Day 6 (Juz 6):-
“…There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace…” [5: 15-16]
Mankind has long sought paths towards peace, but in the process, they have failed time and time again to fill the void within them. Some take up new practises, new religions, new habits, and they travel in search of themselves. Others try to immerse themselves in the Dunya (worldly luxuries) to cement their heart against the cold emptiness that they feel. But try as they may, the truth is: only through Allah can hearts find rest. The light of guidance and the Book of Truth (i.e. the Qur’an and Sunnah) take people by the hand to ease and prosperity and along with seeking the pleasure of Allah, they take the hearts to ways of peace.
And the ways of peace are many dear brothers and sisters, they are in righteous deeds like prayer, fasting, and charity. They are in good thoughts, humility, goodwill, and helping others. They are in actions of the heart and soul as they are in actions of the body. But all the ways of peace, whether known or unknown, lie under the canopy of the sources of peace: the light and clear book which have come from our Lord, al-Salam (The Peace).
Day 7 (Juz 7):-
“And when those who believe in Our verses, come to you, say, “Salamun ‘Alaikum” (peace be upon you). Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy: that if any of you does wrong out of ignorance and then repents after that and corrects himself – indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” [6: 54]
Always give people hope in their Lord. If they come to you, whether for advice, or companionship, or it’s an unplanned meet, let them be met by your peace first. We all err in our lives at one point or another, but twice in this Surah, Allah tells us that He has written Mercy upon Himself. So when that student, or that young boy or girl, or that aunt, or that neighbour, approaches you and their faults become apparent, hold back for a second and think about how often bad actions spring out from ignorance which can be easily removed with a few words of a reminder and soft advice.
I remember when I was in school, there was a particular group of girls who were known for being loud, gossipy, free-mixing and not the best example. The sad thing was though, they were all Muslim. So one day, a couple of us decided to approach them and invite them to some Islamic lectures. At first, they refused loudly, laughed and jeered, but to their credit, they gave it a go and attended the first gathering. Despite the rowdy scene as they entered, I was surprised to see that they kept attending for a few weeks more. A month or so later, I finished praying Dhuhr in the school prayer room, and then realising I was late for class, I began rushing out. Hurriedly putting shoes on and swinging my bag across my shoulder, I rushed out of the room and was about to take off down the corridor when I heard a small quiet voice saying, ‘Salam ‘alaikum sister.’ I honestly didn’t even register at first and began to look around me. It was a sister outside the prayer room. “Is it ‘Asr yet?” she asked. I had to peer closely at her and did a double take as I registered who was speaking. It was one of the sisters from the group of girls I mentioned above. Masha’Allah, she (and later her friends) had made a complete turn in her life – she now wore a simple hijab in place of the wild red hair and biker jacket that she sported and was known for, and she told me that she started praying and had not missed a single salah for the past 2 weeks. In fact, she was so conscious of it, that she was now waiting for ‘Asr to come in when it wasn’t even due for a few more hours!
What happened? The Mercy of Allah happened. She opened her heart to Him, and He guided her to a gathering where she was met with ‘Salamun ‘Alaikum’, and she never looked back since. Many people sin out of ignorance, so give people hope and let them repent and be guided to the Most Merciful Who’s written Mercy upon Himself.
Day 8 (Juz 8):-
“For all, there will be degrees (or ranks) according to what they did. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.” [6: 132]
Every righteous deed we do carries a degree and a ranking in the Sight of Allah. But these ranks are not always known to us. We’ve been told of virtuous deeds in hadiths, but the reality is, we can never truly know the exact ranking that a deed could potentially take us to. People will come on the Day of Judgement and some will be raised to great degrees while others will be lowered more than they thought – and some will be at an equilibrium. A poor person may succeed you in charity, and an illiterate person surpass you in knowledge. A young man who didn’t live long may occupy the high ranks of Allah, while the one we expected to earn lots of reward given their age, may not do so. A deed which doesn’t mean much to you now may have been written in gold for you, and an intention you disregarded aforetime may have cost you the difference between the heavens and the earth.
As the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not belittle any good deed…” [Muslim]
اللهم ارفعنا في الدرجات يوم نلقاك
O Allah raise us in ranks on the Day we meet You, ameen.
Day 9 (Juz 9):-
“And We did not send a Prophet to a town (and they denied him) except that We seized its people with suffering and adversity, in order that they might learn humility (tadharru’).” [7: 94]
The ending of this verse is where the core message to every single one of us lies. Anything that befalls you in life is meant for your own betterment in one way or another. When you are tested, realise that the aim is not to merely hurt you or cause you distress; but it’s there for a much greater purpose. When facing a hardship, adopt the stance of a faqir (poor and needy), and stand in front of Allah in a state of iftiqar – lowering yourself, humbling your very being, and prepare yourself to receive Mercy. Because when you are struggling, you are in need of mercy.
When past nations denied their Prophets and tortured them, or killed them, or drove them out of the land, the punishment of Allah became justified against them. But what is amazing in the above verse, is that even within some of these punishments that came, the purpose was still to return them to humility. Tadharru‘ means to beseech, implore, and entreat Allah in a state of humility – and for many people, these are the keys they need to exit the afflictions and hardship which surround them. If this was the simple request of Allah from the past disbelieving nations, then what about the believer who is being tested not as a punishment but as a way to ascend in rank and gain reward? Yes, a single du’a made in a state of tadhurru’ can lift your affliction whilst lifting you to lofty stations. And adopting a sincere belief and piety opens the skies and splits the earth just so blessings can emerge in your path.
Day 10 (Juz 10):-
“If only they had been content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said, “Allah is enough for us! Allah will soon give us of His bounty, and so will His Messenger. Indeed, we turn to Allah as Raghiboon (imploring, desiring His Face).” [9: 59]
Listen to this verse in Arabic, it’s so beautiful subhan’Allah. If only we all told ourselves ‘Hasbunallah” (Allah is enough for us). If only we told ourselves to be happy with all that comes from Allah, and were content with Him. Because you see, He is enough. And when He is enough for you, then all that comes from Him in this life will become enough for you – it will fill your heart. This is a powerful mindset to adopt because it makes you feel instantly capable and you find yourself embracing many things with a confident spirit.
If only we didn’t look at our share in life with disdain, and instead looked at it with hope, satisfaction, and optimism. It’s fine to hope for better than your current situation – this does not nullify your contentment. Because the verse continues, “Allah will give us of His Bounty”… this is hope and tafaa’ul (optimism), whilst being content. Allah is enough for us in every way. And even though many people have raghbah (desire) of many things, the believer’s truest raghbah is to his Lord. Everything else must come second. For when the battles of the heart begin between the various raghbat (desires) of life, it becomes a matter that can cost you dearly. So it means absolutely everything that we turn our desire and want primarily towards Allah. And by turning to Him, the Dunya (world) turns to us. Rather, it is sent to us.