Juz 7

وَكُلُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ حَلَـٰلًۭا طَيِّبًۭا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنتُم بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ ٨٨

“Eat of the good, lawful things provided to you by God. And be mindful of God in Whom you believe.”— Qur’an 5:88

All good things come to us from God. As we embrace His sustenance we should always take a minute to be mindful of Him and grateful for all He has provided for us.

Everyday we have food on our table, a roof over our heads and warmth in our hearts is a day to be happy and to be immensely grateful.

Having food on a regular basis is one of the biggest blessings any of us possesses. For many of us the hunger we experience in Ramadan is the only time we’ll experience hunger in our lives.

When the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) would have food he was always grateful:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) never criticised any food ever. If he liked some food, he would eat it; otherwise, he would leave it (without expressing his dislike).” [Sahih]

Juz 8

۞ وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَحَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ قُبُلًۭا مَّا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَجْهَلُونَ ١١١

“Even if We had sent them the angels, made the dead speak to them, and assembled before their own eyes every sign ˹they demanded˺, they still would not have believed—unless God so willed. But most of them are ignorant ˹of this˺.” — Qur’an 6:111

Some people are so opposed to religion that they will never see truth. Their aim is to argue dogmatically as opposed to seeking truth in this world.

Islam is the quest for truth. Multiple times the Qu’ran implores the reader to enquire and reflect — and not to just dogmatically follow a religion.

Rather, through enquiry, logic and observation one is able to deduce that rationally a greater force must be at play in the universe.

The history of prophecy tells us the nature of God, his attributes and the sacred law he has revealed to us.

To be Muslim is to recognise God, and His prophets while striving to live a life pleasing to God, drawing near to Him and His magnificence.

وَهَـٰذَا صِرَٰطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِيمًۭا ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ١٢٦

“That is your Lord’s Path—perfectly straight. We have already made the signs clear to those who are mindful.” — Qur’an 6:126

Juz 9

قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱصْبِرُوٓا۟ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلْأَرْضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَٱلْعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ١٢٨

“Moses reassured his people, “Seek God’s help and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to God ˹alone˺. He grants it to whoever He chooses of His servants. The ultimate outcome belongs ˹only˺ to the righteous.”” — Quran 7:128

Whenever we are stuck in an endeavour, or looking to improve our situation we should rely on God patiently.

We actively ask Him for help, praying to Him and making sure we’re not committing any sins. Sins veil us from the truth and we may need to expiate for them in this life, if not the next.

After we have called on God, we do everything in our power to help the situation. But we leave the final outcome to Him. Only He decides how it turns out.

Every day in which we have a small victory, or during which things go smoothly we should be thankful that God gave us success in our endeavours.

Anytime things don’t go how we hoped or expected, we endure patiently. It is only in God’s power to provide or withhold “success”. If He has withheld something from Us, then in His divine wisdom we can be sure it was not beneficial for us, and He will provide something better soon.

Juz 10 – Belonging

إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ ١٨

“In fact, the mosques of God are built-up only by those who believe in God and the Last Day and those who establish prayer and pay Zakāh and who fear none but God: such people may hope to be among the rightly guided.” — Qur’an 9:18

Fundamentally humans have physical needs such as food and shelter.

After these needs are met people have emotional needs such as needing to feel loved and to feel a sense of belonging.

Being a part of a community can provide this sense of being, belonging, love and support. Community in general is something soothing to the soul.

The masjid/mosque is the central hub of Muslim community. Providing a space where people come together five times a day in congregational prayer. The mosque also provides space where people can sit to catch-up, console each other and support one another.

A masjid by virtue of it’s nature, is a place where people come sincerely to worship God, those who believe in Him and fear only Him. They seek Him in their prayers and in their actions.

By coming together and surrounding ourselves with like minded God-fearing individuals we can hope to have some of their goodness rub off onto us.

The believers are supporters of one another and through regular close interaction they support each other, not just through the natural love and acceptance that comes with communal friendship, but with kind words of encouragement and through doing righteous actions that inspire and elevate one another.

وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ ٧١

“The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another. They encourage good and forbid evil, establish prayer and pay alms-tax, and obey God and His Messenger. It is they who will be shown God’s mercy. Surely God is Almighty, All-Wise.” — Qur’an 9:71

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ مَثَلُ الْجَلِيسِ الصَّالِحِ وَالْجَلِيسِ السَّوْءِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ، وَكِيرِ الْحَدَّادِ، لاَ يَعْدَمُكَ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الْمِسْكِ إِمَّا تَشْتَرِيهِ، أَوْ تَجِدُ رِيحَهُ، وَكِيرُ الْحَدَّادِ يُحْرِقُ بَدَنَكَ أَوْ ثَوْبَكَ أَوْ تَجِدُ مِنْهُ رِيحًا خَبِيثَةً ‏”

God’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The example of a good companion who sits with you, when compared to a bad companion, is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith’s bellows (or furnace). From the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the blacksmith’s bellows would either burn your body or your clothes, or you would get a bad smell thereof.” [Sahih]

Juz 11 – Hypocrisy Balance & Intentions

وَمِمَّنْ حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَعْرَابِ مُنَـٰفِقُونَ ۖ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ ۖ مَرَدُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنِّفَاقِ لَا تَعْلَمُهُمْ ۖ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ سَنُعَذِّبُهُم مَّرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ عَظِيمٍۢ ١٠١

“Some of the nomads around you ˹believers˺ are hypocrites, as are some of the people of Medina. They have mastered hypocrisy. They are not known to you ˹O Prophet˺; they are known to Us. We will punish them twice ˹in this world˺, then they will be brought back ˹to their Lord˺ for a tremendous punishment.”  — Quran 9:101

In the time of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) there were many hypocrites who would testify to one belief and act upon another. They leveraged this false belief to spread discord and dissent within the Muslim community.

Hypocrites would testify to being Muslim but, in reality, would only care about being seen doing good deeds by other people. Rather than seeking God, they were seeking status and power.

Hypocrites still exist today. The problem with some hypocrites, then as it is now, is that they believe they are doing good and will go to heaven. They never stop to check themselves as they are so enamoured with their own ego.

When it comes down to one’s intention we need to be careful not to conflate the motives behind our actions.

Are we truly doing things because we believe they are the virtuous paths to pleasing God? Or do we do something to impress others?

Do we pray so others look at us and think we’re pious? Do we give in charity so that others see our wealth and are impressed with us? Do we leverage religiosity in the same way that hypocrites in Medina leveraged their religious actions for political power; appearing to be Muslim only so other people would look up to them.

Righteous actions need no worldly validation. They need only to be done sincerely to please God. Only through His acceptance of our actions will we have any reward.

Righteous people are always concerned with their sincerity and seeking to rectify their intention, making sure that no worldly desire has crept inside. They rectify their intentions so that they are only for God, seeking to please Him, most exalted.

Juz 12 – Sustenance and Choice

۞ وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّۭ فِى كِتَـٰبٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ ٦

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًۭا ۗ وَلَئِن قُلْتَ إِنَّكُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱلْمَوْتِ لَيَقُولَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحْرٌۭ مُّبِينٌۭ ٧

“There is no moving creature on earth whose provision is not guaranteed by Allah. And He knows where it lives and where it is laid to rest. All is ˹written˺ in a perfect Record.

He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days—and His Throne was upon the waters—in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And if you ˹O Prophet˺ say, “Surely you will ˹all˺ be raised up after death,” the disbelievers will certainly say, “That is nothing but pure magic!””— Qur’an 11:6-7

We need not worry about our provision, God has already written how He will sustain us and He gives us the means to find our sustenance.

Many options are available to us but only some of these are pleasing to God. We need only worry about the choices we make between the different options laid out for us.

How do we invest our time into doing good deeds?

We know that Allah is our guiding protector, but out of the options He has given us, will we make the right decisions?

Will we choose to do the actions that please Him?

One day we will all be raised back to God, and will present our actions and our choices at each juncture to Him.

Did we spend time chasing money and worrying about our worldly-provisions, that were already guaranteed to us? Or did we invest our time into serving God and helping those around us, trying to effect positive change on the Earth?

Juz 13 – Complain to Allah

قَالَ بَلْ سَوَّلَتْ لَكُمْ أَنفُسُكُمْ أَمْرًۭا ۖ فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌ ۖ عَسَى ٱللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِيَنِى بِهِمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٨٣

وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَٱبْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ ٱلْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌۭ ٨٤

“He cried, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I am left with nothing but˺ beautiful patience! I trust Allah will return them all to me. Surely He ˹alone˺ is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.

He turned away from them, lamenting, “Alas, poor Joseph!” And his eyes turned white out of the grief he suppressed.”— Quran 12:83-84

When Prophet Yaqub (Jacob) lost his most beloved son, Yusuf (Joseph), he grieved until he went blind.

He grieved for what he had lost, and the sadness he felt from this loss. It’s a human response to a terrible tragedy. Grief, loss, sorrow, anguish – these are all human emotions that God created inside of us.

قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أَشْكُوا۟ بَثِّى وَحُزْنِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ٨٦

“He replied, “I complain of my anguish and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know.” — Quran 12:86

Yet in his grief he maintained hope in God. He knew that God doesn’t abandon those who turn to Him.

يَـٰبَنِىَّ ٱذْهَبُوا۟ فَتَحَسَّسُوا۟ مِن يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَا۟يْـَٔسُوا۟ مِن رَّوْحِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يَا۟يْـَٔسُ مِن رَّوْحِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ ٨٧

“O  my sons! Go and search ˹diligently˺ for Joseph and his brother. And do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah, for no one loses hope in Allah’s mercy except those with no faith.”” —Quran 12:87

In our challenging times, when things seem bleak, and there doesn’t appear to be any hope that is when we should most turn back to Allah. He is the all knowing, the all powerful. He is able to help us in any situation and in ways we couldn’t have even imagined…

But sometimes we need to remain patient as He tests us to see that we remain steadfast and devoted to Him in the long run. We continue to rely on Him and trust in His plan.

For Yaqub (Jacob) his wish to be with his deceased son is answered years later. It turns out his son hadn’t died but had been through an ordeal that eventually led him to be governor of Egypt.

In the end they were reunited in peace and sovereignty over Egypt. ❤️

فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ ءَاوَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَقَالَ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مِصْرَ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ءَامِنِينَ ٩٩

وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًۭا ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَـٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّۭا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌۭ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ١٠٠

“When they entered Joseph’s presence, he received his parents ˹graciously˺ and said, “Enter Egypt, Allah willing, in security.”

Then he raised his parents to the throne” — Quran 12:99-100

Juz 14 – Prostration

وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى خَـٰلِقٌۢ بَشَرًۭا مِّن صَلْصَـٰلٍۢ مِّنْ حَمَإٍۢ مَّسْنُونٍۢ ٢٨

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُۥ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ ٢٩

فَسَجَدَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ ٣٠

إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدِينَ ٣١

“˹Remember, O  Prophet˺ when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to create a human being from sounding clay moulded from black mud. So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own ˹creation˺ breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him.”

So the angels prostrated all together — but not Iblîs, who refused to prostrate with the others.” — Qur’an 15:28-31

God created all of us and breathed a soul into everyone of us.

We don’t just exist as material beings, but primarily as a spiritual beings. The difference between a corpse and a living person is night and day, and that difference is the presence of one’s soul.

Before we were born God gathered all the souls together to take an oath, a covenant, that we all recognised Him as our lord, our creator and our sustainer.

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ ١٧٢

“And ˹remember˺ when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and had them testify regarding themselves. ˹God asked,˺ “Am I not your Lord?” They replied, “Yes, You are! We testify.” ˹He cautioned,˺ “Now you have no right to say on Judgment Day, ‘We were not aware of this.’ “

— Qur’an 7:172

After we die our bodies will come to naught, except for our souls — they will live on. We will be asked by God how we served Him — did we honour our covenant, the sacred oath we swore?

Satan, the jinn, didn’t honour God. God asked him to prostrate and he refused. As such he was cast out of heaven.

قَالَ فَٱخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌۭ ٣٤

“Allah commanded, “Then get out of Paradise, for you are truly cursed.”” — Qur’an 15:34

God asks us to prostrate 17 times a day for our 5 daily prayers. How many times has God asked us to prostrate and we have refused?

Satan believed in God, he was talking to Him, but refused to obey Him. When we refuse to worship, or miss a prayer, are we reverting to the ways of Satan? Following the footsteps of the accursed jinn…

Ultimately Satan’s transgression was not disbelief in God, but his disobedience to God.

Islam is not just about believing in God but obeying Him and seeking to worship Him through all of our actions.Share