Qur'anic Reflections

The inspiration-Al-Asr.

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarkatuhu!

Firstly, JazakAllah Khair giving this idea of mine, a chance. I will truly try to get this book up to your expectations In sha'Allah :)

The inspiration for this, like all good things comes from the beautiful verses of the heavenly book, the Qur'an. SubhanAllah understanding the Qur'an opens our eyes to things that we had long forgotten.

So I attend this Islamic gathering of sisters at my friends' place every tuesday and something that her mother explained to us really struck home. It made me feel ashamed for forgetting the basics that were taught to me when I was little.

And what did this sister tell me that inspired such a change? Why, our very own beloved Surah: Al-Asr. We all love this Surah. We've loved it for its simplicity. We've loved it for being so easy to memorize. There was nothing as peaceful as knowing that I'd by-hearted a surah back when I was a kid and Surah Asr was one of the many Surahs that left me ecstatic for the ease with which the words flew out of my tongue which hadn't known Arabic as a language of conversation.

But reading and understanding are two different things and the latter is very important for us to accomplish if we want to live a life by the rules of Islam.

Surah Al-Asr and its translation:

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem.

1. Wal' asr : By time.

2. Innal insaana lafee khusr : Indeed, mankind is in loss.

3. Il lal lazeena aamanu wa 'amilus saali haati wa tawa saw bil haqqi wa tawa saw bis sabr:

Except those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

SubhanAllah! The entire guidance is laid down for us to see. How a surah so short can convey such a profound meaning is a testimony to the precision with which Allah(SWT) has built the Qur'an and its concepts.

So important is this Surah that no two sahabahs would depart without reading it out to the other.

If we just open our minds and let the truth flow in, what has Allah tried to convey to us through this gem? A sort a chain, perhaps. A chain with links that make it. The links that lead us to a life of happiness and ultimate success.

Allah(SWT) says, " By time" which signifies the fact that time is like a river that flows through the valleys of men. It doesn't wait for anyone or favours anyone. It just passes its course, witnessing all the follies and glories of mankind. So by "by time" Allah (SWT) means that time is a witness and it is fixed for a person.

The life of a human being is like a slab of ice. It melts little by little each day until its no more. It's up to us to use the short time written down for us in a manner that will help us attain Jannah!

The time refers to the past, present and the future. Throughout times, land has seen both good and bad people. We see many people complaining that these times that we live in are ruinous. That the society is too narrow-minded or too gaudy or whatever. But we have to realise that a society is only as detrimental as its people. Its us who make the society, us who have the power to build it and us who have the power to destroy it.

So there came my first inspiration: To be the change I want to see. To make full use of my life before it passes away right before my eyes.

Allah(SWT) says, " Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except those who have believed, and did righteous deeds, and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."

The four most important things we need to follow to be out of loss:

SubhanAllah! In business, if a person bears a loss, its utmost unbearable to him. Then imagine when Allah (SWT) speaks of loss, how titanic of a loss will we walk into?

1. Belief in Allah, in His status as our Lord. In all his signs and messengers, books and angels.

2. Righteous deeds that would please our Creator.

3. Advising each other to truth.

4. Advising each other to patience.

Alhumdulillah the first step in being a Muslim is to have an Emaan and faith that God is one and all of us call each other Muslim on the basis of the same.

When it comes to doing righteous deeds, Muslims are always mindful of Allah and try their best to get their register filled up with those extra rewards, alhumdulillah!

The last two things, however aren't followed as fervently by us. We tend to forget the part that we play in the modelling of the person sitting next to us.

So there came another inspiration : To follow what Allah means us to and help others along the path as well!

Prophet (SAW) had instructed his sahabas to spread knowledge and to convey his teachings to other people even if it were the tiniest bit.

So l will try to convey to you guys whatever Islamic knowledge I gain from my tuesday classes In sha'Allah! You guys have to help me too and make us known what little bits and pieces of information you learn everyday. That's how this circle works!

The part about advising each other to patience:

You must've heard many a times that " Innallaha ma'as saabireen," meaning," Indeed, Allah is with the patient!"

Seems easy, doesn't it? However, remaining patient doesn't only mean bracing yourself through hard times.

Patience in this sense has three components:

1. Patience with regard to obedience.

Binding to Islam as a way of life.

Today, the world has proclaimed a code of conduct for appearing "acceptable", "cool" or "advanced." A little immodesty here, a little arrogance there and superficiality through out. Haram is everywhere, on the TV, in the markets, on our roads, everywhere. The principles of Islam that bind us together, away from anything that displeases Allah are the tests of patience that we're put to.

2. Patience with regard to disobedience.

Steering clear from the Satan's whispers and protecting oneself from bad deeds.

3. Patience at the time of affliction.

This is the third and said to be superior to the first two. This is something we need to be mindful of. We never know which suffering is a test.

When faced with a bad situation, make it a habit to recite the following dua," Alhumdulillahi 'ala kulli haal" meaning " Praise be to Allah in all circumstances."

Once you recite it with a pure heart, patience will come. The first moments after a tragedy are the trickiest. We tend to wail and cry and ask Allah why seemingly only us are afflicted with a certain problem. The first moments are the ones that demand a clear-headed demeanour.

Once we recite the dua, we're mindful of the million other things that Allah has bestowed on us. Who knows, this tragedy could just be a blessing in disguise. They say that for every day you're sick, Allah wipes some of your sins.

Fever or cough don't seem so formidable now, do they?!

Better to face tests and punishments in this world than the next!

Alhumdulillah, that's the summary of what drove me to take up this initiative. But my job's only half done. Its YOU who will complete it! Comment below what you find most striking about this surah!

I also confess that I'm no one to preach you. I am just the average Muslimah who sins just as much as everyone else does, maybe more (Astagfirullah). I have only tried to come up with a reminder for us to share and care for each other as an Ummah!