Don't be dejected if your Dua / Supplication is not answered - Know how Dua works

The desires, problems and sufferings of man are endless. One may desire things which others have and he doesn't and makes a supplication to Allah for fulfillment of his desires. But when this supplication is not answered, he get dejected for he thinks that there has been something wrong which may have done in the past because of which his dua is not answered or he perhaps did not make a invocation as it should  have been.

Likewise, if someone is poor or sick or in some turmoil, he besieges Allah to end his sufferings. Again here all duas and supplications may not get answered. Sometimes one's lifetime passes away in utter poverty or illness and despite all his supplications, his situation remains unchanged. Naturally a man has a limited knowledge and he cannot fathom the realities unknown to him, so he loses heart in praying and get into depression.

Then there is a person who when sees someone in despair or bad times, he supplicates that he may not get into such a situation ever. Yet despite his dua, he finds him in the same sufferings and bad times for which he made a supplication to be saved off.

So what in fact is the philosophy behind acceptance or negation of our supplications?

This all happens because man is impatient and he wants that his supplications should be immediately answered. If we look back, even the  prophets have undergone test and trials, like Prophet Yaqoob wept for years for the loss of his son Yusuf or when Prophet Noah saw his son drowning he made a dua for his safety but it was not granted. Prophet Abraham (Ibraheem) prayed for his father but was asked not to for he was an infidel.

Or the example of Maryam (Mary) when she was told that she would bear a child, which came as a shock to her and she prayed that she would rather die than bearing a child when she had been chaste all along. But against her wishes and dua, a son was born to her who rose to be a prophet (Eesa/Jesus).

So all above shows that man does not know what is good or bad for him and his wishes and supplications may or may not be answered for Allah has His own plans.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said,

"Make du'a to God in a state that you are certain that your du'a will be responded to, and know that God does not respond to a du'a that originates from a negligent, inattentive heart" — Hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim from Abu-Hurayrah

There are many factors that may lead to acceptance of one's supplications. These are:

• Faith: Nothing moves without an unflinching faith in Allah. Unless one has firm and solid faith, how can he expect his supplications be answered?
• Patiance: Allah rejects supplications if the worshipper is hasty or does not have patience.
• Purity: One must have a pure and clean heart to make a dua. A person who is sinful or has haraam income and food may not qualify for acceptance of his duas.
• Good intentions: One has to make a dua with good intention for a good cause. A person's Dua will continue to be answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for the breaking of family ties, for a person's Dua will continue to be answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for the breaking of family ties." Narrated by Muslim.
• Unconditional Dua: One should never place conditions to the acceptance of his dua. Propeht Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said: "Let not any one of you say, 'O Allah, forgive me if You will, O Allah, have mercy on me if You will.' Let him be resolute in the matter, whilst knowing that no one can compel Allah to do anything." — Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim

You may like to a lecture by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan on How Duaa Works:

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.

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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.

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Recitation of Qur'an with understanding adds more to Barakah in Ramadan

The month of Ramdan is a month of total blessings and Barakah. We are lucky to be alive today to be benefitted from the blessings of this sacred month and add to our Barakah. In our previous post we deliberated how Charity adds to Barakah in Ramdan. Today we will talk of how recitation of Qur'an with understanding adds more to Barakah in this month of Ramdan.

It has been attributed to Abdullah bin Umer that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is said to have said: Saum (fast) and Qur'an adds to forgiveness of a believer. Saum on one hands claims that O' my Lord, I restrained your believer the entire day from eating and drinking and all things otherwise halal to him, so listen to my recommendation and bless him. On the other hand, Qur'an claims that I kept him awake at nigh  let him recite me despite he was weak after the day long hardships of fasting. So bless him. And the two recommendations will be immediately accepted.

The recitation of the Quran in Ramadan assumes a special significance as Qur'an was revealed   to the Prophet (PBUH) in this month and has since became a source of complete guidance for us. 

شَهرُ رَمَضانَ الَّذي أُنزِلَ فيهِ القُرآنُ هُدًى لِلنّاسِ وَبَيِّناتٍ مِنَ الهُدىٰ وَالفُرقانِ

“The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:185) 

Thus the recitation of Quran in Ramadan brings about the pleasure of Allah because Allah sees that his creation is not only reading His words but also understanding them without the interruption and barrier of the shaytaan, which is locked up during the month.

It is said that every good deed performed during this month has multiplied effects and rewards. So anyone who recites even a letter from Qur'an, will be rewarded. It has been attributed to Sayyidatina Aishah:

مَن قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ بِهِ حَسَنَةٌ وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا لاَ أَقُولُ الم حَرْفٌ وَلَكِنْ أَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَلاَمٌ حَرْفٌ وَمِيمٌ حَرْفٌ ‏

Whoever recites a letter from Allah's Book, then he receives the reward from it, and the reward of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lam Mim is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter (Sunan At-Tirmizi)

Although most of us do not recite the Qur'an in other months of the year, unknowingly due to the blessings of this month, we start to recite Qur'an and most of the Muslims complete recitation of one complete Qur'an during this month. This is the exclusive blessing of this month that we feel close to Qur'an and recite it day and night. Even if we are not able to complete one Qur'an, we must make an endeavour to recite as much as we can. And if we also try to understand it and also try to act upon what has been read, it will add much more Barakh to us than any other part of the year. Remember “Everybody has to start somewhere. So take the start right now and be among the blessed.” 

You now listen to an informative lecture by the eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan in which he emphasis the fact that Ramadan is the month of Qur'an:

May Allah help us to understand the simple and most practical religion of all by reciting Qur'an as much as we can with understanding so that our lives can be steered towards the righteous path. We must also take advantage of the month of Ramadan and concessions given to us in fasting when traveling or being sick. May Allah accept all our ibadah and Qur'an recitation. Aameen.

To know more about fasting and importance of month of Ramadan, please consult our reference page: Ramadan - A month of fasting and Blessings. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

May Allah show us the right path so that we do not go astray due to what man has interpreted verses of religious scriptures to suit their own religions and faith. Aameen.

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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 Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Whole hearted Charity adds more to Barakah in Ramadan

In one of our previous posts we talked of how to add to Barakah during the month of Ramadan and listed a number of actions that aids us in getting Barakah and multiplied blessings from Allah. The first action after keeping fast (Saum) and offering prayers and Tarawih was giving out charity more than we have do in other months of the years. We will now dwell more on to it in this post.

Allah encourages Muslims to give out charity profusely for it is a goodly loan to Allah for which the rewards are in abundance. Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He will multiply it for him and he will have a noble reward? [Quran 57:11]

Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas is quoted to have said that our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to be in the forefronts to help the poor and needy and dishing out whatever he had to help them. He ﷺ also used to free some of the prisoners during the month of Ramdan as an act of charity.

Ibn ‘Abbas narrates, saying, “The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was the most generous person, and he would be at his most generous in Ramadan because Jibril would come to him every night and he would study the Qur’an with him. Truly, when Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would meet Gabriel, he would be more generous than a fleeting wind.” [Agreed Upon]

Although Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was otherwise very kind hearted and helpful, but during the month of Ramadan his kindness to the poor would increase manifold. For releasing prisoners imprisoned on petty cases used to get his special attention. Sometimes He ﷺ would pay their debts for their release. He ﷺ would set prisoners on parole so that they could go home and spend the month of Ramdan with their families. The Prophet ﷺ is said to have said that even one piece of date is charity for someone who hasn't eaten for days. And following Him ﷺ, his companions used to help the poor to their utmost.

Dishing out charity and helping the poor keeps calamity away and ensures our needs will always be met: “Those who spend in charity will be richly rewarded” (Quran 57:10). Indeed, wealth does not decrease by giving in charity, but rather, grows and is purified, increasing also the individual's barakah (blessings and spiritual strength)

The Prophet Muhammad said: “The best charity is giving water to drink.”  We should thus donate charity for installation of hand pumps in areas where regular water supply is not available, thus helping the poor and giving them access to clean drinking water.  With every drop of clean water drank, blessings will come your way, Insha'Allah. 

We should follow the life and sunnah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ and must help the poor the year round, but more so in the month of Ramdan for not only it add to Barakah, but also allows the poor to fulfill their daily needs during the month of Ramadan. 

Some of the forms of charity in Ramdan are Fidya for missing fasts in Ramadan and Kaffarah, a penalty fee are also paid during the month by observant Muslims. It is said that the rewards of giving charity during Ramadan are multiplied by 70 and the reward for any righteous act during Laylatul Qadr is equivalent to having performed the same act every day for over 83 years!

You may read more about the importance of charity as mentioned in many verses of Qur'an from our page: Selected verses from Qur'an under the heading Charity.

You may like to listen to a short lecture by eminent Muslim scholar Dr Waheeduddin Ahmed in which he emphasizes the importance of intention of giving charity for intention has to be very pure - not for personal gains or show off but the earnest desire to help others as directed by Allah:

May Allah help us to understand the simple and most practical religion of all - Islam and allow us to take advantage of the month of Ramadan and concessions given to us in fasting when traveling or being sick. Aameen.

To know more about fasting and importance of month of Ramadan, please consult our reference page: Ramadan - A month of fasting and Blessings. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

May Allah show us the right path so that we do not go astray due to what man has interpreted verses of religious scriptures to suit their own religions and faith. Aameen.

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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 Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Do not Fear none But Allah - If you truly believe

Muslims dominated the many parts of the world including the entire present day Spain and most parts of Europe under the Ottoman Empire till it collapsed in the early 20th century. Their success story was unflinching faith in Allah and thus in their won capabilities. But as their faith started to wane and was replaced with the fear of their enemies, their hold on their empires also started to loosen up and they lost lands they had conquered with their sweat and blood for over many centuries.

Muslims once faced such hard times but it was faith in Allah that made them victorious as in Battle of Yarmuk when Muslim army beat the Byzantines, though greatly outnumbered. The Battle of the Yarmuk is regarded as one of the most decisive battles in military history, and it marked the first great wave of early Muslim conquests. The result of the battle was a complete Muslim victory that ended Byzantine rule in Syria.

Today we see Muslim world if not physically but subjugated mentally by non Muslims and are suffering from foreign invasions and losing their natural wealth. See how Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan were invaded and virtually destroyed with their natural treasures like oil pumped out by the invading forces. And the irony is that that when a Muslims country is invaded, the other Muslim countries look the other way and let havouc wreaked on their brethren.

We share a verse from Surah 3. Surah 3. Al-i'Imran: (verse 175) which encourages Muslims not to be afraid of rumours and strength and might of their enemies and nor listen to the rumours  deliberately infused in their mind so that they lose hope and courage. They are instead asked to have total and complete faith in Allah ofr it is only then that they can overpower their enemies.

اِنَّمَا ذٰلِكُمُ الشَّيۡطٰنُ يُخَوِّفُ اَوۡلِيَآءَهٗ فَلَا تَخَافُوۡهُمۡ وَخَافُوۡنِ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ 

(3:175) It was Satan who suggested to you the fear of his allies. Do not fear them; fear Me, if you truly believe.

This refers to the terrifying rumours which were being spread in Al-Madinah. On the occasion of his return from Uhd, Abu Sufyan had challenged the Muslims to a fight the following year at Badr. But when the time approached, he could not find courage on account of the famine that was raging in Makkah. So in order to save face, he tried to shift on to the Muslims the responsibility for the postponement. Accordingly, he sent a special spy to Al-Madinah to terrify them by spreading rumours that the Quraish were making great preparations for war and collecting such a large army as could defeat any army in Arabia. This device of Abu Sufyan succeeded in producing the desired panic. When the Holy Prophet made an appeal to the Muslims to meet the Quraish in combat at Badr, it failed to produce any encouraging response. So much so that the Messenger of Allah had to declare before the gathered assembly, "I will go to the combat all alone, if none else is willing to go." It was then that 1,500 devotees volunteered to accompany him, and he reached Badr with them. From the other side,Abu Sufyan left Makkah with an army of 2,000 men. But after two days' journey, he told his men that it did not appear to suit them to have a fight that year, and that they would come next year for it. Accordingly, he returned to Makkah with his men. The Holy Prophet, however, waited for him at Badr for eight days. During these days, his Companions did profitable business with a trading party. Then he came to know that the disbelievers had gone back to Makkah, and he returned to Al Madinah.

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

(It is only Shaytan that suggests to you the fear of his friends,) meaning, Shaytan threatens you with his friends and tries to pretend they are powerful and fearsome. 

Allah said next, (so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are indeed believers.) meaning, "If Shaytan brings these thoughts to you, then depend on Me and seek refuge with Me. Indeed, I shall suffice you and make you prevail over them.'' 

Similarly, Allah said, 

(Is not Allah Sufficient for His servant Yet they try to frighten you with those besides Him!) [39: 36], until, (Say: "Sufficient for me is Allah; in Him those who trust must put their trust.'') [39:38]. 

(So fight you against the friends of Shaytan; ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaytan.) ﴿4:76﴾ and (They are the party of Shaytan. Verily, it is the party of Shaytan that will be the losers!) [58:19],

(Allah has decreed: 

"Verily, it is I and My Messengers who shall be the victorious.'' Verily, Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty.) [58:21] and

(Verily, Allah will help those who help His (cause).) [22:40] and

(O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you) [47:7], and,

(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe, in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth. The Day when their excuses will be of no profit to wrongdoers. Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode.) [40:51,52]

Qur'an Wiki: Finally, the passage concludes with explaining the reason behind fear. It is Satan who tries to depict his allies as a source of might. The believers must be on their guard never to entertain any fear of Satan or his allies. They must fear God alone, the Almighty Who overpowers all forces: “It is but Satan who prompts people to fear his allies: so, have no fear of them, but fear Me if you are truly believers.” 

It serves Satan’s purpose to show his allies as powerful and mighty, able to inflict harm on, and cause benefit to others. By doing so, he has the chance to spread evil and corruption on earth. People will surrender to his allies and allow them to do whatever they want. No one will contemplate standing up to them or foiling their evil purpose. When evil appears to be too powerful and people are paralysed by fear, then Satan’s allies can accomplish what he wants of them. Thus, right appears to be wrong and wrong is shown to be right. Evil and corruption become widespread while truth and justice are suppressed. The evildoers make deities of themselves to perpetuate the suppression of goodness and to protect evil. When no one is able to stand up to them, evil becomes triumphant while the truth is overshadowed and forgotten. Satan is a deceptive sorcerer who hides behind his allies while at the same time causing people to fear his allies. But God exposes him as he truly is, without cover. The believers are made aware of Satan’s scheming. Thus, they can be on their guard and they have no fear of him or his allies. 

Both Satan and his allies are too weak to be feared by any believer who relies on his Lord and has His support. The only power to be feared is the one which truly can cause harm and benefit. That is God’s power, feared by those who believe in God. By fearing God alone they are the most powerful of all people. No other force can stand up to them. Hence, God instructs the believers in these words: “It is but Satan who prompts people to fear his allies: so, have no fear of them, but fear Me if you are truly believers.” 

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

May Allah help us to have total faith in Allah which can be bolstered by understanding Qur'ān and acting 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 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

The Ultimate Divine Justice (Selected verses from Qur'an)

Allah made man his assistant non earth to uphold justice as directed at many a places in the Qur'an. Yet despite very clear Divine Commandments we see that  human judgment is generally subjective and flawed, and many a influential man evade j by justice due to the sheer weight of their position and authority.  Human justice necessarily falls short of divine justice both in the range of obligations enforced and the accuracy of determinations concerning whether those obligations have been violated.

For such people in particular and the rest in general, Allah cautions them that while they may evade justice and true justice is denied to the meek and poor in this world, there would come a day when worldly positions and authority will mean nothing and every man will be adjudged by his account book and true justice will be enforced. Then those who evaded justice or denied justice to the impeccant.

Today, we have selected the 47th verse of Surah 21. Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophetes), in which Allah promises man that on the Day of Judgement none shall be wronged and every soul will be rewarded or awarded punishment equal to his good or bad deeds in the worldly life.

وَنَضَعُ الۡمَوَازِيۡنَ الۡقِسۡطَ لِيَوۡمِ الۡقِيٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظۡلَمُ نَـفۡسٌ شَيۡـئًـا​ ؕ وَاِنۡ كَانَ مِثۡقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنۡ خَرۡدَلٍ اَتَيۡنَا بِهَا​ ؕ وَكَفٰى بِنَا حٰسِبِيۡنَ‏ 

(21:47) On the Day of Resurrection, We will set up just and accurate balances so that no one will be wronged in the least in anyway; even if it be an act equal in weight to a grain of mustard seed, We will bring it forth (to be weighed) and We suffice for reckoning.

It is difficult for us to understand the exact nature of the "Balance". Anyhow it is clear that the "Balance" will weigh accurately all the human moral deeds instead of material things, and will help judge whether a man is virtuous or wicked and how much. The Qur'an has used this word to make mankind understand that every deed, good or bad, will be weighed and judged according to merit.

The same theme is repeated in verses 8-9 of Surah Al Aaraf which means:

This means that when the Balance is fixed on the Day of Judgement, 'truth' and weight will be identical. The more truth one has to one's credit, the more truth one has to one's credit, the more the weight in one's scale; and vice versa. One will be judged solely on the basis of this weight. In other words, no consideration other than truth will enter into the calculation. A life of falsehood, however long it lasted, and however full of worldly achievements, will carry no weight at all. Weighed in the Balance, the devotees of falsehood will discover that their life-long deeds do not even weigh so much as a birds feather. The same point has been expatiated upon in (al-Kahf 18:103-5) : 'Shall We tell you of those who are greatest losers in respect of their deeds? It is those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they kept believing that they were acquiring good by their deeds. they are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter). So their works are in vain and we shall attach no weight to them on the Day of Judgement.'

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

(And We shall set up Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything.) meaning, "We shall set up the Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection.'' The majority of scholars state that it is one Balance, and the plural form is used here to reflect the large number of deeds which will be weighed therein.

(then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And sufficient are We to take account.) This is like the Ayat:

• (and your Lord treats no one with injustice) [18:49]
• (Surely, Allah wrongs not even of the weight of speck of dust, but if there is any good, He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.) [4:40]
• ("O my son! If it be equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle, Well-Aware.'') [31:16] 

In the Two Sahihs it was recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said:

(Two words which are light on the tongue, heavy in the Balance and beloved to Ar-Rahman: "Subhan Allahi wa bi hamdihi, Subhan Allahil `Azim (Glory and praise be to Allah, Glory be to Allah the Almighty).'') 

Imam Ahmad also recorded that `A'ishah said that one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah sat down before him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have two slaves who lie to me, betray me and disobey me, and I hit them and insult them. How do I stand with regard to them'' The Messenger of Allah said:

(The extent to which they betrayed you, disobeyed you and lied to you will be measured against the punishment you meted out to them. If your punishment was commensurate with their misconduct, then you will be equal and you will not have anything counted for you or against you. If your punishment of them was less than that what they deserved for their misconduct, then this will count in your favor. If your punishment of them was more than what they deserved for their misconduct, then Allah will take what is due to them from you.) 

Then the man started to weep before the Messenger of Allah , and the Messenger of Allah asked, (What is the matter with him Has he not read the words of Allah, (And We shall set up Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And sufficient are We to take account.)) The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, I think there is nothing better than keeping away from these people -- meaning his slaves -- I call upon you to bear witness that they are all free.''

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Not the smallest action, word, thought, motive, or predilection but must come into the account of Allah. Cf. Browning (in Rabbi Ben Ezra): "But all, the world's coarse thumb And finger failed to plumb, So passed in making up the main account; All instincts immature. All purposes unsure. That weighed not as his work, yet swelled the man's account; Thoughts hardly to be packed Into a narrow act. Fancies that broke through language and escaped; All I could never be, All, men ignored in me, This, I was worth to God, Whose wheel the pitcher shaped."

The literalism of Sale has here excelled itself: he translates, "and there will be sufficient accountants with us"! What is meant is that when Allah takes account, His accounting will be perfect: there will be no flaw in it, as there may be in earthly accountants, who require other people's help in some matters of account which they do not understand for want of knowledge of that particular department they are dealing with. Allah's knowledge is perfect, and therefore His justice will be perfect also; for He will not fail to take into account all the most intangible things that determine conduct and character. See last note. There is no contradiction between this and xviii. 104-105, where it is said that men of vain works, i.e., shallow hypocritical deeds, will have no weight attached to their deeds, In fact the two correspond.

Qur'an Wiki:

The present passage concludes with a final scene from the Day of Reckoning. The mustard seed here represents the smallest and lightest thing our eyes can see. Yet not even a mustard seed is overlooked or ignored. The scales that are used are so accurate that a single mustard seed makes a difference.

Let people, then, reflect on what they put forward for that day. Let hearts be attentive to the warnings, and let those who turn their backs or indulge in ridicule be warned. They may be able to evade punishment in this life, but on Judgement Day the reckoning takes every little thing into account. The scales then are so accurate that even a tiny seed can make all the difference.

Thus the accurate scales of the hereafter, the unfailing laws of the universe, the rules applicable to advocates of the faith and the laws of human nature converge in perfect harmony, operated by the hand of the Almighty. This testifies to the truth of God’s oneness, the theme that pervades this whole sūrah.

Read more about Justice as mentioned at various places in Qur'an in our Reference Page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an - under the heading Justice.

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. May Allah help us to walk the righteous path and never ever take shelter of our position of authority to evade justice or deny justice to the impeccant, for we will have to be answerable to every action of ours on the Day of Judgement when none shall be wronged.  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.

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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.

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What actions add Barakah to a fasting Muslim

Alhamdolillah, we are among the blessed Muslims who are alive today to be in the month of Ramadan and keeping fast, offering Tarawih prayers and reciting Qur'an to take maxim benefit from the unimaginable blessings Allah has promised for us. 

But do we know what specific actions during this month that add Barakah to us? Before we spell out these actions one by one in our subsequent posts, let us understand what actually Barakah means.

Ordinarily, Barakah means blessings of Allah. However, the word Barakah (بَرَكَة) in Arabic language has three meanings:

• The first one is النَّمَاءُ وَالزِّيَادَة  which means “growth and increase”. So when something has Barakah it increases.
• The second meaning is الاِستِمْرَارِيَّة or “continuity”. The Arabs say إِبتَرَكَتْ السَّمَاء when the rain keeps on coming and coming. This is a verb taken from the noun Barakah (بَرَكَة).
• The final meaning of Baraka is: ‘Something that remains in its place as though it sticks. So it’s not only increasing and continuing but it remains as well. This is why the words إبترك الجمل `the camel has kneeled` is used as the camels when they kneel, they stay in their place.

Barak بَارَكَ as a verb is used to convey the meaning that Allah, the Almighty, has showered His benediction on something. For example the saying باركَ اللهُ في المالِ الحلال (Allah has blessed wealth that is Halal) and also as a well-wishing prayer like: باركَ اللهُ فيك (May Allah bless you).

The word بركات Barakat is the plural form of Barakah:

(وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ)

{And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, we would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied so We seized them for what they were earning} (Al a`raf 96)

So when we talk of gathering more and more Barakah during the month of Ramadan, we actually mean we are seeking blessings of Allah on us to increase manifold. And that these should not only increase but continue to increase even after this sacred month of Ramadan is over. 

So how do we increase Barakah to us by our actions other than keeping fast and offering prayers? Herein under are some actions that are source of Barakah:

• Whole hearted Charity
• Recitation of Qur'an
• Seeking Maghfarat (pardon, remission, absolution, salvation, deliverance) for the Muslim Ummah
• Tarawih prayers
• Qiyam ul Lail (Remaining awake at night and offering Tahajjad prayers
• Sitting for Itikaf in the masjid during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan
• Sharing our knowledge of Islam with those who are illiterate or in need of essential knowledge of Islam, specially the reverts.

We have just listed some of the actions above that add Barakah to us during this month of Ramadan. But these actions will go a long way as a source of Barakah or blessings for us for a long time even after the month of Ramadan, provided we continue our above said actions, specially the ones that benefit others.

In days to come we will elaborate each actions listed above for clarity in easy to understand language.

May Allah help us collect as much Barakah in this month and help us help others through charity, prayers and seeking maghfarat for our brethren Muslims. May Allah help us in our pursuits. May Allah help us to understand the simple and most practical religion of all - Islam and allow us to take advantage of the month of Ramadan. Aameen.

To know more about fasting and importance of month of Ramadan, please consult our reference page: Ramadan - A month of fasting and Blessings. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

May Allah show us the right path so that we do not go astray due to what man has interpreted verses of religious scriptures to suit their own religions and faith. Aameen.

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How Qur'an is the Word of God? (Scholars' Viewpoint) - 2nd Part

This post is the third in series of our posts to prove to the non Muslims that How Qur'an is the word of God and not written by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as alleged by many non Muslims.

In our previous post we mentioned the entire episode of Pharoah that is in Qur'an and which vindicates the claims of other Divine books that Pharoah drowned in the sea when chasing Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) and his people. The discovery of Pharoah's body many centuries later clearly shows that it was only Allah Who knew that Pharoah's body will be preserved as mentioned in the Qur'an. Naturally no one, even Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and other religious men of other Divine religions knew this. 

Today in this post in which Dr Waheeduddin Ahmed explains the existence of Theory of Big Band as mentioned in Qur'an which has only recently been found (1927) out of its happening billions of years ago.

In his argument, Dr Waheeduddin Ahmed presents the 30th verse of Surah 21. Al-Anbiyaa as under:

اَوَلَمۡ يَرَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡۤا اَنَّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ كَانَـتَا رَتۡقًا فَفَتَقۡنٰهُمَا​ ؕ وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنَ الۡمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ حَىٍّ​ ؕ اَفَلَا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‏ 

(21:30) Did the unbelievers (who do not accept the teaching of the Prophet) not realize that the heavens and the earth were one solid mass, then We tore them apart, and We made every living being out of water? Will they, then, not believe (that We created all this)?

From the wording of the text, it is clearly told that at first the whole universe was a single mass of matter; then it was split into different parts and the earth and the other heavenly bodies were formed.

 

Now listen to Dr Waheeduddin Ahmed in which explains the above said verse to explain the theory of Big Bang mentioned 1400 years ago which till early 20th century was never understood in its true meaning:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the video above are that of the concerned scholar . We have shared these view as added information in better understanding of Islam. The reader may or may not agree with the view owing to their own perception. If any one 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.

For more Scholarly views and videos, please read our reference page: Scholars' Viewpoint on Important Issues Related to Islam. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

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