In Sūrah ʿĀdiyāt, Allāh describes the special features of war-horses or chargers, and swears by them. The subject of the oath states that man is very ungrateful to his Lord.
It has been explained time and again previously that it is the prerogative of Allāh to swear oath by any of His creatures to recount an event or set down ordinances. It is not permitted for any of the human beings to take oath by any of the creatures.
The purpose of swearing an oath is to confirm or give weight to a subsequently stated truth. It is also mentioned earlier that when the Holy Qur'ān swears an oath by an object, it has some nexus with the subject of the oath.
Here, the hard tasks of the war-horses are called to bear testimony to the fact that man is very ungrateful for Allāh's favours. In other words, man needs to look at the horses, especially the war-horses, who risk their lives to travel under very dangerous and difficult conditions, especially in the battlefields, where they follow the commands of their masters, whereas man has not created them, he has not even created the fodder he gives to them. His task is merely to give them the fodder that Allāh has created. The horses recognise and acknowledge this little favor man does to them, and are prepared to risk their lives and bear the greatest of hardships.
As against this, Allāh has created man with an insignificant drop of sperm and endowed him with high faculties, abilities, intellect and senses to perform various types of tasks, thus making him the crown of His creation. Allāh provided him with all types of food. Facilities are created for all his needs and necessities in an amazing manner. But man does not recognise and acknowledge any of these sublime favors, nor does he express his gratitude to his Creator.
[Maʿāriful Qur'ān, Volume 8, Page 859]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
We know that Allah created all good things of life in this world to look attractive and worthy of man's effort to acquire them so that man can be tested. This is one of Allah's many acts of wisdom to see whether the man gets swayed by the glamour of the fleeting enjoyment of things, or will man remember the Creator of these things, or will man forget the Creator completely. Aided by this, does man make these worldly things a medium to know and love Allah or is it that he will get totally lost in the love for these worldly things, and forget all about the real Master before Whom he must appear on the Last Day and account for whatever he did.
On one hand is a person who has the best of both worlds. He enjoys the blessings of this life and uses them for success in the life to come. For him, the enjoyments of the mortal world did not become a road-block; rather, it led him safely into a prosperous Hereafter. But, for the other person these very things became the causes that led him to squander his chance of having a good life in the Hereafter, and also became the very cause of punishment. If we were to look a little deeper, we would realise that these things become a sort of punishment for him here in this world as well.
The lesson is that we can seek good things of life with moderation and even store them in accordance with our genuine needs. In this lies the ultimate good of this life and the life to come. Using them in prohibited ways, or indulging in them so excessively that one forgets the reality of the Akhirah is nothing but self-destruction.
Rumi says that things of this world with which we surround ourselves are like water, and the heart of man is like a boat in it. As long as the water remains beneath and around the boat, it is good and helpful, and certainly guarantees the very purpose of its being there. But, if water gets into the boat, it makes the boat capsize and destroys all that was in it. Similarly, man's wealth and possessions are means of convenience for his role in this world and in the life to come - provided that they do not enter into his heart, sit there, and kill it in the process.
[Maʿāriful Qurʾān, Volume 2, Page 37-38]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
There is a very popular Urdu couplet by Poet Ḥālī which states:
خدا نے آج تک اس قوم کی حالت نہیں بدلی
نہ ہو جس کو خیال آپ اپنی حالت کے بدلنے کا.
To this day, God has never changed the condition of a people
Who have no plan of changing their condition themselves.
For a person who has no intention of correcting himself, there is no promise of help and support from Allāh تعالى. Instead, this promise is valid under the condition that he himself thinks and does something about it:
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا ۚ And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our paths.
[Qur'ān, Sūrah Al-’Ankabūt (29) verse 69]
The pathways of guidance from Allāh open up only when the urge to have such guidance is present.
Take our own existence and its countless blessings for example. These are not the outcome of our efforts, nor had we ever prayed that we are given such a presence with eyes, nose, ears and the rest of our perfect body. These are wonderful blessings - and we have them without having to ask for them - alḥamdulillāh.
However, the right to deserve blessings and to become worthy recipients of the fruits of the Divine promise cannot be received without making one's effort to earn it.
Should a people keep waiting for Divine rewards without putting in due efforts and deeds, it would amount to nothing but self-deception.
[Ma'āriful Qur'ān, Volume 5]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
“O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allāh ﷻ. And whoever does that - then those (who do that) are the losers.”
[Qur'ān, Sūrah Munāfiqūn (63), verse 9]
There are two major objects in this world that divert a person from the remembrance of Allāh:
1) Wealth
2) Children
Therefore, these two things have been named in particular. Otherwise, it refers to all the means of enjoyments in the world. The importance of the verse is that love of wealth and children to some extent is not bad. Being engaged with them to a certain degree is not only permissible but also obligatory. But there is a dividing line between permissible and impermissible love that must always be borne in mind.
The criterion is that this love must not deviate one from Allāh's remembrance. The word dhikr (remembrance) in this context has been variously interpreted by different commentators. Some say it refers to the five daily prayers (Ṣalāh), while others say it refers to Zakāh or Ḥajj. Some refer it to the Qur’ān. Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله expresses the view that the word dhikr here refers to all forms of obedience and worship. This is the most comprehensive interpretation. [Qurṭubī]
In short, we are permitted to be involved in material wealth up to the degree that it does not divert us from Allāh ﷻ’s obedience. If one becomes engrossed in the material wealth or becomes absorbed in the forbidden or abominable things, which divert him from his duties and obligations towards Allāh the sentence “فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ” ... “they are the losers” will apply, because he has sold the great and eternal reward of the Hereafter for the petty and perishable enjoyment of this world. What loss could be greater than this!
[Ma'āriful Qur'ān, Volume 8, Page 474-475]
Last edited by Reminderz; 05-06-2021 at 06:45 AM.
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
Transliteration: MāshāʾAllāh lā quwwata illā billāh. Translation: Everything is as Allāh wills.
There is no power except with Allāh.
It has been reported in Shuʿab al-Īmān on the authority of Sayyidnā Anas رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever someone sees something and he likes it - and says 'MāshāʾAllāh lā quwwata illā billāh' - nothing will harm it (what he likes will stay protected).
It appears in other reports:
Whoever recites 'māshāʾAllāh lā quwwata illā billāh' when he sees something and likes it, it will stay protected against the evil eye.
[Maʿāriful Qur'ān, Volume 5]
Last edited by Reminderz; 05-06-2021 at 06:44 AM.
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
Allāh mentions: لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ Verily, there has come to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any difficulty. He is anxious over you, for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَقُلْ حَسْبِىَ اللهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ But if they turn away, say: Allah is sufficient for me. None has the right to be worshipped but He, in Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.
- Qurʾān, Sūrah Taubah (9), verse 128-129
It has been declared that the Prophet ﷺ is very kind and merciful for the entire creation of Allāh, particularly so for Muslims.
The Prophet ﷺ has been told that he should observe patience and trust Allāh even if there are people who do not come to believe despite all his efforts.
This Surah is full of references to the declaration of withdrawal from the disbelievers, the ultimate severance of ties with them and then fighting against them. This is the last resort of the Call to Allāh subject to the condition that the initial steps of Daʾwah (call) and Tabligh (communication of the Message) leave no hope of correction and betterment.
The basic function of the Prophets is to invite people to the way of Allāh with love, affection, sympathy and an earnest desire for their well-being; if they have to face aversion from the people or have to suffer some hardships, they are supposed to leave it to Allāh and place their trust in Him, for He is the Lord of the Great Throne.
By saying the Lord of the Great ʿArsh, the purpose is to lay stress on the fact that He encompasses the entire creation.
ʿUbayy ibn Kaʿb and lbn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said these are the last verses of the Qurʾān. After these no other verse were revealed and the Prophet ﷺ left this world. (Qurṭubī)
Abū Dardāʾ رضى الله عنه says:
The one who recites these two verses (9:128 - 129) three times, morning and evening, shall find that Allāh will make things easy for him. (Qurṭubī)
[Maʿāriful Qurʾān, Volume 4, Page 505-506]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
One meaning of the word 'Qadr' is 'greatness, honour or dignity'. The night of Qadr has been given this name because it is a night of greatness, honour, majesty and dignity.
Abū Bakr Warrāq رحمه الله has stated that this night is so called because a person becomes a man of honour and dignity on account of repentance, seeking pardon and righteous acts during this night whilst prior to this he might have lacked honour and dignity on account of an unrighteous life he might have led.
The greatest virtue of the night is that the acts of worship performed on this single night is better than worship in 1000 months (83 years, 4 months).
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "He who spends the Night of Qadr in the worship of Allāh, all his past sins will be forgiven.
In another narration Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said, "All the angels resident at the Lote Tree of the Uttermost Boundry descend in the leadership of Ḥaḍrat Jibr'īl عليهم السلام and greet every believer, man or woman, except the one who takes wine or eats pork."
In a different narration by Ḥaḍrat Anas رضي الله عنه the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "When the night of Qadr occurs, Ḥaḍrat Jibr'īl descends on the earth with a huge gathering of angels and all of them pray for every servant of Allāh, man or woman, busy in ṣalāh or dhikr, to be blessed by Allāh تعالى.
The Messenger ﷺ was asked what supplication should be made if one finds the night. The Messenger ﷺ replied,
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّيْ
O Allāh, Indeed You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ instructed to search for it (the night) in the odd nights of the last ten days.
[Ma'āriful Qur'ān, Volume 8]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
Allāh mentions: سُبْحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) Who took His slave (Muḥammad ﷺ) for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to Masjid al-Aqṣā, the environs of which We have blessed, in order that We might show him some of Our signs. Verily, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.
- Qurʾān, Sūrah Banī Isrāʾīl (17), verse 1
Ḥaḍrat Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī رضي الله عنه says that he asked the Prophet ﷺ: Which Masjid of this world comes first?
The Prophet ﷺ said: Masjid al-Ḥarām.
Then he inquired: Which one after that?
The Prophet ﷺ said: Masjid al-Aqṣā.
Early tafsīr authority, Mujāhid says that Allāh has made the site of Baytullāh 2000 years before Allāh made the entire Earth and that its foundations reach as far down as the seventh (strata of) Earth and that al-Masjid al-Aqṣā was made by Ḥaḍrat Sulaymān عليه السلام.
- Qurṭubī, Page 137, Volume 4
The word: حول (Ḥawl: environs/surroundings) in the verse: (the environs of which We have blessed) means the entire land of Syria.
It appears in a Ḥadīth that Allāh has made the land from the ʿArsh (Divine Throne) to the river, Euphrates and, out of this, He has bestowed particular holiness on the land of Palestine. (Rūḥ al-Maʿānī)
The blessings it has are both religious and worldly. As for religious blessings, it has been the Qiblah of all past prophets, and their home and the last resting place. And that its land is green, lush and verdant with streams, rivers and fruit farms etc shows its worldly blessings.
Ḥaḍrat Muʿādh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه reports that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allāh says:
O land of Syria, thou art My region chosen from many and I shall make My chosen servants reach thee. (Qurṭubī)
It appears in a Ḥadīth of Musnad of Imām Aḥmad that the Imposter will traverse the whole Earth but he will not be granted access to four Mosques:
1) Masjid an-Nabwī ﷺ
2) Masjid al-Ḥarām
3) Masjid al-Aqṣā.
4) Masjid aṭ-Ṭūr
[Maʿāriful Qurʾān, Volume 5, Page 460-461]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
So remember Me (Allāh رب العزة); I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.
- Qurʾān, Sūrah Baqarah (2), verse 152
The merits of Dhikr (remembrance) are indeed innumerable. What greater merit could one wish for than the assurance that when man remembers Allāh رب العزة, Allāh رب العزة remembers him also.
Abū Uthmān - may Allāh have mercy on him - once claimed that he knew the time when Allāh رب العزة remembers His servants. The listeners grew curious as to how he could determine this. He replied that according to the promise made in the Book of Allāh (Qurʾān), when a Muslim remembers Allāh رب العزة, Allāh رب العزة too remembers him and thus everyone can know for himself that as soon as he turns to Allāh رب العزة and remembers Him, Allāh رب العزة too remembers him.
[Maʿāriful Qurʾān, Volume 1, Page 399]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
There are two kinds of sins. Some of them are kabīrah, that is, major sins; others are saghīrah, (Sayyiʾāt) that is, minor sins. He who musters enough courage and succeeds in staying away from major sins, has been given a promise by Allāh Almighty that He will forgive his minor sins on His own.
Now, the act of staying away from major sins also includes the act of fulfilling all obligations (farḍ and wājib) because neglecting or abandoning obligations is a major sin in itself. Thus, we come to the conclusion that if one dutifully fulfills all obligations and succeeds in saving himself from all major sins, Allāh Almighty will overlook his minor sins.
We find that the expiation of sins through righteous deeds such as wuḍū, ṣalāh and the rest, which appear in aḥādīth, concerns minor sins. As for major sins, they are not forgiven without taubah (repentance); and for minor sins, the condition is that one should have made the effort to stay away and remain safe from major sins.
This leaves us with a note of warning - if someone, while staying involved in major sins, goes on performing his Wuḍū and Ṣalāh, then this wuḍū and ṣalāh and other righteous deeds will not at all expiate for even his minor sins, let alone the major ones. It is a warning that when a person appears on the fateful Day of Resurrection, carrying the heavy burden of his major and minor sins, he will find no helping hand to make his burden any lighter.
It is a peculiar style of the Qur’ān that when it warns of punishment against a sin, it is generally followed by some aspect of persuasion towards obedience.
A particular Divine reward has been mentioned and people have been persuaded to acquire it by staying away from major sins, in which case, Allāh Almighty will forgive their minor sins on His own. Thus, cleansed of all sins, major and minor, one could look forward to entering the home of honour and peace, the garden of Paradise.
[Maʿāriful Qurʾān, Volume 2, Page 405-406]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
Just think about this universe around us. It should not be too difficult to realise that this wonderfully organised system - comprising the heavens and the earth and containing the whole of creation in between them which is further streamlined by the most deft management of everything, big or small, existing therein - certainly points out to a special Being that has to be the Highest and the foremost in terms of Knowledge, Wisdom, Power and Authority.
A Being who originated and fashioned all these components with the wisest of consideration and under Whose intention and will this whole system keeps operating. That Being, as obvious, can only be that of the Most-Exalted Allāh.
Thinking about creation inevitably leads one to realise the presence of its Creator. Look at the enormous expanse of the sky above us with the sun, the moon and the many planets and stars bound with the solar and lunar system under firm and pre-determined laws working so well for thousands of years without being serviced or refurbished in some workshop. Then, there is this earth of ours, its rivers and mountains holding many marvels of creation, the trees, animals and hidden minerals, and the air that circulates in between the heavens and the earth and the rains that come and the electricity generated therein. This whole system so elaborately set up leads every sane person who is willing to think and understand that there is some special Being which is far ahead of everyone in power and control. This is what 'Ma'rifat' is, the stage of knowing, realising. So, this kind of deliberation which leads to the discovery of the Divine is an act of worship, a great one indeed.
For this reason, Imām Hasan Basrī رحمه الله said: An hour spent in thinking about the signs of Allāh is better and far more useful than a whole night standing in worship.
How well some spiritual master has put it in a few words:
.ہر گيا هے كه از زمين رويد، وحده لا شريك له گويد
Every blade of grass sprouting from the earth
Says: He is One; there are no partners in Him.
[Ma'āriful Qur'ān, Volume 2]
"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers." (51:55)
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