Qur'an Connection by Good Tree Academy

Ustadh Michael speaks about how Allah tests us with the Quran. We should give it priority over other activities, especially in the month of Ramadan. Please support our Tuition Assistance Program at goodtreeacademy.org/ramadan. 

Guest Khateeb Sheikh Arsalan Haque gave Good Tree students an important message about watching what you say and that Ramadan is the best time to practice.

Ustadh Michael tells us a very interesting story of how the first Quran was written down and how Allah's promise was kept to preserve it.

Ustadh Michael speaks about how Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was known to be the most honest and trustworthy individual in his community even before he became the Messenger of Allah.

Our guest khatib Sheikh Ikrimah speaks to the students about the importance of not wasting the precious time Allah SWA has given us with the coming of every new day.

Some try to prove God does not exist through science but the Quran makes it clear that the Designer behind all science is Allah (SWA).

Ustadh Michael speaks about how the Muslims historically brought people together of different religions to build secure, thriving communities.

Good Tree Academy Senior and this year's valedictorian Faizan delivers Jummah Khutba about following the example of Prophet Muhammad (SWS). 

Whatever is best doesn’t come easy. It takes work.

For those who love, study and learn the Qur’an, upon entering paradise, angels will don these believers with garments and crowns, including their parents who fostered the best learning.

Allah has given us some illustrations of the rewards He has prepared in paradise, and they are like nothing we’ve seen. Paradise will have mansions which will look like stars they are so high. 

And who will these mansions be for? Principal Wadud Hassan explains it is for those who will be told to recite Qur’an. The more you recite, the higher and higher levels the reciter will rise. When the reciter stops determines the level of his or her home in paradise. 

Heaven will contain tents like hollowed pearls 60 miles from each side. 

These rewards are especially for the believers who apply the perfume of Qur’an to your soul. It’s a smell palpable to angels. 

Earning paradise means hard work, worship and deeds like fasting, reading Qur’an and exhibiting good character. The next time you face a challenge, like waking up on time for Fajr prayer, think of the treasure Allah has waiting for you and work hard in this short life for that eternal happiness. 

In Surah At Tariq, Allah prompts us to consider our origin: “Let people then consider what they were created from!” (At-Tariq 86:5 The Nightcomer) 

Ustadh Michael Wolfender uses this ayat along with examples like IKEA furniture, cow stomachs, birds’ eyes and stomachs to consider advanced design and our purpose.

Our purpose is to learn about and worship Allah, as we will return to Him. This life is a test of patience and gratitude for the bounties Allah provides and withholds. 

In the second half of Surah At-Tariq, Allah advises of the guidance He has sent in His Book: “Surely this ˹Quran˺ is a decisive word and is not to be taken lightly.” (86:13 - 14) The Qur’an advises us of our purpose, in our faith and path in this life with guidance for earning eternal happiness.

If you saw a treasure chest wide open permitted for you, would you not take? Ustadh Michael Wolfender presents the reality of the best night of the year with a wild example worth paying attention to.

In Surat Al-Qadr (97 The Night of Power), Allah repeats three times which He doesn’t do anywhere else in the Qur’an in this manner. Allah reveals He sent the Qur’an on a night in Ramadan called Laylatul Qadr - the Night of Power. 

Then Allah asks the reader to consider what exactly is this night that has so much power. This is where Ustadh Michael uses his outrageous analogy to help us understand the rewards for worship being accepted on this night.

Laylatul Qadr includes a special visitor who only comes to earth once a year now. Angel Gabriel brought Allah’s Message to prophets, concluding with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.  In the fourth verse of Al Qadr, Allah describes the earth filling with angels on this special night.

How can you take advantage? We don’t know which of the last ten nights of Ramadan exactly is Laylatul Qadr. Instead, we search for it. It might be one of the odd nights, particularly the 27th of Ramadan. The best way is to worship each of these nights, give charity, pray, read Qur’an and make dua, asking of Allah. He is The Most Generous. He is The Creator. He is All Powerful. He can grant us everything we wish for and it would not decrease Him in any way.

The treasure and reward is available one night a year. It’s up to us to avail ourselves of Allah’s Bounty.

Principal Wadud Hassan shares some of the rewards from fasting, including: 

• Allah has created a special gate in paradise called Al Rayyan for those who fast
• Fasting is a shield which will protect you from hellfire on the Day of Judgment
• Charity and night prayer extinguishes fire
• Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for believers on the Day of Judgment
• Fasting one day removes a believer seventy years away from hellfire
• When those fasting are in the company of those who are eating, angels send blessings for those sacrificing for Allah’s Sake

There are levels of fasting beyond abstaining from food and drink, such as staying away from what’s forbidden in bad behavior. Those fasting can then focus on good values like cleansing your heart by forgiving others and seeking forgiveness.

Once a year, the earth is crowded with angels. Allah announces: “That night the angels and the ˹holy˺ spirit descend, by the permission of their Lord, for every ˹decreed˺ matter.” (Al Qadr 97:4 The Power) This night is in the last ten nights of Ramadan and it’s among the ways Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares how we can get close to angels and earn Allah’s Pleasure. 

Jummuah means congregation in Arabic and Fridays are when Muslims meet together for the congregational prayer in the middle of the day. Muslims attending jummuah can earn the rewards of a mountain of gold in blessings as angels take attendance of who comes to jummuah and pay attention to the weekly reminder. 

Angels are made of light and they look for where believers are worshiping so they can join. But if you get distracted, they’ll leave. We can’t see or hear angels here, but everyone entering paradise will. In Surah Ghafir, Allah shows how angels supplicate for believers saying: “Our Lord! Admit them into the Gardens of Eternity which You have promised them, along with the righteous among their parents, spouses, and descendants. You ˹alone˺ are truly the Almighty, All-Wise.” (Al Ghafir 40:8 The Forgiver)

When you make dua or ask of Allah on behalf of others, angels make the same request for you. They listen to our duas and report to Allah all of our actions. 

Back to that one night when Allah crowds the earth with angels. It’s called Laylatul-Qadr or the “Night of Power.” Allah sends a special visitor: the archangel Gabriel, the angel who brought revelation of the Holy Qur’an. Knowing how humans would question how or whether one of their own could see or meet an angel, Allah sent revelation affirming how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did see Jibreel, declaring in Surah Takwir: “I do swear by the receding stars which travel and hide and the night as it falls and the day as it breaks! Indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is the Word of ˹Allah delivered by Gabriel,˺ a noble messenger-angel, full of power, held in honor by the Lord of the Throne, obeyed there ˹in heaven˺, and trustworthy. And your fellow man is not insane. And he did see that ˹angel˺ on the clear horizon” (At-Takwir 81:15 - 23 The Overthrowing) 

Since revelation completed with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Jibreel only visits once a year. Search for Laylatul Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan to be in the company of angels worshiping with you. 

All of His books Allah revealed in the month of Ramadan, while most Muslims may only consider the Qur’an’s revelation to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  in the cave of Mount Hira. This is among the reasons Ramadan is a special month with increased blessings. Allah closes the doors to the hellfire and opens the doors to paradise. Prayers increase in reward 70-fold. Optional prayers are elevated to the reward of obligatory prayers. Beyond rewards as an incentive, Ramadan is a month to develop and build your relationship with Allah, remembering Him in your heart. Build good values, like patience. 

Principal Wadud Hassan shares the origin story of an early scholar of Islam, his beginnings as a sinner, the death of his daughter and a dream where she helped bring him towards Allah. It’s guidance like this which can help us chart a straight path to understand the value of our short lifetime compared to the Day of Judgment which will last 50,000 years. 

This Ramadan, add to your good deeds by supporting Good Tree Academy to continue our mission of cultivating the next generation of Muslim scholars and leaders. 

Allah doesn’t expect perfection. He expects to worship only Him, talking to Him in prayer and doing your best. Allah sent us His Book, the Qur’an, beginning its revelation in the month of Ramadan where He commands fasting: “Ramaḍân is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the standard ˹to distinguish between right and wrong˺. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number of days ˹after Ramaḍân˺. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.” (Al-Baqarah 2:185 The Cow)

Ustadh Michael Wolfender provides examples of believers who changed themselves based on their relationship with The Holy Qur’an, the significance of the qibla changing in the month before Ramadan and how Prophet Abraham and his son built the Ka’ba in Mecca. The power of the Qur’an is evidenced in how it changed civilizations, the direction for Musims to pray and turned lives to accept Islam. 

Ramadan is a time to prepare and change yourself to follow the blueprint Allah provides in the Qur’an. Do your best, Ustadh Michael explains, is what Allah is asking for and ask of Him as He says in the ayah following the verse on Ramadan: “When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.”  (Al-Baqarah 2:186 The Cow)

Allah created all humans as equal. But modern times and history show example after example where humans disobeyed the universal value of treating each other equally. Such racism has ignited wars, spurring sinning behavior Allah detests.

As a means of recognition, society can then single out certain people to ‘honor,’ such as with Black History Month. Ustadh Michael Wolfender explains the conundrum this displays on ensuring we each recognize the value of one another every single day by seeking to better our character. 

The best amongst us only occurs in righteousness. If someone belittles you, respond with peace. Don’t let others lose your inner peace. Allah is with each of us all the time, as He says in Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow 2:186): “When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.”

Taking care of your soul is as important, if not even more, than taking care of your body. Emotions come from and impact your soul. How do you feel when you're angry? A purpose of anger is protection, not to adversely impact others.
So, as Principal Wadud Hassan advises, the best way to respond to anger is with patience, compassion, and forgiveness. He shares the example of how our prophet Muhammad ﷺ respnded to a bedouin who grabbed the prophet ﷺ by his collar as a means of introduction and attention. Our prophet’s ﷺ response was to turn with a smile to then understand what the bedouin’s need concerned.
We often think of our soul as if it’s within our heart, in our chest. It’s not really an incorrect way of thinking as how you view your heart and your chest is a physical manifestation of your emotional state. Principal Wadud gives the example of the famous dua of Moses (as) which Allah shares in Surah Taha 20:25 - 28 as his prophet asked of Him: “O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness.) And ease my task for me. And untie the knot (the defect) from my tongue (i.e. remove the incorrectness from my speech). That they understand my speech.”

Start feeding your soul by remembering Allah, ask of Him and know that Allah is with those who are patient and mindful of Him. Remembering Allah is actually a form of positive self-talk. Indeed, Allah has built a home for every human in paradise. This life is a test to earn this eternal reward, in part by developing ourselves and our souls with these habits: 

Make wudu - cleaning yourself and asking Allah to wash away your sins and have the body parts you’ve washed shine with light to guide you on the Day of Judgment 
Frequently say “In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficient, The Most Merciful.” Such as when you start, are in the midst of and when you end anything. 
Pray. Worship is our conversation with Our Creator with the effect of calming us from daily distractions. 
Ask of Allah by making lots of dua. Allah loves when His servants ask of him. 
Don’t not talk with someone for three days when you are experiencing conflict with them. Do greet them and resolve to end the issue before 72 hours have passed. 
Shake hands, of course, while observing hygienic protocols. Humans benefit from touch.
Greet others with a greeting of peace. 
End your day ensuring you are not harboring grudges; it’s easiest to do this by forgiving others. 
Read. The first command Allah sent in the revelation of the Qur’an is “Read.” Build a connection with Allah’s Book by starting with a translation of the Qur’an and you will begin to understand the value of learning to understand its Arabic.
Write, whether it’s an email, post, journal or letter. Writing is cognitive and cathartic.

As a parent looking for an Islamic school, a key criteria to look at is the Quranic curriculum. At Good Tree Academy, the Qur’an’s lessons are integrated into the curriculum, which also means the school does not qualify for state funding. 

If we want treasures from Allah, we must strive for them in the decisions we make, including ardently supporting institutions such as Good Tree Academy. “O humanity! Indeed, you are laboring restlessly towards your Lord, and will ˹eventually˺ meet the consequences..” Surah Inshiqaq (The Sundering) 84:6 

In this week’s khutbah, Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares lessons from the Qur’an on how to benefit from two treasures Allah has revealed. The first are the short surahs at the end of the Qur’an and the lessons they contain, including not to be mean as ultimately this really only hurts yourself. 

“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth.” Surah Tawbah (The Repentance) 9:36

The second treasure are the four sacred months: al-Muharram, Rajab, Du al-Qa'dah, Du al-Hijjah when Allah says we should take advantage of the opportunity to get closer to Allah by increasing our worship, memorizing more and studying the meaning of Allah’s Book. Winners encourage each other to do good. Losers won’t take advantage of the treasures Allah provides. Worse, they prevent others from doing good.

Make good decisions. Seek to please Allah and He will be pleased with you, provide you guidance and rewards in abundance. 

Brother Wadud Hassan reminds us to hold on to the Qur'an and always turn to it especially in times of need.

Ustadh Michael wolfender talks about the origin of the popular idea that life on earth happened by chance and states that although this idea is popular, it is the most illogical explanation. He explains how the most logical explanation is that there is a Designer, a Creator of the heavens, the earth and all in between.