Qur'an Connection by Good Tree Academy

Once a year, the earth is crowded with angels. Allah announces: “That night the angels and the ˹holy˺ spirit descend, by the permission of their Lord, for every ˹decreed˺ matter.” (Al Qadr 97:4 The Power) This night is in the last ten nights of Ramadan and it’s among the ways Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares how we can get close to angels and earn Allah’s Pleasure. 

Jummuah means congregation in Arabic and Fridays are when Muslims meet together for the congregational prayer in the middle of the day. Muslims attending jummuah can earn the rewards of a mountain of gold in blessings as angels take attendance of who comes to jummuah and pay attention to the weekly reminder. 

Angels are made of light and they look for where believers are worshiping so they can join. But if you get distracted, they’ll leave. We can’t see or hear angels here, but everyone entering paradise will. In Surah Ghafir, Allah shows how angels supplicate for believers saying: “Our Lord! Admit them into the Gardens of Eternity which You have promised them, along with the righteous among their parents, spouses, and descendants. You ˹alone˺ are truly the Almighty, All-Wise.” (Al Ghafir 40:8 The Forgiver)

When you make dua or ask of Allah on behalf of others, angels make the same request for you. They listen to our duas and report to Allah all of our actions. 

Back to that one night when Allah crowds the earth with angels. It’s called Laylatul-Qadr or the “Night of Power.” Allah sends a special visitor: the archangel Gabriel, the angel who brought revelation of the Holy Qur’an. Knowing how humans would question how or whether one of their own could see or meet an angel, Allah sent revelation affirming how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did see Jibreel, declaring in Surah Takwir: “I do swear by the receding stars which travel and hide and the night as it falls and the day as it breaks! Indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is the Word of ˹Allah delivered by Gabriel,˺ a noble messenger-angel, full of power, held in honor by the Lord of the Throne, obeyed there ˹in heaven˺, and trustworthy. And your fellow man is not insane. And he did see that ˹angel˺ on the clear horizon” (At-Takwir 81:15 - 23 The Overthrowing) 

Since revelation completed with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Jibreel only visits once a year. Search for Laylatul Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan to be in the company of angels worshiping with you. 

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All of His books Allah revealed in the month of Ramadan, while most Muslims may only consider the Qur’an’s revelation to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  in the cave of Mount Hira. This is among the reasons Ramadan is a special month with increased blessings. Allah closes the doors to the hellfire and opens the doors to paradise. Prayers increase in reward 70-fold. Optional prayers are elevated to the reward of obligatory prayers. Beyond rewards as an incentive, Ramadan is a month to develop and build your relationship with Allah, remembering Him in your heart. Build good values, like patience. 

Principal Wadud Hassan shares the origin story of an early scholar of Islam, his beginnings as a sinner, the death of his daughter and a dream where she helped bring him towards Allah. It’s guidance like this which can help us chart a straight path to understand the value of our short lifetime compared to the Day of Judgment which will last 50,000 years. 

This Ramadan, add to your good deeds by supporting Good Tree Academy to continue our mission of cultivating the next generation of Muslim scholars and leaders. 

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Allah doesn’t expect perfection. He expects to worship only Him, talking to Him in prayer and doing your best. Allah sent us His Book, the Qur’an, beginning its revelation in the month of Ramadan where He commands fasting: “Ramaḍân is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the standard ˹to distinguish between right and wrong˺. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramaḍân˺. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Al-Baqarah 2:185 The Cow)

Ustadh Michael Wolfender provides examples of believers who changed themselves based on their relationship with The Holy Qur’an, the significance of the qibla changing in the month before Ramadan and how Prophet Abraham and his son built the Ka’ba in Mecca. The power of the Qur’an is evidenced in how it changed civilizations, the direction for Musims to pray and turned lives to accept Islam. 

Ramadan is a time to prepare and change yourself to follow the blueprint Allah provides in the Qur’an. Do your best, Ustadh Michael explains, is what Allah is asking for and ask of Him as He says in the ayah following the verse on Ramadan: “When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.”  (Al-Baqarah 2:186 The Cow)

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Allah created all humans as equal. But modern times and history show example after example where humans disobeyed the universal value of treating each other equally. Such racism has ignited wars, spurring sinning behavior Allah detests.

As a means of recognition, society can then single out certain people to ‘honor,’ such as with Black History Month. Ustadh Michael Wolfender explains the conundrum this displays on ensuring we each recognize the value of one another every single day by seeking to better our character. 

The best amongst us only occurs in righteousness. If someone belittles you, respond with peace. Don’t let others lose your inner peace. Allah is with each of us all the time, as He says in Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow 2:186): “When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.”

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Taking care of your soul is as important, if not even more, than taking care of your body. Emotions come from and impact your soul. How do you feel when you're angry? A purpose of anger is protection, not to adversely impact others.
So, as Principal Wadud Hassan advises, the best way to respond to anger is with patience, compassion, and forgiveness. He shares the example of how our prophet Muhammad ﷺ respnded to a bedouin who grabbed the prophet ﷺ by his collar as a means of introduction and attention. Our prophet’s ﷺ response was to turn with a smile to then understand what the bedouin’s need concerned.
We often think of our soul as if it’s within our heart, in our chest. It’s not really an incorrect way of thinking as how you view your heart and your chest is a physical manifestation of your emotional state. Principal Wadud gives the example of the famous dua of Moses (as) which Allah shares in Surah Taha 20:25 - 28 as his prophet asked of Him: “O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness.) And ease my task for me. And untie the knot (the defect) from my tongue (i.e. remove the incorrectness from my speech). That they understand my speech.”

Start feeding your soul by remembering Allah, ask of Him and know that Allah is with those who are patient and mindful of Him. Remembering Allah is actually a form of positive self-talk. Indeed, Allah has built a home for every human in paradise. This life is a test to earn this eternal reward, in part by developing ourselves and our souls with these habits: 

Make wudu - cleaning yourself and asking Allah to wash away your sins and have the body parts you’ve washed shine with light to guide you on the Day of Judgment 
Frequently say “In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficient, The Most Merciful.” Such as when you start, are in the midst of and when you end anything. 
Pray. Worship is our conversation with Our Creator with the effect of calming us from daily distractions. 
Ask of Allah by making lots of dua. Allah loves when His servants ask of him. 
Don’t not talk with someone for three days when you are experiencing conflict with them. Do greet them and resolve to end the issue before 72 hours have passed. 
Shake hands, of course, while observing hygienic protocols. Humans benefit from touch.
Greet others with a greeting of peace. 
End your day ensuring you are not harboring grudges; it’s easiest to do this by forgiving others. 
Read. The first command Allah sent in the revelation of the Qur’an is “Read.” Build a connection with Allah’s Book by starting with a translation of the Qur’an and you will begin to understand the value of learning to understand its Arabic.
Write, whether it’s an email, post, journal or letter. Writing is cognitive and cathartic.

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As a parent looking for an Islamic school, a key criteria to look at is the Quranic curriculum. At Good Tree Academy, the Qur’an’s lessons are integrated into the curriculum, which also means the school does not qualify for state funding. 

If we want treasures from Allah, we must strive for them in the decisions we make, including ardently supporting institutions such as Good Tree Academy. “O humanity! Indeed, you are laboring restlessly towards your Lord, and will ˹eventually˺ meet the consequences..” Surah Inshiqaq (The Sundering) 84:6 

In this week’s khutbah, Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares lessons from the Qur’an on how to benefit from two treasures Allah has revealed. The first are the short surahs at the end of the Qur’an and the lessons they contain, including not to be mean as ultimately this really only hurts yourself. 

“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth.” Surah Tawbah (The Repentance) 9:36

The second treasure are the four sacred months: al-Muharram, Rajab, Du al-Qa'dah, Du al-Hijjah when Allah says we should take advantage of the opportunity to get closer to Allah by increasing our worship, memorizing more and studying the meaning of Allah’s Book. Winners encourage each other to do good. Losers won’t take advantage of the treasures Allah provides. Worse, they prevent others from doing good.

Make good decisions. Seek to please Allah and He will be pleased with you, provide you guidance and rewards in abundance. 

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Brother Wadud Hassan reminds us to hold on to the Qur'an and always turn to it especially in times of need.

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Ustadh Michael wolfender talks about the origin of the popular idea that life on earth happened by chance and states that although this idea is popular, it is the most illogical explanation. He explains how the most logical explanation is that there is a Designer, a Creator of the heavens, the earth and all in between.

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Everyone faces times of difficulty and may think life is not fair. We might look around and see others around us do not have the same responsibilities we have or are not struggling like we may be. Ustadh Michael Wolfender recites the beginning of 90:1-4 Surah Al-Balad (The City) where Allah announces everyone at some time on this earth will face hardship. We are not alone in this test. Allah is the Most Just. He is not unfair to anyone. This is all a part of our test to make us worthy for the great reward of Paradise.

Many believers in the early days of Islam went though severe hardship, but Allah recognized their struggles and took them away as Islam spread and flourished. Allah will send people your way who will recognize what you are going through and help bring relief to you. The test is not to complain, to believe that the ease is surely to come. Sometimes we don’t see that our hardship can be a lot worse and that it is easy compared to what others are going through. Allah gives us examples of others who have suffered greater difficulties than us. With these examples in mind we can move through our hardship towards ease.

That ease is in Allah’s Guidance. Ustadh Michael concludes with the beginning of Surah Taha (20) which has the power to bring believers to the peace of Islam, where Allah advises why He sent His Book and that is it easy for those seeking to understand and please Him.

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We should think of ourselves as a soul with a body instead of a body with a soul. It is in our nature to know who Allah is, to know the truth but sometimes we lose our way. Principal Wadud speaks about what Allah says in 16:125 Surah An-Nahl (The Bee) “Invite all to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord alone knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is rightly guided.” If you know someone who has lost their way or needs to be reminded, do it in a way that lifts them up and does not bring them down. Allah even advised His prophet Musa to do this with Pharaoh, who was most astray as one of the worst human beings. Allah says in 20:44 Surah Taha “Speak to him gently, so perhaps he may be mindful of Me or fearful of My punishment.” 

We only have one life, one chance to do things right. If someone is missing their chance we should not let them be but try to remind them, to offer sincere advice that can bring them back to their best. Offer the advice in the best way. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that our religion is sincere advice. Give advice not to make someone feel bad or make you feel better than them. Give it  because you really want to help them. 

Principal Wadud offers these steps to consider when someone offers a correction or advice: be open and curious; make an intention to consider the feedback; don’t judge what’s being offered and explore ways to benefit from the advice. 

Principal Wadud concludes with a true story showing the rewards of patience which is among the proofs that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the final messenger of God.

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