The Ungrateful One

Me: Have you started reading the Quran?

You: To be honest, no.

Me: You have to make time for God. He is the one giving you everything. Not making time for Him is ingratitude. Another meaning of the word "Disbeliever" is "The Ungrateful One"

Make effort to turn to God now while everything is fine with you.

If something goes wrong and you are facing death then you decide that you want to turn to God, it will be too late then. That is what happened to Pharaoh (Q10:90).

I think you think that you believe in God and you want to worship God your own way but if you really think about it, that is actually a form of disbelief. Please think clearly about it. 

Let me explain. These are the things we are required to believe in: 

1. God, 

2. The Last Day, 

3. God's messengers,

4. God's Books,

5. The angels.

If you really believe in God and you heard that He sent a book down to you, you will search for the book and study it intensely. Just like if you see a snake, you will run.

The disbeliever has no hope of going to heaven. That is the difference. The believer has hope. On Judgment Day, the weight of our deeds will be measured. For the disbelievers, their deeds will have no weight. Because they did not believe, so their works are in vain. This is explained clearly in the Quran (Q18:103-106, Q14:18, Q7:147, Q25:22-23). 

As for the believers, belief alone will not make them successful on Judgment Day. We have to believe AND do good works.

One example of good works mentioned in the Quran, is the daily prayers; the ones we do after performing ablution. Another example is feeding the poor. 

To reiterate, doing good works without believing will not help the doer on Judgment Day. This is one of the reasons why we need to read God's books. There is salient information in them.

Please make haste to read God's books starting with the Quran because your study will be more efficient that way.

Remember, the first step in discovering if the Quran is from God is to read it.

The Religion of Truth

There is something I need to explain to you. I do not want you to think that you are choosing between Islam, Christianity or Judaism. God's religion is only one and it is Islam, the Religion of Truth. 

Let me explain the point of divergence of Jews and Christians from Islam. God sent prophets and messengers to us. For example Moses and Jesus were sent to the Israelites (This information can be found in the Torah, the Gospel and in the Quran). Other messengers were sent to their people too. Some of them are mentioned in the Quran. For example, Hud was sent to the people of 'Ad. Muhammad was sent to ALL mankind not just to his people. This is stated in the Quran.

All the prophets of God preached the same message. That God is one and that we should serve God, seek His forgiveness and obey the prophet. The point of divergence is in accepting the messengers of God and the books they came with. 

Jews do not believe that Jesus and Muhammad were sent by God. So they don't believe the Gospel and the Quran are God's Books.

Christians do not believe that Muhammad was sent by God so they don't believe the Quran is a book of God. 

Muslims believe in all the messengers of God, so Muslims accept all the books of God.

It would be a grave mistake to become a Jew or a Christian because the evidence that Muhammad is a messenger of God is very clear in the Torah. Please read Deuteronomy 18:15-22. The evidence is also in the Gospel but I choose not to comment on that here.

Actually, I believe that simply reading the Quran is enough for one to decide if it is from God. The Quran is not such as can be produced by man. As you read the Quran, you will quickly discover that a human being could not have written it.

Anyone who disbelieves in any of God's Prophets or Books falls into the category of a "Disbeliever" this means that his works are vain and they will not carry the right weight on Judgment Day. The end of a disbeliever is Hell.

Please start your journey to God. Do careful research. Start by reading God's books. I advise you to read the Quran first because it verifies the books that came before it. And also because it has not been corrupted. It is not long. When you are done with the Quran, you can probably read the Torah next and continue from there. If God wills, you will be guided.

As you do your research, keep your focus on discovering what the truth is. Many a time people believe something but it is not the truth. Islam is the Religion of Truth.

Not a Lie

Imagine if you wrote a book on Electrical Engineering and a primary school boy who has not read the book starts telling people that the book is false and that it is rubbish and that it contains lies...What would you think?

The boy is a tad unwise right? Even if he is a genius, he has not read your book so how does he know what he is claiming?

So also, you are being unwise when you claim God's books are lies without reading them. 

Imagine if Bill Gates wrote a book about how to be rich and a poor man who has not read the book says that the book is rubbish and that Bill Gates is lying. What would you think? 

The author of the Quran is not Bill Gates, it is God. Imagine what will happen to you if you are wrong.

Just read the Quran.

Questions & Answers 3

Question 3:

Can I ask why God stopped sending books and prophets? Like did he get tired?

Answer 3:

No. God can never get tired.

God wrote in the Quran that Prophet Muhammad is the seal of the prophets. The best thing for you to do to answer your question would be to read ALL God's books.

If you study the Quran you should come to the conclusion that there is no need for a new messenger. Every information has been detailed in the Quran (This was also true for the Torah).

Another reason is because unlike the other prophets of God who were sent to their people. Prophet Muhammad was sent to ALL mankind as a whole.

Another reason is that the Quran cannot be corrupted like God's other books which He sent down, which have been corrupted;  Some things have been removed from them and some things added. God said in the Quran that He will protect the Quran. Since there is no problem with the Quran, there could be no need for a new book or prophet.

The quick way for you to answer your question is to read the part of the Quran where God talks about the creation of man (Q2:30-39).

When Adam was being sent out of the Garden, God told him that He will send guidance; that whoever follows the guidance there will be no fear on them and they will not grieve. And those who disbelieve and call the signs lies will be companions of the fire and they will dwell in it forever.

That was a promise that God made to us. And God will definitely keep his promise. If there are no more messengers it could mean that we are running out of time. The world must end one day and Judgment Day must come.

Also, there is a part of the Quran (Q77:50, Q7:185, see also Q45:6) where God said, 

"In what story after it will they believe?"

This means if someone does not believe in the Quran there is nothing after it that they will believe in...

I think the most important reason is that God does what He desires. If He says there will be no more prophets, who are we to question that?

What is the Quran?

The Quran is a book sent down to us by God to provide guidance to those who fear Him.

 

You can find this definition in chapter two verse two (Q2:2) of the Quran. The next three verses that follow further explain who those people who fear God are. They are: Those who believe in the unseen, and are steadfast in the prayer, and they spend of what God has provided them. They are also those who believe in what has been sent to Prophet Muhammad and what was sent down before Prophet Muhammad, and these people are sure of the hereafter. These are the people who are on guidance from their Lord and those people, they are the prosperous.

Please read Quran 2:1-5 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

The people who fear God can also be further defined as the pious or those who are dutiful to God. The Arabic word used in Quran chapter two verse two (Q2:2) encompasses these meanings.

Perhaps you know that what was sent down to Prophet Muhammad is the Quran, but you are not sure of what was sent before Prophet Muhammad. If you continue reading the Quran, you will read about some of the other books God has sent down. For example you will read about the Torah and the Gospel and the Psalms. The Torah was given to Prophet Moses, The Gospel was given to Prophet Jesus and The Psalms were given to Prophet David. 

I encourage you to continue reading the Quran to find out more. You can download a free e-copy of the English translation of the Quran by clicking this text.

The first three verses of chapter twenty-seven of the Quran (Q27:1-3) provide more information about what the Quran is, I encourage you to read them. The verses tell us that the Quran is a clear book that provides guidance for the believers. Then it goes on to tell us who the believers are. They are: Those who are steadfast in the prayer, and give alms, and they are those who are sure of the hereafter.

Please read Quran 27:1-3 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

Did you notice that in the first three verses of chapter twenty-seven there is a name given to those whom the Quran is for? They are called "The Believers" If you are not a believer, then you are a disbeliever. And if you are a disbeliever, you will not be guided by the Quran. Please read Quran chapter two verses six to twenty (Q2:6-20) to understand better.

Why not continue reading chapter two till you get to verse thirty-nine (Q2:1-39)? This way you will understand how it all began.

Even more details about what the Quran is can be found in chapter two verse ninety-seven (Q2:97). In this verse we are told that the Quran is a verification of what was before it, and that it is a guidance and glad tidings to believers. This verse also tells us that Gabriel revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad's heart by God's permission.

Please read Quran 2:97 to confirm that I have told you the truth.

Hopefully, you now know what the Quran is.

Below are some other details about the Quran: 

1. The Quran contains one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters. Generally speaking, the chapters close to the end of the book are quite short, having as little as three verses. While the chapters close to the beginning of the book are much longer, having more than a hundred verses.
2. The Quran is not chronological. However, you are advised to read it from the beginning to the end. 
3. Some of its chapters are long while others are short. Also, some verses have many words while others have very few words. For example chapter one (1) is only seven verses long, while chapter two (2), which is the longest chapter, is two hundred and eighty six verses long. Also, chapter thirty-seven (37) may seem long because it has one hundred and eighty-two verses, but it is actually not so long because most of its verses contain very few words compared to other chapters of the Quran.
4. Some chapters focus on one main topic. For example: Chapter twelve (12) which tells the story of Prophet Joseph and chapter seventy-one (71) which tells the story of Prophet Noah. Many of the chapters touch on several topics.
5. Prophet Moses is by far the most mentioned messenger of God in the Quran. Some of those mentioned by name in the Quran include: Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Saul, Lot, Hud, Jonah, Mary, Zachariah, John, Jesus, Pharaoh, Korah, Haman, Shuayb, Salih, Job, David, Solomon, Muhammad, Joseph, Luqman, …
6. The Quran is a book that provides details then repeats or expands on the information given in the chapters that follow. You have already seen an example of this in the write-up above where information was provided in chapter two (2), then then more details were provided in chapter twenty-seven (27).
7. God constantly tells the reader to think and use reason. He does not approve of guessing, assumption, suspicion or conjecture.
8. The Quran has what I call hidden treasures. For example God might be discussing one topic then embedded in the discussion of that topic will be a piece of salient information that may be seemingly unrelated to the topic being discussed. For example: 2:152 and 2:186.
9. There are certain phrases that are repeated in the Quran. Some of them are: "God is swift in the reckoning", "God is severe in punishment", "God is powerful over all things", "God is knower of all things", "God is witness over all things", "Fear God", … 
10. You can find God's names scattered all over the Quran. For example in chapter eighty-seven (87) and ninety-two (92) God says He is The Most High.

I hope I have made you curious enough to start reading the Quran. Please make haste to read the Quran. This is because reading the Quran is just the beginning of the journey... Let us say you are trying to get to Ghana, and someone gave you a map that shows you how to get from your location to Ghana. First you will read the map to make sure that it is a true map, then you begin the journey to Ghana while consulting the map periodically. Here, you are trying to get to Paradise, God has sent down a map to you. The Quran is the map that provides guidance to believers. First you read the Quran, then you have to act according to the guidance in the map. This is how you will get to your promised destination, which is Paradise. Please note that the promised destination of those who do not believe and therefore are not guided by the Quran is Hell.

Remember, the Quran is a message from God to you for your guidance. Please read the Quran.

 You can download a free e-copy of the English translation of the Quran by clicking this text.

Glory be to God

Spend a lot of time saying " سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " That is "Glory be to God" (Subhanallahi)

To understand why I am saying this please read Quran Chapter 37 verses 139 to 148 especially verse 143. Jonah was saved from the fish because he was one of the Musabbihin " ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ " that is, "Those who glorify" the word has the same root as " سُبْحَٰنَ " from "  سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " as you know "Subhanallahi" means "Glory be to God" 

Not only that, but the instructions about how and when to glorify God are stated more than eleven times in the Quran. I have listed the verses I found that mention it below. Please review all of them the instructions vary.

15:98

20:130

30:17*, 18

50:39, 40

52:48, 49

56:74, 96 and 69:52

76:25, 26

87:1

110:3

7:205

29:45**

*This verse specifically tells us to say "  سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " that is: "Glory be to God"

** This verse tells us that remembering God is greater than even prayer.

I hope I have been able to pass a clear message. Saying "  سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ " "Glory be to God" is very important. Remember the story of Jonah. 

Not Music

People who are content to sing the Quran need to contemplate the meaning of Quran chapter two verse one.

How can you obtain guidance from the Quran if you don't know the meaning of what you are reading/reciting?

This needs to be repeated till it is clearly understood.

There are so many stories of converts to Islam who simply read the Quran. Nobody preached to them, they just read the Quran...

And on the other hand, we have people who are born into Islam who refuse to read and study the Quran. They prefer to sing it...

The Quran is not music. Please let's stop treating it like music.

#JustReadTheQuran

Questions & Answers 2

Question 2:

Reading Quran without knowing its meaning is tantamount to music and reader has no rewards, someone said! Please any clarification on this?

Answer 2:

The purpose of a book is to be read and understood. The Quran is a book sent down to us by our Lord. 

If someone who doesn't understand Yoruba is singing a song that goes like this 🎵 Mi o ni mu omi tutu, mi o gbodo mu omi tutu, ani mi o ni mu omi tutu se 🎶 And as the person is singing, He takes a break and goes to the freezer then takes out a bottle of cold water and starts drinking it. Was the song he was singing useful to him?

Whether reciting the Quran without knowing the meaning has reward. I have no knowledge of this. However, what I know is that the Quran is a book. Its purpose is to guide us. How can you be guided if you are not making any effort to know the meaning of what is in the Book? You are content to just make your voice beautiful and sing its words in a melodious voice.

Know that the people who are reciting the Quran who understand Arabic, they are not on the same plane as one who does not understand Arabic but is reciting the Quran. The difference is that the former understand what they are saying so they can benefit from the wisdom in the Quran. 

If you don't understand Arabic you have to make the effort to read many translations as well as start learning Arabic. You can do it, if God will.

I urge you to worry less about your reward. God will definitely not cheat you of your reward. Worry more about how you can be conversant with the guidance that God has sent down for you - The Quran. Both the reading and the recitation of it.

Translation of lyrics: 

 🎵 I will not drink cold water, I must not drink cold water, I say I will not drink cold water 🎶