this was not the purpose of the Quran. I'm sure we all understand that.

This is misusing the Quran. So we have to ask ourselves, when we go back home today, and we look at these calligraphic artistic works on our walls, for beautifying our walls. Is it better that we have them on our walls? Or that we have those same verses in plain Arabic and then translated into our languages.

The Importance of Understanding

Because so many of us today, as we are here, don't understand Arabic. So, if the goal of the Quran is understanding, reading the Quran, the goal is for understanding, then we need to have it in a language which we can understand. We should strive to learn Arabic.

I'm not saying forget Arabic and just only deal with our own languages. No. Arabic is the language of the Quran.

It's the language of Muslims. Some ignorant people say, when they look at Muslims, focus on Arabic, it's an Arab religion. It's for Arabs.

But no. This is not true. The vast majority of Muslims are not Arabs.

Arabs maybe are only 20% of the total population of Muslims in the world. So it's not an Arab religion. It's not true.

It might seem like that, here, in an Arabic country, where Jummah is normally in Arabic, and you don't understand Arabic. So, if you go to any of the other masjids, you go there and sleep. Until the Iqama comes for you to make Salah, then you get up and you join the prayer.

So, to somebody observing from the outside, they may say, it's an Arab religion. It's not for non-Arabs. But, that's not the truth.

The truth of the matter is that the Quran, the final revelation of Allah to humankind, was in Arabic. It was a language which Allah chose. Based on the fact that the final messenger was being raised up from among Arabs.

People say, why not English? Well, because that final messenger was from Arabia. So, for him to deliver a Quran in English, the very people who he was raised amongst, he couldn't convey the message. So, it made sense that the final revelation should be in Arabic.

Arabic: The Unifying Language

And, Arabic is the unifying language of Muslims. So, salamu alaykum. We all know it.

That is our greeting, wherever we are, whatever language. Jesus used to greet his followers, shalom aleichem. But, today, Christians greet with hi, hello, everything, but, peace be unto you.

And if they say it in English, then the people who don't speak English, don't understand. Whereas, salamu alaykum is known everywhere. And if we were in Peking, and we were walking down the street, looking for a masjid, and masjids in China don't look like masjids in our countries.

We mainly maintain an Arabic, Turkish, Indian style in our building of masjids, so you can recognize them, the minaret, etc. But in China, they didn't. It's Chinese style.

It looks like the other buildings. So, you could walk right past the masjid and have no idea. Now, how else can you hear? How else can you know? The adhan.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. But now, if you say that in Chinese, you'll just walk by. You would not have understood.

You couldn't find the masjid. And if you did manage to stumble into the masjid, and you want to join the people in prayer, and the imam, instead of saying Allahu Akbar, he said something else in Chinese. You'd be waiting to see what is everybody else doing.

You wouldn't know. So, the Arabic unifies the ummah. The vast majority of whom are not Arabs.

Striving to Understand Arabic

But, the understanding of that Arabic Quran, this should be the goal of everyone of us. To understand the Quran. If we don't have Arabic, then we have to go with translation.

But we should still strive to understand the Arabic. There are lessons available here at the center, teaching Arabic, towards understanding the Quran. We should take some time out of our lives, dedicated to understanding the Quran in Arabic.

And if we have that understanding, then the Quran takes on a different meaning. Every prayer of the loud prayers, prayers which are read aloud, Fajr, Maghrib and Isha, every time we pray in the masjid, and the imam recites verses from different surahs, we will understand. We will understand directly from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala what He's saying.

And surely, that will make our prayers more meaningful. Isn't it? Our prayers will become more meaningful.

Because we understand what Allah is saying to us.

And that message is to each and every one of us. So, learning Arabic is something that each and every one of us, especially of us here in this country, where Arabic classes are available, back home in our own countries, maybe it's much more difficult to find classes to learn Arabic. Much more difficult.

But here, Allah has made it easy for us. For us to neglect these opportunities. Here, we're here for Jumu'ah.

But this center is here for teaching Islam. There are Arabic classes going on daily, during the week. We should avail ourselves of it.

If we're really serious about understanding the Quran. Otherwise, as we said, in that beautiful picture we have on the wall, we have Arabic, which we can clearly read. And then the meaning in our local languages that we can reflect on.

So it can stand as a reminder. Now, I'm not telling you to go out and put this on your wall. Because it's not from the sunnah.

But, if you put it on your wall, it's not against the sunnah. Okay? So I'm just saying that if you're going to put it on your wall, then put it in a form that you can benefit from it. Put it in a form that it will have some meaning in your life.

Something to reflect on. A reminder.

The Misuse of Barakah

And also, we should not use it for barakah. Many of us, when we put it on the wall in that calligraphic form, one, it was for beautification. And the other one, other reason, it was for what? For barakah. Because we believe that when we put it on our wall, it makes our home Islamic.

And Allah's barakah will come down on this home. This is what's behind it. The issue of barakah.

But is this what the Prophet ﷺ told us? How to gain barakah? How to gain the blessings of Allah? By sticking Quran on your walls?

Definitely not. The only barakah that will come from it would be the barakah from understanding what we have written as I described before. There is where the barakah or blessing will come.

We see the verse, it's a reminder to us, it's in our language, we have understood it, there is the barakah. But otherwise, as we use it for barakah, this is not pleasing to Allah.

Similarly, as I have traveled around the Muslim world, everywhere I would go, there is a conference or a lecture, an event, Islamic.

Always they will bring somebody to recite some verses from the Quran. Why? Barakah. It wasn't the practice of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Whenever he and the Sahaba would give presentations that they had Quranic recitation before and then they went and did it.

No. It's not from the Sunnah. It's become the Sunnah of the Muslim nations today.

Muslim communities all around the world. It's become like a Sunnah because I cannot recall any place that I went to. From Guyana, South America to Mindanao, Philippines.

I don't remember any place that we didn't begin any lecture or event without that. So it's become the Sunnah. Becomes a Sunnah.

Our Sunnah for barakah. So what I would tell, what I used to tell the various communities when I went, I said at least, first let me tell you this is not from the Sunnah. But, if you're so much in the habit of it and you feel you have to do it, people will think there's something wrong if you didn't do it.

Look at them. You know. Fingers will be pointed out. They begin their events without Quran. So it becomes a big thing. Could be harmful.

So you may be forced to do it. Just to not create a bad impression of yourself. Your movement, your effort, your organization, etc.

Making Quran Relevant

So I say to them at least, after reading those verses and that, that the verses should be relevant to the occasion. The verses should be relevant to the occasion. Not just random verses.

I gave a lecture in Nigeria about a month and a half ago. And they brought some young girls who had memorized large portions of the Quran to recite some Quran before the event. The event was on education and the importance of Islamizing education, etc.

And the little girls came and the Quran they told them to memorize, to recite, was from Surah Maryam. Talking about Maryam when she became pregnant and the pains of the neighbor caused her to wish that she hadn't been born and cling on to a palm tree.

After the recitation, when I had to address the people, I said to them, What is the relationship between Maryam's pregnancy and having a child to Islamizing education? No connection.

At all. So, at least, if we're going to have this recitation, we should choose verses that are relevant to the event. Some people might say, What does it matter if we just give the meaning? Well, because what has happened to us is that the Quran has become a ritual, disconnected from our lives.

What we seek to do today is to bring the Quran back into our lives. To understand it in a meaningful way that it would change our lives. So, the way to that, the way forward in terms of our usage is that it should be relevant.

Those verses should be relevant to the occasion. That is a way of teaching people indirectly. The Quran is relevant.

Because there is nothing that we can speak about in which we cannot find some verses of the Quran relevant to. May not be direct relevance. Maybe indirect, because maybe we're talking about atomic physics.

Maybe we don't find a direct reference. But, the context in which we're talking about, we can find relevance. Because the Quran is for all times, for all places, and for all people.

Reflecting on the Quran

So, we should strive to make it relevant. As Allah told us:

"Will they not reflect on the Quran? Or are there locks upon their hearts?"

That was Allah's reminder. Will they not reflect on the Quran? Or are there hearts closed up? Locked up.

Kufr is a lock. And truly today, our hearts have become locked. That is the reality of the Muslim world today.

Our hearts have been locked up from the Quran. So, we need to open up our hearts. The way is through understanding the Quran, reading it, and reflecting on its meanings.

Whether it is in Ramadan or outside of Ramadan, our goal is to understand the words of Allah. Better we read a little, and understand a lot, than to read a lot and understand little. That's, I think, obvious mathematics.

We try to read and understand as much as we can. And that's how the Sahaba learned the Quran from Rasulullah ﷺ. They said, we used to learn the Quran 10 verses at a time. And we would not go on to another 10, until we understood what were in the first 10.

We understood it, and we tried to apply it. We were learning knowledge and application at the same time together. That's how they learned the Quran.

Allah gave them the success that He gave them. We are here as a result of their efforts. Inshallah, we can get back to understanding the Quran as they did, and be able to affect and benefit the generations to come.

The Remaining Four Ways of Boycotting

As I mentioned, Ibn Al-Qayyim had mentioned 5 principles. There is not enough time for me to go into all of them. But I will just briefly run over the other 4 points that Ibn Al-Qayyim had mentioned.

Second Way: Not Judging By It

One is judging by it. Judging by the Quran. When we don't judge by the Quran, we have boycotted the Quran.

So in the various situations that we find ourselves today, whether it is the boycott going on now, this boycott should be according to the Quran. Does the Quran justify, support such a boycott? No. Then it shouldn't be.

That is the way that we are supposed to deal with our affairs. We have differences amongst us, as Allah said:

"If you differ in anything, then take it back to Allah and His Messenger."

Taking it back to Allah means not that we sit and make dua. Well, we can make dua, it's good too. But that we take it back to the Quran. We use the Quran to judge in our affairs, the right and the wrong.

Third Way: Ceasing to Act on Its Message

And the third point mentioned by Ibn Al-Qayyim was that we boycott the Quran by ceasing to act on its message. As Allah said in Surah Ghafir:

"And your Lord said, 'Call on Me and I will answer you.'"

Today, so much of the Muslim world calls on other than Allah.

Whether they be Imams or Saints or whatever, Angels. We have people, Muslims in different parts of the world calling on other than Allah. We're not acting according to the message of the Quran.

And we make excuses that no, we're making dua, but the Prophet said:

"Dua is worship."

Yes. If you call on a Saint to help you, you are worshipping that Saint.

Fourth Way: Refusing to Listen to It

The fourth point was by refusing to listen to it. As the Quraysh didn't listen in the past.

Today, we don't listen in other ways. We will have Quran playing in the house. We'll have it playing in our cars.

We have it playing in many different places. But the Quran has become background music. Just like the non- Muslims, they will have their favorite singers, whatever.

They'll have that stuff playing in the background all the time, everywhere you go. Well, we have it playing in the background also. And we're not listening to it.

It's just background ambience. And this is boycotting the Quran. You might say, it's not a good thing in your car to have Quran playing instead of music? Yeah, it is.

But it's still not what it should be. Because before when you used to listen to music, that's how you used to use it. Now you're using Quran in the same way.

That may be a step up. It's better than the music. But it's still not where it should be.

Better you have that Quran, Arabic, with translation in your language again. So that it takes on more benefit, more meaning.

Fifth Way: Not Availing Ourselves of Its Curative Powers

And the fifth point is that we don't avail ourselves of its curative powers.

Allah describes the Quran in Surah Fussilat, verse 44:

"Say, it is for those who believe, the Quran for those who believe, guidance and a cure."

Guidance and a cure. And there are a number of verses.

"And We reveal from the Quran what is a cure and mercy for the believers."

So this cure, this idea of the Quran being a cure, is found in a number of different places in the Quran. However, when we look at all the verses, we see a clarification as to what was intended.

When Allah said:

"And a cure for what is in the hearts."

It is a spiritual cure. It's not like the drugs that we get from a drug store.

You go to the pharmacy, you have a sickness, the pharmacist gives you a certain medicine, you take it, you drink it, and you get cured.

Now we do have Muslims doing similar things. You have a sickness, you come to the Shaykh, or the Maulvi, or the Maulana, and he writes in saffron, on a dish, some verses from the Quran, he pours water on it, gives it to you, drink it.

And we drink it. We have to say, where did this come from? Is that what the Quran is speaking about? And we have water, you can go now to Muslim stores, where they will sell zamzam, and they'll also sell water, that Shaykh so and so blew on.

The Shaykh has bottles in front of him, he undoes all the bottles, he recites some Quran, he blows, then he closes it back up, and these bottles are, you know, his name is put on it, blown on by Shaykh so and so.

And we go to stores and we buy it. Depending how big the Shaykh is, you know, it's more costly, right? This is something we can laugh at, but we have Muslims believing in this very sincerely. They have misunderstood the cure of the Quran.

The cure of the Quran is a spiritual cure. It's not a drug store. It's not a pharmacist or pharmacy.

Conclusion: A Call to Reconnect

So, the main point of the khutba today was a reminder to reconnect with the Quran. Let us get back to the Quran. Bring the Quran into our lives in a meaningful way.

That we read a little bit and strive to understand a lot. That we make it the guidance that Allah said it was:

"Guidance for those who fear Allah."

Closing Dua

I ask Allah to bring the Quran back into our lives.

To forgive us for our negligence and our ignorance of the past. And to keep us firmly on the path to understanding the Quran and to living our lives in accordance with it.

We ask Allah to give us the guidance to spread this understanding to our children and our families.

And to be a beginning point, like a ripple in water reaching far beyond our families to the rest of the ummah.

Because each and every one of us, if we do something good, pleasing to Allah, it will have a domino effect.

So I ask Allah to keep us firmly attached to the Quran. To keep our hearts in love with the Quran. To keep our minds guided by the Quran. And to keep our actions in accordance with the Quran.

أَقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ

والسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ