Something was weird in Amina’s house. The most frustrating thing was a copy of the Qur’an lying on the countertop of the kitchen. How can one be so careless? The pages of the Qur’an were loose and stains of oil were also there. Touching with wet hands had made its pages stiff. there was one copy on the side table of the drawing room and one in the lounge. What a pity! Such disrespect of the Holy Book? I wondered – she seemed to be an educated lady. Maybe, she is ignorant of her act. Should I tell her? Those thoughts must have changed the colour of my face. She got my unsaid question and shared her story with me. “My kids are small and my family is big. I don’t have enough time to sit and read properly. So, I have kept copies of the Qur’an everywhere. Whenever I get a chance or need a solution to any problem, I consult it and get solutions. This book solves all of my queries, Alhamdulillah. Hearing her words, I got confused. Solution of what type of problems. My eyes questioned her. She further continued, “When I was younger, I used to rush to my father for solutions to every problem. Once my father told me to befriend the Qur’an and seek help from it. It will guide you in every step. At that time, I didn’t believe my father’s words. But now, as I have entered practical life, there are so many problems in our daily lives with no answers. Slowly, I befriended the Qur’an.”

“The Qur’an is Allah’s word. He has given instructions in it for the proper functioning of humans. I consult the Qur’an for my daily problems. Believe me, it has a solution for every problem. Some problems take time and some get solved just by opening the Qur’an. That particular verse, answering my query, will come in front of my eyes and guide me. Sometimes, I highlight those verses for future reference.”

I was listening to her with a puzzled face. She further continued: “Let’s take an example of last week. My sister-in-law was invited to our house with family. I arranged everything and the get-together went fine. After dinner, when I was heading towards the kitchen, I heard some bad words about me. Hearing those words, I became very sad. With a heavy heart, I opened the Qur’an which was kept in the kitchen. I studied one verse in Surah Fussilat (Ayat 34) “The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allah ordered the faithful believers to be patient in the times of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily: he between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.”
“This verse brightened my thoughts. I bought a nice pair of earrings for myself two days ago. I gifted them to my sister-in-law. She saw me for some time and then cried in joy. She thanked me for the gift and said, “I have become a negative person, maybe due to negative surroundings and distance from Deen. May Allah bless you and ease your affairs”. Alhamdulillah, I got my sister back.
“Likewise, when you came today. I got worried as I had already prepared dinner. I was tense about the shortage of food. I opened the Qur’an and got a verse. It was revealed highlighting the hospitality shown to a guest by the companions’ Abu Talha and his wife Umm Sulaim. Abu Talha welcomed a hungry traveller into his home even though they had very little to eat. Thus he asked his wife to bring whatever provisions they had and give it to the guest. As the guest ate his fill, they pretended to eat in the dim candlelight. The following day Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) gave them the great news that God had revealed a verse about them and their generosity.,” “…They give them (the emigrant guests) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from the selfishness of their own souls such are they who are successful.” (Qur’an 59: 9).”

“Reading this verse, I thanked Allah(swt) and started to prepare some quick dishes. Soon, the doorbell rang. My neighbour’s daughter was there with a dish of biryani. Even my husband brought some side dishes while returning from the office. Indeed, Allah is the greatest. He eases our problems.”

Hearing those words, I told her that this incident could happen by chance. Does the Qur’an help like this in our daily problems? As far as I know, it is a book of Allah (swt), full of blessings. I recite different surahs on and off, not regularly, for different purposes. But I have not thought of consulting it for our daily problems.
Amina continued in a nice voice. “Life is a test and everyone has a different set of questions prepared by our Creator – Allah (swt). Whenever we purchase any electronic item, we always get a manual along with it. We read the manual before installation and always check it for any problems. This Qur’an is given to us as a manual for this life. We just have to open it and search for our answers.
Allah (swt) has created human beings and this whole universe. He sent the Qur’an with the prophet Muhammad(saw). In the Qur’an, Allah (swt) is directly talking to us. The creator of our life is directing us to solve our problems. Are we reading the Qur’an as it is required? Are we fulfilling the rights of the Qur’an upon us? I don’t know the answers. What rights does the Qur’an have upon us? Amina told me that she too was unaware of these questions and got the answers once she started attending weekly Qur’an classes.
You know, there is a hadith, The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave two examples; one for the good companion and one for the bad: Abu Musa Al-Ash`ary (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith’s bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. I have some nice friends there in Qur’an class Alhamdulillah. I learned many things from them.
During the pandemic, my husband lost his job. I found the answer in a verse. In Surah Hud, Ayah 52 Allah(swt) said, “My people, ask your Lord for forgiveness (istegfaar)and turn to Him in repentance. He will shower abundant rains upon you from heaven and will add strength to your strength. Do not turn away as those given to guilt. “I was astonished by the many benefits of istegfaar. I seek forgiveness from Allah (swt) for my known and unknown sins. Slowly, my prayers were accepted. My husband started a small business. Alhamdulillah. Allah (swt) increased our provision (rizq).”

Allah has told us to recite the Qur’an with proper tajweed, understand it, ponder on its message, on what occasion a particular verse was revealed, & how those verses solve our problems. How can we implement it in our daily lives? Amina was telling me about this special friend & I was thinking, till today, I haven’t had this special friend in my life. I read the Qur’an many times – sometimes on the death of near ones, sometimes for the barakah of a specific surah. I thought about the expensive cover I bought for my Qur’an. I made a particular shelf in my drawing room, a little high from my height. Unknowingly, tears flowed down my cheeks. I paid so much attention to the appearance. I must fulfil the rights of the Qur’an on me and be more content with my life like Amina. I came from Amina’s house with a new hope. One day, I will also get this special friend in my life. Insha’Allah.