Hi
I have a few questions;
- When is the best time to read Quran?
Second – I did istikhara ( asking God about something) I got clear answers but how do I begin to solve the result?
The result showed the following ayat in sura “Al-Furqan”.
25: 17 – وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقُولُ ءَأَنتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِى هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا۟ ٱلسَّبِيلَ ١٧
in English – ˹Watch for˺ the Day He will gather them along with what they used to worship besides Allah, and ask ˹the objects of worship˺,1 “Was it you who misled these servants of Mine, or did they stray from the Way ˹on their own˺?”.
This one hit me – because I’m misled or misguided right now. And also I kinda lost my way, and want to get back. ( How to come back to God??)
25: 23 – وَقَدِمْنَآ إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ مِنْ عَمَلٍۢ فَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هَبَآءًۭ مَّنثُورًا ٢٣
In English – Then We will turn to whatever ˹good˺ deeds they did, reducing them to scattered dust.
This one hit me too; I mean I kinda feel that I lost all the Good deeds that I did in the past, so I have this year to fix it, I hope I got on time and it’s not to late to come back to God. ( How to make Good Deeds that God will accept?)
25: 30 وَقَالَ ٱلرَّسُولُ يَـٰرَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِى ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ مَهْجُورًۭا
In English – The Messenger has cried, “O my Lord! My people have indeed received this Quran with neglect.”
This is the biggest hit, I used to read it in the past, but now I don’t. So I really don’t want it to continue. I want to read the Quran with tajwid or tartil at home, is that possible? Even if I only have 30 min a day?
I’m not used to posting those things online because they are private but God also told me to seek help from others, from those who have the knowledge. So please feel free to Guide me. I’m turning 26, this year 2023. I want to fix myself.
Best regards Fatima.
Its correct to have fear of unaccepted deeds as that is what the companions practiced, but this fear should never cause you to have anxiety and undermine Allah's mercy and generosity. You shouldn't feel like you only have one year to fix your flaws or it's too late, as Allah gives us many chances until our deaths. That being said, you should strive to improve right away as we never know when we'll die, as well as it being Allah's right to be followed, and because the more our sins stack up, the more they cloud our hearts and take us away from Allah's path.
The ones who will have their deeds erased are those who disbelieved, who weren't sincere in their acts (for example, they did it to show off or for a false god), and/or their deeds weren't in accordance with Allah's laws (for example those who follow innovations which aren't real commandments of Allah).
What you should do is strive to continually improve yourself while having hope in Allah's mercy. Start with the basics and never underestimate them:
1. your intentions. Make your intentions for Allah's sake and always renew them. Our relationship with Allah should be based on love, gratitude, and fear of disobeying Allah.
2. Make sure you are understanding Allah's religion correctly and not following bidaa/innovations. If the intentions are pure then naturally this should be a concern of ours. If we truly want to worship Allah then we strive to worship Him how He taught us and not based on our own logic/what feels right or based off of sects, etc. How do we know what's correct when there are many false ideas out there? by looking at how the prophet and his companions understood islamic texts. They were the closest to the source of knowledge and therefor understood it better.
3. when it comes to practices, focus on the basics such as prayer and dua. Work on improving your sincerity and focus when doing these acts of worship. If you are not benefitting from prayer and dua, if its not bringing you closer to Allah and helping you avoid sins, then you are doing something wrong. Take your time with prayer, recite Quran meaningfully, beautifully, with proper understanding. When making dua, be reflective and be hopeful in Allah accepting them, and again, take your time.
When it comes to Quran, it's not just about actually reading the Quran, we need to understand the Quran correctly, reflect on it, and implement it in our lives. We should also strive to read it with proper tajweed and in a beautified voice. Even if it's only 30 minutes a day, just make sure you're doing it with quality and you will get far with that inshAllah.
Finally, i advise you to surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah and seek knowledge from reliable sources, especially aqeedah. We cannot expect to get closer to Allah and follow Him correctly if we dont know enough about Him.
May Allah increase you.