The Time

Extract from QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir PART II:

Chapter 103: Al-Asr (The Time)

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

1. WaalAAasri

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103:1. By the time!

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2. Inna al-insana lafee khusrin

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103:2. Indeed, mankind is surely in loss,

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3. Illa allatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati watawasaw bialhaqqi watawasaw bialssabri

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103:3. But not those among them who believe and do good deeds, and exhort one another to Truth, and exhort one another to patience.¹

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1. The fundamental truth laid down in Verses 2 and 3 here is preceded, for emphasis, by the divine oath taken on Time as in Verse 1 above. Time is of critical essence for mankind. They have been allotted a fixed time on this earth to prove themselves eligible for Paradise. And they have not been given the knowledge as to the quantum of the fixed time. They do not know when that fixed time will come to an end. So, they cannot afford to waste any time at their disposal. And yet most people remain blissfully unaware of the precious time ticking away. For them is Paradise Lost! Paradise Gained is only for those few who satisfy all the four criteria mentioned in this 3^rd Verse of the Chapter. It is not enough that one believes and does good deeds; one has also to spell out the truth even if it hurts one’s own self or one’s own kith and kin. One has necessarily therefore to exercise patience.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 3^rd of May 2019.

Recipe for Salvation

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpts from Chapter 41 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

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30. Those indeed who say, ‘Allah is Our Lord’ and then remain steadfast, the angels come down to them saying, “Fear not, nor regret, but rejoice in the glad news of Paradise that has been promised to you!”

31. “We are your close friends in this life and in the Hereafter. And in the Hereafter, you will get whatever you desire, and you will have therein whatsoever you ask for”

32. “As gift from the One forgiving, merciful.”⁶

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6. Verses 30, 31 and 32 above together constitute a brief divine recipe for salvation. The recipe is just to have an unshakeable belief in Allah being the Lord (i.e., one’s creator, nourisher, protector, guide, judge, benevolent ruler but also one to give severe punishment to the evil-doer, all rolled into one). It is easy for one to declare that Allah is one’s Lord, but Allah, from time to time, puts that belief to test throughout one’s life. It is important to pass those tests. The Verses also define what the salvation is. It is a gift from the Creator freely available to anyone who would conduct one’s life as per that practical recipe. But are there many takers – even among the so-called Muslims?

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 16^th of March 2018.

Who Can Achieve Salvation?

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpts from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir, analyzing implications of Quráanic Verse 2:62:

62. Inna allatheena amanoo waallatheena hadoo waalnnasara waalssabi-eena man amana biAllahi waalyawmi al-akhiri waAAamila salihan falahum ajruhum AAinda rabbihim wala khawfun AAalayhim wala hum yahzanoona

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62. Indeed, those who believe and those who are Jews, the Christians and the Saabieen – whosoever believed in Allah and in the Last Day, and acted righteously ⁶⁸ – for them then, of course, is their reward with their Lord. And fear shall overpower them not; nor shall they grieve! ⁶⁹

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68. In Verse 8:29, the Qur'aan informs the believers that Allah creates for them the furqaan, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, if they are pious! Even a thief, when he steals, knows in his heart of hearts that he is doing something wrong! But he suppresses this call of his conscience. And with its repeated suppressions, his conscience so to say dies much before his physical death! A pious, Allah-fearing man, on the other hand, does not suppress his conscience - his furqaan! The Qur'aan guides us further in this regard by explaining, in Verses 2:44, 2:177 and 2:189, what Al-Birr (good, righteous conduct or behaviour) ought to be!

69. From Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them all), all the Prophets have preached but one Religion - the Religion of Islam! And the fundamentals of this Religion have always been: belief in Allah, belief in the Hereafter and performance of righteous deeds. So, no eyebrows need be raised when this Verse 2:62 informs us that even the Jews and the Christians shall attain to salvation if they only satisfied the three conditions mentioned. And no dichotomy be sought between this Verse here and Verse 3:85, wherein Allah informs us that no religion other than Islam shall be accepted! The moot question that now arises is whether the present-day Christians and the present-day Jews – with all their notions about Trinity, and about each being the chosen people of God with guaranteed divine visas to Paradise, and with their outright rejection of Muhammad and of the Qur'aan as the last Prophet and the last divine Testament - do thus satisfy the three fundamental conditions to be entitled to Salvation. And the moot question also is whether the present-day Muslims - with their neglect and ignorance of, and therefore with their fundamental deviations from, divine commands laid down in the Qur'aan - do thus satisfy the three fundamental conditions to be entitled to Salvation.

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Grant us the wisdom to understand Your Verses correctly, Allah!

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 17^th February, 2017

Divine Mantra for Salvation

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpts from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir, discussing divine advice given to Adam while being banished from Paradise to this earth:

38. We said, “Down you go all from this place! Then whenever Guidance comes to you from Me, all those who follow My Guidance shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

39. “And those who suppress the Truth, and belie Our Verses/signs, those will be dwellers of the Fire, therein to remain, forever! ³⁷”

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37. And this - the divine message contained in these two Verses 38 and 39 - is what is vitally important and necessary for us now to know and always remember. This is the divine mantra for the ultimate salvation of any individual among mankind. The individual ought to remember that it is only the purely divine - and not any other - guidance that will get him/her the salvation. The individual also ought to remember that if he/she suppresses or in any way whatsoever belies the truth behind any piece of the divine guidance, he/she would certainly be doomed!

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Grant us the wisdom to take heed of Your Advice, Allah!

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 3^rd of February, 2017