Qur'an Connection by Good Tree Academy

1,443 years ago Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, made the first Hijra or journey from Mecca to Madina. The prophet ﷺ and his companions made that hijra to practice Islam and for the sake of Allah SWT. In His Book, Allah explains His Command for this journey to escape difficulty, even though making it was risky, hazardous and uncomfortable ( Surah Al Baqarah 2 : 218 and Surah Anfal 8:74). إِنَّ...

All of Allah's messengers had the same message of Islam - Adam, Noah, Ibrahim, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad, peace be upon them all, are among those mentioned in the Qur'an. In Surah Al-Ma’idah (5 The Table Spread) , Allah declares,  “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.” (5:3) To make this guidan...

Each of the prophets sent by Allah delivered the same message: believe in one God. Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares from Allah’s Book how He reveals Himself to us. In particular, Ustadh Michael references the short surahs from the end of the Qur’an, such as Surat Al-Ikhlas (112 The Sincerity) , to help believers connect with Our Creator in worship. Ustadh Michael concludes with the message of love...

As a new school year begins, Ustadh Michael Wolfender remarks on the blessing of a full audience of students after a year of separation and distance learning. He reminds us how Allah dictates Islam is the only right way:  “Truly, the religion with Allâh is Islâm. Those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) did not differ except, out of mutual jealousy, after knowledge had come to them...

What do IKEA furniture, LEGOs and nature have in common? Ustadh Michael Wolfender explains how they can help us appreciate and understand Allah’s Design, including how Allah references in Surah At-Tariq the falling of rain and evaporation (86:11).  As the school year concludes, Ustadh Michael encourages students and each of us to value our time together and not individually in front of screens. Co...

Ustadh Michael Wolfender has words of encouragement for Good Tree Academy students to spend their summer building on what they’ve learned this school year from Allah’s Book. The Qur’an is Allah’s Book with benefits from reciting its verses. It is the final revelation from Allah complete with His Words. The Qur’an brings humans from darkness to light. The Qur’an is a cure and protection and it make...

Ustadh  Michael Wolfender reminds us how angels will visit us when it is our time to return to Allah. It can be a time to be happy to see and meet them, especially if you’ve taken advantage of seven times when angels pray for you: When you are eating suhoor, the pre-dawn meal prior to fasting, angels mention you to Allah based on your intention, as Allah says fasting is between Him and His believe...

Ustadh Michael Wolfender recites from five surahs in the Holy Qur’an where Allah explains, among other aspects of angels, the protection He provided the delivery of His Book by Angel Gabriel.  Al-Qadr (97 The Power) discusses the one night every year in the last third of Ramadan when Allah floods the earth with angels and why this night carries the power of 1000 months. Even Angel Gabriel descends...

Ustadh Michael Wolfender uses surahs Ar-Ra’d (13 The Thunder) and Ibrahim (14 Abraham) and their explanations to help teach the unending value of learning to seek and understand Allah, as this brings true relaxation and peace.  All of the messengers Allah sent delivered the same message that Allah is our Provider, place your trust in Him and that He controls all. Our job is to worship and please A...

The Muslim lunar calendar means Ramadan moves back about 10 days every year. Ramadan is a month where Muslims fast, staying away from food and drink during the daytime as primary items per Allah’s Command. When you are strong enough to stay away from food and drink during the daytime, you realize you have the power to stay away from what you're not supposed to do and to withhold yourself from...

Guest khateeb Hammad Qasim Siddiqui describes why Allah created each of us imperfect, prone to error. This creates our opportunity to ask for His Forgiveness and understand how close He is to each of us.  In Surah Al-Furqan (25 The Criterion): Allah says: “Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, a...

Allah explains the significance of the month of Ramadan starting in the second surah of the Holy Qur’an: "Ramaḍân is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the standard ˹to distinguish between right and wrong˺. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then ˹let them fast˺ an equal number...

There are seven surahs in the Holy Qu’ran referred to as the ‘musabeehat’ in Arabic. They start with phrases of glorification of Our Creator. They were revealed by Allah to bring comfort and relief to His Believers. The first is Surat Al-A'la (87 The Most High ), This surah brought so much comfort of Prophet Muhammad that he often recited it in jummuah, the Friday congregation, and the Eid cl...

Ustadh Michael Wolfender recites from Surah Quraysh (106 Quraysh) where Allah acknowledges the blessings He provided people in Mecca at the time of Islam’s onset. These blessings included a variety of food and safety in a desert. However, when humans get used to blessings as normal, they forget these favors indeed are blessings from Our Creator. This can even lead to, as in the case for the Qurays...

Imam Ilir Aliji shares guidance from Surah Yusuf (12 Joseph) on interaction between children and parents. Support the show

Surah Al-Anam (The Cattle ) is the sixth chapter of the Qur'an with 165 verses which were revealed all at once. Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares two verses or ayah from the Holy Qur'an which ultimately underscore the peace of Islam in its appropriate practice. Translations of the two ayah from Arabic are:  "Indeed, Allah is the One Who causes seeds and fruit stones to sprout. He brin...

Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares the story of early Muslims provided safety from persecution by migrating to Africa and examples of early believers in Islam who were black. Piety and character is what we should value in our fellow humans, not the color of their skin. Support the show

Ustadh Michael Wolfender was looking for the beauty of the Qur’an and shares how he found its power, in particular while listening to Surat ‘Abasa (80 He Frowned). Allah trains your heart to be touched by the Qur'an when you seek to only worship Him. Whoever who has a heart who wants to know Allah is the best. This is a premise in Surat ‘Abasa referencing the blind man who is now memorialized...

All of Allah’s messengers came with the same message: worship Allah alone. Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares four lessons from a contemporary of Jesus, John the Baptist, and their correlation to the fifth ayat of Surat Al-Bayyinah (98 The Clear Proof): “... even though they were only commanded to worship Allah ˹alone˺ with sincere devotion to Him in all uprightness, establish prayer, and pay alms-ta...

Among the lessons from Prophet Ibrahim is that of conviction at a young age, guidance and steadfastness in belief. Ustadh Michael Wolfender references two passages in the Qur’an of Allah telling Ibrahim’s story, beginning with Surah Al-Anbya (21 The Prophets) from ayah 57 - 65. Ibrahim advised those in his community that when they would be gone, he would take action against their devotion to idola...

Do you get upset standing in the security line before an airline trip or do you get excited about the destination? Ustadh Michael Wolfender uses this analogy to help prepare us for the best journey ever – the life Allah provides us and what to do to earn paradise. Allah tells us in Surat At-Tur (52 The Mount): “Indeed, the righteous will be in Gardens and bliss, enjoying whatever their Lord will h...

Ustadh Michael Wolfender shares the story of a prophet, two bad guys and their fate with what Allah provides and how we can learn to remember Allah, avoid being arrogant and harming others. Support the show

The kings who were father and son, Dawood and Suleiman (as), were aware of where their blessings came from, so Allah gave them more because they had the right attitude. In Surat  An Naml (27 The Ant), Allah gives examples of these prophets acknowledging their blessings from Allah. In Surat Sad (38 The Letter ‘Saad’), Allah acknowledges the blessing Dawood was provided in his son: “And We blessed D...

In this season of thanks, Ustadh Michael Wolfender provides lessons from Surat An Naml (27 The Ant) focusing on a father and son who naturally and genuinely thanked Allah (27:15-16) Who thusly granted them more and more. The father Dawood and his son Suleiman were kings in their time who recognized how Allah provides individuals favors specific to each of us. You simply have to look and recognize...

Qur'an will give us cure and is a mercy for believers. Ustadh Michael Wolfender provides the example of one of the early believers in Islam, a slave, and how the Qur’an made him strong despite torture he endured for his faith. Ustadh Michael uses this example to illustrate how many are slaves to video games, which inherently, due to addictive behavior, teach you how not to take care of yourse...