RAMADAN QURAN GEM ✔

RAMADAN QURAN GEM 3 {1: 5} : "Nasta'een"

Say, "To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path." [2: 142]

Bismillah

Nasta’een

You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each & everything).
{Surat Al Fatiha 1: Verse 5}

•Notice that this ayat isn’t a command from Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’alaa)  but our own self-declaration to Allah that it is only to You, oh Allah, that we give ourselves, totally & absolutely in slavery & worship.

•While in America they have Declaration of Independence, this is a declaration of slavery. Declaration that I give my total dependence to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’alaa) .It’s beautiful because when we declare our slavery to Allah, then that is the only time when we are truly free. We’re free from peer-pressure, fashion, brands, entertainment etc. We don’t have to look, talk, or walk like anybody else. We don’t have to pretend in order to fit in with the crowd, because the only One we are trying to please is Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’alaa).

•Then in the same ayat, we ask Allah

It is only Your help do we seek.

‘Nasta’een’ means ‘help’, but there is a deeper meaning behind this word. Isti’aana in Arabic comes from the word ‘aun which means help in matters that we are struggling

•Imagine this example: A person hasn’t been performing the 5 daily prayers out of laziness. He says, “I really want to be a better person, I’ve made lots of du’a but Allah hasn’t given me tawfiq yet.” This is not ‘nasta’een’ / ‘isti’aana’ because this person isn’t struggling.

•By using ‘nasta’een’, we’re claiming: “Ya Allah, I’m already trying everything I can, I ask for Your Help because I can’t do it by myself”. This ayat teaches us that we must put our best effort to get Allah’s help.

•Here’s the scary part: We know that lying is a sin. So when we recite this ayat in our daily prayer, ask ourselves: Have I really struggled & put my best effort? If it’s merely lip service, then realize that we’re not only lying to ourselves, but also to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’alaa) .Watch it.
Don’t make a joke out of salah. It’s not a hit & run & get it over with. It is supposed to transform us. May Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’alaa)make us of those who really struggle for the sake of Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’alaa).

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Gems extracted from Quran: Cover to Cover (Surah Al-Fatihah) by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan, available on Bayyinah TV.