Sheltering In, Strengthening Connections
04/03/20 • 39 min
In lieu of Friday jummuah khutba, Good Tree Academy convenes online to share weekly reminders. Among the ayah Ustadh Michael Wolfender refers to include:
Surah 27 An-Naml part of the last ayah (with adjustment of pronouns)
Surah 25 Al-Furqaan ayah 1 - 2
End of the last ayah of Surah 17 Al-Israa
Ustadh Michael advises on how everyone impacted by the COVID-19 affects can use this time to become a better person with an attitude of gratitude, to become more righteous, improve character and use good speech. It is a time beckoning humans to turn to Allah, the Qur'an, honor His Prophet peace be upon him and do your best to become better despite pressure and difficulties. Do not give in to stress and worries. Allah is near. He is our Guardian and Caretaker.
Rely on Allah. He is Our Provider. Appreciate His Favors and know that Allah is in charge.
Brother Michael recites from the sixth surah Al-An'am, translated: “All praise is for Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light.” And from Surah Ali ‘Imran (3:185-186): “Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment. You ˹believers˺ will surely be tested in your wealth and yourselves, and you will certainly hear many hurtful words from those who were given the Scripture before you and ˹from˺ the polytheists. But if you are patient and mindful ˹of Allah˺—surely this is a resolve to aspire to.”
The reminder is that this life is a test and truce success is in the hereafter. What are the tests in this life? Of wealth and self. Be patient and be mindful of Allah by perservering in doing good, restraining yourself and being patient in the face of sorrow, defeat and hardship; bear hardship gracefully and be kind to others.
Brother Michael concludes with a story of companion of our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him who was disobedient and his punishment was isolation. In that quarantine, the companion turned to Allah to become more righteous. We too should use this time to improve relationships, connect to the Qur'an and honor the sunnah of our prophet peace be upon him.
Ustadh Ilir Aliji assists in answering questions including: is this virus a blessing or curse? Brother Ilir advises Allah sends punishment to those deserving and the virus is a mercy for those who believe; for instance, believers earn the reward of a martyr. In answering another question, Brother Ilir replies Allah guarantees paradise for all believers
Other questions to watch and learn from include:
What age does one need to be to lead prayer?
How many people are needed to offer Taraweeh prayer?
How many people are needed to offer jummuah prayer?
Will we get the same reward for offering Taraweeh at home as if they were offered at the masjid?
In lieu of Friday jummuah khutba, Good Tree Academy convenes online to share weekly reminders. Among the ayah Ustadh Michael Wolfender refers to include:
Surah 27 An-Naml part of the last ayah (with adjustment of pronouns)
Surah 25 Al-Furqaan ayah 1 - 2
End of the last ayah of Surah 17 Al-Israa
Ustadh Michael advises on how everyone impacted by the COVID-19 affects can use this time to become a better person with an attitude of gratitude, to become more righteous, improve character and use good speech. It is a time beckoning humans to turn to Allah, the Qur'an, honor His Prophet peace be upon him and do your best to become better despite pressure and difficulties. Do not give in to stress and worries. Allah is near. He is our Guardian and Caretaker.
Rely on Allah. He is Our Provider. Appreciate His Favors and know that Allah is in charge.
Brother Michael recites from the sixth surah Al-An'am, translated: “All praise is for Allah Who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light.” And from Surah Ali ‘Imran (3:185-186): “Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment. You ˹believers˺ will surely be tested in your wealth and yourselves, and you will certainly hear many hurtful words from those who were given the Scripture before you and ˹from˺ the polytheists. But if you are patient and mindful ˹of Allah˺—surely this is a resolve to aspire to.”
The reminder is that this life is a test and truce success is in the hereafter. What are the tests in this life? Of wealth and self. Be patient and be mindful of Allah by perservering in doing good, restraining yourself and being patient in the face of sorrow, defeat and hardship; bear hardship gracefully and be kind to others.
Brother Michael concludes with a story of companion of our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him who was disobedient and his punishment was isolation. In that quarantine, the companion turned to Allah to become more righteous. We too should use this time to improve relationships, connect to the Qur'an and honor the sunnah of our prophet peace be upon him.
Ustadh Ilir Aliji assists in answering questions including: is this virus a blessing or curse? Brother Ilir advises Allah sends punishment to those deserving and the virus is a mercy for those who believe; for instance, believers earn the reward of a martyr. In answering another question, Brother Ilir replies Allah guarantees paradise for all believers
Other questions to watch and learn from include:
What age does one need to be to lead prayer?
How many people are needed to offer Taraweeh prayer?
How many people are needed to offer jummuah prayer?
Will we get the same reward for offering Taraweeh at home as if they were offered at the masjid?
Previous Episode
We Need Allah's Forgiveness
Believers have respite in times of duress, understanding this temporary life is a test from Allah and He has provided answers in His Book, the Qur’an. In Surah Al-Anbya (The Prophets 21:87), we learn the famous dua Prophet Yoonas sought from Allah while in the whale:
“And ˹remember˺ when the Man of the Whale stormed off ˹from his city˺ in a rage, thinking We would not restrain him. Then in the ˹veils of˺ darkness he cried out, “There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.”
Ustadh Michael Wolfender reminds this is the dua to ask of Allah in times of distress. Turn back to Allah and ask for His Forgiveness.
Ustadh Michael also reminds of the last two ayah of Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow 2:285-286):
“The Messenger ˹firmly˺ believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They ˹all˺ believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. ˹They proclaim,˺ “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. ˹We seek˺ Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to you ˹alone˺ is the final return.
“Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford. All good will be for its own benefit, and all evil will be to its own loss. ˹The believers pray,˺ “Our Lord! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! Do not place a burden on us like the one you placed on those before us. Our Lord! Do not burden us with what we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our ˹only˺ Guardian. So grant us victory over the disbelieving people.”
These two ayah were among three gifts provided when Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ascended to Heaven, where Allah provided instructions for worship and that for whoever believes in Allah as One and that Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is His final messenger, all of their minor sins will be forgiven.
Brother Michael emphasizes in ayat 285, how believers profess ‘we hear and we obey.’ This is turning back to Allah, indicating we’ve heard His Instruction and given the power of reason He has endowed us with, we decide to obey. Asking Our Master to forgive us is turning back to Allah. We need His Forgiveness as that is the ultimate assistance. Foremost, we need to be forgiven to earn eternal salvation, as the hereafter is most important.
Next Episode
Surah Al-Fatihah (01 The Opener) Recitation, Meaning and Context
Prayer is a conversation with our Creator. So we should understand the Qur’anic Arabic we recite. Study the Qur’an with the mental attitude of a seeker of truth. Recognize that the Lord of the Universe is the Source of All Knowledge. Begin the study of the Qur’an with this prayer to Allah for seeking His Guidance. Al-Fatihah is the prayer from Allah’s servant and the rest of the Qur’an is Allah’s answer.
4th grader Affan recites and shares the meaning of Surah Al-Fatihah. After parts of three surahs were revealed, Allah revealed Surah Al-Fatiha in its entirety. It is recited 17 times in five obligatory prayers. Allah Himself teaches this prayer to mankind as a favor to let us know the format of Prayer which is acceptable to Him. The best thing for a person is to pray for ‘guidance towards the Right Way.’
After Affan’s contribution, Naba from 9th grade and her brother Umar in 4th grade discuss some benefits of Surah Al-Fatihah with Ustadh Michael Wolfender, including how Allah responds to each verse. See more student surah videos at quranconnection.org/learn
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