IOK Ramadan: Qualities Allah Describes The Believers With | Heart To Heart Ep. 9

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Heart To Heart. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

[Episode 1 . 2 . 3 . 4, 5. 6, 7, 8]

Transcription:

Reflections #9: Qualities Allah Describes the Believers With

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. All praise due to Allah (swt), who created us, sustains us, and has blessed us with Islam. All praise due to Allah (swt) who has made us from amongst the ummah of His beloved Prophet Muḥammad (s.a.w.). May Allah (swt) send salutations upon the Prophet (s.a.w.), his companions, his family, and all the prophets before him. And may Allah (swt) protect those of us who choose to tread in their path.

Assalāmu ‘Alaikum Wa Raḥmatullāhi Wa Barakātuh!

In this session, I wanted to discuss verses 2-4 from Sūrah Anfāl where Allah (swt) says, “Certainly, the believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when (the name of) Allah is mentioned; and when His verses are recited to them, it makes them more developed in faith; and in their Lord they place their trust. “(They are) those who establish Ṣalāh and give away from what We have given to them.” Those are the believers in reality. For them there are high ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness, and dignified provision.”

In these verses, Allah (swt) describes a few characteristics of the believers, characteristics that we are supposed to cultivate within ourselves, and perhaps a way of measuring where we are in our relationship with Allah (swt). In verse number 2, Allah (swt) gives three characteristics. Three characteristics that each one of us can use to measure our relationship with our religion.

Allah (swt) says that the believers are those that when Allah (swt) is mentioned to them, then their hearts are filled with awe. Their hearts tremble with awe. And when we talk about having awe of Allah (swt), it is not necessarily just fear. One can even argue it is not about fearing Allah (swt), but rather being humbled about Allah (swt), being humbled by the mere mention of His name. That when Allah (swt) is mentioned, a person’s heart fills with gratitude towards Allah (swt). Humbled at the fact that Allah (swt) has created you and I exclusively for His worship. That Allah (swt) has given us life, Allah (swt) has given us the choice and the ability to worship Him, to live in this world for a greater purpose. That we are not just living our day to day lives and working and fulfilling whatever we need to do to move from one day to the next with no ultimate objective in mind, but rather that Allah (swt) has created us for His worship. And everything that we do is in service of that ultimate objective. We are in awe of the fact that Allah (swt) is so great, and Allah (swt) is perfect.

Allah (swt) is so compassionate, so merciful, so kind, so forgiving that He gives us many chances. Allah (swt) does not immediately take retribution. He does not immediately punish us. That Allah (swt) is always accessible. Allah (swt) is accessible directly to each one of us. That when a person contemplates on the majesty, on the grandeur of Allah (swt), the only response a person’s heart can have is humbleness, is gratitude, is awe about Allah (swt). Contrast to a person who is reminded of Allah (swt), yet their hearts are not moved. Their hearts do not fill with gratitude and humbleness about Allah (swt). It makes no difference when they think of Allah (swt) versus when they do not think of Allah (swt). And that is something that we must do our utmost to stay away from.

We do not want to be in a place spiritually where our hearts are cold, where our hearts are hard. They have become, essentially, difficult for anything other than the pleasures of this world. That a person’s heart does not turn towards Allah (swt). That when Allah is mentioned, or when Allah (swt)’s objectives and His will are mentioned, a person’s mindset does not change. And that is a very uncomfortable and difficult place to be in.

Allah (swt) describes the second characteristic, that the believers are those when the verses of Allah, when the signs of Allah (swt) are recited to them, it increases their Īmān. It develops their Īmān. And this is, again, a measure for each one of us to use. Let’s ask ourselves a very simple question: when I read the Qur’an, does the Qur’an move me? Does it increase in my Īmān? Does it increase me in my closeness to Allah (swt)? Do I feel clarity? Do I feel conviction? Do I feel contentment when I read the promises of Allah (swt)?
When I read the promises of Allah (swt) in terms of reward, in terms of Jannah, in terms of forgiveness and mercy, do I feel comforted by that fact?

When Allah (swt) reminds me of His anger, when Allah (swt) reminds me of His punishment, when Allah (swt) reminds me of the hereafter and reminds me of how each one of us will be held accountable, does that move me? Does that make me fear more? Does that help me curtail my behavior? Does that help me stay away from sin? That is what we would call development of Īmān. That is what we would call developing our relationship with Allah (swt). And if we feel that even when we are reading the Qur’an, engaging the Qur’an, we are not really developing as believers, then that is a very difficult place to be in. That is not a place that we would want to be in. Even for any of us who engage with the Qur’an, perhaps on an intellectual level, we might be researching the Qur’an, writing about the Qur’an, talking about the Qur’an as we are doing right now, and we might think of the Quran as an intellectual exercise, but if it is devoid of any spirituality, if it is not increasing me in my Īmān, if it’s not helping me get closer to Allah (swt), is my approach the correct approach? Am I benefiting from my relationship with the Book of Allah (swt) the way I should be? Or do I just turn to the Book of Allah (swt) to fulfill a job, to fulfill curiosity, to get material for discussions and debates, to show the people the greatness of the Qur’an, but then have myself be disconnected from that greatness.

Allah (swt) describes the third characteristic of the believers as those who depend upon Allah (swt). That it is befitting for an ideal believer who has conviction upon Allah (swt) to rely upon Allah (swt). Because that is the natural result of belief. That when you believe in Allah (swt) and you understand His power and you understand His will, you understand your relationship to Him, you understand who you are and your creator, the natural consequence is that you rely on Him. What is not befitting is to have no reliance upon Allah (swt) or have very weak reliance upon Allah (swt). A natural consequence of our relationship with Allah (swt), when our hearts are attuned to Him, when our hearts are open to His words, is that we trust Him, is that we completely rely upon Him in every facet of our lives.

In verse number 3, Allah (swt) says that the believers are those “who establish the prayer and they spend from that which we have given them”. Because the believer, again, is not just someone who is spiritual, someone who has their heart set on the right way and facing the right direction, but their actions are aligned with that as well. For the believer, the inner and the outer states are in sync, that a person’s heart is turned towards Allah (swt), and their actions are also geared towards attaining the pleasure of Allah (swt). In verse number 4, Allah says “these are the believers in reality. [These are the believers who truly believe.] They have a high ranking by their Lord, forgiveness, and dignified provision.”

May Allah (swt) guide us, give us knowledge that benefits us, and give us all the ability to do what is best. May Allah (swt) protect us all. Assalāmu ‘Alaikum Wa Raḥmatullāhi Wa Barakātuh.

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Welcome To The Best Ramadan Ever!