The Shaykh’s advice to the youth to pay attention to the Book of Allah the Exalted.
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The Shaykh : Then, and praise be to Allah, in this land we do not merely teach the children of this land, but we also teach the children of Muslims. How many children of Muslims from the communities have memorized the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) while they were in this land? I am strongly convinced that when they return to their countries, this will have an impact in their countries, and they will follow the example of this land in forming associations for the memorization of the Noble Qur'an. We have heard a great deal of this from Arab and Islamic countries that have established associations for the memorization of the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The Muslims are in a good state, but they need someone to remind them and to energize their resolve.
Then I say to my brothers who are studying, or who are teaching, the Book of Allah: I say to them that it is obligatory for you to strive to teach the young people, especially at the higher levels of study, something of the interpretation of the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so that they learn the Qur'an and the knowledge contained in it, so that they learn the Qur'an and the knowledge and action contained in it, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to do. They did not move on from ten verses until they learned them and the knowledge and action contained in them. They said: Then, if a person recites the Noble Qur'an as mere recitation, and I hope you pay attention to this point, if he recites it as mere recitation without understanding its meaning, he is illiterate. If he reads the Qur'an, he is illiterate. And the evidence for this is in the Book of Allah. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:78] except wishes, meaning except mere recitation, they do not understand its meaning. How can a person apply the rulings in the Qur'an when he does not know the meaning? If we come to the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): [Al-Baqarah 2:238] and we read it as mere recitation, a person knows generally the meaning of maintaining and the meaning of prayer, and perhaps he does not know the meaning of qunut, or he knows it, but what is the meaning of maintaining? We must know what the meaning of maintaining is: maintaining the time, maintaining the conditions, the ablution, the qiblah, all the conditions, pillars, and obligations. Open this up to the students; let them understand the meaning, especially in the advanced academic years. As for the young children, they may not be able to bear the meaning.
Then I also urge, I urge our youth in general, to pay attention to the Book of Allah, to pay attention to it completely, because, by Allah, it is the guidance and the light, and it is the path of safety. I see many of the youth paying great attention to the science of hadith, and what they have paid attention to is good, and they are to be thanked for this to the utmost. But if you discussed with them a verse from the Book of Allah, in terms of grammar or understanding, you would find nothing. Why? The Qur'an is the original source. The Qur'an is the original source, and it is by it that the Sunnah was a proof. And if not for the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): "It is He who has revealed to you the Book and wisdom," the Sunnah would not have had this high status, this high status. Therefore, I urge our brothers who have effort in learning the Sunnah to have effort in learning the Qur'an, and they will find much good. A person recites the Qur'an while walking, sitting on his bed, in every state, and he takes pleasure in it. How great is the pleasure in the Book of Allah when a person understands its meaning! When a person passes by a verse and knows its meaning, then recites it, and another verse whose meaning he does not know, he finds the great difference between being affected by the two verses. I urge my brothers, the youth, to learn the Book of Allah.
Learning the Sunnah is undoubtedly the second part of learning that must be attended to, but it is not permissible at all for us to attend to the Sunnah and dedicate efforts to it, and then not know anything of the Book of Allah. This and that are necessary.
In conclusion, I thank our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) for making this blessed meeting easy for us, and I thank our brothers who bore the difficulties and left their work to participate with us in this gathering. I ask Allah to reward them for that with good. And I thank the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and at its head is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may Allah guide him and reward him with good for what he provides of matters of good. We do not need to enumerate the great establishments that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has undertaken, because actions and observations suffice over words and reports. We also thank all his brothers for their assistance in good, and we ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to reward them with good and to help them with what they have been tasked with, for they, by Allah, have been tasked with a great responsibility. One of us cannot control his family, even if they are few and the care is little, so how about one whose care is over nations, or over a great nation? We ask Allah the Exalted to help them with good care, and to rectify for them their inner circle, and to guide them to what is good in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Then I say to my brothers who are studying, or who are teaching, the Book of Allah: I say to them that it is obligatory for you to strive to teach the young people, especially at the higher levels of study, something of the interpretation of the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so that they learn the Qur'an and the knowledge contained in it, so that they learn the Qur'an and the knowledge and action contained in it, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to do. They did not move on from ten verses until they learned them and the knowledge and action contained in them. They said:
And we learned the Qur'an, knowledge, and practice all together.
فتعلمنا القرآن والعلم والعمل جميعاًAnd among them are unlettered ones who do not know the Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming.
ومنهم أميون لا يعلمون الكتاب إلا أماني وإن هم إلا يظنونMaintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.
حافظوا على الصلوات والصلاة الوسطى وقوموا لله قانتينThen I also urge, I urge our youth in general, to pay attention to the Book of Allah, to pay attention to it completely, because, by Allah, it is the guidance and the light, and it is the path of safety. I see many of the youth paying great attention to the science of hadith, and what they have paid attention to is good, and they are to be thanked for this to the utmost. But if you discussed with them a verse from the Book of Allah, in terms of grammar or understanding, you would find nothing. Why? The Qur'an is the original source. The Qur'an is the original source, and it is by it that the Sunnah was a proof. And if not for the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): "It is He who has revealed to you the Book and wisdom," the Sunnah would not have had this high status, this high status. Therefore, I urge our brothers who have effort in learning the Sunnah to have effort in learning the Qur'an, and they will find much good. A person recites the Qur'an while walking, sitting on his bed, in every state, and he takes pleasure in it. How great is the pleasure in the Book of Allah when a person understands its meaning! When a person passes by a verse and knows its meaning, then recites it, and another verse whose meaning he does not know, he finds the great difference between being affected by the two verses. I urge my brothers, the youth, to learn the Book of Allah.
Learning the Sunnah is undoubtedly the second part of learning that must be attended to, but it is not permissible at all for us to attend to the Sunnah and dedicate efforts to it, and then not know anything of the Book of Allah. This and that are necessary.
In conclusion, I thank our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) for making this blessed meeting easy for us, and I thank our brothers who bore the difficulties and left their work to participate with us in this gathering. I ask Allah to reward them for that with good. And I thank the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and at its head is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may Allah guide him and reward him with good for what he provides of matters of good. We do not need to enumerate the great establishments that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has undertaken, because actions and observations suffice over words and reports. We also thank all his brothers for their assistance in good, and we ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to reward them with good and to help them with what they have been tasked with, for they, by Allah, have been tasked with a great responsibility. One of us cannot control his family, even if they are few and the care is little, so how about one whose care is over nations, or over a great nation? We ask Allah the Exalted to help them with good care, and to rectify for them their inner circle, and to guide them to what is good in this world and the Hereafter. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.