Al-Bayan, Discourses on the Qur'an
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
Surah Aal i Imran
Aayaat 100 to 104.
Gratitude is only for God,
the Lord of the World,
and may His peace and mercy
be on Muhammad, the trustworthy.
I seek refuge with God
from the accursed Devil.
In the Name of God, the Most Gracious,
the Ever Merciful.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We are beginning
the study of Surah Aal I Imran from
verse 100 in the Quran.
Earlier, the first section of the chapter
concluded on verse 99
This chapter is based on two sections,
one introduction and one conclusion.
This is the structure of its subject
matter.
There is an introduction.
Then begins a section on the completion of
proof on the People of the Book
and it reaches a conclusion on verse 99.
Now begins the second section which
would finally lead
to the conclusion of the chapter.
This verse onwards the address is
directed towards the Muslims.
The direction of the address has changed.
In these verses of the Quran, this
method is generally adopted.
Either the address is
directed towards the Muslims,
as in Surah Nisa and then the
People of the Book are discussed.
After the introduction of the chapter,
the chapter will either begin
by addressing the People of the Book
and then the Muslims.
If you look here, the proof has been
completed upon the People of the Book.
All proofs were given and as we
say in the last lecture,
at the end of that topic, the Quran
provided answers to the
three main objections raised by
the people of the book.
After providing answers to their
objections
they were sternly reprimanded and
then they were also invited to Islam
and they were asked to not reject
the Quranic verses
and not to stop people from Allah's
path
and not to malign those things that
they have been made witness to
because this is not the correct attitude.
Now the address is directed
towards the Muslims,
Muslims are first warned of the
deviant schemes of the People of the Book
which they would employ to turn away
the Muslims from the path of the truth
But they should stay steadfast
on the path of Allah.
After this, the subject of purification
and cleanliness of the Muslims will begin
In other words, Muslims should
reform themselves,
they should fulfil their obligation
towards islam,
they should hold on to the rope
of Allah steadfastly,
they should follow the way of Allah
and the Prophet (pbuh) in difficult times.
So, these things which are important
for their purification, eduction
the purification of their wisdom and
character will be discussed.
So, this is the structure of this
chapter.
Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo
in tutee'oo fareeqam
minal lazeena ootul Kitaaba
Believers! If you yield to a group from
among these People of the Book,
It is obvious that from all the things
that have been said,
one of these includes telling the
people of the book
about things they have been
doing wrong.
On the other hand, since they are
religious people
and they are at the forefront of religious
issues,
people look up to them with respect to
these issues,
in a way, they have the status
of religious leaders,
the common people of Arabia,
those from the tribes of Aws and Khajraj
and people from other tribes think that
these people have the best understanding
of issues relating to Prophethood for
they have a whole history of Prophets.
We can make a mistake but
these people cannot make any
mistakes in this regard.
So, these people would be influenced
by them to an extent as well.
That is why this issue was introduced by
stating that:
Believers! If you yield to a group
from among these People of the Book,
By 'a group', Quran refers to those
people who are stubborn
and these people usually include their
religious leaders,
something which the Quran tells us.
They are the leaders and hence trusted
by the common populace.
It is mostly those people.
By 'a group', Quran refers to those
people only.
And By 'a group', Quran also refers to
those people
who are not part of this group.
It Is not as thought every one from
among the people of the Book
has become an ingrate.
A group from among them which also
plays the leadership role
indulges in such activities.
If you yield to this group from
among the People of the Book,
then what will these people do?
yaruddookum ba'da eemaanikum kaafireen
Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo in
tutee'oo fareeqam
minal lazeena ootul Kitaaba
Believers! If you yield to a group from
among these People of the Book,
they will turn you back from belief to
disbelief.
Their real intention is that you
yield to these people
so that they will also lead the
Muslims into disbelief like themselves.
I have already mentioned that the people
of justice from among them,
those people that the Quran will praise
later on,
the Quran always mentions them by setting
them apart from these people.
The Quran tells us that there are such
people who talk of justice,
and don't act stubbornly at all.
Although it can be the case that
their minds may still lack
clarity,
but they ask questions and they
engage and then again
there are people who have a
clarity in their thoughts
but their still persists a dissonance
in their actions.
In other words, he pauses regularly
wondering
if his decision was right of not.
Even those people that have such
ambiguities are different.
But these people are the ones who are
in such a place
because of their stubbornness that if you
listen to them,
then you should know their objective.
It is that they will also lead you into
disbelief
just as they disbelieve out of
their sheer stubbornness.
And you think that since they are
believers
and hence they cannot lead you into
disbelief...
It is obvious that if religious leaders
and believers are like that
then people feel that the leaders
have no reason to lead them away.
The Quran stated that their religion
is merely ritualistic
and they are the primary enemies of
religion.
They not only themselves are
its disbelievers they will also
lead the Muslims into disbelief if the
Muslims are led away by them.
The Quran stated that their actions
would lead to such consequences.
Wa kaifa takfuroona wa antum
tutlaa 'alaikum Aayaatul laahi
O Muslims [Be forewarned of this].
In other words, [Be forewarned of them]
Be forewarned of what you have been told.
[just reflect] how can you disbelieve
when God’s verses are being recited to you
It is understandable that they want
to lead you away
but how can you disbelieve
when God’s Book has been revealed to you
and His own Messenger is among you,
when God’s verses are being recited to you
when the truth is being manifested
before you
Wa kaifa takfuroona wa antum tutlaa
'alaikum Aayaatul laahi
when God’s verses are being
recited to you
wa feekum Rasooluh;
and His own Messenger is among you.
If in spite of this they disregard
the truth
then there is no bigger
deprivation and misfortune than that.
They will now have no excuse to present
before the Almighty
which in other words would mean
that they have slipped in broad daylight.
The result would be that even though
everything was visible even then
they surrendered themselves to the dark.
wa feekum Rasooluh; wa mai ya'tasim
billaahi faqad hudiya ilaa Siraatim
Mustaqeem
[So hold fast to God]
To hold fast to God” means that
in good and bad circumstances
a person adheres to the truth
and does not swerve in any way from
the directives of God
and the teachings of His Book.
[So hold fast to God] and [remember that]
he who holds fast to God
[then know that] he shall be guided
to the straight path.
So, he who holds fast to God
shall never be misguided
If you hold fast to your own ego
then you will face the same misfourtune
that these people have faced.
Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanut
taqul laaha haqqa tuqaatihee
Believers! Fear God as you rightly should
This is an explanation of what holding
fast to God actually means:
When it was instructed to
hold fast to God
and when it was said that
he shall be guided
to the straight path
who holds fast to God and
shall never be misguided.
So, what does holding fast to
God actually mean?
The Quran makes clear its meaning in the
next verse:
to fear God the way a person rightly
should.
The word 'fear' that is usually used...
Here, the Quran uses the word
righteousness
In other words, they should be vary of
the limitations.
They should be wakeful with respect
to Allah.
So, generally people feel that it is a
way of intimidation.
Fear is both rational as well as
delusional.
The fear of ghosts, for example, is a fear
that stems from delusions
You come across such a situation when
you, for instance,
visit some house.
It is a fear that stems from delusions.
Fear is also rational.
It is a rational fear when you know
that the bridge in front of you
is broken and there are chances that
you will fall off the bridge.
To be cautious about it...
In other words, a child is quite
courageous.
He can catch hold of a snake.
But why?
Because, rationally speaking, he does
not understand the concept of a snakebite.
By 'fear of God', it does not mean that
you are frightened by a ghost.
It entails that you should be conscious of
the fact that one day
you will stand before Allah.
He is your almighty.
You have to face him.
If you go before him as a dishonest,
fraudulent person,
if you are guided by stubborness
and envy
do you know the consequence of such
an action?
Every reasonable person should
be apprehensive of it.
Our discourses are based on the
same principle in this world as well.
This is what the Quran is
trying to explain.
So, this is being stated.
The word 'righteousness' that has
been used,
it is obvious that the Quran has said:
aamanut taqul laaha haqqa tuqaatihee
Believers! Fear God as you rightly should.
But Fearing God is required to the extent
that a person is capable of.
The Qur’ān itself has explained this in
Surah Tagaful.
Fataqul la masta ttaatu
You should fear god as much as you
are capable of.
In other words, such an attitude
is not detrimental for the individual.
It he is fearful and apprehensive,
if he is conscious of the transgressions
and if he bound by the limits set
by God,
he will do it to the extent that
a person is capable of.
God doesn't ask you shoulder
more responsibility
than you are capable of shouldering.
But he will fear god by accepting
the truth of fearing god.
In other words, he will fear god
with the consciousness that
he is dealing with God himself.
Firstly, the obligations a person owes to
God
are ones which he owes to no other person.
Secondly, the limits and bounds set
by God
and the punishments for violating them
have been prescribed for the worldly
and next-worldly benefit of people;
God does not stand to gain from obeying
these limits; it is they who stand to gain
Even when we apply the system of
recompense and Punishment
we do it for the reformation of the
community and the people,
we do it for their benefits.
In other words, the system of
recompense and Punishment
and the judicial system does not
stand to benefit from it.
It is meant for human beings
only.
And if they transgress the set limits
then everyone feels
that they should be criticised.
So, the judicial system of
recompense and Punishment
that has been legislated by Allah
is meant for the benefit of human beings
only.
Thirdly, God is watching over
everything; so much so,
He even knows what is in the
hearts of people.
Fourthly, no one can save a person
from God’s punishment
and the Almighty can punish a person
both in this world
and in the Hereafter and this
punishment can be eternal.
So, these the things which when an
individual takes into consideration
while fearing god, it is only then that
he fears god as he rightly should.
Unless a person keeps an eye on all these
aspects of fearing God,
he cannot grasp the real meaning of
fearing God.
??
it is the fear of god, his virtue
that is stated here.
aamanut taqul laaha
haqqa tuqaatihee
Believers! Fear God as
you rightly should.
wa laa tamootunna illaa wa
antum muslimoon
and when you leave this world
leave it as followers of Islam whatsoever
In other words, when the time comes
to leave this world
then you should be a follower
of Islam
until that time.
Wa'tasimoo bi Hablil laahi jamee'anw
and together cling to the rope of God
wa laa tafarraqoo
and let nothing divide you
These are the things that have
been stated.
and we should take note of each
of the aforementioned aspects.
wa laa tamootunna illaa wa
antum muslimoon
It means that the instruction to fear
Allah
or when you are instructed to be
obedient towards Allah,
it is a commitment for a lifetime.
There is no scope for to leave it.
Once you have become mature,
once god consciousness has become a
part of your thought process,
once it has become part of your intellect,
then this struggle will go on until your
last breath.
Therefore, you should be mindful.
If you leave this struggle before your
death,
then your hardwork will go to waste.
So, when the Quran stated that:
wa laa tamootunna illaa wa antum muslimoon
it entails that this matter is not meant
for a day or two,
instead the duration that Allah has
decided for this test,
the entire duration must be spent in
piety, by fearing Allah.
It also makes clear that it is an
uneven path,
we will face ups and downs,
we will face difficulties,
we will face discord, we will face
satan who will ambush us at night
and come across many hitches
and obstacles from enemies.
At times, greed will try to lure people and, at others, fear will try to intimidate them.
Those who passed through all these phases while protecting their faith
and reached their destination that Allah has ordained for the believers...And what is the nature of that destination?
??
This is what the Quran has interpreted by
using the word verse
cling to the rope of God steadfastly,
mentioned the Quran and
then elaborated it at length.
What is the rope of Allah?
It is the Quran.
This refers to the Qur’ān because this is the rope
which is stretched from the heavens
to the earth between God and His servants
It is this rope which is the means to reach
God and it is also our covenant with Him.
Consequently, holding firmly the rope of God means nothing but
to firmly grasp the Book of God and in no situation leave it.
Holding steadfast is qualified by the word verse
and then the Quran has used the words
verse
the Quran has instructed us against
any sort of dissension.
What does it mean?
This means that this requirement is from Muslims
in their collective and individual capacity to cling firmly to the rope of Allah.
They should not become divided
by forsaking it.
While being united they should
adhere to the Qur’ān,
read it and reflect on its verses.
They should gather counsel from it,
turn to it in all their affairs
considering it to be a
barometer of justice
and before its verdicts give no
importance to any other thing whatsoever.
This is what verse would signify.
You should firmly grasp this rope
of Allah as the Quran said:
Wa'tasimoo bi Hablil laahi jamee'anw
Take it that as it was said earlier that
you should hold on to Allah firmly,
and a person holds on to Allah by fearing
him and by fully obeying God
and once you have the fear of God,
then you are inclined towards
the book of Allah
so that I do not transgress
the limits set by Allah.
?
wazkuroo ni'matal laahi alaikum
And the Quran said:
and remember the favour
God has bestowed upon you:
What favours?
iz kuntum a'daaa'an
Here, the companions are the addressee,
that when you were enemies of one another
fa allafa baina quloobikum
so He united your hearts
fa asbah tum bini'matiheee ikhwaananw
and with His grace you became brothers.
And remember, the Quran said:
wa kuntum 'alaa shafaa
hufratim minan Naari
and [remember] when you stood
at the very brink of an abyss of fire;
fa anqazakum minhaa;
then He saved you from it
The companions, who were party to
the Prophet are told
about the grace that Allah has bestowed
upon them.
Anyone who is aware of the history
of Pre-islamic Arabia knows that
Before the revelation of this Book,
every tribe was an enemy of the other
and they would be engaged in
fighting and warfare.
The stories of their warfare
are spread across their literature
and poetry.
Their was no unifying thread
between them on basis of religion also.
They were, each one of the them,
the progeny of Abraham,
but only in name.
Each tribe had its own deities.
Their interests clashed with one
another
in the fields of politics and
economics as well.
With the introduction of the Quran,
it knitted them together and
weaved them into a locket of pearls
and foes became friends and well-wishers.
Here, they are reminded
of the blessings bestow upon the arrival
of the Prophet and the Quran.
They were told that:
they stood at the very
brink of an abyss of fire;
Warfare, hatred for each other, disbelief
and internal grudges
which were founded on disbelief,
and colliding with each others profits
had dragged you to a place
where
you stood at the very
brink of that abyss of fire.
And the nature of that fire is such
that
it is quite extraordinary for nations
in this world as well as in the next world
where it won't spare anyone indulging in
idolatry,
injustice and transgressions against
others.
So, the Quran said:
then the Prophet and the Quran
saved you from it.
kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu lakum
aayaatihee
Thus God explains to you
His revelations
la'allakum tahtadoon
so that you may be guided.
Through these verses we come to know
that
one really important blessing from
among God's blessings
bestowed upon a nation or a group is
that
a bond of love comes into
being between them
The truth is that it doesn't happen
easily.
Hence, look at the words that the
Quran uses:
iz kuntum a'daaa'an fa allafa
baina quloobikum
Allah put love between you people
when you were foes.
This is a great blessing by Allah.
Otherwise, minor issues result in
the disintegration of nations.
The ego of human beings is such
and it breeds suspicions so easily
and they are so prone to profits
that it is even difficult for 4
people to walk together.
At every step we are anxious that
they might fall in a ditch.
And internal conflicts, the sort that
we see amongst Muslims...
People are slaves to profits.
If two people work together, then we
do not expect them
to live their lives together and
put faith in each other.
Mistrust is in the family and outside,
it is in the society,
in the cultural and the political world.
In other words, they have engulfed the
entire community.
If you look at the environment in
your social milieu,
you will find out that moral
degradation is exemplified
in communal discordance.
The entire community will become
discordant and perturbed
because from a moral point of view,
people are not able to trust each other.
This environment of mistrust creates a
crisis of trust.
And then it is very difficult to come out
of it.
Hence, Allah has especially brought it to
the attention of the Companions that:
my greatest blessing towards you was to
turn your enmity into love
You became brothers because of my
blessings.
And the situation of your nation was such
that
it would have resulted in a pit of fire
in this world as well as the next
and Allah pulled you out of it.
Then the Quran stated that:
this is the manner in which
Allah explains his verses.
And this is how Allah explains to
you that
a slight mistake in this matter
can result in grave trials.
if they want to sustain love
and unity among them
In other words, Allah has
united you
and if you want to sustain it
they must hold fast to this Book otherwise
they will revert to the age
of ignorance they used to be in.
It was undeniable that they were
standing at the brink of an abyss of fire
If you read their history, it becomes
absolutely clear.
the Almighty caught them
by their hands and saved them from it.
So now if they forsake this Book,
there is a strong chance that they
will fall in this abyss
and then will not be able to
save themselves from its flames.
This directive that was applicable to the
muslim collectivity at that point of time
it is applicable in the same manner even
today.
The discord and disagreement,
the ugliness
which has become part of our
culture, politics, economics,
one of the major reasons behind that
is that
Muslims have abandoned the book
of Allah.
The instructions and guidance that
was there in the Quran,
the manner in which our moral being
was made the real objective of our lives,
this is the most foundational and
axial point of the Quran
that you have to purify your
moral being,
you have to be of service to others,
your wealth is not your own,
others have a right to it as well.
You have to spend in the way of your lord
and it is obvious that when
someone is willing to spend their wealth
then how is it possible that he commits
injustice and transgressions
and how is it possible for him
to steal from others.
This is something which purifies human
beings from a moral point of view.
This was the real message of the Quran.
Even today if you read the quran,
you will find that the Quran does not
consist of things like
which are very common in our
culture such as:
stories and ?
He invites human beings to the simple
message that
they should try to verify the true
essence of virtue.
That is the real faith in god.
It is a feeling of being present
before him.
You should live with the sentiment
that you will be accountable to god.
and the basis for this accountability
is the purification of your moral being.
Moral being should be as pure as possible.
The Quran calls it verse
You should act in such a way that
it guides you, your culture, your
environment to the straight path,
When things become part of a jargon
then people stop focusing on its meaning.
It is a very beautiful interpretation.
In other words, there are certain
actions which when commited
result in internal friction within
yourself.
These actions stem discord at your home,
in your community,
And then there is a sort of action
which leads to goodness and success everywhere.
What is that action.
It is obvious that it is the same action
where an individual has a cognition
of his moral being and confirms it.
He should recognise himself and
the essence of his dignity.
I am a moral being and I will take
moral purification to that level
where it is supposed to be and
then I will achieve eminence.
If I fail to do that then there is no
difference between myself and an animal.
So, this is the teaching of the Quran.
If you hold steadfast to the
directives of the Qur’ān
and if you make it the center and
axis of all things
which I always translate as the
following:
The main reason for the decline of
the muslim community is that
it neither made quran the center and
axis of its knowledge
nor did it make the Quran the center and
axis of its actions.
In terms of knowledge, if you visit
the religious schools,
if you look at religious edition, philosophy
or debates in jurisprudence
making quran the axis of your religion
and then trying to comprehend the Quran
as the Quran wants us to do has escaped
our knowledge.
Due to this reason we are left with
the stories of fazeil, fables
the debates on ? and those things
that have no relevance to our lives
The most important reality of our life
is that which the Quran states as
the act of leading one's life with the
sentiment of accountability before god
One day I will have to stand in the
court of my lord
and I cannot take any chances.
I cannot deceive anyone, I cannot
do adulteration,
I cannot be dishonest, I cannot
be unjust towards others.
You will feel this sentiment only when
you will lead your life with the
consciousness that
you are accountable to your lord.