IOK Ramadan 2025: Your Legacy! | Sh Mudassir Mayet

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

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16

Transcript

Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ (21): 10

لَقَدْ أَنزلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلا تَعْقِلُونَ

“Without a doubt, We have sent down a book/revelation to all of you that mentions you and your greatness – if only you understand!”

Allāh gives humanity a direct and bold “offer”. The offer is that: if you believe, obey, and truly understand and internalize the message of Allāh conveyed through The Qurʾān and teachings of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, you will have your dhikr (ذكر) honor, greatness, and legacy stamped into history. A similar āyah alludes to the same point:

Sūrah Al-Zukhruf (43): 43-44

فَاسْتَمْسِكْ بِالَّذِي أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ (٤٣)

وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ (٤٤)

“My Prophet! Hold on tightly to what has been revealed to you (The Qurʾān). You are, without a doubt, on the correct path. It, The Qurʾān, mentions you and your greatness, O Prophet Muḥammad, as well as the status and rank of your people. Soon you will all be asked about this.”

So how and where is ones greatness and legacy in The Qurʾān? For ones legacy and greatness to be mentioned in The Qurʾān, they must believe in it, and submit to Allāh’s commands that come within it. Thus, Allāh says in Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ, “We have sent down a book to you,” and it doesn’t make sense to have a book honor you if you don’t believe in that book. Second is the context of the āyāt of Sūrah Al-Zukhruf, “Hold on tightly to The Qurʾān… (and thus it will) mention you and your greatness.”

It is through Islām, and obedience to Allāh that we achieve this rank. And the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ alludes to this when speaking to the leaders of Quraysh, saying, “هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُعْطِيَّ كلِمَةً إِنْ أَنْتُمْ تَكَلَّمْتُمْ بِهَا مَلَكْتُمْ بِهَا العَرَبَ، ودَانَتْ لَكُمْ بِهَا العَجَمُ؟” or “أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ كلِمَةً وَاحِدَةً تَدِينُ لَهُمْ بِهَا العَرَبُ، وتُؤَدِّي إلَيْهِمُ العَجَمُ الجِزْيَةَ” both of which mean, “If you all give me one statement, not only will all of Arabia will be under your control, but also non-Arab lands!” To which the enemy of Islam, Abū Jahl, responded, “نَعَمْ وأَبِيكَ، وعَشْرَ كَلِمَاتٍ” or “إِنَّ هَذِهِ لَكَلِمَةٌ مُرْبِحَةٌ، لَنُعْطيَنَّكَهَا وَعَشرًا مَعَهَا” both of which mean, “One statement? That will be a very profitable statement! We’ll give you 10 more statements on top of that!” And the Prophet Muḥammad then said that the one statement he’s asking for is, “تَقُوُلونَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وتَخْلَعُونَ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ – Say: ‘Nothing is worthy of worship except The One True God Allāh’ and don’t worship anything but Allāh.”

Through this it is clear that by being Muslim, one will get honor, rank, and status. Let us all reflect on 7th century Arabia. Would the world have ever known the names of Hāshim, ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib, Abū Ṭālib, Abū Lahab, Abū Jahal if it wasn’t for Islam? Would history books mention Quraysh, Yathrib, Aws, and Khazraj? Would the world know the greatness of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, or ʿAli? Would anyone respect the great women who were Khadījah, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthūm, Fāṭimah, or ʿĀʾishah? The greats among the Arabs have been forever remembered as the greatest human beings on earth (after the Prophets) due to their Islam. And even the worst of the Arabs still have their names mentioned by proxy!

If you want to leave the greatest legacy, it is by being the best Muslim. This greatness only comes from Allāh: “وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ – True respect, greatness, and authority is with Allāh, the Messenger, and the believers” and He ﷻ also says, “مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا – Whoever wants true respect, greatness, and authority: know that all respect, greatness, and authority is with and from Allāh!” Allāh ﷻ also says, “إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ – The most noble and honorable people in the sight of Allāh are those who have the most taqwā.” Taqwā is a quality that focuses on an individual being both aware of Allāh, and afraid of His anger and punishment. Taqwā comes from wiqāyah (وقاية) indicating shielding and protection; thus one protects themselves from Allāh’s anger and punishment, and the “shield” that is used is one’s obedience of Allāh, and one’s abandoning of sins.

If you want to leave the greatest legacy and have respect, be the best Muslim!

Note that other scholars consider the use of the word dhikr (ذكر) to mean a reminder, a wake up call, a warning, among other meanings. The leading exegete, Al-Imām Abū Jaʿfar Ibn Jarīr Al-Ṭabarī (raḥimahu Allāh – may God show him compassion), prefers the meaning of sharaf (شرف): greatness, legacy, and status. Granted, he and others focus on the aspect that it is a mention of the greatness of the ʿarabs and Quraysh, but we have expanded that meaning to be a more meaningful and cohesive meaning above.