O Muslims - 3

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excerpts from QUR’AANIC STUDIES – A Modern Tafsir PART I:

172. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo kuloo min tayyibati ma razaqnakum waoshkuroo lillahi in kuntum iyyahu taAAbudoona

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2:172. O those who believe! Eat of good, clean and wholesome food We have provided you with. And be grateful to Allah, if Him it is you worship.²⁸⁰

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280. ….. And, good, clean and wholesome (tuayyibaat) food is obviously that which promotes physical, mental and moral health. A little reflection should convince any believer that the Creator has not only created all the creatures but has also made adequate provisions for their sustenance. To name just one among countless such provisions is the wonderful phenomenon of the water cycle in Nature. But for the rains, most creatures would starve to death. And, despite all the technological progress, failure of rainfall in even a single year could ruin the economy of most countries. Believers would therefore be failing in their duty, if they do not feel sincerely grateful to their Lord for all the elaborate arrangements He has made for their sustenance.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 28^th of February 2020.

O Muslims - 2

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

153. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo istaAAeenoo bialssabri waalssalati inna Allaha maAAa alssabireena

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2:153. O you who believe! Seek help with patience and prayer. Certainly, Allah is with those who are patient! ²⁴⁶

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246. Allah does certainly not promise a bed of roses for the believers in this world. In order that they enjoy the Utopia in the Hereafter, they must go through a test by fire, so to say, in this life! Only two Verses later, in Verse 2:155, Allah tells us that we will be tested with fear, hunger and with losses in property, life and produce! And He asks us to seek His help with prayers, while on trial in this world, but that we shouldn't expect an immediate reward. We must wait patiently for it. Life on earth is indeed a severe test of our Faith! But happiness is a state of mind. We can be happy even in the most trying circumstances, if our Faith is so strong as to make us certain that our very Creator and Lord is with us.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 21^st of February 2020.

Justice Divine

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

40. Inna Allaha la yathlimu mithqala tharratin wa-in taku hasanatan yudaAAifha wayu/ti min ladunhu ajran AAatheeman

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4:40. Indeed, Allah wrongs not even to the infinitesimal extent of the weight of an atom. And if there is a good deed, He doubles it and bestows, from Him, a great reward.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 14^th of February 2020.

O Muslims

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

29. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la ta/kuloo amwalakum baynakum bialbatili illa an takoona tijaratan AAan taradin minkum wala taqtuloo anfusakum inna Allaha kana bikum raheeman

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4:29. O you who believe! Do not consume your property among yourselves wrongfully; except that you do it by way of trading with mutual consent. And commit no suicides, nor kill one another amongst you! Indeed, Allah is Merciful to you.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 7^th of February 2020.

Aim in Life

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

In a family get-together, a few months back, I posed a question to youngsters on the threshold of adulthood, "What's your aim in life?" The answers were all related, understandably, to getting better positions of living in this world. But, my Qur'aanic studies tell me that the common aim of human life in this world ought to be getting a place in Jannah {Paradise}, in the Hereafter! And this aim could be achieved only by following the divine directions in the Qur'aan. These directions, inter alia, require a human to be convinced  1. of the existence of Allah & seeks His help frequently in the conduct of his/her worldly life, 2. that Allah is aware of, and does minutely monitor, every bit of his/her actions in this world., 3. that Allah requires a human to be honest, truthful, sincere, and just in whatever he/she does in the course of living and earning a livelihood in this world, 4. that this life is uncertain, transitory, and replete with trials & tribulations to test a human's eligibility for a better life in the Hereafter, 5. that those that pass this worldly test would enjoy everlasting happiness in the Hereafter and those that fail would be punished there. Mohammad Shafi Friday, the 31st of January 2020.

Orphans

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

10. Inna allatheena ya/kuloona amwala alyatama thulman innama ya/kuloona fee butoonihim naran wasayaslawna saAAeeran

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4:10. Indeed, they, who swallow the property of the orphans unjustly, swallow only fire into their bellies. And they shall burn in the flames of Hellfire.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 24^th of January 2020

Divine Talisman

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

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

200. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo isbiroo wasabiroo warabitoo waittaqoo Allaha laAAallakum tuflihoona

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200. O you who believe! Be patient, exhort patience, maintain good relations with one another and fear Allah, in order that you succeed.¹⁸⁶

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186. This is a veritable divine mantra for success. But, alas, there are very few Muslims in today's world with a strong enough Faith to make use of this mantra! The Muslims wouldn't be in the doldrums, they find themselves in, otherwise.

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Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 17^th of January 2020.