AL BAYAN - Surah AL IMRAN - Part 14 - Verses 100 - 104 - Javed Ahmed Ghamidi

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.