The Quran proclaims about itself thus:
“(This is) a book which We have revealed unto you in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness into light by their Lord’s leave to the Path of the Almighty, the Praised.” (14:1)
It is from the wisdom of Allah that He legislated fasting in the month of Ramadan on account of the revelation of Quranso that we take heed to its teachings and become more obedient to Allah. The question before us is: Ramadan came and has gone! What has happened to our lives? Have we changed for the better? Has Quran impacted our lives? If yes, what has been its impact? Has the Quran made us more obedient to Allah than we were before Ramadan? Has the Quran instilled in our minds the constant remembrance of Allah and our need to be accountable to Him in the Hereafter? Are we worthy of being labeled as “Believers” whose hearts feel a tremor when the word Allah is mentioned before us and does our Imaan increase when the verses of Him are recited? Are we among those believers who are not only steadfast in their prayers but also devout during their prayers? Are we putting our complete trust in Him, as He ought to be trusted? Are we constantly seeking forgiveness for the sins that we keep committing day in and day out?
Quran did impact the lives of those before us in a way that it transformed them in a wholesome manner and the impact was such that it not only transformed their lives but also continues to inspire those that came after them. If it is so, why would it not impact our lives? It will definitely do, provided we are ready to taking the effort, for truly the Quran states:
“Allah will not change the condition of people until the people change what is in themselves.” (Ar-Ra’d).
A few examples might throw light on this.
Fudayl ibn Iyad (who lived during the third century of Islam) was a notorious thief known and feared for his dacoity during the daytime and for committing adultery during the night. Once when he was traveling in a valley at night to commit adultery when he heard the verses of Sura Al Hadeed, which states:
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah 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” (Quran 57:16).
And these words touched his heart and he responded, “Indeed yes my lord. This is the time.”Then Fudayl left that area and walked away. As he was walking, he saw a group of travelers who were disputing amongst themselves on whether to take the route where the highway thief (Fudayl ibn Iyaad) was living as they fear that he might attack the caravan. On hearing this, Fudayl began to cry, grabbed his beard, and said the following words:”During the night I soil myself in the disobedience of Allah, and in the morning, there are believers who fear my presence. I don’t see that Allah (SWT) made me hear that conversation except that He (SWT) wants me to come back to the right path. O Allah I have repented to you and made my decision to live in Majid-ul-Haraam in accompany by the scholars of Makkah”. And then years passed when he learned more about Islam and eventually became the Imam of Makkah! This is the story of Imam Fudayl ibn Iyaad who is known to be the “Imaam-ul-Haramain” (The Imaam of the 2 holy mosques in Madinah and Makkah).
The incident of Thabit bin Qays radiyallahuanhukeeping himself aloof from the company of our Prophet (PHUB) just because he was afraid that his righteous deeds would be blotted out by Allah when a verse from sura Al Hujuraat was revealed is incredible.
The (translation of this) verse reads: “O you who believe! Do not raise your voices over the voice of the Prophet (PHUB), and do not speak loudly as you would do among yourselves, lest your deeds be rendered worthless while you perceive it not.” (49:2).
This companion of Prophet (PHUB), who naturally had a loud voice, felt that his voice would be louder than that of the Prophet (PBUH) and chose to avoid the company of our Prophet (PBUH) out of fear that his good deeds might be rendered worthless in the sight of Allah. Our Prophet (PBUH) started missing him and send word for him. When the delegation sent by the Prophet (PBUH) met him, he expressed his concerns in the context of the above-mentioned verse and the reason behind staying away from the presence of Prophet (PBUH). While this was conveyed to our Prophet (PBUH), he (PBUH) assured that Thabit bin Qays was not a person of Hell but a person of Paradise. It was only after this assurance from the Prophet (PBUH) that Thabit bin Qais (radiyallahuanhu) again started being in the presence of our Prophet (PBUH). This is how one single verse from the Quran impacted his life! He got the glad tidings of Paradise in this world itself because he treated verses that were addressed generally to the believers as though they were addressed specifically to him. Subhanallah! If only we were to do the same, we would also be positively influenced by the excellent teachings of the Quran.
The conversion story of Umar (radiyallahuanhu) is very well known. On his way to assassinate our Prophet (PBUH), he happens to meet a person who directs him to his sister Fathima’s house where she and her husband Saeed radiyallahuanhuma were reciting the Quran. These verses from Sura Taha changed him to become someone on whose tongue a few verses of the Quran were revealed and also to become the second caliph of Islam. This was the impact of a few verses of the Quran on his life and what he left behind as a legacy will speak for itself till the end of times.
If this is how Quran impacted the lives of our pious predecessors, it would also do the same to us, if we are ready to change our attitude towards the Quran. This is the ultimate purpose of the revelation of the Quran. i.e. to bring us from the various darknesss like evil behavior, misguidance, corruption in the land, and worship of the creation to the light of the guidance and worship of the Creator by the permission of Allah. Not having Arabic as our mother tongue can no longer be a valid excuse for anyone reading this article, for truly there exists no one in whose mother tongue the Quran is not translated. Subhanallah! If this is the unequivocal truth, what excuse can we offer to our Creator when we will be questioned by Him on the Day of Judgement? Allah’s protection is sought!
If we have to benefit from the Quran, here are some tips:
1. Make it a point to never skip a day without engaging with the Quran. If you schedule Quran daily, it will help you schedule your life.
2. Commit to reading the commentary of the Quran on a regular basis.
3. Have a mindset that Allah is directly addressing one’s own self whenever He is generally addressing the believers.
4. Regard that it is the right of the Quran that it be believed, recited upon, practiced, pondered over, and that its message be spread to others.
5. Reckon that it can turn around our lives, irrespective of how bad our past has been.
6. Prioritize Quran over other sources of knowledge and consider that being associated with it is the most superior form of spending time.
7. Seek Allah’s help to make it a fountain of goodness for you.
If we are sincere in our efforts to learn the Quran and to understand its meanings so that we put it in our lives, then it would not only be a source of guidance in this world but also a means of salvation for our next life. May Allah make us among such people who are referred to as the People of the Quran by our Prophet (PBUH). May He allow the Quran to act as the spring of our hearts, the light of our chests, the banisher of our sadness, and the reliever of our worries. Ameen.
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