Righteousness

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of QUR’ AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

92. Lan tanaloo albirra hatta tunfiqoo mimma tuhibboona wama tunfiqoo min shay-in fa-inna Allaha bihi AAaleemun

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92. Never shall you attain to righteousness unless you spend from what you love. And Allah is indeed aware of anything you spend.^{105 to 107}

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105. Man loves wealth. He thinks it could bring him comfort in this worldly life. His thoughts do not go beyond, to the life in the Hereafter. But Islam teaches him that this worldly life is temporary and only a test; it is the everlasting life in the Hereafter that really matters. And the Verse 92 here tells us that unless we overcome our love of wealth by spending from it, we cannot be righteous enough to deserve comfortable lives in the Hereafter.

106. We can of course incur necessary expenses, from our own wealth, on our own selves. But we cannot waste the wealth on our own selves beyond our genuine needs. Allah would be aware of it, if and when we do it. And Verse 2:215 tells us on whose genuine needs to spend our wealth that is in excess of our own individual needs.

107. Man loves other things also, besides wealth. He loves his spouse and children, for example. Verse 92 here could be extended in its implications to cover these other objects of love too. Our love for our own children, for instance, should not come in our way of standing firmly for justice in any matter involving them.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 29^th December 2017.

Promoting Shirk

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Promoting Shirk

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

78. Wa-inna minhum lafareeqan yalwoona alsinatahum bialkitabi litahsaboohu mina alkitabi wama huwa mina alkitabi wayaqooloona huwa min AAindi Allahi wama huwa min AAindi Allahi wayaqooloona AAala Allahi alkathiba wahum yaAAlamoona

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78. And, indeed, there is among them a section who so twist their tongues with the Book that you may think it is from the Book, and it is not from the Book. And they say it is from Allah and it is not from Allah. And they knowingly utter a lie about Allah.⁹³

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93. This Verse might well have been revealed in the perspective of the Jews and the Christians trying then to change the contents of the revealed Books with them. But, in our present-day perspective, we need not get concerned with what those people did then. The Qur'aan is valid for all times. Let us therefore look at this Verse in our own perspective. And let us first look to what we ourselves do with our own Qur'aan, before looking to what the Jews and the Christians are doing with their Books. We are fortunate, by Allah's Grace, that the Arabic text of the Qur'aan is divinely protected. But Arabic is not known to all the Muslims. In fact, a majority from among them do not know Arabic; nor are any sincere efforts made to make Arabic a compulsory subject for all Muslims to learn, all over the world. In this scenario, Satan has manoeuvred the majority Muslim mind into thinking that it is enough for them to learn just to read the Qur'aan. It is indeed a satanic handiwork to delude the intelligence of the Muslim mind against the imperative need to understand what one reads from the Qur'aan. The Moulvis and the Mullahs have, in the circumstances, become the Arbaab (Lords), besides the One Lord, of the common Muslims. For, they (the common Muslims) literally gulp down what their religious leaders tell them, right or wrong. And the Moulvis and Mullahs, many of them semi-literates themselves, often give the commoners a wrong picture of Islam. Besides, in the translations & commentaries of the Qur'aan in other languages, not only do human mistakes creep in inadvertently, but deviations are advertently made to cater to views promoting shirk.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 22^nd December 2017.

Divine Punishment

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

56. FapaImma allatheena kafaroo faoAAaththibuhum AAathaban shadeedan fee alddunyta waal-akhirati wama lahum min nasireena

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56. "So I punish, with severe punishment in this world and the Hereafter, ⁷¹ those who suppress the Truth. And they shall have none to help them."

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71. Had the preposition fee (in) been used also before akhirati (Hereafter), then it would have meant that the severe punishment would be given both here and in the Hereafter. But the construction of the phrase here, – treating 'here and the hereafter' as one unit in relation to the prefix 'in' – indicates that some suppressors of the Truth may not be subjected to the severe punishment, in this world. Suppressors of the Truth, as the Qur'aan repeatedly says, are bound to be punished severely in the Hereafter. And incorrigible suppressors of the Truth like the people of Noah and the people of Lot are known to have suffered severe punishment in this world also.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 15^th of December 2017.

Lord of the Easts

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpt from Chapter 37 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

5. Rabbu alssamawati waal-ardi wama baynahuma warabbu almashariqi

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5. (And the One Whom you should worship is the) Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is in between, and Lord of the easts! ²

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2. The Sun has many planets other than the earth. All these planets have rotational movements around their respective axes. So, like the earth, these other planets have their respective easts. Besides, there are innumerable stars out there in the vast cosmos. And these stars, like our own Sun, may also have their respective planets revolving and rotating around them. All these planets should therefore be having their own respective easts. ‘Lord of the easts’ is Lord of all these innumerable planets. The planets are of course included in the Arabic expression wama baynahuma contained in the earlier part of this Verse, but by mentioning ‘easts’ Allah Ta’ala has brought to light the factual positions of the planets, orbiting the Sun and other stars that were unknown to mankind at the time the Qur’aan was revealed. [The people then thought that the Sun moved round the earth.] This also shows the need for interpreting Qur’aanic Verses in the light of knowledge gained by mankind from time to time. Those who advocate sticking to the interpretation at the time of revelation are advocates of stagnation.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 8^th of December 2017.

Fundamental Article of Islamic Faith

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 3 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

18. Shahida Allahu annahu la ilaha illa huwa waalmala-ikatu waoloo alAAilmi qa-iman bialqisti la ilaha illa huwa alAAazeezu alhakeemu

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18. Allah bears witness that there indeed is none worthy of worship but He; and so do the angels and those with right knowledge, based on truth and justice. There is none worthy of worship but He, the Omnipotent, the Wise.¹⁶

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16. This fundamental article of Islamic Faith is witnessed and certified by Allah Almighty Himself and by the angels who are the first amongst His creations to know the absolute Truth of the article of Faith. And among mankind, only those endorse the fundamental article, whose acquisition of knowledge is the result of their quest and enquiry based on truth and justice. Their knowledge is not based on unverified guesswork like Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Had his theory been true, we ought to have seen at least some signs of monkeys/chimpanzees evolving into humans, during this historical period of well over a thousand years. Protagonists of the theory try to hide behind the anonymity and haziness of the prehistoric ages. There too they encounter their 'missing links'.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 1^st of December 2017.

Mutashaabihaat

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Mutashaabihaat

Extract from Chapter 3 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

7. Huwa allathee anzala AAalayka alkitaba minhu ayatun muhkamatun hunna ommu alkitabi waokharu mutashabihatun faamma allatheena fee quloobihim zayghun fayattabiAAoona ma tashabaha minhu ibtighaa alfitnati waibtighaa ta/weelihi wama yaAAlamu ta/weelahu illa Allahu waalrrasikhoona fee alAAilmi yaqooloona amanna bihi kullun min AAindi rabbina wama yaththakkaru illa oloo al-albabi

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7. It is He Who has sent down the Book upon you. Therein are Verses that are unambiguous and authoritative – these form the essence of the Book – and therein are other Verses, the interpretation of which is not clear to mankind⁵. Those then with dishonesty in their minds, zealously pursue what is not clear thereof, seeking mischief and seeking its interpretation; but no one knows its interpretation but Allah. And persons, deeply versed in knowledge, say, "We believe in it; it is all from our Lord." And none but those endowed with insight receive admonition.⁶

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5. Mutashaabihaat are Verses, in other words, that are not clearly understood by the human mind. One example is the oft-repeated divine statement that the wicked shall be punished by putting them into Hell-fire. If any person is put into a burning fire in this world, that person is sure to die in a matter of minutes. But the Hell-fire in the Hereafter would be such as wouldn't make persons put in it to die, although they would very much wish to die. The human mind is unable to grasp the concept of such a fire. The Verses that present such concepts which are incomprehensible to the human mind, in this world, are Mutashaabihaat. Muhkamaat, on the other hand, are Verses that are well-explained in the Qur'aan itself, and therefore capable of being well-understood by the human mind, in this world. Muhkamaat, moreover, contain clearly worded divine commands and admonition that are required to be obeyed and acted upon by mankind to get salvation from certain doom.

6. The first Verse of this Qur'aanic Chapter, containing only Arabic letters corresponding to the English letters A L M, is another example of mutashaabihaat. No one knows the interpretation of those letters there, except Allah. The question then arises as to what is the divine purpose of placing such Verses in the Qur'aan, the meanings of which are not clear to the human mind! The purpose obviously is to provide for a test of a believer's faith in the divine authorship of the Qur'aan. As the Verse itself indicates, a true believer shall unquestioningly accept such Verses to be from Allah. But a deviated mind will seek mischief therein.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 24^th November 2017.

Allah Teaches Us Even How To Pray To Him!

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

286. La yukallifu Allahu nafsan illa wusAAaha laha ma kasabat waAAalayha ma iktasabat rabbana la tu-akhithna in naseena aw akhta/na rabbana wala tahmil AAalayna isran kama hamaltahu AAala allatheena min qablina rabbana wala tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bihi waoAAfu AAanna waighfir lana wairhamna anta mawlana faonsurna AAala alqawmi alkafireena

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286. Allah burdens not any being except with what it can bear. To it what it earns and on it befall consequences of its earnings. "Our Lord! Call us not to account if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! And put us not to such burden as You had put on those before us. Our Lord! And burden us not with what we have no strength to bear. And pardon us. And forgive us. And have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the people who suppress the Truth."⁵³⁰

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530. Thus Allah does Himself teach us how to pray to Him. HE is kind and considerate, and knows us much better than what we know about our own selves. HE articulates exactly what we would like to pray to Him about. We wouldn't ourselves be able to express our own thoughts so nicely. Oh! If only we had the wisdom to submit ourselves completely to the Gracious and All-knowing Lord of all of us.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 17^th of November 2017.

Intercession

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 34 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

23. Wala tanfaAAu alshshafaAAatu AAindahu illa liman athina lahu hatta itha fuzziAAa AAan quloobihim qaloo matha qala rabbukum qaloo alhaqqa wahuwa alAAaliyyu alkabeeru

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23. And intercession is of no avail with Him, except from him whom He permits. Until when fear is removed from their hearts, they (seekers of intercession) ask (those whom they considered to be their intercessors), “What is it that your Lord said?” They say, “The Truth. And He is the High, the Great.”⁷

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7. It is unfortunate that a majority among Muslims consider Prophet Muhammad (peace on him) to be their intercessor with Allah on the Judgment Day. In this they follow Christians who take Prophet Jesus (peace on him) as their intercessor. Both communities have gone astray from divine teachings. The divine teaching in this Verse is a categorical No to intercession, but the No has a rider by way of a test – to test mankind whether they would succumb to subtle satanic deviation inherent therein. After the categorical No to intercession, the Verse here alludes that Allah Ta’ala may however accept the intercession of him whom He may permit to intercede. But the Qur’aan has nowhere told us that Allah Almighty has permitted Prophet Muhammad or any other Prophet to intercede! The Muslims – and not Allah Almighty – have given their Prophet the permission!! They have thus fallen deeply into the unpardonable crime of shirk just as their Christian brothers have. Also, please see Verse 2:48 and the study note thereunder (Manzil I) in this regard.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 10^th of November 2017.

God Particle

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 34 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

3. Waqala allatheena kafaroo la ta/teena alssaAAatu qul bala warabbee lata/tiyannakum AAalimi alghaybi la yaAAzubu AAanhu mithqalu tharratin fee alssamawati wala fee al-ardi wala asgharu minthalika wala akbaru illa fee kitabin mubeenin

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3. And those who suppress the Truth say, “The Hour (the time when the present world will end and the Hereafter begin) is not going to come to us ever.” Say, “Yes, by my Lord, the Knower of the unseen! It is certainly going to come to you.” No mass (weight) particle¹ is hidden from Him, either in the heavens or in the earth. And nor is there anything less than that nor greater, but clearly recorded.

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1. As late as June 2012, scientists were unable to find the particle that gives an atom its weight. British scientist Higgs and an Indian Scientist Bose had theorized about its existence during the preceding century, but the scientists could not factually find it. In exasperation, therefore, they had called it ‘God-damned particle’, which later came to be shortened to ‘God particle’. The particle also came to be known as ‘Higgs Boson’ after the two scientists who had conceptualized about it earlier. It is only now (beginning of July 2012) that we are getting the ‘breaking news flashes’ in the news channels that the scientists have ‘almost’ got it. In any case, the Qur’aan had mentioned this particle 1400 years before human scientists could even conceptualize it. The particle was hidden from humans, but not from Allah.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 3^rd of November 2017.

Why the Divine Displeasure with Muslims

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

285. Amana alrrasoolu bima onzila ilayhi min rabbihi waalmu/minoona kullun amana biAllahi wamala-ikatihi wakutubihi warusulihi la nufarriqu bayna ahadin min rusulihi waqaloo samiAAna waataAAna ghufranaka rabbana wa-ilayka almaseeru

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285. The Messenger believes in what is revealed to him from his Lord and so do the Believers. They all believe in Allah, His angels, His books and His Messengers. "We make no distinction between any of His Messengers with any other."⁵²⁹ And they say: "We hear, and we obey. We seek Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to You is the final destination."

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529. There is clear indication here that Allah doesn't want us Muslims to make any distinction between Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and any of the Messengers preceding him. And yet we indulge in making the distinction. We give Prophet Muhammad the highest rank, and we have been saying that while other Messengers would be worried about their own selves on the Resurrection Day, Prophet Muhammad wouldn't be worried about his own self, but he would be the only Messenger worried about his followers. Allah doesn't want believers to entertain such parochial feelings. HE is obviously angry with the present-day Muslims for acting against His wishes/instructions/admonitions in this and in many, many other matters. Believers are expected to listen and obey, as this Verse tells us further on. But most Muslims of today do not even take the trouble of listening to the Qur'aan, let alone obeying the divine Message.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 27^th October 2017.

An Excellent Example

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

An Excellent Example

Extract from Chapter 33 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

21. Laqad kana lakum fee rasooli Allahi oswatun hasanatun liman kana yarjoo Allaha waalyawma al-akhira wathakara Allaha katheeran

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21. Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone who turns to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much. ⁴

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4. Divine qualification thus of Prophet Muhammad (peace on him) has been sorely misconstrued by a great number of Muslims today. Such Muslims go to the ridiculous extent of doing exactly as the Prophet allegedly did in his personal life in mundane matters like how he ate, wore his clothes, slept, or even answered calls of nature. I know of people now who would like to take their meals squatting on the floor because the Prophet had done so. The Imams would not use mikes while leading prayers in masjids because the Prophet had not used them. To learn what the Prophet did in his day-to-day life, they resort not to the Qur’aan, but to the man-influenced and error-prone ahaadeeth. Had they followed the Qur’aan sincerely, they would have realized that what Allah Ta’ala meant by this Verse is that the Prophet meticulously followed what the Qur’aan stipulated, and that the believers should try to emulate him in this regard and not in regard to what he otherwise did in his personal life. Chapter 103 of the Qur’aan stipulates that a human being ought to believe, do righteous deeds, exhort others to live by the truth, and exhort others with patience. This is exactly what our beloved Prophet did in his illustrious life. Allah Ta’ala urges the believers in the Verse above to emulate him in this.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 20^th of October 2017.

Guidance

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Guidance

Extract from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

272. Laysa AAalayka hudahum walakinna Allaha yahdee man yashao wama tunfiqoo min khayrin fali-anfusikum wama tunfiqoona illa ibtighaa wajhi Allahi wama tunfiqoo min khayrin yuwaffa ilaykum waantum la tuthlamoona

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272. Guiding them is not your (Prophet Muhammad’s) responsibility, but Allah guides whom He pleases.^{509, 510} And whatever wealth you spend, it is for your own benefit. And you spend not, but to seek Allah's pleasure. And the wealth, you spend, shall be recompensed to you, and you will not be wronged.

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509. Some Muslims think that even now, over 14 centuries after his death, the Prophet (peace be upon him) still somehow guides every individual of his Ummah. This Verse ought to correct their grievous misconception. I call it grievous because, indulging in such a conception is nothing but shirk. In this, we are following the footsteps of the Christians, who have taken to Jesus (peace be upon him) so much that they have forgotten their God. This Verse categorically tells us that guiding any person to the right path is the exclusive preserve of Allah Almighty. It was so even during the time when the Prophet was living in this world.

510. The Prophet taught the divine Qur'aan to his Ummah, under Allah's guidance. It was like a good teacher teaching indiscriminately to all pupils in his class. But some pupils learn, and some do not. Likewise, the Prophet taught the divine message for the entire mankind; some got guided by the Message, while many did not. Had it been in the power of the Prophet to guide people, he would have guided all without any distinction. It is Allah Who guides whosoever He pleases, to the Straight Path. And Allah has declared that only the pious would receive the guidance from Him.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 13^th of October 2017.

Proofs of Qur'aan being Divine

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Muslims say Qur’aan is from Allah, the sole Creator of the entire Universe and of everything therein. Should they deny the divinity, they cease to be Muslims.

But are they all convinced of the divinity? Most, I am afraid, are not! Were they all so convinced, one would find no Muslim lying, stealing, abusing, deceiving, backbiting, and indulging in any act of omission or commission considered a vice, an obscenity, or a dereliction of duty, in the Qur’aan.

Muslims, so convinced and so pious, are so few that their percentage may be less than 1, even!

Improvement of the status of Muslims among the world communities would be directly proportional to increase in that percentage.

The YouTube video, Miracles of the Qur’aan, may, I feel, help increase that abysmally low percentage, inshaAllah!

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 6^th of October 2017.

Qur'aan on Hadeeth

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Qur’aan on Hadeeth

Extract from Chapter 31 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

6. Wamina alnnasi man yashtaree lahwa alhadeethi liyudilla AAan sabeeli Allahi bighayri AAilmin wayattakhithaha huzuwan ola-ika lahum AAathabun muheenun

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6. And among mankind is such a one who, without adequate knowledge, bargains for the frivolous hadeeth to lead people away from Allah’s path, and holds this (Qur’aan) in ridicule.³ For such, as that one, awaits a disgraceful punishment.

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3. This Verse, I am afraid, is an accurate prediction of what most ‘Muslims’ are doing now, in my age (early part of 21^st century).

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 29^th of September 2017.*

*Due to personal indisposition, publication got postponed to 30th September, 2017. The delay is regretted.

Wisdom

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

269. Yu/tee alhikmata man yashao waman yu/ta alhikmata faqad ootiya khayran katheeran wama yaththakkaru illa oloo al-albabi

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269. He grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and whoever is granted wisdom, is indeed given a great wealth. And none remember it except those endowed with insight.⁵⁰⁶

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506. A wise man has a long-pterm and wide-ranging perspective. A fool, on the other hand, looks only to immediate and visible gains. The latter is easily enticed by the glamour of this world that inevitably lands him into trouble. But the wise man does not get ensnared in the pomp and glitter of worldly life. He ponders over his real Creator, and over the purpose for which he is created by that Creator. He understands that this worldly life is not the be-all and end-all of his existence. His deeds are influenced and conditioned by that wider perspective, and make him eligible for the ultimate success, here and in the Hereafter.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 22^nd of September 2017.

In Allah's Path

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Extract from Chapter 2 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir:

262. Allatheena yunfiqoona amwalahum fee sabeeli Allahi thumma la yutbiAAoona ma anfaqoo mannan wala athan lahum ajruhum AAinda rabbihim wala khawfun AAalayhim wala hum yahzanoona

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262. Those who spend their worldly possessions in Allah's path and follow not what they spend with boastfulness and insult – for them is their reward with their Lord; they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.^{494, 495}

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494. It is often the case with human beings that if they give something to a needy person, their behaviour with that person would be such as to make that person feel burdened with their favours. They will go on, on some pretext or the other, reminding him of their charity. They may even insult and speak harshly to him. Allah condemns such behaviour and makes their charity ineligible for any reward from Him.

495. The Qur'aanic statement falaa khaufun ualayhim walaa hum yahuzanoon (they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve) has been repeated in several Verses while speaking of

·         those who spend their property by night and by day, secretly and openly (2:274),

·         those who believe and do good deeds and keep up prayer and give charity (2:277),

·         those who believe in Allah and the last day and do good (5:69),

·         the friends of Allah (10:62),

·         those who say, Our Lord is Allah, then they continue on the right way (46:13).

Actually, any group of persons described by any one of the above attributes, do inherently also have all the other attributes mentioned. These are the people whose minds are at peace, whatever be their momentary situations, good or bad, in this worldly life.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 15^th of September 2017.