Ramadan Day 1 -- Qur'an is Guidance for the Believers

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

A person can survive only a few days without water. In hot conditions with no water, dehydration can set in within an hour. A baby locked in a hot car or someone who is physically overexerted in the heat without replacing fluids can actually die in a period of several hours. Once the body is deprived of fluids the cells and organs in the body begin to deteriorate. The presence of water in the body could mean the difference between life and death. This is because every organ in the body needs water to continue living. The survival of the kidney, and heart, and the purity of the blood depend on the adequate intake of water.

Humans need water to live, plain and simple. You can't say, "I already had water yesterday, I have no need for it today." Your thirst doesn't let you go. Every few hours, you have to drink again whether it is water or some fruit that has liquid in it.

When Allah describes our relationship with the Qur'an, He always compares it to water. There is a close relationship that you have with water and that you have with the Qur'an. Every few hours you have to fill the thirst of your hearts or it will eventually die. And that water of revelation is the Qur'an itself. Every few hours we stand before Allah in prayers and say "ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَ‌ٰ‌طَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ( Guide us to the straight path - Qur'an, Al-Fatihah 1:5]", we are quenching our thirsty heart with the guidance in the Qur'an.

However, to receive that guidance, you have to come to the Qur'an with no doubt at all that Qur'an is the Speech of Allah. When people are not motivated to follow the words of Allah or when they are not taking the commands of Allah seriously, it is usually because they have doubts. We have to convince ourselves about the miraculous power of the Qur'an and why it can only be the words of Allah. So when you ask for guidance, and then when the guidance come, you will follow it.

Doubt is removed when you see a miracle. The miracles inside the Qur'an are not for the eyes, like the parting of sea with a staff (the miracle given to Prophet Musa) or bringing to life a clay bird (the miracle given to Prophet Isa). Those miracles, even if someone wasn't a follower of Musa or Isa (peace be upon them), would see them if they were there. But those miracles died after that generation of believers of Musa and Isa and they have become just a story.

The miracle of the Qur'an is for the ears and it is not for every ear. There are people who hate Islam before and after they read it, they hate Islam more, and there are people who are skeptical about Islam before and after they read a translation, they become more skeptical.

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُ‌ونَ ٱلْقُرْ‌ءَانَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ‌ ٱللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا۟ فِيهِ ٱخْتِلَـٰفًا كَثِيرً‌ۭا ﴿٨٢

Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction.

[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:82]

Allah decided that the miracle of the Last Message is no longer free. Not everybody who glances at it can see the miracle. The only way you will find the miracle if you come looking for it, reflect in it, ponder it, and dive into it really deep. And then it will become clear that the Qur'an is only from God. If you give it a shallow look, it will give you nothing.

كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَـٰرَ‌كٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُ‌وٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ‌ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ﴿٢٩

[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded. (29)

[Qur'an, Saad 38:29]

Qur'an, not only has the power to guide you, it is actually actively guiding you. Qur'an is a living experience for the believers. There are miracles of guidance in the Qur'an that only you will experience and nobody can explain it to you. You could be in a state of difficulty, and when you open Allah's book and read some page and the ayah in it, it is going to have exactly the answer to your problem. This is a personal gift of guidance from Allah to you. When the generation of the Companions had a problem, Angel Jibril (peace be upon him) brought down revelation to them through Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). But for us, the entire 23 years of revelation is with us. It will always give us guidance as though it is just being brought down to us.

الٓمٓ ﴿١﴾ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَ‌يْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَو‌ٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَ‌زَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٣

Alif Laam Meem. (1) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - (2)

[Qur'an, A-Baqarah 2:1-2]

If you want to lead a careful life, a life pleasing to Allah, there is no way Allah is going to give you misguidance. There is no way Allah will not give you guidance if you want guidance. If you turn to Allah, there is no doubt His Book will absolutely guide. The Qur'an is the one place of counsel that will not let you down.

May Allah grant us 'afiya. May Allah guide us on the straight path and not leave us even for a blinking of an eye. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.

Wassalaam