Ar Raad V.1-18

 Pillars of the sky

It is Allāh who erected the heavens without pillars that you [can] see; then He established Himself above the Throne and made subject the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. He arranges [each] matter; He details the signs that you may, of the meeting with your Lord, be certain. [Ar Raad:2]
Everyday when I see the sky I think about how beautiful it is and when this verse came I thought about if Allah (swt) had made the pillars visible it would have taken away some of the beauty from the sky. It is amazing to think that there are pillars or that Allah (swt) did not even need pillars he has kept the sky up by His will. The reason for all of this nature is so that we can see the signs and believe in them and know that one day we will meet the same creator that made all of this for us.

 

 

Signs

And it is He who spread the earth and placed therein firmly set mountains and rivers; and from all of the fruits He made therein two mates; He causes the night to cover the day. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. [Ar Raad:3]

 

 

 

 And within the land are neighboring plots and gardens of grapevines and crops and palm trees, [growing] several from a root or otherwise, watered with one water; but We make some of them exceed others in [quality of] fruit. Indeed in that are signs for a people who reason. [Ar Raad:4]

 

Concealed Speech

It is the same [to Him] concerning you whether one conceals [his] speech or one publicizes it and whether one is hidden by night or conspicuous [among others] by day. [Ar Raad:10]
Yesterday I was talking to someone in secret and because there were other people in the room next to us I was talking extremely quietly. When you are telling someone a secret you do not want others to hear and so lower your voice. Today I was thinking that I was hiding what I was saying from people but when it comes to Allah (swt) there is no way that we can hide anything from Him. Whether you shout at the top of your lungs or whisper as quietly as you can it is equal.

 

 

Exaltation

It is He who shows you lightening, [causing] fear and aspiration, and generates the heavy clouds.
And the thunder exalts [Allāh] with praise of Him – and the angels [as well] from fear of Him – and He sends thunderbolts and strikes therewith whom He wills while they dispute about Allāh; and He is severe in assault. [Ar Raad:12-13]

When there is usually a thunderstorm I never think that the thunder is praising Allah (swt). It is scary to think that the thunder and lightning is from Allah (swt). At that time we are all so scared and want the storm to end but if the thunder is praising Allah (swt) and we are scared how will it be when we stand in front of our creator?

 

 Useless Calling

To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e. futility]. [Ar Raad:14]

Calling to other than Allah (swt) is like outstretching your hands to gather water. It is impossible that you can collect water if you do not cup your hands. All that people do for their other deities is wasted just as the water that slips through their fingers.

 

 

Prostrate or not?

And to Allāh prostrates whoever is within the heavens and the earth, willingly or by compulsion, and their shadows [as well] in the mornings and the afternoons. [Ar Raad:15]

Everyday I walk by trees and see them but I do not realize that they are actually doing their job-prostrating to Allah (swt). It is amazing that they are doing something we find so difficult to do. While we argue over whether or not we should pray everything else is prostrating itself and humbling itself before the creator.

 

Rid of Foam

He sends down from the sky, rain, and valleys flow according to their capacity, and the torrent carries a rising foam. And from that [ore] which they heat in the fire, desiring adornments and utensils, is a foam like it. Thus Allāh presents [the example of] truth and falsehood. As for the foam, it vanishes, [being] cast off; but as for that which benefits the people, it remains on the earth. Thus does Allāh present examples. [Ar Raad:17]
The rain in this verse refers to wahy- Qur’an. The valley refers to each persons heart. When a person receives the Qur’an there are many things that the person can now do. If that person has a big heart and has a lot of room for the wahy then he will be able to absorb more and therefore more of the Qur’an will be taken in. Someone who does not have a big heart and they are learning Qur’an it will not effect them and they wont be able to take in a lot. The foam refers to all the bad that is within a person. What this verse teaches us is that falsehood (foam) will never remain. If you let in a lot of Qur’an and the river in your heart rises it washes away what is left of the foam. Qur’an is the cure to all diseases a person faces in their heart.

 

Yusuf V.88-111

 Lessons

There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was the Qurān a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe. [Yusuf: 111]
1. Be patient in every situation the outcome will be good.
2. Each situation a believer is put in is a test which either raises your ranks or lowers them depending on how you react.
3. We should forgive and forget people no matter what they do if we want Allah to forgive us. After forgiving someone we should not keep reminding the person of what they did.
4. There should be an eloquence of speech when we talk. Leave out all the unecessary talk that is not important.
5. There is wisdom behind every situation a person is in. Yusuf (as) went through difficulty so Allah could teach him wisdom and knowledge.
6. Do not let jealousy come between you as it always translates into action. Jealousy destroys our good deeds.
7. When in difficulty we should complain and cry to Allah (swt) and not people. He [Jacob] said, “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allāh…” [Yusuf:86]
8. It is important to be cautious of the evil results of sins, because one sin often leads to many others. For the brothers of Yusuf tried varying plots when they wanted to separate him from his father; they lied many times, they falsified the blood on the shirt, they came at night pretending to cry, and all of this is as a result of one sin, one thing leading to a next.
9. We should be cautious of relations between males and females and restrict them.
10. Resist evils for the sake of allah
11. Knowledge and intelligence leads one who possesses it to do good acts and prevents him from evil. Ignorance on the other hand calls the one who is ignorant to conform to his desires, even if it is harmful to him.

 

 

 

Forgive and Forget

They said, “By Allāh, certainly has Allāh preferred you over us, and indeed, we have been sinners.”
He said, “No blame will there be upon you today. Allāh will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of the merciful.” [Yusuf:91-92]
When the brothers realize it is in fact Yusuf (as) they immediately admit their mistake. However, the amazing part of their meeting is that Yusuf (as) says that there is no blame on them and Allah will forgive them. They had done so much to him and yet he not only forgave them but also did dua for them aswell. We learn that we should also forgive in this manner and also make dua as it is one of the hardest things to do but when it is done it eases the tension between the people.