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.

And then there is the issue of making 
aspects of religion such as:

rituals, the organisation of the society, 
and reminder of things that are symbolic,

aspects that are, in fact, supplementary,
but replace the real essence of religion.

The is the aspect that the Quran is 
explaining here.

Even today, if Quran becomes 
a central and axial part of our lives

then what will the consequences?

It will result you acquiring such a 
scale in religious matters

that you will be able to examine 
everything.

If you overcome your grudges then
you will be able to decide

between good and bad in a jiffy.
You will find a way out of

those metaphysical debates that 
people found very interesting

in our tradition and such exceptional
people surrendered themselves

to these debates.
Then your entire focus...

It is obvious that when it becomes
clear what God is,

what his love entails, his attributes 
and the correct method

to be accountable in the court of Allah.
When these issues become clear

then you abandon the debates of philosophy
and Kalam

and stand on the correct path, then only
your entire focus will be on

natural sciences and development
of your own life.

It will result in you focusing on 
scientific disciplines

and you will abandon superstitions.
Quran germinates both these things

within you when you focus on the
Quran. Here it is stated that:

hold steadfast to the rope of Allah,
if you hold firmly the rope of Allah,

then it will have certain consequences
and those consequences are the following:

kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu lakum 
aayaatihee la'allakum tahtadoon

Thus God explains to you His 
revelations so that you may be guided.

that you may be on the right path.

Waltakum minkum ummatuny yad'oona 
ilal khairi wa ya'muroona

bil ma'roofi wa yanhawna 'anil munkar;

Now muslims have become a community.
A system has been established by them.

They have established their government 
in Medina even though it is of a tribal nature.

The community has become
organised.

There is a stage when people profess
faith individually,

they don't even own a piece of land,
they are spread throughout the world.

So, an organisation is not possible
in such a scenario.

But when a society comes into being,
when Muslims become a group

then the Quran tells them that
they are in a position to do so.

First, the Quran gave an introduction.
Fear Allah,