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 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.