أقومية القرآن | نايف بن نهار

0:00Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.

0:06May Allah bless you all.

0:08I see people outside

0:10standing,

0:11so if those in the mosque could move forward —

0:15It is completely full.

0:16I mean, there is some space here,

0:18if you could move closer

0:19so —

0:20Those outside have screens.

0:22Yes, but they are standing.

0:24No, no, there are rugs, there is everything.

0:27It is alright, it is alright.

0:27May Allah make it easy.

0:29Bear with us, it is just one hour, God willing,

0:32and the matter is simple.

0:35May Allah reward you with goodness.

0:36I will sit, I will sit.

0:38Alright.

0:42Tonight, God willing, we will discuss a central topic,

0:46which is the "Aqwaamiyyah" of the Quran.

0:49"Aqwaamiyyah" as an extension of His saying:

0:51"Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most upright."

0:58Indeed, this Quran

1:00guides to that which is most upright.

1:03Today we want to understand what it means that the Quran

1:06guides to that which is most upright,

1:08and whether this verse

1:10is realized in our reality,

1:12or if it is just a verse in the Mushaf?

1:15Or if it is

1:17just a verse in the Mushaf?

1:20And if it is not present in our reality,

1:23how can we

1:24empower this project, the "Uprightness of the Quran" project?

1:28How can we

1:29be part of this project

1:31and embody the Quran's uprightness on the ground?

1:35If the Quran's uprightness is not realized in our reality,

1:39then our duty is to translate this verse into a methodology on the ground.

1:45But before that,

1:46we want to know the historical context we are in,

1:49within which the Quran's uprightness comes into play.

1:54So that we understand at which historical

1:57and epistemological moment we live.

2:00For more than 100 years,

2:03the whole world has been living under the idea of globalization.

2:07Globalization, in its practical definition and its cultural form,

2:13means the dissolving

2:15of the authenticity of other nations

2:17in favor of the dominant model.

2:19There is a dominant model,

2:21and it is the Western model.

2:24All other nations

2:26dissolve their authenticity

2:28to fit this model,

2:30to harmonize with this model,

2:32either out of fascination or coercion.

2:35Either people are fascinated by it and melt into it,

2:39or they are coerced under

2:42military, political, or other power.

2:46This began over 100 years ago,

2:50and the West continued this globalization

2:53that dissolved the uniqueness of others.

2:56All societies sought

2:59to be compatible with

3:01this hegemony, with this globalization.

3:05This globalization,

3:07which was imposed on us,

3:09produced a "molding."

3:11What does molding mean?

3:13It means human minds became molded

3:16according to what this dominant model wants.

3:20So you think:

3:21"That's fine," but within...

3:22the mold set for you by this hegemon.

3:25It is not just us Muslims;

3:26all cultures are trying to harmonize

3:29with this dominant culture

3:31resulting from globalization.

3:34They have no problem with you being a Muslim who wants to think,

3:37a Muslim who has a religion,

3:39or a Muslim who has revealed texts.

3:41That is not the problem.

3:43But it must be within the mold

3:45set for you.

3:46If you want to say,

3:47"I am Muslim, I have an Islamic political system,"

3:50no problem,

3:50but within the liberal democratic mold and its partisan model.

3:55Do not try to deviate from this pattern,

3:56or we will call you a backward reactionary.

4:00You say, "I am Muslim, I have an Islamic economic system,"

4:03fine, you are most welcome.

4:04But within the capitalist framework,

4:07with its banking institutions,

4:09stocks, the stock market, and all these institutions.

4:12Try to tailor your Islam to fit these institutions.

4:17Otherwise, you are told you need a "contemporary Islam."

4:21And so these "contemporary Islam" projects are launched.

4:24By "modernity," they don't mean

4:26that Islam comes to reform our age.

4:28No.

4:29It means tailoring Islam to the requirements of the age

4:32chosen by the dominant paradigm.

4:36If you want to introduce ideas in the social sciences,

4:40fine, but within the liberal ideological framework.

4:43No problem if you have Islamic views,

4:45but within "Islamic sociology."

4:48You have views on psychological knowledge?

4:50No problem, but within "Islamic psychology."

4:53And so, millions of Islamic minds

4:56set off thinking within this mold:

4:59Islamic banking, Islamic sociology,

5:02Islamic democracy, even Islamic liberalism.

5:05Everything is "Western and Islamic."

5:08"Western and Islamic."

5:11This pigeonholing

5:13has made us unable to think outside of this mold.

5:18It makes you imagine you have freedom when you don't.

5:22It's like someone putting you in a tiny room

5:25and saying, "Go ahead, play football."

5:27You tell him:

5:28"But this isn't a football pitch."

5:30"This doesn't fit my idea of football."

5:32He tells you, "Sorry,

5:33try to fit your ideas of football within this room."

5:38Right?

5:39So we began tailoring everything to this size,

5:41arguing out of necessity:

5:42"There is only this room,

5:44what can we do? Let's play in it."

5:47That is why when we think of Islamic economics

5:49in a different way that does not submit to the capitalist system,

5:51he tells you, "You are idealistic."

5:53Idealistic. You want something that cannot happen. Why?

5:56Who said it is idealistic?

5:57Because it contradicts the dominant model.

5:59And this is a major disaster.

6:01When one model dominates global consciousness,

6:03it becomes difficult for a person to think outside

6:06the framework of this mold; so he submits to it

6:08and thinks within its framework.

6:09I am not saying the entire Ummah was like this,

6:11but the mainstream —

6:14especially the institutional mind of the Ummah,

6:16universities and educational institutions —

6:18all revolve within this mold.

6:21Even those that called themselves Islamic universities,

6:23in the end, their project was the Islamization of the West,

6:27and not the creation of Islamic knowledge.

6:30There is a big difference between them.

6:32Between taking the West and trying to Islamize it —

6:35in which case the West is the center,

6:40and the goal is critique

6:42and trying to fit and harmonize it with your model.

6:44Islamic knowledge, however, is rooted in Revelation,

6:47then sees what aligns with it and benefits from that.

6:51So there is a big difference between the two projects.

6:54Well, the Ummah has devoted itself to this matter

6:58for nearly 100 years.

7:00If you look at the intellectual output

7:02of the Ummah 100 years ago,

7:04and look at the questions that were raised at that time,

7:07you will find they are the same questions being raised now.

7:10I was reading

7:11the letters of Said Halim Pasha, the last Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.

7:15When you read the book,

7:18you see that the questions he raises

7:20and the issues he discusses are our same issues.

7:23It is as if the Islamic Ummah has not moved forward a single step.

7:27You wonder why?

7:28Why, after 100 years, do we ask the same questions?

7:31We haven't advanced even one step?

7:32Because we think within the same mold.

7:35Everyone, don't just follow the West.

7:36"The West is good, but take some things and leave others."

7:39The same logic is repeated time and again,

7:42until this mold began to break.

7:47It began to fracture.

7:49To fracture. This era —

7:51the era of cultural globalization and molding —

7:54has begun to fade.

7:56I'm not saying it's completely over,

7:57but signs of fracture have appeared.

8:00Why? For two reasons.

8:04The first: Al-Aqsa Flood.

8:08Al-Aqsa Flood.

8:09The second: the United States abandoning liberal ideology.

8:15These two reasons

8:17are fundamental in creating a different consciousness,

8:20and in providing a new opportunity

8:23for all other nations, not just the Islamic Ummah.

8:26As for Al-Aqsa Flood,

8:28may Allah be pleased with all who contribute to supporting the people of Gaza.

8:33And I ask Allah Almighty

8:34to grant us a share in supporting them in any way possible.

8:39What did Al-Aqsa Flood do?

8:41Yes, it started from Gaza,

8:43but it shook global consciousness.

8:45toward the Western model.

8:48This Western model we just spoke of,

8:51which we said dominated for two reasons: fascination and necessity.

8:54Fascination and necessity.

8:56Al-Aqsa Flood ended that fascination.

8:59It ended the fascination.

9:00Even Westerners themselves, who were enamored with it.

9:04I am talking about Westerners who demand human rights,

9:08and those among them who enjoin justice.

9:11These people began re-evaluating their axioms.

9:13"Are we truly for human rights?

9:15Are we really?" This...

9:16let alone those outside the Western system.

9:18Many thinkers who took Western paths in their lives,

9:22even among Muslim thinkers,

9:24have undergone massive re-evaluations,

9:27realizing this Western model is not what we thought.

9:30I am not saying only Al-Aqsa Flood contributed to this.

9:33The Russia-Ukraine war contributed too.

9:36But what ended the state of fascination with the Western model

9:40was Al-Aqsa Flood.

9:41Consequently, it allowed the mind to think:

9:43If this is not the leading model,

9:46then where is the leading model?

9:49The human mind began thinking of an alternative to the Western model,

9:53after it was thought to be the end of history,

9:56and that nothing better could be achieved,

9:59and that this was the ultimate reach of the human mind.

10:03As for the second reason,

10:06it is the United States' abandonment of liberal ideology.

10:10In the past,

10:13the most junior official in the U.S. State Department would tell you:

10:15"You must do this, and you must do that.

10:17You must handle freedoms like this,

10:19you must treat women like this,

10:21and you must treat your children like this."

10:24Now, America declares it has no concern for other nations.

10:27It only cares about military and economic matters.

10:30As for human rights, it is not concerned

10:32and is indifferent to what the world does to itself.

10:36This was officially stated in the strategic document issued by the U.S. administration,

10:40which said that human rights and people's freedoms

10:43are cultural matters unrelated to them.

10:45They can define their own way.

10:46They can define human rights their way.

10:48No American official will come to talk to you about women's rights.

10:51The state of compulsion to align with the liberal system...

10:55The largest nation theorizing the liberal model,

10:58the patron of democracy, announced it has abandoned it.

11:03So, the infatuation is gone, and the compulsion is gone.

11:06What does that mean?

11:08It means that we are now living in

11:10a time where infatuation and compulsion are at their lowest levels.

11:15The level of coercion is decreasing.

11:18The idea of globalization is now at its lowest ebb.

11:21And what does this mean?

11:22It means we are now at the best moment in contemporary history

11:26to establish the project of the Quran's "aqwamiyyah."

11:30For the Quran to be this Ummah's project.

11:33For the Quran to be before it and its guide.

11:36Now,

11:37you won't be labeled reactionary or backward as you were years ago.

11:42That wave has subsided.

11:44Previously, anyone rejecting democracy

11:46felt a very heavy burden.

11:48The entire human mind had surrendered.

11:49But today, you can debate it.

11:52This pressure that has eased

11:54has begun to allow minds to think.

11:56Therefore, I say:

11:57This moment is the moment of the Quran.

12:00It is the moment to realize that this Quran

12:02guides to that which is most upright.

12:04This is the moment

12:05where the path has opened for people to emerge

12:09from darkness to light with this Book.

12:12But what do we mean by the Quran's "most upright" guidance?

12:15The Quran may be everywhere —

12:17in mosques, in various places, in homes,

12:19everywhere, and centers are everywhere.

12:22So what do we mean by its "most upright" guidance?

12:25This concept involves two ideas.

12:28The first idea:

12:29Everything in the Quran is most upright.

12:33Everything in the Quran is most upright.

12:36To believe in that with absolute faith.

12:38If Allah Almighty forbids Riba,

12:41then the prohibition of Riba is most upright for the economy.

12:43No beating around the bush.

12:46If Allah Almighty commands Shura,

12:48then Shura is most upright for politics.

12:49No beating around the bush.

12:52If Allah Almighty mandates Qiwamah for the man,

12:55then Qiwamah is most upright for marriage.

12:57And it is most upright for the family.

13:00If Allah Almighty commands adherence to treaties,

13:03then it is most upright for politics.

13:04Don't say politics is the art of interests and play games,

13:06twisting and turning, then saying:

13:07"Well, this is... this is realistic logic."

13:09This is not realistic logic.

13:11This is opportunistic logic.

13:12This is the logic of hypocrites.

13:14We are not a lost nation

13:15with no standards and no values.

13:17We aren't a lost nation tossed right and left by any economic opportunity.

13:20No, we are a nation with principles.

13:21We are a nation that, just as it is keen on its interests,

13:23is keen on its ethics

13:25and its principles.

13:27So this idea viewed through the logic of "realism"

13:29is nonsense.

13:32Empty talk that does not align with the Quran.

13:33If it were good, the Quran would have pointed to it.

13:35So, the "uprightness" of the Quran means that

13:38before you take any stance,

13:41you must ask: What is the Quran's stance?

13:44Any stance in your life,

13:47in managing your life,

13:49you must ask: What is the Quran's stance?

13:50You must start from the Quran.

13:52Consequently, if we want to establish

13:55a mosque or a school,

13:58what values govern us?

14:01Let us look:

14:02What are the values the Quran pointed to?

14:05This is not widely realized in our current reality.

14:09For example, I say:

14:10The greatest value the Quran pointed to is the value of gratitude.

14:13be he grateful or be he ungrateful.

14:15How many Islamic schools —

14:17I am not saying non-Islamic.

14:18We are done with government schools.

14:20But how many Islamic schools

14:22place the value of gratitude at the top of their priorities?

14:26I have visited many schools

14:27looking for the value of gratitude, and I do not find it.

14:30I look for a practical program

14:31that trains the student from elementary to secondary school,

14:34so they graduate knowing well the meaning of the value of gratitude.

14:38Knowing well the list of blessings they have,

14:40and how they must fulfill their duty

14:42so as not to be ungrateful for these blessings.

14:44At the head of these blessings is the blessing of the Quran.

14:46How can one be grateful for the blessing of the Quran?

14:50So, I hardly find this great value in the education system,

14:53which, since elementary school,

14:55instills doses of modernity into students' minds.

14:57How then can we say that the Quran's uprightness is realized?

15:01Never mind the universities that drift and produce knowledge apart from revelation.

15:05This is another very major issue.

15:08The Quran never fails you when you turn to it.

15:10When you seek the Quran's stance, it does not fail you.

15:14But try it.

15:15Live with the Quran.

15:16Immerse yourself in the Quran,

15:17and you will see the Quranic answer.

15:20Always,

15:21questions initially seem to you to be far removed from the Quran.

15:24But as soon as you give the Quran its due, you find it answering you.

15:28I repeat the example of

15:30a young man who was searching;

15:33he wanted to get married.

15:35He...

15:36loved a woman he wanted to marry, but her father complicated things.

15:40He set conditions

15:42that made the matter difficult.

15:44He spent several years trying,

15:47until he came and said:

15:48"What is the Quran's stance on this?"

15:50"Should I proceed with this marriage or hold back?"

15:52I want to know — we are talking about the "uprightness" of the Quran.

15:55How does the Quran answer this question?

15:58I told him, "Honestly, I don't know."

16:00"We need to think through the Quran."

16:02We went through some verses to reach an answer.

16:05He left for a few days, then came back and said: "I found the answer."

16:08"I found the answer to my problem."

16:10The man who wanted Moses (pbuh) to marry one of his daughters —

16:14what did he say in the end?

16:15"And I do not wish

16:17to make it difficult for you."

16:19A righteous in-law does not make it hard for one seeking his daughter.

16:23He found what he sought in the Quran.

16:25A while ago, I was searching —

16:28or reconsidering the criteria for friendship and project partners.

16:33Especially projects related to Islam.

16:36Sometimes you admire a person's knowledge and vast reading.

16:41Sometimes you admire their sharp intelligence and quick wit.

16:46Sometimes you even admire their humor or something of that nature,

16:50so you keep them close to you.

16:52But

16:53I asked: what criterion does the Quran set for choosing friends?

16:57For choosing the inner circle?

17:01When I returned to the Quran, I found a clear criterion.

17:03A fundamental criterion.

17:05And it surprised me.

17:06Allah Almighty says: O you who have believed, fear Allāh

17:10and be with whom?

17:11and be with those who are true.

17:14At first glance,

17:15one might expect it to say: "Be with the Muslims."

17:17"Be with those who are true."

17:20I searched the Quran.

17:22This phrase, "Be with..."

17:24Was it mentioned with any other group?

17:25I only found it with the truthful.

17:28I said: "From now on,

17:29I will re-evaluate everyone around me."

17:31Acquaintances are no problem.

17:33I can get to know everyone.

17:34I have relations with everyone.

17:35But the one

17:36I work with must possess one essential quality:

17:38that he is a truthful person.

17:40That he is sincere, with no hidden agendas.

17:43No ulterior motives.

17:45And indeed, reality proves this.

17:47Reality proves this.

17:49When a person is truthful, they are trustworthy.

17:52You may disagree on how to judge a situation,

17:54but you do not disagree on intentions.

17:56Consequently, a person who is not truthful,

17:59no matter what advantages they have,

18:01you can never trust them.

18:03Now, if I do not trust you,

18:04how can I build any project with you?

18:06So, when you reflect, you find that

18:08honesty is the fundamental standard in your work environment.

18:14I was also once thinking about

18:16how the Quran wants my mind to be.

18:18What are the qualities that a person's mind should possess?

18:23I found the answer in the Quran is clear,

18:25simply through induction.

18:27The Quran wants your mind to be, first of all, inquisitive.

18:30The mind should be questioning.

18:32That is why it always mentions the Sahaba's questions.

18:35Theirs were inquisitive minds.

18:37It wants a critical mind, even toward the self.

18:40Self-criticism.

18:40Because it wants us to uphold justice, even against ourselves.

18:43How can we uphold justice even against ourselves

18:45except through criticism?

18:47It commands us to listen to the word and follow the best of it.

18:49How do we follow the best?

18:50It means there is "good" and "better."

18:52How to distinguish between them except through critique?

18:55It wants your mind to be evidence-based.

18:58"Produce your proof, if you should be truthful."

19:00You follow the evidence wherever it leads.

19:03He wants you to have a reflective mind.

19:05Events should not pass you by unnoticed.

19:09Rather, give them their due.

19:11Contemplate them and take lessons.

19:12These major events occurring around us contain great lessons.

19:16When the Quran presented its stories,

19:18it was because they hold great lessons you need to reflect upon.

19:22Now, look at these four attributes;

19:24if your mind does not possess them,

19:26then you have not achieved the aqwamiyyah of the Quran here.

19:30This applies to all issues, in every space and every field.

19:33How do we establish a guided family?

19:36Return to the Quran and see the criteria it mentioned.

19:39What is the difference between tranquility, affection, and mercy?

19:41Look at the criteria the Quran created.

19:43So, before we take a stance or form an idea,

19:48we first look at what the Quran said.

19:51This is the first meaning of the aqwamiyyah of the Quran.

19:55As for the second meaning,

19:57it is to evaluate everything other than the Quran by the Quran.

20:01Meaning, you refer everything other than the Quran back to it.

20:05This means that the aqwamiyyah of the Quran

20:09does not negate other things.

20:11It doesn't negate them, but it refers everything else back to the Quran.

20:14There is no harm in benefiting from the sum of human knowledge production.

20:18But provided that you judge it by the Quran.

20:21Provided that you judge it by the Quran.

20:24So, what is the definition of "Aqwamiyyah"?

20:27It is for the Quran to be the primary and supreme source for building ideas.

20:33The primary and supreme source.

20:36Why didn't we say the "only" source?

20:42Because we said the Quran does not negate others.

20:45Rather, it has authority over them.

20:47Allah Almighty described the Quran as

20:50"Muhaymin."

20:51And nothing has been described with "Haymanah" except

20:53Allah Almighty and His Book.

20:56It has absolute authority.

20:58And everything else is evaluated by it.

21:02A while ago, I was reflecting on the phrase "Knowledge is power."

21:06"Knowledge is power."

21:07Francis Bacon's phrase.

21:09The Western philosopher after whom

21:12modernist philosophy was launched.

21:14This phrase: "Knowledge is power."

21:16You even find it in some Islamic schools,

21:18environments, and Islamic universities.

21:21When you think, does the Quran see knowledge as power?

21:25Does Francis Bacon's logic suit the logic of the Quran?

21:29You reflect on the Quran, and then you find: No.

21:32If knowledge is power in Western thought,

21:34then knowledge is responsibility in the Quran.

21:37"And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge."

21:39"Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those"

21:42"one will be questioned."

21:43You will be questioned about all this.

21:46So now, I have rectified my thinking.

21:48Instead of repeating with everyone,

21:49"Knowledge is power, knowledge is power,"

21:51no — knowledge is responsibility.

21:53My logic as a Muslim differs because the Quran rectifies my thinking.

21:57It rectifies my thought, so I am not swept away by slogans.

21:59What does progress mean?

22:00What does development mean?

22:01I do not take any of these from other than the Quran.

22:05Consequently, we are now rectifying our ideas through the Quran.

22:09Now, without this Aqwamiyyah,

22:13without these two pillars in defining Aqwamiyyah —

22:17starting from the Quran and returning to it —

22:20the Aqwamiyyah of the Quran cannot be realized.

22:23"Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most upright"

22:26will remain just a verse in the Mushaf.

22:29Unless the Muslim mind changes —

22:31the mind that produces ideas and thinks through the Quran's Aqwamiyyah —

22:34nothing will change on the ground.

22:36So the matter is up to us.

22:38If we want to convey it,

22:39this task will only be achieved by realizing the Aqwaamiyah of the Quran.

22:44This Aqwaamiyah project is not the project of a certain person,

22:48nor a certain state,

22:49nor a certain school of thought,

22:50nor a certain party.

22:51It is the project of the Quran itself.

22:53It is the project of the Quran itself, which stated:

22:55"Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most upright."

22:57It is what gave voice to this project.

22:59It is the same project as:

23:00"O you who have believed, do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger"

23:04Do not put anything before Allah and His Messenger.

23:06Do not put anything before the Book and the Sunnah.

23:08A clear and explicit text.

23:11"And if you disagree over anything, refer it back..."

23:13Notice.

23:16Then what did He say?

23:17"...if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day."

23:20So the matter depends on your belief in Allah and the Last Day.

23:23Meaning, the criterion of your belief in Allah and the Last Day

23:26is to refer ideas back to the Book and the Sunnah.

23:29So it is not an optional matter.

23:32It is not an optional matter.

23:33It is every believer's responsibility.

23:35Don't tell me it's the scholars' job.

23:36No, when this verse was revealed,

23:38it didn't say it's for scholars only.

23:40Every individual must ask themselves:

23:42How can I

23:43contribute to making the Quran's uprightness a reality on the ground?

23:48In engineering, medicine, healthcare,

23:51education, parenting, economics, politics;

23:54everyone can uphold Quranic uprightness.

23:57In engineering, do you

24:00practice or assist in forbidden acts?

24:03Then you aren't upholding its uprightness.

24:06Do you refrain from cooperating on the Muslim Ummah's major projects?

24:10Then you aren't cooperating in piety.

24:12It's simple.

24:13The Quran is a simple book.

24:14"And We have certainly made the Quran easy for remembrance."

24:16If you want to understand, it is easy.

24:19If you want to understand, it's easy; it is a project.

24:22But we must realize that the Quran does not move on its own.

24:26It needs those who believe in it to bring it into reality.

24:29When Allah Almighty created

24:32rivers on the earth... on the earth,

24:35did He put the water in our mouths?

24:37Or did we go to the river and quench our own thirst?

24:40No one is satisfied just by the river's existence.

24:42Everyone goes, takes from it, and quenches their thirst,

24:45waters their land, and gives water to others.

24:47People work.

24:48So, when Allah sent down the river of the Quran,

24:52it is not right to just leave it be.

24:54We must go and take from it

24:56and water ourselves first.

24:58We quench our thirst from this Book, and then after that,

25:01we water the dead land so it may grow and flourish.

25:05What did the Prophet say?

25:07He said: "O Allah, make the Great Quran

25:10the spring of our hearts."

25:12Spring.

25:13What is spring? It is the season of blooming.

25:16Meaning, before it, there are stages of rain.

25:19The rain came.

25:20Then there was fertile land,

25:22then it bloomed and flourished.

25:25The rain exists, and it is the Book of Allah.

25:27But where is the fertile land prepared for it?

25:31Therefore, the Quran will not grow in your heart just by reciting it.

25:35No.

25:35Nor will it grow just by memorizing it or mastering its Tajwid. No.

25:39It grows when you ponder it, learn it, and act upon it.

25:43Only then will the Quran truly bloom within you.

25:48Therefore, this project, the "Aqwamiyyah of the Quran,"

25:51is every Muslim's project.

25:53Every believer in the Quran is responsible for establishing its Aqwamiyyah.

25:57There is no debate about that.

25:59Thus, every believer needs to have a role in this project.

26:03Every believer must ask:

26:06How do I achieve the Aqwamiyyah of the Quran in my life?

26:08This is the question you must take away from this lecture.

26:11To ask yourself and act upon it.

26:13To practice the Aqwamiyyah of the Quran in your life.

26:16But despite Aqwamiyyah being a clear and simple project,

26:22the Quran contains "Taklif."

26:24This obligation must be translated into reality and fulfilled,

26:27within the realm of the possible and the realm of the empowered.

26:30For instance, Allah commanded Shura.

26:32This is possible.

26:33It can be achieved on the ground.

26:35But it remains a "possibility" until it is realized in practice,

26:38until we are empowered to implement it on the ground.

26:40Allah has forbidden Riba.

26:41But for this to be realized in reality, it requires empowerment.

26:44So, this transformation is the project of the Aqwamiyyah of the Quran:

26:48To bridge the gap between the Divine mandate

26:50and human reality.

26:52Right now, there is a wide gap.

26:54We need to narrow this gap through

26:56the "Quranic Uprightness" project.

26:59But there are challenges

27:02preventing Quranic Uprightness from being realized in the Muslim mind.

27:06The first challenge is deserting the Quran.

27:10The Ummah may feel it is recovering now,

27:14because you can sense an interest among the youth,

27:18mostly in the Quran.

27:20We might not see the results of this interest yet,

27:24but if this interest continues with the same momentum,

27:28it promises a change in the conditions of knowledge production in the Muslim mind.

27:35If this momentum continues,

27:36and there is real engagement and direct connection —

27:40a connection of awareness and insight —

27:42Islamic intellectual production will change.

27:45This interest is still not enough,

27:49because the general context is one of deserting the Quran.

27:53Today, you sit with any young person — I don't mean

27:56just from the general public.

27:57No, you sit even with students of knowledge,

28:00and you ask them about the Surahs,

28:02or the Quranic stories.

28:03These Quranic stories are a vast treasure.

28:05rich in educational, political, social, and instructional meanings.

28:10Is there even one Quranic story

28:12that you pondered to extract its meanings and insights?

28:15You will hardly find anyone who has.

28:17You sit with him, and he tells you about books in great detail.

28:21In great detail. You find someone,

28:23for instance, who has read dozens of an author's books and explains them.

28:27You say, "Fine, now break down the surahs of the Quran like that.

28:29Tell me, what do you know about them?"

28:31You find nothing.

28:33The general context is one of abandoning the Quran.

28:37And this is a very serious matter.

28:38In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

28:41"The Quran will be brought,

28:43along with its people who used to act upon it."

28:45Who are its people?

28:48Who are its people?

28:50Those who act upon it.

28:53This means

28:54you could be abandoning the Quran even if you have memorized it.

28:59You could be abandoning the Quran even while reciting it with tajwid,

29:04or teaching it in the ten qira'at,

29:06yet you are abandoning the Quran if you do not act upon it.

29:10Acting upon it is not just about direct legal rulings —

29:13practical ones like prayer, fasting, and Hajj.

29:15Also, Allah Almighty commanded us to practice tadabbur.

29:17Do you practice tadabbur?

29:18He commanded us to contemplate.

29:19Do you practice contemplation?

29:20These are not marginal, supplementary commands

29:23on the sidelines of the Quran.

29:25No. These are essential, vital commands and the very purpose of the Book's revelation.

29:28"This is a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, that they might reflect

29:32upon its verses." If you do not reflect, you are not acting upon the Quran.

29:35And whoever does not act upon the Quran is not among the People of the Quran.

29:38So, do not try to convince me with your memorization or your recitations.

29:41My question is: what do you grasp of the Quran?

29:44The Ummah's crisis is not a crisis of memorizing the Quran.

29:47The Ummah memorizes the Quran, but its real crisis

29:49lies in the awareness of the Quran.

29:52There are many centers for memorizing the Quran; this is laudable.

29:56It is good and wonderful, especially for young people

30:00for whom tadabbur may be difficult.

30:02But on the other hand, where are the tadabbur projects?

30:06Where are the centers that stimulate tadabbur in the minds of Muslims?

30:10They cannot be allowed to diminish and vanish.

30:12It is the blessed purpose for revealing the Book.

30:16Therefore, the abandonment of the Quran must be

30:18corrected, and it is corrected through tadabbur.

30:21By ensuring there is a share of tadabbur.

30:24Do not say the Quran is difficult.

30:26Some say, "I try to ponder, but nothing comes to mind."

30:29Well, how long have you been pondering the Quran?

30:32Once or twice, quickly?

30:33Ten minutes? Half an hour?

30:34How long have you been doing it?

30:36Everything, by nature, requires its due time.

30:39Imagine this:

30:41You entered a library.

30:43You entered a very large library.

30:45I ask you, "Where can I find this specific book in this library?"

30:49It might be hard — it might be very difficult for you to find that book.

30:53You search and search; where is it?

30:54You need a long time to find it, and you might even give up.

30:57That is understandable for the first time.

30:59But when you start working in this library...

31:01Two, three, four days... a month, two months.

31:04When I come to you after three months, how will I find you?

31:07You will know where every book is.

31:09Why? Because you lived with the library.

31:12You lived with it; you immersed yourself.

31:14The Quran is the same.

31:16Are you immersed in the Quran?

31:17Then pondering and extracting meanings will be made easy.

31:21But if you only give the Quran the margins of your time...

31:23Yet you want the Quran to be present in your consciousness? That's impossible.

31:27Impossible; it cannot be achieved.

31:29Therefore, even if your knowledge is limited, if your immersion is deep,

31:34you will gain more Quranic meanings than a highly knowledgeable person

31:37who does not immerse himself and live with the Quran.

31:40Everything is like this; it is human nature.

31:42Whatever you immerse yourself in, you become conscious of.

31:45This is human nature.

31:46So, tell me, how long have you been immersed in the Quran?

31:50How long have you lived with the Quran?

31:52Years? How many?

31:54But do not come to me saying,

31:55"I tried three or four times and found nothing, so the Quran is difficult.

31:58Let's just go to this book or that book instead."

32:02We do not do this in life.

32:03So how can we do it with the Book of our Lord?

32:06Even with ordinary matters, we don't do that.

32:08We are patient and take our time until we learn.

32:09We sit to learn a language for two or three years.

32:11For any specialty, we spend four years at university.

32:14Yet with the Quran, we want results in a week or two, or else we quit.

32:17This is not logical.

32:19This is not logical; it is a lack of respect for the Book of Allah.

32:23Therefore, if we want to realize the uprightness of the Quran,

32:25we must put an end to this crisis.

32:28The crisis of abandoning the Quran.

32:29And tadabbur — pondering the Quran — must be part of our daily work.

32:33Even ten or fifteen minutes focused on a single verse.

32:37Dedicate time every day.

32:38It is not necessary to finish entire cycles of study, no.

32:42You might spend many months

32:44on just one Surah, and that is fine.

32:46Therefore,

32:47the Sahaba, as Ibn Umar narrated about them...

32:51What did he say?

32:52He said that a man from among the best Companions of the Messenger of Allah

32:55would only master one Surah.

32:59And they saw it as weighty.

33:02And they saw it as weighty.

33:05Why did a Companion master only one Surah of the Quran,

33:07while we rush through it?

33:09While we race and compete to finish the whole book.

33:13We try to finish the verses as quickly as possible.

33:15It is a difference in perception.

33:18When our perceptions differ, our practices differ.

33:21When you see a Muslim today rushing to finish, while a Companion is patient

33:25and spends a lifetime with one Surah,

33:27these practices are not random or arbitrary.

33:30They reflect our differing perceptions of the Quran.

33:32They saw it as a book that brings them out of darkness into light.

33:36They saw it as a book that rectifies their lives.

33:39They saw it as a compass for their lives.

33:41Where do they go and where do they come?

33:43While we see it merely as a book for memorization and recitation.

33:46Just a book we read and finish, racing through it,

33:49and competing with our voices.

33:51This is the extent of the Quran to us.

33:53When we act this way, it is only natural that we finish it as fast as possible.

33:56And it is natural for the Companion to take his time and wait to be inspired

33:59by Quranic meanings to rectify his life accordingly.

34:02There is a huge difference between the two cultures.

34:06As Imam Malik said, the latter part of this Ummah will only be rectified by

34:10what rectified its first part. If we want to see how the first ones were rectified,

34:14this was their methodology.

34:16We want rectification? This is the map.

34:19We won't invent anything new. This is the way. This is the way.

34:21Either we follow it and arrive as they arrived,

34:23or we will remain lost on the earth.

34:25Allah Almighty said: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth."

34:29What does "Light of the heavens and the earth" mean?

34:30That He is the law of the heavens and the earth.

34:31Everything in this heaven and earth moves according to the law of Allah.

34:35Therefore, the universe does not exist in a state of randomness or absurdity.

34:37Rather, everything is organized.

34:39Likewise for man, Allah Almighty sent down for him...

34:41this light, so it may join the rest of the Divine Light.

34:44"So believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Light which We have sent down."

34:48Therefore, if we want to join this light as the Companions joined it,

34:52this is the compass.

34:54This is the way. We cannot invent something new.

34:57We tried. We attempted.

34:59And in the end, we remained lost in this land.

35:02So, we must change our perceptions

35:05toward the Quran and make them like the Companions' perceptions of it.

35:08Allah described to us the nature of the Companions.

35:11When He said that when verses are revealed to them, it increases their faith,

35:15and what did He say? "and they rejoice."

35:18When the Quranic verses are revealed, they don't just increase their faith.

35:21"And they rejoice" means they are happy with the Quran's revelation.

35:25Why do they rejoice?

35:27Why are they happy?

35:28Why did the Companions long to know the position of the Revelation?

35:32Yet today, we have the entire Quran.

35:34We discuss issues, debate, and establish institutions,

35:38then you ask, "What is the Quran's stance on what you do?" and they know nothing.

35:41Why do we not care about the Quran except in terms of memorization?

35:44But the Companions would rejoice when they knew verses were revealed.

35:48Because they knew it would bring them out of darkness into the light.

35:51If we do not know as they knew, we will not succeed.

35:54In short, the matter is clear.

35:56The matter is clear.

35:57You are the one who defines the path.

35:58The path is not ambiguous; the problem lies in your choices.

36:01Allah loves to push people to a crossroads.

36:05He does not like gray areas.

36:07That is why He said: Allāh has pardoned you, why did you give them permission

36:10until it was evident to you who were truthful and you knew who were the liars.

36:13and you knew who were the liars.

36:15Push them to a crossroads.

36:17Do you believe in the Quran's authority?

36:18Prove to me that you believe in the Quran's authority.

36:21You cannot say you believe in it while your whole life is built on other than it.

36:26This is hypocrisy.

36:27It is hypocrisy to say what you do not believe.

36:30Therefore, our words must align with our actions.

36:36Otherwise, it would be a form of hypocrisy.

36:39Another challenge: a lack of sincerity with the Quran.

36:43A lack of sincerity with Allah.

36:47The problem for many of us is that we think sincerity is only with others.

36:51You may find people who are truthful with one another.

36:54You may find someone who is honest with others and does not lie.

36:56If he says something, he is truthful.

36:58If he makes a promise, he keeps it.

37:00But he is not sincere with himself or with Allah.

37:04How so?

37:05He approaches the Quran with preconceived biases.

37:08He has preconceived biases.

37:10Consequently, he tries to prove the biases he already holds.

37:15We have gained nothing.

37:16We want the Quran to guide us, not for us to lead the Quran.

37:20We want the Quran to lead us, to bring us out of darkness into the light.

37:23But if we impose our biases on it,

37:25then we are the ones leading the Quran.

37:28We have flipped the equation.

37:30You might find someone, for example,

37:33mistreating another person.

37:34A scholar mistreating another scholar.

37:37You tell him: "Brother, it is not permissible to tear this man down.

37:39He made a mistake in one matter; judge the error for what it is."

37:43"And do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice."

37:45No.

37:46He justifies it as scholarly criticism, and that Allah commanded truth-telling.

37:50But he knows deep down

37:53that he wants to destroy him.

37:54There is envy, personal issues, and so on between them.

37:57Yet he justifies it as a religious stance.

38:00Outwardly, he appears truthful to us.

38:02But he knows.

38:03He knows deep inside whether he is truthful or not.

38:07And some people become famous for certain stances.

38:11Then, after that, it becomes difficult for him to turn back.

38:13You bring him verses, but they don't work with him.

38:17Because he has taken a position that is difficult for him to retract.

38:20For example, you find someone who founded an entire institution for an idea.

38:24Then he discovers that this idea is not consistent with the Quran.

38:28Do you want him to close it down?

38:29It is very difficult for his ego.

38:31You want him to change strategy? It's hard.

38:32It's hard.

38:33Only the truly sincere are capable of this.

38:36Only those who have submitted completely to Allah.

38:40I have no problem.

38:41I built my institution for ten, twenty years.

38:43Then I found I was wrong? No problem.

38:45My reward is with Allah.

38:46Was I sincere?

38:47I am rewarded for all of it.

38:48Assalamu alaikum; let's reset the strategy, and that's it.

38:52It's very easy if you're sincere with Allah.

38:53And very hard if you are not.

38:56So don't be deceived by sincerity among people.

38:58That is an easy matter.

38:59By Allah, it's very easy to be honest with others.

39:01But the hardest thing is to be sincere with Allah.

39:05And that is why this is a great challenge.

39:07Sometimes I see that verses do not help.

39:08They don't even help people of knowledge.

39:10They don't help.

39:11Because he has pre-existing biases.

39:13You find someone

39:14who has bad pre-existing biases against women.

39:17He sees her as nothing.

39:18He sees no value in her.

39:20You recite the verses regarding women,

39:22and he beats around the bush, trying to twist the texts so they

39:25align with the biases he is known for.

39:29So, what can be done for you?

39:29This Quran will not benefit you.

39:31How can such a person uphold the Quran?

39:34He cannot even fulfill it within himself,

39:36let alone fulfill it with others.

39:39Right?

39:41The other challenge

39:43is the "adversely affected" group.

39:45The adversely affected group.

39:46Do not think that everyone loves truth.

39:49Do not think that everyone loves truth.

39:54There are enemies of the truth.

39:56There are groups adversely affected by the truth.

39:59The oppressors do not love the Quran.

40:02No oppressor loves the Quran.

40:05Even if they claim to, they are lying.

40:07Because what is the Quran's project?

40:10Its project is for mankind to maintain justice.

40:12To achieve justice in human society.

40:15So how can one be an oppressor and want to establish justice?

40:19It is impossible.

40:20Therefore, if your project is to establish justice

40:23in human society,

40:24the first to oppose you will be the oppressors,

40:27whose interests will be harmed by this.

40:31That is why when the Quran was revealed,

40:34every affected group opposed it.

40:37And indeed, they do not call you untruthful,

40:39but it is the verses of Allah that the wrongdoers reject.

40:42They have no problem with you.

40:44They do not call you a liar.

40:45Their problem is with the project you brought.

40:48This undermines their interests.

40:50They profit from the idols;

40:52an entire trade and economy built around idols.

40:55And you come to destroy all that?

40:57The scholars of the Children of Israel

40:58attained status,

41:00privileges, and wealth.

41:01from these positions.

41:03You want to remove all of that?

41:05No.

41:06So, pay no mind to those whose interests are harmed by the truth.

41:10No matter how they look,

41:12whether they have beards or not.

41:14Ignore anyone harmed by the Quran.

41:16Pay them no mind.

41:17Some people

41:18have built massive wealth from their vested interests.

41:22Thus, they don't want the Quran to rectify their lives,

41:24because if it did, everything would be exposed.

41:26That is the first group.

41:29The second group...

41:30is the envious group.

41:33The envious group.

41:33This group might not have a problem with the project itself,

41:36but they have a problem with those carrying it out.

41:38That is why I sometimes find someone

41:41attacking a scholar.

41:43You try to find the specific issue that

41:46provoked them against this scholar,

41:48and you find nothing but envy.

41:51They say, "He wrote 20 or 30 books!

41:53How can he possibly ensure quality in all these books?"

41:56I asked him, "Have you read these books?"

41:58He said, "No, I haven't."

41:59Well, how did you judge them?

42:00He said, "The number is too high for an ordinary person to write."

42:03So your problem is with the person, not the content,

42:05nor the ideas; you haven't even read the ideas.

42:07This man has been dedicated to scholarship for thirty years.

42:10Unknown to people, fully dedicated to scholarship.

42:12He writes and produces.

42:13You only give knowledge your scraps.

42:15How can you compare yourself to him?

42:18That is why, when you see many people criticizing someone,

42:21examine them closely.

42:22Try to find the specific issue through which they are criticizing.

42:26Either they are right and there is a flaw, or you discover they are just envious.

42:29Or you discover they are aggrieved.

42:32Aggrieved by the matter.

42:34So when you speak of the "Aqwaamiyyah" of the Quran,

42:37many are aggrieved by the "Aqwaamiyyah" of the Quran.

42:40For example, if you look at Islamic banks,

42:42many of the scholars in Islamic banking

42:44will be compromised by the "Aqwaamiyyah" of the Quran,

42:46if we judge their actions based on the "Aqwaamiyyah" of the Quran.

42:50So they will search for every pretext to bring this down.

42:55The third group...

42:56The opportunistic group.

42:58I am now speaking about the groups

43:01that confront us whenever there is any project that contains good,

43:04starting with the Quran itself.

43:06Any idea from the Quran we present, four groups will confront it:

43:10the harmed group, the envious group, and the opportunistic group.

43:14The opportunistic group

43:16is the one that ignores you in the beginning,

43:18but if you succeed, they join you.

43:21When there is a cost, they don't come.

43:23But if the project excels and succeeds, they will all join you.

43:27Who do these people remind us of?

43:29The Bedouins.

43:31The Bedouins.

43:33Those who did not enter Islam at the beginning.

43:36When the Prophet went, before the conquest of Mecca,

43:38to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, they did not go with him

43:40because there were no spoils.

43:41But when he wanted to go to Khaybar,

43:44where there were spoils, they all said, "Let us follow you."

43:47They want to join them. Why? Because of the spoils.

43:49Because of the wealth.

43:52Imagine we want to establish a waqf bank.

43:55You will find these groups before you.

43:57You will find the group harmed by capitalist banks.

44:00will fight and resist you.

44:02And you will find the envious group,

44:04who want to stop this project because of those leading it.

44:07Then the opportunistic group, who won't stand by you at first.

44:09But if the bank succeeds, they will join you.

44:12The fourth group:

44:13The sincere group.

44:15Their problem is not that they don't want the truth;

44:18it is that they do not know the truth.

44:20This is the specific group you must focus on.

44:24Devote your entire mind to this group.

44:27Do not pay attention to the others.

44:29If you observe and analyze the Quranic discourse,

44:31you will find all its advice to the Prophet

44:34is not to pay attention to anyone else.

44:36To focus on the sincere group whose only problem is not knowing truth.

44:39For if they knew it, they would act upon it.

44:41Do not waste your time with the first three groups.

44:44Act as if they do not exist.

44:45"Turn away from him who turns away from Our remembrance."

44:47Turn away — that's it.

44:49But this group, the sincere group, is the one you focus on.

44:52They are the ones...

44:53to whom you should try to dedicate your time.

44:58Now, this "Aqwaamiyyah" of the Quran should be reflected in many fields.

45:02I cannot discuss all fields now; it would take too long.

45:05For instance, how do we achieve the Quran's "Aqwamiyyah" in dealing with it?

45:10The Quran mentioned methodological guidelines for dealing with it.

45:13We must rely on them.

45:15Guidelines such as knowing the context.

45:17Knowing Quranic usage.

45:18Knowing the "Mathani."

45:20Knowing the "Muhkam" and "Mutashabih."

45:21Referring to the Prophetic Sunnah...

45:23...to understand the Holy Quran.

45:25Referring to the Arabic tongue.

45:27And other methodological guidelines.

45:29These rectify our engagement with the Quran.

45:32Likewise, the Quran rectifies our engagement with the Prophetic Sunnah.

45:35The Quran rectifies our...

45:37I mean, we must extract the Quran's "Aqwamiyyah" in these fields.

45:39The Quran's "Aqwamiyyah" in politics.

45:40The Quran's "Aqwamiyyah" in education.

45:42The Quran's "Aqwamiyyah" in charity work.

45:44The Quran's "Aqwamiyyah" in management, economics, and sociology.

45:47In the family.

45:48In upbringing, in all areas of life.

45:50There is no field that can be left, I mean...

45:54...and excluded from the Quran's "Aqwamiyyah."

45:56But this is our role.

45:58For example, I am currently looking for Quranic indicators for schools.

46:03How do I know if this school is Islamic or not?

46:06Are there indicators?

46:07Derived from revelation?

46:09How do I know if this Islamic bank is truly Islamic or just empty talk?

46:12Are there indicators?

46:13How do I know? Some universities claim to be an "Islamic University."

46:16Is it actually an Islamic university?

46:18Are there indicators?

46:20This applies to institutional work, and even to you as an individual.

46:24How do I know if I am a hypocrite or not?

46:26Are there indicators for a hypocritical personality?

46:28All of this is in the Quran.

46:29But it needs someone to go to the Quran and extract these characteristics,

46:33in order to embody them in reality.

46:35Otherwise, the Quran will remain a book suspended in the heavens —

46:37present in the Mushaf, but not present in our reality.

46:41Therefore, the first project is for everyone to search in their own field.

46:44To ask how the Quran can guide them to that which is most upright in their field.

46:49This is the first task.

46:51And you must ask yourself:

46:52Do you truly feel that you are walking by the guidance of the Quran?

46:56For instance, in your dealings with yourself, your family, your home,

47:00with your friends, in your work environment,

47:01and with everyone around you.

47:04Do you act according to Quranic guidance?

47:06Or not?

47:07Ask yourself.

47:08If you want to be sure, go and ask what the Quran's position is on that,

47:11so that you may fulfill it.

47:13Now, God willing, in the coming days, we will launch a project...

47:15We will launch the Quranic Foundation Program.

47:19This program will be announced at the Wa'y Foundation.

47:23It will try to raise the level of Quranic awareness within the Muslim Ummah;

47:27how to engage with the Quran in a qualitative way,

47:30to solve the problem of forsaking the Quran

47:32and the lack of awareness of it,

47:34at least from a partial perspective.

47:37God willing, this program can fill part of this gap.

47:41But this does not

47:43negate the importance of every person playing their part.

47:46I am repeating this point

47:48because many of us believe the role is limited to the scholars.

47:51That the role is for the Sheikhs,

47:53and our job is only to listen.

47:54No.

47:55The Sahaba were not divided like that —

47:57some people working and others not.

47:58Never.

47:59Everyone works.

48:00Everyone seeks guidance from the Quran.

48:02Do not think you have an excuse not to seek guidance from the Quran.

48:05"Were not My verses recited to you"

48:07They were recited to all of you.

48:09Everyone has a share of the Quran,

48:11more or less, according to their ability.

48:12Allah Almighty tasked us with tadabbur,

48:14but He said: "Fear Allah as much as you can."

48:16Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.

48:18So reflect according to your capacity.

48:20I am not asking for more than your best.

48:21If you are unable, go and ask the scholars.

48:24But you must take your portion of the Quran.

48:26You must take your share of the Quran.

48:28This is what I wanted to say.

48:30Allah speaks the truth, and He guides to the right way.

48:32Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.