Don't ask for repayment for favours

No two men are born equal: Be it health, wealth or appearance. Those who are poor and cannot meet their two ends meet, are always dependent on those who have plenty and extra of their needs. Islam has instituted the concept of obligatory charity (Zakat) and voluntary charity like alms to help the Have NOTs so that could live honurably. However, those who are at the giving end should never boast of helping others or even expecting or even asking for repayment in kind or favour for the help meted out to the poor.

This exactly is the subject matter of 9th verse of (Sūrah 76. Al Insan (Man), also known as Ad Dahr (Time), which have chosen for our series of posts on Important DOs and DON'Ts from Qur'an. However, these words need not be actually uttered. They express the true motives of pious and unpretentious Charity.:

اِنَّمَا نُطۡعِمُكُمۡ لِـوَجۡهِ اللّٰهِ لَا نُرِيۡدُ مِنۡكُمۡ جَزَآءً وَّلَا شُكُوۡرًا‏ 

(76:9) (Saying) "We feed you for the sake of Allah alone: No reward do we desire from you nor thanks.

Although feeding a poor man is in itself a great virtue, yet fulfilling the other needs of an indigent person is no less virtuous. For example, to clothe a poor man, to arrange treatment for a sick person, or to help a debtor who is harassed by his creditor, is an act of equally great virtue. Here, a particular kind of virtue in view of its importance has been presented only as an example, but the real object is to stress giving help to the needy. 

It is not necessary that this may be said in so many words while feeding the poor man. It may be said in the heart; in the sight of Allah this is as meritorious as saying it with the tongue. But saying these words with the tongue has been particularly mentioned so as to set the person being helped at ease that no thanks or recompense is due from him, so that he eats with full satisfaction and peace of mind. 

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

(We feed you seeking Allah's Face only.) meaning, hoping for the reward of Allah and His pleasure.

(We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.) meaning, `we do not seek any reward from you in return for it. We also are not seeking for you to thank us in front of the people.' Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr both said, "By Allah! They do not say this with their tongues, but rather, Allah knows it in their hearts and He commends them for it. Every seeker should seek after this.'

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

Giving food to the needy in such a direct manner was at the time the proper expression of these people's own compassion and the most needed type of help. Ways and forms of charity may be completely different in other circumstances and social environments. What is important is the need to maintain such compassion towards others and the desire to do good only for God's sake, looking for no earthly recognition or reward.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

The implication is that apart from the mandatory directives of the sharī‘ah, even acts of virtue which they make obligatory on themselves out of their own free will are carried out by them in a very thorough manner.

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: Important DOs and DON'Ts from Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages: Understanding Al Qur'an and  Selected Verses from the Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

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: 

• 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

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

Divine Forgiveness - For Whom?

No matter how strong faith one may have, in some point in time of his life, one is likely to fall pray to the Evil and commit sins that places one's conciousness in extreme stress. And at that time except God, no one can offer solace and satisfaction to a lamenting heart. Mindful of such condition of His servants, God has at many places in the Qur'an asked His servants to return to Him for He is most Merciful and Forgiving.

Likewise, the servants of God are promised forgiveness if they are resentful and oft seeking forgiveness. The following 9th verse from Surah 5. Al Maida is based on a similar theme to give glad tidings to Allah's servants:

وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ​ ۙ لَهُمۡ مَّغۡفِرَةٌ وَّاَجۡرٌ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ 

(5:9) Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness from sins and a great reward.

Eminent 14th century Muslim scholar Ibn-Kathir explains this verse in following words:

(Allah has promised those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, that for them there is forgiveness) for their sins,

(and a great reward.) which is Paradise, that is part of Allah's mercy for His servants. They will not earn Paradise on account of their good actions, but rather on account of His mercy and favor, even though they will qualify to earn this mercy on account of their good actions. Allah has made these actions the cause and path that lead to His mercy, favor, pardon and acceptance. Therefore, all this is from Allah Alone and all thanks are due to Him.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

There must be a reward given by God to the believers, who deal with Him alone. This reward is needed to give encouragement to people to fulfil their obligations and to discharge their trust. The end of those who disbelieve and deny God’s revelations must be different from that of those who believe and do well. The 'great reward' is a reward to compensate good believers for what they miss of the luxuries and riches of this life when they fulfil their trust. It is a reward that reduces to insignificance all the hardship faced by the believers as they face up to human obstinacy and determined denial of the truth. It is only fair that Divine justice will not deliver to the good and the bad the same treatment.

Believers need to look up to this Divine system of justice and reward, so that they are able to overcome all temptations and impediments when they deal with God. Certain people only need to feel that God is pleased with them to appreciate its value, as well as the value of discharging their trust. But the Divine system deals with all people and with human nature itself. God knows that by nature man needs this promise of forgiveness and rich reward and needs to know the end of the disbelievers and their punishment. This reassures the believers and enables them to face up to the schemes of the evil ones, especially since they are commanded to deal justly with those whom they hate because of all the hardship they may have suffered at their hands.

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

Just a simple worse but have very far fetched meaning, for those fear Allah and surely Allah is well aware of what you do. Here we just been asked to have do righteous deeds and always be seeking forgiveness of Allah by repenting even for the slightest of sin lest these become too heavy on the Day of Resurrection.

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 life 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 to make 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.

Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 

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
• Yusuf Ali Translation
• 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

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

Believers, let not your possessions and offspring make you negligent of Allah's remembrance

Allah has created man and blessed him with a family and many worldly possessions so that he lives happily and hearty. But if a man becomes so engrossed in his family life that he forgets to remember and thank Allah for it is only He Who have blessed him with all comforts of life, then he surely is among the losers not only in this world but in the hereafter too. This theme has been repeated at many a places in the Qur'an to remind man of his duties towards Allah and in thanking Allah.

Today we have chosen the 9th verse / ayat of the Surah 63. Al Munafiqoon (The Hypocrites) in our series of posts on Selected Verses from Qur'an, which clearly conveys Allah's admonition to the man lest his forgetfulness of Allah makes him to lose :

يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تُلۡهِكُمۡ اَمۡوَالُكُمۡ وَلَاۤ اَوۡلَادُكُمۡ عَنۡ ذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ​ۚ وَمَنۡ يَّفۡعَلۡ ذٰلِكَ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡخٰسِرُوۡنَ‏  

(63:9) Believers, let your possessions / riches and your offspring not make you negligent of Allah's remembrance. For whoso does that, they will be the losers.

Here a word of admonition is being addressed to all those people, who have entered Islam, whether they are true and sincere believers, or those who profess the faith merely verbally. The words   " الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا  "alladhina amanu in the Qur'an are sometimes used to address the true believers and sometimes to address the hypocrites, for they profess the faith only with the tongue, and sometimes to address the Muslims of all kinds in general The context itself shows which group is the audience at a particular place. 

The mention of the possessions and the children, in particular, has been made, for man mostly turns away from the demands of the faith for the sake of their well-being and interests and becomes involved in hypocrisy, weakness of faith, or wickedness and disobedience; otherwise it implies everything of the world that allures and absorbs man so completely that he becomes heedless of the remembrance of God. This heedlessness in respect of the remembrance of God is indeed the root cause of all evil. If man only remembers that he is not free but the servant of One God, and that God is fully aware of all his actions and deeds, and he will by held accountable one day before Him for all his actions and deeds, he would never be involved in any deviation and wickedness, and if ever he commits an error due to a human weakness, he will immediately rectify it as soon as he comes to realize his wrongdoing and repent. 

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

Allah the Exalted orders His faithful servants to remember Him frequently and to refrain from being distracted from His remembrance by indulging in their properties and children excessively. Allah informs them that those who engage in this life, its delights and attributes and were busied from the obedience and remembrance of Allah, for which they were created, will be among the losers. They will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Allah encourages the believers to spend in His cause,

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Riches and human resources of all kinds are but fleeting sources of enjoyment. They should not turn away the good man from his devotion to Allah. "Remembrance of Allah" includes every act of service and goodness, every kind thought and kind deed, for this is the service and sacrifice which Allah requires of us. If we fail in this, the loss is our own, not any one else's: for it stunts our own spiritual growth.

Qur'an Wiki:

Money and children can preoccupy a person making him oblivious to everything else, that is, unless his heart alerts him to the aim of his existence, making him feel that he has a superior goal. 

God has given him riches and offspring so as to fulfil his task of building human life on earth, but not so that he is so fully preoccupied with them that they distract him from remembering God and from being in contact with the source of his humanity. Those that are so distracted "will surely be the losers." The first thing they lose is their human identity, which is dependent on maintaining the bond with the source of man's humanity. Whoever loses himself has lost everything, regardless of the size of his wealth and the number of his offspring.

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 |

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