The Quran is like Allah's banquet on this earth, which we are all invited to.


This is the book that contains guidance, healing, mercy, knowledge, blessings, firmness, tranquility, and everything else that human soul craves for. Thus, Abdullah ibn Masood reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:


'This Quran is the banquet of Allah, so take as much as you can from His banquet. Indeed, this Quran is the Rope of Allah, and it is the clear Light and (is the effective) Healing. It is a protection for the one who clings to it and a rescue for the one who follows it. It is not crooked and so puts things straight. Its wonders do not cease. It does not wear out with repetition. So recite it, for Allah will reward you for the recitation of every letter.' (Quoted from Tafsir Baghawi)


The Quran is the greatest event in human history, and it happened in this month of Ramadan. And it surpasses all the other miracles that were seen before. Even a group of Jinns who listened to the verses being recited proclaimed that indeed what they heard was an 'amazing recitation' (72:1).


And thus to rejoice in the bounty and the mercy through which this Quran has been sent down to us is better than everything that we amass, as Allah says:


‎قُلْ بِفَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِۦ فَبِذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا۟ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ


 'Say (O Prophet): In Allah’s Bounty and in His Mercy let them rejoice. That is far better than whatever that they accumulate.' (10:58)


Ramadan is a time that helps us to rejoice in this greatest bounty and mercy from our Lord, the Quran, the ultimate banquet for spiritual nourishment, if we approach it with sincerity, insha'Allah.


#ClosertoQuran
#TheBanquet

This surah has always been a source of fascination to me, evoking vivid reflections of the events it describes. I find that there is a simple, yet profound power in the submission of the Jinn after hearing the words of Allah. It reminds me of the fluctuating nature of Imaan, and how a reignition of faith for me is oftentimes coupled with a reflection upon the Qur'an that seems to spring out of nowhere. May Allah forgive us, but when we forget or neglect the Qur'an for a period in our lives, the best way to reset the sails of Imaan is to enter yet again into the realities of this glorious book. To familiarise ourselves with its deep and lush gardens and let the words we often repeat take on new and previously hidden meanings. Allah facilitates this task for the sincere believer, and in the story of the Jinn of this surah is an indication on how we should receive the Qur'an, whether it be for the first time or for the one hundredth. Submission, Islam, is to accept and absorb the word of Allah—not superficially but through the heart, mind and then through our actions. The Qur'an is a miracle, a gift from Allah and it deserves to be received with dignity and without intermediary—because its words pierce through centuries, continents and worlds to speak directly to you.

What touches me in this reflection is the acknowledgement of  how a human being's faith fluctuates . But each time it does,  something brings us back to our center, our heart--whether that be a single line of Qur'an,  a dream, or a robin's song. 