qur'an

In this season of thanks, Ustadh Michael Wolfender provides lessons from Surat An Naml (27 The Ant) focusing on a father and son who naturally and genuinely thanked Allah (27:15-16) Who thusly granted them more and more. The father Dawood and his son Suleiman were kings in their time who recognized how Allah provides individuals favors specific to each of us. You simply have to look and recognize them and be thankful to Allah. Like when Suleiman was leading an army and heard an ant as referenced in 27:18: “And when they came across a valley of ants, an ant warned, “O ants! Go quickly into your homes so Solomon and his armies do not crush you, unknowingly.” And then in the next ayat where instead of ignoring a small creature’s concern, Suleiman turns to Allah: “So Solomon smiled in amusement at her words, and prayed, “My Lord! Inspire me to ˹always˺ be thankful for Your favours which You have blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please you. Admit me, by Your mercy, into ˹the company of˺ Your righteous servants.”

He made this dua to Allah thanking Him for the blessings He provides and parents, recognizing that what matters is doing good deeds pleasing to Allah over seeking the acceptance of other people.  He concluded this dua asking Allah to make him among the righteous people who go to Paradise.

In 27:17, Allah advises how He provided Suleiman the capacity to speak to birds and other measures of power and control specific to Suleiman. This is also true how Allah endows each of us individually. Recognizing this helps to understand how we need Allah to be pleased with us to earn paradise.

27:20 provides another example of Suleiman connecting with animals: “˹One day˺ he inspected the birds, and wondered, “Why is it that I cannot see the hoopoe? Or could he be absent?”

The bird advised him (27:22 – 25) of a queen who led her people in worshipping the sun instead of Allah. And when she received his letter (27:28 – 31), she decides to send a gift (27:35). To which upon receipt, Suleiman replies (27:36) that what Allah provides is better and that he doesn’t need the gift. Typically, humans are gratified upon receiving gifts, rather than considering the best provision consistently is provided by Our Creator. Suleiman declares the fact that the gift givers are sun worshippers, which is wrong. He cares about their belief and not about any gift from this society. This conviction ends well as the queen comes to understand Suleiman’s true interest and she accepts the beliefs he so wishes to convey of Islam’s tenets (27:44).

This surah entails many actual realities commonplace in fictional blockbusters such as

super powers, super heroes and magical powers. The Qur’an, as Truth, advises of this reality: Allah gave Suleiman more because he was alert, he knew what comes from Allah and he was appreciative. Allah then gave him more as reward for Suleiman’s consistently keeping Allah on his mind. 

Qur'an will give us cure and is a mercy for believers. Ustadh Michael Wolfender provides the example of one of the early believers in Islam, a slave, and how the Qur’an made him strong despite torture he endured for his faith. Ustadh Michael uses this example to illustrate how many are slaves to video games, which inherently, due to addictive behavior, teach you how not to take care of yourself. As stimulating activities, the psychology of video games makes the participants eager for further engagement, primarily due to dopamine release. This chemical release trains the brain to thus determine nothing is more fun than video games. Ustadh Michael explains how the 'triumph circuit' propagates a distortion of reality causing the participant reduced ability to overcome real life challenges, partly because of perceived false senses of victory derived from video games. Anxiety presents itself as the participant misperceives values of social status, sincere friendship and family relationships due to silo’ed activity. The body loses the ability to correctly identify and control emotions, as brain cells are killed. Video games move gray matter from one part of the brain to another. Actual socializing time is reduced, hindering building nurturing relationships. Video games commonly train poor social behavior, instilling blaming, shaming, cyberbullying and foul language. Studies show video games are linked to memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Allah’s Book, The Qur’an, will not make you strong in video games. It will make you strong in life. Ustadh Michael encourages students to leave video gaming and to start by seeking assistance and talking with parents. Replace video games with quality time with family, outdoors and Qur'an. Qur'an will free you so you are in control of your life. Ustadh Michael concludes with two measures of guidance to keep believers on the straight path. 

Recitation of Surah Ar-Ràd, verses 19-31, by Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem, recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

At the beginning of Surat Al-Azhab (33 The Combined Forces) Allah swt addresses the value of believing in His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In verse 21, saying: "Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often." And then affirming those who follow, from verse 23: " Among the believers are men who have proven true to what they pledged to Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pledge ˹with their lives˺, others are waiting ˹their turn˺. They have never changed ˹their commitment˺ in the least."

Ustadh Michael Wolfender recites the beginning of this surah, referencing the final messenger ﷺ as an excellent example for us to follow as a role model, hoping to meet Allah, remembering Him a lot. The battle of Al Azhab was difficult for the believers fighting in Allah's cause at the time behind His prophet ﷺ. 

This verse comes among others referencing hypocrites doubting faith in Allah's messenger ﷺ and even Him. So Allah sent revelation indicating that what His messenger ﷺ says is from Him, which affirms believers' faith because what Muhammad ﷺ says is truth. 

Ustadh Michael shares a picture of the sunrise showing the last crescent moon of the month and discusses the phases of the moon. Allah talks about the sun and moon in His Book, the Qur'an. A poet remarked on seeing the final messenger ﷺ and how he is beautiful like the sun and the pleasure of looking at him is akin to appreciating the beauty of the moon lit in the night sky. 

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made everyone feel like he loved them, including prisoners of war. He ﷺ advised to make things easy, not hard. Give people good tidings and make them feel happy. 

What role models do you look up to? Is Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at the top of your list?

Learn three qualities to ensure Allah provides an immediate answer. Ustadh Michael Wolfender takes us through Surat Al-Ambya (21 The Prophets) where Allah details the stories of at least a dozen prophets and lessons we can learn from, including the commandments provided to Moses, Ibrahim’s destroying of idols, Noah’s ultimate dua, Job’s calling out to his Master, and the famous dua from Jonah trapped in a whale. 

Of the prophets mentioned, each embodied three qualities warranting Allah’s immediate answer: 

1. They rushed to do good and bring good to other people. Their intent and actions were to do good to people wherever they would go. 
2. They always made dua to Allah; not only just calling out when in need. Their sincere hopes included meeting Allah.
3. They remained humble.

After mentioning these prophets in Al-Ambya, Allah mentions Mary and Jesus as a sign for the entire universe. He then mentions Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as a mercy for the entire universe. 

After migrating to the city of Medina, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ instilled brotherhood and peace with a constitution instituting rights including freedom of worship. Citizens would mutually defend the community. Peace and goodness were spread to make those around each other live in happiness, taking care of those who have less. Share food with all people. Worship, turn to Allah, make dua, especially at night. This is the way to success. 

These measures help define how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a mercy to the entire universe, promoting the spread of Islam, as in the verse after Ayat ul Kursi (2:255) where Allah says there is no coercion in religion. Rather, the message of Islam is to be delivered with humility, peace and mercy as declared in Surat Al-Ambya. This is how Islam brings justice and fairness. 

Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares learnings from Surat Al-Mu’minun on how amazing Allah is. Brother Michael advises how the surah opens with the first four ayat guaranteeing success to believers who follow what Allah ordains: care about prayer, do not waste time and share. Believers will be winners when they are serious about praying salah and care about prayer, use time productively and are charitable. Believers give what they like to others, understanding Allah is The Provider and He can give more. 

The 23rd surah describes how Allah created man from clay and how humans form from embryos. From this, Allah fashions humans, who, if they physically injure themselves can have human body parts, like skin, repair itself. As further benefit, Allah sends down fresh water filling rivers and lakes, sustaining life that grows sustenance with all sorts of flavor and nutrition. 

Allah sent messengers. People denied them, just as they deny Allah’s Favors. This is a fundamental mistake to not realize how amazing Allah is, while everyday it is evident the creation He has provided, including our human bodies, water and food. 

 As the new Hijri calendar year begins, Ustadh Michael Wolfender reflects on the legacy of our prophet Muhammad ﷺ and how he would love to see those who love him, which includes believers of today.  Brother Michael shares how Allah revealed Surah Al Kawthar (108 The Abundance) as comfort and to advise His messenger of the legacy he would provide humanity. 

Takeaway lessons include trusting in Allah alone, worry about pleasing Allah and He will make you the best. 

In this week’s episode, Brady Blevins talks with Watchman Fellowship's president, James Walker, about his most recent book, What the Qur'an Really Teaches About Jesus. Islam may be the geopolitical issue of our lifetime. This book encourages and equips Christians to discuss the gospel of Jesus Christ with their Muslim coworkers, neighbors and friends.

James is an ordained Baptist minister and holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies and an M.A. in Theology from Criswell College. In addition to his work at Watchman Fellowship, he teaches as an adjunct professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Arlington Baptist University. He is also cofounder of the Atheist & Christian Book Club, a monthly gathering of believers and skeptics respectfully discussing important books from both perspectives.

 BONUS LINKS: Here are some additional resources:

• What the Qur'an Really Teaches About Jesus, by James Walker (Harvest House, 240-pages) - Request a signed copy of the book here: www.watchman.org/Quran


• Islam Profile by James Walker: www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/islamprofile.pdf


• Debate on Video - James Walker Vs Khalil Meek "Jesus Christ Prophet of Allah or Savior of the World? On DVD and streaming video for ANY donation here: www.watchman.org/IslamDebate


• FREE: We are also offering a free subscription to our bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Join the Apologetics Profile podcast team for as little as $1 here: www.patreon.com/WatchmanFellowship.

Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship
For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

School’s back in session at Good Tree Academy and Ustadh Michael Wolfender kicks off the year explaining how, in a time of uncertainty, community and peace are foundations to achieve daily. Ustadh Michael Wolfender explains the value of reciting Surah Al Fatihah the most, as it is the perfect dua to ask of Allah, guiding our relationship with Him. Note at the end of this dua, we ask Allah to keep us among those who please Him and not the opposite. This speaks to the value of community and the importance of surrounding yourself with those who are righteously uplifting. It is a means of connection with a common goal of acting to please and for Allah’s Cause, understanding that we cannot achieve anything without Allah. Ustadh Michael shares Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s guidance upon entering his adopted city of Medina and three tenets to live by which will earn paradise, including spreading peace.

On the Day of Arafat, Ustadh Michael Wolfender reminds us of the most important day when we will meet Allah with our reckoning for eternity.

As the ten best days conclude, Hajj is nearly complete for the pilgrims. They spent many hours preparing. Ustadh Michael helps us consider the preparations we are all making to meet our Master.

We can use these simple three examples everyday, making every simple action a remembrance of Allah: looking for shade, drinking water and treating each other equally.

The Eid celebration after Hajj and the best ten days commemorates sacrificing and sharing.

Ustadh Michael Wolfender examines and extols the virtues behind obeying Allah’s commands in preparing meat to eat.

What do you think about Ustadh Michael’s contention to vegetarians of the world? Our goal is to help spread understanding of Islam and Allah’s guidance, with the direction He’s provided. As humans, we are given the choice to follow the directions our Prophet peace be upon him has brought.

Support Good Tree Academy at http://goodtreeacademy.org/donate

Ustadh Michael Wolfender is producing these podcasts to help believers understand the directions Allah provides so we can all increase our worship, particularly in the ten most blessed days.

Ustadh Michael provides examples of exercising patience, particularly when performing Hajj. As Brother Michael explains, a second way to increase worship of Allah is to focus on and offer prayer. 

Support Good Tree Academy’s efforts to share Allah's Message online at ​http://goodtreeacademy.org/donate

Recitation of Surah Al-Waqi'ah by Shaykh Ahsan Hanif, recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

Recitation of Surah Ar-Rahman by Shaykh Ahsan Hanif, recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

Recitation of Surah Al-Qamar by Shaykh Ahsan Hanif, recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

Recitation of Surah An-Najm by Shaykh Ahsan Hanif, recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

Recitation of Surah At-Tur by Shaykh Ahsan Hanif, recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

Ustadh Michael Wolfender discusses Ayah 35 of Surah Hajj which deviates from details on Hajj to discuss four qualities of believers: being humble before Allah, patience with what befalls believers, offering worship and prayer and spending from what Allah has provided. Each is a means to increase your connection with our Maker. Support Good Tree Academy  at ​http://goodtreeacademy.org/donate

Recitation of Surah Al-Insan by Qari Abdullah Al-Obaidali (القارئ عبد الله العبيدلي), recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org

Recitation of Surah As-Sajdah by Qari Abdullah Al-Obaidali (القارئ عبد الله العبيدلي), recorded at Green Lane Masjid, Birmingham, UK.

https://www.greenlanemasjid.org