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.

Homosexuality

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

The Qur’aan unequivocally condemns homosexuality as a fahishah (indecency, obscenity). If it is indulged in, in privacy, between two consulting adults, human society cannot mete out any punishment to them, but in modern societies, there is an increasingly on-going move to decriminalize even public display of this divinely proclaimed obscenity. The people to whom Prophet Lot (Loot) was sent during ancient times, were the first to indulge in this publicly; and for that public display, Allah Almighty annihilated them completely except for Lot and some of his immediate family. HE has warned future generations against such public display of homosexuality by leaving behind some remains of their annihilated habitations. Please see an extract from Chapter 29 of QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir, in this context:

35. Walaqad tarakna minha ayatan bayyinatan liqawmin yaAAqiloona

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35. And verily We have left thereof a manifest sign⁵ for a people who reflect.

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5. Watch the YouTube video. It is based on Biblical narratives, but it does confirm this Qur’aanic assertion.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 8^th of September 2017.

Rights of Divorced Women

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

241. Walilmutallaqati mataAAun bialmaAAroofi haqqan AAala almuttaqeena

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241. And the divorced women have a right to proper and reasonable maintenance. Providing such maintenance is an obligation upon those who fear Allah.⁴⁵⁹

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459. As for the widows, so for the divorced women. The kind Lord of all has made adequate provisions for all, especially the vulnerable section of human society. It's largely because of intransigence, excesses, and generally unjust behaviour on the part of human beings themselves that bring about sufferings in this world.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 1^st of September 2017.

The Hypocrite

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

224. Wala tajAAaloo Allaha AAurdatan li-aymanikum an tabarroo watattaqoo watuslihoo bayna alnnasi waAllahu sameeAAun AAaleemun

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224. And make not Allah but a front for your oaths that you're good, pious and a reformer. Allah listens, knows.⁴²¹

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421. This Verse discourages frequent swearing in Allah’s Name in emphasis of one’s virtues. Allah is aware of them. There is no need of the swearing for the really virtuous. But we all do come across persons, who would swear by Allah, without batting an eyelid, that they're but epitomes of virtue. But, later, we come to know that they're rogues. This Verse alludes to such people as well. They should know that their Creator is aware of their perfidy. They can't escape His firm grip.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 25^th of August 2017.

Why 'Muslims' Face Ignominy

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

186. Wa-itha saalaka AAibadee AAannee fa-innee qareebun ojeebu daAAwata alddaAAi itha daAAani falyastajeeboo lee walyu/minoo bee laAAallahum yarshudoona

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186. And when my devotees ask for Me, I am indeed close to them. I respond to the call of a caller, when he calls Me. Let them then respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they tread the Right Path.³¹¹

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311. Here's yet another prescription given by the Merciful Allah to keep mankind on the Straight Path. They have just sincerely to believe in Him and abide by all the divine Commands given in the Qur'aan! But, alas! Exercising the freedom of choice given to us, we, Muslims, just don't do that. As a result, we have fallen into ignominy in this world and face the prospect of an everlasting painful doom in the Hereafter.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 18^th August 2017.

In Forefathers' Footsteps

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

170. Wa-itha qeela lahumu ittabiAAoo ma anzala Allahu qaloo bal nattabiAAu ma alfayna AAalayhi abaana awa law kana abaohum la yaAAqiloona shay-an wala yahtadoona

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170. And when they are asked to follow what Allah has sent down, they say, "But we follow what we found our forefathers doing." Even if their forefathers had understood nothing, nor had they been guided!?²⁷⁸

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278. This loaded question, divinely posed over 1400 years ago, is still valid for people today, including most Muslims! Even though the Muslims have with them the divinely protected Qur'aan, they hardly refer to this invaluable Book of guidance, and choose instead to follow what they have found their forefathers doing. So, they call dead saints to their aid in worldly matters and visit their graves, even though the Qur'aan categorically tells them that such acts of shirk would be unpardonable sins [Q: 4:116].

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 11^th of August 2017.

Lailatul Qadr

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

During the prolonged and often acrimonious discourse about ‘Word of Allah’, it was apparent that there is confusion in our minds on Lailatul Qadr.

Chapter 97 of the Qur’aan is entirely devoted to this lail (night). My study note on this Chapter, as extracted from QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir, is as under:

Laylatu alqadri – the night that is described in this 97^th Chapter of the Qur’aan – is one of the mutashabihaat (parts of the Holy Book that the human mind cannot clearly understand) in terms of Verse 3:7. Therefore, in pursuance of divine directions in that Verse, we have to content ourselves with what Allah Almighty was pleased to inform us about it in this Chapter. But we are not content! We insist on giving our own error-prone interpretations thereof or on searching for such interpretations in the books of ahaadeeth. We are thus guilty of seeking mischief as the Verse 3:7 tells us. According to that Verse no one but Allah knows its correct interpretation.

What Allah is pleased to inform us is that the Qur’aan was sent down in that Night. HE does not inform, as some people seem erroneously to believe, that it was sent down on Prophet Muhammad (peace on him) entirely on that Night itself. Only a divine decree was issued to the angels, that Night, for revelation of the Qur’aan to the Prophet. This is what we can infer in the light of Verse 97:4. An unknown – unknown to man – number of other matters were decreed upon besides, that Night!

To illustrate this with an example, suppose, my Creator has issued a decree, to the angels for my death, during the last Lailatul Qadr. It does not mean that I die that night itself. My death could have been scheduled for a particular date and time during the intervening period till the occurrence of the next Lailatul Qadr.

Likewise, although the angels came down with a divine decree, for revelation of the Qur’aan to the Prophet, that Lailatul Qadr, it does not mean the Holy Book was revealed to him all at once (jumlatan wahidatan) that night itself! The entire Qur’aanic text in itself provides ample evidence that it was scheduled to be revealed, passage by passage, during the course of Muhammad’s entire prophethood.

Another thing about this particular Night is that Allah Ta’ala has not specified when it occurs. Nevertheless, going against divine admonition in Verse 3:7, some people assume that it occurs on the 27^th of Ramadan every year. Some others believe it may occur on any of the odd dates after the 20^th of Ramadan. All human conjectures, nothing else!

The Truth is: Allah Almighty has not deemed it necessary to let us humans know when the Night occurs. So be it! We should stop celebrating any night as that Night. It’s not a Night when any special duty is assigned for mankind. It’s a Night when duties are assigned for angels to do till the occurrence of the next Lailatul Qadr. Muslims should continue performing their duties in accordance with the Qur’aan, throughout their lives.

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 4^th of August 2017.