The priceless value of the Quran is one that cannot sufficiently be expressed in words. It can only truly be understood when a person takes the Quran as a companion and sees the light that it ignites in their heart and their life. Ayah 29 in Surah Saad really affirms the grandeur of the Quran.
“This is a Book which we have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder, and that men of understanding may remember.”
And really this ayah is so profound. The Arabic word ‘mubarak’ in the verse really captures the idea that the Quran is inherently filled with blessings – not merely that the Book contains these blessings within itself, but that its blessings extends to the life and affairs of the one who takes it as a dear companion. It is our key to happiness, for a life brimming with blessings, comfort and ease. So why then do we leave it on our shelves, allowing days to pass before we pick it up? Why have we neglected the single greatest thing that will drive us to happiness and fulfilment both in this life and the hereafter? Why have we neglected the speech of the One we all claim to love so dearly?
Ibn Taymiyyah famously narrates that when a man asked one of the salaf (pious predecessors) how much Quran he should read, the response was “equivalent to the amount of happiness you are looking for.” Are we all not seeking happiness, and happiness in abundance for that matter?
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Our very hands, we hold an incredibly precious piece of treasure. Establishing a relationship with the Quran by listening to it, learning, reciting, memorising and teaching it, striving to understand and ponder over the verses and implementing the verses, serves as a healing for the heart. It fills the heart with a light that is bright enough to overcome any darkness, through the stories narrated in the Quran, we are guided through every single trial that we could ever possibly encounter on this dunya: sorrow, hunger, loss of those we love, sickness, animosity from siblings, the trial of magic – there isn’t a single matter to exist, except that it has been mentioned in the Quran.
And so, turn to it whatever your situation, and you’ll find that there are verses written for you, where Allāh is speaking to you, to take care of you, your heart and situation.
Most importantly, the Quran serves as your greatest key in getting to Jannah – a Garden beneath which rivers flow, where no sorrow, no fatigue, no harm shall ever touch us, a place where happiness is all we’ll know, and where our every wish will undoubtedly be fulfilled; a place where we’ll have the privilege of seeing the beautiful Face of Allāh, and to enjoy the company of those beloved to us, the greatest women, the companions and the Prophets (peace be upon them).
Al-Aajoeri writes in Akhlaaq Hamlat Al-Quran; “And the Quran is a medicine for whomsoever has these qualities in reciting and listening to it. They will be rich without money; powerful without a clan and accompanied where others feel loneliness.”
Our aspirations for Jannah and the ranks we so wish to attain are also directly connected to our efforts with the Quran on this dunya. The more we fill our hearts with the Quran, the greater our chances of attaining a higher rank in Jannah, and who would want to miss the opportunity to be the closest to Allāh in Paradise?
When we all make our journeys across the siraat (a bridge to get to Jannah) on the Day of Judgement, our good deeds will serve as a light and enable us to cross with ease.
As a teacher of mine always says, the Quran is your lantern to light your way when you are commanded to cross the siraat – and the power of its light is entirely in your hands.
If you have no relationship with the Quran, there is no light at all; if you established some sort of relationship with it, the light will be weak, it’ll flicker and you’ll find yourself worrying that the light will go out at any given moment, and that you won’t make it across to enter Jannah.
And if your relationship with the Quran is strong, the light is blinding and you see it to the end of the bridge with ease and make it to the entrance of Jannah. And what an accomplishment that is.
So take the Quran as your companion, make it your greatest project. As Ibn al Qayyīm says: “When you wish to know how much you love Allāh, then observe how much love of the Quran you have in your heart.”
Start today. It’s never too late so long as you have life in you.
Recite a verse, teach it to someone, memorise what is in your capacity, ponder over His beautiful words. It is not only a provision and a light for us on this dunya but in our eternal afterlife too.
