This world is being ruled by the powerful and wealthy. If we look around, from every street to the world as a whole, justice is imprisoned by the rich and affluent and is used for their personal benefit. While common man is made to bear the brunt of justice even for a petty matter, those power wielding tyrants and holding positions of authority based on their family linkages and wealth get escort free from their heinous crimes and misdoing.
At the height of their positional authority, arrogance creeps into their souls which keeps them blind of the Divine promises made in all divine Books. Herein under we share the 88th verse of Surah 26. Ash-Shu'araa which cautions such demagogues and tyrants to repent and seek forgiveness of their misdeeds for when the clock stops clicking, then there would be no going back to make amends or seek Divine forgiveness.
It may be added here that this is the Divine reply to the request of Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham, may peace be upon him) to forgive his father who despite his son's earnest desire to leave idolism and proclaim Oneness of Allah. See in how stern words, Allah rubbishes the prayer of a prophet whom Allah has called him as His friend. Here in very subtle words God has told him that even a son like him will not be of any benefit there to his father:
يَوۡمَ لَا يَنۡفَعُ مَالٌ وَّلَا بَنُوۡنَۙ
(26:88) the Day when nothing will avail, neither wealth nor offspring,
Tafsir Ibn-Kathir:
(يَوْمَ لاَ يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلاَ بَنُونَ The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,) means, a man's wealth will not protect him from the punishment of Allah, even if he were to pay a ransom equivalent to an earthfull of gold.
(وَلاَ بَنُونَ nor sons) means, `or if you were to pay a ransom of all the people on earth.' On that Day nothing will be of any avail except faith in Allah and sincere devotion to Him, and renunciation of Shirk and its people.
Yusuf Ali Explanation:
Now we have a vision of the Day of Judgment. Nothing will then avail except a pure heart; all sorts of the so-called "good deeds" of this world, without the motive of purity, will be useless. The contrast of the Garden of Bliss with the Fire of Misery will be plainly visible. Evil will be shown in its true colours,-isolated, helpless, cursing and despairing; and all chances will then have been lost.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
We also feel his humility before his Lord and his fear that he might have fallen short of what was expected of him. We also realize how profoundly he felt the nature of that great Day from his description of it. He also realizes that the only value recognized on that Day is a sincerity which makes one’s heart purely devoted to God, allowing no consideration or personal desire to detract from such devotion. This is the type of sound heart that is worthy of proper value. “The Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit.” Indeed, no other quality, property or consideration is of any benefit, because all are of a temporary nature and will inevitably come to an end. They may be coveted by people who try hard to possess such things in this life, but they are of no value in the ultimate reckoning.
This verse is but an eye opener for all of us. If Allah could turn down the request of one of His most favoured prophets, how could the ordinaries escape Divine justice? The affluent and the wealthy, though boast of their wealth and family in this world, how helpless and ashamed they would feel when none of their worldly positions would be of any avail to them. Let not time slip by and let us not be blinded by our arrogance and position take us blindfolded to our bitter end.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
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.
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.
You may refer to our reference page: Believers!! Beware of the Rules of the Divine Court on the Day of Judgement to read more directives on the subject.
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
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 the following sources:
- Tafsir Ibn Khatir
- Muhammad Asad Translation
- Yusuf Ali Translation
- Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
- Qur'an Wiki
- Towards Understanding the Quran
In addition, 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.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.
0 comments:
Post a Comment