(Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river)
(He said, “Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river”) they split into three groups:
Long Journeys
Reflections on the Quran and Sunnah, psychological, social and intellectual essays, and poems.
(And recite to them the news of him to whom We gave Our signs, but he detached himself from them)
(And recite to them the news of him to whom We gave Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators) A parable Allah struck for the one to whom He gave the Quran and clear proofs, yet he did not act upon it; and the cause of his swerving from guidance: following desire instead of the Book; and preferring this world over the Hereafter.
Among the Truths of Spiritual Knowledge
Among the truths of spiritual knowledge: that whatever imaginings, plans, and wishes you turn away from your mind come to you walking in reality, easy and effortless —if Allah wills—.
Ingratitude for a Blessing
It is ingratitude for a blessing to forbid it to yourself when Allah has made it permissible.
The Righteous Dream
The righteous dream is a choosing from Allah the Exalted: that He selects you from among the creation and shows it to you.
Honor Your Children and Perfect Their Manners
“From the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: Honor your children and perfect their manners.”
Karāmah
Karāmah (a wonder granted to the righteous) is not that He folds up for you the distances of the earth, and the lands in their length and breadth.
At the Beginning of Your Relationship with the Quran
Listen to a surah you love, in the voice of a reciter you love -regardless of whether he has mastered tajweed or not, because the aim here is to build love between you and the Quran-.
(Indeed, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow. Indeed, Allah does what He intends.)
And on the opposite side: (And thus have We sent it down as verses of clear evidence and because Allah guides whom He intends)
The Wisdom of Forgetting
(We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, except what Allah should will): evidence that forgetting, and its opposite, remembering, are by the will of Allah the Exalted, so they are within His written decree; and in it also is that forgetting is from Allah's decree, so one must be content if he forgets and not be distressed over it.
(Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward)
“Allah does not wrong a believer of a good deed: he is given provision for it in this world and is rewarded for it in the Hereafter. As for the disbeliever, he is fed for it in this world, and when the Day of Resurrection comes, he will have no good deed left.” Sahih Muslim
(And their hearts absorbed [the worship of] the calf)
And the love of the calf mingled with the innermost lining of their hearts, like water that seeps deep inside the body, and this was because of their rejection of the truth.
(And Whatever Good You Do – Allah Knows It)
(And whatever good you do – Allah knows it): why did He leave out the word (or evil?)
(Satan Threatens You with Poverty) Then (He Gives Wisdom to Whom He Wills)
(Satan threatens you with poverty …) then right after it came (He gives wisdom to whom He wills..)
The Chosen Message on the Path of Being Chosen (Reflections on the Verses of Al-Imran)
When the prophet informed the Children of Israel that Talut had been sent to them as king, they said in astonishment: how can he have kingship when he is poor, with neither lineage nor wealth, while we are the ones descended from the line of kings!? So he informed them that his qualifications for being chosen were "knowledge and ability" (and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature). He mentioned knowledge first because of its great honor, and stature is the strength that qualifies him for war; it is any ability and talent with which Allah has blessed a person.
Lessons of Defeat and Brokenness (Reflections on the Verses of Al Imran 2)
(Here you are loving them but they are not loving you)
Allah Mentions Wealth After the Verses of Victory!
In Al-Baqarah: (Or do you think that you will enter Paradise…. until the Messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near) then came (They ask you what they should spend..)
The Art of Untying Psychological Knots (as in the Quran)
They insulted them and harmed them in Makkah, until the Muslims came to feel pain at the sight of the Kaaba! How can we perform Hajj and ʿUmrah while we are in pain, seeing the places of torture and the corners of cruelty!? And when Allah knew what was in their souls, He said to them:
(And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the approval of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants)
The state of the believer in this world resembles the mukātab slave —and we are all slaves of Allah— a slave whose master has made a contract with him for a set sum of money; whenever the slave pays this money to his master, he frees him and he becomes free.
Encouraging the Self
Encouraging the self; it appears in His saying (And the example of those who spend their wealth seeking means to the approval of Allah and assuring [reward for] themselves)
Our Lord, Give Us in This World [That Which Is] Good and in the Hereafter [That Which Is] Good
And among the people is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world,” and he will have in the Hereafter no share: this is a warning to the believer not to be like the disbeliever, who seeks only this world and does not believe in the Hereafter.
Among the Meanings of Patience: Fasting
Among the meanings of patience: fasting!
Untying Psychological and Past Associations
A task I always give my mind: untying psychological and past associations!
Guidance and Good Tidings
In the Quran comes (guidance and good tidings), so what is the secret of this order?
Times When Acts of Obedience Are Forbidden
The times when acts of obedience are forbidden are the examinations of the worshippers and the tests of the lovers: whether they will be patient in postponing the act of obedience until the time is over.
No Envy Except in Two
Why did he pair the owner of wealth with the owner of the Qur'an in envy?
O You Who Are Granted Success
Among the names of the Qur'an mentioned by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi is al-qaṣaṣ (“the stories”), (We relate to you the best of stories) and because one must follow the traces of the Qur'an and its verses and track them like expert trackers, so that one becomes skilled at it (And she said to his sister, “Follow him”)
The Branches of the Relationship with the Quran, and the Degrees of Taking the Book with Strength
By branching out the relationship with the Noble Quran, I mean that one's relationship with it should be manifold, not of a single kind; it is not right for a person to limit himself to recitation alone, or to be content with memorization alone, or with tafsir and understanding alone. Rather, these are kinds that he must take up and whose path he must walk, but gradually. And we will learn how this path goes and what the evidence for it is.
Rational Love
He whose soul has been perfected, his love for things and for people becomes pure of whims, free of emotions.
Putting the Establishing of Prayer Before the Giving of Zakah
Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, put the establishing of prayer before the giving of zakah in the Quran for a purpose:
(Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael – then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers)
Allah the Exalted mentioned Gabriel before Michael (peace be upon them) because of the elevated status of the bearer of the Quran, even if he is an angel! So the bearer of the Quran is put before others in mention because of the elevated status of what has settled in his breast
Reflections on the Words of Allah the Exalted (Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein)
Understanding the Quran is light, and the extent of your understanding of the Quran is the extent to which you act on it.
(And during the night prostrate to Him and exalt Him a long [part of the] night)
As if He is saying: Spend most of the time with Me in exaltation, that is, in prayer, prostration, supplication, seeking forgiveness, speaking, and intimate conversation: "O disciples, speak to Allah more than you speak to people." For this time is His alone, not for yourself, nor for the creation.
Moral Strength Is a Gift from Allah
And every moral strength—patience in all its kinds, steadfastness in times of trial, courage despite being few, and joy and gladness when calamities strike! All of them are gifts from Allah the Exalted and support from Him for the servant, not something of the servant's own making
The Prohibition of Reviling and Insulting Oneself
In it is the safeguarding and protection of the self, even from its own owner, lest he transgress against it with reviling, insults, and harm!
(Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time)
Among Allah's gentleness with His servant is that when He causes his life to die (wealth, health, loneliness, and so on) and then revives it for him anew as healing, provision, and companionship, he feels that nothing has been taken from him — and indeed nothing has been taken from him, because Allah's mending of him is greater and His generosity more abundant.
Put the World Behind Your Back
Put the world behind your back / and say: Allah is the Greatest!
Reflections on the Words of Allah the Exalted (So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And let them not disquiet you who are not certain [in faith])
Tafsir: Allah's promise to you of victory over them is true, with no doubt in it
The Quran and Psychology: Which Outdoes the Other in Changing a Person's Thought and Behavior?
These are reflections and passing thoughts in which I compare the methodology of the Noble Quran with the methodology of psychology in changing a person: in his behavior, in his beliefs, and in his thinking.
The Rope: One of the Names of the Quran
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him) said that among the names of the Quran is "al-Ḥabl (the Rope): ﴿And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together﴾ [Al Imran: 103]; in the tafsir: it is the Quran, and it was named this only because the one who holds fast to it in the matters of his religion is delivered by it from the punishment of the Hereafter and the torment of this world, just as the one who clings to a rope is saved from drowning and perils; and from this the Prophet ﷺ called it a safeguard, saying: ”“This Quran is a safeguard for whoever holds fast to it” “ because it safeguards people from sins."
Reflecting on the Saying of the Exalted {They said, “O our father, why do you not entrust us with Joseph”}
Then, when they had betrayed him, and wanted his second brother, Benjamin, (He said, “Should I entrust you with him except as I entrusted you with his brother before?”)?
Richness Through the Quran
{And He found you lost and guided [you], and He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient}
Reflecting on the Saying of the Exalted (Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky)
Allah likened the Quran to the ṣayyib, the rain.
Reflections on the Words of Allah the Exalted (Even if their plan had been [sufficient] to do away with the mountains)
That whoever is subjected to plotting, scheming, and injustice—this indicates his greatness; because Allah measured it against the mountain, which is the greatest of His creations, and it is proof of the greatness of Muhammad ﷺ.
The Final Episode of Life: Reunion After Separation
And hearts grew calm, and souls were stilled; the sparrows singing out and the nightingales warbling, "and the splendid sun, the sun has risen, and the world is a wedding feast." The sky! Even the sky adorned itself with the colors of the rainbow and put on the hours of the full moon, and the clouds turned away
An Epistle on the Limits of Thoughts / 1
Know — may Allah grant us and you success — that hearts have their earnings and minds have a limit.
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