(Surat Al-A'Raf Series - Part 1) Timeless Productivity Lessons For Your Journey - ProductiveMuslim

11/10/2015
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Islam & Productivity
[Surat Al-Araf Series Part 1] Timeless Productivity

Lessons for Your Journey
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Sana Gul Waseem
October 9
Islam & Productivity
78 Comments
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I used to think that In sha Allah I will go to paradise, but as I delve deeper into the Quran, I
worry: what if I am not even among the people of Al-Araf?
I did not notice the silent footsteps of this surah that made its way into my heart and settled
there, in the process of reviewing the Quran a few Ramadans back.
Four years fast forward, as I started studying Surat Al-Araf again, they rose up and nudged
me. I was surprised to see them there and looked in the direction they were pointing me to
turn.
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They wanted me to see, understand, apply and share the immense resources in the Quran
that Allah
made available for you and me, so that we could use them and try to at least
end up on Al-Araf.
So, here I am, delving into the Quran to search for treasures that can enrich our lives in this
world and the hereafter.
These treasures are what we call productivity lessons. They are a reminder for myself before
anyone else. May Allah
enable us to acquire and apply them to the best of our abilities.
So are you ready for this treasure hunting spree? Lets get going then.
Before we begin our journey into this surah to search for our treasures, lets first gather the
supplies we will need:
1- A pure intention
Umar Ibnul Khattab
told us: I heard Allahs Messenger
saying,
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person
will get the reward according to what he has intended [Sahih
Bukhari]. We therefore must make our intentions clear and keep
renewing them.
Our intention is to understand and apply the Quran as that is the book of Allah
and it
contains most precious information for us to live our lives while we are in this world.
2- Dua
This is the most powerful tool of a believer. You and I must have at some point made a dua to
Allah
to help us comprehend the Quran in a manner easy for us to apply. That is why we
are here today; this is an answer to some duas of ours!

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Its time to make another one now.
O Controller of the hearts make my heart steadfast in Your religion

[At- Tirmidhi]
O my Lord, as you brought us this far, help us correctly understand
and implement Your Commands in a manner most pleasing to You.
3- Seek refuge from the Satan

We all know that Satans sole purpose is to see all mankind in hell.
(Satan)) said: O my Lord! Because you misled me, I shall indeed

adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall
mislead them all. [Quran: Chapter 7, Verse 16]
Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them [Quran: Chapter
15, Verse 40].
But we are too smart for him, right? Allah
has taught us ways by which we can guard
ourselves and deflect his attacks on us.

During the course of this journey into the surah, there might be times when we feel that a
certain lesson is too hard for us to apply or that the timing to make that change is not right.
Remember these are all tricks of Iblis, as Allah
has forewarned us in the Quran:
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Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality

[Quran: Chapter 2, Verse 268]
At times like this we should seek refuge often in Allah
from the accursed satan and
continue on with determination and firm resolve.
4- Firm determination
Determination to complete this journey is a must. Tough times, difficult decisions and
glittering distractions on the way can weaken us. But we have to persevere to stay on track,
as a lot is at stake. Our hereafter is at stake. And you are not alone. We are all in this together.
Allah
has told us to be there for each other; to push and pull, drag and carry each other
into paradise
as He
told us:
Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and
done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised
each other to patience [Quran: Chapter 103, Verses 3-4
And now, its time to get a clear picture of what exactly we are travelling towards, In sha Allah.
Background of the surah

Al-Araf is the title of the seventh surah in the Quran, placed after Surat Al-Anam (The Cattle).
Interestingly, Surat Al-Araf was revealed before Surat Al-Anam. It is the longest Makki surah
in the Quran, revealed towards the end of the Makkan period.
By Makki, scholars mean the period that the Messenger of Allah
spent in Makkah before

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he migrated to Madinah.
When the Messenger of Allah
went public with the message of Islam calling everyone to it,
he faced opposition and oh boy, what an opposition he faced! From thinly veiled insults to
outright boycott, to personal harm, to public humiliation; you name it.
And the opposition against him
and the other Muslims only escalated with time.
Quraish (the tribe that was settled in Makkah during that period) tried to always find points to
argue with him
. Allah
, through the Quran, answered many of these points of
argument.
Surat Al-Araf is a continuation of the argument between the disbelievers and Allah
In Surat Al-Anam, Allah
is telling the disbelievers that the Quran is sufficient as a
revelation, whereas in Al-Araf, He is telling them to look at the past. The past holds great
lessons for all of us that primarily teach us to learn from our mistakes and those of others.
Scholars like Mujahid say that Al-Araf is a barrier between paradise and hellfire.
In the Arabic language, Araf is the plural of urf which is an elevated piece of land.
As I briefly stated in the beginning, those words were directing me towards an elevated piece
of land between paradise and hellire, which house those people whose good and bad
deeds are equal: their good deeds prevented them from entering hell, while their bad
deeds prevented them from entering paradise.
Woah! What a feeling it must be! Saved for the time being!
And between them will be a partition, and on [its] elevations are men
who recognize all by their mark. And they call out to the companions
of Paradise, Peace be upon you. They have not [yet] entered it, but
they long intensely. [Quran: Chapter 7, Verse 46]
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Productivity Lesson # 1: Pay Attention!

Alif Laam Meem Saad [ Quran: Chapter 7, Verse 1]
These words are called the huroof el muqataat and appear in 29 surahs in the Quran. They
are recited separately. The word huroof is the plural of the Arabic word harf which means
word. And muqataat literally means abbreviated.
So in simple terms these words are abbreviations. Of what? We dont know. Only Allah
knows the full form of these abbreviations.
Allah
uses these words in the beginning of the surah to draw the attention of the listener.
Strange words prick the ears of the listener and catch his attention, as he waits to know what
follows.
So why are these placed in the beginning of the surah and how can they be our very first
productivity lesson?
By telling us to look up, listen up, pay attention!
Attention is in very simple terms directing a persons mind towards something.
According to Rick Hanson, the author of Buddhas Brain: The practical neuroscience of love,
happiness and wisdom, attention shapes the brain.
When we pay attention to something, we focus on something specific thus tuning out other
irrelevant details, making us ignore other things.
Allah
wants us to pay attention to the Quran when it is being
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recited so that you may receive mercy [Quran: Chapter 7, Verse

204].
Just the Quran when it is being recited? No, but to everything that reminds us of Allah
Whether it is a discussion between some people in a gathering, a forwarded message on our

phones, a beneficial reminder in our Facebook feed or advice being given to us. A repeated
act of paying attention will shape our minds and turn us more towards Allah
So pay attention, as any single tiny good deed could be all we need to breeze over the Araf
and squeeze into paradise!
Do you think paying attention will do the trick by itself?
No, it wont. There is something else that is needed along with it.
Productivity Lesson # 2: Focus

Attention is the act of looking in the direction of something, but focus is the act of actually
looking at something.
Our relationship with Allah
is the most important in our lives. If we pay attention to and
focus on it, then In sha Allah, all our matters will fall in place.
The Messenger of Allah
always focused on the person he was listening to. Focusing in
salah and focusing on our work by avoiding distractions are some areas in which we all need
help.
There are amazing resources on ProductiveMuslim that you can check out for maintaining
focus.
Attention and focus are the building blocks of strong relationships. There are so many
accounts of the Messenger of Allah
listening with attention and focus, even to little

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children.
1
Subhan Allah! We learned some amazing lessons from just one ayah of the surah. I cant wait
to delve into it more!
Curious to know whats coming up next? In sha Allah see you again next time with some more
treasures from the Quran. Until then, I urge you to recite, read and learn more about the
surah and share your thoughts below in the comments section.
About Sana Gul Waseem
Sana Gul is a mother of two and a student , learning the Quran

and the Seerah. She works for Islamic Lifestyle, a group aiming
to help people live their lives according to the Quran and
Sunnah. She also writes for the blog IslamicLifeStyle4u: Lessons from the
Quran and Sunnah.
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Become an active member of the Productive Muslim

community and enrich it with your thoughts. Leave a
comment at the end of this article and with it, your
presence. We look forward to having you here:
sahreen
October 10, 2015 at 12:26 am
Subhan Allah.I really needed this one.Ihave my exams and I didnt even start
preparing.Iwas tired coz I have seen a roaler coaster ride since
January.really tough time .i wanted to have peace.Icouldnt sleep
properly.Till bakrid I was in lot of problems.I really need your dua and I want
to meet Allah n tell him all.
Reply
Sana Gul Waseem

October 10, 2015 at 8:51 am
Assalam alai kum Sis Sahreen,

Aww, sis, best of luck with your exams. May you shine and may Allah swt
make it easy for you , amen.
yes i will remember you in my duas
xoxo
Sana
Reply
10/39

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Islam & Productivity

[Surat Al-Araf Series Part 1] Timeless Productivity

< Previous | Next >

Islam & Productivity

Photo Credit: flickr[dot]com/photos/menj/

enable us to acquire and apply them to the best of our abilities.

Umar Ibnul Khattab

told us: I heard Allahs Messenger

are here today; this is an answer to some duas of ours!

Its time to make another one now.

O Controller of the hearts make my heart steadfast in Your religion

3- Seek refuge from the Satan

(Satan)) said: O my Lord! Because you misled me, I shall indeed

But we are too smart for him, right? Allah

has taught us ways by which we can guard

ourselves and deflect his attacks on us.

has forewarned us in the Quran:

Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality

At times like this we should seek refuge often in Allah

from the accursed satan and

continue on with determination and firm resolve.

Background of the surah

spent in Makkah before

went public with the message of Islam calling everyone to it,

and the other Muslims only escalated with time.

, through the Quran, answered many of these points of

is telling the disbelievers that the Quran is sufficient as a

Productivity Lesson # 1: Pay Attention!

wants us to pay attention to the Quran when it is being

recited so that you may receive mercy [Quran: Chapter 7, Verse

Whether it is a discussion between some people in a gathering, a forwarded message on our

Productivity Lesson # 2: Focus

is the most important in our lives. If we pay attention to and

always focused on the person he was listening to. Focusing in

listening with attention and focus, even to little

About Sana Gul Waseem

Sana Gul is a mother of two and a student , learning the Quran

Get practical productivity insights designed in accordance with the

Become an active member of the Productive Muslim

Sana Gul Waseem

Assalam alai kum Sis Sahreen,

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