You can watch all the free recordings of Surah al-Baqarah's explanations here: bayyinah.org
In the beginning, he mentioned that Surah al-Baqarah is like a summary of the entire religion of Islam; that if you were to understand Surah al-Baqarah, then insha Allah you would understand the core messages of Islam.
Our Ramadan Focus This Year
My wife and I have been passively listening to all the livestreamings, while doing housework and taking care of our son. It is pretty hard to focus 100% with a baby around, but Alhamdulillah we still manage to benefit immensely from it.
Our entire Ramadan has been revolving around these livestreamings. It is a blessing that we have so many different initiatives in the month of Ramadan, but too many can be overwhelming. You want to do them all, but you know you can't.
So this year's Ramadan, we only focus on Bayyinah's Ramadan Exclusive, the study of Surah al-Baqarah. After all, the very purpose of Ramadan is for us to get closer to the Quran, no matter how small our steps are.
After about 26 days into the month, with each explanation of Surah al-Baqarah, I realize how true the statement of Ustadh Nouman; Surah al-Baqarah has pretty much everything to sum up the religion.
A Few Points from Surah al-Baqarah
- The Surah explains who the believers are, who the disbelievers are, who the hypocrites are, and many in between.
- It explains how we are to treat each other, despite our differences.
- It explains the nuances of human life and the very purpose of our existence.
- It has the original story of the first human on earth, Adam and his wife, Hawa (Eve) peace be upon them both and how relevant that story is to our lives at this very moment.
- It also clears up misconceptions we have about the Jews and the Christians. It is amazing how unfairly we are perceiving them. Most importantly, how casually we like to use the term "kafir" when it fact the term is not to be used that way. It is a heavy term to throw around so we have to truly understand what it means.
- It clears up historical inaccuracies in other scriptures like the Bible and the Torah. Interestingly, the Quran, in many instances, shows more respect to the Children of Israel than the Torah or the Bible (you have to watch the livestreams in order to understand that part...oh the suspense!)
- Above all, Surah al-Baqarah is about us. Not about anybody else. If you read with understanding, you won't feel compeled to point fingers at anyone. The depth of the Arabic language has made it possible for this Surah to be relevant to all...and I mean literally, all people. It is amazing how close you feel to the Surah, as if Allah is revealing it to you and to you only.
May Allah bless Bayyinah Institute, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan, and his team for making it possible for us to understand the Quran better.
Ameen.