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Sunday 3 July 2022

Traits of the Righteous

Qur'an is a book of guidance for those who seek guidance from it and have faith in Allah. The guidance is only available for those who not only have faith, walk on the straight path, Sirat e Mustaqeem, but also possess certain character traits. These traits have been spelt out at many places in the Qur'an and we have been sharing the relevant verses so that believers are reminded time and again and follow these traits.

The post today also spells out traits of the righteous as mentioned in the 35th verse of Surah 22, Al Hajj, shared herein under:

الَّذِيۡنَ اِذَا ذُكِرَ اللّٰهُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ وَالصّٰبِرِيۡنَ عَلٰى مَاۤ اَصَابَهُمۡ وَالۡمُقِيۡمِى الصَّلٰوةِ ۙ وَمِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰهُمۡ يُنۡفِقُوۡنَ‏  
Whose hearts shiver whenever Allah is mentioned, who patiently bear whatever affliction comes to them, who establish Prayer, and who spend (for good purposes) out of what We have provided them

Here fear of Allah means that the righteous always are on the look out of deviating from the guidelines provided to them in the Qur'an and are fearful of anger of Allah if they do so for this is tantamount to displeasing Allah by going against His commandments. Here instead of being fearful, the word "awe" should have been used as this combines a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.

Yusuf Ali explains that in this verse some qualities of Allah's devotees are mentioned here, in ascending order: 
  • (1) Humility before Allah makes them receptive, and prepares them to listen to Allah's Message;
  • (2) fear of Allah, which is akin to love, touches their heart, and penetrates through their inmost being; 
  • (3) they are not afraid of anything in mortal life; they take their trials patiently, and they go on in a course of righteousness with constancy; 
  • (4) their prayer now is not a matter of form, but a real communion with Allah, with a sense of confidence such as a faithful servant feels in the presence of a kind and loving master; and 
  • (5) gratitude to Allah, as shown by practical acts of charity to all fellow-creatures.
Ibn-Kathir describes the good provision (and who spend out of what We have provided for them.) which Allah has given them. They spend on their families and servants, and on the poor and needy; they treat people kindly while remaining within the limits set by Allah. This is in contrast to the hypocrites, who are the opposite of all this, as we have discussed in the Tafsir of Surah Bara'ah; to Allah be praise and blessings.

Muhammad Asad notes that Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.

Javed Ahmed Ghamidi notes that this style meant to urge and exhort should be kept in mind and so should be the relationship between the prayer and charity as without it the wisdom of religion cannot be understood.

Explanation Qur'an Wiki: The mere mention of God’s name stirs in them a feeling of awe that manifests itself in their actions. “Who patiently bear whatever befalls them.” They do not object to whatever happens to them by God’s will. They also “attend regularly to their prayer,” showing thus that they worship God as He wishes to be worshipped. Moreover, they do not grudgingly hold on to what they have. Rather, they “spend in charity out of what We provide for them.” Thus a close link is established between faith and worship rituals. The latter derive from faith and are manifestations of it. Hence, they are described as symbols set up by God. What is important in all this is that life itself derives its colour from faith, ensuring unity between beliefs and actions.

You may also read our previous posts which are interconnected to our present post:
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others life miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so  that they are able to discuss issues with Non Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'anYou may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 
  • Towards Understanding the Quran
  • Tafsir Ibn Khatir
  • Muhammad Asad Translation
  • Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
  • Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
  • Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

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