Bismillah 

As Salaamu aalaikum,

Sigh. Exhale. Deep breath. Sura Maaidah has come to a close, but its the first ayaat that are reverberating in my mind. “Oh you who have believed.” Directly to me is my Lord speaking. I feel the words echo in the corners of my mind and the recesses of my soul. 

The Qur’an is guidance “sure without doubt for those who believe.” And so we say, “I believe.” 

Sura Maaidah is the contract Allah has given to those who claim to believe. In its words and meanings are realities that I had not known existed until Allah showed them to me. Sura Maaidah is an open book quiz where the answers to the questions we have in this world are all laid out and the bits and pieces that we take for ourselves are placed front and center so that we can see if we really do believe. 

What a cryptic beginning! But I thought it befitting since my last post was over 5 years ago. A lot of cryptography happened during that intermission. But what has endured is the quest to know the word of Allah. So here I am at the starting line again hoping for Allah to open the doors for me and show me what He loves the most.

Sura Maaidah is amazing. There were so many verses that completely floored me and so many others that brought me to a point of intense reflection in a way that only Quran can. It is 120 verses and 1 juz+1page long. It is a Madani sura and part of the replacement for the Torah. 

It begins with the covenant between Allah and man. Which is a set of simple laws and stipulations that if we uphold Allah will reward us with everlasting eternal bliss. Seems like a pretty good deal for 50-100 years in this world. But its such a simple thing. And the more I think about it the more simple it seems. Allah just asks us to obey Him. He gives us the choice to obey or not obey but He leaves it in our hands to do with that choice as we please. This point really sticks with me because as I moved through this sura with master Yoda, repeating the verses and learning the Tafseer, I began to see a pattern that opened me to much deeper meanings. I began to see myself. I began to see the story of my people.

“Oh Messenger don't be saddened by those who rush to disbelief.” 

What does this mean? How do we rush to disbelief? “Those who say ‘We believe’ with their mouths but don’t believe in their hearts.” Allah truly sees us for who we are. He knows which of us is honest and whom among us are liars. So why not just admit the truth and move on? 

This post is just meant to be an intro to my thoughts on Sura Maaidah. A whiff so to speak of its sweet scent. And a challenge to myself to keep going to post every week and to begin to dream again of being able to recite from Fatiha to Naas never once opening a Mushaf.