Alienation from the Qur’an does not begin with abandoning it. Rather, it begins when it becomes a response without presence, recitation without fear, and knowledge without fear. For some, the Qur’an has become a “return for martyrdom,” not a “pulse for formation.”
When you contemplate the sky in its majestic calm, and read in its stillness that great commandment: (A book revealed to you, so do not let there be any embarrassment in your chest), you realize that the greatest gift given to the earth was not wealth or civilization, but rather a revelation revealed, that ancient light that made its way from the sky, not to decorate the shelves of libraries, but to establish justice on earth, refresh souls, and make a way for man when paths are multiplying against him.
We are in a time in which distances have diminished and projects have intensified. We are now living in an amazing paradox: the banners of Qur’anic programs are rising high, and the heat of the Qur’an itself is absent from the hearts. You can hardly turn around unless you find a conference on “empowering values,” or an initiative bearing the name “the Qur’an,” or a program for education in the guidance of revelation. However, you ask yourself the secret of this inner drought, and these hearts that continue to achieve without being told.
The Qur’an was never a project to be combined with others, nor a program to be integrated within others. Rather, it was the source, the compass, and the outfall, and every project that does not make the Qur’an its destination, not just its title, warns of a dangerous disconnect between the slogan and the essence, between the structure and the content, between what is said and what is lived.
One of the most particular afflictions of students of knowledge and people of influence today is that the Qur’an is alienated from their hearts under the banner of preoccupation with serving it, so that the sound of the verse that used to shake them disappears, and that moment in which the surah used to move them from one state to another dissipates, and all of that is replaced by “presentation titles,” “presentation content,” and an “attractive introductory slide. How do you instill in them the greatness of revelation, when you yourself have lost the initial amazement?
Alienation from the Qur’an does not begin with abandoning it. Rather, it begins when it becomes a rose without presence, a recitation without fear, and knowledge without fear. For some, the Qur’an has become a “return for martyrdom” and not a “pulse for formation.” The Qur’anic rose has begun to be read as if it were a task in a notebook of achievement, not a session of recommendation in the ascension of the knowers. The dilemma is when it turns into a mental habit that has no effect on the inner soul, or into a rhetorical tool used for influence, not for recommendation. And here, A terrifying gap arises between “the people of the Qur’an” and “the impact of the Qur’an.”
The problem is that you are preoccupied with empowering religion on earth, and forgetting to empower faith in the heart. The truth is that this type of alienation is not suddenly perceived by a person, but rather creeps in in the form of justified preoccupations and acceptable slogans, until he finds himself listless in front of the Qur’an, dry in his supplications, alienated in his prayers, cold at the verses of promise, and calm at the verses of the threat.
The Qur’an – which is the constitution of the first faith project – does not accept to be an item on the sidelines of tasks, nor a temporary reference when needed. Rather, it is the origin of every transformation, and the starting point of every building. So how is it permissible for a believer to advance in the ladder of advocacy, while he retreats in contemplating the Qur’an? How can the condition of someone who designs his programs on the basis of influence be straightened out, when the pillars of receptivity, reverence, and familiarity with the word of God have been destroyed within him?
Preoccupation with major projects does not exempt one from responsibility, rather it burdens one’s shoulders more. Whoever rises to the platform of influence must be the closest person to the Qur’an, not only in aloud recitation, but also in monologue, in modesty, in awe, in celibacy. This is only achieved when the servant reduces the noise of accomplishment and returns to the first moment of prostration, when he had nothing in this world except his Qur’an and his tears. Therefore, the predecessors were the harshest of people. Being alone with the Qur’an, the more influence they have on people. Because they know that a voice that cannot be heard from a spring will lose its sweetness even if it is heard in the largest crowd.
And whoever does not provide him with a permanent rose to preserve him in the crowd of his projects, he will find that his soul has withered, his projects have calcified, and his speech – even if it was eloquent – has lost the spirit of light, and in this era, the sincerity of hearts is tested not by the magnitude of the impact, but by their steadfastness at the door of revelation. Whoever preserves his moment with the Qur’an, in the midst of seminars, planning and influence, has firmly established his foot on the path, and whoever is preoccupied with everything except the Qur’an, it is feared that he will be among those who: {They forgot God and He made them forget themselves}.