.
Showing posts with label Surah Al Anaam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surah Al Anaam. Show all posts

Thursday 19 January 2023

Glad tidings for Reverts (Selected verses from Qur'an)

A life before reverting to Islam is a life lived in ignorance and having done acts which are otherwise unbecoming of a God-fearing person. But upon reverting to Islam, the entire life complexion of a revert changes altogether. It is as if he is born again with a clean slate to start his new life as a Muslim.

The 54th verse of Surah 6 Al Anaam brings glad tidings for reverts and informs them of the Divine promise of forgiveness of their pre-reversion life, provided they sincerely repent of their misdeeds and sins of the past life and wish to start afresh. Although this concession was given to those reverting to Islam. But this is also available to every Muslim at any stage of life. So, if a believer repents his past misdoings and seeks forgiveness of Allah, he is promised to be forgiven.

وَاِذَا جَآءَكَ الَّذِيۡنَ يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِنَا فَقُلۡ سَلٰمٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ​ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمۡ عَلٰى نَفۡسِهِ الرَّحۡمَةَ​ ۙ اَنَّهٗ مَنۡ عَمِلَ مِنۡكُمۡ سُوۡٓءًۢا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ وَاَصۡلَحَۙ فَاَنَّهٗ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ‏  
(6:54) And when those who believe in Our signs come to you, say to them: 'Peace be upon you. Your Lord has made mercy incumbent upon Himself so that if anyone of you does a bad deed out of ignorance and thereafter repents and makes amends, surely you will find Him All-Forgiving, All Compassionate.'
Allah has told his Messenger to console those of His followers who had committed heinous sins during the days of "ignorance" by inspiring them with the assurance that He forgives and treats leniently those who repent and mend their ways and, therefore, the taunts of the enemies of Islam need not worry them about what they had done in the past.

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir
(وَإِذَا جَآءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِـَايَـتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَـمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ When those who believe in Our Ayat come to you, say: "Salamun `Alaykum'' (peace be on you) ;) means, honor them by returning the Salam and give them the good news of Allah's exclusive, encompassing mercy for them. So, Allah said;

( كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ your Lord has written Mercy for Himself,) meaning, He has obliged His Most Honored Self to grant mercy, as a favor, out of His compassion and beneficence,

(أَنَّهُ مَن عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ So that, if any of you does evil in ignorance...) as every person who disobeys Allah does it in ignorance,

(ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds,) by repenting from the sins that he committed, intending not to repeat the sin in the future, but to perform righteous deeds,

(فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ then surely, He is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(لَمَّا قَضَى اللهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابٍ فَهُوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ: إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي غَلَبَتْ غَضَبِي When Allah finished with the creation, He wrote in a Book that He has with Him above the Throne, `My mercy prevails over My anger'.) This Hadith was also recorded in the Two Sahihs.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
It is evident from these glad tidings that to those they were given were not desirous of wealth and status; on the contrary, they were desirous of mercy and forgiveness that is mentioned in the glad tidings. They had no interest in the wealth and resources of this world. Their desire, in fact, was that their sins be forgiven and they become worthy of God’s pleasure.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
God commands His Messenger to be the one who starts by greeting those on whom God has bestowed the grace of being among the early Muslims; the very ones whom the Quraysh chiefs ridiculed. The Prophet is further commanded to give them the happy news that God has committed Himself to grant them His mercy, as He will forgive those among them who mend their ways after having committed any bad deed out of ignorance. 

Having given them the blessing of adopting the faith, and promised them easy reckoning on the Day of Judgement, God now honours them with His mercy. Indeed, He commits Himself to showing mercy to those who believe in Him. He also commands His Messenger (peace be upon him) to convey to them this commitment. God’s grace is so plentiful that it ensures forgiveness of all bad deeds, once those who commit them repent and mend their ways. The qualification mentioned here, which describes a bad deed as being committed `out of ignorance’, is interpreted by scholars as intrinsic to committing sins. All human sins are committed `out of ignorance’. According to this interpretation, this statement includes every bad deed: once the person who has done it repents and mends his ways, he will be forgiven. Other statements support this interpretation as they describe forgiveness as surely forthcoming upon repentance and doing well. This is the practical exercise of grace, which God has committed Himself to bestow.

Now you may listen to the following short clipped video to explanation of the aforesaid Ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:
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.

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

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from 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.

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 June 2022

Do not revile those whom they invoke other than Allah

Religious matter are very sensitive for followers of each religion have bondage and attachment to their faith which has been in practice by them and their ancestors for long. These can be very touchy issues when two people of opposite religions try to discuss their religions and pitch these against that of one an other. Any mishandling of the discussion can lead to bitterness and abusiveness. Therefore, all those who are entrusted with inviting people of other faiths to their faith must be very courteous, cautious and respectful to others faith and feelings. 

Islam is a religion of peace and thus it advocates humility when extending invitation to others and ensuring that in the process their gods are not humiliated and debased. In fact the inviter should use the good attributes of their gods as a base to develop upon the invitation to Islam. The following 108th verse of Surah 6. Al An'am addresses the same subject and cautions the Muslims:

رَبِّهِمۡ مَّرۡجِعُهُمۡ فَيُنَبِّئُهُمۡ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ 
(6:108) Do not revile those whom they invoke other than Allah, because they will revile Allah in ignorance out of spite.  For We have indeed made the deeds of every people seem fair to them. Then, their return is to their Lord and He will inform them of what they have done.
The followers of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) have been advised not to lose their balance in zeal for preaching but to remain within proper limits when engaged in discussions and polemics with the non-Muslims and to refrain from offending against their creeds and from vilifying their leaders and objects of worship, for this will repel and alienate them all the more from the Truth.  

Allah has ascribed their deeds to Himself, for everything that takes place in accordance with the Laws of Nature does, in fact, happens by the command of Allah. As Allah is the Author of all the Laws of Nature, everything happens by His Command: therefore, Allah says, "We have made the deeds of every people seem fair to them." The human beings would, however, express the same thing, saying, "This has happened according to the Law of Nature. "

Yusuf Ali is of the opinion that a man's actual personal religion depends upon many things, -his personal psychology, the background of his life, his hidden or repressed feelings, tendencies, or history (which psychoanalysis tries to unravel), his hereditary dispositions or antipathies, and all the subtle influences of his education and his environment. The task before the man of God is: (1) to use any of these which can subserve the higher ends, (2) to purify such as have been misused, (3) to introduce new ideas and modes of looking at things, and (4) to combat what is wrong and cannot be mended: all for the purpose of leading to the truth and gradually letting in spiritual light where there was darkness before. If that is not done with discretion and the skill of a spiritual Teacher, there may be not only a reaction of obstinacy, but an unseemly show of dishonour to the true God and His Truth, and doubts would spread among the weaker brethren whose faith is shallow and infirm. What happens to individuals is true collectively of nations or groups of people. They think in their self-obsession that their own ideas are right. God in His infinite compassion bears with them, and asks those who have purer ideas of faith not to vilify the weaknesses of their neighbours, lest the neighbours in their turn vilify the real truth and make matters even worse than before. In so far as there is active evil, He will deal with it in His own way. Of course the righteous man must not hide his light under a bushel, or compromise with evil, or refuse to establish right living where he has the power to do so.

Muhammad Asad explains that this prohibition of reviling anything that other people hold sacred - even in contravention of the principle of God's oneness - is expressed in the plural and is, therefore, addressed to all believers. Thus, while Muslims are expected to argue against the false beliefs of others, they are not allowed to abuse the objects of those beliefs and to hurt thereby the feelings of their erring fellow-men.

It is in the nature of man to regard the beliefs which have been implanted in him from childhood, and which he now shares with his social environment, as the only true and possible ones - with the result that a polemic against those beliefs often tends to provoke a hostile psychological reaction.

Javed Ahmed Ghamid Explanation:
([In spite of their foolishness,] you people should not abuse those they invoke besides God,) This forms an apt guidance and has been given so that in view of the critique on polytheism earlier Muslims are not induced to exceed limits. Both intellect and justice entail that people should confine themselves to the critique and explanation of various principles, beliefs and ideologies. This is the right approach viz a viz preaching as well. Otherwise there is a chance that since the addressees do not have knowledge of God’s attributes and His rights, they too will exceed the limits in return and in their bias for false deities end up abusing the real God.

(lest crossing the limits they start abusing God in their ignorance. [This is because] We have made the actions of each community seem pleasing to itself.)  This is a further warning. The implication is that the love of customs, traditions and views has been engendered by God in every nation’s nature. Thus beliefs and deeds should be cleansed; however, no such method should be adopted in this regard which may become a source of negatively inciting someone’s emotions to these cherished things. Imām Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī writes:
Here the Almighty has ascribed the word “pleasing” (tazyīn) to His own self. This is a reference to the fact that it is quite natural for a nation to have a bias and attachment for its cherished things and cultural and collective traditions. If this does not exist, then national unity cannot come into being. It is what binds families, nations and countries together. In its absence, people become leaves scattered about by the wind. Hence, it has a certain place in human life which is a requirement of nature and as such should be kept in consideration. It should be checked only when it starts to deviate from the truth and should be checked in a manner that the necessary obligation owed to it is not compromised. (Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, vol. 3, 136)
(Then [one day] to their Lord will they return. At that time, He will inform them what they have been doing.) Ie., the Prophet (sws) should rest assured that his task is only to explain the truth. If these people insist on their foolishness, they themselves will be regarded as wrongdoers and will one day appear before God for accountability. There, they will bear the consequences of their misdeeds. The Prophet (sws) will not be responsible for them.

Thus we should be mindful of disrespecting deities of others, even if we know they are false. We must therefore carry forward message of Islam in due humility and respect. It is only then we can win the hearts and minds of followers of the opposing camps.

Please listen to explanation of the ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others life miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More