Multi-Media Edition

2008 Mawlawi Jahangir Mahmud

jahangir@wol.net.pk www.ser.com.pk

We shall study three basic themes of the Quranic verses

Himself

Relationship with His Creation

Relationship with His Messengers

ALLAH & HIS MESSENGERS

Key Features of Allahs relationship with His Messengers

They are Allahs vicegerents on earth They have been granted special and great knowledge by Allah They are much higher in status than the angels They must follow His instructions They are very intelligent They recognize Allah very well through His Signs Their focus is towards Allah only

They dont do Shirk Allah has favored them He gave them miracles He never forsakes them He is never displeased with them They have His Shelter He grants them guidance He grants them abundance His deals with their enemies They have special missions

What do we learn from these passages regarding:

Surah Baqara 2: 30 to 37
30. Behold, your Lord said to the angels: 'I will create a vicegerent on earth.' They said: 'Will You place there one who will make mischief there and shed blood?- whilst we celebrate your praises and glorify your holy (name)?' He said: 'I know what you do not know.' 31. And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels, and said: 'Tell me the names of these if you are right.' 32. They said: 'Glory to You, of knowledge we have none, save what You have taught us: In truth it is You who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom.' 33. He said: 'Adam! Tell them their names.' When he had told them, Allah said: 'Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heavens and earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?'34. And behold, We said to the angels: 'Bow down to Adam'. And they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject faith. 35. We said: 'Adam! You and your wife dwell in the Garden; and eat of the bountiful things in it as You wish. But do not approach this tree, or you will run into harm and transgression.' 36. Then Satan made them slip from there, and got them out of what they had been in. We said: 'Go down, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood, for a time.' 37. Then Adam learnt from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord turned towards him; for He is Oftenreturning, most Merciful

30. Behold, your Lord said to the angels: 'I will create a vicegerent on earth.' They said: 'Will You place there one who will make mischief there and shed blood?- whilst we celebrate your praises and glorify your holy (name)?' He said: 'I know what you do not know. 31. And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels, and said: 'Tell me the names of these if you are right.' 32. They said: 'Glory to You, of knowledge we have none, save what You have taught us: In truth it is You who are perfect in knowledge and wisdom. 33. He said: 'Adam! Tell them their names.' When he had told them, Allah said: 'Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heavens and earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal? 34. And behold, We said to the angels: 'Bow down to Adam'. And they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject faith 35. We said: 'Adam! You and your wife dwell in the Garden; and eat of the bountiful things in it as You wish. But do not approach this tree, or you will run into harm and transgression.' 36. Then Satan made them slip from there, and got them out of what they had been in. We said: 'Go down, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood, for a time.' 37. Then Adam learnt from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord turned towards him; for He is Often-returning, most Merciful

What do we learn from this passage regarding:

The Main Theme(s)

(i)

The Presentation of the Theme

(ii)

Teachings Lessons Beliefs Theme

How does the Quran explain it What examples etc it uses How similar themes are mentioned in the HQ Example from the Quran or the Ahadith

The Main Theme(s)

These verses describe the divine scheme of creation of Adam prostration of angels before him defiance of Iblis Adam's stay in and eventual exile from Paradise Iblis proved to be disobedient to Allah and was cursed forever He refused to acknowledge the superiority awarded to Adam by Allah who had gifted him with knowledge He later lured Adam and Eve to transgress the limits defined by Allah As a result of which they had to leave for their worldly abode Allah finally granted pardon to Adam after his appeal for mercy and forgiveness but warned him of the challenges and responsibilities of the worldly life.

The Presentation of the Theme(s)

Adam was created as the most superior creature of Allah in order to bestow upon him the status of vicegerent and the ability to acquire knowledge All angels, except Iblis (who was a jinn), acknowledged Adam's superiority (18:50) Defiance by Iblis came as a warning for the human race to beware of his evil mission that he started by luring Adam and Eve to violate Allah's command This also shows the inherent weakness that is part of man's instinct The errors and sins committed by man can be forgiven after confession and entreating forgiveness by God as was implored by Adam Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves, and if you do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among losers(7:23)

Surah Al Anaam (6: 75-79)

75. So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, so that he might have certainty. 76. When the night covered him over, he saw a star: He said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I do not love things that set.' 77. When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when the moon set, he said: 'Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among those who go astray.' 78. When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: 'This is my Lord; this is the greatest.' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your giving partners to Allah.' 79. 'For me, I have set my face firmly and truly towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.'

What do we learn from this passage regarding:

75. So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, so that he might have certainty. 76. When the night covered him over, he saw a star: He said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I do not love things that set.' 77. When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when the moon set, he said: 'Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among those who go astray.' 78. When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: 'This is my Lord; this is the greatest.' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your giving partners to Allah.' 79. 'For me, I have set my face firmly and truly towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.'

The Main Theme(s)

(i)

The Presentation of the Theme

(ii)

Teachings Lessons Beliefs Theme

How does the Quran explain it What examples etc it uses How similar themes are mentioned in the HQ Example from the Quran or the Ahadith

The Main Theme(s)

These verses describe Prophet Ibraheem's attempt to recognise Allah by way of some of the marvels of nature Ibraheem observed the rise and the setting in of stars, the moon and the sun in order to identify his Lord, the Creator of all. He was convinced that the Lord Almighty is everliving and is free from any decline Finally, he reached his goal of realizing the Oneness and supremacy of Allah Once he did that, he began to preach to his people about Tawhid and tried to dissuade them from Shirk or associating partners with Allah.

The Presentation of the Theme

Like other messengers of Allah, Ibraheem was also nurtured spiritually for the formal awarding of Prophethood Unlike Musa who witnessed a Holy Fire (28:30) to receive Prophethood or Jesus who began to show prophetic signs while in his cradle (5:110), Ibraheem reached the ultimate goal of prophethood after observation and being tested He firmly professed Tawhid Shunned shirk before starting his prophetic mission Allah thus strengthened the faith of His chosen servant by showing him the contrast between the temporary shine of the creation and the eternal glow of the Creator The Creator Lord is the source of all light and brightness.

Key Features of Allahs relationship with His Messengers

They are Allahs vicegerents on earth They have been granted special and great knowledge by Allah They are much higher in status than the angels They must follow His instructions They are very intelligent They recognize Allah very well through His Signs Their focus is towards Allah only

They dont do Shirk Allah has favored them He gave them miracles He never forsakes them He is never displeased with them They have His Shelter He grants them guidance He grants them abundance His deals with their enemies They have special missions

Surah Al Maida 5: 110

Then will Allah say: 'Jesus son of Mary! Recount my favour to you and to your mother. Behold! strengthened you with the holy spirit, so that you spoke to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! You make out clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by my leave, and you breathe into it and it becomes a bird by my leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers, by my leave. And behold! You bring forth the dead by my leave. And behold! I restrained the Children of Israel from you when you showed them the clear signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but
evident magic.'

Then will Allah say: 'Jesus son of Mary! Recount my favour to you and to your mother. Behold! strengthened you with the holy spirit, so that you spoke to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! You make out clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by my leave, and you breathe into it and it becomes a bird by my leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers, by my leave. And behold! You bring forth the dead by my leave. And behold! I restrained the Children of Israel from you when you showed them the clear signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'

The Main Theme(s)

(i)

The Presentation of the Theme

(ii)

Teachings Lessons Beliefs Theme

How does the Quran explain it What examples etc it uses How similar themes are mentioned in the HQ Example from the Quran or the Ahadith

The Main Theme(s)

This verse describes Allah's address to Jesus, one of His messengers. Like other prophetic messengers, Jesus was also granted certain prophetic signs that distinguished him from ordinary mortals. Allah reminds him of his miraculous birth, his ability to speak in infancy, treat the leper and the blind and give life to the non-living. He also received divine wisdom in the form of Torah and Gospel. The objective of granting such unusual powers to Allah's chosen people is to strengthen them internally and prepare them to face opposition by their people.

The Presentation of the Theme

Allah will remind Jesus of His special favour on him in the presence of his community, the Children of Israel, when the Final Court of Judgement will be set up These people had refused to believe in Jesus as messenger of Allah This means that the rejectors of faith are bound to deny divinity even when shown the clear signs Jesus was gifted with several miraculous powers including his miraculous birth (19:20), unusual powers and the holy script (3:48) but his people continued to deny all Thus, Jesus was both a responsible minister of divine mission and a man with limitations The unbelievers forgot their final accountability before Allah.

Surah Al-Duha 93: 1-11

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

By the Glorious Morning Light, And by the Night when it is still Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased. And indeed, the Hereafter will be better for you, than the present and soon your Lord will give to you, and you will be well pleased. Did He not find you an orphan and gave you shelter? And He found you wandering, and He gave you guidance. And He found you in need, and made you Independent, Therefore do not treat the orphan with harshness, nor repulse the petitioner (unheard); but proclaim the bounty of your Lord.

What do we learn from this passage regarding:

By the Glorious Morning Light, 2. And by the Night when it is still 3. Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased. 4. And indeed, the Hereafter will be better for you, 5. than the present and soon your Lord will give to you, and you will be well pleased. 6. Did He not find you an orphan and gave you shelter? 7. And He found you wandering, and He gave you guidance. 8. And He found you in need, and made you Independent, 9. Therefore do not treat the orphan with harshness, 10.nor repulse the petitioner (unheard); 11.but proclaim the bounty of your Lord.
1.

The Main Theme(s)

(i)

The Presentation of the Theme

(ii)

Teachings Lessons Beliefs Theme

How does the Quran explain it What examples etc it uses How similar themes are mentioned in the HQ Example from the Quran or the Ahadith

The Main Theme(s)

Theme of this Surah is Allah's special care and concern for His chosen people specially in times of crisis and difficulty Allah's support is as much part of prophetic mission as the trials and tests designed by Him Allah puts His prophetic messengers into a variety of tests only to bring them closer to Him and thus strengthen their faith.

The Presentation of the Theme.

The Surah mentions Allah's reassurance for the Holy Prophet who was being mocked for an unusual delay in receiving revelation Allah consoled him by reminding him some of His past favours to the Prophet These included Prophet's upbringing in special and difficult circumstances, easing his financial strain and, above all, awarding of Prophethood Allah commanded him to show kindness to the deserving people in order to earn His blessings Allah had revealed Surah al-Kauthar to console the Prophet when insulting words were being shouted and hurled at him on the death of his second son This explains Allah's special association with the Holy Prophet

Surah Al-Kauthar 108: 1-3

1.

2.
3.

We have given you the Abundance; Therefore pray to your Lord, and sacrifice. For the one who hates you, he will be cut off (from future hope).

What do we learn from this passage regarding:

The Main Theme(s)

(i)

The Presentation of the Theme

(ii)

Teachings Lessons Beliefs Theme

How does the Quran explain it What examples etc it uses How similar themes are mentioned in the HQ Example from the Quran or the Ahadith

The Main Theme(s)

Theme of this short Surah is Allah's promise and reassurance for His chosen people (prophetic messengers) in times of hardship and opposition by their people Allah has promised special favours and rewards for those offering regular prayers and warned of his wrath and worst end for those engaged in insulting and ridiculing special servants of Allah

The Presentation of the Theme

The Surah mentions consolation extended by Allah to the Holy Prophete who felt dejected in the face of mockery by the Mekkans over the death of his second son Allah promised him abundance of spiritual children in the form of millions of his followers Allah asked the Prophet to remember Him by regular prayer in order to deserve His special favour He further, promised destruction of Prophet'se enemies in the long run This shows Allah's special care for the Prophet in times of hardship The Prophet had received Surah al-Duha in somewhat similar conditions when his enemies insulted him over an unusual delay in receiving revelation.

Some of the Books authored by Maulvi Jahangir Mahmud

2008 Mawlawi Jahangir Mahmud www.ser.com.pk jahangir@wol.net.pk