Tuesday 27 June 2017

SURAH AL-E-IMRAN: 1-5 - Part 3

In the next verse "نَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكَ الۡـكِتٰبَ بِالۡحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ وَاَنۡزَلَ التَّوۡرٰٮةَ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلَۙ‏" meaning "He has revealed to you the Book with the truth confirming what has been before it, and sent down the Torah and Injil", an objective argument for the Oneness of Allah (Tauhid) has been given.

What it means is that the principle of Tauhid was first brought by Hazrat Adam AS to human beings. Then after a long gap Hazrat Noah AS came and called people to exactly the same message of Tauhid. Then after another very long interval Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham) AS, Ismail (Ishmael) AS, Ishaq (Isaac) AS, and Yaqoob (Jacob) AS were born in Syria and Iraq and all of them gave the same message of Allah's Oneness. Then after another very long interval Hazrat Essa (Jesus) AS came and gave the same message. Then after another several hundred years the Holy Prophet ﷺ came and brought the same message of Tauhid

If anyone looks at this objectively this question must crop up in his mind that nearly one hundred and twenty four thousand prophets came between Hazrat Adam AS to the last Prophet ﷺ, they were born in different countries and nations, and spoke different languages, most of them never met each other, there were no books and printing presses in that time so there wasn't even a question that they could have read each other's books and knew what message an earlier prophet had given, then how come all of them gave exactly the same message that Allah Ta'alah had created all of us, that He was One and no one shared His existence or powers, and no one else deserves to be worshipped other than Allah Ta'alah. The other aspect is that the character of all Prophets was such that even those who did not accept them as prophets, never denied their honesty and integrity, like even the non-believers of Makkah called the Holy Prophet Sadiq (always truthful) and Ameen (Trustworthy). When so many of such honest people over thousands of years gave exactly the same message, it must make one wonder if there is a Superior Being who taught all of them the same message over these thousands of years.

Adapted from ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Saturday 24 June 2017

SURAH AL-E-IMRAN: 1-5 - Part 2

These first five verses of Surah Al-Imran explain the doctrine of Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah, which is the basic point of difference between Islam and other religions, and between a disbeliever and a true Muslim. Those who believe in Tauhid (and all His prophets) are Muslims, those who do not are not.

The first word of this verse Alif Lam Mim (الم) belongs to the special set of words used by the Quran which are words of hidden meaning and are known as Mutashabihat, the real meaning of which is a secret between Allah Ta'alah and His Messenger ﷺ. In the words اللّٰهُ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۙ (Allah: there is no God but He) which follow immediately, the doctrine of the Oneness of Allah has been put forth as a categorical declaration. It means there is absolutely nothing worthy of worship other than Allah. 

Then a rational argument for the Oneness of Allah has been presented by using the words الۡحَىُّ الۡقَيُّوۡمُؕ. The word حَىُّ means 'the living' in Arabic. Out of the Divine names, the use of this one here emphasises that He is Ever-living and Ever-lasting. He is above and beyond death. The word قَيُّوم is derived from Qiyam which means 'to stand', and Qaim refers to 'one who stands'. The words 'Qayyum' and 'Qayyam' are forms of exaggeration. They mean 'one who himself stands firmly and keeps other sustained and supported, all simultaneously'. 

The essence of the argument is that worship means presenting oneself before someone in complete and utter submission and humility. It, therefore, requires that the one who is being worshipped must occupy the highest point of honour and power, and who is perfect from from every angle. And by using the words الۡحَىُّ الۡقَيُّوۡمُؕ it is argued that how can a being or deity which is dependent on someone else for both coming into existence and for remaining existent, be worthy of worship. Therefore, it is obvious that everything in this world which is dependent on other for its creation or ongoing existence, like stone idols, fire, prophets, or religious scholars, cannot be worthy of worship. Only a Being who has always existed and will always exist, and who does not depend on anyone or anything for its existence, can be worthy of worship, and that is Allah Ta'alah.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Friday 23 June 2017

SURAH AL-E-IMRAN: 1-5 - Part 1

بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ

الٓمّٓ ۚۙ‏ ﴿۱﴾ اللّٰهُ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۙ الۡحَىُّ الۡقَيُّوۡمُؕ‏ ﴿۲﴾ نَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكَ الۡـكِتٰبَ بِالۡحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ وَاَنۡزَلَ التَّوۡرٰٮةَ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلَۙ‏ ﴿۳﴾ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَاَنۡزَلَ الۡفُرۡقَانَ  ؕ‌ اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ شَدِيۡدٌ  ‌ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَزِيۡزٌ ذُو انۡتِقَامٍؕ‏ ﴿۴﴾ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَخۡفٰى عَلَيۡهِ شَىۡءٌ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا فِى السَّمَآءِ﴿۵﴾ ؕ‏

With the name of Allah the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful

Alif Lam Mim. (1) Allah: There is no God but He, the Alive, the All-Sustaining. (2) He has revealed to you the Book with the truth confirming what has been before it, and sent down the Torah and Injil (3) (the Evangile) earlier to give guidance to mankind, and sent down the Furqan (the criterion of right and wrong). Surely those who have rejected the verses of Allah, for them there is severe punishment. And Allah is Mighty, Lord of Retribution. (4) Surely, Allah is such that nothing is hidden from Him, either in the earth or in the heaven. (5) 

To be continued...

Thursday 22 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - 9th and last part

Right at the end of the Surah the Holy Quran teaches Muslims to make a special Dua or prayer asking for forgiveness on commission of some act because of forgetfulness or neglect or mistake. It says,

"رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ اِنۡ نَّسِيۡنَاۤ اَوۡ اَخۡطَاۡنَا" 
"Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or make a mistake."

Then it was further said,


"رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِصۡرًا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِنَا ‌‌ۚرَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهٖ‌"
"Our Lord, do not place on us a burden such as You have placed on those before us. And our Lord, do not make us bear that for which we have no strength."

This is referring to the severe restrictions that had been placed on the Bani Isra'il (Israelites), such as, a piece of cloth could not be made fully pure unless cut or burnt, or that repentance could not be accepted without killing. Alternatively, it could mean that punishment should not be visited upon us in this world, as it was visited upon previous communities.

Allah Almighty bestowed His best when He promised the acceptance of all these prayers through His Rasool, the last among the Prophets, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Wednesday 21 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 8

It needs to be understood that this sentence "For him is what he has earned, and on him what he has incurred" means that initially one gets reward or punishment for what one does with one's own intention and volition. It is not contrary to later on earning reward or punishment for what was done without his direct intention. For example, several other verses of the Quran and many reports from ahadith say that if a person does something good which persuades others to act in a similar fashion, then the reward of that virtuous deed performed by the followers will keep reaching the original doer of the good deed for as long as the followers continue performing that good deed. In the same way, if a person sets up a new tradition of performing a sin, he will continue incurring the curse of that sin for as long as his followers keep engaging in that sin.

Similarly, narrations in Hadith prove that one can gift the reward of one's good deeds to any other person. It is clear that in all these situations, a person is receiving reward or punishment for acts done without his own intention and volition.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Tuesday 20 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 7

Similarly, the deeds that a person carries out mentally are also of two kinds. The first is voluntary, for instance, the belief in kufr (disbelief) and shirk (believing that someone shares Allah's existence or powers), which one has chosen to believe with one's free will and choice, or believing oneself to be mightier and loftier than all other human beings (Takabbur, arrogance) which one believes as a result of conscious and wilful self-pride, or vowing to drink alcohol. The second kind of these mental deeds are involuntary, for example, entry of some bad thoughts or impulses  into a person's mind without their volition or intention. Just like the physical deeds, a person is only accountable for, and will be punished or rewarded for, those mental deeds that a person carries out voluntarily and intentionally, and not for thoughts and impulses that come involuntarily.

This explanation given by the Holy Quran itself put the noble Companions' hearts and minds at ease that they won't have to account for involuntary thoughts and impulses passing through their minds. The Holy Quran has clarified this further in the next sentence "لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا مَا اكۡتَسَبَتۡ" meaning "that the man is rewarded for what he elects to do and is punished for what he elects to do."

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Monday 19 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 6

In the second verse, the doubt as to whether a person was accountable for all involuntary thoughts going through his or her mind, which could have arisen from the literal meaning of words of the previous verse, has been removed by the sentence, "لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا" meaning "Allah does not burden anyone beyond his or her capacity". Therefore, the thoughts that enter a person's mind without one's intention and control, and are not translated into actions, will be forgiven in Allah's Court. On the Day of Judgment a person will only have to account for deeds that were undertaken with choice and volition.

To understand this in a bit more detail, there are two types of physical or outward deeds that a person carries out with their hands or feet, or tongue, or eyes. The first type are those physical deeds that a person carries out voluntarily, for example, saying something unpleasant to someone by choice, or hitting someone by choice. The second kind of deeds are involuntary physical deeds, for example when a person intended to say something but by mistake said something else that he did not mean, or the involuntary movement of a diseased arm hitting someone by mistake. In these circumstances, everyone understands that a person will only be held accountable for, and will be rewarded or punished for, those deeds that they carried out voluntarily, out of their own free will. There will be no punishment or reward for involuntary deeds that happened without their volition.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Sunday 18 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 5

In the first verse those details of Iman (belief) have been described which are common between the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims in general. This Iman consists of the belief that Allah Ta'alah does exist, and that He is One, and that He possesses all the perfect attributes, and that there are angels, and that all Scriptures and Messengers sent by Allah are true.

After that it has been stressed that the believers (Momineen) of this Ummah will not do what the previous communities had done, in that they will not differentiate between the Messengers of Allah by believing some of them as Prophets, while not accepting others to be Messengers of Allah. The Jews accepted that Hazrat Musa AS (Moses) was a Prophet of Allah, the Christians accepted that Hazrat Isa AS (Jesus) was a Prophet, but both denied that Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ was the last Prophet of Allah.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Saturday 17 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 4

Continued from before...

Even though Rasool Allah ﷺ knew the correct intended meaning of the verse but he, in view of the generality of the words, chose not to say anything on his own. Instead, he waited for the Wahy (revelation) and instructed the Companions (Sahaba) that they should obey whatever Allah Ta'alah ordains for them. It may be easy or difficult to carry out, but it is not the way of a true Muslim to show the slight hesitation in accepting Allah's command when it comes. What they should do is that as soon as they heard the command of Allah, they should say, "سَمِعۡنَا وَاَطَعۡنَا‌ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَاِلَيۡكَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ", meaning "We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You shall we return."

The noble Companions did exactly what they were told by the Holy Prophet ﷺ, although in their minds they were still anxious that stopping involuntary undesirable thoughts from coming to their minds was nearly impossible. Upon this, Allah Ta'alah revealed these last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. The first one praises Muslims while the other gives a correct explanation of the earlier verse that created worry in the minds of the noble Companions. 

To be continued...

Adapted from Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Friday 16 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 3

The first of these two verses begins with words of praise for the Muslims who are true and obedient, those who said yes with all their heart to all injunctions ordained by Allah, and were all set to carry them out.

The second verse, in addition to being an assertion of Allah's infinite mercy, also answers the doubt and worry which started bothering the noble Companions (Sahaba) when the verse preceding these two was revealed. In that verse Allah Ta'alah had said, وَاِنۡ تُبۡدُوۡا مَا فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِكُمۡ اَوۡ تُخۡفُوۡهُ يُحَاسِبۡكُمۡ بِهِ اللّٰہ, meaning "whether you manifest that which is in your hearts, or conceal it, Allah will hold you to account for it." The verse was actually referring to the accountability for whatever one does with his or her choice and volition, and not unintentional thoughts and errors. However, the words of the Holy Quran were general because of which people surmised that human beings will also be held accountable for thoughts that came to their minds without their intention. Because of this worry the noble Companions presented themselves before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and said, "Ya Rasool Allah, till now we believed that we will be held accountable only for those deeds and acts that we do by our own will and choice, and will not be held accountable for those thoughts that pass through our mind involuntarily. But this verse seems to tell us that we will be held accountable for every thought that passes through our mind. If that is the case it will be very difficult for anyone to escape punishment."

Continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Wednesday 14 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 2

These are the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. Great merits have been attributed to these two verses in authentic Ahadith. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that  one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for him.

As narrated by Sayyidna Ibn Abbas Razi Allah Anhu, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Ta'alah has sent forth these two verses out of the treasures of Paradise and the 'Rahman' has already written them by His own hand two thousand years earlier than the creation of all things and beings. If a person reads them after the Salah of Isha they will be a substitute for Tahajjud for him.

As it appears in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim and Bayhaqi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Ta'alah has concluded Surah al-Baqarah with these two verses, which have been given to me in His grace from out of the special treasure that lies under the 'Arsh' (Divine Throne). Therefore, you should make special effort to learn these verses, and at the same time, teach your women and children how to recite them.

Continued..

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Monday 12 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 1

اٰمَنَ الرَّسُوۡلُ بِمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡهِ مِنۡ رَّبِّهٖ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‌ؕ كُلٌّ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَلٰٓٮِٕكَتِهٖ وَكُتُبِهٖ وَرُسُلِهٖ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيۡنَ اَحَدٍ مِّنۡ رُّسُلِهٖ‌ وَقَالُوۡا سَمِعۡنَا وَاَطَعۡنَا‌ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَاِلَيۡكَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ‏ ﴿۲۸۵﴾ لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا ‌ؕ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا مَا اكۡتَسَبَتۡ‌ؕ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ اِنۡ نَّسِيۡنَاۤ اَوۡ اَخۡطَاۡنَا ‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِصۡرًا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِنَا ‌‌ۚرَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهٖ‌ ۚ وَاعۡفُ عَنَّا وَاغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَارۡحَمۡنَا اَنۡتَ مَوۡلٰٮنَا فَانۡصُرۡنَا عَلَى الۡقَوۡمِ الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿۲۸۶﴾


The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers as well. All have believed in Allah, and His angels and His Books, and His Messengers. "We make no division between any of His Messengers"' and they have said: "We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return."

Allah does not obligate anyone beyond his capacity. For him is what he has earned, and on him what he has incurred. 

"Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or make a mistake and, our Lord, do not place on us a burden such as You have placed on those before us. And our Lord, do not make us bear that for which we have no strength. And pardon us. And grant us forgiveness. And have mercy on us. You are our Lord. Help us, then, against the disbelieving people. 

Continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Sunday 11 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 - 7th and last part

The placement of this verse at the end of Surah al-Baqarah has great wisdom behind it because Surah al-Baqarah is such an important and consequential Surah of the Holy Quran that a fairly large part of Divine injunctions appears in it. It gives important fundamental and subsidiary instructions regarding life in this world and the life to come. It holds details about matters such as Salah, Zakah, Sawm (fasting), Qisas (even retaliation), Hajj, Jihad, Taharah (prescribed state of purity), Talaq (divorce), Iddah (waiting period), Khul (divorcement sought by wife), Rada'ah (suckling), unlawfulness of alcohol, and interest and methods which are permissible or impermissible in matters of loans and deals. It is for this reason that in Hadith this Surah has been called Sinam al-Quran (the highest peak of the Quran).

The core of all the above mentioned deeds is Ikhlas (pristine sincerity), meaning that doing something or abstaining from something should solely be for the purpose of pleasing Allah Ta'alah. It should not be tainted with worldly desires such as earning fame or some other selfish motives. It is obvious that Ikhlas is a deed of the mind and the heart, and that acceptance of all other deeds by Allah Ta'alah depends on the presence of Ikhlas. That is why human beings have been warned by bringing this verse at the end of this Surah that it is quite possible to deceive people about whether a person is carrying out virtuous deeds or abstaining from sins, but Allah Ta'alah is Aleem and Khabeer (All-Knowing and All-Aware). He sees everything that a person does in isolation when no one else is watching him, and He knows what is inside a person's heart and mind. A person must be mindful all the time that Allah Ta'alah is watching me and knows what I am doing, and that I will have to account for it all on the Day of Resurrection. This is the spirit that Quran Karim tries to create in the minds of its followers, and once it is developed this is what starts stopping a person from disobeying Allah Ta'alah even in places where no other human being is watching him.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Saturday 10 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 - Part 6

According to al-Tafsir al-Mazhari there are two types of deeds which have been made Fard (obligatory) or Hara'am (unlawful). Some of these are performed physically for example Salah, giving Zakah, fasting and Hajj are all carried out physically. Similarly, some of the the deeds that have been declared unlawful are also actions of the body, for example, telling lies, causing harm to someone, drinking alcohol, etc. The second type of Fard (obligatory) acts are those that are carried out internally and relate to a person's inner self, his heart, his batin. For example, Iman and faith, doing Tawazu (تواضع), doing Sabr (صبر) when it is indicated, are all carried out internally. Similarly, kufr and shirk (disbelief and believing that someone else shares Allah's unique characteristics and powers,) Takabbur (arrogance), greed, envy, are all sins of the heart.

In this verse human beings have been warned that on the day of Qiyamah (Day of Doom) just like they will be held accountable for the their physical actions, they will also be held accountable for their internal deeds, the deeds they carried out in their hearts and minds.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Friday 9 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 - Part 5

As the words of this verse are inclusive of both types of thoughts, voluntary and involuntary, the noble Companions (Sahaba) got extremely worried when this verse was revealed that if a person was to account for their involuntary thoughts as well, who would escape censure. When they expressed this worry in front of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, he instructed them that they must firmly resolve to obey all commands that Allah Ta'a revealed, and say "سمعنا و اطعنا" meaning "we heard, and we obeyed". The Sahaba, may Allah Ta'alah be pleased with them all, did as they were told, and upon this the following verse of the Quran was revealed "لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا" "Allah does not burden anyone beyond his or her capacity". 

This verse reassured the Sahaba that they will not be held accountable for involuntary thoughts and this brought them great peace of mind.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Thursday 8 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 Part 4

Continued from before...

Other Ulama (religious scholars) have answered this doubt by saying that the Hadith, in which forgiveness for what is in the heart but is not acted upon has been mentioned, refers to the involuntary thoughts and doubts which come into a person's mind without his volition, in fact, they keep coming even if one tries to stop them. Allah Ta'alah has forgiven such involuntary thoughts for this Ummah. The accountability that has been mentioned in this verse relates to those sins that a person fully intended to carry out, but couldn't because of something else happening. He will still have to account for those intentions on the Day of Doom (Qiyamah). It will then be up to Allah Ta'alah will as to whom He punishes, and whom He forgives, as mentioned in the Hadith above.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Wednesday 7 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 - Part 3

Continued from before...

Here a doubt may arise in view of the Hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: "Allah Almighty has forgiven my Ummah all that they thought of in their hearts unless they said or did it."


According to this Hadith it seems there is no accountability for what one thought but did not act upon.  Imam al-Qurtubi has said that this Hadith relates to the worldly effects of an effect, for example, divorce, sales agreements, and gifts are not authentically concluded just by thinking about them, unless a person conducts these verbally or practically. Since this verse refers to the effects of an act appearing in the Hereafter there is no contradiction between the two.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Tuesday 6 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 - Part 2

It appears in another Hadith that on the day of Doom (Qiyamah) Allah Ta'alah will say, "This is the Day when hidden things will be revealed and secrets concealed in hearts will be laid out in the open. And (forget not that) My angels charged with writing down your deeds wrote down only those visible on the outside, and I know what angels do not know, nor did they write those in your Book of Deeds. Now I tell you all about it and ask you to stand and answer. I shall forgive anyone I will and I shall punish anyone I will." True believers will then be forgiven and disbelievers (kuffar) will be punished. (Qurtubi)

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Monday 5 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 284 - Part 1

لِلّٰهِ مَا فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ‌ؕ وَاِنۡ تُبۡدُوۡا مَا فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِكُمۡ اَوۡ تُخۡفُوۡهُ يُحَاسِبۡكُمۡ بِهِ اللّٰهُ‌ؕ فَيَـغۡفِرُ لِمَنۡ يَّشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ‌ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرٌ۔

"And to Allah belongs what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. And if you disclose what is in your hearts or conceal it Allah shall make you account for it, then He shall forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills. And Allah is powerful over everything."

This verse means that on the Day of Judgment Allah Ta'alah will make all His creations account for all of their deeds, the ones they carried out, as well as the ones they had firmly decided to carry out and kept it hidden from others, but never got the chance to carry it out. In has been narrated in a Hadith appearing in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim that that it was reported by Sayyidna Ibn Umar RAA that: "I have heard from the Holy Prophet ﷺ that the believer (Momin) will be drawn near his most exalted Lord when Allah Almighty will make him recall his sins one by one and will ask him if he knew that he had committed those sins. The believer will confess. Allah Almighty will say, 'I concealed your sins in the life of the world and never allowed this to be known to others. Today, I forgive that.' He will be given the book of Good Deeds, while the sins committed by disbelievers and hypocrites will be announced before everybody."

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Sunday 4 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 282 - Part 2

اِذَا تَدَايَنۡتُمۡ بِدَيۡنٍ اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَاكۡتُبُوۡهُ۔

Two principles have been pointed out in this sentence. These are:

1. When a person carries out a business transaction on the basis of a deferred payment or loan, then a written document should be prepared when concluding that transaction, so that it can be referred to in case one person forgets the details or if there is a dispute.

2. While doing a transaction on deferred payment basis, it is necessary that the due date of its payment should be determined in advance. It is not permissible to defer the payment for an indefinite period of time because this can open the doors of dispute. That is why Muslim jurists have specified that the time limit should specify the exact date and month. It should not be left ambiguous, for example, that the payment will be made after the crop is harvested, as that can change with season.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

Saturday 3 June 2017

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 282 - Part 1

يٰۤـاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِذَا تَدَايَنۡتُمۡ بِدَيۡنٍ اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَاكۡتُبُوۡهُ ‌ؕ وَلۡيَكۡتُب بَّيۡنَكُمۡ كَاتِبٌۢ بِالۡعَدۡلِ‌ وَلَا يَاۡبَ كَاتِبٌ اَنۡ يَّكۡتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ اللّٰهُ‌ فَلۡيَكۡتُبۡ ‌ۚوَلۡيُمۡلِلِ الَّذِىۡ عَلَيۡهِ الۡحَـقُّ وَلۡيَتَّقِ اللّٰهَ رَبَّهٗ وَلَا يَبۡخَسۡ مِنۡهُ شَيۡـــًٔا ‌ؕ فَاِنۡ كَانَ الَّذِىۡ عَلَيۡهِ الۡحَـقُّ سَفِيۡهًا اَوۡ ضَعِيۡفًا اَوۡ لَا يَسۡتَطِيۡعُ اَنۡ يُّمِلَّ هُوَ فَلۡيُمۡلِلۡ وَلِيُّهٗ بِالۡعَدۡلِ‌ؕ وَاسۡتَشۡهِدُوۡا شَهِيۡدَيۡنِ مِنۡ رِّجَالِكُمۡ‌ۚ فَاِنۡ لَّمۡ يَكُوۡنَا رَجُلَيۡنِ فَرَجُلٌ وَّامۡرَاَتٰنِ مِمَّنۡ تَرۡضَوۡنَ مِنَ الشُّهَدَآءِ اَنۡ تَضِلَّ اِحۡدٰٮهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ اِحۡدٰٮهُمَا الۡاُخۡرٰى‌ؕ وَ لَا يَاۡبَ الشُّهَدَآءُ اِذَا مَا دُعُوۡا ‌ؕ وَلَا تَسۡـــَٔمُوۡۤا اَنۡ تَكۡتُبُوۡهُ صَغِيۡرًا اَوۡ كَبِيۡرًا اِلٰٓى اَجَلِهٖ‌ؕ ذٰ لِكُمۡ اَقۡسَطُ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ وَاَقۡوَمُ لِلشَّهَادَةِ وَاَدۡنٰۤى اَلَّا تَرۡتَابُوۡٓا اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ تَكُوۡنَ تِجَارَةً حَاضِرَةً تُدِيۡرُوۡنَهَا بَيۡنَكُمۡ فَلَيۡسَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ جُنَاحٌ اَلَّا تَكۡتُبُوۡهَا ‌ؕ وَاَشۡهِدُوۡۤا اِذَا تَبَايَعۡتُمۡ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبٌ وَّلَا شَهِيۡدٌ  ؕ وَاِنۡ تَفۡعَلُوۡا فَاِنَّهٗ فُسُوۡقٌ ۢ بِكُمۡ ؕ وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ‌ ؕ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللّٰهُ‌ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيۡمٌ۔


"O those who believe, when you transact a debt payable at a specified time, put it in writing. And let a scribe write it between you with fairness. And no scribe should refuse to write as 
Allah has educated him. He, therefore, should write. And the one who owes should give the dictation, but he must fear Allah, his Lord, and should not curtail anything from it. And if the one who owes is feeble-minded or weak or cannot himself give the dictation, his guardian should dictate with fairness. And have two witnesses from among your men. And if two men are not there, then one man and two women from those witnesses you are pleased with, so that if one of the two women errs the other woman may remind her. And the witnesses should not refuse when summoned. And, be not loath to write it down, as payable at its time, no matter how short or long. That is more equitable with Allah and more establishing for the evidence and nearer to that you fall not in doubt, unless it be a cash deal you carry out among yourselves. In that case there is no sin on you if you do not write it. And have witnesses when you transact a sale. And neither scribe nor witnesses should be harmed. And if you do, it is certainly a sin on your part. And fear Allah. And Allah teaches you. And Allah is All-Knowing in respect of everything."

Thursday 1 June 2017

SAYINGS OF THE HOLY PROPHET ﷺ ABOUT RIBA (INTEREST) - Part 3

- Rasool Allah ﷺ said, "the society in which Riba becomes rampant is punished with famine, and the society where Riba is rampant is punished with horror (of others).

- Rasool Allah ﷺ on the night (of Ascension: Miraj) when we reached the seventh sky, I looked upwards and saw thunder, lightnings and thunder-claps. Then I came across some people whose stomachs seemed to be houses full of snakes - one could see them from the outside of their stomachs. I asked Jibra'il: "Who are they?" He replied, "They are those who used to take Riba (interest or usury)."

- Rasool Allah ﷺ said, "Abstain from sins which are not forgiven: Embezzling of the spoils (of Jihad), for whoever embezzles anything will come with it on the Day of Judgment, and the other sin is Riba."

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih