Have you ever been in a conversation and someone says, Guess what...........and you are very curious to know. Now imagine same person says, Never Mind lol. You get furious sometimes right ? 

Lets be real, we all want to know what is ahead of us, our trials, tests and even the unknown reality of our future. What is amazing is that many scholars tried to decode these letters and come up  with many meanings and understandings. One of the biggest lessons I take away from these letters ( Alife Lam Mim ) is the humility of not knowing.  like literally 

YOU DONT KNOW NOTHING....YOU ARE NOT GOING TO KNOW EVERYTHING....CERTAIN THINGS YOU WILL NEVER EVER KNOW ! LOL.  

 When I stand in my Salah- I recite these 3 letters and I submit to Allah. It frees me. I feel a sense of Humility that takes over me and I recognize my weakness. I see myself as someone who is dependent on Allah for everything/ 

NOT KNOWING IS FREEDOM - ITS A RELIEF AT TIMES.

Beautifully said. Freedom of not knowing. Jazak'ALLAH Khair

 
#MASramadan2019

When I read these letters at the beginning of some surahs it gives me chills (when I'm paying proper attention). 
There can be so much clarity and personalization in the Quran, and also so much mystery and wonder.  I think we only scratch the surface of how the Quran interacts with our heart and mind, becomes part of the cellular makeup of our brain as we memorize its verses, affects our character and  our soul, even these letters at the beginning of the verses that we don't completely comprehend, have a power and an affecting quality.

An excerpt from In the Shade of the Quran, talking about the use of letters at the beginnings of some surahs:

The difference between the Qur’ān and what people make up, using letters and sounds is unbridgeable. It is the same as the gulf between God’s creation and what people make in any particular field. What is of God’s making is distinct and remarkable. It cannot be matched by humans, even in the most mundane of things. Look at the colour distribution in a single flower: it appears like a miracle for even the most skilful of painters in all ages. The same applies to the Qur’ān and what people compose when they use the letters and sounds of language. 

Muslim American Society

Reflections on 2:1

Alif Lam Mim - If we are to take Surat al-Fatihah as a preabmle to the entire Qur`an, then the Quran begins with Surat al-Baqarah, and Surat al-Baqarah begins with the disjointed letters: Alif Lam Mim. A quick summary of some powerful reflections from this reality:

1. We must first come to the Quran with intellectual humility - there is no one on the face of the earth who can say with certainty what is the true, intended meaning, of Alif Lam Mim. Therefore the Quran begins with text that we must believe has meaning but don't have access to that meaning. It immediately puts the individual in their place, It is as if that Qur`an is informing its reader at the get go: 'You can't know everything, reality is greater than your ability to grasp it'. Understand then that the first pre-requisite of the Quran is captured in Allah's statement, 'I know and you do not know'. 

2. 14 of the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabets are used for the disjointed letters throughout the Quran, that is obviously half the alphabets. Allah (swt) is informing us through this that the same exact letters are used in the Quran that exist in the Arabic language, yet the Quran is inimitable (beyond human ability to imitate). This indicates to the challenge put forth in the Quran that if anyone doubts its a divine emenation, then bring the likes of it. 

3. Alif Lam Mim are alphabets, they are not words - This indicates to the source being a learned and literate source since an illiterate person has no business dealing with alphabets. One can speak fluently without the need of learning alphabets, the mere mention of alphabets is indicative of literacy, which cannot indicate to the prophet (saw), since he was not literate, therefore, Alif Lam Mim hints to the source of the Quran being other than the prophet (saw). 

4. Alif Lam Mim also indicates to the reality that mere recitation of the Quran is rewarding. Even if someone doesn't understand the meaning of what they are reciting, the act of reciting sincerely, garners reward. This is elaborated by the prophet (saw) in his prophetic statement regarding the rewards of recitation. He mentioned that for each letter a person is bestowed 10 rewards, out of all the words in the Quran to express this, the prophet (saw) uses Alif Lam Mim as an example, he said, 'Alif is a letter, Lam Is a letter and Mim is a letter' - Since we do not know what this means, yet we get rewarded for its recitation, it establishes the principle that recitation without understanding, which may not be useful much for guidance, is still rewarded. 

5. Alif Lam Mim teaches us that we must practise exegesis (extracting meaning from he Quran) and not eisegesis (give meaning to the Quran). No matter how much we want to, we cannot read our biases and opinions into the Quran, rather, we must try our best to ascertain what the intended meaning of the verse is and if we cannot fathom its reality, then we refrain from reading into it something that is not present within it, intrinsically. Importantly, it should also be noted that exegesis is something that is the domain of those who have gained expertise in the field - The rest of us may reflect, ponder and take benefit from the extractions of those qualified to dive deep into the Quran and bring out its pearls.

Syed Hassan wa 'alaykum as-salaam! Looking forward to more of your contributions, may Allah bless and accept from us.

Some say the letters in the beginning of some surah represent the root words in the Arabic language as some are one letter like و and some are 2 letters like  كم and some are 3 letters like فعل and some came be 4 like دحرج . So these are letter forms used in this miracle,  use them and bring something like it.

ا ل م
What if someone who cannot read nor write uttered random letters of the alphabets like A, L and M or X?
Picture this scene 1400 years ago, 7th century Makkah in a society full of poets and lyricists weaving their words like magic.
It is pretty difficult for us to imagine such a situation since we live in a time of modernity where being literate is a given.

Allah the Almighty chose 3 alphabets to start a surah that is filled with history and regulations for mankind till the end of time.
His Message? Simply, we as creation do not know.
All Knowledge belongs to Him alone.

For the last two more days here in Uzbekistan,  schools are again being shut down due to the pandemic. If you were here some weeks ago, everything was as normal as it was before. Sadly, Ramadan is near and we might not be able to attend the masjids again. Now I realize why the Salaf used to pray asking God 'Oh Allah, allow us to reach Ramadan'. 
     As for 'الم' , they are so precious for me. During the first two weeks of Ramadan, I learnt how to read and recite them properly. SubhanAllah, I had no idea if I could even recite Qur'an in Arabic and understand as much as I can now. That was a dream. Biiznillah , thanks to Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan and Ustadh Jawad, I am having the joy of being connected to the language of Qur'an.  'Indeed, there is nothing like it'. 

This is an orientation that Allah is giving us and pretty much it's a start to let us know that we know nothing and we should always approach the Quran as beggers and slaves and not customers ready to  "review" or "critique" the Quran. The Wisdom of the Quran is too immense and these letters should let us know that we don't know much and Allah is the ultimate teacher. These letters are mysterious and nobody has been able to figure out its meaning. we should be fully humble when we come to the Quran and we need to approach it with zero arrogance.

Also these letters when the leaders of the Jewish community heard it they were shocked because the prophet pbuh was unlettered and did not know the letters, so for him to be reciting these letters and the people that have knowledge was surprised by that and in the back of their mind they knew that the prophet had a teacher behind him and that teacher was Allah. 

You and I will only understand when Allah allows it. We are not entitled to know; we are privileged. All of what we read boils down to words and words boil down to letters. The teacher of all language, Allah, has eternally reminded us that the building blocks of all learning, letters themselves, are something we don't even fully grasp. How profoundly humbling!

“He is successful if he remains truthful ”   

The Quran right from the outset, teaches us to plead to Allah for guidance. Not just guidance. But to be upon the straight path. In the very next surah, (Al Baqarah) we are told that guidance is in ‘this Book’, and to unlock it we must be God-conscious.

The characteristics of ‘muttaqeen’ are those who believe in the unseen, such as the angels, heaven and hell and those who establish prayer and give charity. They believe in all of Allah’s revelation and are certain in the hereafter. Then comes the verse, “it is they who are truly guided by their Lord and it is they who are truly successful”.  

The Quran is providing us with a blueprint of success from the very first verses. What we learn from this is, to be successful we must acquaint ourselves with these fundamental qualities. They are not difficult to acquire, or commit to. But they require constancy and perseverance. Each facet of guidance, Taqwa, Iman, Salah, charity, belief in the unseen, His Books and certainty in the afterlife shapes and moulds the believer to succeed. There is no complex philosophy, theology, there is no hidden agenda or secret recipe for success. It is there obvious, visible and clear for all of humanity to follow. This is the ease and simplicity of Islam. This is the same criteria that the Prophet (peace be upon him) reiterated when a simple man came to him enquiring about Islam essentially asking him “what do I have to do to succeed as a Muslim”? The Prophet (peace be upon him) highlighted the same success criteria, and the man boldly responded saying; “By Allah! I will neither make any addition to this nor will I decrease anything from it."  The Prophet (peace be upon him) upon hearing this simple yet honest commitment said  “he has succeeded if he sticks to what he says”  

Often we make Islam complicated, adding our own layers of complexities, and we ‘bolt-on’ our own version of what a successful Muslim must look like. Returning back to the Quran and sunnah reminds us how simple and straightforward Islam is. It doesn’t demand much: just stick to it!


Talhah bin 'Ubaidullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: 
A person with dishevelled hair, one of the people of Najd, came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We heard the humming of his voice but could not fully understand what he was saying, till he approached close to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Then I came to know that he was asking about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There are five (obligatory) Salat during the day and the night." He said: "Am I obliged to perform any other (Salat) besides these?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No, but whatever you observe voluntarily." He (ﷺ) added, "There is the fast, (Saum) of Ramadan." The inquirer asked: "Am I obliged to do anything besides this?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No, but whatever you do out of your own free will. You may observe voluntary fasting." And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told him about the Zakat (obligatory charity). The inquirer asked: "Am I obliged to pay anything besides this?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "No, but whatever you pay voluntarily out of your own free will." That man turned back saying: "By Allah! I will neither make any addition to this nor will I decrease anything from it." (Upon hearing this) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remarked, "He is successful if he proves truthful (to what he is saying)."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].





#TrueSuccess ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

After Suratul Fatiha, the preliminary ayats of Suratul Baqara define what is a believer. As we see so much death and destruction in the ummah we become awed by those who are left behind. Their resilience, their bravery and their completed belief that there is an afterlife. The understanding that their loved ones have perished as martyrs and they will be in a wonderful position with their Lord.

Then, we look at the tyrants who wish to conquer possessions, land, money, power and affluence. Their thoughts and actions are conducted without a thought about God witnessing their injustice and tyranny. 

How can they be God’s chosen people when their hearts are attached to this world?  causing destruction in this world, where they occupy lands, kill people unjustly and seize power unjustly. There is no preparation for the next life? For if they believed in God and in the Hereafter they would fear accountability. 

In Islam, position is not given through colour, or race, gender or societal wealth or position. 

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and actions.'

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2564

People are distinguished through their deeds, preparation and assured faith of the Hereafer as well as self accountability. Only Allah knows who are His chosen people. May we all be amongst those who love Him deeply and fear Him deeply. Allahumma Ameen.

The True Measure of 'Success' 

What is success? Is it the pursuit of money, status or fame? 

Or is it accumulating possessions which seem all the same? The same because possessions can only bring temporary 'happiness', 

And some of the world’s happiest people actually have a lot less. 

The same because we know possessions will fade, And the world’s simplest yet greatest assets are not paid. Assets like faith, family and health, Which supercede any amount of wealth. 

Assets like kindness, compassion and generosity, Because these are the building blocks of a world with more equality. 

A world where the rich help the poor, So that one day poverty exists no more. 

A world where the old empowers the young, So they can be passionate and have a voice that is strong. 

A world where men support women so, Our sisters with their contributions to society can glow. 

Because we all know our world needs more light, And it’s each and every one of our responsibility to do what’s right. 

To bring humanity back to its core, 

The core that our hearts are in need of so much more. 

More than money, status and fame, 

So we come back to one question which is the same. 

What is success? 

In my world, success is when we’re content with less, 

So we can give more to those in need, And carry with us many a good deed. 

Good which will make us deserving of a heaven so great, 

And be met not just with temporary success, But a beautiful fate. 

(The excerpt above is taken from my book 'Hope Rekindled: A Heart Empowered')
---66
The keys to success are conveyed to us in these verses:

*God's book nurtures our mindfulness of Him (taqwa)

*Taqwa includes believe in the unseen, establishing prayer, donating from what they have been gifted with - the importance of giving is established right from the beginning because giving can cleanse the heart from diseases of the heart including greed and arrogance 

*Taqwa also includes believing in the revelation and the hereafter - God's words remind us of our purpose and our destination.

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