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Showing posts with label Selected Verses from Quran.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Selected Verses from Quran.. Show all posts

Saturday 5 March 2022

Remember Allah Instantly if you sin and implore forgiveness

Allah is cognizant of inherent  the weakness of his servants of being entrapped by evil and get pulled towards sin, lewdness and games and activities that take man away from the remembrance of Allah. Yet Allah Who is Ghafoor (الغفور) - The Forgiving, The Pardoner and Rahim (الرحيم) -  The Most Merciful continues to remind His servants that He is always there to receive their repentance and would certainly forgive them.

The mention of forgiveness and repentance appears at numerous places in Qur'an and we have already shared about a dozens of these verses (please refer to the Forgiveness and Repentance section of our reference page on Selected from Qur'an) so as to continue reminding our brothers and sisters who have mistaken or have fallen into the trap of evil forces to earnestly repent and seek forgiveness of Allah. The 135th verse for Surah 3. Al-i'Imran is yet another verse from Qur'an in which Allah asks His servants to remember Him instantly if they have sinned and implore forgiveness:

وَالَّذِيۡنَ اِذَا فَعَلُوۡا فَاحِشَةً اَوۡ ظَلَمُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ ذَكَرُوا اللّٰهَ فَاسۡتَغۡفَرُوۡا لِذُنُوۡبِهِمۡ وَمَنۡ يَّغۡفِرُ الذُّنُوۡبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّوۡا عَلٰى مَا فَعَلُوۡا وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ 
(3:135) And those who having done something to be ashamed of or wronged their own souls earnestly bring Allah to mind and ask for forgiveness for their sins and who can forgive sins except Allah? And are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done..

Explaining the meaning of the abovesaid verse, Yousaf Ali defines sin as a sort of oppression of ourselves by ourselves. This follows from the doctrine of personal responsibility, as opposed to that of blind fate or of an angry God or gods lying in wait for revenge or injury on mankind.

And then notes that righteous man, when he finds he has fallen into sin or error, does not whine or despair, but asks for Allah's forgiveness, and his faith gives him hope. If he is sincere, that means that he abandons his wrong conduct and makes amends.

Ibn Kathir adds that  if the servants of Allah commit an error they follow it with repentance and ask forgiveness. 

Qur'an Wiki:
Another quality of the God-fearing is highlighted here. They are those who seek forgiveness whenever they slip into sin and make sure of not knowingly disobeying God’s orders. How compassionate this religion is. Before He calls on people to be compassionate to one another, God, limitless is He in His glory, shows them one aspect of His own compassion of which they themselves are the recipients, so that they may learn.
 
In Islamic terminology, the God-fearing are among the elite of believers. God’s compassion and mercy, however, include among them those who remember God after committing a gross indecency or who wrong themselves and pray to Him for forgiveness of their sins. The term “gross indecency” includes the most ghastly of all sins. This religion of ours, however, is so tolerant that it neither considers those who sink to its depth as outcasts, nor deprives them of God’s mercy. They are not even given the bottom rank among the believers. Rather, they are elevated to the rank of the elite, the God-fearing, on one condition only. That condition is that they should remember God and pray to Him to forgive their sins, that they should not persist with their wrongdoing, knowing that it is sinful, and that they should not unashamedly boast about the sins they have committed. In other words, they should remain within the framework of servitude to God and ultimate submission to Him. By doing so, they remain entitled to His forgiveness, mercy and bounty.

Islam recognizes man’s weakness. Man may always succumb to his physical desires which may bring him down to the depths of gross indecency. His lust, ambitions or temptations may cause him to lose-- control and drive him to disobedience of God. Recognizing this weakness in man, Islam does not adopt harsh punishments, rejecting a sinner altogether and depriving him of God’s mercy when he wrongs himself by committing a gross indecency. In the Islamic view there is something important to add to his credit which is the fact that the light of faith has not been put out altogether in his soul. His heart is not totally hardened, his relationship with God is still alive and he knows that he is merely a servant who slips and makes mistakes, and that he has a Lord who forgives. This weak, sinful creature, then, remains essentially good. He clings to his bond with God and lie does not sever it. He may, then, slip as many times as his weakness imposes on him. Eventually, he will get there, as long as he holds to his bond with God and keeps the light of faith within him. He must always remember God, pray to Him for
forgiveness and acknowledge his submission to Him and refrain from boasting about his sins.

Never does Islam slam the door in the face of a weak sinner leaving him lost in the wilderness. Never does it let him feel permanently rejected, afraid to turn back. On the contrary, it holds for him the prospect of forgiveness. It shows him the way and holds his trembling hand, steadying him and giving him the light he needs to return to his secure refuge. It only requires one thing of him, namely, that his heart and soul are not so hardened so as to make him forget God. As long as he remembers God and keeps alive in his conscience the voice of guidance and maintains in his heart the yearning for God’s grace, then light will shine again in his soul and the seed of faith will burst forth with a new plant.

When your misbehaving son who has run away knows that nothing awaits him at home except flogging, he will never return. But if he knows that there is also a tender hand which will pat his shoulder when he apologizes for his misdeeds and which excuses him when he asks for pardon, he will certainly come back.

Islam knows that side by side with man’s weaknesses and carnal desires there exist strength and sublime aspirations. For this reason, Islam is sympathetic to man in his moment of weakness, places him back on his way to a higher horizon, as long as he remembers God and does not knowingly persist with his wrongdoing. The Prophet says: “He who prays for forgiveness does not persist with his sin, even if he commits it 70 times a day.” (Related by Abū Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhī.) In doing so, Islam does not advocate complacency, nor does it praise the one who frequently slips or who describes sinful actions as beautiful, as those who call themselves “realists” do. It simply overlooks such errors in order to awaken both hope and a sense of shame within man. Forgiveness by God, the only One to forgive sins, does not lead to complacency; it fills the sinner with shame. Only those who persist and pay no heed remain outcasts. Thus, Islam combines its call to man to aspire to a higher horizon with its mercy and compassion, knowing man’s weakness and capability. It ensures that the door of hope is always open in front of man as it motivates him to exert his utmost in his aspiration towards the sublime.

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and be always ready to remember Allah if we faulter and instantly invoke His infinite mercy to forgive us. May Allah help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

You may read this post 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'anYou may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3
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.

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, 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.

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

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.

Saturday 25 December 2021

Always speak the Right Word - The Truth

We live in a world today that is full of deceit and lies. Men are always on the lookout to hoodwink the others so as to gain personal benefits even at the cost of lying and making false statements. There is a famous quote: "If your actions don't live up to your words - you have nothing to say." That means one has to own what one says and it better be the right words for then one doesn't have to look back and search for what one has said. For truth has no tails attached to it. 

No one advocates falsehood, and so does Qur'an. At many a places, the Divine Commandments ask the believers to be truthful and follow the right path, for it is only in truth lies one's salvation. It will be those who have kept their words and actions equal will be the ones who will be rewarded on the Day of Judgement. 

We share today the 70th verse from Surah 33. Al Ahzab (The confederates)asking the believers to fear Allah, for it is fear of Allah that will always be mindful of speaking the right words - the truth and nothing but the truth:

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَقُوۡلُوۡا قَوۡلًا سَدِيۡدًا ۙ‏ 
(33:70) Believers, fear Allah and speak the truth

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: The Command to the Believers to have Taqwa and speak the Truth

Here Allah commands His servants to have Taqwa of Him, worshipping Him as if they can see Him, and to (" قَوْلاً سَدِيداً " speak (always) the truth.) meaning, to speak in a straightforward manner, with no crookedness or distortion. He promises them that if they do that, He will reward them by making their deeds righteous, i.e., enabling them to do righteous deeds, and He will forgive them their past sins. With regard to whatever sins they may commit in the future, He will inspire them to repent from them.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation
We must not only speak the truth as far as we know it, but we must always try to hit the right point; i.e., we must not speak unseasonably, and when we do speak, we must not beat about the bush, but go straight to that which is right, in deed as well as in word. Then Allah will make our conduct right and cure any defects that there may be in our knowledge and character. With our endeavour directed straight to the goal, we shall be forgiven our errors, shortcomings, faults, and sins of the past.

Muhammad Asad Explanation
The expression qawl sadid signifies, literally, "a saying that hits the mark", i.e., is truthful, relevant and to the point. In the only other instance where this expression is used in the Qur'an (at the end of 4:9 ) it may be appropriately rendered as "speaking in a just manner"; in the present instance, however, it obviously relates to speaking of others in a manner devoid of all hidden meanings, insinuations and frivolous suspicions, aiming at no more and no less than the truth.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:  
Ie., they should say what befits believers and is a requisite of their faith which is: “we listened and obeyed.” The words وَ مَنْ يُّطِعِ اللّٰهَ وَ رَسُوْلَهُ at the end of the paragraph substantiate the inference that the expression قَوْلٌ سَدِيْدٌ means “to listen and to obey.”

Qur'an Wiki:
The sūrah directs the believers to say only what is just, true and accurate. They should make sure of what they say and its effects, before they accept what the hypocrites and spreaders of lies say, and before they pay attention to any wild accusation or evil fabrication against the Prophet, their leader and guide. It directs them to say right words leading to right action. God takes care of those who make sure of saying what is right, proper and accurate, guiding their footsteps and making their deeds sound, producing good results. God also forgives the sins of those who say what is right and do righteous deeds, for even they are not immune to slips and errors. They are all human, and by nature humans err and need God’s forgiveness.

Please listen to explanation of the ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Maulana Waheed ud Din:
May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

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

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.

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

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.

Sunday 9 May 2021

No one can extinguish Light of Allah


The whole world witnessed a barbaric action by Israel police that barged into the sacred Masjid e Aqsa in occupied Jerusalem and fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at the Palestinian Muslims who were offering their night prayer in this sacred month of Ramadan. No words can condemn the inhuman act targeting worshippers that were no threat to the State of Israel. Yet this act showed hatred of Jews towards Muslims and their uncanny desire to finish of Muslims from their lands.

But perhaps they do not know that even if they martyr as many Muslims as they want, they can never extinguish the Light of Allah and Islam will continue to flourish and thrive and it would be no wonder that it would overtake all religions of the world. 

In this regard we have chosen 8th verse of Surah 61 As-Saff (The Ranks) in which Allah clearly warns the disbelievers and "enemies of His servants" that no matter what they do with mouth, here in this case with guns and grenades', they will never be able to extinguish Light of Allah:

يُرِيۡدُوۡنَ لِيُطۡفِـُٔـوۡا نُوۡرَ اللّٰهِ بِاَ فۡوَاهِهِمْ وَاللّٰهُ مُتِمُّ نُوۡرِهٖ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ الۡكٰفِرُوۡنَ‏ 
They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.
One should bear in mind that these verses were sent down in A.H. 3 after the Battle of Uhud, when Islam was confined only to the city of Madinah, the Muslims were only a few thousands in number, and entire Arabia was bent upon wiping out this religion. The defeat that the Muslims had suffered at Uhud, had sullied their image of power and the tribes of the surrounding areas had been emboldened. Under such conditions it was said: "No one will succeed in blowing out this Light of Allah, but it will shine forth in all fullness and spread throughout the world." This was a clear prediction which literally came true. Who could know apart from Allah at that time what was the future of Islam? Human eyes could only see that it was a flickering candle and violent winds were blowing to put it out for ever.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: Allah's Light is unquenchable. A foolish, ignorant person who thinks of extinguishing it is like a rustic who wants to blow out electric light as he might blow out a rush candle! "With their mouths" also implies the babble and cackle of Ignorance against Allah's Truth. The more the foolish ones try to quench Allah's Light, the clearer it shines, to shame them!

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation: This is a blatant prediction which materialized word for word and the true religion prevailed all over the Arabian Peninsula. This dominance was achieved against the wishes of both the disbelievers of the Jews and the Idolaters of the Quraysh. As a result, the light they wanted to extinguish from the blows of their mouths got perfected in every way. This was the manifestation of an established practice of God regarding His messengers and is mentioned at a number of places in the Qur’an, viz: after messengers conclusively communicates the truth, God makes them dominant in the land and punishes those who deny them. The purpose of this is to validate the Hereafter on the same standards as scientific realities are validated in laboratory experiments. This verse has no bearing on launching a struggle to bring about an Islamic revolution, as has been understood by some thinkers of current times.

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'anYou may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Photo | Reference: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 
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.

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 plain translation has been taken from the Qur'ān officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
  • 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 by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources: 
  • Towards Understanding the Quran
  • Tafsir Ibn Khatir
  • Muhammad Asad Translation
  • Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
  • Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
  • 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.

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

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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