 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته رمضان مبارك my name is Dawood Yassin and I am coming to you from Zaituna College in Berkeley, California. Alhamdulillah, I think the organization that is hosting this event and I am looking forward to sharing some thoughts with you with regard to Ramadan and some reflections on the Quran. This is my first Ramadan on an island where I grew up and I heard that there was another Muslim on that island, however we never met and that was 24 years ago. There was no community for me to join and now all of us find ourselves in a similar situation where we have no community. This was pre-Zoom so we could not engage in that way. The Arabs say something, وَسَلْنَهَيْثُ بَدَتْنَهَ, that we arrived where we began. So now all of us, as I said, 24 years later find ourselves in that situation and I hear many people asking, you know, how do I spend this Ramadan alone? But with reality, are we ever really alone when we think about it of the continued sustenance and protection and guidance from Allah SWT? All of this is an indication, a true indication that we are never really alone and we may think that we are, however the Quran reminds us that we are not and I want to share a few things from the Quran. The Quran is that reality that reaches downwards from heaven and the message within that reality contains the ability to bring us to the truest understanding of ourselves and this function in life. Charles Lege Eton, a British journalist and convert to Islam, he writes, the Quran moves in a literate shepherd to tears when recited to him and it shaped the lives of millions of simple people over 1400 years. It has stopped the sophisticated in their tracks and made saints of them and it has been the source of the most subtle philosophy and art which expresses its deepest meaning in visual terms. It has brought the wandering tribes of mankind together in communities and civilizations upon which its most imprint is apparent even to the most casual observer. The Muslim, regardless of race and national identity, is unlike anyone else because he or she has undergone the impact of the Quran and has been formed by it. However, to engage and embark upon this journey, it demands of us that we are willing to alter aspects of our lives that are not currently oriented towards the Quran and a life guided by ethics, morals and principles. Why? One states it clearly. Allah says in Surah Al-Ra'id, the 13th chapter of the Quran verse 11 and part of the verse saying, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they first change what is in themselves. And then in the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, we find a hadith that gives explanation and further meaning to this verse. And in the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, we find this following hadith. It's a hadith Qudsi which begins, Waqala Rabbul, and the Lord has said, By my might, majesty and elevation above my throne, there is not a single town or home who are engaged in what I dislike of disobedience, who then leave it for what I love of obedience except for that I alleviate what they dislike of my punishment and replace it with what they love of my mercy. So this concept of changing, this concept of the Quran telling us and guiding us and setting these morals and principles for us, it does one thing for me. And I'm going to tell you, as this was my journey as I said in the beginning of my Islam, spending this time by myself, spending time with Quran, praying ta'ra weeh by myself, dealing with my food by myself, no halal food on the island. It was a real test for me. But I looked at the Quran and this idea of this Quran being one of guidance. So this first guidance obviously that we find in this message within the Quran is in this month of Ramadan. شهر رمضان اللذي أنزلا فيه القرآن هدى للناس وبينات ملهدى والفرقان. So here, this relationship of the Quran as I said, it is for us to be very clear and make no mistake that it's a guidance for mankind. And Ramadan is the month when that reality is present in our lives unlike others in other times of the year. So the translation of the verse I just read, the month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran a guidance for people in clear proofs and a guidance for criterion. So again, this idea of the Quran being a means of guidance. This guidance then takes us and clearly identifies for us the function and the reality of the Quran. I think of it as, again, in these first in these formative years of my Islam, I understood this Quran as being, right? How did I understand Allah as being establishing in my life Allah as a sustainer, sustainer of mankind. I find in Surat Al-Fatir verse 3 of chapter 35, Allah asks this rhetorical question at the end of this verse. O mankind, remember Allah's grace towards you. Is there any Creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky and the earth or there is no deity, there is no deity except for Allah. How then will you be deluded from the truth? So establishing first and foremost these principles as I said, Quran being guidance. Establishing these principles in my life. The first one that Allah is a sustainer, the Almighty God is a sustainer in my life. Then the giver of guidance. We turn back to Surat Al-Baqarah, the second chapter of the Quran. Thatikal Kitabu La Raib, this idea of guidance. So where else should I look for guidance? How else should I understand that sustenance which has been written for me will find me. If I am not engaging in the Quran and having these ideas kind of seared into my mind, seared into my intellect, into my being to understand these as realities and not mere verses only. It is with a lofty purpose that we seek from it the guidance that would transform our whole being, bringing us to Allah's pleasure and to His straight path. So now understanding and establishing the Quran as guidance. Understanding that He is a sustainer, the giver of guidance. Now I move to this idea of Allah being the judge of mankind on a personal level. What does that mean to me? Do I see myself standing in front of my Lord with all of my actions presented to me, present in front of me? Allah says in the Quran again. Allah says in this, the day when they come forth. Nothing will be hidden from Allah. And then Allah will ask this rhetorical question again. Who is the sovereignty to this day? It is Allah, the One, the Almighty. So how do I understand ultimate judgment and infinite justin if I'm not engaging it directly through the Quran? Because we have to form our own relationship with Allah, with regard to what He is saying about Himself because far too often we are not aware of how Allah is going to deal with us, which can be misleading and give us expectations that are inaccurate concerning Allah's judgment. And if we're talking about judgment here, then I want to remind us of this idea that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala meets out merciful justice. At times we are given over to constant stories of wrath, of Allah's wrathful justice. And to some degree that is reality. However, we should have full belief that even when we fall short, that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, through His promise, has given us the ability to be dealt with with a merciful justice. So the verse that I just read before, that was from Surat al-Fathir. And now in the verse that follows it. اليوم تجزى كل نفسم بما كسبت لا ظلم اليوم إن الله سريع الحساب. Today each soul will be rewarded for whatever it has done. And today no injustice will be done. Allah is swift in reckoning. Allah says again وعد الله الذين أامنوا وعملوا صالحاتي لهم مغفرتون وأجرون عظيم. Again these are guiding principles inshallah that come alive in this month. And this month establishes this for us to move forward for the rest of the year. Allah continues by saying in the hadith that I want to again clarify, a hadith qudsi that clarifies this, that really when we think about this justice in our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from these principles as a set of guidance and of sustainer and of mercy. إِنَّ رَحْمَتِ تَغْلِبُ غَضَبِ that Allah says, my mercy prevails over my wrath. So now let's look at the Qur'an as a reminder. Let this Qur'an during this blessed month remind us that everything in the entire creation man and nature is contingent upon Allah. If I'm not reading and engaging the Qur'an how will this reality be rooted in my heart? How am I challenging myself from thinking that I am the doer of my affairs? The provider, the organizer, the giver, the taker, the decider of all things. I work there for all that I have in the fruits of my labor. And one mode of thinking that is correct, but such thinking is what veils us from Allah. That is why I mentioned this first principle of understanding and affirming that my sustainer and provider is Allah. Behind the veil of seeing ourselves as the sustainer and the provider is a different reality. And that reality is realized when we understand what Allah shares about himself in the Qur'an. All too often people use shame and fear as a type of motivation and perhaps that is useful in some degree. But I know far too many people that have lost hope because they are constantly threatened by the chastisement of a punishing Lord. Yes, Allah says that about himself in the Qur'an. However, if we are not reading and engaging the Qur'an then it is far too easy to forget and lose sight that he is a merciful Lord who loves us and wants good for us and created gender for us. It wants us to dwell therein forever and send the messengers and the prophets to guide us to that way and to show us how to live on that straight path. If I am not inspired to draw nearer to the source of this book and the love that accompanies it because I am put off by what others say, then I need to re-establish my relationship with that book which in essence is re-establishing my relationship with my Creator. So in summing this up, the Qur'an is talking to me directly about Allah. Let us work to integrate ethics, morals and principles of Qur'an into our hearts that are present in our actions, speech and relationships with one another. These are some of the foundational prerequisites to any fruitful relationship with the Qur'an. Let us work to develop these attributes as much as we can. Let them penetrate the depth of our being. Without the help of these inner resources, we will not receive our full potential of the Qur'an's blessings. These inner resources are not impossible to find. Through constant awareness and reflection, through appropriate words and deeds, we can work to acquire and develop them. The more we do, the closer we will come to the Qur'an and what better time than the blessed month of Ramadan to come closer to the Qur'an. May Allah SWT bless us during the remaining days and nights of Ramadan and bestow His mercy, forgiveness and pardon upon all of us on the late Qadr. Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.