70,000 Angels: 1 Surah

Years ago when I was in high school, an older friend passed away, leaving behind 4 beautiful children, a family that loved her, and a community that admired her. Her sudden death had a huge impact on my life, to the point where I began questioning my life and doubting my faith. With a load of unanswered questions and a weak spirit, I turned to advice from my local Imam, who was also a teacher and a mentor. As our conversations continued in the upcoming weeks, his one practical advice was to read surah Alanaam, over and over again. And I did. 

It is only this surah in the Quran that prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told us was sent down with 70,000 Angels. Can you imagine? How much treasure is in this chapter that it needed not one, not hundreds, not a few thousand, but 70,000 Angels to bring it down?! 

Reading the chapter repetitively, dwelling on its meaning, and speaking with my Imam about it gradually took me out of the hole I was sinking in. It is this surah that I am truly indebted to for opening my eyes to a whole new world. 

Today, reading its verses penetrates through my heart and lifts my spirit. Whether you need something to lift your spirit, help you out of hardship, heal your doubt, or strengthen your faith, then this is your key. Listen to this chapter Alanaam, read it, understand it, and explore. 

I have listed below some of the verses (and there are too many to choose from) that have served as eye-openers to me and brought healing to my unsettled heart. Notice the wordings of these verses and the amount of spirit they bring back into a shattered heart. 

وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

"And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things." (17)

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُم مَّنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ

"Say, "Tell me, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts, who is there - a god other than Allah who could restore them to you?" See how We explain the proofs, yet they turn away." (46)

وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ

"And with Him are the keys of the unknown, none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record. (59)

قُلْ مَن يُنَجِّيكُم مِّن ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ تَدْعُونَهُ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً لَّئِنْ أَنجَانَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ

"Say, "Who rescues you from the darkness/dangers of the land and the sea, when you call upon Him in humility and in secret (saying): If He only saves us from this (danger), we shall truly be grateful"."

قُلِ اللَّهُ يُنَجِّيكُم مِّنْهَا وَمِن كُلِّ كَرْبٍ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ

"Say, "Allah rescues you from it and from every other hardship, and yet you worship others besides Allah." (63-64)

أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا 

"Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out?"(Beginning of 122)

قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ 

"Say, "Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, when He is the Lord of all things?" 

(Beginning of 164)

Allah is reminding us in these verses that He is the only One worthy of relying on when alone and in distress.  He, the One who put us in certain situations, is the One who can take us out of those same situations. Just as no leaf falls from the tree but He knows it, no tear sheds from your cheek except that He knows of it. Allah shows us His power in our surroundings in order to remember that all things go back to Him, including ourselves. 

My friend was once here, walking on the same ground I walk on and breathing the same air I breathe, yet her passing was a sudden reminder that we will all return to Him.  Her leaving caused me to dig deep into Surah Alanaam and to the Quran, which in turn brought back a light that was once turned off in my life. I pray that Allah lights her grave with His light and reunites her with her loved ones in never-ending bliss. 

In this chapter of Alanaam lie the keys to a broken heart. I like to call it the chapter of healing. It is no wonder that it was sent down to our beloved Prophet with the aid of 70,000 angels. I pray that Allah guides us to turn to this surah and to the Quran when we are in doubt or in pain. May the same Creator who created our spirits uplift them and allow them to shine as beacons of light to those around us. Ameen. 

2 reflections from surah Al-ahqaaf:

1- Many times, as parents and as mothers especially, we lose focus on why we are raising children, and more specifically, why we are struggling so hard with them while not directly seeing the fruit of our labor. Listen to this verse:

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

"And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship and she brings him forth with hardship, and the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty (30) months, till when he attains full strength and reaches forty years, he says: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will)."

After going through so much hardship, the woman in this verse is described to have raised a child who does something simple yet grand. This child as growing up realizes that all favors are from God, and the He alone is the source of all his/her blessings, including the blessing of parents, which in turn causes that person to do good and stay on the path of submitting all affairs to God.

Isn't that what we want? If going through this struggle to raise our children today will one day make them turn to God in this same fashion, recognizing all favors are from Him and striving to be righteous people, then all the pain is worth it. Know you have done something right then. 

2- On another topic, verse 27 says:

وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا مَا حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ الْقُرَىٰ وَصَرَّفْنَا الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

"And indeed We have destroyed towns (populations) around you, and We have repeatedly shown the proofs/signs in various ways that they might return (to the truth and believe in the Oneness of God)."

Sometimes we question why bad things happen in many places around us. Here, God is linking the destruction of a town to a sign that turns people back to Him. At times, we as people are so lost that we need something to literally shake us up to snap out of the lost state we are in. So instead of saying where is God when we see destructions around us, know that this is God. Signs come in different ways for people to wake up and realize that this world is not what we want. It's the next world we are all striving for.