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Showing posts with label Verse 82. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Verse 82. Show all posts

Tuesday 17 January 2023

Four Conditions of Forgiveness (Selected verses from Qur'an)

Al Ghaffar (الغفار) - The Repeatedly Forgiving is one of the many attributes of Allah. That is no matter how many times a believer sins and repents, Allah is repeatedly forgiving. In the 82nd verse of Surah 20. Ta Ha, Allah Himself proclaims that He is the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents. However, He lays down four conditions for forgiveness as mentioned in the selected verse below:

وَاِنِّىۡ لَـغَفَّارٌ لِّمَنۡ تَابَ وَاٰمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًـا ثُمَّ اهۡتَدٰى‏  
(20:82) But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.

The above quoted verse in fact is the follow up of the Divine address to the children of Israel which takes place in previous two verses:
(20:80) Children of Israel! We saved you from your enemy and made a covenant with you on the right side of the Mount and sent down on you manna and quails,
(20:81) saying: "Partake of the good things that We have provided for you, but do not transgress lest My wrath fall upon you; for he upon whom My wrath falls is ruined.

Now connect verse 82 with the last sentence of verse 81, which says that if you transgress, then do not blame the Divine wrath. However, if you repent, then your Lord if repeatedly forgiving. 

According to this (verse 82), there are four conditions for forgiveness: (1) Repentance: to refrain from rebellion, disobedience, shirk or disbelief. (2) Faith: sincere belief in Allah and the Messenger and the Book and the Hereafter. (3) Righteous works: to do good deeds according to the instructions of Allah and His Messenger. (4) Guidance: to follow the right way steadfastly and to refrain from straying into any wrong path.

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir
(وَإِنِّى لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـلِحَاً And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes and does righteous good deeds,) meaning, "Whoever turns to Me in repentance, then I will accept his repentance regardless of whatever sin he did.'' Allah, the Exalted, even accepts the repentance of the Children of Israel who worshipped the calf. 

Concerning Allah's statement:
  • (تَابَ who repents,) This means to turn away from what one was involved in of disbelief, associating partners with Allah, disobedience of Allah or hypocrisy. 
  • (وَآمَنَ and believes) This means the person's belief in his heart.
  • (وَعَمِلَ صَـلِحَاً and does righteous deeds,) his action with his bodily limbs.
  • (ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى and then Ihtada.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah related that Ibn `Abbas said, "This means that he then does not doubt.' 
Qatadah said, (ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى and then Ihtada.) "This means he adheres to Islam until he dies.'' We see here that there is a specific order in which these things are presented. 

This is similar to Allah's saying: (ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ Then he became one of those who believed and recommended one another to perseverance and patience and recommended one another to pity and compassion.) [90:17]

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki
With this warning against indulgence in easy pleasures and neglect of the task assigned for them, the door for repentance is left open for anyone who slips so that he may return to the proper path. “But I certainly forgive all sins for anyone who repents, believes and does righteous deeds, and thereafter keeps to the right path.” (Verse 82)

Repentance is not merely a word we say with our mouths. It is a resolve in one’s mind that manifests itself in strong faith and good deeds, as well as practical behaviour. So, when faith is settled in a person’s heart, faith is purged of all alien traces, and confirmed by good deeds. In this way, man sets himself on the right path, guided by faith and benefiting by the guarantee provided by good action. Achieving guidance is shown here as the result of strong faith and determined action. Thus ends the scene of victory and the comments the sūrah has to make on it. The curtains fall and lift again to show us the second scene of an address made directly to God by the side of Mount Sinai.
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

    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, Twitter, Whats App or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - In sha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

      Saturday 14 November 2020

      Who are the Rightly Guided?


      Getting into the fold of Islam is one thing but adhering to its code of conduct in the light of the Divine Commandments contained in the Qur'an and Sunnah is the actual litmus test for the reverts. One has lived long adhering to the another faith and its the habits and lifestyle really gets grinded in one's way of living. Therefore when one embraces Islam, it takes time to shed away the older lifestyle and code of conduct of the older religion and adopt the new way of life which imposes many restrictions which become hard to really accept.

      One of the habits or mindset is the shirk: Holding someone equal to or an associate of Allah or still following the religious deities and running over to them for their needs. This is specially seen in the Indian subcontinent where people with weak faith / Eeman prefer asking their deities for the fulfillment of their prayers rather than seeking help directly from Allah. It is these believers who get their faith tarnished and inadvertently get lost between the real truth and falsehood.

      The following verse from  Surah 6. Al-An’am ( verse 82) points towards this direction and is of special significance for the reverts who may across believers who are tainting their faith by indulging into shirk: 

      اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَلَمۡ يَلۡبِسُوۡۤا اِيۡمَانَهُمۡ بِظُلۡمٍ اُولٰۤـئِكَ لَهُمُ الۡاَمۡنُ وَهُمۡ مُّهۡتَدُوۡنَ
      Those who believe and did not tarnish their faith with wrong-doing for them there is security, and it is they who have been guided to the right way.'

      The expression 'and did not tarnish their faith with wrong-doing' led some Companions to the misapprehension that perhaps this 'wrong-doing' signified 'disobedience'. But the Prophet (peace be on him) has made it clear that this wrong-doing signifies shirk (associating others with God in His divinity). The verse means, therefore, that they alone are fully secure and rightly-guided who believe in God and do not mix their faith with any polytheistic belief and practice.

      Prophet Ibrahim Abraham, peace be upon him) was the first of the prophets who found out who the real God was and his journey to the truth began with the sun and then proceeded by way of the stars to his discovery of the One True God. Initially, he not only held the sun to be his Lord but even worshipped it, and that the same happened in connection with the moon. But when the truth had reveled unto him, he did not care for the consequences and even thrown into the fire but did not budge. 
      It is interesting to learn that this incident, which is the starting-point of Abraham's prophetic career, has found no place in the Bible. It is mentioned only in the Talmud. The Talmudic version, however, is different from the Qur'anic version in two ways. First, in the Talmudic version Abraham's quest for the Truth begins with the sun and then proceeds by way of the stars to his discovery of the One True God. Second. it states that Abraham not only held the sun to be his Lord but even worshipped it, and that the same happened in connection with the moon.
      Ibn Kathir Explanation:
      Those who worship Allah alone without partners, will acquire safety on the Day of Resurrection, and they are the guided ones in this life and the Hereafter.

      Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah said, "When the Ayah, (and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong).) was revealed, the Companions of the Prophet said, `And who among us did not commit Zulm against himself' The Ayah, (Verily! Joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed.) [31:13], was later revealed.'' 

      Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah said, "When this Ayah was revealed, (It is those who believe and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong),) it was hard on the people. They said, `O Allah's Messenger! Who among us did not commit Zulm against himself' He said, (It is not what you understood from it. Did you not hear what the righteous servant (Luqman) said, (O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily! Shirk is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed.)) [31:13]. Therefore, it is about Shirk. 
      Therefore, the sense of the ayah is that one who enters the bliss of emaan and then does not associate anyone with the Being and the Attributes of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala shall remain safe from punishment and considered guided.
      We must therefore guard ourselves against everything, specially the shirk, which may tarnish our good deeds and get us excluded from the rightly guided believers. 
      Only those who believe in Allah and then do not go on to mix up their faith with injustice shall be the people who can hope to be safe against punishment. They are the guided ones in this life and the Hereafter. Here, Zulm [injustice] refers to Shirk [associating partners with Allah].
      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 |
      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. [1]
      • 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. [2]  
      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
      • 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.

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