Shahr Ramāḍan Special
A description of the Holy Qurʾān, in the words of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (ʿa) from Sermon 176 of Nahj al-Balāghah
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In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
Assalaam Alaykum dear friends, may Allah bless you and your families. Our tabrikat and best wishes for the arrival of the blessed month of Shahr Ramaḍān. We pray Allah swt accepts all our deeds, and forgives us for our shortcomings and we reach new spiritual levels in this sacred month.
The Noble Prophet (ṣ) introduced Shahr Ramaḍān in the Sha’baniyah Sermon by saying:
“God honors you in this month to such an extent that even your breathing is counted as remembering Him and your sleeping is counted as worshiping. Your deeds are accepted, and your prayers are answered.”
As we prepare to receive the endless mercy and blessings of Allah swt, we humbly ask for you to remember our small team at Study Nahj al-Balāghah.
Agha Panahain in his book titled “Preparing for the Month of Ramaḍān, God’s Banquet” says beautifully:
“The God who always waited for us to go toward Him ourselves, does not wait for His servants’ decision and action in this month. By making Ramaḍān a period that everyone must enter, it is as if He has come toward His servants Himself, grabs everyone’s hand and takes them toward His mercy.”
We attach to this post, two gifts:
A Shahr Ramaḍān calendar with the 30 advice that we have covered in our live sessions, as well as in the current weekly newsletters, discussing the Letter Amīr al-Muʾminīn (ʿa) wrote to Harith Al Hamadani (Letter #69). The recommendation from our team is to take one advice on each day of the holy month, and try to implement it. We pray this little effort is beneficial to you all and that it brings us closer to the Almighty this Shahr Ramaḍān. Click here for a printable version.
A description of the Noble Qurʾān, in the words of Amīr al-Muʾminīn (ʿa) from Sermon 176 of Nahj al-Balāghah, and a summary of the messages contained therein:
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ هذَا الْقُرْآنَ هُوَ النَّاصِحُ الَّذِي لاَ يَغُشُّ، وَالْهَادِي الَّذِي لاَ يُضِلُّ، وَالْمحَدِّثُ الَّذِي لاَ يَكْذِبُ، وَمَا جَالَسَ هذَا الْقُرْآنَ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ قَامَ عَنْهُ بِزِيَادَة أَوْ نُقْصَان: زِيَادَة فِي هُدىً، أَوْ نُقْصَان مِنْ عَمىً.
“And know that this Qurʾān is an adviser who never deceives, a leader who never misleads and a narrator who never speaks a lie. No one will sit beside this Qurʾān but that when he rises he will achieve one addition or one diminution - addition in his guidance or elimination in his (spiritual) blindness.”
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى أَحَد بَعْدَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ فَاقَة، وَلاَ لاحَد قَبْلَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ غِنىً; فَاسْتَشْفُوهُ مِنْ أَدْوَائِكُمْ، وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِهِ عَلَى لاَوَائِكُمْ، فَإنَّ فِيهِ شِفَاءً مِنْ أَكْبَرِ الدَّاءِ، وَهُوَ الْكُفْرُ وَالنِّفَاقُ، وَالْغَيُّ وَالضَّلاَلُ، فَاسْأَلُوا اللهَ بِهِ، وَتَوَجَّهُوا إِلَيْهِ بِحُبِّهِ، وَلاَ تَسْأَلُوا بِهِ خَلْقَهُ، إنَّهُ مَا تَوَجَّهَ الْعِبَادُ إلَى اللهِ بِمِثْلِهِ
“You should also know that no one will need anything after (guidance from) the Qurʾān and no one will be free from want before (guidance from) the Qurʾān.
Therefore, seek cure from it for your ailments and seek its assistance in your distresses. It contains a cure for the biggest diseases, namely unbelief, hypocrisy, revolt and misguidance. Pray to Allah through it and turn to Allah with its love. Do not ask the people through it. There is nothing like it through which the people should turn to Allah, the Sublime.”
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ شَافِعٌ مُشَفَّعٌ، وَقَائِلٌ مُصَدَّقٌ، وَأَنَّهُ مَنْ شَفَعَ لَهُ الْقُرْآنُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شُفِّعَ فِيهِ، وَمَنْ مَحَلَ بِهِ الْقُرْآنُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ صُدِّقَ عَلَيْه، فَإنَّهُ يُنَادِي مُنَاد يَوْمَ الْقِيَامةِ: أَلاَ إنَّ كُلَّ حَارِث مُبْتَلىً فِي حَرْثِهِ وَعَاقِبَةِ عَمَلِهِ، غَيْرَ حَرَثَةِ الْقُرآنِ; فَكُونُوا مِنْ حَرَثَتِهِ وَأَتْبَاعِهِ، وَاسْتَدِلُّوهُ عَلى رِّبِّكُمْ، وَاسْتَنْصِحُوهُ عَلى أَنْفُسِكُمْ، وَاتَّهِمُوا عَلَيْهِ آرَاءَكُمْ، وَاسْتَغِشُّوا فِيهِ أَهْوَاءَكُمْ.
“Know that it is an interceder and its intercession will be accepted. It is a speaker who is testified. For whoever the Qurʾān intercedes on the Day of Judgement, its intercession for him would be accepted. He about whom the Qurʾān speaks ill on the Day of Judgement shall testify to it. On the Day of Judgement an announcer will announce, "Beware. every sower of a crop is in distress except the sowers of the Qurʾān."
Therefore, you should be among the sowers of the Qurʾān and its followers. Make it your guide towards Allah. Seek its advice for yourselves, do not trust your views against it. and regard your desires in the matter of the Qurʾān as deceitful.”
وَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَعِظْ أَحَداً بِمِثْلِ هذَا الْقُرْآنِ، فَإِنَّهُ حَبْلُ اللهِ الْمَتِينُ، وَسَبَبُهُ الاْمِينُ، وَفِيهِ رَبِيعُ الْقَلْبِ، وَيَنَابِيعُ الْعِلْمِ، وَمَا لِلْقَلْبِ جَلاَءٌ غَيْرُهُ،
“Allah the Glorified, has not counseled anyone on the lines of this Qurʾān, for it is the strong rope of Allah and His trustworthy means. It contains the blossoming of the heart and springs of knowledge. For the heart there is no other gloss than the Qurʾān”
9 Points About The Qurʾān, From This Sermon:
The Qurʾān is the only unique capital that every human needs, whether in groups, communities or individually. (وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى أَحَد بَعْدَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ فَاقَة، وَلاَ لاحَد قَبْلَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ غِنىً You should also know that no one will need anything after (guidance from) the Qurʾān and no one will be free from want before (guidance from) the Qurʾān.)
The Qurʾān is the best cure of ethical, social, spiritual ailments. (فَاسْتَشْفُوهُ مِنْ أَدْوَائِكُمْ، وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِهِ عَلَى لاَوَائِكُمْ، فَإنَّ فِيهِ شِفَاءً مِنْ أَكْبَرِ الدَّاءِ Therefore, seek cure from it for your ailments and seek its assistance in your distresses. It contains a cure for the biggest diseases)
The Qurʾān is the best means of gaining Divine attention,obtaining closeness to Allah and the cause of acquiring God-given blessings. (فَاسْأَلُوا اللهَ بِهِ، وَتَوَجَّهُوا إِلَيْهِ بِحُبِّهِ، وَلاَ تَسْأَلُوا بِهِ خَلْقَهُ، إنَّهُ مَا تَوَجَّهَ الْعِبَادُ إلَى اللهِ بِمِثْلِهِ Pray to Allah through it and turn to Allah with its love. Do not ask the people through it. There is nothing like it through which the people should turn to Allah, the Sublime.”
On the Day of Judgement, the intercessions and the complaint of the Qurʾān, about it’s followers and it’s opponents respectively, will not be rejected.(وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ شَافِعٌ مُشَفَّعٌ، وَقَائِلٌ مُصَدَّقٌ، وَأَنَّهُ مَنْ شَفَعَ لَهُ الْقُرْآنُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ شُفِّعَ فِيهِ، وَمَنْ مَحَلَ بِهِ الْقُرْآنُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ صُدِّقَ عَلَيْه Know that it is an interceder and its intercession will be accepted. It is a speaker who is testified. For whoever the Qurʾān intercedes on the Day of Judgement, its intercession for him would be accepted. He about whom the Qurʾān speaks ill on the Day of Judgement shall testify to it.)
Only those whose deeds were aligned with the teaching of the Qurʾān, will be successful, on the Day of Judgement. (أَلاَ إنَّ كُلَّ حَارِث مُبْتَلىً فِي حَرْثِهِ وَعَاقِبَةِ عَمَلِهِ، غَيْرَ حَرَثَةِ الْقُرآنِ Beware. every sower of a crop is in distress except the sowers of the Qurʾān)
The Qurʾān is the best Divine advisor for the servants of Allah. (وَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَعِظْ أَحَداً بِمِثْلِ هذَا الْقُرْآنِ Allah the Glorified, has not counseled anyone on the lines of this Qurʾān)
Whoever attaches himself to the Qurʾān, gets salvation. Whoever separates from the Qurʾān, suffers a downfall. (فَإِنَّهُ حَبْلُ اللهِ الْمَتِينُ، وَسَبَبُهُ الاْمِينُ for it (the Qurʾān) is the strong rope of Allah and His trustworthy means)
Whoever becomes familiar with the Qurʾān and obtains guidance from it, the spirit of belief comes alive in him! (وَفِيهِ رَبِيعُ الْقَلْبِ، وَيَنَابِيعُ الْعِلْمِ It contains the blossoming of the heart and springs of knowledge.)
For removing the rust from hearts, the best way is gaining blessings and guidance from the Qurʾān. (وَمَا لِلْقَلْبِ جَلاَءٌ غَيْرُهُ For the heart there is no other gloss than the Qurʾān)
Two inspiring anecdotes:
Anecdote 1: The Qurʾān Revolutionizes -
In the beginning Fudhayl was well-known as a caravan robber. He would stop different caravans in the middle of their journeys and would steal from them whatever he desired. However it is said that he would not transgress the limits by hurting anyone or leaving them with no provisions to reach their destination. Once he fell in love with a certain woman, and headed for her house. While climbing the wall of her house, he happened to hear the following verse of Qurʾān from someone who was reciting the Qurʾān in the neighborhood:
أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ
Has the time not yet come for the believers that their hearts turn humble for the remembrance of Allah...? (57:16)
On listening to this verse, he underwent a transformation and cried: Ya Rabbi qad aan (O Lord, the time indeed has come!)
Thereafter he left the place and returned back and adopted a path of detachment from the world and self-reform. It is also said that he had a son called ‘Ali who was higher than him in rank in terms of detachment, worship and self-reform; however, he did not live for long. One day while Fudhayl was standing near the spring of Zamzam in Masjid al-Haraam he heard the following verses of Qurʾān from someone nearby:
وَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ
سَرَابِيلُهُم مِّن قَطِرَانٍ وَتَغْشَىٰ وُجُوهَهُمُ النَّارُ
And you will see the guilty on that day linked together in chains. Their shirts are made of pitch and the fire covering their faces. (14:49 & 50)
On hearing this verse, he fell down and died.
Anecdote 2 - ʿAllāmah Iqbal and his relationship with the Qurʾān
Allama Iqbal, the Pakistani thinker and philosopher, wanted to imbibe the spirit of the Noble Qurʾān into Muslims so much that a Muslim himself would become a living explanation of the Noble Qurʾān.
ʿAllāmah Iqbal, since a young age had the habit of reciting the Qurʾān daily, in an audible and beautiful tone. One day, his father came to him while he was reciting the Qurʾān, and said : “Iqbal! One day I want to tell you a point about the Qurʾān”
Some days passed, and as usual Iqbal was busy reciting the Qurʾān. His father passed and gave him this life-changing advice: “Recite the Qurʾān in such a way, as though Allah has revealed it on you” (perhaps he meant recite the Qurʾān as if Allah swt is speaking with you, by interacting with it)
This meaningful advice had a deep impact on ʿAllāmah, who always recited the Qurʾān with concentration and in a beautiful way until tears flowed from his eyes, and the teardrops would fall on the pages of his muṣḥaf (copy of the Qurʾān).
ʿAllāmah writes in one of his letters to his sister “When I take a glance at my past life, I am extremely regretful as to why I spent a good portion of my life studying and researching western philosophy when Allah had granted me intelligence. Had I used this excellence in studying and researching the Islamic sciences, at least I could have been of service to the religion of Islam.”
We pray to Allah (swt), that this Shahr Ramaḍān, we get closer to the Qurʾān, more than ever before, and we can be the reason for the happiness in the heart of our Living Imām (ʿaj). Āmīn
We have another Shahr Ramaḍān special lined up for you, towards the nights of Qadr. Until then, Iltemase Duʿāʾ 😀 🤲🏼