Day 1 (Juz 1):-

“And remember when you killed a man and fell into dispute among yourselves as to the crime. But Allah brings forth that which you conceal.” [2:72]

The second part of this ayah is particularly striking. Although this incident relates to Bani Israel who unjustly killed a man and then attempted to conceal it, we can extrapolate the lessons behind this verse to our every day lives. Nothing can be hidden from Allah, and the heart overtaken by evil is a heart that cannot be concealed. The above verse begins with past-tense verbs (‘killed’, ‘disputed’ etc), but about Himself, Allah does not speak in the past tense. Instead He says that He is ‘Mukhrij’ (the one who extracts something) – and it’s a noun. Meaning that the lesson is forever. Allah will always bring forth the contents of hearts – whatever they are. All that is concealed in the hearts will appear on the tongues, in character, in opinions, in ambitions, and so on.

So protect your heart. Ask Allah to purify it for you. Work on it day and night, scrubbing at it until it’s polished and then remain vigilant over it. On the Day of judgement, the voiceless of our limbs will be given a voice, but whilst here on this earth, we’ll see our hearts will speak through various avenues – by the Law of Allah, the Mukhrij.

Day 2 (Juz 2):-

“And when it is said to him, “Fear Allah”, he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. So enough for him is Hell, and worst indeed is that place to rest.” [2: 206]

Have you ever checked your heart when someone says these 2 words (‘ittaqillah’ – fear Allah) to you? Do we react with pride or does it humble us? In the verse above, Allah describes a person who goes through the land in mischief and corruption and when someone tries to remind him of Allah, pride swells in his heart and he turns to more evil. Sometimes, we do things that aren’t very far from this. When I was younger, I, at times, used to hear non-religious people mock religious folk, and vice versa. When one group was advised by the other, you could see the pride and anger swell in their heart as they rejected the advice and resorted to name-calling. It was horrible. When someone advises you to remember Allah, be very careful how you react. Even if you’re not fond of the person, humble yourself anyway because the Name of Allah has been mentioned. And besides, whoever reminds you of Allah, is someone who you will probably be thanking on the Day of Judgement.
The righteous people before us would have tears come to their eyes when someone told them ‘ittaqillah’. Because they immediately took the advice and remembered Allah – thus their soul became tender. Nowadays most people are told to fear Allah and their immediate reaction is, ‘You fear Allah!’ We’re so caught up in emotional responses that we forget to give taqdis (sanctity) to the Names and Attributes of Allah that hang in the air so majestically when spoken.

A couple of verses later, Allah says, “O you who believe, enter into Islam completely.” [2: 108]… and part of us doing this, is to detach ourselves from our lowly emotions especially when something greater than us is mentioned.

Day 3 (Juz 3):-

“…And seek not the bad (with intent) to spend thereof (in charity) when you would not take it for yourselves except with closed eyes…” [2: 267]

The point behind giving sadaqah (charity) is not necessarily to just give something away, but rather to give away things we love in order to develop our faith, train our souls upon seeking the Hereafter and the Love of Allah, and detaching it from the desire and frivolities of the Dunya (world). The verse above highlights a practise that unfortunately many of us might do when it comes to charity – we give away things that we would never accept ourselves. Whether it’s old tacky clothes or worthless pennies; we think it’s fine to give it to a poorer person because of their ‘low’ worldly rank. But charity in Islam is never really about the recipient. It’s all about the mutasaddiq (charity-giver) – about his/her growth as a human and a believer, about them attaining humility, about doing things for the sake of Allah, and about letting go. Look at the verse which this Juz 3 ends with: “You will never attain piety until you spend from that what you love…” [3: 92]

So perhaps this is something for us to think about next time we’re giving charity – the harder the pinch, the more noble the sadaqah. If our charity doesn’t mean anything to us, then maybe we’re not really giving charity, maybe we’re just getting rid of burdens and throwing away waste in a convenient manner.

As I type this, I’m reminded of an incident about a righteous Tabi’i called al-Rabi’ who out of piety (fasting and zuhd) didn’t get to eat chicken for more than a month. So one day he says to his wife that he desires some chicken for dinner and she – surprised at his request as he usually didn’t request luxury dishes – quickly began making it. She sent for it to be bought from the market, then cooked and stuffed it, seasoned it, and then brought it to him with some bread. Subhan’Allah, just as he was about to dig in, someone knocked on the door. It was a beggar asking for charity. Al-Rabi’ turned to his wife and told her to wrap the chicken dish up and give it all to the beggar. Now, al-Rabi’ could’ve given the beggar something else, maybe money or another item of food. But because the chicken was something that he himself loved and desired right then, it was a great sadaqah in his eyes because he remembered the Words of Allah… that he wouldn’t attain piety until he spent from what he loved.

Day 4 (Juz 4):-

“These are the verses of Allah. We recite them to you, in truth; and Allah wants no injustice to His creatures.” [3: 108]

Being a truly Merciful Lord, Allah never wishes oppression, wrong-doing, or injustice for anyone or anything. He prohibited oppression for Himself and made it forbidden among us. Every deed we do is for our own benefit, every hukm (ruling) He sent down is for our islah (rectification). He wants to see you prosper and reach lofty levels – in everything that’s good, whether worldly or otherwise. He wants you to be righteous and honoured in this life. He warns you from sin because He doesn’t wish to see you suffer from the inevitable pain that comes after. Pain in the heart, or in the spirit, or physical and mental pain. He sends you His Signs when confusion overtakes you, or pride drives you away from Him. The Knower of the Unseen, He looks out for you and protects you from avenues you have no idea about and from calamities you just can’t see – and on top of that, He commands His Angels with tasks that only bring you more comfort and long-term benefit.

He is a Just Lord Who set up scales of justice in the Hereafter just so that no injustice can be done against a slave. And He is a Loving Lord Who saved 99 parts of His Mercy for that tough Day so that people can have a last chance at entering Paradise if their deeds fall short.

O Allah, turn to us in Mercy and deal with us according to Your Mercy and Beautiful Attributes, and not according to our poor deeds and lowly characters, ameen.

Day 5 (Juz 5):-

“And whoever emigrates (from his home) for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many locations and much abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him – his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.” [4: 100]

Intention really is everything. Whether it’s your home that you’re leaving, or your town or even your country, your intent makes all the difference. What will you face? Who will you meet? How easy will the path be for you? For many of us, we set off every morning, unaware of what lies on our road. We go on trips, not knowing what will come to be. Imagine if every time you set off somewhere, you found great benefit, abundance in rizq (provision), help & support, and ease of circumstance? Well, this verse is guiding us towards the secret behind all that…

Seek Allah in all your journeys. Intend Him, and flee to Him whether in actual hijrah to a Muslim land, or in the hijrah of the heart towards Allah (as discussed by Ibn al-Qayyim), or every time you leave your home for work/school, or when you go on business, or holiday, etc. Leave with the intention of drawing closer to your Lord, and insha’Allah you will find the earth in turn drawing closer to you – opening up its locations and abundance, its goodness and vastness, its riches and joy, and much more. Because the earth is under command to obey those who obey its Lord.