Man's Regrets: Would that we were brought back to life? Then we would not give the lie to the signs of our Lord

Man has always been ungrateful. Whenever Allah sent prophets and messengers to them so that they follow the one true path that would ultimately lead them to eternal prosperity and wellbeing, he has always negated the Divine messages and preferred to live a life of worldly joys and lewdness. And whenever he was told that there would be life after this worldly life is over and that he would be resurrected to answer for the sinful life he had enjoyed, he just mocked the prophets and ridiculed them for they think that worldly life is all that there is and once a man dies and becomes dust, how come he be lifted alive again and made to appear before his Creator.

But when reality would unfold and he would find him standing on the edge of the raging fire of hell, he would cry out to be sent back to worldly life again so as to make amends. For such sinners, the following 27th verse of Surah 6. Al An'am was revealed:

وَلَوۡ تَرٰٓى اِذۡ وُقِفُوۡا عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُوۡا يٰلَيۡتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِاٰيٰتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ 

(6:27) If you could but see when they shall be made to stand by the Fire! They will plead: 'Would that we were brought back to life? Then we would not give the lie to the signs of our Lord and would be among the believers.

Then it would be too late and even Allah would tell them that one life wasn't enough when prophets after prophets brought them His warnings? And even if they are given a life again, they would still revert to their worldly enjoyments and set aside any advice of prophets to follow the true path.

Ibn Kathir explains: 

The above said verse means that they lie when they say they wish to go back to this life so that they can embrace the faith. Allah states that even if they were sent back to the life of this world, they will again commit the disbelief and defiance that they were prohibited.

( وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـذِبُونَ and indeed they are liars.) in their statement that ("Would that we were but sent back! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!' Nay, what they had been concealing before has become manifest to them. But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed, they are liars. And they said: "There is no (other life) but our (present) life of this world, and never shall we be resurrected.')

Verse By Verse Quran Study Circle Explanation: Wishes and Hopes Do Not Help One When He Sees the Torment - There are three basic principles of Islam: Tawheed [Oneness of Allah], Prophethood and Belief in the Hereafter. All other articles of faith fall under these three. These principles guide human beings regarding who they are and what their purpose in life is; whoever understands these finds guidance.

In this ayah, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala mentions the condition of the disbelievers when they are made to stand before the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.

If you could see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say, “Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!”

The word wuqifu [وُقِفُواْ] is from the root letters wau-qaf-fa [waqf] and it means “to stand, to come to stand or pause”. Such as waqouf-e-Arafah, the standing on the Arafat. The wrongdoers and the deniers of the truth will be detained and forced by the angels to stand by the edges of Hell, and to observe the horrifying punishment far beyond their imagination.

Witnessing the chains and restraints of the Day of Resurrection, along with seeing the horrible, momentous conditions in the Fire they will wish to be sent back to the worldly life in order to perform righteous deeds, refrain from disbelieving in the Signs of their Lord and be among the believers.

In Surah Bani Israeel Ayah 102 Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala narrates a conversation between Prophet Musa `aalyhi salaam and Fir`awn, “Verily, you know that these signs have clearly been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence.”

The Signs of Allah are eye-opening evidence yet people deny them. Upon seeing the punishment in the Hereafter, people will wish for another chance.

We have this one chance and there will never be a second chance. So, time is now that we read the holy scriptures and try to follow the truth contained therein, worship one true God, do not associate anyone with Him and stay clear of the path of the evil forces. Time is now to still make amends, repent our wrongdoings and ask forgiveness of One True God before our worldly clock stops and we are made to stand with our conduct sheets handed over to us. Pray we get our conduct sheets in our right hand, for those holding these in their left hands will be ones mentioned in the verse above.

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

For compiled verses for more specific subjects, please refer to our exclusive reference page: "Selected verses from Al-Qurʾān about a specific subject."

In addition, 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 | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 

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
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• 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.

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Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us we shall surely be among the losers

Although sinning is the most detested and least like act by Allah Almighty and at many a places in all Divine scriptures punishment for sinning is repeated a number of times, that is burning the raging hell fire, yet Allah does not want His servants to be there. He leaves a door opened to those who sin or wrong themselves under influence of evil forces of Satan. This door is that of repentance and seeking forgiveness of Allah. If a man sins and soon after realized his wrongdoing, he is encouraged by Allah to repent and ask Allah's forgiveness for Allah is oft forgiving and merciful.

The earliest sin was committed by Prophet Adam and his wife Eve when they disobeyed Allah's directive to approach a particular tree and eat its fruit. But the Satan lured them in his evil machinations and the duo did what they were forbidden to do so. It was then that both Adam and Eve repented and asked for forgiveness.  This story draws a clear line between the way of Satan and the way that befits man. Satan's way is characterized by rebellion against Allah, by arrogantly persisting in that rebellion even after having been warned, and by trying to mislead the righteously disposed towards sin and disobedience. As opposed to this, the way that befits man is to resist the evil promptings of Satan and to be constantly vigilant against Satanic machinations. But, if in spite of all these precautions, a man does swerve from the course of obedience, he should turn, as soon as he realizes his fault, to Allah in penitence and remorse and make amends.

The 7th verse of Surah Al A'raf relates to this event and mentions the instant invocation of Allah's mercy by Adam and Eve:

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَاۤ اَنۡفُسَنَا وَاِنۡ لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَـنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَـنَكُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الۡخٰسِرِيۡنَ‏ 

(7:23) Both cried out: 'Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the losers.'

With this address from on high, the other side of man’s nature is revealed. He is liable to forget and to err. He has a weakness which gives Satan the opportunity to delude him. He does not always maintain the right path. However, he recognizes his mistake and regrets it, and seeks God’s help and forgiveness. He is ready to turn back to God. He does not insist on his disobedience as Satan did, nor does he request his Lord to help him sink deeper into error: “Said they: ‘Our Lord.’ We have wronged ourselves; and unless You grant us forgiveness and bestow Your mercy upon us, we shall certainly be lost.’” (Verse 23) This is one of man’s main characteristics, establishing his bond with his Lord. This opening of the doors leading to his Lord involves recognition of his error, repentance, seeking forgiveness, feeling his own weakness, seeking God’s help and mercy. He is all the time certain that his own power is of no avail unless God helps him and bestows His mercy on him. Otherwise he is lost.

The narrative sheds light on the following significant points:

(i) Modesty and bashfulness are inherent in human nature. The primary manifestation of this instinct is seen in the sense of shame that one feels when one is required to expose the private parts of one's body in the presence of others. According to the Qur'an, this bashfulness is not artificial, nor an outcome of advancement in human culture and civilization. Nor is it something acquired as some misguided thinkers contend. On the contrary, modesty has been an integral part of human nature from the very beginning.

(ii) The very first stratagem adopted by Satan in his bid to lead man astray from the Right Path consisted of undermining man's sense of modesty, to direct him towards lewdness and make him sexually deviant. In other words, the sexual instincts of man were taken by Satan as the most vulnerable aspect of human nature. Accordingly, he sought to weaken man's natural instincts of modesty and bashfulness. This devilish stratagem is still followed by the disciples of Satan in our time. For them, progress is inconceivable without exposing woman to the gaze of all and making her strip before others in one form or another.

(iii) Such is human nature that man scarcely responds to an unambiguous invitation to evil. Those who seek to propagate evil are, therefore, forced to present themselves as sincere well-wishers of humanity.

(iv) Man is naturally, drawn towards lofty ideals such as the attainment of superhuman positions and the securing of immortality. Satan achieved his first victory in his bid to mislead man by appealing to the latter's inherent desire to attain immortality. Satan's most effective weapon is to promise man a more elevated position than his present one, and then set him on a course that leads instead to his degradation.

(v) Here the Qur'an refutes the fairly popular view that Satan first misled Eve and later used her as an instrument to mislead Adam. The Qur'anic version of the story is that Satan attempted to mislead both Adam and Eve, and in fact both fell prey to his guile. At first sight, this might seem of trivial significance. However, all those who are acquainted with the impact of this version of Adam's fall on the moral, legal and social degradation of women will appreciate the significance of this Qur'anic statement.

(vi) There is hardly any basis to assume that the forbidden tree had certain inherent qualities which could result in the exposure of Adam and Eve's private parts as soon as they had tasted its fruit. Instead of the forbidden tree possessing any extraordinary qualities, it was rather man's disobedience to God which led to his fall from his original state. Initially, Adam and Eve's private parts had remained hidden on account of special arrangements made by God. Once they disobeyed, they were deprived of that special Divine arrangement, and were left to themselves to cover their nakedness if they so wished.

(vii) This was a way, of conveying to mankind for all time that whenever he disobeys God, he will sooner or later be exposed; that man will enjoy God's support and protection only so long as he remains obedient to Him. Once man transgresses the bounds of his obedience, he will be deprived of God's care and protection and left to his own self. This idea is also embodied in many traditions from the Prophet (peace be on him). According to a tradition, the Prophet (peace be on him) prayed:

'O God! I seek Your Mercy. Do not leave me to my own care even for the wink of an eye!' (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, P. 421 - Ed.)

(vii) Satan wanted to prove that man did not deserve, not even for a moment, the superior status which had been granted to him by God. However, Satan failed in the very first round of his efforts to discredit man. Granted, man did not fully succeed in obeying God's command; rather, he fell prey to the machinations of his arch-enemy, Satan, and deviated from the path of obedience. Nevertheless, it is evident even in the course of this first encounter that man is a morally superior being. This is clear from many a thing. First, whereas Satan laid claim to superiority, man made no such claim rather a superior status was bestowed upon him by God. Second, Satan disobeyed God out of sheer pride and arrogance. But far from openly revolting against God out of his own prompting, man was disobedient under Satan's evil influence. Third, when man disobeyed God, he did so unwittingly, not realizing that he was committing a sin. 'Man was beguiled into disobedience by Satan ,who appeared in the garb of man's well-wisher. It was Satan who persuaded him to believe that in the fruit of the forbidden tree lay his good, that his action would lead him to the heights of goodness, not to the depths of evil. Fourth, when Satan was warned, rather than confessing his mistake and repenting, he clung even more adamantly to disobedience. But when man was told that he had sinned, he did not resort to continued transgression as Satan did. As soon as man realized his mistake, he confessed his fault, returned to the course of obedience and sought refuge in God's mercy.

This is the lesson that God conveys to man through this anecdote. The Qur'an seeks to impress upon the opponents of the Prophet (peace be on him) that the way, they are following is the way of Satan. To become indifferent to God's Guidance, to take satans among men and jinn as their protectors and to persist in disobedience despite repeated warnings, amounts to adopting a Satanic attitude. It demonstrates that they have fallen prey to the snares of the arch-enemy and have been totally overpowered by him. This attitude will lead to their total undoing just as it led to Satan's undoing. Anyone who has even an iota of understanding should heed and emulate the example of his fore parents - Adam and Eve - who repented and made amends after their disobedience.

Please listen to explanation of the above said verse by eminent scholar Nouman Ali Khan:

We must therefore be never too late if we sin to repent our misdeed and ask immediate forgiveness from Allah. Rest assured Allah is the most forgiving and merciful. Have faith in Allah and be always returning to Him, invoking His infinite mercy. 

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 Invocations / Dua " دُعا " 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 |

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 / verses (ayat) 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

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

It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful

Man has been made superior to all creations in this universe so that he should observe everything around him, feel and ponder over the purpose of life. Many of us though think less and enjoy more, forgetting that Allah has not created us purposelessly. There has to be a greater reason than we can ever imagine.

Man is thus reminded time and again to use his hearing and vision to excavate the true purpose of life - but we remain ungrateful and set aside the Divine guidelines which if pondered over, we will be more than grateful to Allah for having us made humans with a faculty of feeling as well as of rational thinking, and not mere mindless animals.

قُلۡ هُوَ الَّذِىۡۤ اَنۡشَاَكُمۡ وَجَعَلَ لَـكُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَالۡاَبۡصَارَ وَ الۡاَفۡـئِدَةَ ​ ؕ قَلِيۡلًا مَّا تَشۡكُرُوۡنَ‏ 

( 23 )   Say, "It is He who has produced you and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful."

That is, Allah had made you men, not cattle. You were not meant to follow blindly whatever error and deviation you found prevailing in the world, without considering for a moment whether the way you had adopted was right or wrong. You have not been given these ears that you may refuse to listen to the one who tries to distinguish the right from the wrong for you, and may persist in whatever false notions you already had in your mind. You have not been given these eyes that you may follow others like the blind and may not bother to see whether the signs scattered around you in the world testified to the unity of God, which the Messenger (peace be upon him) of God is preaching, or whether the system of the universe is Godless, or is being run by many gods simultaneously. 

Likewise, you have also not been given this knowledge and intelligence that you may give up thinking and understanding to others and may adopt every crooked way that was enforced by somebody in the world, and may not use your own intellect to see whether it was right or wrong. Allah has blessed you with knowledge and intelligence, sight and hearing, so that you may recognize the truth, but you are being ungrateful to Him in that you are employing these faculties for every other object than the one for which these had been granted. (For further information, see explanation of verses (59-60 of Surah An- Naml); (80 of Surah Al-Mominoon); (9 of Surah As-Sajdah); (26 of Surah Al-Ahqaf).

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Allah's Power to create and It being an Evidence of the Final Abode:

Allah says, ( قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِى أَنشَأَكُمْ Say it is He Who has created you,) meaning, He initiated your creation after you were not even a thing worth mentioning (i.e., nothing). Then He says, ( وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْسَّمْعَ وَالاٌّبْصَـرَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ and endowed you with hearing and seeing, and hearts.) meaning, intellects and powers of reasoning. ( قَلِيلاً مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ Little thanks you give.) meaning, how little you use these abilities that Allah has blessed you with to obey Him, to act according to His commandments, and avoid His prohibitions.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation:

The Prophet is asked to draw constant attention to Allah, the source of all growth and development, the Giver of the faculties by which we can judge and attain to higher and higher spiritual dignity. And yet, such is our self-will, we use our faculties for wrong purposes and thus show our ingratitude to Allah.

Listen to eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan explaining the meaning of the above mentioned verse:

If man makes the right use of his faculties and observes these things properly, he can find the truth, for it is obvious that the great mechanism of the universe could not have come into existence by a mere accident. There must be its Creator who need not have any associates or partners and that the universe could not have been created without a purpose as a mere sport. The very existence of a wonderful, rational thinking and feeling creature, man, who has been delegated with powers, is a clear proof that his real life will not come to an end at death.

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 | 

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

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

And who is more astray than one who invokes besides Allah such as will not answer him

Allah alone is the Creator and Master of this universe and does not have any associates to assist Him in running the affairs of the entire universe, nor has He ever delegated His immense and unlimited powers to anyone else for He alone is sufficient. But despite very clearly and easily understood verses of the Quran, even many a believers are mislead and try to find deities other than Allah for fulfilment of their desires. Something which is least liked by Allah.

There are many verses in the Qur'an that forewarn the believers that those whom they take their deities other than He, cannot even listen to them and even on the Day of Resurrection they would show their ignorance that they never asked their so called followers to worship them and invoke them for the fulfillment of their needs. And needless to say that the man made idols are just pounds of dead earth that cannot hear anyone, let alone fulfill anyone's demands. Following verse from Surah 46 Al Ahqaf is one of those warnings:

وَمَنۡ اَضَلُّ مِمَّنۡ يَّدۡعُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ مَنۡ لَّا يَسۡتَجِيۡبُ لَهٗۤ اِلٰى يَوۡمِ الۡقِيٰمَةِ وَهُمۡ عَنۡ دُعَآئِهِمۡ غٰفِلُوۡنَ‏

(46:5) And who is more astray than one who invokes besides Allah such as will not answer him to the Day of Judgement and who (in fact) are unconscious of their call (to them)? 

“Cannot respond to him”: Cannot answer the supplications of any one. That is, these gods do not possess the powers by virtue of which they could give decisions on the prayers and petitions of their devotees. (For further explanation, see( E.N. 33 of Surah Az-Zumar).

“Until the Day of Resurrection” means that as long as the world lasts they will get no answer to their supplications and prayers from their deities, but when Resurrection will have taken place, the deities will turn hostile to their worshipers themselves, as becomes explicit from the next verse.

That is, they do not even hear the supplications of the supplicants, neither through their own ears nor through any other means. This thing can be elaborated like this: The being whom the polytheists the world over have been invoking are divided into three categories:

(1) Lifeless and inanimate creation.

(2) The pious men who have passed away.

(3) The wicked men who had themselves gone astray, and who misled others and passed away.

As for the first category of the deities they will naturally remain unaware of the supplications of their worshipers. As for the deities of the second kind, who were favorites with their God, there are two reasons of their remaining unaware: (a) They are in the presence of Allah in a state where human voices cannot reach them directly; and (b) even Allah and His angels do not inform them that the people whom they had been teaching to invoke Allah alone in the world, were invoking them instead, for no information could cause them a greater shock than this, and Allah does not at all like to vex the souls of His righteous servants.

Now if we consider the case of the third kind of the deities, we shall see that there are two reasons also of their remaining unaware: (a) That they have been placed in confinement as the accused, and no voice from the world can reach them; and (b) that even Allah and His angels do not convey to them the news that their mission is flourishing in the world, and the people have set them up as deities, for this news would be a happy news for them, and Allah does not like to make the wicked people happy.

In this connection, one should also understand that Allah conveys to His righteous servants the greetings of peace and prayers of mercy from the people of the world, for these things are a source of joy and pleasure for them. Likewise, He informs the culprits of the curses, censures and condemnations of the people of the world, as the disbelievers killed in the Battle of Badr were made to hear the curse of the Prophet (peace be upon him) according to a Hadith, for it is a cause of anguish for them. But anything which might cause distress to the righteous people and joy to the culprits is not conveyed to them. This explanation makes the truth about the question of hearing by the dead plain and easy to understand.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir:

meaning, no one is more misguided than those who invoke idols instead of Allah, asking them for things that they cannot give -- until the Day of Judgment. They (the idols) are unaware of what he asks, they can neither hear, see, or act. This is because they are inanimate, senseless stones.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation:

As there is no argument at all in favour of your sham worship, what sense is there in it? Either your false gods are senseless stocks and stones which will never answer you to the end of Time, being themselves devoid of understanding, or they are real objects which will disown you at the last. If you worshipped Self, your own misused faculties will witness against you at the last (xli. 20-23). If you worshipped good men or prophets, like Jesus, they will disown you (v. 119). Similarly, if you worshipped angels, they will disown you (xxxiv. 40-41).

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 | 

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
• 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

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

And whoever does evil, but seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful

All religions forbid fornication, extra matrimonial relations or any form of sin. Islam goes a step further and advices the believers even not to go near a sin or a society or a group of people which may lure them into conditions which lead to lewdness or any other form of sin. 

But Allah does know that no matter who much restraint one may observe, there is always a likelihood of evil forces prevailing upon them, thus leading them to committing any form of sin or wrongdoing. Remember, even Prophet Adam and his wife Eve fell into the trap of the Satan and sinned. In order to protect His servants from the trap laid out by Satan and the devil forces, Allah always stresses that whosoever commits a sin, does evil or wrongs himself, he must instantly repent and ask forgiveness from Allah, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

In ayah 110 of Surah 4. An Nisa mentioned below, we see the Wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala in order to save sinners from total disappointment. It was said that a sin was a sin, big or small. When a sinner repents and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he finds Him forgiving, merciful. As obvious, there is an element of persuasion for those who have committed sin suggesting that they still had the time and the hope to just desist and repent sincerely; nothing is lost, Allah will forgive everything:

 

وَ مَنۡ يَّعۡمَلۡ سُوۡٓءًا اَوۡ يَظۡلِمۡ نَفۡسَهٗ ثُمَّ يَسۡتَغۡفِرِ اللّٰهَ يَجِدِ اللّٰهَ غَفُوۡرًا رَّحِيۡمًا‏ 

And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful

The above said Ayah 110 tells us that all sins, whether they affect others or affect one’s own self i.e. whether they violate the rights of human being or the right of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, can be forgiven by one’s repenting and praying for forgiveness. But, it is necessary to know the reality of showing repentance and seeking forgiveness. Mere verbal declarations of, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness” and, “I turn to Him in repentance” are not acts of genuine repentance as such.

Therefore, according to a consensus of Ulema / Scholars, the person who is involved in some sin, is not ashamed of it and does not leave it or, at least, does not resolve to leave it in the future, then, his verbal declaration of Astaghfirullah  " أستغفر الله " is an open mockery of repentance.

In short, for repentance to be genuine, three things are necessary:

1. Being ashamed of past sins.

2. Immediately leaving the sin one is in.

3. Resolving to stay away from sin in future.

However, forgiveness for sins related to the rights of the servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has to be sought from the wronged party itself; or, one should, to begin with, pay what was due or fulfill what was denied. These are binding conditions of genuine repentance. [1]

Please read more about two attributes of Allah mentioned in the above said verse by clicking on the links:

• Al-Ghafur (الغفور) - The Forgiving, The Pardoner
• Ar Rahim (الرحيم) -  The Most Merciful

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: [2]

The Encouragement to Seek Allah's Forgiveness, and Warning those who Falsely Accuse Innocent People - Allah emphasizes His generosity and kindness, in that He forgives whoever repents to Him from whatever evil they commit. 

Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn Abbas commented about this Ayah, "Allah informs His servants of His forgiveness, forbearing generosity and expansive mercy. So whoever commits a sin, whether minor or major,

(" ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللّهَ يَجِدِ اللّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا " but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful), even if his sins were greater than the heavens, the earth and the mountains.'' Imam Ahmad recorded that Ali said,

"Whenever I hear anything from the Messenger of Allah, Allah benefits me with whatever He wills of that. Abu Bakr told me, and Abu Bakr has said the truth, that the Messenger of Allah said:

مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا، ثُمَّ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِذلِكَ الذَّنْبِ، إِلَّا غَفَرَ لَه

No Muslim commits a sin and then performs ablution, prays two Rak`ahs and begs Allah for forgiveness for that sin, but He forgives him. He then recited these two Ayat, وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ (And whoever does evil or wrongs himself), (4:110) and, وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ (And those who, when they have committed Fahishah or wronged themselves with evil).'' (3:135) 

Remember this verse leaves the door for repentance wide open for anyone who seeks God’s forgiveness and acceptance. “He who does evil or wrongs his own soul, and then prays to God to forgive him, shall find God Much-Forgiving, Merciful.” God is there, ready to forgive and bestow His abundant grace on anyone who turns to Him in repentance. Anyone who does evil wrongs himself and others. He may wrong only himself if his sinful action affects only his own person. In any case, God, the Merciful, the Beneficent, receives those who seek His forgiveness at all times, and extends to them His forgiveness and mercy. There is simply no condition, no intercession and no barrier between them and Him. Whenever they turn to Him in repentance, He turns to them in acceptance and bestows on them His grace.[3]

Please listen to the explanation of verse 110 of Surah An Nisa 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 |

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
• 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

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

Man's Regrets: Would that I had not associated anyone with my Lord in His Divinity

In the series of posts on Man's Regret on the Day of Judgment, we share the 42nd verse from Surah Kahf (The Cave) which is part of parable of two men mentioned in verses 32-45.

When man has nothing, he always invokes Allah's many blessings so that he has more and can enjoy the fruits of Allah's blessings. But it is generally seen that when one is gifted many bounties from Allah, he starts to boast him and vert proudly and arrogantly attribute his wealth due to his very own efforts and even forget about his Creator Who helped him attain a status and raised him above many wen he was in rag tags. While intoxicated in the joys of his status and wealth, he completely forgets that the One Who blessed him many bounties, can also take these away if one is ungrateful. And when He does, one is left with nothing but remorse and regrets:

وَاُحِيۡطَ بِثَمَرِهٖ فَاَصۡبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيۡهِ عَلَىٰ مَاۤ اَنۡفَقَ فِيۡهَا وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلٰى عُرُوۡشِهَا وَيَقُوۡلُ يٰلَيۡتَنِىۡ لَمۡ اُشۡرِكۡ بِرَبِّىۡۤ اَحَدًا‏ 

(18:42) Eventually all his produce was destroyed and he began to wring his hands in sorrow at the loss of what he had spent on it, and on seeing it fallen down upon its trellises, saying: "Would I had not associated anyone with my Lord in His Divinity."

Verses 32-45 of Surah Al Kahf (The Cave) explains the parable of two men both with beautiful gardens and land for cultivation.  Both gardens produced abundantly and there was a river between the two properties.  One man told the other that he was wealthier and had more followers then the other, and he walked into his garden saying that this will never end and the Last Hour will never come and even if it did God would reward him with something even better.  The other man asked, do you disbelieve in the One who created you, for I do not, and you should have said that all is as God willed and no one has power except Him.   Although I have less, God might give me something better and destroy what you have.  And so it was that the first man’s fertile property was destroyed and he wished he had not attributed his prosperity to himself rather than God.  Then he realized that the only real protection comes from God.

This in the above said verse, يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا- expresses extreme regret, The ungrateful man wished he was grateful. The word layta cannot be translated in English because there is no equivalent word. Eminent Muslim scholar and teacher Nouman from Bayyinah states that this word would amount to a deep sigh of regret in English. Layta, in easy terms, is to cry over spilled milk.

This parable has many lessons for those who ponder over the verses of Qur'an and learn the appropriate lessons. We must understand that all that we have has nothing to do with our hard work alone. Unless Allah's help and blessings is available, even our hard work will be fruitless. So while one does put his hard work, he must always be looking towards the Divine Help for without the Divine Help, we are as worthless as the man mentioned in above stated parable ended up with.

This parable also tells us that none other than One True God can help us. Those who associate others in His Unchallenged Lordship are utterly mislead and wronged. Those who turn to worldly deities are also doer of a great sin of Shirk - the sin of associating anyone at par with Allah or being sharer of Allah's position. Unfortunately such people are not few but many, even between the believers, beside many non believers. We must be crystal clear about Who is the True Ruler and Giver. Those who do not associate anyone in the Divinity of Allah are the true successful and blessed ones.

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 | 

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
• 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

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

Etiquettes of Speech for a Believer - Speak Good

The words we speak have a far-reaching effect on the audience around us. Our words can make and break our personality - in fact fact no one sees what is hidden in our brain, but the moment we speak, the entire hidden is exposed within no time. Remember “A sharp tongue and a dull mind are usually found in the same head.” says Anonymous. That is those who do not have much in their head, usually have sharp and hurtful tongues.

Islam while teaches many useful things to the believers so that they wield a positive effect around them, it also teaches us how to speak. From Today onward, we shall share a number of posts containing verses from Qur'an which guide us how to speak and use our tongue so that it leaves a pleasant effect on the addressee and does not break hearts. 

Of the many Etiquettes of Speech for a Believer, we shall talk of Speaking Good:

Speak Good

Good and fair words always attract attention and the target audience is more prone to listen to someone who is speaking good and kind things:

وَاِذۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِيۡثَاقَ بَنِىۡٓ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ لَا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ اِلَّا اللّٰهَ وَبِالۡوَالِدَيۡنِ اِحۡسَانًا وَّذِى الۡقُرۡبٰى وَالۡيَتٰمٰى وَالۡمَسٰکِيۡنِ وَقُوۡلُوۡا لِلنَّاسِ حُسۡنًا وَّاَقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰتُوا الزَّکٰوةَ ؕ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيۡتُمۡ اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا مِّنۡکُمۡ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ مُّعۡرِضُوۡنَ‏ 

(2:83) And recall when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: “You shall serve none but Allah and do good to parents, kinsmen, orphans and the needy; you shall speak good to people, and establish Prayer and give Zakah (Purifying Alms). And yet, except for a few of you, you turned back on this covenant, and you are still backsliders.

Although the 83rd verse from Surah 2. Al Baqarah embodies in itself many commandments, but we have highlighted the portion which relates to the Speaking Good to the People. Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ always advocated to speak good to the people. And it was His kindness in speech that melted the hearts of many stone hearted disbelievers and attracted them to Islam.

Abu Hurayrah relates that God’s Messenger, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said: “Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should speak a good word or remain silent.  And whoever believes in God and the Last Day should show hospitality to his neighbor.  And whoever believes in God and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest.”

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: ( ' وَقُولُواْ لِلنَّاسِ حُسْنًا " nd speak good to people) meaning, say good words to them and be lenient with them, this includes commanding good and forbidding evil. 

Al-Hasan Al-Basri commented on Allah's statement: (and speak good to people), ".`The good saying' means commanding good and forbidding evil, and being patient and forgiving. The `good words to people', as Allah commanded, also includes every good type of behavior that Allah is pleased with.' 

Imam Ahmad narrated that Abu Dharr said that the Prophet said: (Do not belittle any form of righteousness, and even if you did not find any good deed except meeting your brother with a smiling face, then do so.)

This Hadith was also collected by Muslim in his Sahih and At-Tirmidhi, who graded it Sahih.

Allah commands the servants to say good words to people, after He commanded them to be kind to them, thereby mentioning two categories of manners: good speech and good actions. He then emphasized the command to worship Him and the command to do good, ordaining the prayer and the Zakah.

Explaining the meaning of speaking good or fair to the people Yousaf Ali explains that "Speak fair to the people" not only means outward courtesy from the leaders to the meanest among the people, but the protection of the people from being exploited, deceived, defrauded, or doped with things to lull their intelligence.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explains: These words are synonymous to: (263:2) قَوۡلٌ مَّعۡرُوۡفٌ وَّ مَغۡفِرَۃٌ,(4 :5 ، 8 ، 9) قُوۡلُوۡا لَہُمۡ قَوۡلًا مَّعۡرُوۡفًا, مَّيْسُوْرَ (28:17) فَقُلْ لَّهُمْ قَوْلاً وَلْيَقُوْلُوا قَوْلاَ سَدِيْدَا. The implied meaning is that besides fulfilling one’s obligations towards people, one should also be conscious of their self-respect. So whatever is said to them should be said in a decent and cultured way. They should not be scolded or ill-spoken to. If a person cannot talk decently to people to whom he owes obligations, then he has actually disobeyed the directive of showing kindness to them.

May we all are mindful of choosing the right and good words in our speech and in our manners as well so that there exists a cordial relationship among all believers and let no tongue hurt the feelings of the others. 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 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
• 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

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