The echoes of Polytheistic mindset at the time of revelation of Al Qur'an can still be heard today

Man has always been stubborn and arrogant to challenge any new thing that is tangent to the customs and traditions of his forefathers. That is why whenever a messenger or a prophet was sent to them by the Lord of the universe, they were confronted with extreme hostility. This has been the case with Prophet Noah who despite calling his people to one true God for about nine hundred years finally gave in and asked Allah to send the Divine wrath for those who were heedless to the path prescribed for them by their Creator. And the list is not small. It goes down on and on to every following prophet like Prophets Hud, Lot, Moses, Jesus and even the last of the prophets, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

And this rejection to the Divine faith continues till date as many a non Muslims, specially the polytheists of today still continue to raise same objections against Islam as was raised fourteen hundred years ago against Islam and Qur'an when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ extended Da'wah (invitation to Islam) to them. Let us share a verse from Al Qur'an and then expand it to see its closeness to the echoes of the polytheistic mindset still be heard today.

The Verse (Surah 8 Al Anfal :31):

وَاِذَا تُتۡلٰى عَلَيۡهِمۡ اٰيٰتُنَا قَالُوۡا قَدۡ سَمِعۡنَا لَوۡ نَشَآءُ لَـقُلۡنَا مِثۡلَ هٰذَٓا​ ۙ اِنۡ هٰذَاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَسَاطِيۡرُ الۡاَوَّلِيۡنَ‏ 

(8:31) And when Our verses are recited to them, they say: 'We have heard. We could, if we willed, compose the like of it. They, are nothing but fables of the ancient times.' (Surah Al-Anfal, 8:31)

Historical Context of Revelation

This verse was revealed in Medina, post the Battle of Badr, but it refers to the attitude of the Meccan disbelievers toward the Quran before the migration. And it is interesting to note that the allegations against Islam and Al Qur'an levelled more than fourteen centuries ago are still prevalent and non Muslim continue to label the same allegations as was done by the pagans of Makkah in the times of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Let us expand this verse for its better understanding.

Who are "they" in this verse?

Refers specifically to the Quraysh leaders such as:

• Al-Nadr ibn Al-Harith
• Abu Jahl
• Umayyah ibn Khalaf

They mocked the Quran when it was recited to them and claimed:

• “We’ve heard it. Nothing new.”
• “We could produce something like this if we wanted.”
• “It’s just old stories, like the ones our ancestors told.”

Why did they say this?

It was a dismissive and arrogant response aimed at:

• Undermining the divine origin of the Quran.
• Avoiding accountability, since accepting its truth would require changing their lifestyle and beliefs.
• Preserving social and political power, which Islam threatened.

Al-Nadr ibn al-Harith, for instance, used to travel to Persia and would come back with fables and tales, saying, “I can tell better stories than Muhammad.”

Explanation of the Verse

•  "We have heard..."
• A sarcastic way of saying, “We’ve heard this already; it’s nothing special.”
• Shows their intellectual arrogance and mockery.
• "We could say something like it if we wanted..."
• This reflects their false claim that the Quran is man-made.
• Yet, despite this claim, they never produced anything like it, even when challenged repeatedly:
• The Quran challenges:
• “Then produce a surah like it...” (Surah Yunus 10:38, also Hud 11:13)
• They failed to respond with anything remotely comparable.
• "This is nothing but fables of the ancients"
• They reduced divine revelation to mere myths or legends, i.e., stories from previous generations with no real authority.
• This phrase was common among Quraysh when denying both the Quran and resurrection.

Relevance to the Present Times

This verse perfectly mirrors the attitudes of many in modern times — especially skeptics, secular critics, and anti-theistic voices — who respond to divine guidance with:

• Dismissiveness toward Revelation
• People say: “We've heard this before,” or “Religion is outdated.”
• They view divine texts as irrelevant, repetitive, or lacking originality, despite not genuinely engaging with them.
• Claiming Human Equivalence
• Some argue: “The Quran is just Arabic poetry,” or “Any intelligent writer could come up with something similar.”
• But no one has met the Quran's literary challenge over 14 centuries — in content, structure, law, theology, and effect on hearts.
• Accusing Islam of Being 'Backward' or 'Mythical': The phrase “fables of the ancients” is echoed today in accusations that religion is based on superstition or ancient folklore, ignoring its moral clarity, transformative power, and intellectual depth.
• Irrelevance of Qur'an with science: This is the most interesting accusation among those, specially the ashiest, who  find "no relevance" of Qur'an with modern day science.
• While this accusation is meaningless for the simple reason that Divine scriptures are meant to guide mankind to true faith and worship of one true God, it may be noted that none of the earlier Divine Scriptures are non-scientific either. So why single out Qur'an only, despite many scientific proofs presented in Qur'an only.
• Qur'an explains in detail the evolution of birth in all its stages, not even known at the time of its revelation. Rather it was many centuries later that medical science progressed to find out what Qur'an said about the stages of childbirth are but true.
• It is Qur'an which told mankind that iron is not native to the earth but it came down from the outer space. Now science has proved its correctness that iron was bombarded on earth in the shape of meteoroids which were detached from the dying stars.
• It was Qur'an which reassured the Rome after their defeat by the Persians that they will regain their lost pride and will be victorious.
• It is the Qur'an which tells us that mountains are like giant spikes that are holding the earth and supporting it, so proved by the science today.
• There are many more examples that can be quoted out of Qur'an about scientific discoveries that came to be true until recently.
• Yet, despite all this knowledge, Qur'an remains a Book of Guidance and not a book of science, so to say.

Key Lessons from 8:31

• Arrogance blinds from truth: Intellectual pride prevents people from recognizing divine guidance
• Claiming false equivalence with revelation: Many still say religious texts are human-made without serious study
• Repeating old patterns of denial: Human skepticism toward prophets and scriptures is a recurring theme
• Importance of sincerity in seeking truth: 
• Truth is not found through mockery, but honest reflection and humility
• The mention of many things only recently found by science to be true and yet not confirming these for sincerity in seeking the truth through Qur'an is lacking.

Final Reflection

Verse 8:31 shows how the same patterns of rejection repeat across time. Whether in 7th-century Mecca or 21st-century secular societies, the human heart often resists what challenges its ego, habits, or worldview.

Yet the Quran continues to stand unchallenged — in its message, beauty, preservation, and power to transform hearts. "This Quran is not such as can be produced by other than Allah..." (Surah Yunus 10:37)

Despite all accusations, it is heartening to note that more and more non Muslims and polytheists of day are reverting to Islam for more one ponders over Qur'an, keeping aside one's arrogance and attachment to one's culture, traditions and faith, the more truth one finds in Qur'an. Those who revert to Islam now know that the misinformation they have been fed with about Islam was not true and was only aimed to keep the world away from Divine truth that Islam and Qur'an teach. Today, Islam is the second religion after Christianity and many researchers believe that by 2050 Islam will be the dominating religions. 

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.

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

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.

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.

Please refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from Surah 8. Al-Anfāl  - سورة ٱلْأَنْفَال  (The Spoils of War)‎ for verses from this Surah.

You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and 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 | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān 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 addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

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. You may also refer to our Facebook  Group Islam: The Ultimate Truth for more on Islam and Da'wah.

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

The Divine Command to establish Prayer and Charity

Qur'an lays excessive importance to As Salat (Prayer) and Charity (both obligatory and voluntary) for prayers establish a one-to-one communication of man with Allah without any need for an intermediary and charity allows help to those who have been given less than the others. There are numerous Ayats in Qur'an where both As Salat and Zakat come together, thus the importance of these acts for a believer.

Today we share the 31st verse of Surah 14. Ibraheem (Abrham) based on the same theme:

قُلْ لِّـعِبَادِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا يُقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰهُمۡ سِرًّا وَّعَلَانِيَةً مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِىَ يَوۡمٌ لَّا بَيۡعٌ فِيۡهِ وَلَا خِلٰلٌ‏ 

(14:31) (O Prophet), tell those of My servants who believe that they should establish Prayer and spend out of what We have provided them with, both secretly and openly, before there arrives the Day when there will be no bargaining, nor any mutual befriending.

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

Allah orders His servants to obey Him, fulfill His rights and be kind to His creatures. He ordained the prayer, which affirms the worship of Allah alone, without partners, and to spend from the provisions that He has granted them, by paying the due Zakah, spending on relatives and being kind to all others. Establishing the prayer requires performing it on time, perfectly, preserving its act of bowing having humility during it, and preserving its prostrations. Allah has ordained spending from what He granted, in secret and public, so that the people save themselves:

(Before the coming of a Day), the Day of Resurrection, (on which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending.) on which no ransom will be accepted from anyone, if he seeks to buy himself. 

Allah said in another Ayah, (So this Day no ransom shall be taken from you, nor of those who disbelieved.) [57:15] 

Allah said here, (nor befriending.) Ibn Jarir commented, "Allah says that on that Day, there will be no friendship between friends that might save those deserving punishment from it. Rather, on that Day, there will be fairness and justice.' Qatadah said, "Allah knows that in this life, there is mutual bargaining and there are friendships which people benefit from. A man chooses his friends and the reasons behind befriending them; if it was for Allah's sake, their friendship should be maintained, but if it was for other than Allah, their friendship is bound to be cutoff.'' I say that the meaning of this, is that Allah the Exalted is declaring that on that Day, no mutual bargaining or ransom will avail anyone, even if he ransoms himself with the earth's fill of gold if he could find that amount! No friendship or intercession shall avail one if he meets Allah while a disbeliever. 

Allah the Exalted also said:

 (And fear the Day when no person shall avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from him, nor shall intercession be of use to him, nor shall they be helped.) [2:123] and,

O you believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers.) [2:254]

Yusuf Ali Explanation:

Putting ourselves back in the position in which the Muslim community found themselves in Makkah just before the Hijrat, we can imagine how much encouragement and consolation they needed from the preaching, the Faith, and the steadfast character of Al-Mustafa. Intolerant persecution was the order of the day; neither the life nor the property or reputation of the Muslims was safe. They are asked to find strength and tranquility in prayer and in helping each other according to their needs and resources.

Here, as elsewhere, "Sustenance" is to be taken in the literal as well as the metaphorical sense. There were many among the Muslims who were poor, or slaves, or depressed, because they were deprived of the means of livelihood on account of their Faith. They were to be fed, clothed, and sheltered, by those who had means. Charity was to be ordinarily secret, so as to cut out all show or parade, and perhaps also lest the enemy should dry up those sources by unprincipled violence; but there must be much that had to be open and organized, so that all the needy could know where to go to be relieved.

The great Day of Reckoning would be one on which all values would be changed. Wealth, as understood in this world, would no longer count. Should we not therefore use any wealth we have in this life, to give here and receive there? Bai includes all bargaining, -barter, purchase and sale, etc. In this world, where wealth has some value, let us spend it and get for ourselves "treasures in heaven." In the next life each man will stand on his merits and personal responsibility. One man cannot help another. Let us here help each other to become true and righteous, so that our personal account may be favourable there.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

In this verse, the Prophet ﷺ is asked to address God’s servants who have accepted the faith. These are the people who will take heed when they are warned against evil. They accept God’s blessings and appreciate them, and will never exchange them for disbelief. The Prophet is to address these people and teach them how to be grateful for God’s blessings. They should express their gratitude through worship, obedience to God and kindness to His servants.

God commands His Messenger to say to those who have attained to faith that they should express their gratitude to God by establishing regular prayer, for prayer is the most express form of gratitude to God. They should also spend in charity out of the sustenance God provides for them, and make such spending both in secret and in public. Secret charity protects the dignity of the taker and enhances the virtue of the giver. This ensures that charity does not become a source of pride and arrogance. Charitable spending in public serves to demonstrate obedience to God’s orders, and provides a good example to others in the community. Both ways are left to the discretion and sensitivities of every believer.

The believers are told to spend on others now so that their balance which is preserved for them increases through gains they make by charitable spending. This they have to do before a day comes when there is no longer any possibility for wealth to grow, or friendship to bring any benefit. What is of benefit to people is only the good works they have already done, for their reward is stored.

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 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'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.

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

Selected Verses from Qur'an: Establishment of Prayer and Giving Out Charity

Sparing and sharing one's time and money is perhaps the most difficult thing for a man to do. Allah directs His servants to take time out of heir busy life and offer prayer / salah five times a day. and then it also directs them to give out charity from the wealth Allah has provided to man so that those who are not blessed as much they are could also sustain their life honorable without having been asked.

But as I said, man is selfish in nature. He invokes Allah's mercy for health, and wealth all the time. But once he has everything, he starts counting his pennies and is always hesitant to give out charity in Allah's name so that poor could also live comfortably.  The following 31st verse of Surah 14. Ibrahim (Abraham) thus conveys Allah's caution to the believers through Prophet Muhammad ﷺ so that they are not questioned on the Day of Judgment and penalized. It would be the day when man will not be able to strike a bargain as he has been doing in his worldly life. It is being said that believers should be diligent in the prayer and in paying charity so that they are entrusted with what their brethren had showed dishonesty in:

قُلْ لِّـعِبَادِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا يُقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰهُمۡ سِرًّا وَّعَلَانِيَةً مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِىَ يَوۡمٌ لَّا بَيۡعٌ فِيۡهِ وَلَا خِلٰلٌ‏ 

(14:31) (O Prophet), tell those of My servants who believe that they should establish Prayer and spend out of what We have provided them with, both secretly and openly, before there arrives the Day when there will be no bargaining, nor any mutual befriending.

That is, "The believers should adopt an attitude of gratitude in contrast to the disbelievers (v. 29). The practical form their gratitude should take is that they should establish Salat and expend their wealth in the Way of Allah."  And "On that Day none shall be able to rescue himself either by ransom or by intercession."

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir:

The Command for Prayer and Charity - Allah orders His servants to obey Him, fulfill His rights and be kind to His creatures. He ordained the prayer, which affirms the worship of Allah alone, without partners, and to spend from the provisions that He has granted them, by paying the due Zakah, spending on relatives and being kind to all others. Establishing the prayer requires performing it on time, perfectly, preserving its act of bowing having humility during it, and preserving its prostrations. Allah has ordained spending from what He granted, in secret and public, so that the people save themselves, (before the coming of a Day), the Day of Resurrection, (on which there will be neither mutual bargaining nor befriending.) on which no ransom will be accepted from anyone, if he seeks to buy himself. 

Allah said in another Ayah, (So this Day no ransom shall be taken from you, nor of those who disbelieved.) [57:15]

Allah said here, (وَلاَ خِلَـلٌ nor befriending.) Ibn Jarir commented, "Allah says that on that Day, there will be no friendship between friends that might save those deserving punishment from it. Rather, on that Day, there will be fairness and justice.'' Qatadah said, "Allah knows that in this life, there is mutual bargaining and there are friendships which people benefit from. A man chooses his friends and the reasons behind befriending them; if it was for Allah's sake, their friendship should be maintained, but if it was for other than Allah, their friendship is bound to be cutoff.'' I say that the meaning of this, is that Allah the Exalted is declaring that on that Day, no mutual bargaining or ransom will avail anyone, even if he ransoms himself with the earth's fill of gold if he could find that amount! No friendship or intercession shall avail one if he meets Allah while a disbeliever. 

Allah the Exalted said:

(And fear the Day when no person shall avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from him, nor shall intercession be of use to him, nor shall they be helped.)[2:123], and,

(O you believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you, before a Day comes when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers.) [2:254]

Muhammad Asad Explanation: 

As explained for the verse 3 of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (and are constant in prayer, and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;), Ar-rizq ("provision of sustenance") applies to all that may be of benefit to man, whether it be concrete (like food, property, offspring, etc.) or abstract (like knowledge, piety, etc.). The "spending on others" is mentioned here in one breath with God-consciousness and prayer because it is precisely in such selfless acts that true piety comes to its full fruition. It should be borne in mind that the verb anfaqa (lit., "he spent") is always used in the Qur'an to denote spending freely on, or as a gift to, others, whatever the motive may be.

Cf. 2:254 . According to the philologist Abu 'Ubaydah, as quoted by Razi, the expression bay' ("selling and buying" or "bargaining") denotes here the metaphorical "[giving and taking] ransom" which, as the Qur'an repeatedly stresses, will be inadmissible on the Day of Judgment (cf. 3:91 and the corresponding note [71], as well as 5:36 , 10:54 , 13:18 , 39:47 and {70:11-l5}) similarly, the denial of khilal - which Abu 'Ubaydah regards as synonymous, in this context, with makhalah ("mutual befriending") - expresses the impossibility of "ransom" through intercession on Judgment Day, for "now, indeed, you have come unto Us in a lonely state, even as We created you in the first instance" ( 6:94 ).

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Putting ourselves back in the position in which the Muslim community found themselves in Makkah just before the Hijrat, we can imagine how much encouragement and consolation they needed from the preaching, the Faith, and the steadfast character of Al-Mustafa. Intolerant persecution was the order of the day; neither the life nor the property or reputation of the Muslims was safe. They are asked to find strength and tranquility in prayer and in helping each other according to their needs and resources.

Here, as elsewhere, "Sustenance" is to be taken in the literal as well as the metaphorical sense. There were many among the Muslims who were poor, or slaves, or depressed, because they were deprived of the means of livelihood on account of their Faith. They were to be fed, clothed, and sheltered, by those who had means. Charity was to be ordinarily secret, so as to cut out all show or parade, and perhaps also lest the enemy should dry up those sources by unprincipled violence; but there must be much that had to be open and organised, so that all the needy could know where to go to be relieved.

The great Day of Reckoning would be one on which all values would be changed. Wealth, as understood in this world, would no longer count. Should we not therefore use any wealth we have in this life, to give here and receive there? Bai includes all bargaining,-barter, purchase and sale, etc. In this world, where wealth has some value, let us spend it and get for ourselves "treasures in heaven." In the next life each man will stand on his merits and personal responsibility. One man cannot help another. Let us here help each other to become true and righteous, so that our personal account may be favourable there.

Qur'an Wiki Explanation:

God commands His Messenger to say to those who have attained to faith that they should express their gratitude to God by establishing regular prayer, for prayer is the most express form of gratitude to God. They should also spend in charity out of the sustenance God provides for them, and make such spending both in secret and in public. Secret charity protects the dignity of the taker and enhances the virtue of the giver. This ensures that charity does not become a source of pride and arrogance. Charitable spending in public serves to demonstrate obedience to God’s orders, and provides a good example to others in the community. Both ways are left to the discretion and sensitivities of every believer.

The believers are told to spend on others now so that their balance which is preserved for them increases through gains they make by charitable spending. This they have to do before a day comes when there is no longer any possibility for wealth to grow, or friendship to bring any benefit. What is of benefit to people is only the good works they have already done, for their reward is stored.

Please listen to explanation of the ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:

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'an. You 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

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