Jordan- Masjed At-Taqwa- Morning lessons 3- Lesson 34: Notable Ayat in the Quran
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In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Notable Ayaat in the Noble Quran:
Dear noble brothers, we are discussing the lessons of the series Notable Ayaat in the Noble Quran. As you know, the Noble Quran is the Words of Allah the Almighty, The Creator of the heavens and the earth. Furthermore, the Noble Quran contains wonders, principles, standards, and instructions. It was reported in the following Hadith that:
((And the virtue of Allah's Speech over the speech of others is like the virtue of Allah over His creation. ))
This Quran is the spring of hearts and the Words of The Creator of the universes, namely, the difference between the Words of The Creator of the universes and the ones of the people is like the difference between The Creator and the Created.
The 1st Ayah:
One of the Ayaat that indicates Allah's Greatness is the following:
﴾ (And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.) ﴿
Two things regulate the relation between The Creator and the Created:
It seems that Allah the Almighty means to say, "O My servants, there are two main things that regulate the relationship between I, the Creator, and you, the created; truthfulness from your side and justice from Mine. As servants, you differ from one another in your truthfulness, and I treat you fairly." Hence, the relationship between man and The Creator is based on truthfulness (from man's part) and justice (from Allah's Part). This is an inclusive and comprehensive basic rule.
The general meaning of truthfulness is to speak the truth and never lie. However, this is not the indicated meaning in the Ayah; the truthfulness meant in the Ayah is insisting on seeking al-Haqq (the truth).
For example, the student, who enrolls himself in a university, but later on he drops out of it after realizing how difficult the subjects are, is not truthful. Students face many difficulties during their study at the university. I know a person, who enrolled himself in a faculty of Islamic studies, but upon finding out that the subjects are very difficult, and they need memorization, and great effort, he dropped out of it. However, one day, while he was sitting in his house, he saw an ant walking on the wall, and after it walked a meter and a half, it fell down, but it kept repeating the attempt for 45 times. After watching its attempts and counting how many times it failed in reaching its destination and how it succeeded at the end, he felt ashamed of himself, and thus he decided to go back to the faculty and continue studying.
Much in the same line, as long as you seek Paradise to be your eternal abode, you have to pay great effort and high price. If you intend to buy an expensive device, whose price is millions, for only two dollars; do you expect to leave the shop intact?
A man walked into one of the finest carpet shops in Damascus, however he didn't like any of the 50 carpets displayed in the first floor. He then went to the second floor wherein the finest carpets were displayed, so he picked up a carpet that worth 100 thousand, and he addressed the shopkeeper saying: "will you give it to me for two dollars?
Do you think he would have gone out of the store unscathed?
How come that you seek Paradise to be your eternal abode, while you are not willing to lower your gaze, to attend a religious session, and to recite two pages at least of the Noble Quran? Is it logical to seek a precious thing for a cheap price? When you do this, you disdain such a precious thing. Keep in mind that you deal with The Creator of the universes in Whose Hand is everything; sickness, wealth, poverty, happiness, misery, prosperity, adversity, and the ability to get married and to have children. All these things are in Allah's Hand, so how do you not care about establishing a connection with Him?
﴾ (And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice.) ﴿
I repeat the main point in this Ayah: Truthfulness is from our side, and justice is from My Side. You have different levels of truthfulness in My Sight, and thus I treat you fairly.
Allah's Orders are Just and His Revelation is Truthful:
There is another interpretation 0f the aforementioned part of the Ayah. This Divine Book, the Noble Quran, consists of 600 pages, and they manifest the best eloquence of Arabic language.
In the Quran, there is news, which is subject of believing or denying.
It is like when someone says: "My brother travelled to The States yesterday", however he might be lying and his brother did not travel.
In Quran there is also "composition" which has 12 forms (like questioning and wishing…etc), and this is not a subject of believing or denying, like when you ask someone what his name is, or how many children he has, and he answers you, you can't say to him: "you are a liar", can you?
Now, The Commands in the Noble Quran are just, and its news is true. Let me repeat the Hadith:
(( …And the virtue of Allah's Speech over the speech of others is like the virtue of Allah over His creation. ))
The 2nd Ayah:
We move to another Ayah:
﴾ And invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, La ilahaillaHuwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Everything will perish save His Face. His is the Decision, and to Him you (all) shall be returned. ﴿
There is an end for everything save the deed done for Allah's Sake:
Let me start with this part, "Everything will perish": When the owner of the largest car factory died, the factory would stop working. The prime minister of Japan occupied such a high position for 70 years, but at the end he died. So:
﴾ (Everything will perish save His Face.) ﴿
Everything will perish except the deed done for Allah's Sake, because it will last for good:
﴾ (Everything will perish save His Face. His is the Decision, and to Him you (all) shall be returned.) ﴿
The words in the Noble Quran express a way of life, a rule, a means of survival, a path to happiness, or a scientific piece of information.
The simple meaning of "His Face" in this part of the Ayah, "Everything will perish save His Face" is the Divine Entity of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, but the profound meaning is: Every deed ends when death comes, save the one that is performed for the Sake of Allah the Almighty, because it will last for eternity. Hence, there is nothing more profitable than to trade with Allah Almighty.
I repeat: The meaning of "Everything will perish save His Face" is that whatever deed man does for Allah's Sake is considered an act of worship. For instance, when someone gets married in order to have righteous offspring, his marriage is considered an act of worship. Regarding this point, there is an outstanding statement, "The daily activities of the believer are acts of worship (because they are done for noble purposes)." Accordingly, if the believer goes with his family for a picnic in a beautiful place to have fun with them, to make them happy and to eat tasty food, doing this is considered an act of worship.
The statement goes as follows, "The daily activities of the believer are acts of worship, whereas the acts of worship of the hypocrite are sins (because he does them to impress people)." The believer cares for his mother's happiness, so he brings her the food she prefers, he cares for his brothers, so he often visits them, he cares about maintaining kinship ties, so he visits his relatives from time to time and he cares about earning money legally, so he chooses a job that pleases Allah the Almighty. In fact, your craft can be an act of worship (as long as it pleases Allah the Almighty).
I would like to repeat this statement one more time, "The daily activities of the believer are acts of worship" including choosing the good wife, having an Islamic household, going for picnics with the family, fulfilling the basic needs in lawful ways, and making use of the experiences by helping others, because these are all good deeds. On the other hand, "the acts of worship of the hypocrite are sins (because he does them to impress people)."
Well, you will benefit all your good deeds in the balance on the Day of Judgment. Some of these deeds are the ones I have just mentioned which are clear examples from our daily life. If you go on Friday with your family for a picnic in a beautiful place, where you eat tasty food with them and you have fun with them, they will get back home refreshed. Actually, going for a picnic gives man energy.
Based on the above-mentioned interpretation, "Everything will perish save His Face" means that every deed will be over except the one that is performed for the Sake of Allah the Almighty, for it will last forever.
The 3rd Ayah:
We move to the third Ayah:
﴾ (Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "This is my way; I invite unto Allah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allah i.e to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge. And Glorified and Exalted be Allah (above all that they associate as partners with Him). And I am not of the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah; those who worship others along with Allah or set up rivals or partners to Allah).") ﴿
Calling people to Allah with giving a proof and an explanation:
What does "with sure knowledge" mean? It means that calling people to Allah the Almighty should be done with a proof and an explanation. For instance, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them, and Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.) ﴿
This Divine Order is followed with the explanation. As a father, you should give your order (to your child) with explanations. For example, when you say to your children, "No one is allowed to stay out after 10.00 p.m." this is fine, but you should explain to them why. In other words, you explain your order by saying: "When you go to bed early, you will wake up energetic, which helps you perform your tasks actively during the day."
When you give an explanation to your orders, you are a wise and a successful educator to your children. Therefore, giving an order should come with an explanation to this order. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them…) ﴿
As I have just said, "the sure knowledge" is the proof and the explanation that should be given with the order. Accordingly, never give your children orders without explaining why you want them to obey these orders, and never follow the orders you give them with saying, "I just want you to do these things", because this is not enough for them to understand why they should obey your orders.
A man whom I know wanted his children to be righteous, so he was very strict in raising and disciplining them. However, once he traveled to a far country, so in his absence, they committed major sins, because he never explained to them why they had to obey his orders. Instead, he just gave them orders to obey. You should convince others with your orders instead of forcing them to obey you. When you explain the reason behind obeying the orders in a simple and smooth way, the one who is supposed to obey you, will obey the orders and abide by them.
I repeat the Ayah:
﴾ (Say (O Muhammad PBUH): "This is my way; I invite unto Allah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge…) ﴿
Call people to believe in the Oneness of Allah the Almighty by giving the proof and the explanation of your call.
﴾ (…I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allah i.e to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism)…) ﴿
Never say, "You are ordered to do so and so and that is it", because this is not Da'wah (the Islamic mission of calling people to believe in the Oneness of Allah the Almighty). Unfortunately, when a father wants to make his children refrain from committing a sin, he says, "Do not do this because it is forbidden", without giving the reason why it is forbidden. When you explain to your children why they are not allowed to do the forbidden things, they will understand you and will be convinced, and so they will abstain from doing them. So, convince others with your explanation and never oppress them.
The 4th Ayah:
The following Ayah is very delicate:
﴾ (O you who believe (in Allah's Oneness and in His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)! Verily, the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad PBUH) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year, and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you if He will, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.) ﴿
The deeds of the disbeliever are performed for his own interests:
We say, "This fabric has become impure, because the little child urinated on it", but when this word "impure" is used to describe someone like in the following Ayah, then it means that such impurity cannot be removed or cleaned:
﴾ (Verily, the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad PBUH) are Najasun (impure)…) ﴿
Among this group of people is the heedless person whose movements and stillness are for his own benefit, and no deed is done by him for the Sake of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. The one, who does something only to increase his wealth (without thinking of helping others, such as giving them Sadaqah), will be remote from Allah the Almighty. Unlike him, the believer performs about 1000 deeds seeking by doing them Allah's Pleasure. In fact, performing a good deed is the reason behind our existence, and the proof is the following Ayaat:
﴾ (Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: "My Lord! Send me back*"So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" No! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.) ﴿
The reason behind our existence is performing a good deed:
The reason behind your existence in the worldly life is performing a good deed, and it is called a good deed, because it can be presented before Allah the Almighty on the Day of Resurrection. When can we call it a good deed? We do so when it is performed sincerely and correctly; sincerely means being performed for Allah's Sake, and correctly means it is in accordance with the Sunnah. Keep in mind that your value in Allah's Sight is determined by the good deeds you perform.
As I have just mentioned, the good deed is called like this, because it is suitable to be presented before Allah the Almighty, and it is not good unless it is performed sincerely for Allah's Sake and correctly accordingly to the Sunnah.
The 5th Ayah:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (They swear by Allah to you (Muslims) in order to please you, but it is more fitting that they should
Obeying the Noble Prophet means obeying Allah and vice versa:
The Arabic word "Yordoohu" is to please Him [i.e. Allah and His Messenger], and "Him" here is mentioned in Arabic as a singular pronoun though it refers to Allah and His Messenger:
﴾ (…But it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)…) ﴿
So, what does this mean? This is an outstanding Quranic indication which means that by pleasing the Prophet, peace be upon him, one pleases Allah the Almighty, and by pleasing Allah, one pleases His Messenger, peace be upon him, and this is why in Arabic the third person singular object pronoun is used instead of the plural one.
The 6th Ayah:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Allah will say: "This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) – they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise).) ﴿
Man should work to the permanent abode not to the temporary one:
None of your properties will benefit you after your death, will they? Suppose that someone died, and he used to own a 450 square meters house, will the house benefit him after his death? Let us say that he has the latest model car, will it benefit him? If he owns a house in the mountains, a house by the seashore, and a house in the capital, will they be useful to him after death? Of course, they will not, because when he dies, he loses everything he owns.
No matter how many expensive possessions you have, even if they worth hundreds of billions, when the heart stops beating, these things will not be yours any longer. In other words, whatever you own is related to your heartbeat, because the minute the heart stops working, the person dies and people will come to condole with his family.
There is a bitter fact regarding the death of someone. When the father dies, his family hastens to bury him, because it is hard for them to look at him as a dead person, as he is the main pillar of the house. They are used to welcome him in a special way when he gets back home, but after his death, they will fear even getting into his room.
I give this piece of advice for Allah's Sake: we should always put death in our consideration and think of it seriously. Keep in mind that the house, the vehicle, and the wife you have are all temporary, because one day we will leave them behind and we will be buried underground. Leaving the worldly life is not an easy issue, and by Allah, the only Deity worthy of worship, the smartest, the wisest and the most successful person in life is the one who puts death into his consideration. Such a person asks himself upon being invited to spend the evening with some people, does this gathering please Allah, or not? Will there be mingling between men and women? Also, when he wants to watch T.V, he will wonder whether the film he will watch pleases Allah or not. Furthermore, he will ask himself the same question when he goes for a meeting or when he wants to trade goods; does it please Allah or not?
As a believer, when you look for a job that pleases Allah the Almighty, you will be the happiest person. With the lack of faith, man will look for a profitable job, however, and from this materialistic aspect, the most profitable job is working as a drug dealer (which is immoral and unlawful). In this domain, the profit increases a thousand folds from the place where the narcotics are grown to the place where they are sold. The profit of other trades is 15%, which is the same as in the Halal (lawful) trade, while the profit of drug dealing is a billion percent.
The believer tends to please Allah, because he cares for his safety and good heath (which will be affected negatively upon displeasing Allah). Therefore, you should always ask yourself before doing anything, whether it pleases Allah or not. Ask yourself before you accept the invitation of some people who will spend the evening mingling with have-naked women: Does this gathering please Allah? Definitely, spending the evening with those people does not please Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Ask yourself the same question upon applying for a job, because it might get you involved in a major disobedience to Allah. As a believer, you are aware of the acts of disobedience to Allah the Almighty.
Every lust but has a lawful way to be fulfilled through
Let me ask you this critical question, who is the closest person to you in your life? Your wife is. Where do you spend most of your time? You spend it at work. Hence, if the wife is righteous, and the career is legal, you are connected with Allah the Almighty, and none can get you away from Him, Exalted and Sublime be He. In addition, you will be able to pray and shed tears during Salah out of submission. To make this point clearer, when the husband has a sexual intercourse with his wife, and at night he prays Qiyam al-Lail (night prayer), he will be able to be connected to Allah during his Salah and will shed tears out of submission, because he fulfills his sexual desire lawfully (with his wife).
Moreover, be aware that every desire installed in man but has a lawful way through which it can be fulfilled.
Lust is like a tank of gasoline, which is very expensive. If you want to fuel your car, you should put the gas nozzle into the gas tank, so that you can drive the car and reach your destination in Al-Aqabah, for example, am I right? You can drive for 450 kilometers and enjoy seeing the three seas while you are driving to that place on Eid, for instance. However, you will not be able to drive any kilometer if you put the fuel on the car and give it a sparkle, because this will burn the car.
This is how lusts actually work, they are either driving forces or destructive ones; there is no middle state. Concerning the lust for sex, you can fulfill it with your wife, who is the mother of your children. You love one another, and you meet your sexual needs with one another. The husband will always keep connected to Allah the Almighty, because he does not fulfill this lust in a forbidden manner, but rather he fulfills it in a permissible manner (with his wife). Yet, if he looks at a woman, other than his wife, and feasts his eyes on her beauty, which is forbidden, there will be a veil that veils him from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. So, keep in mind that a forbidden look veils man from Allah, while a sexual intercourse (with his wife) does not, because it goes along with Allah's Way.
Be optimistic, because every desire, that is installed in man, but has a lawful way to be fulfilled through. Let me be precise: The believer's enjoyment of the desires upon fulfilling them lawfully is a thousand times greater than the happiness of the one who is not religiously committed, and so he fulfills his desires unlawfully. The sexual intercourse is either fulfilled lawfully or unlawfully. The believer fulfills it with his wife towards whom there is great affection. Furthermore, after having the intercourse, the couple will be satisfied, and the wife will be pleased, because the one she has this affair with is her husband, the father of her children and in whose sight she has a respectful position.
I would like to repeat what I have said earlier one more time: Every desire and lust installed in man but Allah the Almighty has created a lawful way through which it is fulfilled. The believer fulfills his desires according to Allah's Way, and as you know there is no monasticism in Islam, because the sexual desire is basic in man's life, and if it is not fulfilled, man will be affected negatively. Do not reject whatever Allah the Almighty has permitted for you.
The 7th Ayah:
The Ayah is about the greatest Divine Bestowal:
﴾ (Had not the Grace of Allah and His Mercy been upon you (O Muhammad PBUH), a party of them would certainly have made a decision to mislead you, but (in fact) they mislead none except their own selves, and no harm can they do to you in the least. Allah has sent down to you the Book (The Qur'an), and Al-Hikmah (Islamic laws, knowledge of legal and illegal things i.e. the Prophet's Sunnah – legal ways), and taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad PBUH).) ﴿
The greatest Divine Bestowal is to know Allah the Almighty:
Let me make a comparison to simplify the point I would like to explain. If a six-year-old child was given on Eid 100 dinars by his first parental uncle and 100 dinars by his second parental uncle, the amount will be 200 dinars, and if he is given 100 dinars by his first maternal uncle and 100 dinars by his second maternal uncle, the total amount he will have is 400 dinars. The child will exclaim, "Wow, I have got a great amount of money", which is true for a little child to have. On the other hand, if the president of the greatest country says, "We have allocated a great amount of money for this war", he does not mean 200 dinars, but rather he means 200 billion dollars. To get back to the Ayah, think of the adjective "great" as it is used by Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He:
﴾ (…And taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad PBUH).) ﴿
The greatest Divine Bestowal is to know Allah the Almighty. Sometimes when someone rings the bell of my house, and while I am on my way to open the door, I always have the idea that my house is a temporary abode.
If you ask me for the proof, I will say: the proof is in the lines people put in any obituary, as it says: "He will be seen to his final abode".
How critical this sentence is; it means that we live in a temporary abode. It really doesn't matter if your house is 600 square meters, if it has a sea view, if it has wonderful scenery, if two cars or more are parked in front of it, or if everything in this premises is top notch, because all of that will come to an end when death comes.
While I was in the funeral of a close relative of mine, I stood at the grave, watching how it was opened to bury the deceased inside it. After that, the shroud was removed from his face, and he was directed towards the Qiblah according to the Sunnah. I was still watching when they started to shovel the dirt on him until they filled the grave with almost- I am not exaggerating- three kilos of dirt. Where is his luxurious house? Where are the guest rooms? Where is his neatness? Where is his pickiness in choosing colors? He used to own a wonderful house, but at the end he was carried to his final resting place.
So, dear brothers, let me tell you these words, because I do care about you: The wisest, the most prudent, the smartest, the best and the most successful man in life is the one who keeps death in his mind on daily basis.
Du'a
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; and peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, the Faithful and the Honest.
O Allah, increase us [in Your Blessings] and do not decrease us, honor us and do not humiliate us, give us [from Your Gifts] and do not deprive us, be in favor of us and not against us and make us satisfied and be satisfied with us.
O Allah, have peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad, the illiterate Prophet and on his Folks and Companions.
