SURAH BAQARAH THE COW VERSES 121 130 How do we act upon this knowledge?

Allah tells us those to whom we gave the book, recite it as its right of recitation such believe in it.

What is iman in the Qur an. We all say we believe in the Qur an. We kiss the Qur an, we put it on our highest shelves, we won t keep our backs towards it. What have we made the Qur an today? Magic words. Someone dies, we read the Qur an. Someone has been born, we read the Qur an. Were in trouble, we read the Qur an. We have wazeefas for someone not having a child, we have wazeefas for someone not having a job. Do we read the Qur an for the purpose for which it has been sent? Huda? Do we read it for guidance? Very few of us do. We may not be able to get the right Arabic accept, but at least we should try to read it with the right pronunciation. The Prophet pbuh encouraged us in this and said a person who is skilled in reading the Qur an wll be with the angels and the one who reads the Qur an and struggles with it in difficulty will get twice the reward. So in other words if we have problems in reading the Quran we should go on trying because we get twice the reward. The second right of the Qur an upon us is that we read with understanding. See in the month of Ramadan, people say Oh i have read ten Qur ans and i have read twelve Qur ans and they are just trying to finish the Qur an just reciting it. We need to understand the Qur an. The Qur an is a book of guidance. It s not just Arabic words that we need to memorise. We need to read it with understanding, third we need to contemplate it. How do we contemplate it? We try and analyse the deep meaning of each ayah, each ayah in the Qur an is an ocean of meaning. Fourthly we need to act upon it and finally we need to convey it. The Prophet pbuh once said, and that emphasises the importance of developing a relationship with the Qur an, according to Abdullah bin Amr, the Prophet pbuh once said the reader of the Qur an will be told upon entering heaven, Read and ascend and recite like you used to do in the world because your place in heaven will beat the level of the last words you read. Such are the people who believe in the Qur an Now we can think about our relationship do we come in this category of the believers in the Qur an? Whoever reject sany of these aspects, such people are the true losers. O Children of Israel now Allah concludes the discourse upon sujood remember my favour upon you that I preferred you to the world and fear the Day of Judgment when no person shall help another, nor shall compensation shall be accepted from him, nor shall intercession be of use to him nor shall they be helped. And now we come to the story of Ibrahim. And remember when Ibrahim was tested by his Lord in certain commands and he fulfilled them all. Allah swt simply says bi kalimaatin what are these things in which Ibrahim AS was tested. He was tested in everything a man loves most. When he was a child he was tested by the fact that his father was an idol worshipper. Ibrahim AS adored his father and he

started explaining to his father. His father was so furious with him he threw him out of the house. Then Ibrahim AS had a confrontation with his people when he smashed all the idols and he left the axe hanging on the biggest idol and the people threatened to throw him into the fire. Then he had a confrontation with the king. Now just imagine ourselves in these positions; if we were to take on our father, if we were to take on our clan, our tribe, if we were to take on the ruler of the country. And the kind threw him into the fire and what happened? Allah protected him. Then after that he didn t have a child for many many years. This is Allah s friend and Allah did not grant him a child until he was about 80. When he was finally granted that child, Allah tested him one more time. That leave your wife and child in Makkah which at that time was a barren valley. Again he obeyed Allah without question. We learn from a hadith that he didn t even turn to look back at them. He was leaving his infant son after so many years and his wife in that barren valley. He wasn t a heard hearted person. Allah says Ibrahim was so tender hearted. He was so soft hearted that he pleaded with Allah for the fate of Lut AS s people. For such a man to be told to leave his wife and child in a barren valley. Yet he obeyed without question. When he was reunited with that child at the age of about thirteen or fourteen Allah showed him a dream in which he was sacrificing his son. I sometimes wonder how he must have felt when he woke up as the Prophet s dreams are true. How must he have felt when he realised this was the test now that Allah was testing him with. What happened? He passed all the tests with flying colours. What happened as a result? I will make you a leader for mankind. In other words if we sacrifice anything we love for Allah that doesn t mean that we are deprived on this world. He got the dunya and the hereafter. He was made a leader of mankind. Ibrahim said and of my children. Allah said my covenant does not include the wrongdoers. In other words if any amongst your children turn away from Allah s pact then they will not be automatically forgiven. That if the Prophets children will not be automatically forgiven, where do we come? And remember when we made the house, the kaaba a place of resort for mankind and a sanctuary. Think of the peace you experience when you see the kaaba. Even if you look at a picture of the kaaba that feeling of serenity. And take the place of Ibrahim as a place of prayer. See how Allah honours his loved ones? Ibrahim AS had a stone on which he had his foot when he was building the kaaba. We can still see his footprints imbedded in that stone. Why? A sign of Allah s love for him. And we commanded Ibrahim and Ismail that they should purify my house for those who are going around it or staying or bowing or prostrate themselves. And remember when Ibrahim said My Lord make this city a place of security and provide its people with food such as them that believe in Allah and the last day. Allah answered as for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while then I shall compel him to the torment of the fire and worst indeed is that destination. This is an answer to people who question why do the kaafirs prosper, why do the kaafirs get everything in this world. Allah says the dunya is for the kaafirs and the Muslims but Jannah is only for those who obey Allah. Remember when Ibrahim and Ismail were raising the foundations of the house. Allah is giving us a flashback from the past. Imagine that scene; Ibrahim and Ismail raising the foundations of the house. What love must Allah have felt for them at that time that he has put that moment down in this Qur an preserved forever.

O our Lord, our creator, our nourisher, accept from us. Acceptance is the first thing they are asking for. When we do a good deed we pray for everything else and at the end we say o Allah accept it. Because we automatically assume Allah is going to accept it. They start by praying for acceptance. And what a magnificent acceptance. Think of it ; the kaaba which is like a magnet for all Muslims. People who yearn to give their life spending. They want to give all that they have just so that they see the kaaba. Allah answered his dua. This is how we pray to Allah. Not O Allah if you want you can accept it but i really don t think this is worthy of your acceptance. No pray with certainty in Allah s mercy. You are the all hearer. You can hear our duas. You know what is in our hearts. And o our Lord make us submissive to you. Look at their humility. They are two Prophets, they are building the kaaba and they are not praying with arrogance, they are saying make us submissive to you. Why? Weren t they Muslims before this? That is the meaning of Islam. Keep on guiding us Allah. No man can sit back and say Oh i have done this for Islam, my guidance is assured. We have to keep on praying this dua. Thats why they are praying make us submissive to you and of our offspring a nation that is submissive to you. What do we pray for our children? We pray for their careers, for education. Do we pray for their hereafter? A nation submissive to you. And we Muslims are the answer to Ibrahim AS s dua. Show us the ways of our worship. Look at the humility of their dua. And forgive us. Why are they asking Allah s forgiveness..they are building the kaaba. That means whenever we do any good deed we start by asking Allah to accept it and we conclude by asking Allah to forgive any shortcomings that may be in it. You alone are the one that accepts repentance, the most merciful. Oh Allah send amongst them a messenger from themselves who shall recite to them your verses who shall teach them this book the Qur an and hikmah the sunnah of the Prophet pbuh andpurify them, indeed you are the all mighty the all wise. The Prophet pbuh answered this dua and the four duties of Prophethood that have been described here; recitation of the Qur an, teaching of the Qur an, teaching of wisdom is embodied in the Prophet pbuh s life and purification. You are the All mighty, the all wise. And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim except him who befools himself. When someone makes sacrifices Allah we say what a loser, what a fanatic he s gone mad. Allah says only one who is befooling himself , he s deluding himself, he doesn t value himself , he doesn t think he is important, such a person is turning away from the creed of Ibrahim AS. Because we chose Ibrahim in this world, it wasn t that he gave up the world to please Allah. We chose him in this world of greater import in the hereafter he will be among the righteous. What was so special about him..