Short syllabus for Quranic study

12 Selections

One-year course for monthly circles, or short-duration

1. Surah aI-Hajj 22: 77-8

Reflect on: life of worship and obedience; culminating and fulfilled in Jihad; centered on the mission of Shahadah; purpose of being Muslim; resources of Salah, Zakah and i'tisam bi'illah (holding fast on to Allah).

1.1 On ruku and sujud, as acts of worship and obedience;
representing Prayers, especially during nights; as states of the
heart; and attitudes of conduct; in private and public: 2:125; 16: 49; 2: 43; 76: 26; 39: 9; 77: 48; 5: 55; 96: 19; 9:112;
48: 29; 2: 58.

1.2 On 'Ibadah, as the purpose of creation; the central message from Allah; total obedience and surrender; pertaining to the whole of life; turning away from all false gods: 51: 56; 16: 36; 21: 25; 4: 36; 39: 11; 40: 66; 12: 40.

1.3 On khayr, extending from the heart to each and every part of life: 8: 70; 2: 269; 2: 180; 73: 20; 99: 7.

1.4 On Jihad, and its due: 49: 15; 8: 74; 3:142; 9:19-22; 4: 95-6; 61: 11; 9: 41-5; 9: 24.

1.5 On being chosen for the mission of Shahadah, and
belonging to Ibrahim: 2: 128-9; 2:143; 6: 161-4; 3: 65-8.
1.6 On Ibrahim's uswah of Tawhid, obedience, and sacrifice: 6: 79; 60: 4; 2: 131.

1.7 On Din, having no hardship: 5: 3-6; 2:185; 4: 26-8.

1.8 On the mission of Shahadah: 2: 213; 33: 45; 5: 67; 48:8; 3:187; 4: 41; 2:159-63, 174-6.
1.9 On Salah, its importance; internal and external conditions for its iqamah: 2: 3; 19: 59; 70: 23, 34; 2: 238; 4:102-3; 2: 239; 29: 45; 7: 29; 23: 2; 4: 43; 17: 78; 4:142; 2: 43; 7:
31; 62: 9-11; 19: 55; 107: 1-7; 22: 41.

1.10 On Zakah, its importance and spirit: 41: 6-7; 9: 5; 30:
39; 9:103.

1.11 On i'tisam bi 'lhih: 3:101; 31: 22; 26: 77-82.

2. Surah al-Baqarah 2: 40-7

Reflect on: remembering the blessing of guidance, and others; fulfilling the pledge to Allah ('ahd); renewal of Iman; bartering away Allah's message for trifling gains; overlaying and distorting truth with falsehood; concealing the truth; Salah; Zakah; collective life in Prayer; and outside; hypocrisy and duplicity; sabr and Salah as the moral resources; faith in meeting Allah, when nothing will avail, as their basis.

2.1 On ni'mah in guidance; in nature; in history: 5: 3; 2:
150; 5: 7; 16: 18; 3:103; 8: 26; 5: 20.

2.2 On 'ahd: 9:111; 48: 8-10; 7:172; 36: 60; 33: 21-4; 5:
12-13; 3: 76-7.

2.3 On Allah's part of bargain, in this world and the Hereafter, see additionally: 3:139; 24: 55; 5: 66; 4: 66-9.

2.4 On summons to the renewal of Iman: 4: 136-9; 57:
7-16; 4: 60-1.

2.5 On bartering Iman away for worldly gains: 5: 44; 2:
174-6.

2.6 On overlaying and confounding the truth with falsehood, in beliefs and practices: 2: 75, 78, 79, 80, 85, 91, 94, 102, 111, 113; 5:18.

2.7 On concealing the truth: 2:157-63; 174-6.

2.8 On the emphasis on praying, and therefore living wholly, with Jama'ah; congregational prayer in masjid as the microcosm of Islamic Jama'ah: 18:28; 16-17; 24:36; 2:114; 9:107-8.
2.9 On the discrepancy between words and deeds, especially in Dawa: 61:2-3; 63: 1-4.

2.10 On sabr and Salah as essential resources for fulfilling commitment to Allah: 2:153-7; 41:35: 46:35; 7:137; 8:46; 3:125; 8:65-6.

2.11 On the awareness and certainty of returning to Allah and meeting Allah as the basis of sabr and Salah: 52:48.

3. Surah al-Muzzammil 73:1-10 and 20

Reflect on (I'tisam bi 'llah through) Quran reading in might prayers, dhikr, tabattul, tawakkul, sabr, Salah, Zakah, infaq, istighfar.

3.1 On qiyamu 'l-layl: 32:15-16; 39:9-23; 51:15-19; 17: 78-82.

3.2 On tasbih during the day as Dawa: 20:24-33.

3.3 On dhikr as the key to tazkiyyah, all the time, in varied forms, by heart, tongue, body, deeds, Dawa, Jihad: 87:15; 3:191; 13:28; 39:22-3; 62:9; 2:150-5.

3.4 On tawakkul, as a key inner resource, based on Tawhid; its spirit and need: 8:2-4; 65:3; 11:123; 12:67; 25:58; 14:12.

3.5 On various forms of yaqulun, which require sabr: 34:8; 21:5; 25:4-5,7; 68:8-15; 17:90-3; 10:15; 17:73.

3.6 On qard hasanah, and spending in the way of Allah (infaq): 57:11-16; 92:18-21; 23:60; 2:264-74; 3:92; 4:38; 57:10; 63:11; 35:29.

3.7 On istighfar as central to Allah's message, watching, scrutiny, accountability, regretting, turning back, rewards in this-world and that-world: 4: 110; 3: 15-17; 3: 133-6; 3:
146-8; 71: 7-12; 39: 53; 64: 17.

4. Surah al-Hadid 57: 1-7

Reflect on: everything glorifying Allah; to Him belongs kingship; power to give life and death; power over everything; knowledge of everything; sovereignty and rule; over time; knowledge of what lies in hearts; summons to Iman and infaq in this context.

4.1 On Allah's attributes: 22: 18; 17: 44; 10: 31-6; 6: 59-61;
3:154; 28: 70-2; 2: 255; 59: 22-4; 3: 25-6.

5. Surah al-Nahl16: 1-22

Reflect on: evidence in the universe and self for Tawhid, Akhirah and Risalah: purposeful creation; of heavens and earth; of man; of animals; sending down of water; growing of crops; night and day; sun, moon and stars; diversity in colors; food and wealth from oceans; guidance through stars.

5.1 On evidence, in similar passages: 30: 17-27; 27: 59-68;
10: 1-10. 31-6.

6. Surah Ya Sin 36: 50-65

Reflect on various stages of journey beyond life: coming of death and the last hour; resurrection; reckoning; judgment; reward; punishment.

6.1 On Akhirah: 50: 16-35; 75: 20-30; 18: 47-9; 20: 100-12;
22: 1-7; 23: 99-1 18; 43: 66-80; 44: 40-59; 51: 1-27.

7. Surah al-Hadid 57: 20-5

Reflect on: nature and the reality of present life; preparedness to give life and money; for helping Allah and His Messenger; through power; employed to establish justice among men.

7.1 On the present life and the life to come: 3:14-15, 185;
10: 24; 18: 45; 4:134; 17: 18-19; 42: 19-20.

7.2 On establishing justice and equity: 4:135; 61: 9-14.

8. Surah aI-'Ankabut 28: 1-10

Reflect on: the essentially of trials and tribulations to test Iman, and to bring success.

8.1 See 2: 155;2:214;3: 140-2, 179;47:29-31.

9. Surah al-Anfal 8: 72-5

Reflect on the inherent and crucial link between Iman and Hijrah, Jihad, and helping Allah's cause; essentially of collectivity for Jihad.

10. Surah al-Tawbah 9:19-24

Reflect on: Iman and Jihad, together, as the highest acts; and sacrificing everything - relatives, wealth, career and business, houses - for the love of Allah, His Messenger, and Jihad in His way.

11. Surah al-Nur 24: 47-52 and 62-4

Reflect on: obedience and response to the Messenger as the basis of collective life established to fulfill Allah's mission.

11.1 See 8: 20-8; 49: 1-5; 58: 11-13; 9: 42-57, 62-6, 81-2;
62: 9-11.

12. Surah Al 'lmran 3: 190-200

A comprehensive summary: evidence for Allah, Akhirah and Risalah in the creation of heavens and earth and alternation of day and night; living a life ever-remembering Allah; Hereafter is the goal; trust and faith in the Messenger; the implications of faith - struggle and tribulations; guidelines for collective life.

It has been assumed that the above syllabus will be studied as part of a larger course, and hence nothing is included on the individual and collective attributes of a Muslim's life. If not, then it would be useful to take up additionally (a) aI-Isra' 17: 23-39 (in conjunction with al-Furqan 25: 63-77 and Luqman 31: 12-19) and (b) a1-Hujurat 49: 10-14.

Excepted from Khurram Murad's Way to the Quran, Islamic Foundation, UK.

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