Connecting with Allah through the Quran

Connecting with Allah through the Quran

Khutbah by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan

Opening Praise and Salutation

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ خَالِقِ الْوُجُودِ مِنَ الْعَدَمِ وَجَاعِلِ النُّورِ مِنَ الظُّلَامِ وَمُخْرِجِ الصَّبْرِ مِنَ الْأَلَمِ وَمُلْقِي التَّوْبَةِ عَلَى النَّدَمِ، فَنَشْكُرُهُ عَلَى الْمَصَائِبِ كَمَا نَشْكُرُهُ عَلَى النِّعَمِ، وَنُصَلِّي عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْأَكْرَمِ ذِي الشَّرَفِ الْأَسْمَى وَالنُّورِ الْأَتَمِّ وَالْكِتَابِ الْمُحْكَمِ وَكَمَالِ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالْخَاتَمِ سَيِّدِ وَلَدِ آدَمَ الَّذِي بُشِّرَ بِهِ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَدَعَا لِبِعْثَتِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حِينَ كَانَ يَرْفَعُ الْقَوَاعِدَ بَيْتَ اللَّهِ الْمُحَرَّمِ، فَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى أَتْبَاعِهِ خَيْرِ الْأُمَمِ الَّذِينَ بَارَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِمْ كَافَّةَ النَّاسِ الْعَرَبُ مِنْهُمْ وَالْعَجَمَ

فَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَلِيٌّ مِنَ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَنَعُوذُ بِهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا، فَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا كَثِيرًا

Introduction to the Core Message

ثُمَّ أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَإِنَّ شَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

يَقُولُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى فِي كِتَابِهِ الْكَرِيمِ بَعْدَ أَنْ نَقُولَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ:

"O Allah, make us among those who believe and do righteous deeds and advise one another to truth and advise one another to patience. Amen, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, make us of them."

"Those are the ones from whom We will accept the best of what they did and overlook their misdeeds, [and they will be] among the companions of Paradise. [That is] the promise of truth which they had been promised."

Context of Surah Al-Ahqaf

This surah belongs to a group of surahs called the Hawamim. They all begin with Hawamim, seven of them. The predominant subject of these surahs is basically a debate and a very direct confrontation with people who did not believe in Allah or did shirk with Allah or did not believe in an afterlife or did not believe in Risalah.

One of the three fundamentals of our faith - either something to do with a violation and something to do with believing in Allah, or a violation and something to do with the Iman in the afterlife like (إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا - in hiya illa)

مَوْتَتْنَا الْأُولَى that occurs in surah Dukhan for instance, or (إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا - in hiya illa hayatuna-dunya namutu wa nahya) - so these kinds of arguments that this is the only life there is, there is no afterlife.

The Central Teaching: Honor to Parents

These surahs are about da'wa and really a methodology of conveying the message of Islam, but in the middle of all of them are ayat about Allah teaching us the rights of parents, which seems to be a departure from the overall subject of these surahs, but even in that there is a huge lesson.

Allah says:

"And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents..."

The word insan is applicable here because it's about all of us - all human beings. Allah says human beings have been gifted in the beginning:

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا

The Unique Nature of Human Parent-Child Relationships

There are some very powerful realities that deserve reflection. All creatures in this world and many animals obviously are born of parents - this idea of parents giving birth to children is across many species. Birds give birth to their offspring, cows and horses do it. But we're different from them.

In all these other species, yes there is the mother and it takes care of its young for a little while and then it becomes independent and they live independent lives. But we were created different and Allah instilled in us something that is not put in any other creation - it's something unique to us. This is part of our fitrah.

Some argue based on these ayahs وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ that this tawsiyah, this wasiyah that comes from Allah isn't just through wahi. Some argue that this tawsiyah was something put inside of them, something naturally occurring. Revelation only came to reinforce it.

The Excellence Expected with Muslim Parents

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا

Just a little bit about the word ihsan here. Other places in the Quran حُسْنًا is mentioned, or Allah says وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حُسْنًا . But here ihsan is used. There's a difference between them - ihsan is the most powerful of these terms.

It's used particularly in these surahs as you will see that actually very particular kinds of parents are being talked about - not just all parents. Actually this passage highlights Muslim parents, believing parents. All human beings should be good to their parents, but above and beyond that, if your parents are Muslim, you should be extra good to them.

Goodness to parents is universal, but excellence to parents at the highest levels is expected from those who have been blessed with Muslim parents - whose parents said لا إله إلا الله, whose parents gave adhan in your ear when you were born, the parents who raised you teaching you how to read Quran, how to make salah, how to make wudu. Those parents deserve special attention.

The Mother's Sacrifice

"His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship..."

Immediately Allah switches to the favors of the mother and not the father. The reason for that is the favors of the father are easy to remember - the father's major contribution in our life actually happens later on in our life. The major contribution of our mother, which continues throughout life, the biggest part of it is in the beginning - the part we can't remember.

Nobody remembers when they were inside their mother, nobody remembers when she was feeding them, nobody remembers when she was changing their diaper. We remember when our dad handed us the keys to the car, when the dad gave you twenty dollars. So Allah reminds us of the part we forget.

حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا - and it was painful, it was something she didn't want, it was a pain she didn't desire, it was discomfort. Nothing tasted good anymore, she was constantly in a stomachache and then a backache.

There's a difference between کَرْح and گرح in Arabic كرح is actually من الداخل and كرح is من الخارج . When something is forced on top of someone, that's گزح, but if it's from within - a pain, a difficulty, a discomfort from within - that's گرح

The Journey from Youth to Maturity

"...and the period of his gestation and weaning is thirty months."

Then Allah says:

حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشْدَّهُ - until the time this child has now reached maturity, became a teenager, became a young man. This is the age of youth. بلوغ الأشدّ in Arabic is used for when you just leave childhood and have entered manhood.

At that age, you feel like your whole life is ahead of you. You look at people that are 20 years old and say man, those guys are old. The definition of what is old changes over time.

Allah says it goes by in a flash. That's why the atif here is very beautiful: وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً - and you reach 40 years. What? You just got - you're just a teenager a phrase ago. Not even ثُمَّ بَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً - no, it's not like a long time passed. In the blink of an eye you look back - man, I was just in high school, what happened?

The Dua of the Mature Believer

This person reaches the age of 40 - meaning the age of maturity, the age at which he's in charge. By the way, 40 is also an expression in Arabic for being at the peak of your manhood - meaning you're in charge of your family, you're in charge of your financial affairs, you're the one taking care of your parents now instead of your parents taking care of you.

Here Allah says this person turns to Allah:

"My Lord, enable me..."

Such a beautiful dua! أَوْزِعْنِي in Arabic - they say وَزْعٌ in Arabic is to stop yourself from something you desire. One of the meanings of it is أَمْسِكْنِي أَوْقِفْنِي - make me stop, make me stop on what?

Ya Allah, I want you to put something in my heart and I want you to put such a love of it in me that once I have it I don't want anything else, I just stop at that. That's the meaning of أَوْزِعْنِي - Ya Allah, make me content entirely that I stop at this.

أَوْزِعْنِي also means ألْهِمْنِي - the ulama argue أَوْلِعْنِي وَفِّقْنِي . It means give me, inspire me, inspire me, put a love of something. أَوْلِعْنِي actually means to instill a love of something, put a love of something in me, empower me قوني - give me the strength to do something.

All of these are captured inside this beautiful word أَوْزِعْنِي

Gratitude for Allah's Favors

أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ - that I can thank your favor

This is actually a nuance of the Arabic language because الشكر in the Arabic language comes with harf jar. It's implied, but here you know like for example وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ there is a lam, but here أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ - immediately, directly grateful for your favor.

Don't make me think of your favors eventually, I realize it was a blessing and eventually I'll get around to thanking you - make me someone who has a sense of urgency to want to thank you for your favor.

نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ - the favor you favored me with. And he hasn't even named that favor, which has many benefits. One of which is of course the ultimate favor - Ya Allah, you gave me, in the context of the ayah, you gave me believing parents. What a huge favor you gave me! You gave me this Islam because of my parents.

They became a means for me to be able to say لا إله إلا الله. How many people didn't get that! Like the Prophet described: (فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوْدَانِهِ وَيُنَصِّرَانِهِ وَيُمَجِّسَانِهِ - fa abawahu yuhawwidanihi wa yunassiranihi wa yumajjisanihi)

(Bukhari hadith 1385)

- it's their parents who did that, but my parents gave me Islam.

The Connection Between Gratitude and Patience

When you really understand this ayah, every time I look at my father, every time I look at my mother, it makes me say this dua: (رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ - rabbi awzi'ni an ashkura ni'matakallati an'amta 'alayya)

It's especially important for the younger guys in the audience - when your dad is yelling at you, make this dua: Ya Allah, thank you for my father, thank you for the gift that is my father, don't let me forget that.

It's important to note that in the Quran, at points where you should have patience, at the times in the Quran where you would expect Allah will talk about patience, He instead talks about gratitude. There's a very nuanced thing in the Quran. Why? Because if you're grateful, patience becomes easy. If you have a sabr problem, it actually probably means you have a shukr problem.

Gratitude for Parents' Faith

وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ - and the favor you gave to my parents

Now there seems to be something common between the favor Allah gave me and the favor Allah gave my parents. What is that common favor? It's لا إله إلا الله that's محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم - it's the gift of these words that we can communicate with Allah, the gift of prayer, the gift of Islam that you gave to me and you gave to my parents and you made them a means by which I could have it.

The gift that our parents have given us is really لا إله إلا الله and that's a priceless gift. There's no more valuable gift than that. We are forever grateful.

There are people who become Muslim because of da'wa - Allah puts barakah in somebody's da'wa and they become Muslim and they took shahada on somebody's hand. They are forever grateful to that person. Well, who are those people for many of us whose parents are Muslim? It's our parents! They gave us Islam, we're Muslim through them, we owe them our Islam.

Righteous Deeds that Please Allah

"...and that I may do righteous good that will please You..."

Ya Allah, empower me, inspire me, give me a sense of urgency, make me satisfied with doing good things that make you happy. I don't care what people think, I don't care what people think - so long as you're happy, I'm happy. Ya Allah, make me happy to do things that make you happy.

This is أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ - people choosing a path, choosing a career, making a business decision that makes Allah happy. My family is against it, my friends are against it, the economy is going in a different direction, but I know you're gonna be happy with this. Ya Allah, put it in my heart that that decision makes me happy and I never think "what if."

أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا - it's like continuation of أَوْزِعْنِي - Ya Allah, stop me at that, you shouldn't put "what if" in me.

ترضاه is a very powerful statement.

Prayer for Righteous Offspring

"...and rectify for me my offspring..."

Subhanallah, now he says: Ya Allah, make my - I'll try to translate as literally as I can - Ya Allah, make my matters good, make things right for me through my children, make my account good through my children. He's not even asking for his children actually. أَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي - he's asking for himself.

A real Muslim parent understands that you and I are trying to raise good children not for them but for ourselves. This is actually our real investment in the akhirah. If I can be happy trying to please Allah, Ya Allah, make sure my account - even if I do well but I did a lousy job