Where am I in the Qur’an?

My brothers and sisters, Allahﷺ  sent his Kalaam (Word, Speech) so that we would reflect on it and change our lives to make them obedient to Him. In that lies our success both in this life and the next. Allahﷺ said in the Qur’an:

لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

Anbiya 21:10  Indeed, We have sent down for you (O mankind) a Book, (the Qur'an) in which there is Dhikrukum, (your Reminder or an honor for you). Will you not then understand?

We know that Allahﷺ didn’t mention anyone by name. But Allahﷺ mentioned groups of people and their qualities and He mentioned what would happen to people with those qualities. We must ask, ‘Which group do I belong to? Is that good? If not, what must I change in my life to be in the group that will go to Jannah?’ Allahﷺ gave the pen in our hands to write our destiny. We can choose where we want to go. So, choose wisely.

The choice is a no-brainer, but the test is in living the kind of life that will take us to Jannah. For on the Day of Judgment, it is our actions that will speak, not our tongues.

الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

Ya Seen 36: 65. This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn.

An exercise in contemplation for Tazkiyyatun Nafs is to look at our right hand and imagine it speaking. What do we hear it saying? Do we like what we are hearing? If not, what do we want to do about that? Let’s do the same with our left hand and our feet, eyes, ears and whole body. What do we hear each part saying to Allahﷺ about how we used it? This is the way to approach the Qur’an. Literally as a guide to action. And act on it immediately

Allahﷺ mentioned one group and their ending as a metric for us. He said:

إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ

ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَّهُمْ دَرَجَـٰتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ

Anfaal 8:2-4    The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Rabb. ˹They are˺ those who establish prayer and donate from what We have provided for them. It is they who are the true believers. They will have elevated ranks, forgiveness, and an honorable provision from their Rabb.

Five critical characteristics; three internal and two external. A heart that is responsive to Allahﷺ and to His Word. A heart that sees the signs of Allahﷺ in His creation and this increases its faith. And a body that submits in obedience and exerts itself in worship of Allahﷺ and in charity with the intention to please Allahﷺ alone. This is the metric to evaluate ourselves.

Allahﷺ said about the value of a responsive heart on the Day of Judgment:

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

Shua’ara 26:88-89   the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. Only those who come before Allah with a pure heart ˹will be saved˺.”

The single most reliable sign of true feeling is action. Actions are evidence. If I love my spouse, what is the sign of that? If I love my family or friends, what is the evidence of that? If I love my country, what is the evidence of that? If I claim to love reading, I will ask, ‘How many books did you read this year?’ So, if I claim that my heart shivers with the Majesty and Glory of Allahﷺ when I listen the Qur’an and see the signs of my Creator around and within me, what is the evidence of that? Not to show anyone, but to prove it to myself, because a day will come when this evidence will be in my ...