Why the Quran is not changing us as an Ummah for the better?

We have the Quran, a master plan that use to transform people who live in a barren desert into a great nation that spread justice throughout the globe. But where are we now?

Let’s face it Muslims have lost the reputation that they had during the times of Salahuddin Al Ayoubi, Ertugrul, and Mehmet Fateh. Why, when we have the same Quran instead of being revered we are humiliated. We are not able to do anything for our brothers and sisters in Xing Jiang, Kashmir, Rakhine, and of course our Murrabitun in Palestine.

Why the Quran is not elevating our reputation to be a respected, referred, and revered Ummah? The answer is how we approach the Quran. Of course, there are other factors, such as ignorance of Usul Al-Fiqh, propaganda, and many other factors. 

A simple analogy is when you are given a new vaccine that can make you immune to any disease or future viruses. But instead of injecting it into your body, you rubbed it on your face. But you expect yourself to be immune when not even a single drop made it to your bloodstream.

Similarly, the Quran, which is supposed to be reflected upon did not pass further than our throat. At best it is in our memory. The rightful place of the Quran is in our hearts. 

According to Dr. Haifa Younis, the absence of reflection is why the Quran is why we fail to reap the full benefit of the Quran, which is transformation. 

Reflecting on the Quran

What do we mean by reflection Taddabur? I literally mean to ponder or reflect on the Ayah of a Quran. Just picture 3 people looking at the breathtaking view of a beach. The first person said “what a magnificent view”. The second person, a snorkeler, responded “you haven’t seen anything yet, wait till you get inside the water then you’ll see the real beauty. The third person, a deep-sea explorer, responded with a chuckle, “you haven’t seen anything yet, wait until I take you deep-sea diving.” 

So reflecting (Tadabbur) on the message of the Quran, opens up new frontiers of discovery of understanding about yourself, the people around you, and the universe. The outcome of Tadabbur is in your daily activity, your business meetings, and professional life, you will be reminded of an Ayah of the Quran (If you do Tadabbur on a consistent basis ) Usually, giving answers to a particular problem or challenges that you are facing. 

Regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur, influencer, or billionaire when this happens, you’ll be able to make your decision with conviction. You will be living the Quran, the Quran will be relevant in your life not just something you read to get barakah. 

Broken Receiver

The answer is simple, the problem lies not in the Quran that contains the message but rather in us who is receiving the message. Especially those accomplished CEOs, influencers, and leaders who attain a certain degree of success. They just refuse to accept that the Quran can teach anything about their professional life. 

The problem is not in the signal but in the receiver. We are trying to tune to hundreds of digital TV channels with an analog TV. We expect, just because we read the Quran and superpowers will be transported to our bodies.  

The Effects of Tadabbur

Have you ever witnessed people praying behind an Imam but all of them show different reactions? Sometimes you see one person, crying while listening to what is being recited by the Imam. But the person next to him has no reaction whatsoever. Another person would be restless and you can sort of tell that he is saying “When is this Iman going to say Allahu Akbar”

That is the effect of Tadabbur or the lack of it. It connects you with your creator. How does crying during Salah going to make you better at your do? There are a lot of scientific articles about the positive effects of crying like this Harvard research.

But that is not why you should engage in Tadabbur. It is to connect with the Quran, it is not just a book it is the word of Allah. If you just spend a little effort to reflect on the words of the Quran, it will open a new paradigm in problem-solving, it will give you certainty in times of insecurities, the rewards are too many to mention. 

Have you had a mentor or paid to have somebody mentor you on a particular issue. You can think that the Quran is like your mentor and coach, which will appear when you need advice. At the right time and when you need it the most. When you have a particular problem, all of a sudden you hear an Ayah of the Quran that deals your specific issue. When you are overwhelmed with worry, suddenly you hear the Iman read an Ayah that makes all your worry go away.

I always wonder why some people cry when hearing the Iman reciting the Quran. It is because when you hear and Ayah that make your disappear in an instance. You cry because in that moment, Allah is speaking to you, he sees and understand what you are going through. That is what really makes tears running down your cheek.

You will never be able to experience this, if you don’t understand the Quran in its original language Arabic

So what are the steps that you want to experience the immense benefits from just by reflecting on the words of the Quran?

Humility

When you open the Quran, leave your title and position no matter what your rank is, whether you’re a millionaire or a billionaire. When it comes to the Quran you are just a slave. You might be a professor, but humble yourself when it comes to the Quran. 

Humility might be a difficult concept to grasp, when you’re living a business class lifestyle. It is just that you are doing something solely for the sake of Allah, to obtain his pleasure. Not because it will give a competitive advantage against your rivals (This might be a side benefit but it should not be the goal). 

Read to learn

Stop treating the Quran like a sprint or a marathon where the less time you take to finish it the better. The Quran is the word of Allah, take your time, it will take effort. How you approach the Quran also has to change. Read it to learn. You might be reading the same Ayah over and over again but each time it will trigger different parts of your brain. 

Give a new perspective on an existing problem. So you must approach the Quran as a student with an inquisitive mind. Ask the Question ‘What is the message that a particular Ayah is trying to convey to you, what is it trying to teach you. 

Quran is to be practice

You will be living the Quran, the Quran will be relevant in your life not just something you read to get barakah. Yes, there is huge barakah, healing, and status in reading the Quran but why just enjoy the view of the beach, when you get the treasure in the ocean. 

When it comes to the meaning of the Quran, the scholars are divided into 4 parts when it comes to the meaning. 

• There are parts of the Quran that are very easy to understand.

• Then there is part of the Quran that almost anybody can learn

• Then there is part of the Quran only experience scholars know

And there is part of the Quran only Allah knows.

First, two parts represent 80% of the Quran, and the remaining 20% only scholars and Allah knows. So you have 80% of the Quran to reflect upon.

A different way of looking at Quran

What is the best program or training course that you have taken? How much money you paid for it. The Quran is better than any program that you took, your degree, Masters, PhD etc. Allah is the one who teaches you the Quran and not everybody will have a relationship with the Quran.

You will find that when you want to get close to the Quran, there will be a lot of distraction. Suddenly you have a big project that keeps you busy. Maybe you think it is Barakah. But anything that takes you away from the Quran is Musibah. 

When it comes to having a relationship with the Quran there are 3 kinds of people. 

In the words of Hasan al-Basri رحمه لله said:

“The reciters of the Quran are of three types:

• Those who take it as merchandise with which they ply their trade.

• Those who recite its words but fail to comply with its injunctions, use it to lord over the people of their land and rely on it to ascend to positions of authority. There are many who fall into this category, may Allah make their number small!

• Those who treat the Quran as a cure and apply it to heal the ailments of the hearts. They recite it in their places of devotion and attain tranquility, they weep in their hooded cloaks, and they are overcome with fear and sombreness. It is for their sake that Allah sends down the rain and it is through them that Allah confers victory against the enemy. By Allah, this category is rarer than gold”.

You decide in which category you want to be in. May Allah make everyone that reads this fall into the 3rd category, no matter how impossible it may seem.