Daily Times

As a Muslim, we pray five times a day. In each rakat, we ask Allah for hidayah, “O my Lord! Show us a righteous path” in Surah Fatihah. Now the question arises, where we can get that guidance from. The answer lies in “Quran”- a Holy book which Allah Azwajal has gifted us in the Holy month of Ramadan. All of our queries and questions have been addressed by Allah in this magical Book. To know the answers, we have to unpack the book that has been enveloped in a cloth and placed in our shelves for “barakat” (good fortune).

These are the words of Allah SWT. These are the commands of Allah SWT. Inside it, there hidden the rewards for our patience, punishments for our wrongdoings, peace of our minds and all the treasures which a person desires in this world. Most of the people will argue that they read Quran and do Talawat (recitation) every day. But the point is that, does any words of Allah SWT crosses their minds or does any ayah melts their hearts. The answer is “no”. Allah talks about the believers that “when Allah is mentioned, (they) feel a tremor in their hearts….” (Al-Anfal 8:2). These are those people who know the meaning and commands of The Lord and who doesn’t read Quran for good fortune but for guidance.

Reading Quran without knowing the meaning is akin to reading a novel in a foreign language. Let us take an example. Most of the Pakistanis are unaware of French language. Aspirants of CSS are told to opt French language as an optional and only then they would able to qualify the exams. Two case scenarios would happen. First one is that, an aspirant would burn the midnight oil and then learn that language so that he could perform well in the exams. Second one is that; he will fail in the exams as he couldn’t write the answers due to unfamiliarity with the language. All of us here are those aspirants. Allah SWT has sent us a book and ask us to follow the commands if we want a higher post (Paradise) in hereafter. So, if we are oblivious to the commands of Allah, then how come we will able to apply them in our lives? During the time of Prophet PBUH, people would cry reciting the Quran as they know the language, they know that it is Allah Who is addressing them. To know the orders of Allah, we must read and cogitate Quranic verses in our own native language.

Today, we read this Holy Scripture for “sawab” or to get “spiritual peace”; however, never had at once Allah said in Quran that this book is for “Sawab”. Time and again, Allah Azwajal is saying that this Quran is for “Hidayah”, to show us righteous path which we are asking five times a day. The counter narrative of this belief would be that in a book of Hadith (Ibn-e- Maja), it has been written that reading a single word of Quran is equivalent to performing 70 nafal (optional prayers). If it is so, then it would be so easy for a thief, for a murderer or for an adulterer to get Jannah even after doing heinous crime in this world. He would commit the crime and read whole of the Quran and by receiving a plethora of “Sawab”, end up in Paradise. So, what’s the point of good and bad deeds if you can get rewards just by reading Quran? The above narrated hadith was for those who read a single word of Quran, who understands it, who thinks about it and then apply it in his life. For instance, in Surah Fatehah, we are saying “you alone we worship and you alone we ask for help”. Just by memorizing this ayah would not mean earning 1000 deeds. We have to apply this in our life. In any difficulty or calamity, we will then bow to Allah, we will only ask Him and will exhibit patience. This time, expect 100 of Sawab or even more for reading the ayah, understanding it and then applying it in the lives. Same is the case with the whole Quran.

Allah SWT has provided us a great chance to cut off from all worldly affairs and pay attention to His words. This could be done by understanding Quran in our native language. Read it and it will solve mysteries and enlighten our minds. It will bring ease to our miserable lives by promising unimaginable bounties and eternal rewards. “You will say that I have hardly lived few hours in the previous world”. These will be the words of mankind at the day of resurrection. Well! Our stay in this world is temporary and before our soul leaves our body, it is incumbent upon every Muslim to study thoroughly the words of Allah and then apply it in their lives. The sole purpose of writing this article is to apprise Muslims of the importance of understanding Quranic verses and applying these (guidance) in their practical lives. This is the only way to have success in this world and the next eternal world as well.

The writer is a faculty member at the National Officers Academy and can be reached at sahersaleem0@gmail.com