Juz 15 Takeaway: No One Can Ever Change the Words of the Quran

Juz 15 consists of two surahs, Surah Al-Isra which has 111 ayahs, and the first 74 ayahs of Surah Kahf (which has a total of 110 ayahs). Both surahs were revealed before the Prophet Muhammad SAWS migrated to Madinah and contain several important commandments and lessons that we want to touch upon for today’s #MuslimGirlRamadanBookClub reflections of Juz 15.

Following Allah’s commands and seeking his forgiveness

Sura Al-Isra alludes to the Bani Israel, and the beginning of the surah briefly mentions the miraculous journey of Al-Isra Wal-Mi’raj (the night journey to Masjid Al-Aqsa and the heavens) that the Prophet Muhammad SAWS made. The surah contains ayahs of warning to the disbelievers and believers, admonition, and commands. Allah SWT tells the kuffar to take heed of the stories of the Israelites and their mischievous ways, giving us examples of their misdeeds in ayahs two to eight. And then in verses 9 and 10, Allah SWT highlights, once again, the true meaning behind the revelation of the Quran: to guide us on the straight path, to assure those of us who worship Allah of a beautiful reward and a painful punishment for those who disbelieve.

In many of the surahs that we’ve looked at previously, and in Surah Al-Isra, the format of the surahs is extremely similar and so is the overall message. Allah SWT is warning those of us who chose to disbelieve, despite having all the signs given to us, of an unbelievably terrible life in Jahannam. But Allah SWT also promises those who have done good in this world and obeyed His command of wonderful gardens in paradise.

In ayah 11, Allah SWT says:

And humans ˹swiftly˺ pray for evil as they pray for good. For humankind is ever hasty.

— Quran (17:11)

This ayah shows us that humans are hasty, that they are looking for instant gratification and results. If things don’t go our way, we pray that our lives end and when things happen in a good way, we forget about Allah SWT. This is why, in ayah 23 to 37, Allah SWT has given us almost a dozen commandments that help us achieve goodness, peace, and piety in this world. These commandments include:

• Worshiping Allah SWT alone, never associating partners with Him
• Be dutiful to our parents
• Give our relatives and kinship their rights and maintain ties with them
• To not be wasteful and extravagant
• To be moderate with our spending
• Prohibited from killing children
• Stay away from zina
• Prohibited from killing any human
• Always handle the wealth of an orphan correctly and with good intent
• To be honest when weighing and measuring
• Never speak without knowledge
• Always be humble and never strut (be arrogant)

My favorite ayah from Surah Al-Isra has to be one of the commandment ayahs. In ayahs 23 to 25, Allah SWT tells us to honor our parents, to look after them in their old age, to make dua for them when they pass away, and to ask for forgiveness on their behalf. There are many verses in the Quran that speak about the importance of parents and the status they hold in our lives. If our parents weren’t important, then Allah SWT wouldn’t mention them in the same exact verse as His own self. We should try to follow these ayahs and honor our parents because many of our parents have sacrificed their entire lives to give us better ones.

For your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And honour your parents. If one or both of them reach old age in your care, never say to them ˹even˺ ‘ugh,’ nor yell at them. Rather, address them respectfully. And be humble with them out of mercy, and pray, “My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.

— Quran (17:23-24)

Acknowledging Allah’s favors and thanking Him

Surah Kahf, which has a total of 110 Ayahs, 74 of them in Juz 15. This surah was also revealed in Makkah and is an answer to three questions the disbelievers had for the Prophet Muhammad SAWS. These questions were about the story of the sleepers of the cave, the story of Prophet Musa and Khidhr, and the story of Dhul-Qarnayn.

Juz 15 addresses the first question and a bit of the second question. The true story of the sleepers in the cave is only known by Allah SWT and in Surah Kahf, we find out the minor details of the story. The main point of the story is that the sleepers in that cave had complete and utter faith in Allah SWT, so much so that they hid in that cave in fear of being forcefully converted to another religion by the emperor. Allah SWT uses this story to assure us that if we put our faith in Him alone, then He will protect us no matter what. This also proves to be another sign of the magnificence of Allah SWT, that He can do whatever He wills.

Allah SWT continues on to tell the Prophet to use another parable to answer the disbelievers with the story of two men and their gardens of vines and date palm trees. One neighbour became too arrogant with the abundance of his garden and began boasting about it, claiming himself and no one else as the sole being behind his success. Whereas the other man knew the truth about Allah and was grateful to His Lord and the bounties He had bestowed upon him. This parable also shows us to not only be grateful to Allah SWT, because every success we receive is from Him, but to be aware that our arrogance will be our downfall.

My favorite ayah from the first 74 ayahs in Surah Kahf has to be the following because, in this ayah, Allah SWT once again reiterates the fact that no one can ever change the word of the Quran. It is the word of Allah SWT, no one has ever changed it and no one will ever be able to change it.

Recite what has been revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. None can change His Words, nor can you find any refuge besides Him.

— Quran (18:27)

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