Nouman Ali Khan

Ramadan Nightly Reminder May 18

Why do we start doubting our religion and why are our youth misguided? Why is it absolutely necessary to start afresh? Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan explicitly delves into this topic to achieve immense clarity for all of us in these matters. Points of interest include: Accepting that Allah gives us guidance in the Qur'an.  Acknowledge that Allah is going to heal us through the Qur'an. The realization that Allah doesn't want to punish us and judge us.  It (the guidance) is mercy that enables us to see Allah's love, how much He cares, how much Allah is involved in our personal life, by the means of His words. Let's gather the treasures in the Quran into our heart and be happy and overjoyed with it.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves an explicit explanation on the Tafsir of Ayatul Kursi. He also provides deep insight on the greatest verse in the Qur'an, Ayat Al Kursi - verse 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah and the occasions on which it should be recited.    It is the most blessed Ayah in the Qur'an because of the content, subject, and style of the verses. It is about the Names, Grandeur, and Majesty of Allah SWT. When should this magnificent Ayah be recited? Before going to sleep every night. If recited after every single Salah, we have been promised Jannah. When we wake up in the morning and in the evening for protection from Shaytan. Ubayy bin Ka’ab (RA) stated: Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest?” I said: “Allah and His Apostle ﷺ know best.” He again said: “Abu al-Mundhir, do you know the verse from the Book of Allah which, according to you, is the greatest?” I said: “Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Eternal.” Thereupon he struck me on my chest and said: “May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!” The translation of Ayat Ul Kursi is as follows: Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedes with Him except by His leave? He knows that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He will. His throne includes the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous. He then analyses each verse one by one for a beautiful Tafseer: “Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Alive, the Eternal." - This statement means that there is no god but Allah, and He is the Supreme Lord of all creations. Also, there is absolutely nothing worth worshipping, except Him. The Alive, the Eternal means that Allah is Self-Existing and that He is Ever-Living and Everlasting, Who never dies, Who sustains everyone and everything. Nothing can exist without His Order and Will. “Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him.” - Allah is above and beyond all states of drowsiness or sleep. He is Supreme and is Aware of what every soul earns. Among His perfect attributes is the fact that He is never affected by slumber or sleep. His power is Absolutely Perfect.  “Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth." - This indicates that everyone is a servant of Allah, under His Power and Authority. Everything on earth or in the heavens is owned by Allah. He is the Ultimate Authority.  “Who is he that intercedes with Him except by His leave?” - Nobody can intercede in His Presence except by His permission on the Day of Judgment. Allah has explained that no intercession will work in His Court except which He permits.  “He knows that which is in front of them and that which is behind them.” This refers to His Perfect Knowledge of all creation; including the past, present and future. This is proof of Allah’s Knowledge that encompasses all the worlds. “While they encompass nothing of His Knowledge except what He will.” - No one attains any knowledge except that which Allah allows. All-Encompassing Knowledge of every particle in the universe is a unique attribute of none but Allah. “His throne includes the heavens and the earth.” -  Kursi represents the Throne of Allah. This magnificent verse explains Allah’s Existence, Sovereignty, Power and Knowledge that extends over the heavens and the earth. “And He is never weary of preserving them.” - Allah has no trouble in preserving and managing whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and those who are in the Dominion of Allah. “He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.” - Allah is the Most Exalted and the Greatest. He is the Most High, the Greatest. There is no deity worthy of worship except Him, and no lord other than Him.  Thus, Ayat al-Kursi gives a summarized description of Allah’s Oneness and His Perfections.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan gives a beautiful lecture on what Allah sees or wants to see in us. The secret of our striving in this life is to find out what our Rabb wants from us at every moment and stage of our lives and then do it to the best of our ability. Similarly, we should work towards in an identical manner for all people. The first thing to do is have a proper attitude in the light of Deen and to understand ourselves. Allah created man in the best of forms, pleasing in appearance, and endowed with abilities, qualities, and intellect which indicates that they have been endowed to us with a valid reason and hence, we should use them wisely. We must also build character which encompasses no lying, no cheating, using polite language, humility, respect for elders, and sensitivity to humans, animals, plants – i.e., all living beings. Attributes like pride in terms of lineage or the power, position, wealth, status, etc. that the world offers on a platter is definitely not acceptable. Whoever suffered an affliction, should acknowledge that it occurred by Allah’s wisdom and decree, and then should patiently await Allah’s reward – Allah will guide his heart and will compensate him for his loss in this life by granting him certainty in faith.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan delves into the topic of how dignity is addressed in the Qur'an. How does Allah define dignity and what significance it has in our daily lives? When Allah has made us the recipient of dignity in this life, we also need to pass this on to other people so that we duly thank Allah in this way. Shaytan hates that Allah has ordained dignity for us and hence, it's His continuous motive to annihilate the dignity of others by making us do these acts. Our parents and children are worthy of our dignity and it is essential that we imbibe and inculcate those values that enable us to enhance their dignity.

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan takes some time out to patiently answer some questions that warrant a suitable answer. Some of them are as below: I have become completely disillusioned from this world because of some events and from relationships and people. Please suggest something. My parents have been at a minimum psychologically abusive, verbally abusive, physically abusive, sexually abusive. How can one handle this situation appropriately? I have divorced parents and so my mom and dad live in two different houses and I am the only daughter and when I'm spending time with mom I feel bad because I feel like I'm abandoning dad but when I'm with dad I feel bad that I'm not with mom and that makes me feel guilty. I'm torn on both sides .how am I supposed to achieve this balance? A lady who's very old and has taken Shahada and her memory is so bad that she can't even get up and stand up at that point. How can one even help her she doesn't even remember Arabic? Many more pertinent questions make the cut and deserve a fair listen in order for us to be acquainted with the reality of today and the difficulties faced by many.

Khutbah

Khutbah In this life, the fact that the law is served doesn't necessarily mean that justice is served. But the situation is completely different on Judgment Day, as Allah describes it using beautifully nuanced language in the first part of Surah Al-A’raf. On that day when we stand humbly before our maker, the scales reveal the absolute truth about our deeds. It is an accurate, precise and justified reckoning. The scales do not measure the quantity of our deeds, but their quality, as each one of us has a unique set of standards that assess the meaning and impact of our actions. This is why we must not compare ourselves to others and why we must always have absolute faith that Allah will never burden us with difficulties that we cannot handle.

Khutbah. Referring to the Israelites in Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah stresses that like them, we are in real danger that our hearts will harden even though the Quran is in our hands and we recite it in prayer. In the same surah, Allah teaches us how to protect our hearts from this, first by maintaining a deep connection with our creator, which in turn will improve our relationships with close family; then by always speaking well of people, followed by establishing the prayer and finally giving zakat. Salat is the means by which our worship of Allah and goodness to others is reinforced. The consequences of a hardened heart are grave, leading to a strong warning from Allah in ayah 85 against those who believe in some parts of His book and choose to deny or ignore others, if it doesn't serve their interests. The compensation for such extremists on both sides (those obsessed with the superficial aspects of religion or those who fail to observe even the most basic rites) is humiliation in this life and the worst of jahannam in the afterlife. Such behavior damages the Ummah at large because it makes Islam itself appear contradictory.

- Khutbah In ayah 36 of Surah Al-Isra Allah warns against obsessively following what we do not know fully. On the Day of Judgment, we will be held accountable for what we hear, see and become impassioned about. Hearing something constantly not only influences our perception of it, but also informs our emotions towards it. That is why having a regular relationship with the Quran is essential. Our views and feelings become aligned with what Allah teaches us through His blessed words. But we must be cautious about how we use our limited knowledge of the Quran and Hadith because often we quote them out of context; we think that we are using them correctly even though we are not fully aware of their meaning.