Divine Forgiveness - For Whom?

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

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

وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ​ ۙ لَهُمۡ مَّغۡفِرَةٌ وَّاَجۡرٌ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ 

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

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

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

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

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

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

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

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

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

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Qur'an. a compilations of all revelations from Allah to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through arch angel Jibraeel (Gabriel). Qur'an, the last of the four Divine Scriptures, is the main pillar of guidance for all mankind for there would be no more prophets and no more Divine Revelations.  Qur'an in fact is conglomeration of Divine Instructions, Directives and Commandments for the guidance of the man.

However, there are many instructions which are mentioned in Qur'an giving no details or verses for these need to be physically demonstrated for explanation and further elaboration. It has been commanded in the 59th verse of Surah 4. An Nisa that whenever believers dispute on something they should refer to Allah (for prophets) and Qur'an for ordinary Muslims and the Messenger of Allah:

(4:59) Believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and those from among you who are invested with authority; and then if you were to dispute among yourselves about anything refer it to Allah and the Messenger if you indeed believe in Allah and the Last Day; that is better and more commendable in the end.

Here comes then the importance of Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These Sunnah and Hadith do not add anything more to Qur'an but add modalities which have been left out in Qur'an for Qur'an only provides guidance and instructions for undertaking actions and adopting our lives as per the Divine Wishes.

It is therefore incumbent upon us to understand what Sunnah and Hadith mean and how they are clarifying means for practical manifestation of instructions, commandments of Allah. 

Sunnah

Let us begin with Sunnah first. Sunnah shows how the Islam should be practiced and it completely voids all those arguments which challenge the practicality of the teachings of Quran. Sunnah according to the Arabic means a conduct, a way of life or a manner in which someone acts. According to the science of Hadith, it terms as whatever acts, statements, and a physical conduct or a physical action done by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ during his prophethood is specifically and exclusively termed as Sunnah. According to the legal side of the Fiqh the recommended actions are termed as Sunnah.

Thus in short, Sunnah are the physical actions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to elaborate the instructions contained therein the Qur'an. For example, believers are commanded to perform Salat / Prayer five times a day. But how to perform the Salat, it is not mentioned in the Qur'an. Therefore Angel Gabriel was sent don to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and he demonstrated the Prophet of Allah as how to perform Salat. In return, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ demonstrated the performance of Salat physically to his companions and as long as he lived, he led the prayers in congregation so that his followers should continue to pray Salat as demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.  The Prophet of Allah has been quoted as saying:

“Pray as you saw me pray,”[ Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, no. 604.] and he specified that surplus wealth, unused for a year, should be given as zakat

Thus the revered  Prophet ﷺ also showed how may cycles each Salat should have. And also what is to be recited in various positions of Salat, like Standing (Qiyam), Bowing (Ruku) , Prostration (Sajda) and Jalsa (Sitting position till the end of the Salat)

From left to right: (1) Qiyaam, (2) رکـــــــوع Ruku  (3) سجـــــــدہ Sajdah (4) Jalsa

For example, Malik b. Huwairith reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) raised his hands apposite his ears at the time of reciting the takbir (i. e. at the time of beginning the prayer) and then again raised his hands apposite the ears at the time of bowing and when he lifted his head after bowing he said: Allah listened to him who praised Him, and did like it (raised his hands up to the ears).  (Muslim 4:762)

This is but one example of Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which provides practical manifestation of how to offer Salat. We will in due course add on more Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for guidance of Muslims, specially the reverts - that is those who have recently embraced Islam. 

Note: Please refer to our Reference Page for complete details on Salat.

Hadith

Side by Sunnah of Prophet of Allah, Hadith also form an important part of belief of the believers. What do we mean by  Hadith? Hadith are the wise sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which he has been telling his companions and audience in explanation of Quranic verses.

There are two types of Hadith:

• The sacred called Hadith e Qudsi- these are sacred sayings in which Muhammad quotes words from Allah which are not included in the Qur’an.
• The prophetic - these are wise sayings which the Prophet himself gave. They do not have the same authority as the Qur’an as they are not direct revelation from Allah, but are inspired sayings.

Like Sunnah, all wise sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are by and large interpretation and elaboration of divine Commandments as contained in the Qur'an and matters that require more deliberation. This is as said in the Qur'an:

(We sent them) with Clear Signs and Books of dark prophecies; and We have sent down unto thee [Muhammad (ﷺ)] the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give thought. [Qur’an 16:44]

The above said verse clearly indicates that whenever there is a dispute, it should be referred to the Messenger of Allah, who would resolve the issue based on the instructions contained in the Qur'an.  These add ons become wise sayings of the Prophet of Allah and are known as the Hadith. 

Thus it may be said that the Sunnah and Hadith define the  moral conduct in Islam for these have been manifested in the very personal conduct of the Prophet of Allah and thus become a role model for all Muslims till the end of the world. 

Surely there is for all of you a good example (of conduct) in the way of Allah’s Messenger [Qur’an 33:21]

Since many Muslims have not understood the importance of Sunnah and Hadith of  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, they are often at loss in correctly interpreting the meaning of verses of Qur'an. In fact a segment of Muslims believe that only Qur'an is to be understood and consulted for they find Sunnah and Hadith at tangent with the teachings of Islam. Whereas the opposite is true. The mere procedure of conducting Salat is but one example of many explanatory Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that provide practical implementation of Salat. In fact Qur’an is the message, and the Hadith is the explanation of the message by the Messenger himself.

In this regard the following verse of Qur'an clarifies the ambiguity:

It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.(33:36 Quran)

The Farewell Sermon (Arabic: خطبة الوداع, Khuṭbatu l-Widāʿ ) also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or the Last Sermon, is a religious speech, delivered by the Prophet Muhammad on Friday the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH (6 March 632[1]) in the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat, during the Hajj. The entire sermon is in fact a summing up of all important things that he wanted to impress upon so that no  one goes astray after him. In fact the sermon itself can be summed as many wise things he wanted to say. And at the end, he cautioned all those present in these very words:

O people. I have conveyed the Message, and have left you with something which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray: that is, the Book of God and the sunnah of His Prophet. 

So brothers and sisters, let us not leave Qur'an and Sunnah of the revered Prophetof Allah so that we do not get astray and understand Islam in its true spirit and meaning. Ameen. 

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah and wise sayings of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Sources References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

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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Three Indications of a hypocrite (Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

Believing in Allah is one thing, acting on His Commandments and Sunnah/Hadith of His revered Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is altogether a different concept. We only recite Qur'an without understanding and very selectively follow Sunnah and Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. That is why we remain far away from guidance that Qur'an provides us and Sunnah and Hadith which elaborate the verses of Qur'an for easy interpretaion.

Many a Muslim, though believers, are often found lacking in traits that are contrary to the teachings of Islam. That means many if not all are hypocrites who deceive people by their apparent piety. When  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ moved to Medinah and formed a coaltion state taking along locals of all faiths, some emraced Islam outwardly just their allegiance remained with the Pagans or the polytheist of Makkah to harm the cause of Islam. And we saw that during the Battle of Trench, many hypocrites left the ranks of Muslims to weaken them.

This has been mentioned in the Qur'an too (سورة آل عمران, Aal-i-Imraan, Chapter #3, Verse #167):

And the hypocrites also. These were told: "Come, fight in the way of Allah, or (at least) drive (The foe from your city)." They said: "Had we known how to fight, we should certainly have followed you." They were that day nearer to Unbelief than to Faith, saying with their lips what was not in their hearts but Allah hath full knowledge of all they conceal.

And as if hypocrites are not vanished altogether. Many believers today are found to fall into this category and because of which they deceive and harm the interest of their brethren, even countries. The  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ thus forewarned his companions to be cautious of people who give out following three indications as narrated by  Abu Huraira:

1. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. 
2. Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise ). 
3. If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it.).

Now in the light of the above quoted hadith that appear in Sahi Bokhari (The Book Of Belief (Faith), Hadith number 33) just look around and try finding out such people and you would e amazed to find many who possess above three traits. Unfortunately, beside others, these traits abound in the politicians who seldom keep their words and break their promises blatantly.

Many in our ranks portray their piety and charitable nature as a show off to others so that they are upheld in high esteem and status in the society. Even they would offer prayers with so much 'devotion' to be noticed by others so that they are taken as being humble and God fearing beleivers. But whatever is displayed to attract others as a show off, Allah knows it well. The following verse says it all:

The hypocrites - they think they are over-reaching Allah, but He will over-reach them: When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance; (سورة النساء, An-Nisaa, Chapter #4, Verse #142)

So beware of others with these traits and do not let these negative traits creep into our hearts for we unknowingly may be falling into the category of hypocrites.

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. 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 | Hadith Source: | 1 | 2 |

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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Trust in the Ever Living One Who dies not - And the All-Knower of the sins of His servants

Those who are non believers or atheists, there is no concept of God, the Only unchallengeable Creator of the entire Universe, of which our earth in comparison doesn't not exist for it being so small when seen the perspective of the entire universe. The Hubble Telescope which has looked trillions of light year deep distances has you to find the end of the universe - a feat perhaps science would never be able to find so.

Even if we start to count the living species or the varying types of foliage, we will find ourselves at loss. These things have not come up on their own. There has to be a creator, and that creator has to be One for if there were more than one, we would been under a constant chaos as many systems cannot worked at the same time unless controlled by one central authority.

Thus the answer lies in One True God, the Omnipresent - the One Who is Ever Living and the One Who dies not - ever. This is the belief presented in all Divine Scriptures, but has been tainted over ages except the Qur'an where the concept of One Unchallenged or Unassisted exits in the language of God alone, as mentioned in the 58th verse of Surah 25 Al Furqan. This verse amply highlights the attribute of Allah due to which He knows what is hidden in the bosoms of His servants, a  quality none other He possess. And that none can escape or hide one's feelings from God and it is only He Alone who can redress our problems.

It would be no wonder that the beliefs of non beleivers of the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ still find a refuge in many Muslims of some of the Muslim countries, specially of South Asia who despite having belief in One True God still worship the dead deities, though great Muslim scholars and teachers of their time, and make them a way between God and them to carry forward their woes. This verse is equally applicable to such believers of poor faith and a little deliberation of this Ayat will  show that there is a subtle sarcasm in it on the dead deities about which it is said that they can neither benefit nor harm others.

وَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى الۡحَـىِّ الَّذِىۡ لَا يَمُوۡتُ وَسَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِهٖ​ ؕ وَكَفٰى بِهٖ بِذُنُوۡبِ عِبَادِهٖ خَبِيۡرَ ا​ ۛۚ ۙ‏ 

And put your trust in the Ever Living One Who dies not, and glorify His praises, and sufficient is He as the All-Knower of the sins of His servants

The eminent 14th century Muslim scholar and exegete Ibn-Kathir explains this Ayat / verse as under:

(وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَىِّ الَّذِى لاَ يَمُوتُ And put your trust in the Ever Living One Who dies not,) meaning, in all your affairs, put your trust in Allah, the Ever-Living Who never dies, the One:

(الاٌّوَّلُ وَالاٌّخِرُ وَالظَّـهِرُ وَالْبَـطِنُ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ Who is the First and the Last, the Most High and the Most Near. And He is the All-Knower of everything) (57:3) 

The Eternal, Ever-Lasting, Ever-Living, Self-Sufficient One, the Lord and Sovereign of all things, the One to Whom you should always turn. Allah is the One in Whom you should put your trust and to Whom you should turn for refuge, He will be sufficient for you and will be your helper and supporter, and will cause you to prevail. 

As Allah says: (O Messenger! Proclaim which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allah will protect you from mankind) (5:67).

( وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ and glorify His praises,) means, combine praising Him with glorifying Him. Hence the Messenger of Allah used to say: ( سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِك Glory be to You, O Allah, and with Your praise.) So the Ayah means: be sincere in worshipping Him and putting your trust in Him. 

This is like the Ayat:

( رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلاً  The Lord of the east and the west; there is no God but He. So take Him as a Trustee.) (73:9)

( فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ So worship Him and put your trust in Him) (11:123)

( قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَـنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا Say: "He is the Most Gracious, in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust.'') (67:29)

( وَكَفَى بِهِ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيراً and sufficient is He as the All-Knower of the sins of His servants) means, by His perfect knowledge nothing is hidden from Him nor can anything be hidden from Him, not even a speck of dust's weight.

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

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

Everyone other than God is dead, because life comes to an end with death. The only one that remains is God, the Living One who does not die. If we rely on someone whose life comes to an end after a short or long time, then we are only putting our weight against a wall that will eventually collapse, or seeking shade that will inevitably fade away. To be truly assured one must rely only on the One who never dies, and place one’s trust solely in Him. “Extol His limitless glory and praise.” The only one worthy of praise is God who grants all favours and blessings. Hence the Prophet is instructed to leave alone those unbelievers who heed no warning and care for no happy news. He should give them up to Him since He knows their sins. Nothing is hidden from Him: “Sufficient is it that He is well aware of his servants’ sins".

Yusuf Ali Translation:

Allah knows our faults better than we or anyone else. It is no use hiding anything from Him. We must put our trust completely in Him. His care is for all, and He is Allah Most Gracious.

Listen to Eminent Muslim scholar of present times, Nouman Ali Khan explaining the verse above in a short video clip below:

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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.

Photo | references: | 1 | 2 |  3 | 4 | 

For more Q&A about Understanding Islam, please refer to our reference page: Understanding Islam - Frequently asked Q&A

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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Two contrasting characters of men - One Liked and one disliked by God

Man is never perfect. He has to live a life like a match of tug of war. On one end the force of evil pulls him with all the force backed by invitations, lewdness and deceit - a life, though manifest a weak character,  that is often preferred by the most. On the other end is the force of strong character - a force that though is over shadowed by the evil pulls, but ultimate;y wins. This is the life of eternity and blessings.

Part of 276th and complete 277th verses of Surah 2 Al Ba1arah (Thew Cow) manifest these two chaacter traits of men and spell out which one is liked by God and which one is disliked.

يَمۡحَقُ اللّٰهُ الرِّبٰوا وَيُرۡبِى الصَّدَقٰتِ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ اَثِيۡمٍ

(2:276) Allah deprives interest of all blessing, whereas He blesses charity with growth. Allah loves none who is ungrateful and persists in sin.

اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَاَقَامُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰتَوُا الزَّكٰوةَ لَهُمۡ اَجۡرُهُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡ​ۚ وَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُوۡنَ‏ 

(2:277) Truly the reward of those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish Prayer and pay Zakah is with their Lord; they have no reason to entertain any fear or grief.

Coming over the first category of men who are ungratfeul to God and indulge in a life of sin and evil. Naturally, the one who is ungrateful to one's Creator, Who has blessed him tons of blessings and many creations for his sutenance. Yet if one is ungrateful to God, he is most likely to fall into the trap of the evil who looks out for such people and drag them into abyss of sins. (We will deal with the subject of interest and charity separetly for it in itself is another shubject)

On the contrary, there are men of strong character, who repel evil and do righteous deeds and establish Prayer and pay Zakah , for these are the acts most liked by God and it is for them God has promised great rewards both in this world and the hereafter.

Now let us see how scholars ahve interpretted these two verses:

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi:

In this passage Allah has presented two characters for contrast. One is the selfish worshipper of wealth, the Shylock, who, unmindful of Allah and His creatures, is engaged day and night in amassing and hoarding wealth. The other is the worshipper of Allah, the generous and sympathetic person who observes the rights of Allah and His creatures; who earns wealth and spends it on his ownself and on others and in doing good works. Allah disapproves of the first type of people because they cannot build any good and stable society : nay, they even make themselves and others miserable in this world, and they shall meet with grief, sorrow and affliction in the Hereafter. In contrast to this, Allah approves of the second type of people for they help build a good and stable society and achieve real success. They have also peace of mind in this world and will be blessed with all kinds of heavenly pleasures in the Hereafter.

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

( وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ أَثِيمٍ ) (And Allah likes not the disbelievers, sinners) indicates that Allah does not like he who has a disbelieving heart, who is a sinner in tongue and action. There is a connection between the beginning of the Ayah on Riba and what Allah ended it with. Those who consume Riba are not satisfied with the permissible and pure resources that Allah provided them. Instead, they try to illegally acquire people's money by relying on evil methods. This demonstrates their lack of appreciation for the bounty that Allah provides.

Praising Those Who Thank Allah: Allah praised those who believe in His Lordship, obey His commands, thank Him and appreciate Him. They are those who are kind to His creation, establish prayer and give charity due on their money. Allah informed them of the honor that He has prepared for them and that they will be safe from the repercussions of the Day of Resurrection. 

Allah said, (Truly, those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and perform the Salah and give Zakah, they will have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.)

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

In contrast to the preceding example of disbelief and wrongdoing, the Sūrah presents the case of faith and righteousness, highlighting the essential attributes of the community of believers and the basis of the economic system which disavows usury and has the firm foundation of the important institution of Zakāt. The main element in this verse is that of Zakāt which denotes giving willingly, expecting nothing from any human being in return. The verse also introduces a feature of the community of believers and one of its important pillars, before it goes on to describe the total reassurance, tranquility and happiness such a community enjoys.

The institution of Zakāt represents the foundation of a caring, sympathetic and supportive society, which has no cause to resort to usury in any aspect of its life. The image of Zakāt has faded somewhat in the minds of those unfortunate generations of Muslims who have had no experience of life under Islam. They have not seen Islamic laws, ethics and principles shaping the daily lives of people, and creating a healthy, virtuous, decent society. They have had no experience of how Zakāt works in practical terms to bring about economic growth and prosperity as a reward for individual diligence and honest cooperation.

These generations have become accustomed to the odious effects of the materialist usurious system, which promotes greed, unashamed self- interest and social antagonism. They have come to accept that economic and commercial life cannot be run without usury, although under this system, the transfer of wealth is often accompanied by exploitation, while people who have no money have no security in life, and industry and commerce become hostages to the moneylenders.

To contemporary eyes, Zakāt appears as an outdated form of charity that does not fit into modern economic or financial systems. Yet Zakāt is paid out by people educated by Islam to implement Islamic laws and regulations, and to establish a system that can hardly be imagined by those who have never experienced it. Zakāt is levied by Muslim authorities at the yearly rate of 2.5 per cent on liquid money (or 5-10 per cent on crops, and 20 per cent on mineral resources), as an incumbent duty rather than optional charity. The authorities then distribute the proceeds among those in need in the community as widely as possible, in order for the beneficiaries to meet their basic necessities and alleviate their hardships. Debtors who are insolvent are helped with Zakāt money to settle their debts, whether these are personal or commercial. Poor people are helped to find appropriate work that makes them self-sufficient.

The form in which such a system operates is of secondary importance: what is important is the spirit in which the system and society come together and function as a whole to bring about genuine care and effective social welfare.

God promises those who conduct themselves according to the ethics and principles of faith, in submission to the divine will and in a spirit of cooperation, that they “shall have their reward with their Lord. They shall have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.” 

On the other hand, God threatens the advocates of usury that theft will live in fear, confusion, and insecurity, and that their society were to disintegrate. History has witnessed the benefits of the Islamic, non-usury system and its results in human society. It is today witnessing the disastrous and oppressive effects of the usury-based system that forms the core of contemporary civilization. We Muslims only wish we could make others see the force of our argument against the evils of usury, but all we can do is present the facts and hope that people will listen and heed our warnings and advice.

Please listen to explanation of the Ayat 277 by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow @IslamUltimate

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

Read More

Wishes and Hopes Will Not Help When One would see the Torment of Hell

There is a parable I often find in the social media about an dialogue between an believer and a dis-believer. The athiest is found telling the believer that what if after his death he finds that there was no Resurrection, no accountablity and no Paradise or Hell. How lost would you fell for having shied away from the colourful life full of lewdness and merrymaking. The believer is found answering: I know I am not wrong and know that there would be day when everyone will appear before God and will made to be accountable for one's deeds. And I am sure I will be among those who would be likely to be spared the torment of hell. But what would you do if all this turns out to be true? Who will be the loser. Just ponder over it.

The 27th verse from Surah 6. Al An'am basically hinges on the theme of the parable cited above. And on that day when the reality would unveil, atheists and non believers would find them on a point of no return. That fateful day they would be standing on the brink of the blazing fire of the hell and just before being thrown into it, they would repent and wish that if another chance was given to them to go back to the worldly life, they will make good their presence and would not follow the evil. But that day, Wishes and hopes will not help them when they would see the Torment of Hell:

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

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

Explaining the aforesaid verse / Ayat, Ibn e Kathir notes that Allah mentions the condition of the disbelievers when they are made to stand before the Fire on the Day of Resurrection and witness its chains and restraints, along with seeing the horrible, momentous conditions in the Fire with their own eyes. 

This is when the disbelievers will say, ("Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!'') They wish that they would be sent back to the life of the world so that they could perform righteous deeds, refrain from disbelieving in the Ayat of their Lord and be among the believers. 

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

The actual words are: وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ (we do not deny). This is the light indefinite tense (muḍāri‘ khafīf), but is not the answer to the desire expressed in the first part of the sentence. Its accusative form evidences the fact that the answer to the desire that is coordinated to it is suppressed here. Imām Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī writes:

A very obvious answer to the desire was فنصدق (we attest) or a similar one. Hence it was suppressed and this suppression was indicated through the particle of co-ordination in وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ. The eloquence in this expression is very telling: not only does longing exude from it, but their confession is also evident from it. In other words, today these people are showing arrogance and regarding the Qur’ān to be a tale of the ancients; however, on the day of judgement they will long to come back in this world to testify to the revelations of their Lord and not deny them. (Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī, Tadabbur-i Qur’ān, vol. 3, 36)

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

If we want to know the ultimate end of their efforts, we need only look at the result: “If you could but see them when they will be made to stand before the Fire! They will say: ‘Would that we could return! Then we would not deny our Lord’s revelations, but would be among the believers.’“ 

 

This is the scene which contrasts with their situation in this life. Now they are in a state of regret, humility and total loss. This is compared with their attitude when they turned away from guidance, using their power to force others to also turn away, and boasting about their own strength and influence.

 

“If you could but see them when they will be made to stand before the Fire!” Now they cannot turn away, use their argumentation, or repeat their falsehoods. If we were to see them ourselves in such a position, we would be sure to see something fearful. Their dearest wish would be: “Would that we could return! Then we would not deny our Lord’s revelations, but would be among the believers.” They know that the Qur’ān is God’s revelation, and their desire to return to earth is such that they may have a second chance when they no longer deny these revelations. They claim that they would make sure that they would be among the believers.

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow @IslamUltimate

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

Read More

Who should one side with: The Affluent and Arrogant or Humble Seekers of Countenance of Allah

It has become a general practice to honour the affluent and people holding position in corridors of governemnt or otherwise to  be given respect, no matter how arrogant they may wielding power from their ill gotten money while the poor, no matter how honest or upright, are looked down upon. This practice is not something new. It has been in vogue since the very early days and continues unabated till this day.

The same was the scenario at the advent of Islam. Those who embraced Islam were the poor who were treated severely and bitterly by the rich and powerful chieftains of Makkah who not only mocked the new religion being professed by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ but would also not like the presence of the poor when coming to see the revered Prophet ﷺ.

The 28th verse of Surah 18. Al Kahf (The People of the Cave) clearly describes the mindset of elite of a society which prevailed at its time of revelation and that stands true even today. 

وَاصۡبِرۡ نَـفۡسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِيۡنَ يَدۡعُوۡنَ رَبَّهُمۡ بِالۡغَدٰوةِ وَالۡعَشِىِّ يُرِيۡدُوۡنَ وَجۡهَهٗ​ وَلَا تَعۡدُ عَيۡنٰكَ عَنۡهُمۡ​ ۚ تُرِيۡدُ زِيۡنَةَ الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا​ ۚ وَ لَا تُطِعۡ مَنۡ اَغۡفَلۡنَا قَلۡبَهٗ عَنۡ ذِكۡرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوٰٮهُ وَكَانَ اَمۡرُهٗ فُرُطًا‏ 

(18:28) Keep yourself content with those who call upon their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His pleasure, and do not let your eyes pass beyond them. Do you seek the pomp and glitter of the world? Do not follow him whose heart We have caused to be heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desires, and whose attitude is of excess.

(Do you seek the pomp and glitter of the world?) Though these words have also been addressed to the Holy Prophet, they are really meant for the chiefs of the Quraish. According to a Tradition related by Ibn `Abbas, the chiefs of the Quraish would say to the Holy Prophet that they considered it below their dignity to sit with such people as Bilal, Suhaib, 'Ammar, Khabbab, Ibn-Mas`ud and the like who generally remained in his company: and that if he should send them away, they would be willing to attend his meetings in order to learn about his Message. At this Allah revealed this verse: "And keep yourself whole-heartedly content with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening in order to win His approval and do not turn your attention away from them: (Do you desire to discard these sincere but poor people so that the chiefs of the Quraish, the well-to-do people, should come and sit near you?)" This was meant to warn the chiefs of the Quraish to this effect: "Your wealth, your pomp and show of which you are so proud, has no value at all in the sight of Allah and His Messenger; nay, those poor people are really more worthy in their sight, for they are sincere and always remember Allah." The same was the attitude of the chiefs of Prophet Noah's people, who said, "And we see also that none but the meanest and the most shallow of our people have become your followers. " .... (Noah replied,) "I am not going to drive away those who have believed in me, nor can I say about those whom you disdain, `Allah has not bestowed any good on them' . . . " (XXI: vv. 27, 29, 31)  

( Do not follow him )  That is, "Do not yield to what he says, nor submit to him, nor fulfill his desire, nor follow his bidding." 

( whose heart We have caused to be heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his desires, and whose attitude is of excess ) The original Arabic text may also mean, "Who discards the truth, breaks all moral limits and rushes on headlong." But in both cases it comes to this: "The one, who is neglectful of Allah and becomes a slave of his lust, inevitably transgresses all limits and becomes a victim of immoderation. Therefore the one, who will submit to him, will also follow the same way and wander about in deviation after him.

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Cf. surah vi. Al An'am verse: 52 (Hence, repulse not [any of] those who at morn and evening invoke their Sustainer, seeking His countenance...). Read its explanation below: 

According to Traditions, this and the next verse were revealed when, several years before the Muslims' exodus to Medina, some of the pagan chieftains at Mecca expressed their willingness to consider accepting Islam on the condition that the Prophet would dissociate himself from the former slaves and other "lowly" persons among his followers - a demand which the Prophet, of course, rejected. This historical reference does not, however, provide a full explanation of the above passage. In accordance with the Qur'anic method, allusions to historical events - whether relating to contemporary occurrences or to earlier times - are always made with a view to expressing ethical teachings of a permanent nature; and the passage under consideration is no exception in this respect. As the wording shows, it relates not to "lowly" followers of Islam but to people who, while not being Muslims in the current sense of this word, believe in God and are always ("at morn and evening") "seeking His countenance" (i.e., His grace and acceptance): and thus, verses {52-53} connect logically with verse {51}. Although primarily addressed to the Prophet, the exhortation voiced in this passage is directed to all followers of the Qur'an: they are enjoined not to repulse anyone who believes in God - even though his beliefs may not fully answer to the demands of the Qur'an - but, on the contrary, to try to help him by means of a patient explanation of the Qur'anic teachings.

The true servants of Allah are those whose hearts are turned to Him morning, noon, and night, and who seek not worldly gain, but Allah's Grace, Allah's own Self, His Presence and nearness. Even if they are poor in this world's goods, their society gives far more inward and spiritual satisfaction than worldly grandeur or worldly attractions.

For those who stray from Allah's path, Allah's Grace is ever anxious: it seeks to reclaim them and bring them back to the path. If such a one resists, and follows his own lusts, a point is reached when his case becomes hopeless. Allah's Grace does not then reach him, and he is abandoned to his pride and insolence. Beware of following the example or advice of such a one or seeking his society, or hankering after his wretched idols.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

 Here by addressing the Prophet (sws), the affluent and arrogant of the Quraysh are warned that God’s messenger does not need their pampering. His cherished companions are the ones and should be the ones who call out to their Lord morning and evening. Thus, the Prophet (sws) too is urged that his responsibility is to convey God’s message faithfully and not the slightest give importance to the wealth, authority and social status of his addressees.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

And contain yourself in patience with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His countenance. Let not your eyes pass beyond them in quest of the beauties of the life of this world. Pay no heed to any whose heart We have left to be negligent of all remembrance of Us because he had always followed his own desires, and whose case has gone beyond all bounds.

Say: ‘The truth [has now come] from your Lord. Let him who wills, believe in it, and let him who wills, reject it.’ (Verses 28-29)

Some reports suggest that these verses were revealed when some of the noblemen of the Quraysh demanded that the Prophet should expel his poor Companions if he were to hope that the chiefs of the Quraysh tribe would ever come to believe in his message. Thus people like Bilāl, `Ammār, Şuhayb, Khabbāb and `Abdullāh ibn Mas`ūd would have to be expelled from his companionship. Or at least the Prophet should make special arrangements, whereby he could meet the masters of the Quraysh on their own, in a place where none of the poor and the deprived were admitted. The rich, they argued, would be irritated if they had to sit in the same place with them, because their clothing smelled of perspiration.

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

The arrogant affluent are always prone to lust and power. They think that they can dominate any movement with their riches. All the revolutions in human history is due to the poor masses struggle under a Great Leader. And Islamic Revolution which started under the Leadership of Prophet Muhammad PBUH still reverberates in our minds. Minds of common Muslim and not of elites. So Muslim Leaders should assemble poor masses for rebuilding a Muslim society. The Elites will never cooperate as its happening in many ocuntries, specially many Muslim countries, around the world.

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

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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