TOPIC 12

Have265 you ever reflected upon the case of those who fled their homes for fear of death, and they were thousands in number? So Allah said to them, "Die"; then He again gave them life.266 Indeed Allah is bountiful to mankind, but most of the people are ungrateful.

 265From

here begins a new address. In it the Muslims have been exhorted to do Jihad," i.e., to exert their utmost in the Way of Allah and make monetary sacrifices for the cause. At the same time they have been warned to guard against those weaknesses that had led to the degeneration and downfall of the children of Israel.

It will help understand this address, if we keep in mind the occasion of its revelation. At that time the Muslims, who had been expelled from Makkah a year or so earlier and were living as refugees at Madinah, were asking over and over again for permission to fight with the disbelievers who had been persecuting them relentlessly for years. But, when the permission they themselves had asked was given, some of them began to lose heart (Please refer to Al-Baqarah, II : 216). That is why two important events from the history of the Israelites are being related to serve as a fore-warning to the Muslims and to stimulate their zeal and courage.

266 Children of lsrael when they had left Egypt in large numbers and were wandering homeless in the deserts and wildernesses and were very anxious to find a home for themselves. But when inspired by Allah, the Prophet Moses ordered them to fight against the Canaanites and expel them from Palestine and conquer that territory, they showed cowardice and refused to march forward. Consequently Allah left them to wander in the land for forty years so that that generation should come to an end and a new one be brought up in the hardships of the desert. Then Allah gave them victory over the Canaanites. Probably "death and second life" refer to these two aspects of the exodus

 And there is nothing wrong if you also seek the bounty of your Lord during the pilgrimage.218 Moreover, when you return from 'Arafat, stay at Mash'aril-Haram (Muzdalifah) and remember Allah. And remember Him just as He has enjoined you, for you had gone astray before this.219

 218The

Arabs had another wrong notion about Hajj. They considered it a worldly thing to do any kind of business during the Hajj season. The Qur'an removes this misconception also and declares that if a pious man observes the Law of Allah and then does some business to earn his livelihood, he really seeks the bounty of Allah. And there is nothing wrong in seeking the bounty of Allah along with seeking His pleasure

 ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

 Alif.

Lam. Mim.1 This is the Book of Allah: there is no doubt2 about it. It is guidance to Godfearing people,3 who believe in the unseen,4 establish the Salats5 and expend (in Our way) out of what We have bestowed on them;6 who believe in the Book We have sent down to you (i.e. the Qur'an) and in the Books sent down before you,7 and firmly believe in the Hereafter.8Such people are on the right way from their Lord and such are truly successful.

 6The

fourth condition to benefit from the Qur' an is that one should be willing to part with one's money according to the instructions of the Book in order to render the rights of Allah and Man and should make monetary sacrifices for the cause of Islam which he has accepted.

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criterion of success or failure is not the prosperity or adversity of this worldly life, but successful in actual fact will be he who comes out successful in Allah's final judgement, and failure he who is a failure there. Those who do not believe in the life-after-death with the above implications, cannot benefit from the Qur'an because the one who entertains' even the slightest doubt about these; not to speak of rejecting them, can never follow the way of life which the Qur'an prescribes.

 ) ( There should always be among you some people who invite to what is good and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong: They alone will attain true success.

 ) ( On the Day the weight will be identical with the Truth:8 accordingly those whose scales will be heavy will alone come out successful.

 8"On

that Day weight will be identical with the Truth". On the Day of Judgment in the just scales of Allah, nothing but Truth will have any weight and vice versa; all that will have weight will be nothing but Truth. The weight of one will increase or decrease in proportion to the Truth one will have with oneself and that one will be judge.

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life of falsehood, irrespective of its longevity and apparent grand deeds, will have absolutely no weight in those scales of justice. When the deeds of the worshipers of falsehood will be weighed in these scales, they will see with their own eyes that the `grand' deeds of their lives have no weight at all. d solely by the measure of that weight and by nothing else

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(So. now mercy has been assigned to those) who follow this Messenger, the Ummi Prophet112 whose mention they shall find in the Torah and the Gospel with them.113 He enjoins them to follow virtue and forbids them from evil: he makes pure things lawful for them and impure things unlawful.114 He relieves them of their burdens and frees there from the shackles that bound them.115 For this reason those alone who believe in him and support hire and succor him and follow the light that has been sent down with him, shall attain "success".

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means: "The conditions that were laid down for Allah's mercy upon you during the time of Prophet Moses, still stand, and require you to believe in this Messenger. It was said to you that Allah's mercy is sent to those people who refrain from disobedience.

 You

were told that Allah has prescribed His Mercy for those who believe in His Revelations: therefore if you reject the Revelations that Allah is sending down to His Messenger, you will have failed to fulfil this last condition, even though you might go on asserting that you believe in the Revelations of the Torah."

 Here

the use of the word (ummi) for the Holy Prophet is very significant. This title was used to break the national pride and arrogance of the Jews, who called the nonJews ummis (gentiles). In this respect, they were so arrogant that, as a nation, not to speak of acknowledging an ummi as their leader. they were not ready even to concede basic human rights to the gentiles.

 "Now

your salvation solely depends on following this Ummi Prophet. If you follow him, you will receive a portion of My mercy. otherwise you are doomed to the same wrath to which you have been subjected during the centuries of your deviation."

Al-Mumenoon ) ( ( ) And when the trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another. (101) Then those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful. (102)

 94It

does not mean that the father will not remain "father" and the son will not remain "son", etc.. It only means that they will not be able to help each other, nor shall they be able to inquire about each other as father and son, for each one will be worried and anxious about his own plight. 95That is, those whose good deeds will be heavy and will out-weigh their evil deeds.

 ) ( As regards the Believers, when they are called towards Allah and His Messenger so that the Messenger may judge between them, they say, "We have heard and obeyed"; such are the people who attain true success

) ( Therefore, (O believers,) give to your relative his due, and to the needy and the wayfarer (his due).57 This is the best way for those who seek Allah's goodwill: such alone will attain true success.

It has not been said: "Give charity to the relative, the needy and the wayfarer, but their due because this is their right (due to them from you), which you must give them in any case. You will not do them any favor if you part with a part of your wealth for their sake. You should remember it well that if the real owner of the wealth has given you more than others, your extra wealth is, in fact, the right of others, which has been given to you for your trial so that your Lord may see whether you recognize the rights of others and render their rights to them or not."