Libsyn Directory

Episode 326: Lecture 3 M2025: Distractions on the path towards God

Release Date: 06/30/2025

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “Whoever does evil or wrongs his own soul and then seeks forgiveness from Allah will find Allah Forgiving, Merciful.” (4:110) This verse contains a powerful promise. It acknowledges two kinds of wrongdoing: harm toward others and harm toward one’s own soul through sin. Yet the verse does not end with condemnation. It ends with an invitation. If such a person turns and seeks forgiveness, the Qur’an says: “he will find Allah.” The verb used is yajid — he will find. It is immediate and certain. To find something implies it was already there. The verse suggests that Allah...

Episode 356: The Roadmap to Return [66:8]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “O you who believe! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance (tawbatan nasūḥā). Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your evil and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow.” (66:8) This verse addresses believers — people already in relationship with Allah. Tawbah is not only for those far away. It is part of the ongoing life of faith. The Qur’an emphasizes the quality of repentance: tawbatan nasūḥā — sincere, wholehearted repentance. Scholars explain the word nasūḥā in several ways: A repentance done purely for Allah’s sake. A repentance that...

Episode 355 : Do Not Despair [39:53]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “Say: O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Surely Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (39:53) This verse is often described by scholars as one of the most hope-giving verses in the Qur’an. Notice how Allah addresses the very people who feel most distant: “O My servants.” Even in the moment of transgression, the relationship is not severed. The belonging remains. The Qur’an describes sin as “transgressing against your own soul.” It frames wrongdoing not primarily as...

Episode 354: The Cost of Drifting [83:14]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “No! Rather, what they used to do has become like rust upon their hearts.” (83:14) Over the past reflections, we have explored the inner landscape of the soul — the fitrah, the states of the nafs, the pull of desire, and the voice of conscience. Recently we reflected on how communities help protect that conscience through mutual guardianship. Today we ask a difficult question: what happens when the soul drifts and does not return? The Qur’an uses the word rān, often translated as rust or a covering over the heart. Classical scholars explain that the human soul begins pure...

Episode 353: Before the Door Closes [63:10]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “Spend from what We have provided you before death comes to one of you and he says: ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short time so that I could give charity and be among the righteous.’ But Allah never delays a soul when its appointed time comes.” (63:10–11) These verses place us at a powerful moment: the threshold of death. In that instant, everything becomes clear. The time we had. The opportunities we postponed. The relationships we delayed repairing. The good we intended but never acted on. The person cries out: “If only I had a little more time.” But...

Episode 352: Receiving the gift of correction with grace [39:18]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah praises: “Those who listen to the word and follow the best of it — they are the ones Allah has guided, and they are people of understanding.” (39:18) We often focus on the courage required to give advice. But receiving correction may be harder. The believer is described as a mirror to another believer. A mirror does not flatter — it reflects. Honest reflection is a gift. As we grow older or more established, we often receive less honest feedback. People hesitate. Pride grows subtle. Imam Ali (as) said: “The most beloved of your brothers is the one who points out your flaws to...

Episode 351: Giving the Gift of Correction [16:125]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner…” (16:125) Encouraging good builds the village. Forbidding wrong protects it. But wisdom is what keeps it from fracturing. The problem is often not what we say — but how we say it. The Qur’an outlines three principles: Hikmah (wisdom) — knowing timing, context, and capacity. Maw‘idhah hasanah (beautiful exhortation) — strong advice delivered with gentleness and dignity. The best manner of dialogue — even in disagreement. Before correcting someone, we...

Episode 350: Make love the Context [9:71]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah describes the believing community in relational terms: “The believing men and believing women are guardians of one another…” (9:71) The word awliyā’ means more than friends. It refers to loyal protectors, committed allies, those bound together in care and responsibility for one another’s flourishing and salvation. Notice the order of the verse. First: guardianship. Then: enjoining good and forbidding wrong. Correction flows from loyalty, not ego. This responsibility is explicitly shared by men and women. Moral investment in society is not gendered — it is communal. The verse...

Episode 349: Do Not Be a Bystander [5:79]

Loving and Living the Quran

Allah says: “They did not forbid one another from the wrongdoing they committed. Evil indeed was what they used to do.” (5:79) This verse criticizes not only those who committed wrong — but those who failed to stop each other. The Qur’an reminds us that wrongdoing has a social dimension. What we tolerate shapes who we become collectively. Yesterday we reflected on inviting to good. Today we focus on the second half: forbidding wrong. The Prophet (saw) said: “Whoever sees an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot, then with his tongue. If he cannot, then with his heart...

Episode 348: Stack the Odds in Your Favor [3:104]

Loving and Living the Quran

In Surah Āl ʿImrān Allah says: “Let there arise from among you a group who invite to good, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. They are the successful.” (3:104) Over the past days, we’ve reflected on the vulnerability of the nafs. We drift. We normalize what surrounds us. We absorb the moral temperature of our environment. If gossip is constant, it feels harmless. If prayer is neglected, it feels optional. If shortcuts are normalized, they feel acceptable. Allah, in His mercy, does not leave us to battle weakness alone. He builds protection into the system: Amr bil...

More Episodes

[Muharram 2025 Series:

Holding On to Faith When the World Falls Apart

Lessons in Resilience and Resistance from Imam Hussain [as] and Bibi Zainab[as]

M1447/2025]

After reflecting on what we can do to build personal resilience, we begin the topic of building our relationship with Allah swt as this is the foundation for Istiqamah. Many of us report feeling disconnected from Allah swt these days. In this lecture, we uncover some of the things in modern life which make it so hard for us to connect to Him.

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