Dear brothers, let us start with a new lesson of this new series, in which we ponder over some Noble Ayaat starting with Allah's Saying: "O you who believe".
In our lesson today, we will reflect on the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
[ Al-Baqarah, 208 ]
Actually, there are about 170 Noble Ayaat about peace and peacefulness. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And they say, "None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian." These are their own desires. Say (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ), "Produce your proof if you are truthful. ﴿
Some Muslims fall short in performing acts of worship and in obeying the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, nevertheless, they make the false claim that no one will enter Paradise except them.
Paradise is for those who comply with Allah's Orders and submit to Him
The Divine Response to those who claim that they will enter Paradise without paying its price is mentioned in the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ), "Produce your proof if you are truthful ﴿
So, who will enter Paradise? The answer is mentioned in the following Noble Ayah:
﴾ Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism). ﴿
"Whoever submits himself to Allah" means whoever submits to Allah, surrenders to Him, and complies with His Orders. One of the most accurate definitions of worship is that it is the utmost love for Allah the Almighty and the complete submission to Him. Thus, complying with Allah's Commands and avoiding His Prohibitions is the essence of Islam, whereas those who claim that they will enter Paradise without paying its price (i.e. without abiding by the teachings of Islam) are deluding themselves, and this reminds me of the following line of poem:
Everybody claims to love Layla
Whereas Layla rejects all their claims
***
Accordingly, the one who deserves Paradise is he who obeys Allah the Almighty:
﴾ Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism). ﴿
Submitting one's face to Allah means to practise the teachings of Islam in his life.
Superficial affiliation to Islam is meaningless
The one who deserves Paradise is he who excels in doing good deeds. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And he is a Muhsin (good-doer i.e. performs good deeds totally for Allah's sake only without any show off or to gain praise or fame, etc., and in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger Muhammad Peace be upon him ) then his reward is with his Lord (Allah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 112
]
Consider the following Ayah which has a similar meaning; Allah the Almighty 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 above-mentioned Noble Ayah has a critical implicit meaning; it means those who believe (the Muslims), the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians (the most accurate definition of Sabians are those who have no religion; the secularists who have non-religious beliefs) are all the same (in the Sight of Allah the Almighty) in case of superficial religious affiliation. In other words, the superficial religious affiliation without any proof or evidence of it is meaningless and worthless. Furthermore, bigotry without affiliation and superficial religious affiliation without adherence to Allah's Commands are the real causes of brutal wars people suffer from. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, …" ﴿
When Muslims belong to Islam only superficially, and they do not practise Islam in their lives, and when they are not adherent to Allah's Commands, they are not submissive to Allah the Almighty, and they are just followers of their lusts and whims instead of Allah's Orders, then they do not differ from the Jews, the Christians and the Sabians (in Allah's Sight).
The faith which save people from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection
Consider the rest of this Ayah:
﴾ …Whoever believes in Allah… ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 62
]
It means whoever believes in Allah and this faith leads him to obey Him;
It means whoever believes in the Last Day and this faith keeps him from doing harm to any creature;
﴾ …And do righteous good deeds … ﴿
This means whoever fulfills his duties perfectly and completely. In other words, he, as a doctor, gives sincere medical advice to his patients, he, as a lawyer, gives sincere advice to his clients, he as an employee, facilitates the transactions to people, and he, as a merchant, sells good goods at a reasonable price, and treats his customers nicely. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve ﴿
Those are the people who will be saved on the Day of Resurrection.
Superficial affiliation to Islam is worthless
In another Noble Ayah, Allah the Almighty 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 ﴿
In fact, the reality of Islam is not simply to say that you are a Muslim, it is not simply to hang a plaque containing Ayat Al-Kursi on a wall in one's house while many sins and wrongdoings are committed in his house, it is not simply to hang a very small Quran in one's car while he stares at improperly dressed women while driving, and it is not simply to hang a plaque containing the Ayah: "Verily, We have given you a manifest victory", on a wall in one's shop (in order to bring barakah to his shop) while he sells Haram (unlawful) or doubtful products. Well, this superficial affiliation to Islam is meaningless, worthless and valueless, and this is why although Muslims are 1 billion and 500 million, they do not have the upper hand, they have no control over their own matters, and their enemies have many thousand ways to overcome them.
We will not reap the fruits of Islam unless it is applied collectively
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion). ﴿
There is an indication to submit to Allah's Commands collectively. Let me give you the following example to make this point clear: If you go to Makkah to perform Umrah, and you see all women there wearing Hijab, you will realize the greatness of Hijab and wearing decently. On the other hand, when you find that only one woman in the street is wearing Hijab while all other women are wearing revealing clothes, or when your wife and your daughters wear Hijab and you lower your gaze from looking at uncovered women, this is a good thing since your family obey Allah's Command and the females wear Hijab, but the society as a whole will not reap the fruit of this Divine Command since it is not applied collectively. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion). ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 208
]
Let me give you another example. If you have a cell phone, but none of your friends has a one, it will be useless, because you cannot call anyone of them, but if all of them have phones, you will find it really useful. Likewise, when a small group of people practise the teachings of Islam in their lives while most people do not do that, we, as a whole society, will not reap the fruit of Islam.
Let us go back to the first example. When man goes to Makkah to perform Umrah and sees all women there wearing Hijab, he will feel spiritual purity; he will not get any sexual thought since all women wear decently.
Thus, we will not reap the fruit of the teachings of Islam until all of us practise them in our lives. Only then, we will find spiritual comfort, because we will be living in a world where all people are fair and honest, and they never make money in Haram (unlawful) ways. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion). ﴿
The teachings of Islam are valid for all eras and times
Actually, there is a slight hint in the following Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Believe… ﴿
This means that there are many levels of faith, and you might be at a level of faith that is not sufficient for your safety and happiness. Whenever you rise to a higherlevel of faith, you will find that there is even a higher level than it. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Believe… ﴿
﴾ O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion). ﴿
[
[ Al-Baqarah, 208
]
"Enter perfectly in Islam" means the total submission to Allah's Commands and Orders. Actually, some people claim that Islam is incompatible with our modern world. In their views, the prohibition of usury is incompatible with economic growth and development, and Hijab (headcoverings worn by Muslim women) hinders the progress and development of women, who are one half of society. They make these false claims, because they do not really believe that Shari'ah (the Islamic laws) is the Divine Law of Allah the Almighty; the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Well-Acquainted, and the All-Knowing. Therefore, they have the delusion that Shari'ah hinders the development of the society. Thus, whoever rejects a Shari'ah ruling that is proven in the Quran and Sunnah, such as cutting off the hand of a thief, has not entered Islam perfectly, because the Islamic law is a (perfect) Divine Law, not a man-made law (which is full of imperfections).
Let me give you some examples which show that man-made law is imperfect: In some western countries, a violent crime; murder, rape or theft is committed every 30 seconds, which makes people convinced that harsh penalties should be imposed in order to deter crimes. Also, an average of 30 people per day died as a result of fatal road accidents caused by overspeeding, then a new traffic law was issued in order to monitor overspeeding vehicles and to promote road safety. So, they have realized that deterrence is important in law.
A man came to Imam Ash-Shafi'i, may Allah be pleased with him, and asked him about the reason why the hand of a thief should be cut off for stealing one-quarter of a dinar but the diyah (compensation) for the hand [in cases of being cut unjustly or unfairly] is about 1000 golden dinars, which equals about 1 million SYP. He said:
A hand receives a five hundred dinar compensation when being cut unjustly,
So why can it be chopped off for stealing one-quarter of a dinar?
***
So, the hand of a thief may be cut off for stealing one-quarter of a dinar or more, while when someone's hand is cut wrongfully or unfairly, the compensation for his hand is about 1000 golden dinars.
A hand receives five hundred dinars' compensation when being cut unjustly,
So why can it be chopped off for stealing one-quarter of a dinar?
***
Imam Ash-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, replied:
As long as the hand is honest, it is precious and valuable
But when it cheats, it becomes worthless and despicable,
So understand the Wisdom of the Creator
***
The hand is precious so long as it is honest, but when it becomes dishonest it becomes worthless.
Shari'ah is a Divine Law, not a man-made law
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion). ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 208
]
"Enter perfectly in Islam" means the total submission without any objection. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allah and His Messenger ﴿
Do not propose any amendment to Allah's Commands. For example, one should never say: Why do we not allow interest-based loans, since the purchasing power of money will decline over time? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion ﴿
Shari'ah is not a man-made law that is subject to study, research, modification, development, addition, or deletion, but rather it is a Divine Law; the Law of Allah the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. ﴿
Perfection is related to quality whereas completion is related to quantity. In other words, Islam is perfect in terms of quality and it is complete in terms of quantity; the phrase "complete in terms of quantity" means the number of the issues discussed in Islam is complete, and the phrase: "perfect in terms of quality" means the method by which these issues are tackled is perfect. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ This day, I have perfected your religion for you ﴿
People have found out grave errors in their man-made laws
Actually, Islam is a Divine law, not a man-made law and not what some intellectuals mistakenly call "Islamic heritage". It does not come from people, but rather it comes from Allah the Almighty, the Creator of mankind.
Let me tell you an example to show you how people have found out, with the passage of time, many serious errors in their man-made laws. A year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, they had a ban on alcohol. Also, you may find it hard to believe that there is a very strong call in the USA for single-sex colleges (to prevent adultery), after they have found 350.000 new-born babies thrown in dumpsters in public parks, and all these babies were born out of adultery.
He who rejects religion disdains himself
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) except him who befools himself? ﴿
[ Al-Baqarah, 130
]
You may look down on a small house in poor condition and never think of buying it, or you may look down on a low-paying job which requires long work hours, so you may despise something and reject it, but when you reject religion, you are disdaining your ownself. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) except him who befools himself? ﴿
Allah has created man to make him happy and to have mercy on him
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ He is Allah than Whom there is La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme ﴿
Allah is As-Salam (the One who grants peace and security to all His creation), He has created us for the abode of peace (Paradise), He has created us for Paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth, He has created us to please us, and He has created us to have mercy on us. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Except him on whom your Lord has bestowed His Mercy (the follower of truth - Islamic Monotheism) and for that did He create them ﴿
Allah guides man to the way of peace
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Allah calls to the home of peace (i.e. Paradise, by accepting Allah's religion of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds and abstaining from polytheism and evil deeds. ﴿
Allah the Almighty calls the believers to the abode of peace; to Paradise which is described in the following Noble Hadith in which the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said:
(( I have prepared for My pious worshipers such things as no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of, and nobody has ever thought of… ))
[ Agreed upon on the authority of Abu Hurairah
]
Allah the Almighty is As-Salam (the One who grants peace and security to all His creation) and He calls to the abode of peace (i.e. Paradise). Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace ﴿
Allah the Almighty guides you, as a believer, to the ways of peace; you will find peace at home, because you stand firm in obeying Allah the Almighty. In other words, you enjoy a successful marriage because you lower your gaze from looking at forbidden things, and you adhere to the Islamic guidelines for interacting with non-Mahram women. As a result, your wife will appreciate that, and you will win her heart. In fact, you will find peace in your household, in your trade because it is based on the Islamic law, which will help you, by Allah's Will, avoid bankruptcy, and in all your social relations since they are disciplined, and this helps you avoid scandals.
Allah the Almighty calls you to the abode of peace (i.e. to Paradise) after your death, and He guides you to the ways of peace in your life.
Your choice to believe is just a matter of time
Consider the following critical point: You have the choice to either accept or reject millions of topics except for one topic; believing in Allah the Almighty. In other word, your choice to believe in Allah the Almighty is just a matter of time; you will definitely believe in Him but either you believe in the right time; while you are still alive in this worldly life, or when it is too late; after your death. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Now We have removed your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day! ﴿
The proof of this point is that even Pharaoh, who was the worst disbeliever in the world and who considered himself a god, believed in Allah at the time of death. Pharaoh used to address his people saying:
﴾ I am your lord, most high ﴿
[ An-Naziat, 24
]
However, he believed in Allah at the moment of his death; while he was drowning. He said as Allah the Almighty narrates:
﴾ Till when drowning overtook him, he said: "I believe that none has the right to be worshipped but He, in Whom the Children of Israel believe" ﴿
As I have just mentioned, your choice to believe in Allah the Almighty is just a matter of time, which is really a very serious issue. Furthermore, even the worst disbelieve in the world will believe in Allah the Almighty at the time of death, and will surrender to Him eventually, exactly like Pharaoh who believed in Allah the Almighty when he was about to drown:
﴾ Till when drowning overtook him, he said: "I believe that none has the right to be worshipped but He, in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims those who submit to Allah's Will". ﴿
Man should remain steadfast in obeying Allah
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty is the Merciful, the Lord of the worlds. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him, (in Islam),… ﴿
But if you do not do that, then:
﴾ Before the torment comes upon you, then you will not be helped ﴿
Either you remain steadfast in obeying Allah's Orders, or you will be afflicted with some trials, calamities or hardships (in order to repent to Allah and turn back to Him, so it would be to your advantage). Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him, (in Islam), before the torment comes upon you, then you will not be helped ﴿
Believers and disbelievers are not equal
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)?* What is the matter with you? How judge you? ﴿
The submitting Muslims are those who fully submit to Allah the Almighty, and who adhere to the teachings of Islam and act upon them at their homes, at work, in trade, in happy occasions, in sad occasions, and in all conditions of life. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)?* What is the matter with you? How judge you? ﴿
It is absolutely impossible that those who submit to Allah the Almighty and those who disbelieve in Him will be treated the same.
The believer should be a source of security, tranquility and goodness
Dear brothers, I would like to mention this significant point: The believer should be a source of security for all people around him, because the worst of people is the one whom others avoid dealing with out of fear of his wickedness.
So, the believer should be a source of security, beneficence, goodness and tranquility for all people around him, and he is supposed to follow the example of the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, who was merciful even to animals. Once, he saw a person slaughtering a sheep in front of other sheep, so he reproached that man saying:
(( Do you want to kill the sheep twice?! Why don't you separate them from one another (while you are slaughtering them?! ))
Sowing discord among Muslims and making them indulge in permissible pleasures
Also, I would like to mention another critical point; Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy" ﴿
Actually, Shaitan's first goal is to lead you to Kufr disbelief), but if he finds that you believe in Allah the Almighty, then his second goal is to lead you to Shirk (i.e. to associate partners with Him), but if he finds that you worship Allah alone without any partner, his third goal is to lead you to commit a major sin. If he finds that you obey Allah and adhere to His Commands, then his fourth goal is to make you indulge in minor sins. Finally, if he finds that you avoid minor sins out of piety, then the last two trump cards in Shaitan's hand is to sow discord and conflict among Muslims and to make the believer indulge in permissible pleasures all his life (i.e. to distract him from performing righteous deeds) until the angel of death comes to him, and he finds himself in dire need of righteous deeds.
Shaitan does his best to tempt you gradually, then you will suddenly find that you have hit rock bottom. For that reason, Allah the Almighty warns us against Shaitan's plan, saying:
﴾ And follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy ﴿
Also, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ These are the limits (set) by Allah, so approach them not ﴿
To sum up, in today's lesson, we have pondered over the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy. ﴿
![O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to](https://nabulsicdn.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com/thumbnail/1811.jpg)
