Juz Gem- Juz 4
Assalaamu Alaykum! I hope you all find benefit in the following Juz Gem that will be recited tonight during Taraweeh!
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا ۚ وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا ۗكَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٠٣﴾
“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided,” (Surat ‘Ale-Imran, aya 103).
According to various tafseer experts, the rope of Allah can be understood in several ways. The rope can represent the community of Muslims, it can refer to the Qur’an itself, or it can represent the covenant we have made with Allah testifying that there is no God but Him (swt). This particular verse was sent in reference to the tribal hostilities the ‘Aws and Khazraj had before Islam. The hypocrites would constantly try to remind them of this animosity in order to flair up past resentment and anger and cause divisiveness among the Ansaar. Through the example of our beloved Prophet (sas) and what he taught them, Allah softened their hearts towards one another and transformed the relationship from one of pure animus to one of pure love.
Imagine the generosity Allah has showered upon the believers- not only does He transform our hearts, but He destines for us a better ending. The ‘Aws and the Khazraj were strengthened by letting go of the rancor in their hearts and were also saved from the fire of Hell through their implementation of the beautiful message of Islam. In another verse Allah reminds us:
وَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَّا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّـهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿٦٣﴾
And He (swt) brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise, (Surat Al-Anfaal, aya 63).
Ramadan is a time of mercy and forgiveness. We know the Shaytan and our own hurt egos may make us shy away from getting involved in the community or repairing broken relationships. This is one of the greatest ploys of the Shaytan; causing division between husband and wife, family and friends, and members of our community. One of the best ways to heal the hurt one feels towards another brother or sister in faith is to make dua for the one that has caused you pain. No one wants to carry the weight of anger, resentment, and negativity in their hearts- it is quite a burden to carry! Begin and end your day with dua; “Oh Allah, heal and unite our hearts, strengthen our love for one another, and never divide us!”
Ameen.