I don't know. Only Allah knows. But indications are I may be returning to doing a Qur'an Program.
Too early to tell. But there are signs it may happen. Of course, should Allah's will and pleasure and Decree so require and mandate it.
I make no secret of the fact that my heart is with the Qur'an. And my life is inside the pages and aayats of the Qur'an. I wish I could read the Qur'an and reflect on its wonders all the time.
I also wish I could talk about the Qur'an every moment of my life -- with whomever will listen, and, sometimes, even when there is no one around to listen. And keep talking about it till my tongue could move or function no more.
There was a time I used to say, when I talk about the Qur'an I talk to an Audience of One. And that is none of the members of the audience at the time.
And, of course, when you talk about the Qur'an, the space is crowded with Allah's angels. And, of course, Allah is listening.
So, you pick your audience then.
I wish to talk about the Qur'an not because I don't have other things to talk about. I do. There are a million things I could talk about, each more beautiful and more exciting than the other.
But the Qur'an is infinitely more exciting and infinitely more beautiful than everything else.
And this is not a reflection of my "Faith," whatever that means, but a simple statement of fact.
So, opportunity came along, what nonsense, I should say, Allah brought an opportunity, to talk to some highly educated Muslims last night.
And they did what any Highly-Educated Muslim would do. Some of them wanted the session to be different. You know, "more structure," "topics" clearly identified and all that wonderful stuff.
In short, they wanted the session to look and run like a class. My first reaction was a bit on the naughty side. I thought in my heart, I did not say it aloud: You mean the way they said to Musa, Alaihis Salam?
Yaa Musa Ij'al Lanaa Ilaahan,
Kamaa Lahum Aalihah.
Paraphrase:
"Hey Musa,
See all those nice little gods these people have?
Can you make one just like that for us also?"
But then I gave them two assignments. And that is better than I did in the past 50 years of Talking Qur'an to the People.
If you ask me, maybe those who read this must also undertake this assignment. Those Aayaat, just like every other Aayat in the Qur'an, are the most amazing things you will ever find.
(1) Assignment One said:
Carefully review Aayaat 74-83 of Surah Al-An'am and tell me what they tell you about how Ibrahim, Alaihis Salam, marched from simple curiosity and observation of what he thought to be elementary natural phenomena such as a star to a fuller and more sophisticated discovery of reality and God Almighty himself.
(2) And then Assignment Two said:
Go through the Qur'an and give me a list of three "Topics," or "Themes" you think the Qur'an is about.
Maybe this assignment thing will make me a "teacher" now. But why would I even dare to want to be a "Teacher" when that title was claimed by someone whom Allah himself sent as a Teacher and a Message of Love and Mercy to all the Worlds?
Qur'an Karim:
Wa Maa Arsalnaaka Illaa Rahmatan Lil-Aalameen!
Hadith Sharif:
Innamaa Bu'ithtu Mu'alliman.
Paraphrase:
I don't know how to paraphrase this Hadith. But I will, with great hesitation, say something like:
I have only been sent as a Teacher!
Or:
All I am is a Teacher!
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