Believers!! Uphold Justice and do not spread corruption on earth

Divine Commandments never change. What was true in the very beginning and was written in all the Divine Scriptures stand true even today. And among many other things, Justice remains the central focus of all religions, even non Divine ones too. 

Justice – the quality of being morally just – is the most important quality because it is only through the application of justice that freedom, happiness and truth can exist. The notion of justice incorporates the concepts of impartiality and equal treatment for all.

Today in our series of posts on Selected verses from Qur'an, we share the 85th verse of Surah 7. Al-A'raf, which though is attributed to Prophet Shu'ayb, an ancient Midianite prophet, who had stressed upon his people to worship one true God and asked them to do justice and not to spread corruption on earth. The purpose of sharing the verse is not to recall the people of Madyan and the prophet sent to them. The purpose in fact is to draw attention to all believers to four points mentioned in the verse, these are, for these are as applicable today as these were at the time of revelation:

• Worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him. 
• Give, therefore, full measure and weight [in all your dealings, 
• and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs; 
• and do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered: [all] this is for your own good, if you would but believe

وَاِلٰى مَدۡيَنَ اَخَاهُمۡ شُعَيۡبًا​ ؕ قَالَ يٰقَوۡمِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مَا لَـكُمۡ مِّنۡ اِلٰهٍ غَيۡرُهٗ​ ؕ قَدۡ جَآءَتۡكُمۡ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ​ فَاَوۡفُوا الۡكَيۡلَ وَالۡمِيۡزَانَ وَلَا تَبۡخَسُوا النَّاسَ اَشۡيَآءَهُمۡ وَلَا تُفۡسِدُوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ بَعۡدَ اِصۡلَاحِهَا​ ؕ ذٰ لِكُمۡ خَيۡرٌ لَّـكُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ​ ۚ‏ 

AND UNTO [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb. He said: "O my people! Worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him. Clear evidence of the truth has now come unto you from your Sustainer. Give, therefore, full measure and weight [in all your dealings, and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs; and do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered: [all] this is for your own good, if you would but believe.

We will skip the details of people of Madyan upon whom Prophet Shu'ayb was sent and will discuss the details separately when writing exclusive post on Prophet Shu'ayb. Here we will restrict ourselves to the commandment of Allah regarding ills prevailing gin the society and the revered prophet cautioning them to desist from these.

Since people of Madyan were traders by profession, their moral misconduct manifested itself in the form of dishonesty in weighing and measuring. This was an indication of the fact that the whole nation had become devoid of the concept of justice and fairness and also of the belief that God’s universe is based on these concepts. Here Prophet Shu`aib wanted to draw their attention particularly to this: "You should not corrupt by your wrong beliefs and immoral ways the Right Way of life that had been established by the former Prophets." 

The fact that the Prophet appeals to their Faith shows that they themselves professed to be Believers. They were corrupt Muslims, who, though involved in wrong beliefs and misconduct, not only professed to be "believers" but also were proud of this. That is why the Prophet appealed to them, "If you are true believers, you should judge good and evil by the standard of the righteous and honest people, and not by the standards of those worldly people who do not believe in Allah and the Hereafter. "

Qur'an Wiki:

Compared to the other accounts given in this Sūrah, we note that this one is rather longer because, in addition to the question of faith, it includes a reference to business transactions. Nevertheless, the account follows the same pattern of concentration on the main issues.

 

“And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu`ayb. He said: ‘My people, worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him.’” (Verse 85) It is the same, consistent basis of the divine faith that admits no change or modification. But then we have some details about the message of the new Prophet, starting with a statement: “Clear evidence of the truth has come to you from your Lord.” (Verse 85)

 

The sūrah does not mention the type of that clear proof or its nature, as it did in the account given of the history of the Prophet Şāliĥ. Nor can we ascertain its nature from the other accounts of this history given in other sūrahs. We are simply told that clear proof was given to the Prophet Shu`ayb, confirming his statement that he had been sent by God. Clear evidence of the truth has been shown to them as the basis of the commandments given to them by their prophet. These required them to give full and just measure and weight, refrain from spreading corruption on earth and from threatening people as they go about their business. And to stop their efforts to persuade believers to change their faith.

 

We understand from these injunctions that Shu`ayb’s people were unbelievers who associated partners with God and did not implement in their own dealings the divine law which ensures justice for all. Instead, they devised their own rules and regulations for their business transactions. It may be that in this particular aspect that they associated partners with God, and that made them very unpleasant to deal with in business. In addition, they were the perpetrators of corruption, threatening people and preventing them from attending to their business. They were also wrongdoers, trying to turn those who believe away from their faith, making it difficult for them to follow the right path and trying to show God’s straight path as crooked.

 

Shu`ayb begins by calling on them to worship God alone, submitting to His authority over every aspect of their lives, and attributing Godhead purely to Him alone. Shu`ayb knows that this forms the basis that gives rise to every good system and deals with every situation. It also forms the basis for regulations governing personal behaviour, morals and human dealings. He seeks to give more effectiveness to his admonition by certain reminders which, to them, must have been particularly inspiring, recalling to their minds some of God’s blessings.

Now if we just look around and correlate this verse to our society and even the entire world, we see all these ills still prevailing and men and big nations are usurping rights of the poor and making huge profits, filling their coffers and being in a state completely devoid of fear of Allah and the impending punishment for the criminal acts in this worldly life.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

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

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

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 | References: | 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 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, 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

Those who scorn worship of Allah will surely enter Hell, utterly abased

No religion is complete on a man unless true faith has solidified in his belief.  Easier said than done - isn't it, for many would say we have faith but when they are tested by Allah, their faith wavers. Even today, many believers run after worldly deities, saints and religious men, even dead ones, for acceptance of their prayers. But is it in accordance with dictates of Qur'an and Sunnah? 

Allah at a number of times in Qur'an has instructed believers to pray to him directly and not through mediums for He is all ears all the time, listening to those who pray and ask for forgiveness and fulfillment of their worldly desires and needs. Allah is pleased when a believer invokes His blessings for it He alone Who can redress our grievances and none other can turn the tides of our fate. And verily, Allah is displeased when man in his sheer arrogance, pride and position turns away from Allah and thinks what all he has is because of his own efforts and none can take these away. Or else Allah is displeased when someone approaches deities other than He for their wishes to come true.

Allah says in 186th verse of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow): AND IF My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.

The same theme is repeated in the 60th verse of Surah 40. Al-Mu'min (The Believer) wherein Allah cautions believers to pray to Him alone and none else, for those who do so are being cautioned of being sent to Hell, utterly abased. It may be noted that as this life is not the end of all things, and we are to have its fulfilment in the Hereafter: we have only to pray to the Lord of the Present and the Hereafter, and He will hear us, forgive us, guide us, and make our Path smooth. But Pride will have its fall,-and its humiliating Punishment.

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادۡعُوۡنِىۡۤ اَسۡتَجِبۡ لَـكُمۡؕ اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُوۡنَ عَنۡ عِبَادَتِىۡ سَيَدۡخُلُوۡنَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِيۡنَ

(40:60) And your Lord said: "Call upon Me, I will answer you. Verily, those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell, utterly abased!

That is, "all the powers to answer our prayers vest in Me only; so you should not pray to others but pray to Me." To understand the spirit of this verse well, three points should be comprehended properly:

First, man prays only to that being whom he regards as all-Hearing and all-Seeing and Possessor of supernatural powers. And the real motive of prayer for man is the internal feeling that the natural means and resources of the material world are not enough to remove any of his troubles and to fulfill any of his needs, or are not proving to be enough, Therefore, it is inevitable that he should turn to a being who is possessor of supernatural powers and authority. Man invokes that Being even without having seen Him; he invokes Him at all tithes, at all places, and under all circumstances; he invokes Him in solitude, aloud as well as in a low voice, and even in the depths of his heart. He does so inevitably on the basis of the belief that that Being is watching him everywhere, is also hearing whatever he has in his heart, and possesses such absolute powers that, it can come to the help of the supplicant wherever he is, and can help him out of every trouble and difficulty. After having known this truth about the prayer, it remains no longer difficult for man to understand that the one who invokes another than Allah for help, commits shirk absolutely and purely and clearly, for he believes those attributes to be belonging to the other being, which only belong to Allah. Had he not believed the other being to be an associate of Allah in the Divine attributes, he would never have even thought of invoking it for help.

Second, one should. fully understand that man's merely thinking about a being that it is the possessor of powers and authority, does not necessitate that it should actually become possessor of the powers and authority. Being possessor of powers and authority is a factual matter, which is not dependent on somebody's understanding or not understanding it. The one who is actually the Possessor of the powers will in any case remain the Possessor whether man regards Him so or not. And the one who is not in reality the possessor, will not be able to have any share whatever in the powers only because man has believed it to be possessing the powers Now, the fact of the matter is that the Being Who is all-Powerful, all-Hearing, All-Seeing, and Who is actually controlling the whole Universe is only Allah, and He alone is Possessor of all powers and authority. There is none else in this Universe, who may have any power to hear the prayers and to answer them or reject them. As against this factual matter if some people of themselves start entertaining the belief that some prophets, saints, angels, jinns, planets or imaginary gods also are share-holders in the powers, the reality will not change in any way whatever. The Owner will remain the Owner and the helpless servants the servants.

Thirdly, the one who invokes others than Allah behaves like the supplicant who takes his petition to a government office, but leaving aside the real officer who has authority, presents it before one of the other supplicants who may be present there with his petition, and then starts imploring him humbly, saying Sir, you possess all the powers, and yours is the only authority here; so, you alone can fulfill my needs. " Such a conduct, in the first place, is in itself highly foolish, but in a case like this it also amounts to high insolence, because the real officer who has the authority, is present and before his very eyes applications and petitions are being made before another, apart from him. Then this ignorance and folly reaches its height when the person before whom the petition is being presented makes the petitioner understand over and over again that he himself is a petitioner like him and possesses no power at all, and that the real officer who has the powers is present, and he should make his petition before him. But in spite of this counsel and warning, , the foolish person goes on saying: `Sir, you are my lord: you alone can fulfill my need."

Keeping these three things in view, one should try to understand what Allah has said here:` Call upon Me: I shall answer your prayers: it is for Me to accept them. " 

Two things deserve special attention in this verse:

(1) Du'a (prayer) and 'ibadat (worship) have been used as synonyms here. The "prayer" of the first sentence has been called `worship" in the second. This makes it explicit that prayer itself is worship, rather the essence of worship; and

(2) the words they disdain My worship on account of pride" have been used for those who do not pray to Allah. This shows that praying to Allah is the very requirement of one's servitude to Him, and turning away from Him amounts to being vain and arrogant.

According to Hadrat Nu'man bin Bashir, the Holy Prophet said: The prayer is the very essence of worship. Then he recited this verse." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Abu Hatim, Ibn Jarir). According to Hadrat Anas, the Holy Prophet said. "Prayer is the marrow of worship." (Trimidhi) Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that the HolyProphet said: 'Allah becomes angry with him who does not ask Him for anything." (Tirmidhi)

In the light of the above, the enigma that often causes confusion in the minds is also resolved. In connection with prayer, people say that when the evil or the good destiny is in the control of Allah, and whatever He has already decreed in accordance with His dominant wisdom and expedience has to take place inevitably. what is then the use of the prayer? This is a serious misunderstanding which destroys the importance of prayer from the heart of man, and with this false notion even if man prays, his prayer would be soulless. The above verse of the Qur'an removes this misunderstanding in two ways:

In the first place, Allah says in clear words: ¦Call upon Me: I will answer your prayers." This proves that fate or destiny is not something which. God forbid, might have tied the hands of Allah Himself also, and the powers to answer the prayer might have been withdrawn froth Him. The creatures have no doubt no bower to avert or change the decrees of Allah: but Allah Himself certainly has the power to change His decrees and decisions on hearing a servant's prayer and petition.

The other thing that has been stated in this verse is that whether a prayer is accepted or not, it is never without an advantage. The servant by presenting his petition before his Lord and by praying to Him acknowledges His Lordship and Supremacy and admits his own servitude and helplessness before Him. This expression of servitude is in itself "worship", rather the essence of worship of whose reward the servant will in no cast be deprived, irrespective of whether he is grained the particular thing for which he had prayed or not.

We get a full explanation of these two themes in the Sayings of the Holy Prophet. The following Traditions throw light on the first theme: Hadrat Salman Farsi (relates that the Holy Prophet said: 'Nothing can avert destiny but the prayer." (Tirmidhi) that is, no one has the power to change the decisions of Allah but Allah Himself can change His decisions, and this happens when the servant prays to Him.

Hadrat Jabir bin 'Abdullah says that the Holy Prophet said: "Whenever man prays to Allah, Allah either gives him the same which he prayed for, or prevents a calamity of the same degree from befalling him provided that he does not pray for a sin or for severing relations with the kindred." (Tirmidhi) Another Hadith on the same subject has been reported by Hadrat Abu Said Khudri in which the Holy Prophet said: "Whenever a Muslim prays, unless it be a prayer far .r sin or for severing relations with a kindred, Allah grants it in one of the three ways: Either his prayer is granted in this very world, or it is preserved for rewarding him in the Hereafter, or a disaster of the same degree is prevented from befalling him." (Musnad Ahmad)

Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that the Holy Prophet said: "When-ever one of you prays,, he should not say: O God, forgive me if You so please, show me mercy if You so please, grant me provisions if You so please, but he should say definitely: O God, fulfill my such and such need." (Bukhari). According to another Tradition from Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said: `Pray to Allah with the certainty that He will answer it." (Tirmidhi). In still another Tradition Hadrat Abu Hurairah has reported that the Holy Prophet said: "The servant's prayer is granted provided that he does not pray for a sin or for severing connections with the kindred, and is not hasty. It was asked: What is being hasty, 0 Messenger of Allah? He replied: Being hasty is that man should say: I have prayed much, too much, but I see that my prayer is nor being answered. Then he should be tired of it and give up praying." (Muslim). The other theme is explained by the following Traditions:

Hadrat Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: "Nothing is as praiseworthy in the sight of Allah as the prayer." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah).

Hadrat Ibn Mas'ud says that the Holy Prophet said: "Ask of Allah His bounty, because Allah likes that He should be asked." (Tirmidhi)

Hadrat Ibn 'Umar and Hadrat Mu'adh bin Jabal state that the Holy Prophet said: "The prayer is in any case beneficial, both with respect to those calamities which have descended and with respect to those which have not yet descended. So, O servants of Allah, you must always pray." (Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad).

Hadrat Anas says that the Holy Prophet said: `Each one of you should ask his every need of Allah; so much so that even if his shoe-lace breaks, he should pray for it to Allah." (Tirmidhi). That is, even in matters which man feels are in his own power, he should invoke Allah's help for it before planning his own devices for it, for in no matter can man succeed only on the basis of his own devices without the help and succor of Allah, and praying before devising plans means that the servant is at all times acknowledging the supremacy of Allah and admitting his own helplessness.  

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

This is a very affectionate style to ask people to worship. The Lord of the worlds is calling people Himself so that they may present their needs to Him. No means or intercession is needed to access Him. Every servant of His can contact Him whenever he wants and wherever he wants and ask whatever he wants. If he asks the right thing, at the right time in the right way, it will definitely be granted to him by God and if it is deferred by Him for some reason, it will be granted at some other time. A person should show contentment and satisfaction on God’s verdicts. He should not lose hope in God and like Satan not adopt rebelliousness or go to a door except that of His. In fact, a person until his last breath should strongly adhere to God.

The actual words are: يَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِيْ. The preposition عَنۡ here indicates that word arrogance also encompasses the meaning of showing indifference.

Qur'an Wiki:

Allah tells us that He has committed Himself to respond to those who pray to Him, warning those who are too proud that they will be made to suffer total humiliation: "Your Lord says: Call on Me, and I shall answer you. Those who are too proud to worship Me shall enter hell humiliated."

Supplication and prayer must observe certain manners. Hearts must be totally dedicated to God, reassured that He will answer our prayer. We must not suggest a particular form or time or circumstance for answering it. To make such a suggestion is improper when appealing to God. We should be clear in our minds that it is a blessing that we address our prayers to God, and that His response is another blessing. `Umar used to say: "I am not worried about my prayer being answered. I am worried about addressing my prayer. Once I am inspired to pray to God, prayer will be answered." These are the words of someone who has insight, knowing that when God wills to respond to someone's prayer, He also wills that person to pray to Him. The two are concurrent.  Those who are too proud to pray to God and appeal to Him deserve their just reward, which leads them to enter hell in total humiliation. Such is the fitting end of the arrogance that fills some hearts in this small planet and short life, forgetting the greatness of God's creation, let alone His own greatness.

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 | References: | 1 |  2 | 3 | 4 |

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More

Who will never be pleased with the Believers

The world is divided on matter of opinion, religion and blocs since it came into being. Sometimes these differences reach to a point when disagreement turns into hatred and enmities.  And so is the case of Divine religions. Although the fountainhead of all Divine religions is the same, yet followers of each successive religions thought that the new religion being revealed impinges upon theirs, feeling threatened, they would do their utmost to downplay the new religion. So was the case for the crucifixion  of Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) by the Jews clerics for they refused to accept a new religion. 

And when Islam was revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Jews and Christian clerics felt threatened and have since mad their best to downplay Islam for one reason or the other and are always trying to impose their rules on Muslims to subjugate them. Even other non Divine religious priests and preachers unleash a hate game against Muslims, specially Hindus and prosecute those accepting Islam and unleashing all sorts of physical power to subdue the Muslims. Ban on wearing o Hijab, publishing of derogatory caricatures of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, forcing of legitimization of  LGBT in Muslim countries, desecrating places of worship, barging into masjid and harassing those offering prayers or simply creating hatred against Muslims under the garb of Islamophobia and labeling Muslims as terrorists.

In order to forewarn the Muslims of the machinations of Jews and Christians, Allah revealed a special verse in Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow) and cautioned Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that Jews and Christians can never be pleased with Muslims until Muslims follow their way. This theme is the topic of our selected verses from Qur'an.

This Ayah carries a stern warning for the Muslim Ummah against imitating the ways and methods of the Jews and Christians, after they have acquired knowledge of the Qur'an and Sunnah, may Allah grant us refuge from this behavior. Although the speech in this Ayah was directed at the Messenger , the ruling of which applies to his entire Ummah:

وَلَنۡ تَرۡضٰى عَنۡكَ الۡيَهُوۡدُ وَلَا النَّصٰرٰى حَتّٰى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمۡ​ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ هُدَى اللّٰهِ هُوَ الۡهُدٰى​ؕ وَلَـئِنِ اتَّبَعۡتَ اَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ بَعۡدَ الَّذِىۡ جَآءَكَ مِنَ الۡعِلۡمِ​ۙ مَا لَـكَ مِنَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ وَّلِىٍّ وَّلَا نَصِيۡرٍ‏  

(2:120) Never will the Jews be pleased with you, (O Prophet), nor the Christians until you follow their way. Say: “Surely Allah’s guidance, is the true guidance.” Should you follow their desires disregarding the knowledge which has come to you, you shall have no protector or helper against Allah.

That is, "The reason why these people are displeased with you is not that they are sincere seekers after Truth and that you have failed to make it as clear to them as it should have been. On the contrary, they. are offended with you just because you have made the Truth so clear that no loop-hole has been left for them to make religion a paying concern for the gratification of their desires and lusts. Therefore leave them alone and do not try to reconcile them because it is not possible to please them unless you also adopt the same attitude towards religion as they have adopted. They would have been very happy with you, if you had acted hypocritically like them and made God-worship a cloak for self-worship. It is impossible to please them unless you follow their bad example in your beliefs and practices."

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

(Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad ) till you follow their religion.) meaning, `The Jews and the Christians will never be happy with you, O Muhammad! Therefore, do not seek what pleases or appeases them, and stick to what pleases Allah by calling them to the truth that Allah sent you with.' 

Allah's statement, (Say: "Verily, the guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) guidance'') means, `Say, O Muhammad , the guidance of Allah that He sent me with is the true guidance, meaning the straight, perfect and comprehensive religion.''' 

Qatadah said that Allah's statement, (Say: "Verily, the guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) guidance) is, "A true argument that Allah taught Muhammad and his Companions and which they used against the people of misguidance.'' 

Qatadah said, "We were told that the Messenger of Allah used to say, (There will always be a group of my Ummah fighting upon the truth, having the upper hand, not harmed by their opponents, until the decree of Allah (the Last Hour) comes.)

This Hadith was collected in the Sahih and narrated from `Abdullah bin `Amr. (And if you (O Muhammad ) were to follow their (Jews and Christians) desires after what you have received of Knowledge (i.e. the Qur'an), then you would have against Allah neither any Wali (protector or guardian) nor any helper.)

Qur'an Wiki:

The Prophet is also told that the Jews and the Christians would continue to oppose and scheme against him. They would never make peace with Islam, nor be satisfied unless Muhammad abandoned Islam and took up their distorted beliefs and erroneous ideas, referred to earlier. It was not evidence or proof of credentials they were after; nor was it because they doubted his integrity or the truth of the revelations he had received. Nothing would seem to satisfy or convince them apart from an undertaking by Muhammad that he was ready to relinquish his commission as Messenger of God and adopt their faith.

“Never will the Jews, nor yet the Christians be pleased with you unless you follow their faith.” This is the bone of contention. What they are after is not evidence or conviction of the truth of Islam. Islam and Muhammad have been a constant obsession with Jews and Christians throughout history. The faith of Islam has always been at the centre of the crusades and campaigns launched against the Muslim community all over the world. No matter how much the two camps may differ or quarrel between themselves, or how divided each of them may be, when it comes to fighting Islam and Muslims they are in full agreement and as united as they could be.

The conflict between the Judaeo-Christian world on the one side, and the Muslim community on the other, remains in essence one of ideology, although over the years it has appeared in various guises and has grown more sophisticated and, at times, more insidious. We have seen the original ideological conflict succeeded by economic, political and military confrontation, on the basis that ‘religious’ or ‘ideological’ conflicts are outdated and are usually prosecuted by ‘fanatics’ and backward people. Unfortunately, some naïve and confused Muslims have fallen for this stratagem and persuaded themselves that the religious and ideological aspects of the conflict are no longer relevant.

But in reality world Zionism and Christian Imperialism, as well as world Communism, are conducting the fight against Islam and the Muslim community, first and foremost, on ideological grounds and with the sole aim of destroying this solid rock which, despite their concerted and sustained efforts, they have not been able to remove.

The confrontation is not over control of territory or economic resources, or for military domination. If we believe that, we would play into our enemies’ hands and would have no one but ourselves to blame for the consequences.

“Never will the Jews, nor yet the Christians be pleased with you unless you follow their faith.” That is the heavy price that would have to be paid. They will accept nothing less.

But God’s instructions are very clear: “Say: ‘God’s guidance is the only true guidance.’” The instruction is definite and emphatic: there is to be no negotiation or bargaining, no compromise or appeasement. The Prophet is warned that his wish to convey the message to those people and his eagerness for them to believe him, or his inclination to befriend them, should not distract him from the difficult but straight path he has taken: “Should you follow their desires after all the knowledge that has come to you, you would have none to protect you from God, nor to give you help.”

Tabari writes this Ayat means, “`The Jews and the Christians will never be happy with you, O Muhammad! Therefore, do not seek what pleases or appeases them, and stick to what pleases Allah by calling them to the truth that Allah sent you with.'” [Quoted by Ibn Kathir]

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

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

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | References: | 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

Believers!! Do not Lie as lying opens many doors of Evil

There is no religion, whether Divine or man made, that supports or encourages their followers to lie - in fact no parents do so when it come to educating their children.  But despite so much emphasis on truthfulness and stopping from lying, we still find a lot of people lying about many things in their lives. 

When you have to lie about someone, you have a diseased heart. You may get temporary euphoria but it won’t last. It’s a sign of their success and your failure. Sooner or later, it will all come back to you. Don’t rob others of what is theirs. Fear the Almighty. He is All-Seeing. (Mufti Menk)

When someone lies, he is in fact is being dishonest for his lying may deceive someone and lure into what mischiefs he intends playing and misleading someone. Typically lies aim to deceive, when deception is successful, the hearer ends up acquiring a false belief (or at least something that the speaker believes to be false). When deception is unsuccessful, a lie may be discovered.

If lying becomes one's habit, then gradually he drifts from the path of truth and falls into the lap of the evil for lying step by step keeps opening varying shades of evil. And a time comes when a person is fully immersed in evil, and  finds his actions as correct. Many big and notorious thieves and frauds started stealing and committing frauds from smaller things. And each success gave them impetus and courage to cheat and fraud more till they are so much intoxicated into evil doings that they continue their journey more into cheating and fleecing. 

Lying take many forms like misinterpretation, exaggeration, defamation, deflection, fear of embarrassment, protecting ourselves or others from harm, or even cover ups of one's crimes and evil doing. By telling lie after lie, we eventually can suffer from building a false version of reality that increasingly distances us from our real selves. After repeatedly lying about the same thing, we may even come to believe it is true.

Islam, like all religions never encourages liars and lying. The major thrust of Divine commandments in Qur'an is about truth and being truthfulness for Allah likes those who speak the truth even under the most trying conditions.

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَكُوۡنُوۡا مَعَ الصّٰدِقِيۡنَ‏  

Believers! Have fear of Allah and stand with those that are truthful. [Surah 9. al-Tawbah:119]

It means: be truthful and adhere to truthfulness, and you will be among its people and will be saved from calamity, and this will make a way out for you from your problems.

Allah (SWT) says in 10th verse of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow):

فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمۡ مَّرَضٌۙ فَزَادَهُمُ اللّٰهُ مَرَضًا ​ۚ وَّلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَلِيۡمٌۙۢبِمَا كَانُوۡا يَكۡذِبُوۡنَ‏ 

(2:10) There is a disease in their hearts and Allah has intensified this disease.12 A painful chastisement awaits them for their lying.

That is Lying leads to inner turmoil and chaos. It topples our inner balance. It festers the soul of the individual and continues to taint the soul as many times as the individual engages in lying. Getting into the habit of lying can become toxic for the individual and those around him. Evil and sinful acts such as cheating, deceiving, fraud, forgery etc. are essentially all carried out by liars. 

And:

(Surah Al-Ankabut 29:2-3) Do people think that they will be let go merely by saying: “We believe,” and that they will not be tested, for We indeed tested those who went before them? Allah will most certainly ascertain those who spoke the truth and those who lied.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is reported to have said: 

You must be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will keep speaking the truth and striving to speak the truth until he will be recorded with Allah as a siddeeq (speaker of the truth). Beware of telling lies, for lying leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hellfire. A man will keep telling lies and striving to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.

Save yourself from lying because it leads one towards sin and sin leads towards the Hellfire. A man will continue to lie and he will pursue his lie to the extent that, in the court of Allah Almighty, he is recorded as a great liar. (Tirmizi, vol. 3, p. 391, Hadees. 1978) 

Once Prophet Muhammad ﷺ visited a market place where sacks of grains were stored. He saw some good grains, but when he put his inside the sack to check the quality, he found the lower layers were wet with an evil intent to add more weight to the grain. He was annoyed and admonished the seller for deceiving the buyers and making ill gotten profit. Today we find so many traders and sellers deceiving buyers by displaying quality stuff and supplying lower quality content. Such profits may buy them luxury, but the blazing fire of hell awaits them for deceiving and dishonesty.

The excellence of a believer is elevated beyond lying and is evident from the following saying of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . A question was raised in the court of the Prophet: O Messenger of Allah! “Can a believer be a coward?”  He ﷺ replied: “yes.” It was asked: “can a believer be miserly?” He replied: “yes.” Someone asked: “Can a believer be a liar?” The noble Prophet ﷺ stated: “No.” ( Muwatta Imam Malik, vol. 2, p. 468. Hadees 1913) 

Remember,  lying is one of the signs of hypocrisy and we have seen how hypocrites of Medina bluffed and deceived Prophet Muhammad ﷺ umpteen number of times which harmed the interests of Muslims despite (false) assurances  by the hypocrites to stand by the Muslims. Thus if a Muslim lies, he moves a step towards hypocrisy, something detest by Allah and His Prophet ﷺ.

So believers, if you are true Muslim and have total faith in Allah, then do not lie. If you have wronged someone, have the courage and character to stand up and own your mistake rather than telling hundred lies to cover up your crime. 

Please watch an enlightening video below by one of the most eminent scholars of present times,  Mufti Menk:

Ismail ibn Musa Menk (إسماعيل إبن موسى منك), generally known as Mufti Menk (born 27 June 1975), is a Zimbabwean Islamic Scholar. He is widely known internationally. Menk has been named one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan in 2013, 2014 and 2017.

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.

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 

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.

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, Twitter, 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.

Read More

Da'wah: Calling others to Islam - the sacred duty of every Muslim

Calling to the faith and to the Divine way of life has been entrusted to prophets by Allah since the days of Adam and thereafter till the last Prophet of Allah, Muhammad ﷺ. Initially the call to Allah's Divine religions was done on individual basis as the earlier prophets were sent to a particular area or community.

However, once the message of Allah had been sufficiently spread amount many communities through the Divine Scriptures like the Psalms, Torah and Bible, there was a need to consolidate and reveal one last Divine Scripture for the entire mankind till the Day of Resurrection. This last Divine religion is what we call Islam today. If a systematic and thorough analysis of all earlier religions based on Psalms, Torah and Bible and compare their combined message with the Qur'an, the last revealed Divine Scripture, we find immense similarities since the fountain is the same.

Now that there are to be no more prophets after Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the individual responsibility of spreading Islam has been entrusted to the entire Muslims of the world to not only keep their faith solidified based on Divine Commandments contained in the Qur'an and Sunnah (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ), but also organize the spread of Islam and calling others to the last and the final religion on behalf of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 

Da'wah (Arabic: دعوة, "invitation", also spelt daawa, dawah, daawah or dakwah) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is da'wāt (دَعْوات) or da'awāt (دَعَوات).

This calling others to Islam, called Dawah in Arabic has been undertaken by scholars all over the world. But we should not restrict this to scholars alone and in fact every Muslim should brace himself with sufficient knowledge about religion so as to answer quires of non-Muslims when extending invitation to Islam to them. For inadequate knowledge on our part may not leave the kind of impact that touches the heart and souls of the non-Muslims and instill an urge in them to join us as Muslims.

Please watch the video below on the issue by eminent revert Muslim scholar Yusuf Estes, in which emphasizes on an institutionalized approach and a proper Da'wah methodology is required to convey to people that their basic rights of Deen (religion), life, intellect, offspring, and wealth will be protected by the Law of Allah (s.w.t.).:

Yusuf Estes (born: Joseph Estes, 1944), is an American from Texas who reverted from Christianity to Islam in 1991. He has served as a Muslim chaplain for the United States Bureau of Prisons during the 1990s, and has served as a delegate to the United Nations World Peace Conference for Religious Leaders held at the UN in September 2000. [2]

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is our duty to convey only to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

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

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the video above are those of the scholar concerned. We have shared this 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 anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

| References: | 1 | 2 |

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.

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, Twitter, 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.

Read More

Four Traits of the Believers whom Allah Promises True Success

All Divine scriptures differentiate between the good and bad, the promised ones and the rejected ones. And rewards and punishments are promised accordingly. Likewise, the main focus of the Qur'an is on the believers and guiding factors that would promise Divine success to them both in this world and the hereafter.

We have already shared a number of verses form Qur'an on the subject. Today, we share the first five verses / ayat of Surah 23. Al-Muminun (The Believers) in which traits and guiding factors for true believers have been laid down so that they succeed and be near to Allah:

The surah opens with the Divine promise of true success for the believers:

قَدۡ اَفۡلَحَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَۙ‏ 

(23:1) The believers have indeed attained true success

"Believers", who have attained true success, are those who have accepted the Message of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), and have acknowledged him as their guide and followed the way of life taught by him.

This assertion cannot be fully appreciated unless one keeps in view the background in which it was made. On the one hand, there were the well-to-do and prosperous chiefs of Makkah, the opponents of Islam, whose business was thriving and who were enjoying every good thing of life, and on the other hand, there were the followers of Islam majority of whom were either poor from the beginning, or had been reduced to poverty by ruthless antagonism to Islam. Therefore, the assertion, "Most certainly the Believers have attained true success", with which the discourse begins, was meant to tell the disbelievers that the criterion of success and failure that they had in mind was not correct. It was based on misconceptions besides being transitory and limited in nature: it led to failure and not true success. On the contrary, the followers of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), whom they regarded as failures, were truly successful, because by accepting the invitation to the Right Guidance given by the Messenger of Allah, they had struck a bargain which would lead them to true success and everlasting bliss in this world as well as in the Hereafter, whereas by rejecting the Message the opponents had incurred loss and would meet with the evil consequences both in this world and in the next.

This is the main theme of the Surah and the whole discourse, from the beginning to the end, is meant to impress the same. 

Now from here in the next four verses, four attributes of true Believers are mentioned which will ensure true success to them and would not let them let down on the Day of resurrection when every man or woman who ever lived from Adm till the end of the world will be thoroughly examined for his good or bad deeds and will be accordingly sent to the Paradise or the Hell. These are:

• (23:2) those who, in their Prayers, humble themselves
• (23:3) who avoid whatever is vain and frivolous
• (23:4) who observe Zakah
• (23:5) who strictly guard their private parts 

Now we take explanation of these four traits one by one:

الَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ فِىۡ صَلَاتِهِمۡ خَاشِعُوۡنَ ۙ‏ 

(23:2) those who, in their Prayers, humble themselves;

The noble characteristics of the Believers pointed out in vv. 2-9 are the arguments to prove the above assertion. In other words, it has been stated that people with such and such traits and qualities only can attain true success in this world and in the Hereafter.

Khashi`un خَاشِعُوۡنَ in the Text is from khushu (to bow down, to express humility) which is a condition of the heart as well as of the body. Khushu' of the heart is to fear and stand in awe of a powerful person, and khushu ` of the body is to bow one's head and lower one's gaze and voice in his presence. In Salat one is required to show khushu ` both of the heart and of the body, and this is the essence of the Prayer. It has been reported that when the Holy Prophet once saw a person offering his Prayer as well as playing with his beard, he remarked: "Had he khushu ` in his heart, his body would have manifested it. "

Though khushu ` is actually a condition of the heart, as stated by the above tradition, it is manifested by the body as a matter of course. The Shari `ah has enjoined certain etiquette which, on the one hand, helps produce khushu ` in the heart, and on the other, helps sustain the physical act of the Prayer in spite of the fluctuating condition of the heart. According to this etiquette, one should neither turn to the right or left, nor raise one's head to look up: one may, however, look around from the corner of the eye, but as far as possible, one must fix the gaze on the place where the forehead would rest in prostration; one is also forbidden to shift about, incline side ways, fold the garments or shake off dust from them. It is also forbidden that while going down for prostration, one should clean the place where one would sit or perform prostration. Similarly it is disrespectful that one should stand stuffy erect, recite the verses of the Qur'an in a loud resounding voice, or sing them, or belch or yawn repeatedly and noisily. It has also not been approved that one should offer the Prayer in a hurry. The injunction is that each article of the Prayer should be performed in perfect peace and tranquility, and unless one article has been completely performed, the next should not be begun. If one feels hurt by something during the Prayer, one may cast it aside by one hand, but moving the hand repeatedly or using both the hands for the purpose is prohibited. with this etiquette of the body, it is also important that one should irrelevant things during the Prayer. If thoughts come to the mind intention, it is a natural human weakness, but one should try one's

Along avoid thinking without one's utmost that the mind and heart are wholly turned towards Allah, and the mind is in full harmony and tune with the tongue, and as soon as one becomes conscious of irrelevant thoughts one should immediately turn the attention to the Prayer.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Humility in prayer as regards (1) their estimate of their own worth in Allah's presence, (2) as regards their estimate of their own powers or strength unless they are helped by Allah, and (3) as regards the petitions they offer to Allah.

وَالَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ عَنِ اللَّغۡوِ مُعۡرِضُوۡنَۙ‏ 

(23:3) who avoid whatever is vain and frivolous;

Literally, laghv is anything nonsensical, meaningless and vain, which is in no way conducive to achieving one's goal and purpose in life. The Believers pay no heed to such useless things and they show no inclination or interest for them. If by chance they see such things being indulged in, they keep away and avoid them scrupulously, or treat them with utmost indifference. This attitude has been described in Al-Furqan (XXV): 72, thus: " ... if they have to pass by what is vain, they pass by like dignified people."

This is indeed one of the outstanding characteristics of the Believer. He is a person who feels the burden of responsibility at all times; he regards the world as a place of test, and the life as the limited time allowed for the test. This feeling makes him behave seriously and responsibly throughout life just like the student who is taking an examination paper with his whole mind and body and soul absorbed in it. Just as the student knows and feels that each moment of the limited time at his disposal is important and decisive for his future life, and is not inclined to waste it, so the Believer also spends each moment of his life on works which are useful and productive in their ultimate results. So much so that even in matters of recreation and sport, he makes a choice of only those things which prepare him for higher ends in life and do not result in mere wastage of time. For him time is not something to be killed but used profitably and productively.

Besides this, the Believer is a person who possesses a right thinking mind, pure nature and fine taste: he has no inclination to indecent things: he can talk useful and healthy things but cannot indulge in idle talk: he has a fine taste of humor, but is not given to jesting, joking, ridicule, etc. nor can he endure dirty jokes and fun. For him a society in which the ears are never immune from abusive language, back-biting, slander; lying, dirty songs and indecent talk is a source of torture and agony. A characteristic of the promised Paradise is: "therein you will not hear anything vain or useless." 

وَالَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ لِلزَّكٰوةِ فَاعِلُوۡنَۙ‏

(23:4) who observe Zakah

The word Zakat literally means purification and development-to help something grow tip smoothly and develop without obstruction. As an Islamic term, it implies both the portion of wealth taken out for the purpose of purifying the rest of wealth and the act of purification itself. The words of the original Text mean that the Believer constantly practices purification. Thus the meaning is not confined to the paying off of Zakat dues only but it is extended to self-purification which includes purification of morals as well as wealth, property and life in general. Then it does not mean purification of one's own self, but includes the purification of the lives of other people as well. So the verse means: "The Believers are the people who purify themselves as well as others." This thing has been stated at other places in the Qur'an -also, for instance: "Successful is he who practiced -purification and remembered his Lord and prayed." (LXXXVII: 1415), and: "Successful is he who purified himself and failure is he who corrupted it." (XCI: 9-10). But this verse is more comprehensive in meaning because it stresses the purification of both society and one's own person. 

And now comes the fourth trait of believers which if observed by all the mankind, most of the ills of the society would vanish:

This is a pointer to the purity of the human soul, the home and the community, and to the way of protecting oneself, family and society. It is all the result of refraining from indulgence in sin and turning people’s hearts only to what is permissible. Thus, the Muslim community is protected from the unrestrained promiscuity that undermines the family and allows dubious parenthood to increase and become acceptable.

A community with no restraint on desire is wont to find its very social fabric corrupted, because it deprives itself of the sanctity for the family. The family home is the basic unit in the structure of the community. It is the cradle where children grow up. To serve as a healthy cradle, it needs purity and security, both of which give reassurance to the husband and wife so that each has full trust in the other. Thus, they cooperate to safeguard their home and ensure the healthy upbringing of their young ones.

وَالَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ لِفُرُوۡجِهِمۡ حٰفِظُوۡنَۙ‏ 

(23:5) who strictly guard their private parts

They are modest in every sense of the word. They are free from sex abuse and sex perversion. They are so modest that they even conceal those parts of their bodies which the Law forbids to expose before others. 

To elaborate the guarding of private parts, we share the explanation of relevant portions of verses 30-31 of Surah 24. An-Nur: 

Guard their private parts: Abstain from illicit sexual gratification and from exposing their satar before others. For males, the satar is the part of the body from the navel to the knee, and it is not permissible to expose that part of the body intentionally before anybody except one’s own wife. (Daraqutni, Baihaqi). Jarhad Aslami states that once he was sitting in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him) with his thigh exposed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do you not know that the thigh has to be kept concealed. (Tirmizi, Abu Daud, Muatta). AIi reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do not expose your thigh. (Abu Daud, Ibn Majah). Not only is the satar to be kept concealed before others but even when alone. The Prophet has warned: Beware, never remain naked, for with you are those (that is, the angels of goodness and mercy), who never leave you alone except when you ease yourself or you go to your wives. So feel shy of them and give them due respect. (Tirmizi). According to another tradition, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Guard your satar from everybody except from your wife and your slave-girl. The questioner asked: Even when we are alone? The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: Yes, even when alone, for Allah has a greater right that you should feel shy of Him. (Abu Daud, Tirmizi, Ibn Majah).

That is, they should abstain from illicit gratification of their sex desire as well as from exposing their satar before others. Though the commandments for men in this respect are the same as for women, the boundaries of satar for women are different from those prescribed for men. Moreover, the female satar with respect to men is different from that with respect to women. The female satar with respect to men is the entire body, excluding only the hand and the face, which should not be exposed before any other man, not even the brother and father, except the husband. The woman is not allowed to wear a thin or a tight fitting dress which might reveal the skin or the outlines of the body. According to a tradition from Aishah, once her sister Asma came before the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a thin dress. The Prophet (peace be upon him) immediately turned his face away and said: O Asma, when a woman has attained her maturity, it is not permissible that any part of her body should be exposed except the face and the hand. (Abu Daud). Ibn Jarir has related a similar incident from Aishah saying that once the daughter of Abdullah bin Tufail, who was her mother’s son from her former husband, came to her house on a visit. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the house, he saw her but turned his face to the other side. Aishah said: O Messenger of Allah, she is my niece. Thereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: When a woman reaches the age of puberty, it is not lawful for her to display her body except the hand and the face. (Then he indicated what he meant by the hand by gripping his own hand from the wrist so that there was hardly a breadth left between his grip and the palm of the hand). The only relaxation permitted in this connection is that a woman can uncover only that much of her body before her close relatives (for example, her brother, father, etc.) as is absolutely necessary for attending to the household duties. For instance, she can roll up her sleeves while kneading the flour, or tuck up her trousers while washing the floor.

The boundaries of female satar with respect to women are the same as the boundaries of the male satar with respect to men, which is the part of the body from the navel to the knee. This does not, however, mean that a woman should appear half naked before other women. It only means that while it is obligatory to keep the part of body from the navel to the knee duly covered, it is not so in case of other parts.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

The Muslim must guard himself against every kind of sex abuse or sex perversion. The new psychology associated with the name of Freud traces many of our hidden motives to sex, and it is common knowledge that our refinement or degradation may be measured by the hidden workings of our sex instincts. But even the natural and lawful exercise of sex is restricted to the marriage bond, under which the rights of both parties are duly regulated and maintained.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation: The verse 6 qualifies the verse 5, that is "except for their wives and slave-maidens because in their case there is no blame on them"

That is besides wives, slave-women are mentioned here because until that time slavery had not ended. Thus in spite of the prohibition of enslaving men and women revealed in Sūrah Muḥammad, it was essential to keep this exception for the slaves already found in the society. Later, the Qur’ān directed people to do mukātabat with these slaves. It was a declaration of the fact that the slaves had the authority to be liberated through this document. Here it may be kept in mind that at the time of the Qur’ān’s revelation, slavery was considered essential for economic and social needs the way the institution of interest is in current times. In markets, slave-men and slave-women were bought and sold, and affluent houses had slave-men and slave-women of all ages. In such circumstances, a sudden directive for their emancipation would have resulted in many evils: for livelihood, men would have been forced to resort to beggary and women to prostitution. For this reason, the Qur’ān adopted a gradual way to eradicate this evil from the society and after many gradual measures of eradication, revealed the law of mukātabat (24:33) referred to earlier. After that, no option remained to enslave any person who was able to stand on his feet with virtue and righteousness.

Please listen to explanation of the ayats mentioned above and a bit more of the Surah 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 | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More