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

Fruits of Reflection
A slave whom Allaah The Almighty guides to reflect upon the Quran
obtains much goodness. Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid,
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 aswell 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 Allaah The Almighty
did with them and gives him valuable lessons. It acquaints man with
the justice and bounty of Allaah 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 Allaah 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. Itshows the degrees
of the people of happiness and the people of wretchedness and the
categories of creation and what they have incommon 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, aswell 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 himfrom this world as if he does not
live in it. Moreover, it makes him distinguish between truth and
falsehood so that he sees them inreality. 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 onTawheed(monotheism) and
its proofs, knowing Allaah 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
Allaah, 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 Allaah, who are His messengers that execute His Orders and
manage His affairs according to His will and permission. They are also
concerned with clarifying theaffairs 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 Allaah The Almighty.
The meaning of the Quran is also concerned with belief in the
Hereafter: what Allaah The Almighty has prepared for His righteous
allies in Paradise wherethey feel no pain, misery or trouble, and what
Allaah The Almighty has prepared for His enemies in Hell, where they
will find no happiness, prosperity or rest. It clearly sets out all
relevantmatters in detail: commands and prohibitions,Sharee'ahand
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 Allaah The Almighty.
The meanings of the Quran stir a person to come to Allaah 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 Allaah 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 missedthe 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 Allaah and say, 'Sufficient for me is
Allaah, 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.