Intro to Thematic Overview

Introduction

  • Quran Studies is an ocean
  • Not sure where to begin
  • This course will organize our study
  • We will take it step by step
  • We will be getting an overview of the Quran
  • The major milestones and areas of the Quran
  • Like a map of a building and focusing on the pillars first
  • You know each room is being held up by pillars
  • Select passages of the Quran
  • This program is called Quran a Thematic Overview
  • This base and overview will put our Quran Journey in perspective
  • There is so much going on within a surah just like a city
  • Everything is working with each other inside a surah, like a city
  • Each surah and city has a unique identity
  • NYC and Queens
  • Dallas and further out
  • There are common elements within the environment of a surah and city

6 steps of this Thematic Overview

  1. Surah Al Asr and Overview of the Quran
    1. The summary of the entire Quran
    2. The minimum requirement of a Muslim
      1. How not to fail? Just to pass
    3. Relationship between Surah Al Asr and other passages in Quran
    4. Everybody is failing and drowning in loss
    5. Except those who accomplish four things
    6. The entire Quran come back to any of these four things
    7. Includes other passages in the Quran
  2. Belief
    1. First action to pass and not be in loss
    2. Prayer, Charity, Righteous people
    3. 3 types of believe
      1. Faith
      2. Message
        1. Angels
        2. Books
        3. Messengers
      3. Afterlife
    4. Good Deeds
      1. Second action to pass and not be in loss
      2. The scope of good deeds
    5. Counseling Truthfully
      1. Third action to pass and not be in loss
      2. How to do it
      3. Looking into prophet’s life
      4. Looking to some passages in Quran
    6. Counseling Patiently
      1. Fourth action to pass and not be in loss
    7. Surah Al Hadid
      1. Conclusion of the Quran
      2. Refreshes your imaan
      3. Surah al Asr is the seed
      4. Surah Al Hadid is the flower that blooms from it
      5. Going back to the basics
      6. It ties everything in
      7. A good review

Surah Al Asr

  • There are 3 ayat in this surah
  • These 3 ayat are one sentence
  • By the passage of Time! Verily man is in loss except for those who believe, do good deeds, counsel each truthfully, and counsel each other patiently

Why Allah swears

  1. When He is angry
  2. When He is not being believed
    1. People are not taking it seriously
  3. To testify to something
  4. To get your attention
    1. Time itself gives you a sense of urgency
  5. To give you evidence and describe a witness
    1. Time is the greatest witness that we are in loss
    2. Time has seen over and over again humans being in loss
    3. Time is an old witness
    4. Time has seen humans play the drama of their life
    5. You ask time how are we doing
    6. Time says humans are in loss
    7. Just visit a graveyard
    8. Some people had a lot of time
    9. Some people did not have a lot of time
    10. People of Jannah regret nothing but the time they spent
    11. Look back at your life and you regret the time you wasted

Proof we are in loss

  • You lose time and can never get it back
  • Other things we can retrieve
  • You cannot hold on to time
  • Time passes by and value of duniya is lost
  • Old people live in big house with big screen tv, it is no use anymore

Allah swore that each individual is in loss

  • When looking at this ayah you think about nothing else
  • Only about yourself
  • I am in loss

Allah wrapped us up

  • In the womb we were wrapped inside our mothers
  • When we are born a towel wrapped us up
  • Then clothes wrap us up
  • Then our parents surround us
  • Our community surround us
  • Our friends surrounds
  • Our body wraps our soul inside
  • This earth and the seven heavens wrap us
  • Then on Judgment day Allah removes all the wrappings

Where are you?

  • Point to yourself
  • Our true self is our Ruh
  • This body will die and our Ruh will live on
  • The Ruh travels through 6 different worlds
    • The World of the Ruh
    • The Womb
    • This World
    • The Tomb
    • Judgment Day
    • Jannah / Jahannum
  • We will be taken out of this wrapping
  • Then we will be wrapped up in new wrapping
  • Each and every one of us is one Ruh and it is alone
  • Every one will come before Allah one by one
  • When you are around other people is different
  • You are truly yourself when you are by yourself
  • We have to internalize the we are in loss
  • We are never alone
  • Allah is with us and supporting us
  • Allah is watching us
  • We act in a more respectable way when someone elder is in the room

The Imagery of Loss

  • The imagery of drowning and being unconscious
  • You have to wake up and believe that you are drowning
  • Then perform some actions to save your self
  • Then you realize you are tied to your loved ones
  • You need to wake them up
  • Let them know they are drowning
  • Counsel each other truthfully
  • Then you start giving up
  • Counsel each other patiently

The 3 words of Loss

  • Khusran - The worst possible kind of loss
  • Khasar - The kind of loss that increases
  • Khusr – some loss, the lightest form

Quran’s Definition of Success and Failure

  • Is a Homeless guy successful?
  • Is one with a big mansion successful?
  • What is the right answer, it depends
  • Homeless guy does not mean he is failing or succeeding
  • One with big mansion does not mean he is failing or successful
  • Prophet Ibrahim was homeless and a success
  • Prophet Muhammad was deported from Makkah, He was a success
  • Firawn had a big house he failed
  • Karoon had so much money but he failed
  • Success is not judged by poverty or wealth
  • True success is how you use your time

We are not in total loss

The Quran is not preaching depression

Those in loss should practice these 4 qualities

It is easy to manage

Allah put on this earth for you to live well

To enjoy your life so you could be grateful it is part of good deeds

If you are just little grateful Allah will increase you in everything

The Exception

  • Used for specific groups of people
  • It is not easy to become part of this group
  • It takes great effort
  • There are few people in this group
  • The four conditions
    1. Those who Believe
      1. It encompasses everything
      2. First Believe that you are in loss
  • You need to have a sense of urgency
  1. Islam is not a casual thing, it is 24/7
  2. We do not have much time left
  3. There are 3 parts of believe, we need to have the right believe
  • Our fitrah is to want to get to the truth
  • To reach the truth we need to make some sacrifices
  1. Being in loss is not a fun reality
  2. It is easier to pretend your are not in loss
  3. You will be mostly on your own
  • You will make your own choices
  • Right and wrong comes from Allah and not from us
  • There will be a conflict and temptations
  1. How motivated are you?
  • Jannah and Jahhanum is real
  1. Do few Good
    1. After making a claim prove it with your actions
    2. Words of believe is empty without righteous actions
  • Fixing something that is broken
  1. Good deeds that correct the way you spend your time
  2. Fixing the way you spend your money
  3. Humans are constantly working and trying to do better
  • What are the things in my day that I do is no good?
  • What can I fix in my life?
  1. Good is an adjective and deeds is a noun
  2. Only good is mentioned but deeds is not mentioned
  3. They did few good deeds
  • Mend your relationship with your parents and siblings
  • Watch your language
  1. Counsel each other Truthfully
    1. Every context has its own speech
    2. Find a good way to give dawah to your family
  • Choose the right words at the right time
  1. How you speak about knowledge to people
  2. Touch the hearts of people
  3. You keep trying over and over again
  • You are giving and receiving advice
  • Truth is often not comfort or easy to say
  1. Counsel each other Patiently
    1. Do not give up
    2. Keep trying
  • Stay strong
  1. Always speak the truth
  2. Encourage each other to stay strong
  3. To persevere
  • To stick it through
  • To stay constant
  1. Buddy system for pray
  2. This is about a cooperate relationship with others
  3. We need each other to survive
  • It switched over to the plural
  • You need all four conditions to survive
  • You miss any one of them you fail
  1. Then you are in loss again

It is all in the past tense because no human being should think that they have survived this. Only those that passed away we can say believed and did goods deeds and counseled each other truthfully and patently

Lessons of this Surah

  • Each person has a different role
  • Real counsel for each other is mutual
  • We can save all humanity if we focus on few people around us
  • Seeking out people on your life for motivation and patience
  • Allah will give you a new company
  • You will definitely have good company
  • Who you make friends with

 

 

 

 

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