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The Quran: Your Companion on the Day of JudgmentBy Nouman Ali Khan

Date: March 23rd, 2012

The lecture began with the question, why do we need a companion?

Among many answers provided, the few that resonated with the topic athand were matter of appreciation and to have open communication. TheArabs have a saying which goes something like, pick a companion beforegoing out. Another saying goes as follows, pick a neighbor before picking a

neighborhood. Both of these sayings somewhat stress upon companionship.

Coming to the Quran, towards the end of Surah Waqiah, chapter 56 of theQuran, we find Allah (swt) taking an oath. Before proceeding any further, it

must be noted that oaths, in the Quran, have a style and function and theseoaths occur in various places in the Quran. One must remember that theQuran speaks to different audiences, believers and non-believers, and while

these oaths are not as we understand them to be, it certainly puts thecredibility of the author of the Quran on the line.

In the older days of pagan Arabia, oaths were taken to capture attention.Since they were used as an attention-seeker, they had lost their meaning or

essence. And as is true today, the more one took oaths, the lesser andlesser his credibility would become. But the Quran does something different.

After the oath is taken, that is after attention has been diverted to the

matter, the Quran teaches something important right afterwards. In otherwords, the oaths, in the Quran, function as preludes. They prepare theaudience for the message following them.

Going past verses 75 and 76, Surah Waqiah, verses 75-76 read:Then I swear by the setting of the stars,And indeed, it is an oath - if you could know - [most] great.

Allah (swt) swears by the stars. Now we know that there are shooting starsand fixed stars; the latter was used in the earlier days for navigation. They

are known as guiding stars since they would guide travelers during ajourney. In the old Arabia, travels would take place at night due to weather

conditions during daytime. Hence, these stars were of importance to theArabs. Not only this, given the horrid desert conditions, a tree, veryuncommon in the region, was viewed as a thing of beauty. And poets would

describe their lovers asstars. So their mention in itself had significance tothe Arabs.

The one thing that is unique about this oath, which distinguishes it from therest of the oaths, in the Quran, is when Allah (swt) says, And that is indeed

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a mighty adjuration if ye but knew. Allah (swt) is saying, literally, that this

oath alone, this prelude in itself, is so beautiful, let alone the message, ifyou only knew. No other oath, in the Quran, is praised for its essence and

beauty except the one just mentioned.

The message continues:Indeed, it is a noble Qur'an

In a Register well-protected;None touch it except the purified. (Verses 77-79)The amazing thing about the following three verses is that they describe thevalue of the Quran to the reader. Allah (swt) says that only the purified are

allowed to touch or access the Qur'an. While only the highest angels are

given this privilege, it is also made available to humans. SubhanAllah.

Coming to the context of Surah Waqiah, it is a well-known fact that it is a

Madani surah. In general, Makki surahs, revealed in Mecca, dealt with faith.

Surahs revealed in Madina deal with laws. Surah Waqiah, unlike otherMadani surahs, deals with faith instead of laws (at least in the above

mentioned verses). This is because years had passed since the first fewverses had been revealed (found in Surah Al-Alaq) and people needed a

refresher or reminder to not only boost their faith but also to highlightthe lofty position of the Quran.

We seek guidance from our friends and family but this book is the ultimate

source of guidance, much like how the stars guide people, in the middle ofnowhere, during the night. Its verses are a source of guidance. In fact, in

terms of guidance, the guiding stars are no match for the Quran as thelatter far exceeds the former. And the oath, occurring in verse 75, is a

testimony of this!

Staying on the topic of guidance, it is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah that

holding on to the Quran is like holding on to an anchor. As terrible as thestorm may be, while the ship may drift to the left or to the right, the anchorprotects it from getting lost. Similarly, the Quran is the anchor that keepsthe believers from being lost. They may go through periods of turbulence but

with a firm grip on the anchor, they will not go astray.

Going back to the stars, it is said that the more you stare at a star, thehigher it gets. Likewise, the more you stare at the Quran, the more you

read and reflect upon it, the deeper it gets. The more we reflect, the morewe are reminded of His Greatness and of our smallness, dependence and

insignificance. It is as though the ayahs are putting us in our place. This isthe companionship of the Quran that it constantly sets us right. Co-

incidentally, the opposite holds true. The less we look at it, the less we get

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out of it.

In conclusion, we must realize a few things.

The Quran is not just a book; it is the words of Allah (swt)

When it is recited, one needs to listen and be silent - Non-Arab

Muslims complain about not understanding the Arabic recitation of theQuran. So the following story was mentioned. A man faced the sameproblem with his son. He took his son to the beach and handed him a dirtybucket with holes in it. He then asked his son to go fetch him some water.

The son got back to him with an empty bucket. The man made his son

repeat this process over and over again until his son got tired and said, it isuseless, the bucket has holes so all the water leaks out. The father replied,true, but look at the bucket, is it not cleaner than it was when I first handed

it to you?

Appreciate the Quran and praise Allah The Qur'an is our conversation

with Allah (swt). What else do you think we do when we recite Surah Fatihahduring our prayer? We start by praising Him and then we state that we

worship only Him. Then we ask Him for guidance to the straight path. Butnot to the path of those who has angered Him and brought His wrath upon

them. Is this not a conversation? And arent these conversationsrefreshment and guidance sessions?

Consider the example of Adam (as) and Iblees. Iblees was not objecting

making sajdah to Allah (swt). He only refused to make sajdah to Adam (as).Does this not teach us that arrogance against the children of Adam (as) is

almost as bad as being arrogant to Adam (as) himself? Dont be arroganttowards the children of Adam (as).

Allah (swt), in the Quran, talks to Musa (as) and highlights his childhood. Hereminds Musa (as) of all the things he did not remember, much like how ourparents tell us of our childhood stories which we do not recall. Then Hereminds Musa (as) that He has been doing favors for him (like He has been

doing favors for all of us) and asks him to be thankful to Him first and then

to his own parents (or mother.I was unable to write down the referenceand exact wording here).This Quran is a therapy for our ego!

The Quran is a mauidha (heart-penetrating counsel) Though I was

not able to get the reference for this, it is mentioned that the Quran is amessage that penetrates to your heart. The similitude of this is like being in

a crowded room but you feel as though the speaker is talking to you ONLY;

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as if he is talking straight to you. So is it not a mercy of Allah (swt) that His

warnings come to all, not just to believers?

And how can the heart-penetrating message get in if the heart is shut? Howcan the heart be cured if the medicine cannot enter?

Discipline yourself a) Brothers, wake up early and make it to the

mosque for Fajr at least once a week. The joy experienced after praying Fajris indescribable.

b ) Give up the night life pray Isha and go to sleep. Even if you are up till

late to watch Islamic lectures, give up on the habit.

c) Keep the sanctity of Jummah movies come out on Friday nights, forexample. Along the lines of giving up on night life, do not let any of these

to ruin your jummahs. Jummah prayer is a weekly revival of communal

spirit. Do not allow a movie to keep you up till late and ruin the teachings ofjummah.

d) Recite one page of the Quran daily, OUT LOUD!

e) Listen to various explanations of the surahs you have memorized; you will

enjoy your salah more.

f) Start memorizing the Quran even if it is one verse per week.

As the last parting thought, I present a message in the Qur'an whosereference was not presented. But there is a verse in the Qur'an in which

Allah (swt) is teaching Rasulullah (saw) as to what happens when one callsupon Him. Now usually, Allah (swt) would command Rasulullah (saw) to

"SAY (to them)" as in "Qul huwwalu hu ahad" translated, "Say He is Allah

the One and Only." But in this case, Allah (swt) asks Rasulullah (saw) to donothing and sort of pushes his function to the side. Allah (swt) says that Heis closer to the caller than he or she may ever realize. And the verse sayscaller, not believer. In other words, believers and non-believers, when

we call upon Him, He is nearer to us than we can imagine. So near

that He even, in a way, took Rasulullah (saw) out of the equation.SubhanAllah!

Honestly, I had a hard time standing on my feet after the lecture; took metwo minutes to gain my composure.