Categorizing people by Allah Almighty:
Dear believing brothers, this is the third lesson of the interpretation of Surat Al-Hajj. Allah the Almighty mentions types of people who are misled followers, oppressing leaders or wobbling people who have doubts:
﴾ If good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. ﴿
These are some types of people who are described by Allah Almighty.
Allah's Will is related to His non-Finite Wisdom:
Allah says in the next Ayah:
﴾ Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds (according to the Quran and the Sunnah) to Gardens underneath which rivers flow (in Paradise). Verily, Allah does what He wills.
﴿
Allah decrees that those who believe will be admitted to Paradise underneath which rivers flow and wherein they will live forever. Allah's Will shall be fulfilled, and whatever takes place is due to Allah's Will, because nothing will take place in Allah's Kingdom without His Will. Accordingly, the believer deems it definite that there is truth about everything, so the truth about faith is to believe that whatever befalls you shall never miss you, and whatever misses you shall never befall you. To this effect, the Prophet PBUH said as narrated by Abi Hurairah:
(( "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: 'If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: 'Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word 'if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts". ))
[ Muslim, on the authority of Abi Hurairah
]
The word "If only" is not included in the believer's dictionary, because he believes that nothing takes place in Allah's kingdom without His Will and that Allah's Will shall be fulfilled, because Allah Almighty does what He intends (or wills). Furthermore, this Divine Will is related to wisdom, namely, when Allah wills something to happen, His Will accords with His Wisdom.
Man sometimes acts under pressure or out of ignorance in a way that might make him regret it later on when facts are revealed to him, and thus he wishes that he had never acted like that. This is how man acts, but unlike him, Allah Almighty's Will is related to Divine Wisdom, which is related to the non-finite goodness.
Again, nothing takes place in Allah's Kingdom without His Will, and Allah's Will shall be fulfilled, given this Will is related to His Wisdom which in its turn is related to the non-finite goodness.
Allah's Will with regard to those who believe and offer good deeds is fulfilled when they are admitted to Paradise forever. One more thing is that the great creation of the heavens and the earth is incomparable to man's, whose lifespan is short, and since the heavens and the earth are subjugated to him, is it rational that his short life ends upon his death? In fact, man's life starts with death. Regarding this point, Allah tells us about the one who is taken aback by death because he has never offered any good deed during his life:
﴾ He will say: "Alas! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my life!"* So on that Day, none will punish as He will punish* And none will bind as He will bind. ﴿
Faith and offering good deeds go hand in hand:
There is one more point about this Ayah:
﴾ Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds (according to the Quran and the Sunnah). ﴿
This part of the Ayah "Those who believe and do righteous good deeds" is mentioned more than 200 times in the Quran, because faith without good deeds is valueless. If you believe that fans work on electricity, what action have you taken? It is a fact that fans work on electricity, but believing so does not make any difference, does it? Offering righteous good deeds elevates you in the Sight of Allah Almighty.
Having faith without offering any good deed that proves your faith is worthless. "Faith without good deeds is like trees without fruits". Faith entails offering good deeds, and when actions are done correctly (according to the Quran and Sunnah), the faith is sound".
There are two types of people; whoever belongs to the first type pretends that his deeds are righteous, and thus he is in no need of worshiping Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Such a person claims, "It is all about the heart, and my heart is clean, I do not hold any grudge against anyone." Beware, offering good deeds only without faith is not enough.
Whoever belongs to the second type of people pretends that he has faith, and faith lies in the heart not in offering good deeds. Well, he is mistaken, and the following Ayah refutes his claims:
﴾ Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds (according to the Quran and the Sunnah) to Gardens. ﴿
It is said, "Faith does not abide in wishes, but it dwells in hearts, and (should) be verified by deeds." According to another narration, "Faith is what dwells in the heart, confirmed with the tongue and verified by deeds."
Every Muslim on earth wishes to be among the people of faith and every Muslim shows the appearance of a believer; however, wishes and appearances are not enough. Faith goes along with offering righteous good deeds. No matter how sound your Aqeedah (creed) is, it is worthless unless it is verified by your deeds and compliance. On the other hand, no matter how righteous your deeds are, they are worthless if they are not based on right Aqeedah.
﴾ Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds (according to the Quran and the Sunnah) to Gardens underneath which rivers flow (in Paradise). Verily, Allah does what He wills. ﴿
Some indications of the Ayah "Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him in this world and in the Hereafter…":
He who falls in despair and pessimism is not a true believer and his life is worthless:
Allah says:
Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself. Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages!
This Ayah has many interpretations, according to interpreters of the Noble Quran. Some of them said, "You should seek Allah's Help, you should have good opinion of Allah, you should pin your hopes on Allah Almighty and you should take refuge with Him".
Despair, giving up hope, melancholy and pessimism do not exist in Islam. Allah owns what man does not own, so when Allah gives someone from His Bestowal, He astonishes him. When people lost hope in Allah's Mercy, there was no rain, but when they resorted to Him, He sent unprecedented volume of rainfall.
The one, who gives up on Allah's Mercy, the one who gets desperate of the Divine Victory and the one who thinks that Allah is not with the believers, that He will not grant them triumph and that He will not help them reach their destiny is too far from having faith.
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, ﴿
He is not a believer, and his life is worthless, so it is better to him to die than to remain alive (since his life is pointless).
2- Infidels' hearts were filled with grudge and resentment after Allah raised high the Prophet's fame and granted him victory:
The second meaning: The object of preposition "him" does not refer to the one "who thinks" but rather it refers to the Prophet PBUH.
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, ﴿
This man "who thinks" is melancholic, he depreciates all hopes, he undermines all hopeful matters, he ruins all the ambitions and he tries to convince you that Allah will not grant victory to any believer and that things are getting worse. This person is not a believer, because he does not know Allah. He is a polytheist because he does not believe that everything is in The Hand of Allah Almighty and that Allah's Hand is the Upper One. Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ Verily, those who give Baia (pledge) to you (O Muhammad PBUH) they are giving Baia (pledge) to Allah. The Hand of Allah is over their hands. Then whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks only to his own harm, and whosoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allah, He will bestow on him a great reward. ﴿
The one who lives in despair, pessimism, melancholy and hopelessness is not a believer, better yet, his life is worthless and his death is better than his life. This is the first meaning.
The second meaning is that the object of preposition "him" refers to the Prophet PBUH:
﴾ will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) ﴿
The infidels in Makkah never thought that Allah Almighty would raise high the fame of the Prophet PBUH. In contrast to their expectations, he PBUH moved to Al-Madinah where faithful and loyal companions believed in him, he outpowered the disbelievers of Makkah in Badr Battle and he established a new Islamic Ummah (in Madinah). Thus, the infidels were shocked after the Prophet PBUH was granted this triumph and explicit victory. Accordingly, their hearts were full of grudge.
Based on these points, the pronoun in the Ayah refers to the Prophet PBUH. So the Ayah talks about the one who thinks that Allah will not help His Prophet, will not raise high his fame, will not grant him victory and will not have mercy on the believers, it talks about the one who wishes that evil befalls Muslims and it talks about the one who thinks that Allah loves him despite being a sinner and that Allah hates believers despite being obedient.
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, ﴿
Allah granted His Prophet victory, and thus infidels' hearts held grudge. The one who thinks that way shall seethe with rage.
Unmistakable victory is Allah's Way in case of His Prophets and the believers:
The Word of Allah Almighty is fulfilled by making His believing worshipers victorious:
﴾ Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) in this worlds life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth, (i.e. Day of Resurrection), ﴿
It is a Promise in truth which is binding on Allah, and it is indeed a great promise.
﴾ Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). ﴿
The infidels in Makkah thought that Allah would not grant His Prophet PBUH victory in this world and in the Hereafter, but when Allah made him victorious their hearts were filled with grudge and hatred. Allah will never change His Promise to His creations, which is making the believers victorious.
If one of two friends, neighbors or colleagues, is steadfast on Allah's Path, while the other one is deviated from it, and he is smart, he will boast about his smartness, thinking that he is in a better situation than the steadfast believer. He thinks that being promoted and being intelligent are enough to make money, only then he will be surprised that Allah elevates the believer to a higher rank, raises high his fame and grants him prosperity in his life. The deviated one should not hold a grudge against the believer, nor should he be outraged because this is one of Allah's Divine Way in the case of His Creations.
﴾ Moosa (Moses) said to his people: "Seek help in Allah and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allahs. He gives it as a heritage to whom He will of His slaves, and the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqoon (pious - see V.2:2)." ﴿
This Ayah has a wide meaning.
The practical side of this Ayah is that if one of two persons (neighbors, friends, colleagues, brothers or partners…) is steadfast, he fears Allah and he seeks His Mercy, while the other one is deviated from Allah's Path, and he neglects the religious values, Allah will definitely grant the believer victory in this world, He will provide him with enough lawful sustenance, He will make him delighted with his family, He will grant him a higher rank, He will make people love him and He will raise high his fame and reputation.
The deviated person should not hold a grudge against the believer and should not complain by saying, "I am smarter than him, and I have more acquaintances than him, and my scientific degree is higher than his", because he should keep in mind that this is a Divine Way.
﴾ (O disbelievers) if you ask for a judgement, now has the judgement come unto you and if you cease (to do wrong), it will be better for you, and if you return (to the attack), so shall We return, and your forces will be of no avail to you, however numerous it be, and verily, Allah is with the believers. ﴿
[ Al-Anfal, 19
]
﴾ Truly, Allah defends those who believe. Verily! Allah likes not any treacherous ingrate to Allah (those who disobey Allah but obey Shaitan (Satan). ﴿
﴾ Verily, those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)) and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Beneficent (Allah) will bestow love for them (in the hearts of the believers). ﴿
This is the second meaning. So, let the person whose heart has been filled with grudge upon knowing that the Prophet PBUH was granted victory and that his companions became victorious, die out of holding this rage.
Allah does what He wills, and His Will is fulfilled without a permission of any side:
There is a side meaning also. If the person, whose heart has been filled with grudge when the Prophet PBUH was granted victory, could prevent this victory then let him do it if he could. Indeed, he would never be able to do that. This is one more meaning added to the second meaning.
If someone has been outraged by the victory that was granted to the Noble prophet PBUH, let him ascend in the sky and prevent the Revelation from the Prophet, given this is impossible to happen, namely he cannot.
When Allah decrees that His Prophet PBUH will be victorious, no one can prevent that. When Allah decrees to honor His Prophet PBUH and His believers, He does not wait for anyone's approval. When Allah decrees to raise high the fame of the believer, He does not wait for anyone's consent for that decision.
This is the way of Allah, as He does what He wills.
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself. Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages! ﴿
The answer is no! If anyone were able to ascent the sky, could he prevent the victory to be granted to the Prophet PBUH? Absolutely he could not, neither could he prevent the Revelation.
3- When man is surrounded with calamities he should draw close to Allah by offering good deeds:
There is a third meaning. Whoever thinks that he has reached a dead end (like failing in a contest, being rejected from this job or trying a way and failed), and so he believes that all the ways are blocked, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel, be sure that there is a cure for him. He should know that Allah Almighty is not against him, and it does not befit Allah to be against any worshiper of His.
(( Abu Dharr quoted Allah's Messenger as saying among the things he transmitted from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, that He has said, "My servants, I have made oppression unlawful for myself and I have made it unlawful among you, so do not oppress one another. My servants, you are all straying except those whom I guide, but if you ask for my guidance I will guide you. My servants, you are all hungry except those whom I feed, but if you ask me for food I will feed you. My servants, you are all naked except those whom I have clothed, but if you ask me for clothing I will clothe you. My servants, you are all sinning night and day, but I forgive all sins, so if you ask me forgiveness I will forgive you. My servants, you will not be able to injure me and succeed in such a purpose, neither will you be able to benefit me and succeed in such a purpose. My servants, even if the first and last of you, men and jinn, were as pious as the one with the most pious heart among you, that would not cause any increase in my dominion. My servants, if the first and last of you, men and jinn, were as wicked as the man with the most wicked heart among you, that would not cause any diminution in my dominion. My servants, if the first and last of you, men and jinn, were to stand in one plain and make request of me and I were to give every man what he asked, that would make no more diminution of what I possess than a needle would when put into the sea. My servants, they are only your deeds which I put to your account and then pay you in full for them; so let him who experiences good praise God, and let him whose experience is different blame no one but himself." ))
[ Muslim, on the authority of Abi Dharr ]
This means that Allah does not make things hard on someone, because He takes him as a foe, but rather He is disciplining him for a while due to a sin he has committed.
The third meaning of the Ayah is that whoever thinks that Allah will not grant him triumph, will not provide him with sustenance, will not give him peace of mind or will not relieve him from hardship, and that all he receives from Allah are continuous problems and hardships should not be desperate, nor should he say, "I wish to die". He should always keep in mind that Allah is Ghani (The Ever-Affluent) and Kareem (The Generous).
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling. ﴿
Instead of falling in despair, let him offer a good deed (as a reason to bring about Allah's pleasure), only then Allah will be pleased with him. Hence, let him offer a good deed that brings about Allah's Pleasure.
﴾ Let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling.
﴿
Let him help someone, give Sadaqah, serve his parents, be kind to his neighbors, guide a deviated person, help a suffering person, give aid to a patient, remove a harmful object from the road or donate part of his lawfully gained money.
﴾ Let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling. ﴿
He should do that whenever he is in adversity, whenever hardship befalls him, whenever his income becomes limited, whenever he is afflicted with diseases and whenever he is showered with troubles. The poet said:
All sorts of life's hardship have befallen me
Till my heart is shattered from its arrows
The life's arrows hit me everywhere until
The new ones are broken on the old ones
In some cases, when someone has all sorts of hardship and problems, he has no way out and he is afflicted with successive problems and adversities that affect his health, his family, his children, those who are superior or inferior to him, he says, "What a life, O Lord!"
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling ﴿
Give Sadaqah. The Prophet PBUH said as narrated by Ali bin Abi Taleb:
((Sadaqah (Alms giving) brings about rain (sustenance) ))
Pay Sadaqah, serve a human being, sponsor an orphan, be dutiful to your parents, help a weak person, offer a good deed, draw closer to Allah and find a way with which you gain Allah's Pleasure.
﴾ And let him strangle himself.
﴿
It means: Let him break away from Shaitan (Satan), stop sinning and avoid violating Allah's Restrictions. When man becomes desperate from getting help from Allah and from being provided with sustenance, let him offer a good deed that is based on true righteousness, and then let him wait the results, because doing so will drive away the grudge, the hatred and the feeling of being deprived from his heart. This is the third meaning.
Summary of the above points:
The Noble Quran might indicate many meanings as Imam Ali said. You can use any of the three meanings:
Firstly: faith entails that you seek Allah's Help and put your trust in Him, and if you do not do that then you are not a true believer, and your life has no value.
Secondly: Your grudge against the people of faith due to being elevated by Allah Almighty will not change the way Allah treats them.
Thirdly: when life gets tough and you are afflicted with all sorts of hardship and thus Shaitan whispers to you that Allah decreed your agony and that He created you to suffer and to be deprived of everything, and he proves his claims by saying to you that the disbelievers own the power, the money and the good health while you are deprived of all that, at this point, you should pay Sadaqah.
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling. ﴿
I was told by so many people who were in hardship that when they paid Sadaqah, the hardship went away and the Sadaqah was their key to obtain money. Hence, offer a good deed with which you gain Allah's Pleasure, but be aware that this deed is worthless if it is accompanied with sins.
(( Two Rak'as (of Prayer performed) by a pious person are far better than a thousand Rak'as by someone who mingles good deeds with evil ones. ))
Offer a good deed that is based on righteousness, and you will be bestowed with provision, and when Allah gives His worshippers, He astonishes them. Allah says:
﴾ "Verily! Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous deeds, shall have the Gardens of Al-Firdaus (the Paradise) for their entertainment. ﴿
﴾ Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter). ﴿
It is an indubitable promise. If you follow Allah's Orders, you will reap the fruits of Allah's Promise. In fact, this Ayah counters all sorts of despair, disappointment, dullness, deprivation, melancholy and pessimism, better yet, it inspires hope. Even the one, who has been diagnosed with intractable disease, he still has hope of recovery if he devotedly supplicates Allah for a cure, and he offers good deeds to seek Allah's Pleasure.
﴾ "And when I am ill, it is He who cures me; ﴿
There is no limits to Allah's omnipotence. Physicians are speechless when they are face to face with a case in which an intractable disease is self-healed and they usually say, "This is how we deal with this disease; however, it is self-healed". When Allah directly interferes to cure someone, it is categorized as self-healing.
Man should not lose hope on being healed, on getting better provision, on having good health or on guiding a heedless wife. He might say, "It is impossible to guide my heedless wife" Who told you so? She might change overnight and become a different person. Who told you that it is impossible to change her? There is no despair or pessimism in Islam. Never say "never", for what Allah has is different from what you assume. Be aware that whatever is in Allah's Hand is undoubtedly good.
﴾ Whoever thinks that Allah will not help him (Muhammad PBUH) in this world and in the Hereafter, let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself. Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages! ﴿
The answer in both meanings (the first and the second): "It will not remove his rage". If you held a grudge against the Prophet PBUH because Allah granted him victory, then do whatever you like, for whatever you plot will not change that fact and will not remove your rage.
In the third meaning, the answer is: "It removes the rage."
﴾ Then let him see whether his plan will remove that whereat he rages! ﴿
There is a price for Allah's Guidance:
﴾Thus have We sent it (this Quran) down (to Muhammad PBUH) as clear signs, evidences and proofs, and surely, Allah guides whom He wills. ﴿
Allah will guide the one who pays the price for guidance by obeying Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. To make this point clear, take the example of the university; it educates its students only, so those who refused to be students in it, will be educated by it.
﴾ And surely, Allah guides whom He wills.
﴿
This means: If you choose to be guided, Allah guides you, but if you choose to turn away from Allah, He will not guide you.
﴾ Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful ﴿
﴾ For every nation there is a direction to which they face (in their prayers). So hasten towards all that is good. Wheresoever you may be, Allah will bring you together (on the Day of Resurrection). Truly, Allah is Able to do all things. ﴿
﴾ And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "O my people! Why do you hurt me while you know certainly that I am the Messenger of Allah to you? So when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path). And Allah guides not the people who are Fasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). ﴿
﴾ But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah? Verily! Allah guides not the people who are Zalimoon (wrong-doers, disobedient to Allah, and polytheists). ﴿
Allah does not guide liars. Allah's Guidance entails requirements, and deviation from the Right Path is done in steps (taken by people). Thus, whoever chooses to turn away from the Right Path, Allah will leave him astray, and whoever fulfills the requirements of guidance, Allah will guide him to the Right Path.
﴾ Allah guides whom He wills. ﴿
Allah Almighty has made a path for guidance, so whoever takes it will be guided to Allah.
The government set up specific requirements for those who want to become physicians, like having high scores in high school, then being admitted to the medical school and then graduating from it. As a result, whoever fulfills the requirements will be accredited as a physician, but whoever does not will be prevented from practising medicine. He will also be accused of imposture and be punished upon practising medicine, right? This example helps us understand how Allah Almighty set up a path for guidance, so whoever takes it will be guided by Allah, but whoever turns away from it, will be left astray by Allah.
The primary guidance and the recompensed one:
In fact, there is initiative guidance (sought by the person himself) and there is retributive one. Likewise, there is initiative deviation from the Right Path (it starts with the person himself) and there is retributive one.
Wherever an Ayah that Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, leads someone astray is mentioned in Noble Quran, it refers to the retributive one, which is chosen by the person himself initiatively. Similarly, wherever an Ayah that Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, guides someone to the Right Path mentioned in Noble Quran, it refers to the retributive guidance that was initiatively chosen by the person himself. This is the meaning of the Ayah:
﴾ Thus have We sent it (this Quran) down (to Muhammad PBUH) as clear signs, evidences and proofs, and surely, Allah guides whom He wills. ﴿
﴾ Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful. ﴿
Allah guides to the Right Path whoever chooses to be guided to it.
People vary in their beliefs, however Al-Haqq is one:
﴾ Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad PBUH), and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah. ﴿
Aside from the believers, in this Ayah, Allah Almighty mentions people who have different doctrines and beliefs. There are Christians, Jews, Sabians, Magians (who worships fire claiming that it protects them from its evil since they have realized that this universe has good and evil and darkness and light) and those who joins others in worship with Allah. Al-Haqq (the truth) is one despite all the different doctrines, beliefs, thoughts, values and rulings among these six groups.
﴾ Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad PBUH), ﴿
This is the first group.
﴾ And those who are Jews,
﴿
This is the second group.
This is the third group.
This is the fourth group.
This is the fifth group.
﴾ And those who worship others besides Allah,
﴿
Six creeds are mentioned, yet Al-Haqq is one, and it exists in one of them, so Who will judge between them? Allah Almighty will. Each group claims to be the one that follows Al-Haqq and the others do not; "Each sect rejoices in that which is with it."
This is the way of the worldly life, for every sect assumes that it is the center of the world and that Al-Haqq is with it, while the other sects are in plain error. Buddhist, Sikhs in India, other sects, Muslims, Christians or Jews, each one of these sects assumes that it follows Al-Haqq and the others are in plain error.
﴾ Truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily! Allah is Witness over all things. ﴿
Allah will judge between people on the Day of Resurrection:
﴾ Truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. ﴿
Al-Haqq is clarified by Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, in Quran, which is sent down by Allah Almighty Who has taken upon His Entity to guard it from corruption. Hence, whoever follows the Quran is actually following Al-Haqq, and whoever turns away from Quran is definitely following Al-Batil (falsehood).
This Quran sets standards against which you measure your faith. It is like having six fabrics that are different in lengths, and it is written on one of them that its length is 10 meters, the second is 50 meters, the third is 15 meters…etc, the meter will be the only tool to measure which is which. Thus, due to Allah's Mercy upon us, He has descended this Quran upon His Prophet PBUH, and it is referred to as follows:
﴾ Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah). ﴿
Al-Batil cannot come to it. Therefore, the one whose creed and behavior comply with this Quran, surely he follows the explicit Haqq.
﴾ So put your trust in Allah; surely, you (O Muhammad PBUH) are on manifest truth. ﴿
The bottom line is that man should follow the gist of Islam and not only its rituals:
The formal belonging to this religion is manifested in saying, "I am a Muslim", while his income is Haram, the female members of his family are indecent in the way they dress and he is loyal to the disbelievers and they are closer to him than his fellow believers, so what kind of Islam is this?
Ibn Mas'ud narrated, the Prophet PBUH said:
(( The one whose prayer does not prevent him from iniquity and vice (Al-Fahsha' and Al-Munkar), gains nothing from Allah except remoteness. ))
[ Ahmad, on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud ]
(( Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger as saying, "If one does not abandon falsehood and action in accordance with it, Allah had no need that he should abandon his food and his drink." ))
[ Bukhari, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
﴾ O you who believe! Do not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. ﴿
You will not prosper if the Salah you perform does not prevent you from committing sins and wrongdoings, if your Siyaam (fasting) does not prevent you from giving false testimony or if your donation is given out of personal interest and not sincerely out of faith. All these acts of worship are in vain if they are not performed out of faith, sincerity and exaltedness.
﴾ Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad PBUH), and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah,
﴿
If there are six shops, the signboard of each of them is shining with lights, but there are no goods in them, what will be the value of these shops? Unfortunately, both the Muslim and the non-Muslim are the same nowadays, for the Muslim earns unlawful income, he deviates from the Right Path, his social relationships are like the ones of the non-Muslims, and he performs his Salah improperly (it is devoid from its ritual content).
Like the Muslim, the Christian prays in the church paying attention to form of his prayer rather than to its content, and he lives his life as he wishes. Thus, the differences between all these groups (including Muslims) are only in the forms of their rituals.
Only the true believer who abides by Allah's Orders and performs good deeds will be elevated in The Sight of Allah. Therefore, belonging to different religious sects in formality is valueless, because success lies in acting upon religion and offering good deeds. Allah says:
﴾ Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve . ﴿
The main point concerning all these creeds is mentioned in the following part of the Ayah:
﴾ Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve .
﴿
Hence, you should follow the gist of religion not its appearances.
﴾ Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad PBUH), and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah, truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily! Allah is Witness over all things. ﴿
Allah will judge between them because He is Witness over all things: He knows their creed, He sees their good deeds and wrongdoings, He is aware of their honesty or unfaithfulness, He knows if they are sincere or dishonest and He observes their love to the worldly life or their abstinence from it. It is like sifting between the counterfeit currency and the real one by using an advanced device, so the one with the counterfeit currency will be arrested and the one with the real currency will be left alone.
The different types of prostration:
﴾ See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified. And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honour him. Verily! Allah does what He wills. ﴿
Scholars said, "Prostration has two kinds; compelled prostration and prostration that is performed as an act of worship.
The entire universe is compelled by Allah Almighty, namely, everything in the universe moves by the Orders of Allah including the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, the galaxies, the stars, the mountains and the animals and so on.
Everything Allah has created but is in need of Allah Almighty and is submissive to Him, since it can be created in one word; "be", and it is, and it can disappear in one word as well; "vanish" and it vanishes.
The compelled prostration manifests the inevitable need of Allah. In other words, the tree is in need of Allah, and without Him, it will die. Every creature is in need of Allah, and this need implies its submissive prostration to Him. The existence of things entirely depends on Allah Almighty.
﴾ Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursee extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 255
]
Things' existence depends on Allah. Unlike the prostration of things, man's prostration is an act of worship. There is a big difference between the compelled prostration (out of need to exist) and the prostration performed (by man) as an act of worship.
Man prostrates to Allah out of his own choice, because he has given the free will. When man chooses to obey Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, and he prostrates to Him as an act of worship, Allah will reward him abundantly.
The prostration of the entire universe to Allah:
﴾ See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, ﴿
Why does Allah mention particularly among all the creations of the heavens and the earth? He does so, because some people worship the sun.
﴾ And from among His Signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate not to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to Allah Who created them, if you (really) worship Him. ﴿
﴾ And the moon, and the stars,
﴿
There are people who worship the stars.
﴾ And the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), ﴿
There are people who worship cows and they put their manure in their guest rooms. Moreover, they wear the cow's urine as a perfume. Also, if the cow stops in the middle of the road, the cars stop until it decides to move. They are starving although there are countless amounts of cows (it is against their religion to harm the cow).
There are people who worship cows, who worship trees, who worship stars and who worship the sun and the moon. Allah intends in this Ayah to tell whoever associates partners with Him in worship that those partners, prostrate to Allah Almighty the compelled prostration (due to their desperate need of Him).
Who has made the cow move? Allah Almighty has. Who has made the tree grow? Allah Almighty has. Who has given the sun its heat and light? Allah Almighty has, and on the Day of Resurrection the sun will die down.
﴾ When the sun Kuwwirat (wound round and lost its light and is overthrown ). ﴿
Who has made the sun run in the space? Allah Almighty has:
﴾ And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the Decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. ﴿
If Allah wills, the sun will stop moving. Hence:
﴾ See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, ﴿
Any electric appliance is useful as long as there is power, but with no power it is useless, so this appliance is in need of power and it depends on it, namely, it is submissive to it.
Allah is The Provider (of everything), and thus every creature needs to be provided with whatever it needs in order to exist, otherwise its existence will come to an end. Hence, the entire universe is submissive to Allah in the sense that everything in it is in need of Allah for its existence, and this is its (submissive) prostration. Such kind of prostration is different from the one of man which is performed as an act of worship.
Prostrating to Allah indicates that man knows Him and knows that Allah has created everything and that Allah is the Manager of all matters, The Bestower of graces and The Owner of favor. This prostration is higher in rank than the prostration of other creatures. Abu Hurairah narrated that:
(( The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "The believer is more precious to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, than some of His angels." ))
[ As-Suyooti, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
Nothing is more honorable in The Sight of Allah than the believer:
(( Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Reviling a Muslim is Fusuq (disobedience of Allah) and killing him is (tantamount to) disbelief." ))
[ Bukhari, on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud ]
The vanishing of the entire world is easier for Allah than witnessing the killing of a believer. Regarding this point, this is a Hadith Qudsi:
(( Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has said: 'I will declare war against him who treats with hostility a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary prayers or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) until I love him, (so much so that) I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me something, I will surely give him, and if he seeks My Protection (refuge), I will surely protect him, I have not hesitated about anything I do as I hesitate about taking the soul of a believer who dislikes death, for I dislike grieving him, but he cannot escape it." ))
[ Bukhari, on the authority of Abi Hurairah ]
When Allah declares war against someone, the latter will be destroyed.
It was reported, "Neither My Heavens nor My Earth contains Me, but the heart of My Believing Servant contains Me."
Rejecting to prostrate as an act of worship will bring about Hellfire:
﴾ And the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many (men). ﴿
Allah does not say, "mankind" but rather He says, "many of mankind".
﴾ And many of mankind?
﴿
Saying so indicates that man owns the free will, unlike the other creatures which are deprived of choice. Man is composed of instincts and reason, the angels are composed of reason without instinct and the animals are composed of instincts only. This means that man owns the freedom of choice, and he is divinely assigned. Allah says:
﴾ And many of mankind? But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified.
﴿
They are punished, because they do not prostrate to Allah, expressing their worship to Him.
When Allah wills to discipline someone, nothing can stop His Will:
﴾ And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honour him. ﴿
When Allah honors someone, the latter will see the impossible happening, even his enemy will be at his disposal.
It will be announced in the universe
that Allah loves this person
Thus all those in the universe
will be informed of that love
When Allah wills to humiliate someone, He will use those who are close to him to humiliate him. Also, when Allah wills to discipline a person, his intelligence, ability to manage things, or wisdom will be of no use to prevent Allah's Will, Exalted and Sublime be He.
﴾ For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah. Verily! Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allah). But when Allah wills a peoples punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector. ﴿
Ask Allah for safety.
﴾ And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honour him. ﴿
Allah does not say, "He has no one to honor him"
﴾ None can honour him.
﴿
Allah negates that any person will ever honor him, not even his servant. If someone is honored by Allah, let him know that this honor is not gained due to his intelligence, but rather it is Allah's Favor upon him. Moreover, if man's matters are easy going then that is a favor from Allah upon him. Furthermore, if someone is loved by people, it is Allah's Favor, and if he ever thinks that this love is due to his intelligence, actions or wisdom, he is in great error.
﴾ Verily! Allah does what He wills. ﴿
People are of two groups: Those who know Allah and those who do not:
Allah says:
﴾ These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) ﴿
There are six creeds that are mentioned in this Ayah:
﴾ Verily, those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad SAW), and those who are Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah, ﴿
It is the duality of Al-Haqq and Al-Batil, believing and disbelieving, benevolence and wronging and steadfastness on the Right Path and turning away from it. Allah says:
﴾ These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; ﴿
In Arabic, Allah uses the word "dispute" to refer to more than two opponents, but why? It is out of eloquence.
﴾ These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other ﴿
It means that all those groups and orientations (no matter how many they are) will be narrowed down to only two parties; the one who follows Al-Haqq and the one who follows Al-Batil, good people and bad people, guided people and deviated ones and devoted worshipers and sinners.
﴾ These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; ﴿
"Dispute with each other about their Lord" means that the first group of people describe Allah with which befits Him, thus they describe Him as The Merciful, as The All-Knowing and as The Omnipotence, and due to this true description, they obey Him, worship Him and draw close to Him. Therefore, Allah elevates their rank and grant them happiness, whereas the second group of people do not describe Allah with which befits Him and they associate partners with Him and they claim that angels are females.
If man does not describe Allah rightly, he does not exalt Him above that which does not befit Him and he accuses Him of oppression, he does not obey Allah, and he just lives in wishful thinking.
﴾ This is because they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a number of days." And that which they used to invent regarding their religion has deceived them. ﴿
Man relies on wishes when he describes Allah wrongly in using words for which Allah has sent down no authority.
﴾ These two opponents (believers and disbelievers)
﴿
It comes down to two groups; the first group of people know Allah, follow His Orders and offer good deeds and thus they gain happiness in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. As for the second group, they are people who do not know Allah, who describe Him as an oppressor, who claim He has daughters, who associate partners with Him in worship, who say that Allah created this universe and left people to do as they wish and who claim that Allah gives man power (as the Mu'tazilah claimed).
Disbelievers' destiny is Hellfire:
﴾ These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them,
﴿
Some said, "It is melt copper…
﴾ Boiling water will be poured down over their heads. ﴿
Boiling water…
﴾ With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins. And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them). ﴿
Whips of iron…
﴾ Every time they seek to get away there from, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: "Taste the torment of burning!" ﴿
Those people never knew Allah and never followed His Orders, and they committed sins.
Believers' destiny is Paradise:
﴾ Truly, Allah will admit those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, to Gardens underneath which rivers flow (in Paradise), wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls and their garments therein will be of silk. recitation of the Quran, etc.) And they are guided (in this world) unto goodly speech (i.e. La ilaha ill-Allah, Alhamdu lillah, recitation of the Quran, etc.). ﴿
Either reciting Quran or glorifying Allah and lauding Him.
﴾ And they are guided to the Path of Him (i.e. Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism), Who is Worthy of all praises. ﴿
We are about to receive Hajj season, and Glory be to Allah it is about time to interpret the Ayaat of Hajj. Next lecture I will go in details in interpreting the Ayaat of Hajj.
