Be Quranic

TLDR;

Today, on day 67, we explored Ayah 41 of Surat al-Baqarah.

This Ayah urges the Jewish leaders in Medina to believe in the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, as the Qur'an confirms the messages in their own scriptures.

They knew about the final prophet but rejected him due to prejudice.

The Ayah teaches us the importance of not just acquiring knowledge but also putting it into practice.

Let's remember to apply what we learn in our daily lives. Insha'Allah, we'll complete this Ayah tomorrow.

As-salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Welcome back to BeQuranic, where we take short passages from the Quran, extract practical lessons from them, and apply these lessons to our daily lives so that we can be more Quranic.

Insha'Allah, today, on day 67 of BeQuranic, we're going to explore Ayah 41 of Surat al-Baqarah. The Ayah reads: "And believe in what I have revealed that confirms what is with you, and do not be the first to disbelieve in it, and do not trade My Ayah for a cheap price, and towards Me only shall you have taqwa."

This Ayah was revealed to the leaders of the Jewish tribes in Medina, the scholars among the Jews living there. In this Ayah, Allah said to have imaan in what He has revealed, meaning the Qur'an, and also in Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, because the Qur'an wasn't revealed like a book; it was revealed as a recitation, and the one spreading the message, the one teaching them the Qur'an, is Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

So Allah is saying, believe in the Qur'an; by extension, you have to believe in Prophet Muhammad. And this Qur'an, Allah says, it affirms, it confirms what is with you, meaning the message is a continuation; it affirms the message in the Torah, the book that is with you, and it fulfils the prophecy in the Torah about the coming of the final prophet and messenger.

Prophet Musa said about this, Prophet Isa said about this, this message, the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad, is confirming what is with you. And we know that the Jews in Medina, they knew about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Of all places in Arabia, you find Jews during the time of the Prophet only in three locations: Khaybar, Medina, and Yemen. And all these three places are known for one thing: they are known for dates.

And Sayyidina Salman al-Farisi, he was a Zoroastrian who then became a Christian, a Unitarian Christian, who worshipped only Allah, who viewed Prophet Isa as a prophet, not as a son of God, not divine.

He said that his teachers told him that it was foretold in the previous scriptures, the coming of Prophet Muhammad in Arabia, the final prophet will come in Arabia, in a land full of dates. And in Arabia, these are the three places that were known to have plenty of dates.

The Jews, when they left Jerusalem, some of them came to Arabia and settled in Yemen, Khaybar, and Medina, waiting for the final prophet and messenger to come. And what's also interesting is that the father of Sayyidatuna Safiyya Binti Huyai, she is one of the wives of our prophet, and her father, Huyai ibn Akhtab, is one of the leaders of the Jewish tribe in Medina.

When Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم first arrived in Medina, Huyai ibn Akhtab and his brother went to see the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and listened to the khutbah, to the speeches of the Prophet. They came back furious. Sayyidatuna Safiyya related this incident to us. They came back furious, and the brother of Huyai ibn Akhtab, so this is the uncle of Sayyidatuna Safiyya, asked his father, is he the one? Is he the one that we've been waiting for?

Huyay ibn Akhtab said, yes, he is the one, ayu Allah. And the brother asked, so what shall we do? And Huyai ibn Akhtab said, we shall fight him until he dies or we die. So they knew that Prophet Muhammad is the true prophet, the one they have been waiting for.

But the only reason why they rejected Prophet Muhammad is because he's from an inferior race, in their opinion. The Arabs are viewed as inferior to the Jews, so they cannot accept this. So Allah says, this musaddiqalima maakum, this message is not alien to you. You know about this. It affirms what is with you. And do not be the first to reject or to disbelieve in it.

There were people already disbelieving in it, in Makkah. How is it that Allah is now telling them, do not be the first to disbelieve in it? There's a different grading of disbelief. The Quraysh didn't know about books, about prophets; the last prophet sent to them was Prophet Ismail, thousands and thousands of years ago. They didn't have a scripture with them, they didn't have a book with them. So their level of rejection out of ignorance is different from the rejection by the Jews in Medina because they are rejecting with knowledge, not out of ignorance. So the level is different.

In our lives, when we sin out of ignorance, it's a lesser degree of sin compa...

TLDR;

Today, we explore Ayah 40 of Surah Al-Baqarah, which discusses the Israelites. Israel, or Prophet Yaqub, had 12 sons, leading to the 12 tribes of Israel.

Prophet Musa is frequently mentioned in the Quran due to his mission's resemblance to Prophet Muhammad's.

The Quran teaches us about the Israelites to learn from their mistakes.

Ayah 40 reminds the Israelites of the blessings they received, including numerous prophets and scriptures.

The shift from the Israelites to the followers of Prophet Muhammad emphasizes our responsibility to be the best in our personal and community lives, representing our religion and Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with excellence.

We are now on day 66 and we are exploring Ayah number 40 of Surah Al-Baqarah.

This ayah is the first to discuss the Israelites, and this will be a long journey in Surah Al-Baqarah. The largest portion of the Surah talks about the children of Israel. Before we delve deeper into the ayah about Banu Israel, let’s explore the historical figure.

Who is Israel and who are the Banu Israel or the children of Israel? Israel is the nickname of Prophet Yaqub, the son of Prophet Ishaq and the grandson of Prophet Ibrahim, who is known as Abu al-Ambiya, the father of prophets. From Prophet Ibrahim's two sons, you have Prophet Ismail, from whose line comes Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and from Prophet Ishaq's line, you get Prophet Yaqub.

Yaqub's nickname is Israel, which means "servant of God" in Hebrew (isr = servant, il = God). Prophet Yaqub had 12 sons, and from these 12 sons came the 12 tribes of Israel. One of Yaqub's sons was Judah (Yehuda in Hebrew, Yahud in Arabic), from whom the Jews descend. After the Assyrians attacked Palestine and Jerusalem, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained, leading to all Israelites being known as Jews.

The Quran mentions the Israelites the most, and the prophet most mentioned is Prophet Musa. There is a hadith where the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "It's as if the entire Quran is talking about Musa." The mission of Prophet Muhammad resembles that of Prophet Musa, both being spiritual and political leaders, receiving revelations and sharia.

The Israelites are mentioned frequently because of their similarities to the Muslims. Just as the Israelites were the people of the book in their time, Muslims are today. The Quran teaches us about the Israelites not to condemn Jews today, but to learn from their mistakes.

In Ayah 40, Allah says, "O children of Israel, remember the blessings I have bestowed upon you." The Israelites received numerous blessings, including the most prophets and scriptures apart from the Quran, and many miracles.

The preference for the Israelites was due to their role in setting an example of living in harmony with Allah's teachings as a community. However, due to their repeated failures, the preference shifted to the followers of Prophet Muhammad.

The lessons from this ayah for us include remembering our covenant with Allah, fulfilling our responsibilities, and striving to be the best in our personal and community lives, setting an example of morality and trustworthiness.

As the ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, we are chosen to be the best of nations, as mentioned in Surah Ali Imran. This responsibility requires us to represent our religion and Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the best way possible, whether at school, work, or in any aspect of our lives.

TLDR;

Today, we remember Allah saving Prophet Musa from Firaun, making it a day of celebration. However, it's also the day Sayyidina Husayn ibn Ali, the Prophet’s grandson, was martyred in Karbala. While we feel sadness, we balance it with the joy of Ashura as taught by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Ashura teaches us to balance our emotions and understand that victory in the eyes of Allah may differ from worldly views. Prophet Musa's victory and Sayyidina Husayn's martyrdom both show different aspects of divine success.

Keep our brothers and sisters in Palestine in your duas. Pray for their victory and peace, just as Allah granted victory and protection to Musa and his followers.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Today is Tuesday the 10th of Muharram, the day of Ashura, the most important day in the month of Muharram. And the best day in this month for us to fast.

Rasulullah wa alihi wa sallallahu alayhi wa sallallahu alayhi wa sallallahu wa barakatuh. He mentioned that those who fast on the 10th of Muharram, Allah would forgive his past years sin. So if you are fasting today, alhamdulillah, congratulations.

If you're not fasting today, there's another good deed that you can do. There's a hadith, narrated by Imam al -Baihaki. Imam al -Baihaki mentioned that those who spend for their family on this day, they treat their family well, Allah would make his provisions easy for the rest of the year.

So even if you're fasting, take your family somewhere nice, spend some money on them. And if you're not fasting, then all the more, take this opportunity. And Sufyan ibn Uyayina, he said he did that for 50 years and he did not find anything but truth in the statement that he sees that his provisions are made easier for the rest of the year when he spent more on his family on the day of Ashura.

So today is the day that Allah saved Prophet Musa from the tyranny of Firaan. Today is the day that Allah parted the sea for Prophet Musa. So today is the day of celebration. It's a day of joy. But something else happened, 61 years after Hijrah, 61st year of Hijrah on the 10th of Muharram is the day where the grandson of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, Sayyidina Husayn ibn Ali was martyred, he and his family members,

the family of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, were massacred in a place called Karbala. And because of that, some of our Muslim brothers and sisters would turn this day into a day of mourning. What is the correct position with regards to the day of Ashura?

One important thing that we have to remember is that the foundations of our religion were built during the lifetime of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Sharia was completed with the passing of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Allah mentioned in the Quran:

“Today I have completed your religion and I have perfected my blessings, my bounties upon you and I am pleased for Islam to be the religion.”

So this ayah shows the completeness, the perfection of the Sharia.

And the Sharia teaches this. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم told is that today is a day of celebration, today is a day of joy because Allah saved Musa from Fir 'a 'u'll. However, as someone who loves the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, we cannot but love the grandson of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

We love what the Prophet loves. We love what the Prophet tells us to love and Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم loves it. Husayn minni wa anamin Husayn, Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn. Allah loves people who love Husayn and Allah hates people who hate Husayn.

So Sayyid al Husayn is someone that is dear to our heart. Someone that Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم would kiss, someone that Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم would pick up. Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم would allow him and his brothers and his son to play on his back while he was performing salah.

This is the coolness of the ice to our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. How can we not feel sad on the day that he was brutally martyred and his family were massacred? Of course, we feel sad. We feel sad. But that sadness doesn't override the joy of the day of Ashurah that Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم legislated.

We celebrate today because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم celebrated. We are not celebrating today because of the death of Sayyid al Husayn. No, Allahi. We celebrate today because Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم celebrated. But we have that balance of feelings.

Of course, we will have that sadness in our heart because Sayyid al Husayn was massacred. How can we not feel sad? How can we not love the family of the Prophet when loving him is part, loving them is part of the teachings of our religion?

Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم said the Quran and the family of the Prophet al -Bait will not separate until they meet Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم at the howl. There is a very, there is a Sahih Harid mentioning about this. and many hadith m...

Welcome back to Be Quranic. My apologies for being absent for a couple of days. One of my teachers from Egypt, Shaykh Usamah Alazhari, came to Perth. I was honoured with the task of accompanying him and learning from him while he was in town.

1. Insha Allah today we continue our study of Surah al-Baqarah, specifically Ayat 30, which discusses the concept of Khalifa (stewardship), the importance of questioning in Islam, and the problem of evil.
   

Day 20 of Be Quranic focuses on Surah Al-Baqarah's message about the traits of Taqwa: belief in the unseen, prayer, and charity. It emphasises that true faith manifests in actions, particularly in Salah (prayer) and Zakat (charity), nurturing our relationships with Allah and humanity. The essence of our existence, as stated in the Quran, is to worship Allah and serve others, balancing spiritual duties and kindness. Today, let's find ways to strengthen our connection with the divine and spread kindness in our community.