As we enter the month of our Prophet’s birth, let us resolve to read his greatest legacy, the Quran. A deeper understanding of Allah’s book will deepen the love of the master. Let’s prepare for the wonderful day by appreciating the Quran’s message.
We believe that we deeply love Muhammad (peace be upon him) and we’re proud to be his followers. This is expressed in many ways, sending blessings on him, and singing poetry in his praise, imitating him, since he is the perfect man. The Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged Muslims to love him. He (peace be upon him) said, “None of you is a believer until you love me more than your children, parents and everyone else” (Bukhari). We sincerely claim we love him, but our ways show otherwise. As reflected by poor engagement with the Quran.
Dr Muhammad Iqbal also known as the ‘Sage of the Ummah’ expressed it eloquently in this poem where we wrote (translated from Urdu):
In this realm, the Quran’s light seems dimmed,
Crass capitalism reigns, and devotion thinned.
To the Quran school, Muslim children are sent,
Their quest, read the Quran’s words, to simply augment.
Yet deeper meanings, messages profound,
Unseen, unheard, in shadows, they’re found.
In times of old, honour graced our name,
But now, the Quran is abandoned, and we bear the shame.
This sad situation is described as “The Messenger will complain, Lord, my people abandoned the Quran” (Al-Furqan: 30). Since we pay so little attention to the message of the Quran. I say this with a heavy heart and feeling embarrassed. Why do we pay so little attention to the book that changed the tide of human history? A book that guarantees salvation and lays out a program for living a flourishing life.
Only a few organisations committed to the Quran
There are a few Muslim organisations working to spread the message of this book of wisdom. I believe that many problems that Muslim individuals and societies are facing today could be solved through The Majestic Quran. It’s the manual to make you a mindful, attentive person focused on creating a better society.
Your silence, a lament to both earth and sky,
In sorrow, Quranic verses are now crucified.
Oh, Iqbal’s dream of fervent hearts aflame,
Alas, you’ve cast the sacred words to shame.
Here, Dr Muhammad Iqbal is complaining about their poor understanding, and inability to apply the Quran. He boldly says, like the Christians you have turned the Quran into a cross, using it as a ritual like the wand of a wizard. The Christians decorate buildings with the cross to express their Christianity and their love of Jesus Christ, similarly, Muslims use the verses of the Quran on their buildings for blessings.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was fully committed to the teachings of the Quran and believed in its power and transformative nature. He (peace be upon him) taught us, “I am leaving behind two things for you as long as you stick with them you will never go wrong; the Book of Allah and my Sunnah, my way” (Al Muwatta).
The Prophetic way of understanding the Quran
A group of poor Muslims lived next to the Prophet’s Mosque on a raised platform with a canopy of date leaves, they were the people of Suffa. Most of them were dedicated to learning the Quran and the religion. One day after the morning prayer the Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed them saying, “Who would like to get the reward of donating a she-camel every day from the cattle market of Buthan? They answered: ‘We would love that’. He said: Then come to the masjid and learn two verses of the Quran and teach them to others. The learning and teaching of two verses would be better than the reward of donating in charity two she-camels from Buthan” (Muslim). The prophetic words reflect his love of the Quran and disregard for material wealth.
You may ask, how did the Messenger (peace be upon him) put this into action? Anas ibn Malik the disciple who served the Prophet in Madinah says, “After finishing the morning prayer, the Messenger would sit in a circle among the disciples to read the Quran and then teach them the meanings and the message” (Musnad Abu-Yala). Notice that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is teaching the Quran in small circles, which we call the Quran study circle, this is his methodology. I have followed this prophetic model for nearly 35 years, where I hold a weekly study circle in my Masjid for our congregation.
An approach to comprehending the Quran’s meanings
So, this tells us how to learn and teach the meanings of the Quran daily, in short bursts with one or two sections daily, the Quran advises “So read from the Quran what is convenient for you” (Al-Muzzammal:20). Another way of spreading the teachings and the message of the Quran is to listen and share audio or videos (no more than 3-5 minutes) on social media with Quran’s message, you can use The Majestic Quran App to copy and paste a section of your choice and share it on YouTube, Facebook or WhatsApp. As our knowledge of the Quran improves our Prophetic love will grow.
Conclusion
Loving the Messenger (peace be upon him) is a fundamental requirement of our religion; we prove it by following his beautiful way, imitating his noble character and appreciating his struggle and hard work to deliver the message of Islam. The crowning feature of his love is to read and study his greatest legacy the Quran.
