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We are called to read the Qur’an again and again not because the message of the revelation changes, but because we change. Therefore, the same message interacts differently with our spirits, hearts, and egos depending on where we are on the path of God. As they say, “The beauty of the Qur’an is that you cannot change its message, but its message can completely change you.”
The more faith we cultivate, the deeper we can dive beneath the surface of literalism and find the hidden pearls of divine wisdom.15
This is why we are not called to just read the Qur’an; we are called to “ponder on its signs” (38:29), as only the souls that are willing to take it to heart can actualize the essence of its deeper meaning.
“We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there anyone who will remember?” (54:17)
the voice of the Qur’an stays timelessly consistent in a language that is both majestic and profound.
its words did not just change the hearts of people spiritually—the Qur’an confronted every aspect of how people lived their lives.
it shows us how to transform our judgments into opportunities for greater understanding and connection.
The Qur’an does not just lead us, it liberates us from the grips of the ego. It does not just guide us; it helps us grow past the shells of our limiting beliefs. It does not just confront us; it consoles us with God’s infinite mercy.
It is a protection for the one who clings to it and a rescue for the one who follows it.
light of the Qur’an and the remembrance of God come together to create a spiritual atmosphere around our souls, protecting us from constant attacks of sin and forgetfulness.38
On the darkest nights of our souls, the Qur’an is a faithful companion with embracing arms. For every feeling we are experiencing, the Qur’an has a soothing verse, and for every pain we carry it has a timeless remedy.
God’s words are a source of medicine for the broken heart seeking to be whole again, truth for the confused heart seeking clarity and certainty, and guidance for the lost and straying heart seeking to be found.
We are called to be a mercy to all the creations of God,
It is not how much of the Qur’an we read or memorize, but how much of it we internalize that makes a difference.
Qur’an was not sent to passively inform our minds; rather, it was sent to actively transform our hearts.
“Oh Allah, through Your generosity please open the doors of my heart and help me understand the wisdom of the Qur’an. Oh Allah, allow me to only receive from this verse the knowledge that would benefit me and bring me closer to You.”
The recitation of the Qur’an in Arabic has a resonance with the power to awaken and inspire the hearts of those who intentionally listen.
Qur’an does not just speak to our relationship with God; it also guides and counsels us in our relationship with all that God created.
“Do what is good as God has done what is good to you.”
He is asking us to plug into God-consciousness as a way of recharging the battery of our own souls.
Islam is a journey of unveiling the secret that God is and has always been with us.
We may not be able to perceive God directly, but He is reflected in everything.
This primordial nature of goodness, placed in our hearts, inclines us toward actions that are righteous, beautiful, and in perfect alignment with the Divine.
The shari’a is like a flashlight—meant to guide us through the darkness of confusion and uncertainty unto the straight path.
To surrender is not to give up, give in, or to lose; rather it means being with what Allah has written for you by embracing, in faith, gratitude, and with complete trust, that “Allah is the best of planners” (3:54).
Submission to Allah begins with acknowledgement that every moment we have been given is a gift from Allah that we can neither ignore nor change.
The Prophet said, “Trust in Allah, but tie your camel,”6 which means we are called to always trust in God, but we must still use our common sense; we must still struggle with our entire souls for the sake of establishing peace on Earth.
Surrendering to Allah does not mean we stop trying; it means we stop thinking we can control the outcome of the choices that we make. By surrendering, we let go of how we think things should be, and become flexible, to move with the breeze of Allah’s decree.
we surrender to God we change the flow of intention and energy behind our actions.
the awareness that we feel resistance to surrendering is a blessing, because it brings our attention to the places within us where we struggle to rely on God.
awareness opens the door to repentance and remembrance of God, offering us the opportunity to turn from self-reliance to God-reliance.
Iman is the state of allowing God’s love to open our hearts to the light that streams between every word of scripture, the way the petals of a spring flower open to the warm sun.
Iman is having faith in the unseen and trusting that God always has our best interests at heart.
Faith is about tawakul, or sincere trust that whatever Allah chooses for us to experience, be it a blessing or a trial, is ultimately in service of our deeper witnessing of Him.
Some make the mistake of thinking faith is a feeling, when in fact in many ways it is a choice to be open to what Allah has already given us.
faith is having the trust and patience to hold on to your relationship with God through the changing winds of your feelings and circumstances.
Patience and true reliance on Allah lead to gratefulness, because when we understand that God always wants better for us than we could ever imagine for ourselves we are naturally inclined toward being grateful.
To have iman is to believe that although the future is unknown, our God is known and forever faithful.
To have faith is to proclaim that although we don’t know what tomorrow will hold, we know that God is already there, e...
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“guides to Himself whoever turns to Him” (42:13).
cultivation of faith begins with praying to God to open our hearts to experience His love.
We find it difficult to trust in God because we are relying on ourselves instead of on God.
I have Him with me. So why bother?
Faith automatically blossoms when we remove the walls of the ego, because faith is not something we find, but something that blossoms from the inside.
Iman fosters within us as we begin to trust God with the depths of our hearts.
iman is not acquired through robotic submission, but rather it is fostered when we sincerely believe and obey God from the depths of our hearts.
as long as you are alive your faith will have peaks and valleys.
If your faith were never-changing and constant, then you would have no reason to call upon God.
Faith is not something we can put in a bank and lock up. It is not stagnant; it is something that is alive and constantly flowing like a river.
two rules on the path to God: begin and continue.
So long as we are on Earth, there is no finish line that we can reach where we can stop trying or striving toward growth.
