Family Quran Study

وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنۡہُمۡ أَٮِٕمَّةً۬ يَہۡدُونَ بِأَمۡرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُواْ‌ۖ وَڪَانُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ (٢٤) إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَفۡصِلُ بَيۡنَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ فِيمَا ڪَانُواْ فِيهِ يَخۡتَلِفُونَ (٢٥) أَوَلَمۡ يَهۡدِ لَهُمۡ كَمۡ أَهۡلَڪۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِهِم مِّنَ ٱلۡقُرُونِ يَمۡشُونَ فِى مَسَـٰكِنِهِمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ‌ۖ أَفَلَا يَسۡمَعُونَ (٢٦)

These verses in Surah As-Sajdah (Ch. 32) are a compliment to وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنۡہُمۡ أَٮِٕمَّةً۬ the believers who want to be leaders in the community. 

Allah says, the quality of a leader is that يَہۡدُونَ بِأَمۡرِنَا he/she guides by the Command of Allah – they read Allah’s commands in the Qur’an; they read the Qur’an consciously with understanding until the commands of the Qur’an infuse their entire being , and as a result, everything they do. Next, they impress Allah’s commands upon their families with recurring and repetitive Qur’an study. 

Whether it’s pizza-and-movie Friday, board game night or hiking and biking outside, every family has things they enjoy doing together. Muslim leaders set aside a specific day and time to enjoy family Qur’an study. It doesn’t have to be hours and hours long or everyday. With sewing, swimming, and soccer classes, weekend parties and summer road trips, no doubt we are all short on time. 

One key step in laying the groundwork for family Qur’an study is patience - لَمَّا صَبَرُواْ‌ۖ Patience means to hold back and

control oneself. We must cut back on a few commitments in order to make Qur'an, a genuine reality in our lives and pass the same faith legacy to our children.
We must cut back on the weekly grind of driving ourselves and our kids all over the city - from one class, game, birthday party, practice or movie after another. When we are less tired and stressed over the fast-paced, hectic schedules that we have created, we'll have more time for Qur'an with our families. 

It all depends on our faith and our aspirations. What do we really want for ourselves and our children in this world? If we want the best in this world, then we'll invest in everything from pole vaulting to chess classes, space camps and programming workshops, gymnastics practice and pottery training. But if we are convinced of the Hereafter وَڪَانُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ and want a return in the Hereafter, then we'll give ourselves and our kids a chance to know Allah (in a language that we understand) and His blueprint for our lives in the Qur'an. The Hereafter is not only a destination, it's a motivation to be more invested in family Quran study. Those who think the most about the next life, internalize the most Qur'an in this one.

It is okay to want to improve our worldly life experiences but not at the cost of our Hereafter experience. 

Allah will eventually separate us from everything that we have earned in this world and everything we want to give to our children. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَفۡصِلُ بَيۡنَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ We and our kids will be buried alone, without our trophies, certificates, pictures of our world travels, souvenirs, cash, cars and luxury homes. The only thing that will be with us in our graves and stand before us with Allah on the Day of Judgement, is the Qur'an.

Allah says to مِن قَبۡلِهِم مِّنَ ٱلۡقُرُونِ يَمۡشُونَ فِى مَسَـٰكِنِهِمۡ‌ۚ look at the ruins of the past great civilizations: the sandstone temple in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, walk through the city of Baalbek in Lebanon or Mycenae in Greece. Study their incredible monuments, the architetural cuts in their columns, observe the high colourful arches on their ceilings and glass paintings ... these great civilizations were also separated from their progress, ingenuity and advancement.
They left behind their reminanents as reminder of what really matters in life - We weren’t put on this planet to mark things off on our “To Do” list. Allah didn’t create us for a bunch of competitive activities and sports. Allah created us so we could know Him, love Him and serve Him and He could love us back. If we’re not spending time getting to know Allah as He has revealed Himself in the Qur'an, we are missing the number one purpose of our lives.