Ignoring Allah’s commands

The pathetic and disastrous condition of the Muslim Ummah throughout the world is due to its abandoning of the Holy Qur’an. The constant attitude of indifference, along with our hypocritical lip-service, is tantamount to ridiculing the last of Allah’s revelations. Instead, we must clearly understand our responsibilities towards the Holy Qur’an and try our very best to fulfil them. We can neither expect any improvement in our worldly state of affairs, nor hope for salvation in the Hereafter, unless we carry out all the obligations that we owe to the Qur’an.
The first obligation is to have faith (Iman) in the Divine origin of the Qur’an. Iman has two phases: verbal profession (IqrarBil-Lisan), and heart-felt conviction (TasdeeqBil-Qalb). To have faith in the Qur’an means that we should verbally profess that the Qur’an is the Word of Almighty Allah that was revealed by Him through His angel Jibrael to the last of His messengers, Prophet Muhammad. This is a legal requirement for the acceptance of a person as a member of the Muslim society.
Having done that, however, we also need to develop a deeply felt certitude in the Qur’an. It is only when we have real conviction in this verbal declaration, that our hearts and minds would come under its spell, leading us towards genuine devotion and veneration of the Holy Book. Its absence is the reason why we neither find any reverence for the Qur’an in our hearts, nor feel inclined to study it, nor evince any interest in pondering over its meanings, nor ever think of seeking its guidance in conducting our lives. If the Book is studied and its meanings are pondered upon in an authentic quest for truth, all the veils of darkness shall be lifted from our heart. It might be asked as to how we can acquire true faith. The answer is that the source of Iman is the Holy Qur’an itself. If the Book is studied and its meanings are pondered upon in an authentic quest for truth, all the veils of darkness shall be lifted from our heart, and the inner self – the soul – will get illuminated by the light of true faith.
Note that faith is not something that can be planted in us from the outside. It is an embodiment of fundamental truths that already exist inside us; the practice of pondering over the ayahs of the Qur’an serves to bring them to the surface of our consciousness.
The second obligation is slow and thoughtful reading of the Holy Qur’an with correct pronunciation, generally described as Tilawat, Tarteel, and Tajweed. Note that Tilawat is not only an important form of worship, but it is also an effective method of continually refreshing our faith. The Qur’an is not a book to be read once; it is a book that needs to be read again and again. We must read it carefully, reflecting on its messages, constantly seeking guidance for our lives.
Just as our material body is in constant need of food for its sustenance, our spiritual soul (or Rooh) is also in perpetual need for its nourishment. And while the food for our bodies is derived from the earth, the nutrition for our souls is obtained from the Word of Allah, the Holy Qur’an itself.
The third obligation is to understand and comprehend the Holy Qur’an. The Qur’an has been revealed so that it may be understood and pondered upon. Of course, there are numerous levels and grades of comprehension, accessible to different persons according to their respective planes of intellect and consciousness. The Holy Qur’an has been rendered very easy by Almighty Allah for the purpose of gaining this level of guidance. It does not matter if a person’s intelligence is limited, or his knowledge of logic and philosophy is poor, or if he has no fine sense of language and literature. In spite of these drawbacks, he can still understand the basic message and practical guidance of the Holy Qur’an, provided he has an untainted nature not perverted by any crookedness.
The best way to benefit from the study of the Holy Qur’an is to go on changing our lifestyles and mending our ways in accordance with its teachings. At the collective level of the community, it is equally imperative for us to try and establish the system of social justice as given by the Holy Qur’an. The fifth obligation is to propagate the message of the Holy Qur’an to every nook and corner of the world.