As-salamu alaykum to all Quran Reflect members,

For so many days, I wanted to write a reflection.

I have been in the hospital for a few days, coming for my chemotherapy sessions in the ER, where critical patients surround me.
Some are yelling.
Some are in severe pain.
Calling upon Allah for help.
Calling upon Allah for cure.

I feel blessed that, in this state, we are so close to our Rabb,
The Most Merciful, engaged in dhikr and istighfar.

We must ask for 'afiyah and health, definitely,
But we often take health for granted.

This Ramadan, I was praying to be able to fast,
As for almost four years, I have been suffering from severe sickness.
But again, I find myself in the same state.

Yet, I am very happy that, inshaAllah, I will continue my hifz, as I am learning Surah Al-Fajr.

May Allah grant all of you a beautiful Ramadan,
And to my Palestinian brothers and sisters as well.
This year will be beautiful—free of war and fear, Ameen.

This du'a of Hazrat Zakariyya always mesmerizes me and gives me hope:


#Preparing4Ramadan

أجابه الخليل جواب عباد الرحمن عند خطاب الجاهلين، ولم يشتمه، بل صبر، ولم يقابل أباه بما يكره، وقال: (سلام عليك). السعدي:495.
السؤال: كيف يكون أدب الداعية إلى الله إذا قُوبِلَ بالأذى والكلام السيئ؟

* يمكنك وضع إجابتك عن الأسئلة في التعليقات حتى تعمّ الفائدة

* للمزيد عن هذه الآية في مصحف تدبر وعمل: https://altadabbur.com/#aya=19_47

#وقفة_تدبرية

بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله أما بعد

تصور کریں کہ آپ حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام کی جگہ ہیں، اور آپ کے والد آپ سے کہہ رہے ہیں کہ کیا واقعی تم میرے خداؤں سے منہ موڑ رہے ہو؟ ان کے سوال میں حیرت ہے کہ تمہاری یہ مجال؟ اور تم جسے میں نے پالا پوسا، بڑا کیا، آج تم اس قابل ہو گئے ہو کہ میرے خداؤں سے منہ پھیر رہے ہو؟ ان کے سوال میں ڈانٹ ہے کہ تمہاری اتنی جرات؟ میرے بیٹے ہو کر میرے ہی خداؤں سے منہ پھیر رہے ہو؟  اگر تم باز نہ آئے تو میں تمہیں مار مار کر تمہارا برا حال کر دوں گا۔  دفع ہو جاؤ میرے سامنے سے اور آج کے بعد مجھے اپنی شکل مت دکھانا۔

آنکھیں بند کریں، یہ منظر تصور کریں اور سچے دل سے سوچیں کہ آپ کا یہی ردعمل ہوگا جو حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام کا تھا، انتہائی شفیق انداز میں ان سے کلام کریں گے اور کہیں گے: السلام علیکم، آپ میرے والد ہیں، آپ جو مرضی کہیں، میں شرک نہیں کر سکتا لیکن میں آپ سے بدتمیزی بھی نہیں کروں گا، میں آپ کی مغفرت کی دعا کروں گا۔

اللہ سبحانہ وتعالیٰ سے قربت سے ہماری روایات میں تلخی نہیں آنی چاہیے، بلکہ ہمارے دلوں میں نرمی آنی چاہیے۔ تبدیلی آسان نہیں ہوتی، آج کل یہی دیکھنے میں آتا ہے بدقسمتی سے کہ جو جو اپنے مطابق نیک اعمال شروع کرتا ہے اس کے رویے تلخ ہوتے چلے جاتے ہیں، گھر والوں کو بات بات پر ڈانٹنا شروع کر دیتے ہیں، چلتا پھرتا جج بن جاتے ہیں، ہر کسی کو ہر چیز پر جج کرتے ہیں۔ بے شک تبدیلی آسان نہیں، شاید آپ کے ارد گرد کے لوگ جب آپ کو تبدیل ہوتا دیکھیں، اللہ کے قریب ہوتا دیکھیں، اپنی پرانی اور آج کل کی عادات کو چھوڑ کر ان عادات کو اپناتے دیکھیں جو اللہ کے قریب کرتی ہیں، تو شاید وہ اتنی آسانی سے قبول نہ کریں، کیونکہ آج کل کی دنیا میں سیکولرازم نے تقریباً ہر گھر کو اپنی لپیٹ میں لے لیا ہے، لیکن اگر ایسا ہے تو ہمیں حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام سے سبق سیکھنا ہے، بہت پیار محبت اور شائستگی سے پیش آنا ہے۔ اللہ کے قریب بھی ہوتے جانا ہے، اور ساتھ ہی اخلاق بھی اچھے کرنے ہیں، تاکہ جو بھی دیکھے وہ یہی کہے کہ ایسے ہوتے ہیں اللہ کے سچے غلام، نہ کہ یہ تاثر بن جائے کہ جو جو اسلامی بنتا ہے دوسروں کو جہنمی قرار دیتا ہے اور تمیز ہی بھول جاتا ہے۔

اللہ ہم سب کو حضرت ابراہیم علیہ السلام کی سنت پر عمل کرنے کی توفیق دے۔

Ibrahim (AS) starts out by disproving any false Gods, explicitly says 'Do not worship Satan. Surely, Satan is ever rebellious against the Most Compassionate'. Ibrahim (AS) then praises Allah (SWT) by calling him the Most Compassionate. This is similar to the Dua presented in the beginning of the halaqa, where we admit our faults, and then praise Allah (SWT). Later on in the sura, it explains that we should embrace Tawhid, and to always give Dawah to those around us to embrace it as well.  

MAS Ibn Sina Community

Day 16, ِAnswer 16, #AyahLookup  Challenge:

Original question: https://quranreflect.com/posts/23308 

Your true Adab is only manifested when you deal with the foolish,
Your true character is not tested when you are around nice people who treat you nicely; you would be a jerk if you don't reciprocate that back. 
This is what made Yusuf (AS) special, having excellent manners - إنا نراك من المحسنين  - even and especially when he lived in the jail, and when he dealt with women who were seducing him. 

This is what elevated the status of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), he basically dealt with foolish people most of his life! 
In this Ayah we see how he dealt with his father, and how he held his ihsan.  

يخاطبني السفيه بكل قبح........... فأكره أن أكون له مجيبا
يزيد سفاهة فأزيد حلماً...........كعود زاده الإحراق طيبا

The fools speak to me with all vulgarity
So I hate to respond likewise in turn
They increase in their evil, so I increase in my patience
Like an incense that becomes more fragrant when burned

PS:
To learn about the challenge: please check: https://quranreflect.com/posts/22122 

JazakAllah for sharing your reflection on the importance of maintaining good character and manners, especially when dealing with those who may not reciprocate kindness. Your connection to the stories of Prophet Yusuf (AS) and Prophet Ibrahim (AS) exemplifies how excellent manners can elevate one's status and demonstrate true adherence to ihsan. The verse you mentioned highlights the significance of responding to vulgarity with patience and wisdom, as demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim (AS). May we all strive to embody such noble character traits in our interactions with others. Jazak Allah Khair for your insightful reflection.

Bilal May Allah be pleased with him stopped giving the athan after the prophet peace be upon him passed away as it would remind him of the blessed prophet. 

I never truly understood this concept untill I had to recite these surahs after my mother الله يرحمها passed away. Tbh I’ve been avoiding these surahs because of the emotional weight they have on me now. 

I still love these Surah , but there is this memory attached to them now that I recited these a lot by my mother’s death bed. 

Even walking through the streets that I passed by while talking to my mother,  somehow remind me of her. Subhan Allah 


Sometimes I almost accidentally pick up the phone and dial her 


I trust that Allah rewards a person every time  they remember a loved one that they lost and practice patience 

Until then 

و لذكر الله اكبر

Isn't it so interesting that Zechariah (a), a healthy adult, couldn't speak for 3 days and then a few ayahs later, we read that Isa (a), a newborn baby, could speak clearly?

Has anyone reflected upon/compared these 2 events? I'd love to read your reflections and any lessons you can share.  JAK.

Why was Zachariah deprived of speech for 3 days? Does anyone know the spiritual lesson behind this? I am unaware of the context of his teachings/story so any explanation would be greatly appreciated jzk!

In addition to being from amongst the greatest woman of mankind, their is another hidden wisdom as to why Maryam AS is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran.

The Arabs of old, especially the elites amongst them (kings, noblemen, etc.) would never mention the names of their wives publicly because to them this was degrading to their honor as they held their wives too sacred to allow for their names to be on the tongues or ears of other men.  Instead they would refer to their wives in general terms that can also mean family, such as (ahl, 3iyal, etc)

We see in the quran other woman are referred to by their patronymic or 'kunya' such as the wife of Pharaoh aka Asya, or the mother of Musa AS, etc.  However with Maryam it is different. In almost every reference she is referred to by her name and not just her title, as the Mother of Jesus. That is because the Christians claim her to be the mother of the Son of God (AKA Jesus AS). This would entail that Allah SWT , far removed from this claim, took Maryam AS as a wife. So referring to her by name in every reference in the Quran adds additional emphasis that she is a servant of Allah SWT and nothing more. Knowing that the arab's did not see it problematic to refer to the female servants by name, unlike the case with their wives, this offered additional proof for those in doubt that Allah SWT never took for himself Maryam AS as a spouse, nor anyone for that matter.

Far removed is He from what they ascribe to Him.

Subhanallah so well thought out reflection, to me this is also proof of divine foreshadowing in a sense; Allah knew Isaa AS would be slandered by the christian presenting him as a god. Thereby by referring to Maryam AS  by her name it provides no room for misinterpretation of her as his wife, and establishes clarity on her role as a servant of Allah (as you mentioned at the time female servants were refered to by their names unlike wives called as per their status) and the mother of a prophet.

God (swt) frames the story of Zakaria's duaa by introducing it as a mercy from Him.
As Zakaria is making his duaa, we're listening to him and we already know that God is having mercy with him. 
He's Merciful in listening to Zakaria, He's Merciful in answering him immediately, He's Merciful in allowing him to empty his heart of all concern before gifting him a son.
What other mercies is God showing His slave?

JAK for wonderful observation... I'd add the mercy of direct access, personal experience, candid private conversation, he goes to Allah swt with personal concern and stating how he has been committed, then states a problem, and even a solution, and Allah accepts it all. It's like a conversation between friends, then Allah swt names the chilld - what an honor, true mercy and elevation of his concerned slave.

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