In the Quran, Allah ﷻ presents quite the challenge; 

وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَظَلُومٞ كَفَّارٞ

And He has granted you all that you asked Him for. If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would not be able to enumerate them. Indeed humankind is truly unfair, ˹totally˺ ungrateful. (14:34)

You can never enumerate the blessings Allah ﷻ has given you. In fact, everything you asked for, Allah ﷻ has given it to you! To witness the truth of this verse, I decided to run a “social experiment” in our local youth group. Each child had to write the blessings they had in their lives, then pass the sheet on to the person next to them. Here is part 2 of a list of my observations from this task accompanied with some reflections on what I saw:

Observation 6
 Being teenagers, it didn’t take long before silly items began to make it on the lists such as “Trump” and “Poop”. As the papers were passed round, the few laughs that came spurred more people to write silly things – though from the handwriting, it is clear it was the same few people. 

Video: https://youtu.be/sFvTexrDnbs

App: www.quranclub.org

In the Quran, Allah ﷻ presents quite the challenge; 

وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلۡتُمُوهُۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَظَلُومٞ كَفَّارٞ

And He has granted you all that you asked Him for. If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would not be able to enumerate them. Indeed humankind is truly unfair, ˹totally˺ ungrateful. (14:34)

You can never enumerate the blessings Allah ﷻ has given you. In fact, everything you asked for, Allah ﷻ has given it to you! To witness the truth of this verse, I decided to run a “social experiment” in our local youth group. 

The task was designed to get people thinking about the blessings in their lives, asking them to write the first thing that came to mind by adding time pressure to the task. As the paper moved along, we wanted to see how each person’s list differed as they read other people's comments and the more common blessings had already been ticked off. Here is a list of my observations from this task accompanied with some reflections on what I saw:&

Video: https://youtu.be/a_x6uKbynes

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/quranclub

People have a habit of focussing on the negatives. Bad news sells, both on newspapers and in our lives. Yet Allah ﷻ states in the Quran

وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَآۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ

“If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would never be able to enumerate them. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (16:18).

Our blessings are infinite, yet these never get "reported". Why? This verse points out a number of important considerations:

5 - Thanking Allah ﷻ :

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ

And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’” (14:7),

7 – Ending in Mercy

So take a moment to count your blessings. Bad news sells, but good news is gifted is gifted endlessly each time you are grateful. Count the countless gifts within your life and consciously thank Allah ﷻ for them – you will find yourself overwhelmed by all that He has given you.

Talha Ghannam

www.quranclub.org

Video: https://youtu.be/G-SQmuHaz_A

When teaching, the most effective lessons aren’t spoken, they’re shown. The other day during our Quran Reflection class, I wanted to demonstrate this principle to my students. 

“Today’s verse for reflection is verse 67, Surah Al-Baqarah. Allah says:” 

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُوا۟ بَقَرَةً ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا ۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِٱللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ

“And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "Indeed, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow."” 

Just as I started teaching, I stopped “…but before I begin, can everyone please take a pen and paper out please.” 

Without exception, every one of the students reached for their bags and took out a pen and paper as requested – except for the usual suspects who “forgot their pen”

I continued: “Now, let me ask you a question: why did no one ask what colour pen to take out, or what size book I wanted?” 

Confused, they all look at me with a blank stare. Had they done something wrong? 

“The answer is because my request was clear. You all understood what I meant by pen and paper, and asking any clarification questions would seem silly and even rude. 

“So now, when Musa (as) requests his people to slaughter a cow, do any of you have any ambiguity on what that means? Would you think to ask what colour it is? Or what type of cow it should be? No. If you did, how would that seem?” 

Now the students joined the dots. The lesson we are about to teach becomes clear. They all answered: “Rude. Questioning of authority, Mocking.” 

“Perfect” I said. “Now, let’s begin reading this story, but this time, keep in mind the context we just  painted.” 

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When we teach the Quran, it’s easy to pass over a passage without appreciating the subtleties of its meaning and context. Many of us will have heard or read this story before, but how often do we stop to appreciate the tone and context of the conversation? How often do we recreate the situation to really  understand how the conversation took place?

Surah Al-Baqarah (the cow) is a lengthy surah full of stories, laws and analogies, yet its name is taken from this incident – why? Allah ﷻ wishes to illustrate to us how to approach His commands through an analogy, just like how I taught it to the students. 

There’s more to say, but this time, I want to hear your thoughts. Share with me an example you’ve come across in the Quran which is better taught through demonstration. We would love to hear your thoughts!

Talha Ghannam

www.quranclub.org

Video: https://youtu.be/Jttv34kayug 

Tribulations drain us, overwhelm us, soaking up every ounce of energy within us. In the eye of the storm, it is difficult to see anything other than the chaos and misery that fills our lives. In this time, we find words of comfort within the Quran to help us through.

If Allah has tested you with something, it is because He knows you have the strength to see it through. "God does not burden any soul more than it can bear" (2:286) – these are the final words of the longest surah (chapter) in the Quran. Just like this surah, these difficulties may seem long, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, and a new beginning just round the corner. 

The verse continues with a beautiful supplication written in the first person; Allah gives us the words to see through our difficulties and knowledge of how to supplicate to Him. “Then Adam was inspired with words ˹of prayer˺ by his Lord, so He accepted his repentance.” (2:37). Just as Prophet Adam “received from his Lord words” guiding him through his trial, Allah has honoured you with the words to recite to help you through yours.

رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ

- “Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes”; words drawn from your inner conscience. He knows the difficulties you faced, and has chosen to overlook the slips and errors you made

رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرٗا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ

- “Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us”; as you come to terms with your difficulties, a recognition of all those who have faced worse than you, and a gratitude at what you were given fills your heart . 

رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ 

- “Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear.”;  Your previous statement delicately couples with a recognition of the difficulty in your own trials, knowing they pushed you to the limits. Allah not only affirms it ok to ask for respite, He gives you the very words through which to do so.

وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ

- “Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us”; unlike the mistakes we began with, we know there were times when doubt and sin crept in. We knew it was a test and, at times, we failed. Allah ﷻ knows, and has given you the words through which to ask for His forgiveness. All will be forgiven and forgotten. Ameen.

أَنتَ مَوۡلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ

- “You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers”; this is the essence of our trial, a recognition in the Lordship of Allah ﷻ  , turning to Him and not away from him in our difficulties.

So if your going through a difficult time and you feel there is no end in sight, turn to the end of the longest surah in the Quran. It’s words are gift from Allah ﷻ to help you through, and a reminder that even the longest chapters will come to an end.

Talha Ghannam

www.quranclub.org

Video: https://youtu.be/EdJMkC6LGv4

A friend of mine was once applying for jobs. He sent his CV to 100s of companies, and each time he was rejected, making him feel really upset. He was an intelligent guy and knew he could ace an interview if he was just given a chance. 

One day, he received a letter from one of the top companies in the world – he was being invited for an interview! Thrilled, he prepared all he could and turned up on the day; he smashed it out of the park. The company then invited him for a second interview; again he smashed it! He knew he could do this, and began to feel he had secured the job already. The final interview was with one of the company bosses. It is usually just a formality, checking you get on ok and then offering you the job. He turned up for the interview and he felt it went well. He began picturing himself working at the company, and planning how he would spend all that money.

‘Ring-Ring’

“Hello is that Mr Khan? We’re sorry to tell you, we won’t be proceeding with your application”

He was distraught. He was certain he aced it, but had no idea why they didn’t accept him. Seeking some comfort, he saw the Quran on his shelf. He decided to open it to the first random page and hear Allah’s ﷻ words. He’s sure he will find comfort in them. He lands on Surah Al-Nahl

أَتَىٰ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

God’s decree has come, so do not ask to bring it on sooner. Glory be to Him! He is far above anything they join with Him!

(16:1)

Shivers went down his spine. He felt as though Allah ﷻ was speaking to him directly; He has already ordained which job he would get, so do not rush it!

A few weeks later, my friend interviewed for another job which he managed to secure Alhamdulillah! It was far better, higher paid and much more prestigious. 10 years on, we both look back at the incident; we know this was the best thing for him. Had he got the initial job he wanted, he would never have interviewed for this and would have been much worse off. In his moment of sadness, the Quran spoke to him, comforting him in his difficulty. So in your moments of happiness and sadness, turn to the book of God, and let Him speak directly to you too.

Talha Ghannam

www.quranclub.org

Video: https://youtu.be/tFGqE1S127I

Notice the pause.

Notice where the verse ends.

“Whoever is mindful of Allah ﷻ, He will make a way out for them.”

(Al-Talaq 65:3)

We’re always told to have hope in God. Trust in God. Be conscious of God. Hold onto God in the moments most difficult to you. God will provide a way.

And just like that, in a verse and surah which discusses divorce – the most difficult of personal circumstances – Allah ﷻ commands us to act honourably, promising He will find a better way for us.

Then it ends. Full stop. The verse ends. That chapter of pain is now closed.

“…and provide for them from sources they could never imagine. And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them.”

(Al-Talaq 65:4)

A new breath. A new beginning. The blessings comes.

Things you could have never even have imagined in that moment of difficulty begin to open up for you in the space of a single breath. They surround you from every angle, in ways you could never have imagined.

Yet, you had to wait that moment for it to come. You had to close that chapter of pain in the most beautiful of ways; trust in God and take the high road. Demonstrate your patience in Allah’s ﷻ affairs in the most difficult of moments. You had to change the lenses you see things with to observe His ﷻ new blessings for you which you could not see before. The verse is now complete. That chapter in your life is now closed. Closure has come. Now Allah’s ﷻ blessings can flood in.

Notice the pause.

A single pause between two verses carries an ocean of meaning.

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PS. Thanks for reading this post. Insha'allah it was beneficial for you!

Im experimenting with a new podcast of reflections. Ive written hundreds of these, and thought it would be nice to read them out for people to listen. Let me know if this format works!

PPS. The astute may notice a logo change 👀. Let me know your thoughts on that too!

Talha Ghannam

www.quranclub.org