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.

Fear Allah

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

102. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha haqqa tuqatihi wala tamootunna illa waantum muslimoona

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102. O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not but as those who have surrendered themselves completely to Allah.¹²⁰

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120. Death may come without any warning signals. Man should therefore never postpone surrendering himself to any future date. That future date may never come in his life.

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Allah is Beneficent and Merciful. So, fear Him not as one would fear a despot. Fear Allah here means that one should be afraid of doing anything against His instructions in the Qur’aan.

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 19^th of January 2018.

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.