Quran Talk

Patience 

Happiness is expectations minus reality

Patience is dictated by expectations

[16:1] GOD's command has already been issued (and everything has already been written), so do not rush it.* Be He glorified; the Most High, far above any idols they set up. 

[43:33] If it were not that all the people might become one (disbelieving) congregation, we would have granted everyone who disbelieves in the Most Gracious mansions with silver roofs, and stairs upon which they could climb. 

[10:11] If GOD hastened the retribution incurred by the people, the way they demand provisions, they would have been annihilated long ago. However, we leave those who do not believe in meeting us in their transgressions, blundering.

Things are happening in the background that we cannot see even though from our perspective it looks like nothing is happening

Example of farmer planting seeds

1. Difference between no and not yet

[17:11] The human being often prays for something that may hurt him, thinking that he is praying for something good. The human being is impatient. [17:12] We rendered the night and the day two signs. We made the night dark, and the day lighted, that you may seek provisions from your Lord therein. This also establishes for you a timing system, and the means of calculation. We thus explain everything in detail.

Being deliberate about waiting (patience) not lazy

Waiting vs. doing nothing

How to Spread God's Message

[16:125] You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are the guided ones. [16:126] And if you punish, you shall inflict an equivalent punishment. But if you resort to patience (instead of revenge), it would be better for the patient ones. [16:127] You shall resort to patience—and your patience is attainable only with GOD's help. Do not grieve over them, and do not be annoyed by their schemes. [16:128] GOD is with those who lead a righteous life, and those who are charitable.

Patience as a strategy

[42:39] When gross injustice befalls them, they stand up for their rights. [42:40] Although the just requital for an injustice is an equivalent retribution, those who pardon and maintain righteousness are rewarded by GOD. He does not love the unjust. [42:41] Certainly, those who stand up for their rights, when injustice befalls them, are not committing any error. [42:42] The wrong ones are those who treat the people unjustly, and resort to aggression without provocation. These have incurred a painful retribution. [42:43] Resorting to patience and forgiveness reflects a true strength of character.

Waiters = Servers

While you wait you serve

[28:22] As he traveled towards Midyan, he said, "May my Lord guide me in the right path." [28:23] When he reached Midyan's water, he found a crowd of people watering, and noticed two women waiting on the side. He said, "What is it that you need?" They said, "We are not able to water, until the crowd disperses, and our father is an old man." [28:24] He watered for them, then turned to the shade, saying, "My Lord, whatever provision You send to me, I am in dire need for it." [28:25] Soon, one of the two women approached him, shyly, and said, "My father invites you to pay you for watering for us." When he met him, and told him his story, he said, "Have no fear. You have been saved from the oppressive people." 

Joseph Exonerated

[12:51] (The king) said (to the women), "What do you know about the incident when you tried to seduce Joseph?" They said, "GOD forbid; we did not know of anything evil committed by him." The wife of the governor said, "Now the truth has prevailed. I am the one who tried to seduce him, and he was the truthful one.

Example of Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman 1974 – Rumble in the Jungle

[10:109] Follow what is revealed to you, and be patient until GOD issues His judgment; He is the best judge.

[21:37] The human being is impatient by nature. I will inevitably show you My signs; do not be in such a hurry.

HUMANS FORGET

Example of Joesph in prison

[12:42] He then said to the one to be saved "Remember me at your lord."* Thus, the devil caused him to forget his Lord, and, consequently, he remained in prison a few more years.

Moses and the Teacher

[18:69] He said, "You will find me, GOD willing, patient. I will not disobey any command you give me."

The human being is forgetful

[18:73] He said, "I am sorry. Do not punish me for my forgetfulness; do not be too harsh with me."

[39:8] - When the human being is afflicted, he implores his Lord, sincerely devoted to Him. But as soon as He blesses him, he forgets his previous imploring, sets up idols to rank with GOD and to divert others from His path. Say, "Enjoy your disbelief temporarily; you have incurred the hellfire."

[17:11] The human being often prays for something that may hurt him, thinking that he is praying for something good. The human being is impatient. [17:12] We rendered the night and the day two signs. We made the night dark, and the day lighted, that you may seek provisions from your Lord therein. This also establishes for you a timing system, and the means of calculation. We thus explain everything in detail.

CONSISTENCY

[14:40] "My Lord, make me one who consistently observes the Contact Prayers (Salat), and also my children. Our Lord, please answer my prayers.

[2:238] You shall consistently observe the Contact Prayers, especially the middle prayer, and devote yourselves totally to GOD.

[70:34] They consistently observe their contact prayers (Salat) on time.

What you do every day is more important than what you do every once in a while  

Why do we observe the Contact Prayer or show up to Friday Prayer?

[20:14] "I am GOD; there is no other god beside Me. You shall worship Me alone, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) to remember Me.

[7:46] A barrier separates them, while the Purgatory* is occupied by people who recognize each side by their looks. They will call the dwellers of Paradise: "Peace be upon you." They did not enter (Paradise) through wishful thinking.

The Worst Losers

[57:13] On that day, the hypocrite men and women will say to those who believed, "Please allow us to absorb some of your light." It will be said, "Go back behind you, and seek light." A barrier will be set up between them, whose gate separates mercy on the inner side, from retribution on the outer side. [57:14] They will call upon them, "Were we not with you?" They will answer, "Yes, but you cheated your souls, hesitated, doubted, and became misled by wishful thinking, until GOD's judgment came. You were diverted from GOD by illusions.

[15:2] Certainly, those who disbelieved will wish they were submitters. [15:3] Let them eat, enjoy, and remain blinded by wishful thinking; they will find out.

All Believers Are Redeemed, Regardless of the Name of Their Religion [2:111] Some have said, "No one will enter Paradise except Jews or Christians!" Such is their wishful thinking. Say, "Show us your proof, if you are right.”

Examine Yourself

[18:103] Say, "Shall I tell you who the worst losers are? [18:104] "They are the ones whose works in this life are totally astray, but they think that they are doing good.”

[59:18] O you who believe, you shall reverence GOD, and let every soul examine what it has sent ahead for tomorrow. You shall reverence GOD; GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

EGO

[2:54] Recall that Moses said to his people, "O my people, you have wronged your souls by worshiping the calf. You must repent to your Creator. You shall kill your egos. This is better for you in the sight of your Creator." He did redeem you. He is the Redeemer, Most Merciful.

[12:53] "I do not claim innocence for myself. The self is an advocate of vice, except for those who have attained mercy from my Lord. My Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

DEVIL

[35:6] The devil is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be the dwellers of Hell.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-phelpss-coach-shares-his-secrets-1463089497

The books offers some insights into how. Bowman once stepped on Phelps’ goggles before a race, cracking them, so that they would fill with water and teach him how to race blind. That came in handy when Phelps’ goggles filled with water at the Beijing Games, in a race he won.

1 Samuel:

32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

SOLOMON AND QUEEN OF SHEBA

[27:27] (Solomon) said, "We will see if you told the truth, or if you are a liar.

[27:28] "Take this letter from me, give it to them, then watch for their response."

[27:29] She said, "O my advisers, I have received an honorable letter.

[27:30] "It is from Solomon, and it is, 'In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.'*

[27:31] "Proclaiming: 'Do not be arrogant; come to me as submitters.'"

[27:32] She said, "O my advisers, counsel me in this matter. I am not deciding anything until you advise me."

[27:33] They said, "We possess the power, we possess the fighting skills, and the ultimate command is in your hand. You decide what to do."

[27:34] She said, "The kings corrupt any land they invade, and subjugate its dignified people. This is what they usually do.

[27:35] "I am sending a gift to them; let us see what the messengers come back with."

[27:36] When the hoopoe returned to Solomon (he told him the news), and he responded (to Sheba's people): "Are you giving me money? What GOD has given me is far better than what He has given you. You are the ones to rejoice in such gifts."

[27:37] (To the hoopoe, he said,) "Go back to them (and let them know that) we will come to them with forces they cannot imagine. We will evict them, humiliated and debased."

Joseph Keeps His Brother

[12:70] When he provided them with their provisions, he placed the drinking cup in his brother's bag, then an announcer announced: "The owners of this caravan are thieves."

[12:71] They said, as they came towards them, "What did you lose?"

[12:72] They said, "We lost the king's cup. Anyone who returns it will receive an extra camel-load; I personally guarantee this."

[12:73] They said, "By GOD, you know full well that we did not come here to commit evil, nor are we thieves."

[12:74] They said, "What is the punishment for the thief, if you are liars?"

[12:75] They said, "The punishment, if it is found in his bag, is that the thief belongs to you. We thus punish the guilty."

[12:76] He then started by inspecting their containers, before getting to his brother's container, and he extracted it out of his brother's container. We thus perfected the scheme for Joseph; he could not have kept his brother if he applied the king's law. But that was the will of GOD. We exalt whomever we choose to higher ranks. Above every knowledgeable one, there is one who is even more knowledgeable.

[12:77] They said, "If he stole, so did a brother of his in the past." Joseph concealed his feelings in himself, and did not give them any clue. He said (to himself), "You are really bad. GOD is fully aware of your accusations."

[12:78] They said, “O you noble one, he has a father who is elderly; would you take one of us in his place? We see that you are a kind man."

[12:79] He said, "GOD forbid that we should take other than the one in whose possession we found our goods. Otherwise, we would be unjust."

[12:80] When they despaired of changing his mind, they conferred together. Their eldest said, "Do you realize that your father has taken a solemn pledge from you before GOD? In the past you lost Joseph. I am not leaving this place until my father gives me permission, or until GOD judges for me; He is the best Judge.

[12:81] "Go back to your father and tell him...

THE ONE THING BY GARY KELLER | ANIMATED BOOK REVIEW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnFd34zXbY8&t=219s

Our family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and this has not been much of a topic of conversation until this year as our oldest daughter started preschool where she was exposed for the first time to the excitement other kids felt for all the festivities leading up to December 25th.

For background, the reason we don’t celebrate Christmas is for two reasons.

The first reason is because as followers of the Quran we are not to make distinctions between any of God’s messengers and therefore it is prohibited to celebrate the birth of one of God’s messengers, Jesus, at the exclusion of all the others.

Say, “We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and all the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters.” – Quran 2:136

The second reason is that the Christmas holiday was founded on paganism which is also prohibited in the Quran. This may be controversial to some, but rather than taking my word for it I’ll defer to someone with more credibility amongst the Christian community, Pat Robertson.

Pat Robertson & Christmas

So what were we to do? In one hand, we would be defying the commandments of the Quran if we celebrated Christmas, and in the other hand we would be alienating our child for not being able to experience the excitement that her peers were having.

Therefore, we settled for a third option. We decided that as a family we would celebrate Hanukkah. While Hanukkah is traditionally only celebrated by people of Jewish decent its origins comes from the principle of freedom of religion.

The Story of Hanukkah

In summary, Hanukkah was founded to celebrate the victory of the Maccabees, who were fighting on the side of religious freedom to worship God freely, against Antiochus IV, who wanted to force people to worship his gods. This is a principle anyone can stand for despite the name of their faith, and is a truth that is heavily advocated in the Quran.

There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient. – Quran 2:256 

Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. Do you want to force the people to become believers? – Quran 10:99

O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant. – Quran 49:13

To most people it may seem strange to follow the Quran and celebrate Hanukkah, but do you know which people are addressed the most frequently in the Quran? It is the Children of Israel. In fact, the Quran is replete with the history of the Jewish people.

O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I bestowed upon you, and that I blessed you more than any other people. – Quran 2:47, 2:122

What unites us as believers is the devotion to God alone, and as believers we should put aside our prejudices and cherish the victories that grant us the freedom to worship God freely by the believers who came before us, irrespective of the name of their faith. 

Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. – Quran 2:62 & 5:69

Culture is not something we are born with it is something we adopt. We can’t choose the land we are born, who are parents are, or what we look like, but what we can choose are the decisions we make and the principles we stand by. Hanukkah is founded on a beautiful premise that promotes monotheism and the freedom of religion, and as a follower of the Quran is something that I whole-heartedly adopt as a celebration to have with my family this year and for years to come, God willing.

Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. You shall rule among them in accordance with GOD’s revelations, and do not follow their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you. For each of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny—all of you—then He will inform you of everything you had disputed. – Quran 5:48

May we all be appreciative of the freedoms we have. 

– Salãmun ‘Alaykum (Peace be upon you) & Happy Hanukkah