Believers! Take heed of yourself, if you are rightly guided - the error of he who strays will not harm you

Divine religions are all about faith - faith in the Divine Being who created us all and to whom we shall return. We may be distracted by the distractors to waiver in our faith, especially if we have weak or no knowledge of what we believe in. This is the dilemma that faces Muslims all over the world today, specially thee born Muslims. Since they have "passed on" knowledge about Islam rather than the acquired knowledge through own pursuits and study, they often stumble when they are being misled by someone who know how to twist the verses of Qur'an and how to influence a man of weak faith.

This is the theme of 105th verse of Surah 5. Al Maidah (The Table Spread) which cautions believers to take heed of themselves, if they believe they have been truly and rightly guided. If this is the state of their faith, no one can mislead them. Likewise, they are also advised not to find faults with others and concentrate on their own behaviour, conduct and deeds, for everyone will be answerable for his own self, rather than what others did. But at the same time, one should not remain indifferent to evil being spread to distract others from one's faith and must play one's part to undo the harm being done to Islam. That is if people see an unjust person doing an injustice and they not prevent him from it, Allah may punish all of them.

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا عَلَيۡكُمۡ اَنۡفُسَكُمۡ​ۚ لَا يَضُرُّكُمۡ مَّنۡ ضَلَّ اِذَا اهۡتَدَيۡتُمۡ​ ؕ اِلَى اللّٰهِ مَرۡجِعُكُمۡ جَمِيۡعًا فَيُـنَـبِّـئُكُمۡ بِمَا كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ 

(5:105) Believers! Take heed of your own selves. If you are rightly guided, the error of he who strays will not harm you. To Allah will all of you return; then He will let all of you know what you did.

This is a warning against a common human weakness. Some people are always on the look-out to find out and criticize errors in others. Here such people have been admonished against this evil and asked to concentrate their attention on their own acts, deeds, morals and beliefs instead of probing into and criticizing the conduct and beliefs of others. If a man himself is obedient to Allah and fulfills his obligations to Him and man, and treads the path of truth and righteousness, which also includes the establishment of virtue and the eradication of vice, then most surely the crookedness and deviation of any other can do him no harm.

This verse, however, does not mean that a person should think only of his own salvation and leave alone the reform of others. Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq refuted this misconception in an address, saying, "O people, you recite this verse and put on it a wrong interpretation. I myself heard the Holy Prophet say, `When the people become so indifferent that they see evil and do not try to eradicate it and see an unjust person doing an injustice and do not prevent him from it, Allah may punish all of them.' I swear by Allah that it is obligatory on you to enjoin virtue and forbid evil; (if you neglect this) Allah will place you under the worst people who will inflict hardships on you. Then your good people will offer prayers but He will not accept these."

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: (One is Required to Reform Himself First)

Allah commands His believing servants to reform themselves and to do as many righteous deeds as possible. He also informs them that whoever reforms himself, he would not be affected by the wickedness of the wicked, whether they were his relatives or otherwise. 

Imam Ahmad recorded that Qays said, "Abu Bakr As-Siddiq stood up, thanked Allah and praised Him and then said, `O people! You read this Ayah, (O you who believe! Take care of yourselves. If you follow the right guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who are in error.) You explain it the wrong way. I heard the Messenger of Allah say: (If the people witness evil and do not change it, then Allah is about to send His punishment to encompass them.) I (Qays) also heard Abu Bakr say, `O people! Beware of lying, for lying contradicts faith.'''

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

When the situation of the unbelievers was explained, the sūrah makes a statement showing the believers as a separate group, distinguished by the duties and obligations they have to fulfil. It defines for them what attitude they should take to other people. It tells them that they may look forward to no reward other than that of God. They should aspire to no reward in this life.

It is a case of a complete break between them and those who are hostile to their cause. Moreover, they should have a relationship of mutual support among themselves, since they form one community: “Believers, it is but for your own souls that you are accountable. Those who go astray can do you no harm if you [yourselves] are on the right path.” What this verse says to the believers is that they should take care of themselves, purifying their souls and committing themselves wholly to their community, paying no attention to what others may say or do, even though they may go far astray. As believers, they are a separate unit, independent of all others. In this unit, they take care of one another, in complete mutual solidarity. Other than this, they have no need for any bonds or ties of loyalty with anyone.

For certain, this religion cannot establish its roots without effort and struggle. It needs followers who spare no effort to guide people to it in order to liberate them from subservience to other people so that they may submit to God alone. Such followers will do their utmost to establish the right concept of Godhead and to repel those who usurp God’s authority so that God’s law is seen to be implemented in human life. Such efforts are peaceful when the misguided ones are individuals in need of direction. However, force will be needed when there is a tyrannical power turning people away from God’s guidance, and standing in the way of establishing the Islamic faith and implementing God’s law. It is only then that the believers will have fulfilled their responsibility and those who persist in error are punished by God: “To God you all must return. He will then make you understand all that you were doing [in life].”

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 pages: Important DOs and Don'ts from Qur'an to read more directives on the subject.

You may refer to our reference page: Faith in Allah 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.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 

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
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• 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.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

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.

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Beware of The Day of Matter Adequate

Man feels secure in his worldly life where he is protected by his parents, family and friends whenever any distress befalls him. There is always some hope or access to a helping hand that can save from a disaster or distress. For many evil doers, their advocates and lawyers come handy who save them from clutches of justice by tacit articulation of law and let them live a free life.

But behold!! for how long. Allah gives leverage to the criminals for a considered time and provides them adequate time to repent and seek Divine forgiveness. But those who, due to their sheer arrogance, position and wealth often brush off Divine warnings and cautions for they think they can prevail upon everyone due to their position and wealth. For such ungrateful people, we share the 37th verse of Surah 80. Abasa that warns them of the Day of Matter Adequate!! 

Sūrah ʻAbasa " سورة عَبَسَ " is the eightieth sürah with 42 āyāt with two rukus, part of the 30th Juzʼ  of the Holy Qur'ān. In its verses 33-42, the picture of the day of judgement is painted when no one shall care about his own mother, father, brother or children. The world as we know it will have so completely passed away that the landmarks in the heavens and on earth will also have vanished. Not only that, but the human relationships of mind and heart will have been transformed by sin into something ugly and dreadful. The sinners will be so overcome with terror at the realization of their personal responsibility that they will desert their most intimate friends, and indeed their very sight of each other will add to their agony.

لِكُلِّ امۡرِیءٍ مِّنۡهُمۡ يَوۡمَـئِذٍ شَاۡنٌ يُّغۡنِيۡهِؕ‏ 

(80:37)   For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him.

A tradition has been reported in the Hadith by different methods and through different channels, saying that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection all men will rise up naked. One of his wives (according to some reporters, Aishah, according to others, Saudah, or a woman) asked in bewilderment: O Messenger of Allah, shall we (women) appear naked on that Day before the people. The prophet (peace be upon him) recited this very verse and explained that on that Day each one will have enough of his own troubles to occupy him, and will be wholly unmindful of others. (Nasai, Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi Hatim,)

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: (The Day of Judgement and the fleeing of the People from Their Relatives during it):

Ibn `Abbas said, "As-Sakhkhah is one of the names of the Day of Judgement that Allah has magnified and warned His servants of.' Ibn Jarir said, "Perhaps it is a name for the blowing into Trumpet.'' Al-Baghawi said, "As-Sakhkhah means the thunderous shout of the Day of Judgement. It has been called this because it will deafen the ears. This means that it pierces the hearing to such an extent that it almost deafens the ears.'

(That Day shall a man flee from his brother, and from his mother and his father, and from his wife and his children.) Qatadah said, "The most beloved and then the next most beloved, and the closest of kin and then the next closest of kin -- due to the terror of that Day.' 

Allah said, (لِكُلِّ امْرِىءٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ Every man that Day will have enough to make him careless of others.) meaning, he will be preoccupied in his business and distracted from the affairs of others. 

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn `Abbas that the Messenger of Allah said, (You will all be gathered barefoot, naked, walking and uncircumcised.) So, his wife said, "O Messenger of Allah! Will we look at or see each other's nakedness'' The Prophet replied, (Every man among them on that Day will have enough (worries) to make him careless of others) -- or he said: (he will be too busy to look.) 

Ibn `Abbas narrated that the Prophet said, (You will all be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.) So, a woman said, "Will we see or look at each other's nakedness'' He replied, (O so-and-so woman! Every man among them on that Day will have enough (worries) to make him careless of others.) At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.''

Yusuf Ali Explanation: 

That is "Nor friend will ask after a friend that Day. On the contrary the sinner will desire to save himself at the expense even of his own family and benefactors."

This is as said in Surah 70 Al Maarij (The Ascending Steps), verses 10-14:

• (70:10) And no friend will ask after a friend
• (70:11 Though they will be put in sight of each other the sinner's desire will be: would that he could redeem himself from the Penalty of that Day by (sacrificing) his children) That is the sinner will offer his children, his family, his kinsmen, who had sheltered and protected him, -in fact everything on earth that he could-as a ransom for himself. Such would be his selfishness and his agony.
• (70:12) His wife and his brother
• (70:13) His kindred who sheltered him.
• (70:14 And all all that is on earth so it could deliver him) What would not the sinner give for his own deliverance! But nothing could save him. The Fire of Hell would be roaring for him!

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

The fearfulness depicted in this scene is purely psychological. It strikes the soul, isolates it and holds it in its grip. The result is that each of us will think only of ourselves. None shall have any time or power to think of others: “For each one of them will on that day have enough preoccupations of his own.” The description is vivid; yet there can be no shorter and yet more comprehensive statement to describe the general condition of worried minds and souls.

A picture has been painted, my brothers and sisters in Islam, as a caution and warning for all of us of a day when we shall stand all alone to answer for our bad deeds. And pray we do not fall short of good deeds that will be traded for each of our bad deeds, and that some good deeds are still left that could help us in achieving Divine forgiveness. However, before that day of matter adequate, let us leave all bad things and wrongdoings while we are still alive so that we do not have to stand in shame, for on that day any regret or apology will not help us.

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 read more posts on similar themes in our series of posts related to: Rules of Divine Court on Day of Judgement.

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.

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 the following sources: 

• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Yusuf Ali Translation
• Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Qur'an Wiki
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• 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.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

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.

Read More

Argue not with the People of the Book except in the fairest manner

The purpose of the Divine religions has always been to put the people, who had otherwise directionless, to a straight path as envisioned for them by their Creator: The One and Only One True God, we call Allah in Islam. However, instead of keeping focused on the Divine framework of unity, there seems to be complete disharmony among the people of the Book. And every effort is made by the priests, pastors and Imams to prove their own view point right while outrightly negating what others have to say.

This disharmony among the people of the Book often leads to heated arguments which further widen the gap rather coming closer to each other. It is in this regard we share a few verses from Surah 29. Al Ankabut (The Spider) which instruct the Muslim scholars and Imams not to get into arguments with the people of the Book except in the fairest manner so as not to vent animosity between different Divine religions. 

However, before we do that, let us understand the difference between a debate and an argument:

A debate is formal, deliberate, executed according to an agreed upon set of rules, and a decision is made at the end of the debate to ascertain WHAT is right, based on rational thinking by well-read scholars. Debates use arguments, but an argument itself is informal, usually unplanned, can get heated, and doesn't always end in a decision. The arguments on the other hand are generally a display of emotional outburst of one's conviction and those involved in an argument tend to press upon their focused stand to press upon WHO is right. Those who get into argumentation about religion generally have a shallow language about theirs as well as others religions and their only intention is to prove their viewpoint right rather than striving WHAT is right, for they are not equipped with requisite knowledge to do that.

Therefore, when it comes to discussion on religions, the stress should be on kindness and tact and, hence, on the use of reason alone with adherents of other creeds, fully in tune with the basic, categorical injunction, "There shall be no coercion in matters of faith."  

وَلَا تُجَادِلُوۡٓا اَهۡلَ الۡكِتٰبِ اِلَّا بِالَّتِىۡ هِىَ اَحۡسَنُ ۖ اِلَّا الَّذِيۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا مِنۡهُمۡ​ وَقُوۡلُوۡٓا اٰمَنَّا بِالَّذِىۡۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡنَا وَاُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡكُمۡ وَاِلٰهُـنَا وَاِلٰهُكُمۡ وَاحِدٌ وَّنَحۡنُ لَهٗ مُسۡلِمُوۡنَ‏ 

(29:46) Argue not with the People of the Book except in the fairest manner, unless it be those of them that are utterly unjust. Say to them: “We believe in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to you. One is our God and your God; and we are those who submit ourselves to Him.” 

That is, "The discussion should be conducted rationally, in a civilized and decent language, so that the ideas of the other person may be reformed. The preacher's chief aim should be to appeal to the addressee's heart, convey the truth to him and bring him to the right path. He should not fight like a wrestler whose only object is to defeat his opponent. He should rather conduct himself like a physician who is ever cautious not to cause the patient's ailment to worsen by any of his own mistakes, and tries to cure him with the least possible trouble. This instruction bas been given here especially in connection with the conduct of a discussion with the people of the Book, but is a general instruction pertaining to the preaching of the religion and it has been given at several places in the Qur'an. For example, "O Prophet, invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and discuss things with the people in the best manner." (AnNahl: 125). "O Prophet, goodness and evil are not alike. Repel evil with what is best. You will see that he. with whom you had enmity, has become your closest friend. ' (Ha Mim As-Sajdah: 34). "O Prophet, repel evil with what is best: We are fully aware of what they utter against you." (Al-Mu'minun: 96) "O Prophet, adopt the way of leniency and forbearance; enjoin what is good and avoid useless discussions with the ignorant people. If Satan ever excites you to anger, seek refuge in Allah."  

(unless it be those of them that are utterly unjust) That is, "With those who adopt an attitude of wickedness a different attitude may also be adopted according to the nature and extent of their wickedness. In other words, one cannot, and should not adopt a soft and gentle attitude towards all sorts of people under all circumstances at all time, which might be mistaken for the weakness and meekness of the inviter to the Truth. Islam does teach its followers to be polite, gentle and reasonable, but it does not teach them to be unduly humble and meek so that they are not taken for granted by every cruel and wicked person."

(Say to them: “We believe in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to you. One is our God and your God; and we are those who submit) In these sentences Allah Himself has provided guidance to the best method of discussion, which the inviters to the Truth should adopt. The method is this: "Do not make the error or deviation of the other person the basis and starting point of the discussion, but begin the discussion with those points of truth and justice which are common between you and your opponent. That is, the discussion should start' from the points of agreement and not from the points of difference. Then, arguing froth the agreed points, the addressee should be made to understand that, in the matter of the things in which you differ, your stand is in conformity with the agreed points whereas his stand is contradictory to them

In this connection, one should bear in mind the fact that the people of the Book did not deny Revelation, Prophethood and Tauhid, like the polytheists of Arabia, but believed in these realities just like the Muslims. After agreement on these basic things, the main thing that could become the basis of difference Between them could be that the Muslim would not believe in the Divine Scriptures sent down to them and would invite them to believe in the Divine Book sent down to themselves, and would declare them disbelievers if they did not believe in it. This would have been a strong basis of their conflict. But the Muslims had a different stand. They believed as true all those Books that were with the people of the Book, and then also had believed in the Revelation that had been sent down to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). After this it was for the people of the Book to tell the rational ground for which they believed in one Book sent by Allah and rejected the other. That is why Allah here has instructed the Muslims that whenever they have to deal with the people of the Book, they should first of all present before them this very point of view in a positive manner. Say to them: "We believe in the same God in Whom you believe and we are obedient to Him. We have submitted ourselves to all those Commands and injunctions and teachings that have come from Him, whether they were sent down to you, or to us. We are obedient servants of God and not of a country or a community or a race, that we should submit to God's Command when it is sent down in one place and reject it when it is sent down in another place. This thing has been repeated at several places in the Qur'an and particularly in relation to the people of the Book, it has been presented forcefully. For this,see AI-Baqarah: 4, 136, 177, 285; Al-i-`Imran: 84; An-Nisa': 136, 150 to 152, 162 to 164; Ash Shu'araa: 13.  

Ibn e Kathir explains:

That while Arguing with the People of the Book and wanting to know about religion from them should argue with them in a manner that is better, as this will be more effective. 

For Allah says: (Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching...) (16:125) And Allah said to Musa and Harun when he sent them to Pharoah: (And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear.) (20:44) 

(and say (to them): "We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you;) means, `if they tell you something which you do not know to be true or false, say to them: We do not hasten to say it is a lie, because it may be true, and we do not hasten to say it is true because it may be false. We believe in it in general, under the condition that it has been revealed and has not been altered or deliberately misinterpreted.' 

Imam Al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The People of the Book used to read the Tawrah in Hebrew and explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. The Messenger of Allah said: (Do not believe the People of the Book and do not deny them. Say: "We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to you. Our God and your God is One, and to Him we have submitted.'')'' This Hadith was narrated only by Al-Bukhari. Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said: "How can you ask the People of the Book about anything, when your Book that was revealed to the Messenger of Allah is more recent, you read it pure and uncontaminated, it tells you that the People of the Book altered and changed the Book, that they write the Book with their own hands and then say, `This is from Allah,' to purchace with it a small price Should not the knowledge that you have, prevent you from asking them No, by Allah, we have never seen any of them asking you about what was sent down to you.'' Al-Bukhari recorded that Humayd bin `Abdur-Rahman heard Mu`awiyah talking to a group of Quraysh in Al-Madinah. He mentioned Ka`b Al-Ahbar, and said: "He was one of the most truthful of those who narrated from the People of the Book, even though we found that some of what he said might be lies.'' I say, this means that some of what he said could be classified linguistically as lies, but he did not intend to lie, because he was narrating from manuscripts which he thought were good, but they contained fabricated material, because they did not have people who were so conscientious in memorizing the Scriptures by heart as the people of this great Ummah.

Yusuf Ali is of the opinion that mere disputations are futile. In order to achieve our purpose as true standard-bearers for Allah, we shall have to find true common grounds of belief, as stated in the latter part of this verse, and also to show by our urbanity, kindness, sincerity, truth, and genuine anxiety, for the good of others, that we are not cranks or merely seeking selfish or questionable aims. However, those who are deliberately trying to wrong or injure others will have to be treated firmly, as we are guardians of each other. With them there is little question of finding common ground or exercising patience, until the injury is prevented or stopped.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

This is explained ahead: the first common things should be presented to them. After that, their attention should be directed to the consequences and implications of the common things that can become a cause of dispute. These should be presented in decent and polite language, with cogent arguments and with the spirit of earnestly making them understand a point. Instead of a dominating style, wisdom and sagacity should be held on to. This is because this style does not hurt the ego of a person and if the addressee is an upright person, he is even prepared to reflect on what is presented.

If the people of the Book are mischievous, indulge in baseless rhetoric and engage in debates meant to humiliate others, then in other instances in the Qur’ān, it is directed that instead of engaging with such people, one should ignore them. It is not proper for the preacher of the truth to respond to an allegation by a counter allegation or answer an insult by a bigger insult. The right attitude in such a case is to say salām and go one’s way.

(Tell them: We believe in what is revealed to us and that also which had been revealed to you.) The implication is that they are not inflicted with any bias or prejudice. They accept the truth because it is the truth and attest to it wherever they find it. Their book and the book of their addresses do not primarily differ from one another. Both have the same source and origin and both call to the same religion. Hence if their addressees also reflect while disregarding prejudices, they too will say like them that they believe in what is revealed to them and also in what is revealed to their addressees.

(Our God and your God is the same and we are obedient to Him alone.)  Ie., since God is one, they are not asking their addressees to profess faith in some other god; rather they are only asking them to believe in Him and like them solely obey Him by devoting themselves to Him and submitting to Him and leave aside 

Having advised the believers how to deal with the people of the Book, the next verse tells that those who do not believe in Qur'an are utter unbelievers:

وَكَذٰلِكَ اَنۡزَلۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ الۡكِتٰبَ​ؕ فَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰتَيۡنٰهُمُ الۡكِتٰبَ يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِهٖ​ۚ وَمِنۡ هٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ مَنۡ يُّؤۡمِنُ بِهٖ ​ؕ وَ مَا يَجۡحَدُ بِاٰيٰتِنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡكٰفِرُوۡنَ‏ 

(29:47) (O Prophet), thus have We bestowed the Book on you.84 So those on whom We had bestowed the Book before believe in it, and of these (Arabs) too a good many believe in it. It is none but the utter unbelievers who deny Our Signs.

((O Prophet), thus have We bestowed the Book on you) This can have two meanings:

• (1) "Just as We had sent down the Books to the former Prophets, so We have sent down this Book to you"; and
• (2) "We have sent down this Book with the teaching that it should be believed in not by rejecting Our former Books but by affirming faith in all of them. " 

(So those on whom We had bestowed the Book before believe in it) The context itself shows that this does not imply all the people of the Book but only those who were blessed with the right understanding and the knowledge of the Divine Scriptures, and were "the people of the Book ' in the we sense. When this last Book of Allah came before them, confirming His earlier Books, they did not show any stubbornness or obstinacy but accepted it sincerely as they had accepted the previous Books. 

(and of these (Arabs) too a good many believe in it) "These people": the people of Arabia. What it means to say is: The truth-loving people, whether they already possess a Divine Book or do not possess any, are affirming faith in it everywhere. 

(It is none but the utter unbelievers who deny Our Signs.) Here, "the disbelievers" imply those people who are not prepared to give up their prejudices and accept the truth, or those who reject the truth because they do not want their lusts and their unbridled freedom to be subjected to restrictions. 

So, my brothers and sisters in Islam, while Da'wah (calling others to Islam) is the duty of every Muslim, care must be taken that Da'wah be organized with Muslims who have extensive study of other Divine Books as well as Qur'an and Sunnah. If this is done, one may never get into arguments with anyone and will lead a healthy discussion about inter faith harmony and removal of doubts. But even if the opposing sides ridicule Allah, Islam, Qur'an and the very personality of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, one should deal the situation firmly so that the opposing side should not prevail upon the Da'wah team for being otherwise courteous and friendly.  It is better to disengage from such people who instead of a healthy discussion, ridicule and make mockery of Islam, the same way Pagan of Makkah did. To such people, one should simply recite the Surah 109. Al-Kafirun to part ways happy clinging to own faith and mindset.

You may read this post in conjunction with our earlier post: Da'wah: Calling others to Islam - the sacred duty of every Muslim

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 read more posts on similar theme in our series of posts related to: Al Qur'an guides and helps those who sincerely seek Divine Guidance and Help.

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.

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 the following sources: 

• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Yusuf Ali Translation
• Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Qur'an Wiki
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• 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.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

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.

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Man laments: When will Allah’s help arrive? Allah reassures: Behold, Allah’s help is close by

Many a nation came and gone without any trace who disobeyed Allah and His messengers. They did not live a second a day when the wrath of Allah befell them for hindering the ways of His prophets and hurting them physically and mentally. But those who were steadfast and braved the hardships to keep the Divine message from being spread, were finally successful, both in this world and the hereafter. 

However, propagating the word of Allah and His religion is an arduous thing. Even prophets have sometimes lost heart and lamented for Allah's help. Like for instance the case of Prophet Yunus (Jonah, may peace be upon him) who when could not make a headway to convince his people to follow the straight path, lost heart and without waiting for help from Allah abandoned his people. You may read his story at: Prophet Yunus (Jonah) and Allah's displeasure.

But man is still man, fragile and weak from inside. Thus, a stage may come when his patience wanes and he cry to Allah in despair for he sees no Divine help at hand. Even Prophet Muhammad ﷺ too at times was so disheartened by the cruelty of pagans of Makkah, that he would look towards the sky for any signs of Divine help. And he was reassured by Allah that he should not lose heart for Allah's help was at hand. This is the theme of 214th verse of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow) as mentioned below. However, in it, there is a caution for the true believers to bear the hardships and never lose hope for Allah's will ease their sufferings and make it heavy for those who obstruct their way and hurt them:

اَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ اَنۡ تَدۡخُلُوا الۡجَـنَّةَ وَ لَمَّا يَاۡتِكُمۡ مَّثَلُ الَّذِيۡنَ خَلَوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلِكُمۡؕ مَسَّتۡهُمُ الۡبَاۡسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلۡزِلُوۡا حَتّٰى يَقُوۡلَ الرَّسُوۡلُ وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مَعَهٗ مَتٰى نَصۡرُ اللّٰهِؕ اَلَاۤ اِنَّ نَصۡرَ اللّٰهِ قَرِيۡبٌ‏ 

(2:214) Do you suppose that you will enter Paradise untouched by the suffering endured by the people of faith who passed away before you? They were afflicted by misery and hardship and were so convulsed that the Messenger and the believers with him cried out: “When will Allah’s help arrive?” They were assured: “Behold, Allah’s help is close by.”

A whole story has been left out between this verse and the preceding one, for this verse itself points to it and because it had already been related in detail in the Surahs which were revealed before this at Makkah. In the preceding verse it was stated that the Messengers, were sent to remove those differences which had arisen in religion, but the story of their hardships and long persecutions was omitted because it had already been described in detail in the Makki Revelations. Hence the believers are warned that the Messengers and their followers have always had to struggle hard with the rebels against Allah in order to establish His Way, and that the true Faith of Islam has never been a bed of roses. One has to exert one's utmost to establish it and to fight against all those evil forces that oppose its establishment, even at the sacrifice of one's life, if need be. 

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Victory only comes after succeeding in the Trials

Allah said: (أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ Or think you that you will enter Paradise) before you are tested and tried just like the nations that came before you. 

This is why Allah said: (وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَآءُ وَالضَّرَّآءُ ...without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you, they were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments) meaning, illnesses, pain, disasters and hardships. 

Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Murrah Al-Hamdani, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi`, As-Suddi and Muqatil bin Hayyan said that (الْبَأْسَآءِ (Al-Ba'sa') means poverty. Ibn `Abbas said that (وَالضَّرَّآءِ ...and Ad-Darra') means ailments. (وَزُلْزِلُواْ and were so shaken) for fear of the enemy, and were tested, and put to a tremendous trial. 

An authentic Hadith narrated that Khabbab bin Al-Aratt said, "We said, `O Messenger of Allah! Why do you not invoke Allah to support us Why do you not supplicate to Allah for us' He said: «إِنَّ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ كَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ يُوضَعُ الْمِنْشَارُ عَلى مَفْرَقِ رَأْسِهِ فَيَخْلُصُ إِلى قَدَمَيْهِ لَا يَصْرِفُهُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ دِينِهِ، وَيُمْشَطُ بِأَمْشَاطِ الْحَدِيدِ مَا بَيْنَ لَحْمِهِ وَعَظْمِهِ، لَا يَصْرِفُهُ ذلِكَ عَنْ دِينِه» (The saw would be placed on the middle of the head of one of those who were before you (believers) and he would be sawn until his feet, and he would be combed with iron combs between his skin and bones, yet that would not make him change his religion.)

He then said: «وَاللهِ لَيُتِمَّنَّ اللهُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ حَتَّى يَسِيرَ الرَّاكِبُ مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ إلى حَضْرَمَوْتَ، لَا يَخَافُ إِلَّا اللهَ وَالذِّئْبَ عَلى غَنَمِهِ، وَلَكِنَّــكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَسْتَعْجِلُون» (By Allah! This matter (religion) will spread (or expand) by Allah until the traveler leaves San`a' to Hadramawt (both in Yemen, but at a great distance from each other) fearing only Allah and then the wolf for the sake of his sheep. You are just a hasty people.)

And Allah said: (الٓمٓ - أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوٓا۟ أَن يَقُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ - وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۖ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْكَٰذِبِينَ Alif-Lam-Mim. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe,'' and will not be tested And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars.) (29:1-3)

The Companions experienced tremendous trials during the battle of Al-Ahzab (the Confederates). 

Allah said: (إِذْ جَآءُوكُمْ مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ وَإِذْ زَاغَتِ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَبَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنُونَاْ - هُنَالِكَ ابْتُلِىَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَزُلْزِلُواْ زِلْزَالاً شَدِيداً - وَإِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَـفِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ مَّا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ إِلاَّ غُرُوراً When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats, and you were harboring doubts about Allah. There, the believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking. And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease (of doubts) said: "Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion!') (33:10-12)

When Heraclius asked Abu Sufyan, "Did you fight him (Prophet Muhammad)'' He said, "Yes.'' Heraclius said, "What was the outcome of warfare between you' Abu Sufyan said, "Sometimes we lose and sometimes he loses.' He said, "Such is the case with Prophets, they are tested, but the final victory is theirs.'

Allah's statement: (مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلِكُم ...without (such) (trials) as came to those who passed away before you) meaning, their way of life. 

Similarly, Allah said: (فَأَهْلَكْنَآ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُم بَطْشاً وَمَضَى مَثَلُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ  Then We destroyed men stronger (in power) than these ـ and the example of the ancients has passed away (before them)) (43: 8) and:

(وَزُلْزِلُواْ حَتَّى يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ مَتَى نَصْرُ اللَّهِ ...were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When (will come) the help of Allah.'')

They pleaded (to Allah) for victory against their enemies and invoked Him for aid and deliverance from their hardships and trials. Allah said: (أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!)

Allah said: (فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً - إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْراً  Verily, along with every hardship is relief. Verily, along with every hardship is relief.) (94:5, 6)

So just as there is hardship, its equal of relief will soon arrive. This is why Allah said: ( أَلاَ إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!)

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

Ie., when the worldly retribution of people takes place in the time of the messengers of the Almighty, it always does so when people are fully made aware of the truth and they deny it in spite of being convinced about its veracity. Believers are granted success after they are made to pass through certain very trying circumstances. Here, the aforementioned Hypocrites are prodded that the Almighty’s help will not come in a manner they want it. This is an established practice of the Almighty which He never abandons.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

As it comes to a close, this highly instructive passage addresses the fearful adversity the believers encountered as a result of their disagreement and confrontation with the Arab unbelievers on the one hand, and with the followers of earlier religions, such as the Jews, on the other. The sūrah reassures the believers that what they faced was part of the experience and education they needed to qualify for God’s reward in paradise. Believers must defend their faith and, in doing so, have to face up to numerous challenges and hardship. They will experience triumphs as well as setbacks. If they persevere and stand firm and hold on to their beliefs and convictions, they will earn God’s succour and trust. They will deserve to be the custodians of God’s message in this world. Their reward will be in paradise in the life to come. It is a fitting reward for their courage in defeating their own selfishness and greed, resisting all manner of temptation, and refusing to surrender their life and destiny to any other power or authority except that of God Almighty.

With these poignant and profound words, and in this direct manner, God addresses the founding community of Islam, drawing their attention to the experiences of their fellow believers before them who were entrusted with the same task of establishing the divine code of living on earth. Nevertheless, the message in these words is timeless. It is directed to all human groups to whom God assigns that honourable task.

It is an awesome experience that drives God’s own Messenger and those who have accepted the faith close to despair and makes there cry out with frustration: “‘When will God’s help come?’ “It is a picture of great trepidation and unimaginable apprehension that cause a believer’s faith to be tested so severely and shaken in such a profound manner. However, with determination and steadfastness, God’s help is sure to arrive, for “Surely, God’s help is close at hand.”

God’s support that ensures victory is reserved for those who earn it: those who persevere and stand firm to the end in the face of all adversity and misfortune, never wavering but always certain that God’s help is on its way. No matter how severe the ordeal may become, true believers will always look to God, and to God alone, for salvation and support. By displaying such faith and trust in God, believers are deservedly rewarded by being admitted into paradise.

The dynamic of social and religious struggle reinforces the human spirit and encourages man to rise above his own ego and so emerge purer and stronger, ready to uphold the faith with greater energy and vigour. Thus, believers become a shining role model even for their most ardent adversaries, some of whom are liable to be impressed and join ranks with the believers, as witnessed throughout human history.

But even if this were not the case, something else much greater and much more admirable happens: advocates of God’s order are liberated from subordination to any worldly power or temptation. Life and its comforts become of no real consequence, and man assumes control of his world, which can only mean a triumph for humanity and the human spirit as a whole.

 

The ingredients of success are faith, hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance. With those, victory is guaranteed and the road to greater, everlasting rewards, to eternal bliss, is direct and clear.

This verse is any eye opener, my brothers and sisters. Allah's help is always there for those who have complete faith and trust in Him, have patience and perseverance. If we remain strong and steadfast no matter how bad the times we are facing are, Allah is surely to help and take us out of our difficult times.

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 read more posts on similar theme in our series of posts related to: Al Qur'an guides and helps those who sincerely seek Divine Guidance and Help.

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.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 

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
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• 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.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

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.

Read More

Who has been promised Prosperity as mentioned in Qur'an

Today we share a very short, yet very meaningful verse from Qur'an. It is about prosperity and has a pre-clause to achieve it. Before we share the 14th verse of Surah Al Ala (The Most High), let us first know what prosperity is:

Wikipedia defines prosperity as flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health.

It can be seen that in a wider spectrum, prosperity means an enhancement of any facet of life. We call a person prosperous if he has achieved a high post or honour in any field or for some a wealthy person is prosperous too. This is a pure worldly approach to define prosperity. But when we define prosperity in Islam and what leads to it, the brush strokes on the canvas change altogether. Let us see how by reading the selected verse for this post and by explaining its true perspective:

قَدۡ اَفۡلَحَ مَنۡ تَزَكّٰىۙ‏ 

(87:14) He who purified himself shall prosper

The simple verse says that whosever "PURIFIES" himself will PROSPER. Simple yet very meaningful verse and its explanation.

This to my reckoning, to be a true believer, one has to cleanse and purify his inner self when accepting Islam. That is, one has to wash away every bit of knowledge, cultural and ancestorial heritage to start afresh with a clean slate. That is HARD formatting one's hard disk so that not a trace of information of the bygone days remains on it.

As one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi put it: One who affirms the faith giving up disbelief and polytheism, adopts good morals giving up evil morals, and aligning oneself to good deeds giving up evil deeds. Success does not imply worldly prosperity, but true and real success whether worldly prosperity accompanies it or not. 

The concept of prosperity is explained in more details in other Surahs of Qur'an as under: 

فَمَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ افۡتَـرٰى عَلَى اللّٰهِ كَذِبًا اَوۡ كَذَّبَ بِاٰيٰتِهٖ ؕ اِنَّهٗ لَا يُفۡلِحُ الۡمُجۡرِمُوۡنَ‏ 

(Surah Yunus 10:17) Who, then, is a greater wrong-doer than he who forges a lie against Allah or rejects His signs as false? Surely the guilty shall not prosper.

Some foolish people draw wrong and misleading conclusions from this verse, by fallacious reasoning. They confine the meanings of falah to long life or worldly prosperity or worldly success and argue like this: This verse declares categorically that criminals can never attain success. The converse of this proposition, that is, anyone who is successful cannot be a criminal, must also be true. Hence, if a claimant should live a long life after his claim to Prophethood or prosper in the world or his claim receives a good response in the world from the people, he should be acknowledged as a true prophet. For they argue, if he had been a false prophet, he could not have prospered, but would have been killed or starved to death or rendered unsuccessful in his mission, as soon as he had claimed to be a prophet. But even a little thinking will show that this argument is fallacious on the face of it. 

• Firstly, the converse of every proposition is not always true. 
• Secondly, the Quran does not use the word falah in this limited sense. 
• Thirdly, Allah deals with the criminals according to His divine law of respite.

Now let us consider the matter in detail. The words “Indeed, the criminals will not be successful”, have not been used, in the context they occur, to prescribe a criterion for judging a true Prophet from a false one, so that if a claimant is successful, he should be accepted, and if he is not, he should be rejected. As a matter of fact, these words have been put in the mouth of the Messenger to make a declaration like this: I know for certain that the criminals cannot attain (true) success: therefore, I cannot commit the crime of making a false claim to Prophethood. But as regards you, I am absolutely sure that you cannot attain true success because you are guilty of falsely claiming me to be a true Prophet of Allah.

The other thing is that the word falah is not used in the limited sense of worldly success, but it has been used to denote the permanent success which never suffers any loss whatsoever irrespective of the fact whether the claimant gains or does not gain any worldly success in the initial stage. Nay, it is just possible that a false claimant who invites people to misguidance should attain great worldly success and his misguidance might also prosper. This is, however, not success in the terminology of the Quran, but this would be an utter failure. On the other hand, it is also possible that the inviter to the truth should suffer untold afflictions or fall a prey to the persecutions of the transgressors, and leave this world without winning over anyone to the side of the truth, but this will be, in the terminology of the Quran, true success and not a failure.

The other thing that refutes the fallacy of these foolish people is that they do not take into consideration the divine law of respite, according to which the mere fact that a false prophet enjoyed a long prosperous life is not a proof that he was a true prophet. The Quran has made it clear at many places that Allah does not expedite the matter of the punishment of the criminals, but gives them respite to mend their ways; nay, He also lets them loose in their deviation if they abuse that respite and become more corrupt. Sometimes He makes them even more prosperous so that they should fully manifest all the evils they had hidden in their hearts and incur full punishment which they really deserve for their evil deeds. The divine law of respite takes its due course in the case of false prophets as it does in the case of other criminals. And there is no reason why they should be an exception to this. Satan, the greatest of all criminals, has been allowed to practice every kind of deception up to the Day of Judgment, and there is no mention of any exception to this effect that he will not be allowed to set up a false prophet.

As a last resort, such perverse interpreters of the Quran turn to (Ayats 44-47 of Surah Al-Haqqah): If Muhammad had fabricated something himself and ascribed that to Us, We would have seized his hand and cut off his heart’s vein. But these cannot serve their purpose, for what they imply is only this: If the true Prophet appointed by Allah were to ascribe any false thing to Allah, he would be seized forthwith. Therefore, it is no more than a fallacy to argue from this to the erroneous conclusion that the impostor who is not seized is a true prophet, for this divine principle applies only to a true Prophet and not to an impostor. In order to grasp this point, let us take the instance of the government servants. It is obvious that the rules and regulations which are prescribed for government servants apply only to those who are actually government servants and not to impostors. Those who pretend to be government servants are dealt with according to the criminal code like other criminals and villains and not according to the code of employment. Besides this, the context in which these verses occur clearly shows that these are not laying down any criterion of judging whether a claimant is a true Prophet or an impostor. Moreover, a true Prophet can easily be distinguished from an impostor by his high character, his noble mission and the unique Message he presents. Hence there was no need to set up such an irrational and unnatural standard of distinguishing a true Prophet from an impostor.

نُسَارِعُ لَهُمۡ فِى الۡخَيۡـرٰتِ​ ؕ بَلْ لَّا يَشۡعُرُوۡنَ‏ 

(Surah Al-Muminun 23:56) We are busy lavishing on them all kinds of good? Nay, they do not perceive the reality of the matter.

This question has been posed as proof of the main theme of the Surah. It is meant to remove their misconception of "success", "welfare" and "prosperity", which the disbelievers had formed to delude themselves. According to them, the one who enjoyed the good things of life and wielded power and influence in society had attained "success". On the other hand, the one who was deprived of these things was a "failure". This misconception had involved " them in another serious misunderstanding. They thought that the one who had attained "success" was in the right, and the beloved of Allah. Otherwise, how could he have attained all the "successes"? On the contrary, the one who was apparently deprived of these things was surely wrong in his creed and erroneous in his deeds, and was under the wrath of God (or gods). As this misconception is one of the greatest deviations of the materialists, the Qur'an has stated it and refuted it in different ways at different places and made the reality plain. For instance, see A1-Baqarah (II): 126, 212, Al-A'araf (VII): 32, At-Taubah (IX): 55, 69, 85, Yunus (X):17, Hud (XI) :3, 27-31, 38-39, Ar-Ra`d (XIII): 26, Al-Kahf (XVIII): 28, 32-43, 103-105, Maryam (XIX):77-80, Ta Ha (XX): 131-132, Al-Anbiya` (XXI) :44 along with the relevant E.N.'s. In order to remove the above-mentioned misconceptions, one should keep in view the following:

(1) "Success" is a far higher thing than the material prosperity and the transitory success of an individual, community or nation

(2) It is absolutely wrong to consider "prosperity" and "success" as a criterion of truth and falsehood.

(3) It should be noted well that this world is a place of test and trial and not a place of reward and retribution. It is true that even in this world, sometimes there is some punishment or reward, but it is on a very limited scale, and even in this, there is an aspect of the test. Therefore, it is an utter folly to consider material "success" and "prosperity" to be proof that the recipient is in the right and so the beloved of the Lord, and vice versa. Moreover, the tests and trials of individuals and communities are of many varieties and a seeker after truth must understand at the outset that the worldly "success" or "failure" of the people is not the result of ultimate reward or punishment and cannot be regarded as the criterion for the right or wrong creed, morals and actions and a sign of being the beloved of God or otherwise.'

(4) One must have a firm belief that truth and righteousness will ultimately gain victory over falsehood and wickedness. As regards the criterion of truth and falsehood and right and wrong, one must judge this in the light of Revelations and teachings of the Messengers, because common sense confirms the same, and it is also supported by the general conception which mankind has always had of good and evil.

(5) As a corollary of the above, it would have become clear that according to the Qur'an (and this is confirmed by common sense), the conception of "reward" and "punishment" should also be different from the common one. For instance, if a wicked person or community is enjoying "prosperity", it is not a reward for its evil deeds but a harder test for it, and it is not a blessing but the wrath of Allah. It means that Allah has decided to punish the "prosperous people" with a severe scourge. On the other hand, if the righteous people are suffering from hardships and afflictions, it is not a punishment from Allah but a blessing in disguise to pass them through the "fire" to remove impurity, if any, from pure gold. If this hard trial is a blessing for the righteous people, it is a test for the wicked people to give them a severe punishment for the persecution of the former.

اُولٰٓـئِكَ عَلٰى هُدًى مِّنۡ رَّبِّهِمۡ​ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُفۡلِحُوۡنَ‏ 

(Surah Luqman 31:5) It is they who are on true guidance from their Lord, and it is they who shall prosper.

At the time when these verses were sent down, the disbelieves of Makkah thought, and said so openly, that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) and those who accepted his message were wasting and ruining their lives. Therefore, it was rejoined with full force and emphasis: ". these are the ones who will attain true success." That is, 'They will not ruin themselves as you seem to dunk in your ignorance, but they in fact are the ones who alone will attain true success, and the utter failures will be those who have refused to adopt this way."

Here the one who regards 'true success" as confined to the world, in the sense of material prosperity, will be wholly missing the Qur'anic concept of it. To understand the real concept of the true success one should study the following verses of the Qur'an along with the relevant explanations: AI-Baqarah: 2-5, AI-'Imran: 102, 130, 200, AI-Ma'idah: 35, 90, AI-An'am: 21, AI-A'raf; 7, 8, 157, At-Taubah: 88, Yunus: 17, An-Nahl: 116, Al-Hajj: 77, Al-Mu'minun: 117, An-Nur: ,51, Ar-Rum: 38.

Wrapping up the explanation and traits of those who will prosper, let us read the explanation of the selected verse in question:

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

At the other end we find prosperity accompanied with self- purification and a heeding of warnings. Purification is used here in the widest sense of the word: purification of everything filthy or sinful. The person who seeks to purify himself, glorifies his Lord, feels His power and majesty in his inmost soul and prays, [whether praying is taken in its general sense or its specific Islamic sense] will definitely be successful, as God states here. He will achieve success here in this life as he enjoys his relationship with God and the perfect bliss that results from his glorification of God. He will achieve even greater success in the hereafter as he escapes hell and is rewarded with perfect happiness in heaven. How different the two destinies are.

Now in light of the detailed explanation of the term Falal / Prosperity, we now have a clear idea who these promised believers would be who are promised prosperity. Let us cleanse our inner and outer shells and concentrate on the Divine Wisdom that promises us prosperity. Even if the wrongdoers are flourishing and even if the guided ones are living a rag tag life, yet the latter should take comfort that in the end it would be they who would be blessed with ultimate prosperity, if not in this world, but certainly in the life to come, In Sha Allah.

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 read more posts on similar theme in our series of posts related to: Al Qur'an guides and helps those who sincerely seek Divine Guidance and Help.

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.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 

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
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• 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.

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