Allah Is My Guide

Qur’aanic Verse 17.1:

 

Transliteration:

 1. Subhana allathee asra biAAabdihi laylan mina almasjidi alharami ila almasjidi al-aqsa allathee barakna hawlahu linuriyahu min ayatina innahu huwa alssameeAAu albaseeru

Translation:

 1. Glorified He is Who took His worshipper on a night journey from the Sacred Place of Worship (at Mecca) to the Distant Place of Worship (at Jeruslem), the precincts of which We have blessed, so that We may show to him some of Our signs. It is He indeed Who hears, sees everything.¹

Study Note:

1.  This is all that the Qur’aan says about the much-discussed Mairaj of our Prophet (peace on him). The ahaadeeth tell us plenty about it. The Muslims are in a dilemma as to whether they should be content with the little that the Qur’aan says on it or should they refer to the lot that the ahaadeeth ‘disclose’. 

One famous story about the Mairaj that the ahaadeeth ‘disclose’ is that Allah Almighty had prescribed, during its course, many more times of Salah per day than the five in vogue now. The story goes that as our Prophet was on his way back after receiving the divine directive, Prophet Moses met him and told him that his Ummah won’t be able to perform the Salah that many times. So our Prophet goes back and pleads for less number of Salah. The Prophet had to make several such to-and-fro trips till at last he got the prescription for the five-time Salah. 

Now, what is the implication of that story which the ahaadeeth make us believe in? It implies that Prophet Moses understood human nature better than the Creator Himself! 

The ahaadeeth are admittedly man-influenced and error-prone. It’s nothing but shirk to put them on the same pedestal as the Qur’aanic Verses. In this particular case, Allah did not think it necessary for the Ummah to know what divine signs He showed our Prophet during Mairaj. If He did think it necessary, he would certainly have mentioned those signs in the Qur’aan. For, Allah says, everything necessary for human guidance is mentioned therein. 

The signs shown during the Mairaj were necessary for the Prophet personally. He was chosen as the leader of the Ummah. In that capacity, he had to have not even an iota of doubt in his mind about the genuineness of the stupendous Mission he was given. 

So let us not speculate about the signs our Prophet was shown during Mairaj. Those signs were not meant for mankind in general.

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIX. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVIII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘

Qur’aanic Verse 16.126:

 

Transliteration:

 126. Wa-in AAaqabtum faAAaqiboo bimithli ma AAooqibtum bihi wala-in sabartum lahuwa khayrun lilssabireena

Translation:

 126. And if you retaliate, then retaliate with the like of that with which you were afflicted. But if you are patient, it will certainly be better for those who are patient.²⁹

Study Note:

29. Recently, there was that case about Danish cartoons. Some Danish newspaper had published derogatory cartoons about our Prophet (peace be upon him). In pursuance of the divine directive in this Verse, the only thing the Muslims could do in retaliation was to publish an equally derogatory cartoon about Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) in one of the newspapers controlled by them. But could the Muslims do it? No, never! Because, for the Muslims Prophet Jesus is as honourable as Prophet Muhammad. The best response for the Muslims then would have been to be patient, in accordance with the divine directive in this Verse, and try and publish an article in the same Danish paper eulogizing Prophet Jesus. But the Muslims did not then follow divine directive. They called for death to the persons concerned in the publication of the said Danish cartoons and for boycott of all Danish goods. How would Allah help the Muslims if they won’t follow His advice?

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIII. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘

Qur’aanic Verse 16.92:

 

Transliteration:

 92. Wala takoonoo kaallatee naqadat ghazlaha min baAAdi quwwatin ankathan tattakhithoona aymanakum dakhalan baynakum an takoona ommatun hiya arba min ommatin innama yablookumu Allahu bihi walayubayyinanna lakum yawma alqiyamati ma kuntum feehi takhtalifoona

Translation:

 92. And be not like the woman who disintegrates her well-spun yarn into fibres.²¹ You take your oaths as means of interference in one another’s affairs so that one community gets bigger than another. Allah has not but put you on trial by this; and He will certainly make clear to you, on the Resurrection Day, that about which you differed.²²

Study Notes:

21. The rationale for the directive in the preceding Verse not to break oaths made is explained here by use of a metaphor. A yarn spun out of a number of fibres has a greater strength and usefulness than the individual fibres. Likewise, a human being, individually, has little strength and usefulness. But the community, in which he lives with other human beings, gives him the necessary strength and security. He has written and unwritten conventions made with the other people and the society in general. He cannot afford to break these conventions. He will not be able to live there otherwise. 

22. At the micro level of individuals, as also at the macro level of nations, agreements and treaties are often misused for exercising undue influence on and/or for unduly usurping properties and territories of one another. Most international conflicts among nations are a result of such misuse.

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIII. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘

Qur’aanic Verse 16.89:

 

Transliteration:

 89. Wayawma nabAAathu fee kulli ommatin shaheedan AAalayhim min anfusihim waji/na bika shaheedan AAala haola-i wanazzalna AAalayka alkitaba tibyanan likulli shay-in wahudan warahmatan wabushra lilmuslimeena

Translation:

 89. And One Day We will raise in every people a witness against them from among themselves, and bring you as a witness against these. And We have revealed to you the Book explaining everything¹⁹ clearly, and as a guidance, mercy and good news for those who submit. ²⁰

Study Notes:

19. What does ‘everything’ mean here? It obviously does not mean, for example, any recipe for cooking a delicious food item. It means general principles for conduct of human life. As regards the recipe, in the example taken, Allah has obviously left it and such other things to be learnt through experiences of earlier people and personal innovations and inspirations. The divine Hand is inherent here too when a man innovates or invents a new thing. But the characteristics of discovery, innovation and invention are common to all human beings, whether one is a believer or not. Human beings are however given the choice of recognizing or denying the existence of One Supreme Creator of the entire Universe and everything therein. And the Kind Creator has provided innumerable and unending signs for mankind to make the right choice of recognizing His existence. Not only that, but He has sent Prophets and Messengers with divinely authored Books for their guidance for making the right choice and conducting life accordingly. ‘Everything’ in the Verse implies everything for this purpose of making the right choice and conducting life accordingly. On the exercise of this choice depends Man’s fate in the Hereafter. And the stake is extremely high! And Allah could have left mankind to its fate by just providing the tell-tale numerous signs in the Universe, but He is Kind and extremely Merciful to His human creatures. HE has given them, in addition, the divine Book of Guidance, the Qur’aan, as a token of Mercy from Him. Therein He has moreover given the enticement of Paradise to mankind to help them make the right choice. 

20. The unequivocal divine statement here that the Qur’aan gives clear explanation of everything makes the Book the sole authoritative source and basis for Islam, the Allah-chosen way of life for entire mankind. The equal (and in some quarters even greater) importance given to the man-influenced and error-prone ahaadeeth is the cause of the downfall of Muslims. Allah Ta’ala has obviously withdrawn His Hand of Mercy from them.

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIII. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘

Qur’aanic Verse 16.78:

 

Transliteration:

 78. WaAllahu akhrajakum min butooni ommahatikum la taAAlamoona shay-an wajaAAala lakumu alssamAAa waal-absara waal-af-idata laAAallakum tashkuroona

Translation:

 78. And it is Allah Who brought you out from the wombs of your mothers. You did not know anything, and He gave you hearing and sight and intellect that you may be grateful.¹⁷

Study Note:

17. When a woman delivers a baby normally, we tend to forget about the wonderful process that Allah sets in motion, within the body of the mother, to get the baby out into the open world. The mother just bears the process, and it is Allah Who brings out the child. As a new-born infant, it knows nothing, but while the foetus of the child was still in the mother’s womb, Allah had meticulously so fashioned it that it is now able to hear and see things. And by the time the child grows into a full-fledged man/woman, he/she acquires considerable knowledge through his/her mind gradually assimilating the things heard and seen during the intervening period. But is he/she grateful to Allah for giving him/her the faculties that enabled this acquisition?

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIII. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘

Qur’aanic Verse 16.65:

 

Transliteration:

 65. WaAllahu anzala mina alssama-i maan faahya bihi al-arda baAAda mawtiha inna fee thalika laayatan liqawmin yasmaAAoona

Translation:

 65. And Allah it is Who sends down water from the sky and therewith gives life to the earth after its death. There is indeed a sign¹² in this for people who listen.

Study Note:

12. The life-reviving rain is one of the innumerable signs of the existence of the Creator Who has made adequate provisions for continuance of life on earth. The earth’s revival after rains is a sign also that the Creator can likewise resurrect mankind after it dies out entirely. Some other signs are mentioned in Verses 66 to 72 below. Such signs are mentioned elsewhere too in the Qur’aan.

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIII. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘

Qur’aanic Verse 16.56:

 

Transliteration:

 56. WayajAAaloona lima la yaAAlamoona naseeban mimma razaqnahum taAllahi latus-alunna AAamma kuntum taftaroona

Translation:

 56. And they set apart a portion of what We have given them for that which they do not know⁹. By Allah, you shall most certainly be questioned about that which you have been concocting!

Study Note:

9. It is a practice among polytheists to offer some material things for their deities, other than Allah, whom they worship. These deities are either fictitious things or statues of persons, dead or living. The worshippers have no invontrovertible evidences of any divine powers that are reportedly attributed to these deities. Their belief in them is based on just hearsays. The Muslims too have unfortunately fallen a prey to this shirk. They go to the graves of saints, with costly chaddars and hefty monetary donations, thinking that the saints exercise divine powers through their graves. Their thoughts and actions are utterly un-islamic, and yet they call themselves Muslims! 

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The above is extracted from yet-to-be-published Qur’aanic Studies - Volume XXVIII. It will be published, in due course, inshaAllah on the website INVITATION TO SALVATION, in continuation of Volumes I to XXVII already published and freely available thereon.

Mohammad Shafi
Author of ‘ISLAM & INTEREST‘