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This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16

Transcript

Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ (21): 10

لَقَدْ أَنزلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلا تَعْقِلُونَ

“Without a doubt, We have sent down a book/revelation to all of you that mentions you and your greatness – if only you understand!”

Allāh gives humanity a direct and bold “offer”. The offer is that: if you believe, obey, and truly understand and internalize the message of Allāh conveyed through The Qurʾān and teachings of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, you will have your dhikr (ذكر) honor, greatness, and legacy stamped into history. A similar āyah alludes to the same point:

Sūrah Al-Zukhruf (43): 43-44

فَاسْتَمْسِكْ بِالَّذِي أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ (٤٣)

وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ (٤٤)

“My Prophet! Hold on tightly to what has been revealed to you (The Qurʾān). You are, without a doubt, on the correct path. It, The Qurʾān, mentions you and your greatness, O Prophet Muḥammad, as well as the status and rank of your people. Soon you will all be asked about this.”

So how and where is ones greatness and legacy in The Qurʾān? For ones legacy and greatness to be mentioned in The Qurʾān, they must believe in it, and submit to Allāh’s commands that come within it. Thus, Allāh says in Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ, “We have sent down a book to you,” and it doesn’t make sense to have a book honor you if you don’t believe in that book. Second is the context of the āyāt of Sūrah Al-Zukhruf, “Hold on tightly to The Qurʾān… (and thus it will) mention you and your greatness.”

It is through Islām, and obedience to Allāh that we achieve this rank. And the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ alludes to this when speaking to the leaders of Quraysh, saying, “هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُعْطِيَّ كلِمَةً إِنْ أَنْتُمْ تَكَلَّمْتُمْ بِهَا مَلَكْتُمْ بِهَا العَرَبَ، ودَانَتْ لَكُمْ بِهَا العَجَمُ؟” or “أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ كلِمَةً وَاحِدَةً تَدِينُ لَهُمْ بِهَا العَرَبُ، وتُؤَدِّي إلَيْهِمُ العَجَمُ الجِزْيَةَ” both of which mean, “If you all give me one statement, not only will all of Arabia will be under your control, but also non-Arab lands!” To which the enemy of Islam, Abū Jahl, responded, “نَعَمْ وأَبِيكَ، وعَشْرَ كَلِمَاتٍ” or “إِنَّ هَذِهِ لَكَلِمَةٌ مُرْبِحَةٌ، لَنُعْطيَنَّكَهَا وَعَشرًا مَعَهَا” both of which mean, “One statement? That will be a very profitable statement! We’ll give you 10 more statements on top of that!” And the Prophet Muḥammad then said that the one statement he’s asking for is, “تَقُوُلونَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وتَخْلَعُونَ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ – Say: ‘Nothing is worthy of worship except The One True God Allāh’ and don’t worship anything but Allāh.”

Through this it is clear that by being Muslim, one will get honor, rank, and status. Let us all reflect on 7th century Arabia. Would the world have ever known the names of Hāshim, ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib, Abū Ṭālib, Abū Lahab, Abū Jahal if it wasn’t for Islam? Would history books mention Quraysh, Yathrib, Aws, and Khazraj? Would the world know the greatness of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, or ʿAli? Would anyone respect the great women who were Khadījah, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthūm, Fāṭimah, or ʿĀʾishah? The greats among the Arabs have been forever remembered as the greatest human beings on earth (after the Prophets) due to their Islam. And even the worst of the Arabs still have their names mentioned by proxy!

If you want to leave the greatest legacy, it is by being the best Muslim. This greatness only comes from Allāh: “وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ – True respect, greatness, and authority is with Allāh, the Messenger, and the believers” and He ﷻ also says, “مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا – Whoever wants true respect, greatness, and authority: know that all respect, greatness, and authority is with and from Allāh!” Allāh ﷻ also says, “إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ – The most noble and honorable people in the sight of Allāh are those who have the most taqwā.” Taqwā is a quality that focuses on an individual being both aware of Allāh, and afraid of His anger and punishment. Taqwā comes from wiqāyah (وقاية) indicating shielding and protection; thus one protects themselves from Allāh’s anger and punishment, and the “shield” that is used is one’s obedience of Allāh, and one’s abandoning of sins.

If you want to leave the greatest legacy and have respect, be the best Muslim!

Note that other scholars consider the use of the word dhikr (ذكر) to mean a reminder, a wake up call, a warning, among other meanings. The leading exegete, Al-Imām Abū Jaʿfar Ibn Jarīr Al-Ṭabarī (raḥimahu Allāh – may God show him compassion), prefers the meaning of sharaf (شرف): greatness, legacy, and status. Granted, he and others focus on the aspect that it is a mention of the greatness of the ʿarabs and Quraysh, but we have expanded that meaning to be a more meaningful and cohesive meaning above.

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Your Legacy! | Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15

Transcript

The following is perhaps one of the most powerful statements ever made before a tyrant:

Ṭā Hā (20): 72-73

قَالُوا لَنْ نُؤْثِرَكَ عَلَى مَا جَاءَنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالَّذِي فَطَرَنَا فَاقْضِ مَا أَنْتَ قَاضٍ إِنَّمَا تَقْضِي هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (٧٢) إِنَّا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى (٧٣)

“(The magicians of Egypt who just became Muslim after witnessing a miracle of God (Allāh) at the hands of Moses (Mūsā) said, ‘We will never prefer you, O Pharaoh, over all the clear signs of God that have come to us, let alone The One True God Allāh Himself! So go ahead and do whatever you want to us! Anything and everything you can do – like torturing us – is limited to this worldly life! We have wholeheartedly believed in our Lord and Master and hope that He will forgive us for our mistakes and everything you, O Pharaoh, forced us to learn and perform in terms of magic. — Allāh and His compensation is far greater and everlasting than anything you could possibly do!’”

Allāh tells us this story a few times in The Qurʾān. Sūrah Ṭā Hā contains one of the more detailed accounts of this story. A summary of the backstory is as follows.

Prophet Moses (Mūsā [ع] ʿalayh al-salām – may God honor and preserve his legacy) has been preaching to Pharaoh (Firʿawn) for a while. At some point, Pharaoh tries to make a power play in hopes to publicly humiliate Prophet Moses (ع). Pharaoh has convinced himself that the miracles of Prophet Mūsā (ع), like his staff turning into a real living serpent, are just magic. So Pharaoh wants to set up a public “magic showdown” where the best magicians of Egypt and the surrounding lands can hopefully out perform Prophet Moses (ع). A date and time are set.

Prophet Mūsā (ع) and the magicians arrive. After a little bit of back and forth, the magicians are the first to make a move. They have rope and staffs that they throw onto the floor, and through the use of their magic, the staffs and ropes appear to be moving.

Prophet Mūsā (ع) is a little worried, but Allāh ﷻ reassures him, “لا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الأَعْلَى – Do not worry or be afraid. You are the victor.” So Prophet Moses (ع) throws his staff, and of course, it becomes a real living snake. Not only that, but it goes and swallows all of the ropes and staffs previously thrown by the magicians.

The second the magicians see that, they know what Prophet Mūsā (ع) just did was not magic. That staff, that snake, that literal swallowing of objects from an animal that was a literal staff a few seconds ago — that is not magic! Instantly they fall into sajdah, prostrating their faces onto the floor. They exclaim, “آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ هَارُونَ وَمُوسَى – We believe in the Lord and Master of Aaron (Hārūn) and Moses (Mūsā)!”

Just imagine the anger and frustration Pharaoh is experiencing. His entire plan backfired into the exact opposite outcome. Instead of Prophet Mūsā (ع) being humiliated, he came out as the unquestioned hero! But Pharaoh is a man of the most extreme propaganda. In that moment he tries to flip the script – “Did I give you permission to accept him as a prophet? Ohhh… He (Moses) is the one that taught all of you magic in the first place! You all have been scheming this against me the entire time! — Guess what? I am going to mutilate and crucify all of you! I will chop off your opposing limbs and hang your corpses on tree trunks! Then and only then will you all finally realize who is more powerful and severe in executing continuous punishment!”

At that, the magicians say what Allāh quoted in the Qurʾān, “We will never prefer you, O Pharaoh, over all the clear signs of God that have come to us, let alone The One True God Allāh Himself! So go ahead and do whatever you want to us! Anything and everything you can do – like torturing us – is limited to this worldly life! We have wholeheartedly believed in our Lord and Master and hope that He will forgive us for our mistakes and everything you, O Pharaoh, forced us to learn and perform in terms of magic. — Allāh and His compensation is far greater and everlasting than anything you could possibly do!”

These magicians saw the truth as truth. As the phrase goes, “game recognize game” and they knew that what they did was magic, but what was done at the hands of Prophet Mūsā (ع) was something that could only be done by the divine intervention of The One True God. Thus they instantly believed.

And their belief was so strong and firmly rooted, even though they just accepted Mūsā and Hārūn (ع) as prophets moments ago, they knew that Pharaoh is a human who can only hurt them in this world. Pharaoh’s worst torture techniques will be painful, yes, but once they die, Pharaoh cannot do a single thing to them. Rather, it is Allāh who has full and everlasting control, power, and authority in this life and the next. So when Allāh ﷻ chooses to forgive and reward, that is far better and everlasting than any possible material luxury Pharaoh could ever bribe them with. And Allāh ﷻ’s punishment against those who reject Him is more severe and everlasting than 100 years of receiving the worst torture exacted by Pharaoh.

If we are obedient to Allāh ﷻ, no one can harm us in the hereafter. They may be able to hurt us verbally and physically – in very painful ways – in this world. But it will end when I die. As for the reward from Allāh for my patience and submission to Him – it is forever and ever. As for the punishment from Allāh against those who reject and oppress, it will forever and ever.

Sometimes people will really hurt you in this world. The pain will be unbearable. But if your relationship with Allāh ﷻ is strong, you will be escorted into God’s Paradise in there hereafter, while your disbelieving oppressor will be dragged and thrown face first into the fire of Hell. — Keep your faith strong, O Believer! And let Allāh handle your situation!

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: You Can Only Hurt Me in This World | Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14

Transcript

 

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Hereafter | Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.