✨Quran and the Heart

Life illuminated by the Quran is a blessing known by those who have tasted it. A favor that blesses and purifies life. The Quran brings joy to the hearts and guides them. And what a great blessing that the King of the kings, the Master, the Sovereign, the Almighty, the Great, the Self Sufficient, the Supreme, the Lord of the worlds directly addresses meager humans through the Quran. Allāh Almighty said:
Al Ankaboot (29) 51: And is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] which is recited to them? Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe.

Indeed the Quran is a mercy, reminder and blessing. Allāh Almighty said:
Yunus (10) 58: Say, “In the bounty of Allāh and in His mercy – in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.”

The interpreters of the Quran said that the bounty of Allāh is Islam and that His Mercy is the Quran. Say, “In the bounty of Allāh and in His mercy – in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.”

And through the Quran, souls are filled with joy that overflows to the faces and extends to homes and communities. Allāh praised Himself for this bounty before being praised by those who praise Him. Allāh Almighty said:
Al Kahf (18) 1: [All] praise is [due] to Allāh, who has sent down upon His Servant [Muḥammad (ﷺ)] the Book and has not made therein any deviance.

And this Great Book is a blueprint for life and moves the hearts. And just as water revives the land, this Noble Book revives the hearts. Allāh Almighty said:
Al Hadid 16-17: (16) Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allāh and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient. (17) Know that Allāh gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand.

And how many barren lands, with no vegetation, no plants, no grass and no pasture, does Allāh Almighty revive with water? Then it is stirred to life, and it swells and puts forth every lovely kind of growth. Then with this water the land is revived from its barrenness, drought, and dryness. And likewise is the case with people’s hearts. For the hearts’ need for the revelation of Allāh Almighty and the knowledge with which the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ came is exactly like the barren land that needs the rain to be revived. And just as the earth is not revived except with water, hearts are not revived except by the revelation of Allāh.

And since the revelation is to the hearts what the rain is to the land, what is the situation of people with this revelation? And what is there share from it? And to what extent do they benefit from it? To know the answer, look with a contemplating eye upon the land when rain descends upon it. The one reflecting upon the land after rainfall, finds varying impact of the rain. And if there is variance in how land is impacted by the rain, there is also variance in how people are impacted by revelation.

And to increase understanding of this great concept, let us reflect upon a ḥadīth that was narrated by Abu Musa Al Ashari, may Allāh be pleased with him, who said that the Prophet ﷺ said:
The similitude of guidance and knowledge that Allāh has sent me with is like heavy rain that fell on a land. Some spots had good soil; they absorbed the water and brought forth much greenery and vegetation. Other spots were solid; they held the water. Allāh thus made them useful to people: they drank, watered, and planted. Some of the rain, however, fell on parts that retained no water and produced no greenery. Such is the likeness of the one who understood the religion of Allāh and benefited from what Allāh has sent me with; he learned and taught others. It is also the likeness of the one who did not raise his head to it (does not turn to it and benefit) and thus did not accept Allāh’s guidance with which I was sent.” [Bukhari 79, Muslim 2282]

What a great example. And how much we are in need to reflect upon it. And one should look at their situation in light of this wonderful example in which the Prophet ﷺ linked us, so that we understand the matter clearly, with something that we see and witness when rain falls on the earth around us. And how the land is impacted to various degrees. Likewise is the case of the impact of the Divine revelation on people.

People’s situation with Allāh’s revelation is exactly like that of the earth with the rain. So there are some people who have been given success by Allāh Almighty in being attentive with this revelation through correct and precise understanding, reflection and contemplation. They combine preserving the Words of Allāh and words of His Messenger ﷺ and correct understanding of them, and reflecting on their meaning and extracting the rulings from them. These are the people who are anchored in knowledge and have a good understanding of the religion of Allāh Most Majestic.

And there is another group that Allāh Almighty has honored, so they gave great care to the Quran and Sunnah. They took care in preserving and memorizing it, and spent time in recounting it. But, unlike the first group, they were not given insightful understanding, firm knowledge and ability to extract the rulings from the words of Allāh and the words of His Messenger ﷺ. However, they are upon great goodness and success from Allāh. And they have a share from the words of the Prophet ﷺ:
Allāh brightens a person who hears what I say, then retains it, then conveys it to one with more capacity than him, so perhaps a bearer of knowledge is not a scholar, and perhaps a bearer of knowledge conveys it to one who is more knowledgeable than him. [Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Majah 2498, Grade: Ṣaḥīḥ (Albani)]

And both of these two previous groups are happy.
And as for the last group, they are denied this goodness. They are like porous land that does not hold water and cannot be benefited from, and it does not grow greenery, so there is no benefit from the water. So this is the situation of the one who does not raise their head to the revelation and does not give it any attention. Their days pass and their lives are wasted without spending time on the revelation of Allāh neither through knowledge of it or putting it into practice. So those are the losers. We seek refuge in Allāh Almighty from that.

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