Q30for30_Ramadan2023_JudgmentDayEdition

uran Q 30 30 30 30 & Sh. Ismail Kamdar Dr. Omar Suleiman Judgment Day Edition Ramadan 1444 h.2 Introduction..................... 3 Juz One ............................ 6 Juz Two ............................ 9 Juz Three ....................... 12 Juz Four ......................... 15 Juz Five.......................... 18 Juz Six............................ 21 Juz Seven ....................... 24 Juz Eight ........................ 27 Juz Nine ......................... 30 Juz Ten........................... 33 Juz Eleven ...................... 36 Juz Twelve...................... 39 Juz Thirteen................... 42 Juz Fourteen................... 45 Juz Fifteen...................... 48 Juz Sixteen..................... 51 Juz Seventeen................. 54 Published by Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research 7750 N. MacArthur Blvd Suite 120237, Irving, TX 75063 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.yaqeeninstitute.org Written by Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Ismail Kamdar Design by Jannah Haque Copyright © Yaqeen Institute 2023/1444 h. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Juz Eighteen................... 57 Juz Nineteen................... 60 Juz Twenty ..................... 63 Juz Twenty-One .............. 66 Juz Twenty-Two .............. 69 Juz Twenty-Three............ 72 Juz Twenty-Four ............. 75 Juz Twenty-Five .............. 78 Juz Twenty-Six................ 81 Juz Twenty-Seven............ 84 Juz Twenty-Eight............. 87 Juz Twenty-Nine ............. 90 Juz Thirty ...................... 93 About the Authors .......... 96 About Yaqeen Institute ... 97 Other Books by Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research....... 98 Contents3 In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. الرحيم الرحمن الله بسم ll praise is for Allah, the Absolute, the Perfect. Peace be upon His final messenger Muhammad, and all those who follow the path of guidance until the end of time. Alhamdulillah, the Qur’an 30 for 30 series has become an annual tradition, reaching and benefiting hundreds of thousands of people, in both video and written formats. The success of this series has been beyond our imagination, and we thank Allah every day for using us to serve the religion through these works. The third book in this series has been a unique challenge to write. The central theme of this book is the Last Day. This is a topic that often inspires dread and fear. Finding balance between reminders of hope and fear has been one of our biggest challenges in constructing this compilation, and we hope that we have done justice to this task. Belief in the Last Day is a core tenet of Islamic theology. It is the fifth pillar of faith,1 and one of the central themes of the Qur’an. In early Makkan revelation, it was a central topic that dominated the short chapters revealed during this period. A glimpse at the last five juz of the Qur’an shows that the Day of Judgment is a dominant theme in early revelation and there is a good reason for this. Aisha Bint Abi Bakr  explains the wisdom behind this in the following powerful quotation. Verily, the first verses to be revealed were from the shorter chapters at the end of the Qur’an. In them is mentioned Paradise and Hellfire, until people were firmly established upon Islam and verses of lawful and unlawful were revealed. Introduction4 If the first verse to be revealed was “Do not drink wine,” they would have said, “We will never stop drinking wine.” And if the first verse to be revealed was “Do not commit adultery,” they would have said, “We will never stop committing adultery.” 2 We learn from her expert analysis the wisdom behind this revelation. Humans often need to understand and process the concept of judgment, accountability, reward, and punishment before we are ready to submit to new laws. Allah in His Infinite Wisdom revealed the Qur’an in this way. The early revelation solidified a sense of purpose, judgment, and accountability by focusing on descriptions of the Last Day. These chapters built up an understanding of Divine Reward and Punishment, based on Allah’s Perfect Justice and Mercy, through its descriptions of Paradise and Hell. The result can be seen in the transformation of the first generation of Muslims. They submitted to their Creator with full conviction, and in return Allah granted them victory and made them the stalwarts of this religion. For this nation to return to its ancient glory, we must embrace that which made the first generation so successful. This includes a pure understanding of the six tenets of faith, and a commitment to obeying Allah above everything else. The theme of the Last Day is an important theme to reflect on. It teaches us that life in this world is temporary, and that one day we will be held to account for how we spent our lives. On that day, each of us will answer for our own deeds, and our entire lives will be on display. The early revelation solidified a sense of purpose, judgment, and accountability by focusing on descriptions of the Last Day.5 This may be difficult for many of us to focus on because we try to avoid topics that make us uncomfortable or afraid. But spiritual growth comes from facing uncomfortable realities and understanding them. To fulfill our purpose in life, we must understand the importance of the Last Day, reach a level of yaqeen (conviction) regarding its reality, and live our lives in a way that we are constantly preparing for it. A man asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم about the Day of Judgment, saying, “When will the Hour be?” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “What have you prepared for it?” 3 We hope that this brief collection of Qur’anic reminders helps us all develop a mindset of consciousness. Reflecting on these verses should increase our faith, strengthen our piety, and help us to connect deeper with the word of Allah. We ask Allah to accept this endeavor and to make it a means of guidance for all. We ask Allah to add this to our scale of good deeds on the Last Day and make it a means of forgiveness for our sins. Ameen. Omar Suleiman & Ismail Kamdar Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research Ramadan 1444 h. Belief in the Last Day is a core tenet of Islamic theology. It is the fifth pillar of faith, and one of the central themes of the Qur’an. ENDNOTES 1  The six pillars of faith are belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, The Last Day, and Destiny. 2  Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4993 3  Bukhārī 3688Juz1Juz 1 7 he afterlife is a core theme of the Qur’an. A primary goal of the Qur’anic message is to prepare our hearts for the Last Day. This preparation begins with building a core foundation of faith in our hearts, cementing that faith with good deeds, and living our lives with the afterlife as our priority. Surah al-Fatiha serves as a fundamental reminder of these realities. It is a prayer for guidance that will benefit us in both worlds, and especially on the Last Day. This surah reminds us of three core attributes of Allah related to the Last Day. He is the Rabb (Lord) of all the worlds, those that we see and those that we cannot see. He is Most Merciful, with special mercy reserved for His worshippers on the Last Day. And He is the Master/King of the Day of Judgment, a day on which all of humanity will be held to account for their beliefs and deeds.4 Reciting Surah al-Fatiha in every unit of every daily prayer serves as a constant reminder of the Last Day. One day, we all will stand before the King of the Last Day and be held to account for how we spent our lives. Ibn Masud  reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “The son of Adam will not be dismissed from his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he is questioned about five matters: his life and how he lived it, his youth and how he spent it, his wealth and how he earned it and spent it, and how he acted upon his knowledge.” 5 This focus on the fundamentals of faith flows into Surah al-Baqarah. It begins with a description of the three reactions humans have to the truth: belief, disbelief, or hypocrisy. Those who believe are described as having conviction (yaqeen) in the afterlife.6 Those who disbelieve are given a strong warning about the consequences of rejecting the truth. The hypocrites are given the longest description in this passage. Hypocrisy is associated with the worst outcome on the day of Judgment. Reciting Surah al-Fatiha in every unit of every daily prayer serves as a constant reminder of the Last Day. TJuz 1 8 Hypocrites claim to believe in Islam, yet their hearts are empty of any real faith. They are described as people who sell the afterlife for this world. Hypocrites tend to be obsessed with worldly success and will compromise the fundamentals of their faith to achieve it. To the hypocrite, religion is just another tool for attaining worldly goals. Allah gives a very stern warning to these people in this passage: They are those who have traded misguidance for guidance; but their trade does not profit them, and they are not guided. Their likeness is that of a person who kindled a fire; when it illuminated all around, Allah took away their light, and left them in darkness, unable to see. Deaf, dumb, blind. They will not return.7 This message and warning are repeated later in the same surah. They are those who bought the present life for the hereafter, so the punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be helped.8 Our attitude towards the Day of Judgment begins with our faith. Strong faith leads to certainty and preparation, which will benefit us on that day. Hypocrisy and disbelief both lead to negligence which will be regretted that day. It all begins with one simple choice: to believe with conviction and to commit to living by those beliefs. Humans have three reactions to the truth: belief, disbelief, or hypocrisy. Those who believe are described as people who have conviction (yaqeen) in the afterlife. ENDNOTES 4 Qur’an 1:1–3 5 Tirmidhī 2416 6 Qur’an 2:4 7 Qur’an 2:16–18 Quran8 Qur’an 2:86 30 30Juz210 Juz 2 reparing for the afterlife does not mean ignoring this world. Balance lies in prioritizing the afterlife without neglecting our worldly responsibilities and goals. This concept is highlighted in a comprehensive supplication mentioned in this surah: Among the people is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world,” yet he has no share in the Hereafter. And among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us goodness in this world, and goodness in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.” These will have a share of what they have earned. Allah is swift in reckoning.9 The supplication mentioned in this passage is one of the most popular and important prayers in the Qur’an. It is a reminder to prioritize the afterlife without neglecting this world. The hypocrite is obsessed with this world and has no goals related to the afterlife. The believer finds balance in prioritizing the afterlife without neglecting this world. The supplication is made up of three parts. The first is for goodness in this world, which does not necessarily mean wealth or fame. Worldly success in Islam refers to a good life that is pleasing to Allah. It could be a simple life or a life full of luxury; either way, it is only good if it is pleasing to Allah. Goodness in this supplication includes contentment, piety, inner peace, and happiness. The second part of the supplication is a prayer for goodness in the afterlife, which refers to Paradise. This is the greatest reward and the end goal of every believer. A Muslim must strive for Paradise and prioritize this over everything else. We must be willing to sacrifice the goodness of this world for Paradise if needed. Every one of us is tested with situations in which we must choose between the two. When tested with such choices, the goodness of the afterlife is the obvious choice. P The believer finds balance in prioritizing the afterlife without neglecting the responsibilities and goals of this world.