How do we live according to the teachings of the Noble Qur’an?

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The Noble Qur’an is strongly related to our daily life

Dear brothers, there is a fairly big difference between believing that the Noble Qur’an is the Word of the Lord of the worlds, which was revealed to the heart of the Prophet PBUH, and feeling that this Noble Qur’an is intimately and strongly related to your daily life. It is just like believing that the Prophet PBUH was a great person who possessed a unique character and who reached the absolute human perfection, so you only believe in him as a historical personage, while you do not follow the teachings of the Prophet PBUH in your life to solve your problems. Thus, we will not get benefit from Islam unless we believe for sure that the teachings of the Prophet PBUH are solutions to our problems, and the teachings of the Noble Quran are instructions for our daily lives. So, unless Islam is turned from heritage into being applied in reality, and from historical heritage into instructions, we will not succeed.

The Noble Qur’an is a Divine legislation for all people

Dear brothers, it is a serious mistake to believe that Islam is just a heritage, a tradition of our nation, which is not related to our life, to our problems, to the challenges we face, and to the failure we suffer from. So, the solution is to understand that Islam is related to our daily lives, it is not only a historical heritage, and the strongest proof of this fact is that Allah left mentioning the small details in the stories of the Noble Quran. Some scholars said: If Allah mentioned the smallest and the most trivial details in the stories of the Noble Qur’an, we would have thought that they were historical events that will not occur anymore, also, Islam would have turned into heritage, and the Noble Qur’an would have turned into a history book.

1-The story of Prophet Yunus

Why did Allah the Almighty mention to us the story of Prophet Yunus when he cried through the darkness, Allah the Almighty says:

(But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.)

[Al-Anbya, 87]

Allah mentions to you this story, in which it was impossible for prophet Yunus PBUH to survive, and there was no hope at all, Allah the Almighty says:

(So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress.)

[Al-Anbya, 88]

He was in the darkness of the belly of the whale, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the night. In fact, there is total darkness at a depth of 200m under the sea even if it is during the day, and there is no source of light in the belly of the whale, not to mention the darkness of the night
The most wonderful thing in the ayah is that Allah turns it into a law. Allah the Almighty says:

(And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).)

[Al-Anbya, 88]

This ayah is not about a story of a noble Prophet that took place and will not occur again. So, it is a serious mistake to understand the Noble Qur’an as a history book which mentions to us a story of a Prophet, of course not, it gives us vital instructions which are applicable and relevant for all times. So, if you, as a believer, fall in distress, you should behave like that noble Prophet:

Even though there was no hope to survive

(and delivered him from the distress.)

So that Allah the Almighty assures you that this story is for you and not only a historical story, He says:

(And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).)

[Al-Anbya, 88]

2-The story of Prophet Musa’s mother with him:

Consider the following noble ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:

(And We inspired the mother of Musa (Moses), (saying): “Suckle him [Musa (Moses)], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers.)

[Al-Qasas, 7]

Is it rational that when a mother fears for her baby to put him in a box and throw him in the river (indicating Moses’ mother PBUH)? What do we deduce from this? In Whose Hand is that box in the river? Who moved it? Who sent it to the beach of (Pharaoh) palace? Who made it stop in front of a stick of the branches of a tree on the river shore? Who inspired the wife of Pharaoh to come to the beach? Who cast the love for that baby in her heart? It is Allah the Almighty. Thus, when you believe that Allah is the Real Actor (everything is under His Power), then you understand this story as a contemporary instruction, it is a kind of guidance to the believer at any time. Hence, the most serious mistake is to turn Islam into heritage which you boast or which you are proud of, rather it is a dairy and contemporary guidance.

The story of Prophet Musa when Pharaoh pursued him:

Dear brothers, I hope to clarify to you in this lecture that the Noble Quran is not a history book, and when the Noble Qur’an mentioned to us the Prophet’s stories, it is not only to be stories, but to be reality which is applied among us. I mean, there are forces of oppression, there are armies who possess deadly weapons, there are air forces, there are rockets, there are atomic, bacterial, cluster, and nuclear bombs, there is an economic blockade and there are satellites which monitor every movement and stillness on the earth. Actually, when Pharaoh followed Prophet Moses (in oppression and enmity)- in every age there is oppressor like Pharaoh- he possessed deadly weapons, he was filled with violent hatred that is not known except by Allah the Almighty, he was arrogant and haughty, he followed that Noble Prophet who was with a small band of his weak, poor, and scared companions, while Pharaoh was following them with his weapons, he was filled with arrogance, haughtiness, dictatorship, hatred, superiority and conceitedness –like the arrogance of the oppressors nowadays- then they reached the sea which was in front of them while Pharaoh was behind them, it was impossible to survive and there was no hope at all. Consider a thousand unarmed people who were followed by an army, tanks, aircrafts, missiles, phosphorous bombs, and cluster bombs, which hit their targets exactly, and every human is watched:

(the companions of Musa (Moses) said: “We are sure to be overtaken.* ([Musa (Moses)] said: “Nay, verily! With me is my Lord, He will guide me.)

[Ash-Shuara]

If you believe that this story will not reoccur until the Day of Resurrection, then you are not a real believer in the Noble Quran. This story may repeat from now until the Day of Resurrection. You have heard from those who faced the mightiest army in the region how Allah the Almighty honored them, supported them, strengthened their wills, and filled their hearts with secure and tranquility. They faced the mightiest army in the region, By Allah, I hear some stories about them (how Allah supported them although they were few and weak). So, the Noble Qur’an is the book of your life, it is your daily book, and unless you believe that the Noble Quran’s stories may reoccur, you do not really recite the Noble Qur’an, you are just reading a history book.

We should seek solutions to our problems in the Qur’an

Dear brothers, unless the Noble Qur’an is our book at this time (unless we apply its verdicts in our life), and unless we look for solutions to our problems in it, we will be far away from its reality, as it is neither a history book, nor is it just a revelation sent down to the heart of the Prophet PBUH 1400 years ago, rather it is our daily book. Allah the Almighty has created the heavens and the earth, He has created the sun, and it is still shining, He has created the moon and it is still bright, he has created rain, sea, plains, deserts, mountains, plants, animals, and all these things are still effective; the sun shines, the moon reflects light, it rains, and the earth grows plants. Although these things were created in the past, it is still effective in our life, likewise the Noble Qur’an is the light of the universes, it illuminates them and it will remain the light of universes till the Day of Resurrection. Actually, you should believe that Allah has created the universes and has illustrated them by the Noble Qur’an. The most serious mistake is to think that the Noble Qur’an is only a heritage, or is only a book that was revealed in the past, or that the Prophet PBUH was a man of a great character, a great reformer, and a genius, rather we should follow the teachings of the Prophet PBUH in our lives to solve our problems, and we should seek these solutions in the Noble Qur’an. For example, Allah the Almighty says:

(And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). * And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.)

[At-Talaq, 2-3]

This ayah means that the destruction of the whole universe is less important in the Sight of Allah than not to fulfill His Promises to His Servants. So, if you, as a believing young man, suffer from a problem, or you do not find a job to earn your living, or you do not find a righteous wife for you, or you do not find a way for you to get out from your problem, then you should fear Allah, and He will apply the verdict of this ayah to you, Allah the Almighty says:

(And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). * And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.)

[At-Talaq, 2-3]

To be honest, if we seek solutions to all of our problems in the Noble Qur’an we will find the ideal solutions to them all. But our big mistake is that we consider the Noble Quran as a heritage book, we seek blessing from it, and we only recite it as an act of worship to Allah the Almighty. What should we do instead? We should consider its ayaat as solutions to our problems, this shows the size of our problem. Allah the Almighty says:

(Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.)

[Qaf, 37]