Thursday, 15 June 2017

Martyrs

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

154. Wala taqooloo liman yuqtalu fee sabeeli Allahi amwatun bal ahyaon walakin la tashAAuroona

154. And say not unto those who are killed, in Allah's Path, as dead. Nay! They are alive, but you perceive not.247 to 249

247. It's one of the observed hard truths about life on this earth, that good work done in Allah's Path doesn't often get recompensed here. People have died, or have been killed, while struggling to traverse steadfastly on that Path. Seeing this happen, many of the others have fled from that Path. Should we follow suit? Allah has given us the freedom of choice. And if we follow suit, exercising that freedom, what would we get? Maybe, we would get some worldly wealth, and some worldly position. But at what cost? At the price of our abandoning good things like honesty, fair play, justice, truth et al. And even if we bid goodbye to such good things, are we sure that we would get the worldly pelf and position? Not at all! Worldly life is very uncertain. Today we set about getting the world by fair means or foul, and tomorrow (who knows?) we may die! And who knows what's on the other side of the divide? Maybe, what these religious people say will come true. What if, because of our abandoning belief in Allah and in the Hereafter, we may be put into that Hell-fire they talk about, to suffer there forever!!

248. If only we would think rationally thus, Brothers and Sisters, there is really no real alternative to Allah's Path! Although Allah has given us the freedom of choice, it's a choice between certainty or uncertainty, salvation or doom. So, come! Let us be certain in our belief in Allah, and in what He tells us. HE tells us here not to consider those killed in His Path as dead. Let us have absolute belief in this, although we are not capable of understanding the divine statement. Being mere creatures, we do not understand many things. But our Lord, the absolute Creator, knows everything. So, let's believe Him, for our own good!

249.   In Verse 3:169 and in Verses immediately following that Verse, we are further informed that the martyrs in Allah's Path receive provisions from Allah and that they rejoice in Allah's bounties! Allah tells us there, that He shall not let the supreme sacrifice of such believers go waste. It is thus apparent that the martyrs shall enjoy a pleasant continuity of consciousness even immediately after the end of their worldly lives. Unlike others, who shall be in a state of unconsciousness extending to even thousands of years, till they are resurrected in the Hereafter! That is an additional divine reward for the martyrs*.

*It may well be noted that modern-day suicide bombers, who are responsible for killing innocent lives besides their own, cannot qualify to be called martyrs in Allah’s Path.


Friday, the 16th of June 2017.

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