Truth is firm while falsehood is evanescent.

 Dear believers, this is the 85th lesson of Surat Al-Baqarah which deals with the ayah number 256 in which Allah the Almighty says:

"There is no compulsion in religion."

[Al-Baqarah, 256]

 First, the Arabic word 'Deen' (religion) is derived from the verb 'Dana' which means:'submitted', and man, on account of his nature and his mind, never submits but to perfection, logic and rightness, and rightness is what is fixed and purposeful, while the inconstant thing is not right at all, rather it is the falsehood. So the truth is the firm thing, and while the truth is the antithesis of falsehood, playing is the antithesis of the truth, Allah The Almighty says:

"And We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for mere play. We created them not except with truth (i.e. to examine and test those who are obedient and those who are disobedient and then reward the obedient ones and punish the disobedient ones), but most of them know not. "

[Ad-Dokhan, 38-39]

 Right is the antithesis of playing and of falsehood, while the latter is the evanescent thing. Furthermore, right is firm and purposeful while playing is utter futility in its gist.
 In fact, when we want to set up a booth at an exhibition, we will do that using fabric or cardboard, because it will last for only a short time (two weeks for example), while when we build an essential Ministry, we build it from stone, because it is built to stay for a long time, unlike a booth in an exhibition which is built to be removed after a while. Comparatively, right is firm, it is never affected by the changes of place or time, by developments, or fluctuations, and it is never subjected to deletion or addition, because Allah is The Right. Moreover, the verb (haqqa) in Arabic means (to settle down), so you're with the right (Al-Haqq), with the firm thing that will not be affected, and this great Deen (Islamic religion) is the religion of right. Actually, lot of sciences and arts came after Islam, could any of which undermine any foundation 0f Islam? Never! Verily, no matter how far science advances, and no matter how high level it reaches, it will not shake a single fact in Islam, and not a single ayah will become controversial, rather, the more advanced the science is, the more it will confirm the facts of the Noble Qur'an.

Sound nature and brilliant mind submit to Deen.

 The word (right) is the fixed thing that does not change in any place, at any time, neither by tendencies, nor by desires, you can’t add to it, nor can you delete from it, you won’t be embarrassed by it, and research never nullifies it, and you don’t have to lie for it or against it. Verily, this is the right:

"We created them not except with truth"

[Ad-Dukhan, 39]

 Falsehood is ephemeral, it resembles a wall which is built without a pillar, it will definitely fall, while the wall which was built on scientific bases will remain. Along with the same line, too many worldly doctrines vanished, sunk in mud, refused, and despised by people, all because they were mere falsehood. So, the word (right) refers to the fixed and purposeful thing, it is not falsehood that goes in vain, nor playing which is a type of futility. Allah the Almighty says:

"We created them not except with truth"

[Ad-Dukhan, 39]

 Due to reason and Fitrah (innate disposition) which were granted to mankind by Allah, he/she will not submit and subject but to the truth, that is why Deen was called by this name; which means people submit to it. You never accept the false claim of the 'sun-god' because who will look after you after it sets! Or the claim of the ' fire-god' because it is illogical, or the claim of the 'idol-god' because it is of an inanimate nature and nothing but a stone (which never brings benefit or harm)..

"He said: "Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve?* "While Allah has created you and what you make!"

[As-Saffat, 95-96]

 Also, you will not accept the false claim of the ' cow-god' because it is a creature (not a creator), and it is not reasonable to ascribe divinity to a human because he will die like all creatures (while Allah never dies). Thus, human soul never accepts or submits to any divinity which is ascribed to other than Allah, rather it will reject and refuse it. Also, Deen is named so because pure disposition and brilliant minds are subjected to it.

The definition of Deen:

 When sayyidina (our Master) Khalid, may Allah be pleased with him, embraced Islam, it was not in his earliest years, he spent only seven years in Islam, through which he fought about one hundred battles!. When he professed Islam, the Prophet PBUH said to him: "I was astonished at you, O Khalid, why have not you embarrassed Islam yet while you are clever"
So, there is no compulsion in Deen because it is clear and obvious. Furthermore, everything in the universe indicates (the existence of) Allah the Almighty, and everything in the universe indicates the rightness of this Deen. Actually, whenever people try to fight Islam, its strength increases, and whenever people try to suppress it, it becomes firmer. The one who tries to fight Islam and to suppress it is just like the one who is trying to extinguish fire with oil, the more oil he pours, the brighter the fire will be, this is the reality of Deen, and it is the thing you submit to, while you never submit to any worldly doctrines because they are based on discrimination.
 Germans, for example, presented the theory of 'the Master Race'; they assumed that they were the Master race while they viewed sh3er as lower races. This theory is unreasonable, and it sank in mud because it is not the right, and people did not submit to it. Actually, many innumerable theories will come to an inevitable end because they are invalid, while, when you say that this universe has a great Creator (God), and this God has a Straight Method which is based on the interests of people; people are equal like the teeth of the comb, there is no preference for an Arab over an Ajaami (non-Arab) except by piety, and the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous one, then this is a sense of logic, justice and mercy, and it is convincing.
Some scholars said: The essence of Islamic legislation as a whole is mercy, justice, interest and wisdom. Hence, if an issue is converted from justice to injustice, from interest to disadvantage, and from wisdom to the otherwise, then it could not be ascribed to Islamic legislation even if it was justified by many interpretations.
 To summarize, the real religion is the one which your mind and Fitrah submit to, and it is the right Method which makes you feel completely at ease, and reassures your heart to him, you feel that you have found yourself; you have discovered your own self, and you feel that you have reconciled with the entire universe and with the Creator of the universe. Verily, this is the real religion.

Compulsion in religion contradicts with human happiness

  First, human accepted to bear the trust, and Allah granted him the elements of trust, the most important one of which is the freedom of choice. So, as long as man is free to choose. there can be no compulsion in Deen, because if Allah forced His servants to obey Him, reward would be meaningless, also, if Allah forced His servant to disobey Him, punishment would be aimless, if He neglected them that would indicate lack of His Might. In addition to that, it is impossible for Allah to force His servants to follow this Deen, because if He had obliged them to follow it, they would have not been pleased with it, as Allah the Almighty has based this Deen on love-principle; He does not want you to believe forcibly, compulsively, nor against your own will, He wants you to believe by your own choice, out of love for Allah, and you to try to get closer to Him. Hence, compulsion in Deen is against human happiness, as Allah has created you to be pleased, and that will not happen if you are forced to follow this Deen, thus, if this Deen was obligatory, you would not be pleased except when you follow it by your own choice.
 Consider the example of a man who held a precious thing in his hand, then an armed man came to him and ordered him to give him that precious thing at gunpoint, can you consider this as giving a gift or as a good deed? Of course not, because he is compelled and filled with rage. On the other hand, if you present a gift to a man, you will be pleased whenever you see him, because you have performed a good deed. So, when you are forced to perform a deed, it will lose its value, while if you perform it by your own choice, its value will rise. Thus, compulsion in religion diminishes its value, abolishes its results and eliminates the happiness derived from it. According to Allah's deep wisdom, this Deen was weak at the beginnings, the Prophet PBUH had no worldly wealth to tempt people with in order to embrace Islam, nor was he powerful so that they would follow him out of fear, nevertheless, his companions embraced Islam by their own will and out of love, this is the right and wonderful faith, for it happened according to their own will and free choice.

"There is no compulsion in religion"

 In Arabic language, the use of (no) in this ayah is to negate the sort; i.e. if someone asked you: Do you have a loaf of bread? If you said: I do not have one loaf of bread, this means you might have two loafs of bread, because you negate having one a loaf of bread, but if you answered: I have no loaf of bread, the word (no)here not only negates having a loaf of bread, but it also negates having the whole sort of bread, wheat, and all derivatives of wheat, so the strongest form of negation is to negate the whole sort of something

Deen is the Right Path and its opposite is the wrong one:

 As I mentioned earlier, the negation of sort is the strongest form of negation, it is like saying: there is no god except for Allah alone. Allah the Almighty says:

"There is no compulsion in religion "

 Which means, all types of compulsion, whether the compulsion is ultimate like threatening by killing, or less than that, like saying; if you do not believe, you will have no advantage. So, there are many kinds of compulsion; compulsion may be harsh, sharp, light, direct, indirect, explicit, declared, and concealed, all of which do not exist in the Deen of Allah (in Islam)

" There is no compulsion in religion "

 Allah the Almighty wants you to come to him willingly, He wants you to come to him driven by your love for Him, He wants you to come to Him by your own choice, and He wants you to come to him impelled by longing for Him. Had He obliged you to obey Him, the reward would have become null, and had He forced you to disobey Him, the punishment would have become null as well.

"There is no compulsion in religion "

 However, what is the reality of religion? Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path."

 So, Deen is the Right Path, while the opposite to it is the wrong path. Dear brother, listen to this fact: there are only two ways; either the way of the right or the way of the wrong, there is no third way. Allah the Almighty says:

"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."

[Al-Qasas, 50]

Muslim's life is disciplined by values and principles

  If you are not on the right way, God forbid, then you are definitely on the wrong way, and if you do not obey Allah, then you are definitely obeying other than Him. Actually, we have a principle in our religion which called: the principle of ”opposite pairs”; which means: there are right and wrong, good and evil, truth and lies, loyalty and betrayal, justice and injustice, getting closer to Allah and being far away from Him, and being pleased or frustrated, so if you are not on one of these two lines, you are inevitably on the other line..

" There is no compulsion in religion "

 Hence, Deen is the Right Way, Deen is as Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, this Quran guides to that which is most just and right"

[Al-Isra, 9]

 All aspects of your life are disciplined; your health, your marriage, your job, your relationships, your seriousness, your play, your stay, and your travels, so the life of a Muslim is great, it is disciplined by set of values and principles.

"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path."

 If you present the example of a real Muslim for a hundred thousand people, all of them will look at him with admiration, while if you present for them the example of a deviant man, they will turn away from him, because people hate the liar, the hypocrite, the deceiver, the one who harms sh3er, the backbiter, the scandalmonger, the arrogant and the haughty, on the other hand, they like the man who is humble, merciful, fair, sincere, faithful, and chaste.

There are right and wrong in every field

 Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path."

 So, Deen is the Right Path. There is another meaning: consider the example of a hungry man who was offered a good and valuable food, and was also offered another dish of smelly rotten meat, is there any need to force him to eat that good food? Of course not, he will eat it by instinct, so if you present for him good and bad food, you do not have to force him to eat the good food, because he will definitely choose it, furthermore he will thank you and will like you so much.
 There is another meaning, beside that Allah the Almighty does not accept a compelled and forced believer, or a compelled and forced prayer, in contrast, the Deen of Islam is distinct, rational and perfect, in addition to that, it presents an interesting explanation of the universe, and that it has a Creator Who keeps it. By Allah, one of the bitterest enemies of Muslims said at a meeting in a western country: The values which we believe in are the same values which were presented by Islam. So he admitted that Islam is great religion.

"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path."

 The phrase (the wrong path) means: deviation, tyranny, and injustice, while the Right Path is to be in harmony with your Fitrah (natural inborn instinct which recognizes Allah), with the truth, and with the reason and the purpose of your existence, this is the real meaning of the Right Path.
 As regards a student in a school, what is the Right Path for him? It is to study well, and what is the wrong path for him? It is to neglect his learning, to waste his time at amusement centers, while, as I mentioned earlier, studying his book is the Right Path. Also, what is the Right Path for a merchant? It is to make profit, and the wrong path for him is to lie to people, and to violate their rights. Hence, in every field there is Right Path and wrong path.

"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut"

 Taghut means the tyrant, and the believer disbelieves in those who are oppressive. In other words, a tyrant is powerful, and the believer disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah the Almighty.

The conditions to reap the fruits of Islamic religion

 Allah the Almighty says:

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut"

 Which means whoever disbelieves in infidelity, is the one who uses his power to fulfill his illicit desires, and is the one who oppresses people..

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 Which means when you believe in Allah, you disbelieve in Taghut, but the problem, dear brother, is in the mixing (between what is right and what is wrong); you find someone who believes in Allah, nevertheless, he befriends the heedless people (who are only interested in this worldly life), the powerful, and the rich joining them in their debauchery and immorality, and he never keeps away from them. Actually, you will not reap the fruits of Islamic religion except when you believe in Allah and disbelieve in Taghut, so you should disbelieve in infidelity so that the Gates of Heaven will be open for you (you will get closer to Allah)..

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 You are far away from Allah the Almighty as long as you hold hope on the tyrants of the earth; the evildoers and the unjust, those who made up worldly doctrines, those who wanted this worldly life and neglected the Hereafter, those who wanted to fulfill their lusts and they overlooked the values, and who were only interested in collecting money neglecting all morality, all of these are Tawaghet (idols, the plural of Taghut). Human may be surrounded by many Tawaghet, such as materialistic neighbor, or an uncle who does not follow Allah's Order and does not avoid His Prohibitions. So, whoever exceeds the proper bounds, whoever oppresses sh3er, and whoever neglects the Hereafter is called Taghut. Thus, as long as you are attached to the people of infidelity, who may be powerful and rich, as long as you hold hope on them, want their donation, hope for enjoying intimacy with them, fear their anger, and dread them, as long as you believe in them, attached to them, hold hopes on them, and seek goodness from them, then your way to get closer to Allah is blocked..

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah"

Allah is the Only God in Heavens and earth

 Even in our ancient and modern history, we find ourselves related to the powerful people, thinking that by this they will be mercy on us, that we move forward when we befriend them, that pleasing them indicates intelligence, and that there is hope in their promises, while those people never give us anything, rather they exploit us, and our experience with the Western world during the fifty years proves that they did not give us anything, only they took everything from us.

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah"

 So, you should reject whoever oppresses, whoever treats people unjustly, whoever is haughty, whoever exploits, whoever is interested only in this worldly life and disbelieves in the Hereafter, whoever believes in secularism and disbelieves in the Islamic religion, and all powerful, oppressive and tyrant forces. Otherwise, if you are attached to them, seeking what they have, hoping for their pleasure, fearing their anger, and holding hopes on their satisfaction, then your way to Allah is closed. Allah the Almighty says:

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 You should believe that Allah is the Creator, the Actor, that everything is under His control, that He is the Only God in the Heaven and in the earth, that all matters belong to Him, and that whatever He wills will definitely occur, Allah the Almighty says:

"But when Allah wills a people's punishment, there can be no turning back of it"

[Ar-Rad, 11]

Qur'an and Sunna are the most trustworthy handhold

 Everything in His Hand, He has the keys of the Heavens and the earth, this is the reality of faith. So, you should disbelieve in Taghut, and believe in Allah. Actually, there are too many Muslims in the world who commit sins to please the heedless people of the worldly life, to get closer to the people of falsehood, and to get closer to Tawaghet..

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 The (handhold) is what you grasp, adhere to, and hope that it remains connected. So, when you abide by the Islamic laws and try to get closer to Allah the Almighty, then nothing in the whole universe can take you away from Allah, Allah the Almighty says:

"Whatever of mercy (i.e. of good), Allah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise."

[Fatir, 2]

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 Which means, if you adhere to the teachings of Islam which are derived from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, then you grasp the most trustworthy handhold.
 I heard that some trucks have a loop at their end in order to drag the trailer, this loop is very special, it is made of the most accurate types of matrix steel, because the trailer weighs about twenty tons, so if this loop loosened, a scary accident would happen. So, this loop which is located at the end of trucks is made distinctively, and is made from the strongest types of matrix steel, it is manufactured by hammering, neither by pouring nor by wire drawing; this is just like the most trustworthy handhold.

Whoever denies the Existence of Allah is Taghut

  Allah the Almighty say that you should disbelieve in Taghut, however, what is the Taghut? It is whoever denies the Existence of Allah the Almighty and prefers this worldly life, whoever tyrannizes people. Allah the Almighty says:

"Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 If you believe in Allah, you will believe in His Book, you will believe Him, you will believe His Messenger, and you will believe the (authentic) Noble Hadith as if it was revealed from Allah the Almighty, Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong."

[Adh-Dhariyat, 58].

 You should not despair, nor humiliate or abase yourself for a rich man, the Prophet PBUH said:

((Whoever abases himself for a rich man because of his wealth, two thirds of his religion have left him))

[Al-Bayhaqi]

 Do not praise an evildoer, and do not obey the orders of a human being (when they contradict with Allah’s orders) because you only obey Allah's Orders. Allah the Almighty says:

"Then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break."

 As if this religion is a lifeline, sometimes a strong rope is thrown to a man to rescue him, a helicopter may throw a rope to man who is in a very bad condition, so he holds it tightly, and it will lift him slowly in order to save him. Allah the Almighty says:

"Then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold"

 Whenever you are in danger, no matter how grave it is, if you stick to the Orders of Allah which are derived from the Noble Quran or to the Prophet's orders which are derived from the Noble Sunnah, it is as if you are grasping the most trustworthy handhold that will never break, and you will be survived.

"And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."

 Allah the Almighty hears your saying, and knows your situation.

The greatest misery is not to be protected by Allah

 Dear Brother, Allah the Almighty says:

"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe."

 To illustrate this idea, consider the example of a knowledgeable, wealthy, powerful, learnt, highly cultured, and deeply believed father who dedicates his whole life to his son, he takes care of his son's health, food, drink, dress, homework, home, school, and friends, he sits with him, advises him, reminds him, straightens his deviation, asks him, and he corrects his mistake, so he dedicates all his time to his son, Allah the Almighty says:

"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe."

 Compare this to the previous example, Allah the Almighty is the Wali of those who believe, He takes care of them, disciplines them, brings glad tidings to them, sometimes make them feel feared in order to correct their path, He sometimes make them feel feared so that they turn to him in repentance, and sometimes makes them feel secured so that they praise and obey Him. Hence Allah is the real Wali, and the most miserable people are those who are deported from Allah's Protection. Allah the Almighty says:

"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light."

 The equivalent of the word(Darkness) in Arabic language is (Zulumat) which is a plural noun because there are many kinds of falsehood, while the equivalent for the word(light) is (Nur) which is singular because there is only one right path.

"Out from darkness "

 which is a plural noun (Az-Zulumat)..

" Into light "

Difference between darkness and light

 Allah the Almighty says:

"And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path."

[Al-Anam, 153]

 He was in the darkness of sin then he became in the light of obedience, he was in the darkness of being away from Allah, then he became in the light of getting closer to Him, he was in the mud of lusts then he became in the Heavens of Proximity, he was wrong then he corrected his mistakes, he was lost then he found himself, he was deviated then he became on the right path, he was lost then Allah the Almighty guided him, he was hardhearted then he became softhearted, he was quick-tempered then he became patient, he was ignorant then he became knowledgeable, he was malice then he became tolerant, and he was biased then he became fair

"…Out from darkness into light."

 He was in darkness, in incorrect ideas and values, then he became in the light of truth and perfection.

"…out from darkness into light."

 By Allah, whenever I listen to the following Ayah, I feel that it penetrates into the bottom of my heart, Allah the Almighty says:

"That is because Allah is the Maula (Lord, Master, Helper, Protector, etc.) of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no Maula (lord, master, helper, protector, etc.)"

[Muhammad, 11]

Calamity is not to be disciplined for your deviation

  Consider the example of an orphan who has no father and mother, he is always in streets; you may find him in the police station, in the adults prison, or in hospital, he sleeps in the streets, he steals, and he is morally deviated, he has no guardian to punish him, or to ask him where has he been, no one takes care of him, brings him food, washes his clothes, or even holds him in his arms, compare this miserable orphan to the son of two knowledgeable, believing, and kind hearted parents. By Allah, I am not exaggerating when I say that the difference between a highly-cultured child who has caring parents and a homeless orphan who behaves badly, whose words are bad, who is hungry, dirty, grimy, who steals, and commits the major sin or sh3er commit it with him, is just like the difference between the believer and the disbeliever..

"That is because Allah is the Maula (Lord, Master, Helper, Protector, etc.) of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no Maula (lord, master, helper, protector, etc.)"

[Muhammad, 11]

 Dear brother; when Allah disciplines the believer, lessens his sustenance, makes him feel feared, and afflicts him with illness or calamity, he should extremely thank Allah the Almighty because that means he is under the intensive care of Allah the Almighty, so when Allah the Almighty does that for you, that is because He loves you, He is disciplining you, and you are under the intensive care of Him.
 One the other hand, the one who is as astray as the heedless animals, who is never punished by Allah, who eats whatever he wants (whether it is legal or not), meets whomever he wants, commits major sins, commits adultery, drinks alcohol, nevertheless, he is as strong as an ox (Allah never afflicts him by diseases), what is the problem of such a man? He is outside the intensive care of Allah, he is outside the care of Allah, and this is the real calamity. So, it is not considered a calamity when Allah afflicts you by a hardship, rather the real calamity is when you are morally astray, nevertheless, Allah never punishes you. Thus, the most hatred people by Allah are those who are deviated yet never been affected by any hardship, those who are deviated, bad mannered, but enjoy good health, which enables them to do whatever they want, while the believer is disciplined and punished by Allah. It was narrated in a Qudsi Hadith that the Prophet PBUH said: "Allah inspired to this worldly life that: Be hard, bitter, full of hardships, and with a few sustenance to the most beloved ones to Me so that they like meeting Me"

Satan always brings us out from right into falsehood

  Allah the Almighty says:

"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut"

 Satan brings people out of conservative society to deviated one.Because of following Satan’s whispers, man turns from honest person to a liar, from being straight on the Path of Allah to a deviated one, from refusing to accept illegal income to someone who earns ill-gotten money, and from a husband who asks his wife to wear Islamic clothes, to someone who let her wear whatever she wants, so Satan always brings you out of truth into falsehood, out of fearing Allah to not fearing Him, out of discipline to deviation, so that man becomes as deviated as heedless animal

"But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever."

 Make sure that Allah is your Wali, make sure that you benefit from Islamic religion, and make sure to turn from slackness to excellence, from deviation to uprightness, from weakness to strength, and sometimes from careless attitude to seriousness.

"Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Lord (Allah),because Allah had given him the kingdom?"

 Sometimes when human is granted kingdom, which leads him to infidelity, because he considers himself powerful, like when Allah the Almighty says:

"And Fir'aun (Pharaoh) proclaimed among his people, saying: "O my people! Is not mine the dominion of Egypt, and these rivers flowing underneath me."

[Az-Zukhruf, 51]

"He said: "This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess."

[Al-Qasas: 78]

The dialogue between two interpreters never ends

  Allah the Almighty says:

"Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Lord (Allah), because Allah had given him the kingdom?"

 Instead of thanking Allah for granting him kingdom, instead of humbling himself to Allah the Almighty, and instead of subjecting his kingdom to serve the creatures, that man forgot Allah, transgressed, and forgot about how he was created and where he will go after his death.

"When Ibrahim (Abraham) said (to him): "My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death."

 He said to him (mockingly): O Ibrahim, who is your lord? Prophet Ibrahim answered:

"My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death." He said, "I give life and cause death."

 That King (An-Namrod) thought that if he sentenced a man to death then killed him and sentenced another man to death and forgave him, he will be bestowing life and taking it. Actually, continuing that debate would cause a problem, the issue was complicated, because that king thought that giving life was his forgiveness, and causing death was his sentence, as long as he was arguing in that way, there was no need to continue discussing that point, so that noble Prophet left the subject, because it would make a problem, and it would need more complicated proofs. So Prophet Ibrahim left that subject and turned to another, Allah the Almighty says:

"When Ibrahim (Abraham) said (to him): "My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death." He said, "I give life and cause death." Ibrahim (Abraham) said, "Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west." So the disbeliever was utterly defeated."

 As if the Noble Quran is teaching us to offer a strong and conclusive argument, as Prophet Ibrahim left the first point because it was problematic, there was an illusion, and there was an interpretation, as that king interpreted giving life by forgiving the sentenced, and interpreted death by killing, while Prophet Ibrahim meant something else, he meant that Allah creates life and causes death, He causes death without killing.

"When Ibrahim (Abraham) said (to him): "My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death."

 That king( An-Namrod) assumed that he gives life and causes death, he interpreted giving life and causing death in his own way, therefore the dialogue between two interpreters never ends, because both are basing on different grounds. So, this is a great lesson to us regarding the dialogue; when you discuss something with someone and you find him making his own interpretation, then leave that dialogue.

Deen is based on choice:

  Prophet Ibrahim said to that king:

"Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west." So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allah guides not the people, who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.)."

 Dear brother, the most serious ayaat in our lecture today are the two ayaat below:

"Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness."

 And:

"There is no compulsion in religion"

 Deen is based on choice, is based on love for Allah, Deen is as clear as the sun, there is no need to compulsion, for example: if someone is hungry and there is delicious food beside him, there is no need to threaten him by any weapon to eat! He will do that out of his own choice, this is the second meaning. So, Deen is the truth, Deen is honesty, mercy, justice, interest, and triumph.

" There is no compulsion in religion"

 You cannot be pleased by following a religion if you are obliged to follow it.
 Next lecture, Insha-Allah, we will continue pondering over these ayaat.