Fruits of Reflection

　　A slave whom Allah The Almighty guides to reflect upon the Quran obtains much goodness. Ibn Al-Qayyim said,

　　There is nothing that is more beneficial for the slave in his life and the Hereafter, and more influential as a cause of salvation than reflecting upon the Quran as well as lengthy pondering upon and deep thinking about the meaning of its verses. This helps a slave be aware of all the traits of evil and good, in addition to the ways, causes, objectives, fruits and destiny of their people. Reflecting on the Quran places the keys of happiness and beneficial knowledge into the hands of the slave. It firmly fixes the foundations of faith in his heart, enables him to see past nations, shows him what Allah The Almighty did with them and gives him valuable lessons. It acquaints man with the justice and bounty of Allah The Almighty, His Self, His names, His attributes and actions, what He Loves and what He does not Love. It shows him the way that leads to Allah The Exalted, what is prepared for those who seek this way, and what hinders and disturbs [people on] this way.

　　Such reflection provides a slave with information about the soul and its characteristics and what spoils or corrects a person’s deeds. It shows him the way of the people of Paradise and the inmates of Hell, as well as their deeds, conditions and features. It shows the degrees of the people of happiness and the people of wretchedness and the categories of creation and what they have in common or differ in. As a whole, it makes a person know His Lord, the way that leads to Him and the honor that is stored for a person when he meets Him.

　　On the other hand, reflecting upon the Quran acquaints a person with what Satan calls for and the ways that lead to him, as well as the humiliation and torment that a person will receive after reaching the way of Satan. It is necessary that a slave understands and knows these things, because this exposes the Hereafter to him as if he is experiencing it, and distracts him from this world as if he does not live in it. Moreover, it makes him distinguish between truth and falsehood so that he sees them in reality. It gives him a discerning criterion through which he may distinguish between guidance and misguidance, and between evildoing and good deeds. It throws strength into his heart and gives him abundance, life, comfort, delight and happiness. Accordingly, such a person’s concerns will be different from that of others.

　　Indeed, the meanings of the Quran are based on Tawheed (monotheism) and its proofs, knowing Allah The Almighty, His Attributes of perfection and freeness from imperfections, and that He is far exalted above everything else. It is also based on belief in the messengers of Allah, mentioning the proofs that support their truthfulness and prophethood and recognizing their rights and the rights of the One who sent them. The meaning of the Quran is also based on belief in the angels of Allah, who are His messengers that execute His Orders and manage His affairs according to His will and permission. They are also concerned with clarifying the affairs of the upper and lower worlds that the angels are appointed to maintain and manage, as well as being concerned with clarifying which angels are assigned the tasks that pertain to humankind from the time a person is in his mother's womb until he meets Allah The Almighty.

　　The meaning of the Quran is also concerned with belief in the Hereafter: what Allah The Almighty has prepared for His righteous allies in Paradise where they feel no pain, misery or trouble, and what Allah The Almighty has prepared for His enemies in Hell, where they will find no happiness, prosperity or rest. It clearly sets out all relevant matters in detail: commands and prohibitions, Sharee‘ah and fate, the lawful and the unlawful, admonitions and lessons, stories and parables, causes and pearls of wisdom, and the principles and objectives behind creation and the orders of Allah The Almighty.

　　The meanings of the Quran stir a person to come to Allah The Almighty through its good promises, and warn and frighten him against His severe punishment. It encourages a person not to indulge in the luxuries of this life and to avoid things that would not be in his favor when he is questioned on the Day of Judgement. It guides him amidst the darkness of opinions and methodologies to the straight path, bars him from breaking into ways of religious innovations and misguidance, and motivates him to be grateful to Allah so that his blessings may increase. It makes him aware of the boundaries of the lawful and the unlawful and prevents him from transgressing, in order that he would not be exposed to a long suffering. It firmly keeps his heart away from wrongdoing and deviation from the truth. It makes difficult matters and hindrances easy for him. Whenever determination weakens or a person lags behind, it addresses him saying: “The caravan advanced and you missed the guide, thus join them and migrate.” Then it moves in front of him as a guide. Whenever he faces an ambush from an enemy or a highwayman, it calls him: “Beware and take care! Seek support and protection in Allah and say, ‘Sufficient for me is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’”

　　Indeed, pondering, understanding and reflecting on the Quran brings about pearls of wisdom and benefits, even greater than what we have described above.

　　Reflecting on the Quran - A cure for the hearts - I