allah – Tarbiyah by Ilm

How does the Qur’an open its doors to us? | Dr Nayef bin Nahar

I randomly came across a Substack note encouraging people to watch a podcast episode with Dr Nayef bin Nahar. While it’s in Arabic, there are English subtitles available (and no, not those awful automated captions set by YouTube.) There were so many incredible reflections on how to approach the Qur’an: from guiding principles to tips on making tadabbur. Here are three gems I want to share:

Qur’an isn’t a book of information: it’s a manhaj to guide you
What I see as very important in dealing with the Quran, to guide your interaction and give you the ability to apply it to your reality, is to see it as a book of methodology, not information. If you approach the Quran seeking information, you might not find what satisfies you. But if you seek to build sound, mature awareness, you will certainly find what you need.

Look at this verse: Allah Almighty says, “And there came from the farthest end of the city a man, running.” (36:20) This man played a very important and dangerous role, He saved a prophet of Allah, yet his name wasn’t mentioned. Why? The Quran wants you to focus on his role. Because this role is required from you too. You must always act in such a role yourself. This man lives under an oppressive, frightening regime. A tyrannical system, Pharaoh’s regime, yet he found a way to act and save this reformer. No matter how blocked the horizon is, look for available spaces to move.

Do not take verses out of context
Let me give an example of somebody who takes part of a Qur’anic verse but leaves the rest. Allah says, ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ “Read in the name of your Lord who created” (96:1)

The word ٱقْرَأْ (“Read”) has been taken out of context in the modern era. People treat it as a verb relating to contemporary reading. Therefore, this expression has become common: “We are the nation of ٱقْرَأْ.” No, we are not. Other nations also read. In fact, some nations might read more than us.

But we are the nation of: “Read in the name of your Lord who created.” We are the nation of divine reading. We are the nation of reading that links the creature to the Creator. It does not view matters in isolation from the Creator who initiated the creation.

But when we extract the verse, under modern pressure in the current era, we end up viewing Qur’anic concepts materialistically. We see reading as a purely physical act. We glorify the subject of reading without finishing the verse: Read in the name of your Lord who created.

So, when I read cosmic phenomena, or read human and social phenomena, my reading must be an extension of reading Revelation. For example, when I read on “material competition” in human society, it is not through the capitalist model, nor through the Marxist model of material competition, but through Surah At-Takathur. The surah gives me the awareness to understand this phenomenon and its cure. By the way, Surah At-Takathur addressed material competition and solved it in this short section. So “Read in the name of your Lord who created it.”

Tips before Ramadan
You find a Muslim who has read the Quran for 20 years. Ask him: “Did you learn the meaning of any word?” A surah you didn’t know, did you learn it? 20 years of reading and you added nothing to your Quranic vocabulary? That’s a problem. So [this] Ramadan must be different. It should be a turning point with the Quran. How? Keep in mind this Ramadan to learn at least 10 Quranic words. When you finish the Quran, you see words you may not fully grasp. Aim to learn 10. Say you pass the verse: “Indeed, We granted you al-Kawthar.” (108:1) What is “al-Kawthar”? Learn it. Collect 10 this year, and 10 words next year. After 10 years, you will have 100 Quranic words. That’s a huge wealth. After 20 years, 200 words. A huge wealth.

Or search for the traits of a believer. Surat Al-Mu’minun mentions some, as does the end of Surat Al-Furqan. Gather these traits, then see which ones you lack. If a believer’s trait is missing, work until you acquire it. In the Qur’an it says, “and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace.” (25:63) But, in reality, what happens is when they address you, you end up fighting. So you have a problem with a trait. Start working to gain this trait, so by next Ramadan you are sure you have these traits.

Being attached to the prayer | Riyadus Saliheen | Sheikh Ibrahim Nuhu

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Seven are (the persons) whom Allah will give protection with His Shade* on the Day when there will be no shade except His Shade (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection)…” [full hadith here]

One of them is “a man whose heart is attached to mosques”. Does it mean we stay in all the time? No. We mix with the community.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The believer who mixes with people and bears their annoyance with patience will have a greater reward than the believer who does not mix with people and does not put up with their annoyance.” [ibn Majah]

In cases of fitna, then stay at home. Other than that, mixing with people is better. Look at the system: when did Allah tell us to stay in the masjid for long periods of time? Ramadan. If done right, I’tikaaf should be enough for you to live on till the next Ramadan.

Plus, this is not necessarily the masjid. But it is that your heart is attached to the prayer. So when you’re done with maghrib, your heart is waiting for isha. The most enjoyable act of worship to you is the prayer. You have to train yourself first. Train yourself to develop khushoo. When you’re done with the prayer, keep the next prayer in your heart.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication (in this state).” [Sahih Muslim]

The prayer is our salvation. The best way out of any tragedy that can take place in life is the prayer. On the Day of Judgement, Allah will ask the angels to check your prayers.

Class: 20th December 2022

Charity to Family | Riyadus Saliheen | Sheikh Ibrahim Nuhu

Prioritise Poor Relations For Charity

Sa`d bin Abu Waqqas رضي الله عنه reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to visit me when I had a severe pain. I said: “I am suffering from such trouble as you are observing. I am a wealthy man and the only heir of mine is my daughter.” (Then Sa`d narrated the whole incident). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Sa’ad started to think that his wealth might be too much for his daughter so he wanted to know if it was permissible to give at least two-thirds of his wealth to charity. The Prophet ﷺ said no.

I (Sa’ad) said: Should I give half (of my property) as Sadaqa? He ﷺ said: No. He (further) said: Give one-third (in charity) and that is quite enough. To leave your heirs rich is better than to leave them poor, begging from people; that you would never incur an expense seeking therewith the pleasure of Allah, but you would be rewarded therefor, even for a morsel of food that you put in the mouth of your wife. I said: Allah’s Messenger. would I survive my companions? He (the Holy Prophet) said: If you survive them, then do such a deed by means of which you seek the pleasure of Allah, but you would increase in your status (in religion) and prestige; you may survive so that people would benefit from you, and others would be harmed by you.” (Full hadith in Sahih Muslim)

This shows us that before we stretch our eyes to others, our family is priority. Most of us think charity to strangers is more valuable than to family members. That’s because you don’t feel like you’ve done something great when you do it for family. Instead you believe you’ll get more reward from strangers. This includes all family members who’s poor. (Why would you give a rich relative?)

The Result of Silatur Raheem

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Giving charity to a poor person is charity, and (giving) to a relative is two things, charity and upholding the ties of kinship.” (Sunan An-Nasai’i)

One of the best outcomes of silatur raheem (maintaining ties of kinship) are:
1. gaining rizq and
2. increasing your life span (according to an opinion) / barakah in your age (according to another opinion) / both an increase in life span and barakah (according to another opinion)

What happens if Allah blesses one’s age? If there’s something you need to accomplish and it’s possible to do in a year, Allah will bestow barakah upon this person and they’ll do it in a month. So even though they didn’t live long, just look at what they’ve left behind! For example: Imam an-Nawawi. Allah put barakah in his knowledge yet he died in his 40s.

Class: 28th Oct ’25

Life of Suhaib Ibn Sinan Al Rumi رضي الله عنه

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Suhaib Ibn Sinan Al Rumi was an Arab boy who grew up amongst the Persians because his father was a governor of a Persian city. However, when he was a child, he was kidnapped by the Romans and sold into slavery for two decades. It was in their company that he began to speak the language of the Byzantian Empire i.e. Greek and he even ended up forgetting his native Arabic.

Life of Khabbab Ibn Al Aratt رضي الله عنه

What I set to accomplish through this series of posts inshaAllah is 1) to be consistent in watching The Firsts series by Omar Suleiman and 2) derive and share lessons that can help us understand the world today (at the moment, specifically in relation to the oppression of the ummah.) I don’t expect these posts to be lengthy as I’m not exactly sharing transcripts of the lectures, so these might end up being brief glimpses of a companion’s life through which we can extrapolate a lesson inshaAllah.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

This week, we are focusing on Khabbab ibn Al Aratt رضي الله عنه. I’d like to start with his background because it adds to the dreariness of what his life might have been even before the torture he endured prior accepting Islam. He was a slave purchased from the marketplace when he wasn’t even a teenager yet, and being a slave in of itself is no success story.