Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-Nisa' (4)- Lesson (62)- Verses [ ]: Faith and Straightness

Transcription

1 Interpretation of the Quran- Surat Al-Nisa' (4)- Lesson (62)- Verses [ ]: Faith and Straightness Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. Faith requirements and nullifiers: Oh Believing Brothers, w e have reached the sixty second lesson in Surat An-Nisa a, in the one hundred and forty fourth verse. Allah Almighty says: O you w ho believe! Take not for Auliyâ' (protectors or helpers or friends) disbelievers instead of believers. Do you w ish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves? [verse 144] Maybe this is the most required verse for the Muslims now adays, so that they avoid w hat this divine verse w arns them from. When the Believer takes the infidel as a supporter, and the meaning of Walliy supporter means someone he considers as his master, someone he loves, protects, obeys and follow s, so w hen the Believer takes the infidel as his protector, it means he has positioned himself w ith the hypocrites, because hypocrisy is blended w ith disbelief. The disbeliever is similar to a hypocrite in that he appears to be a Muslim, but deep inside he is a disbeliever, so the hypocrite takes the disbeliever as a supporter, because of the common characteristics betw een them, w hereas if the believer supports the disbeliever, it means that he puts himself in the same category as a hypocrite. And if that w asn t a fact that w as happening or that there w as a possibility of that happening then Allah Almighty w ould not have prohibited it. Problems in the Islamic w orld are happening because w e support disbelievers over the believers, w e help the disbelievers against the believers, and w e aid the disbelievers to fight against the believers. We seek refuge from Allah against this, for it is all related to our faith. There are matters w hich w eaken one s faith, and other matters that revoke one s faith. So among those that revoke faith, is w hen w e help and support disbelievers against the believers, to help him, to like a disbeliever and loath a believer, as a matter of fact, it is a requirement to like a believer in order to complete one s faith, even if he harms you in some w ay as an example, and to dislike a disbeliever even if you benefit from him. One of the supplications of the prophet PBUH: (( O Allah! Don t let any good (benefit ) come to me through the hands of a disbeliever.)) So that one does not feel inclined to like the disbeliever, because he w ho likes a disbeliever, w ill be joined w ith them in the Hereafter, and his good deeds w ill be of no benefit to him. I used to say: If a Muslim helps a disbeliever against another Muslim, he w ould be like a w orthless, w ith w hich you w ipe the dirtiest things and then throw in the dust bin. Therefore you have to support the believers even if they are w eak, and you should avoid supporting the disbelievers even if they are the strong ones. Loyalty and Enmity are among the principles of religion:

2 Dear brothers: loyalty and clearance from are the basis of our religion, you w ould not be a true believer unless you are loyal to the believers, and you w ould not be a true believer if you are not clear of supporting the disbelievers. So, if someone likes the disbeliever, and is w ith them, believes in their thoughts and values, is guided by their directions, imitates them in their w ay of living, yet he goes and prays, observes fasting, and claims that he is a Muslim; this definitely w ill revoke his faith. If you support and are loyal to a disbeliever, his income and w ealth are all illegal, his relationships are not pure, he does not differentiate betw een legal and illegal things, so his values are not w orthy, so w hen a Muslim likes a disbeliever, and w hen he helps him, supports him and follow s his commands, and avoids w hat he prevents him from, then he is like him, this is w hy Allah Almighty said: O you w ho believe! Take not as friends the people w ho incurred the Wrath of Allah (i.e. the Jew s). [Sourat al-mumtahinah Verse: 13] And if any amongst you takes them as Auliyâ', then surely he is one of them. [al-maidah Verse: 51] Among the things that revoke one s faith is being loyal to a disbeliever, let alone supporting him against a Muslim, and helping him kill a Muslim. And w hoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him. [An-Nisa a Verse: 93] I don t think that in the w hole of the Quran there is any verse that holds a w arning such as this one. Isn t that w hat is happening now adays? The Islamic w orld is siding w ith the infidels against some Muslims? The matter of denial and refusal relates to religion: O you w ho believe! Take not for Auliyâ' (protectors or helpers or friends) disbelievers instead of believers. But w hat is actually happening is that each person has qualities, and these qualities are the result of one s faith, his principle and attitude, so w hen the faith is corrupted and w hen the behavior is corrupted, and w hen the principles are unstable, these points and qualities are the same as those of the disbeliever. Passion happens w hen these points meet. So if a person follow s and loves his desire, and loves his money w hich is illegal, and he loves to build his success on other people s destruction, and w hen one loves to build his safety on other peoples fear, or increase his w ealth on their poverty, or his life on their death, or his pride on their humility, and after all that, you like that person, then you are like him, and if you agree on w hat he does then you are together w ith him in the sin, because if someone confirms a sin w hich he hasn t w itnessed, it is like someone w ho has w itnessed it, and if someone approves of a sin he has not w itnessed it is like someone w ho has w itnessed it as w ell. So denial and refusal is something that is related to one s faith and religion, the verse is clear and it s indication is firm and clear. O you w ho believe! Take not for Auliyâ' (protectors or helpers or friends) disbelievers instead of believers.

3 On a lesser scale, you may have a relative w ho is of a high stature, and is w ealthy and influential, and you may alw ays turn to him for advice, and you are proud of him. This person may never pray, he may drink alcohol, and he may perform evil acts, so w hen you brag about him and praise him, and are proud of being related to him, and if he gives you advice w hich you rush to act upon, then this verse applies to you. You must never praise a debauchee, a disbeliever nor a sinner, as a matter of fact; Allah Almighty becomes angry w hen a debauchee is praised. Your son s evaluation of values w ill be inconsistent and unbalanced if he hears you describing someone w hose lew dness is so apparent by saying he is courteous, smart and w ise, because he sees that this person does not pray, and looks at w omen freely, he hears him say dirty jokes, and yet you say that he is smart and courteous, and has a high stature and is successful in his business. By praising him, there w ill be an imbalance in the values, your tongue should only speak the truth and w hat is right, and should never utter w ords of praise about a debauchee, you should never compliment a disbeliever and never be proud of anyone w ho is not proud of Allah Almighty. When real values are gone false values appear: I w ould like to further explain this verse, because the majority of people due to their w eak faith, are committing this violation: O you w ho believe! Take not for Auliyâ' (protectors or helpers or friends) disbelievers instead of believers. If your faith is correct, strong, and it is deep, you w ould never feel comfortable w ith someone w ho is disobedient to Allah s commands, and you should not even be able to smile in his face. This courtesy w hich is very common now adays, is hypocritical courtesy. These phrases w hich people use commonly these days are a blindfold to the truth. A very liberated girl w ho is very distant from religious verdicts is called liberated and sporty, although she is a debauchee and very liberated, and someone w ho accepts illegal money is called a clever person. A person w ho is a hypocrite and accepts everything and everyone and does not have any principles is called courteous, flexible, and w ise. And w hen the proper values are non-existent, false values appear and are created. How ever my brothers, in the second half of the same verse, there is a real deep meaning: Allah Almighty says: Do you w ish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves? What should I say about this verse? Even the Creator of the earth and the sky, even the God Who has described Himself by saying He is not asked about w hat He does, a divine state and none can ask Him, yet Allah Almighty has committed His Supreme Self being on the straight path. Allah Almighty says: Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Path (the truth). A Self commitment. Allah Almighty says in a Hadith: [Hud Verse: 56] ((O My servants, I have forbidden oppression on Myself and made forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.)) [Muslim reported by Abi Thar] Being straight on Allah s orders saves us from any punishment:

4 Even the Great Allah, He Who holds everything in His Hands, He Whom no one asks w hat He does, and He Who does w hat He Wills, w ould not punish you w ithout a reason (by you). And w hatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of w hat your hands have earned. And He pardons m uch [Ash-Shoura Verse 30] And to make this clear to you, I w ill give you an example: if you ow n a shop and all your goods are purchased locally and manufactured locally, your merchandise is permissible and you have the invoices and receipts for the goods. If an inspector from customs passes by your shop, you w ouldn t even mind and you w ould not be afraid at all, because you are confident and sure about your business. Whereas if someone w ho has merchandise that w as not bought legally and the ow ner of the shop sees the inspector get close to his shop, he w ould be frightened and his knees w ould give w ay under him, because he has violated the law. So the explanation is so clear and really profound and w e need to understand it clearly. When you hold steadfast to Allah s commands, and w hen you sleep at night know ing w ell that you have hurt no one during the day, and that you have w ronged no one, and you did not oppressed anyone, then the Creator of the Earth and the Heavens above, due to His unconditional justice, and because His Mercy has no limits, He w ill not punish you as you have not deserved any punishment. And the proof to that is w hat Allah Almighty says: And never do We requite in such a w ay except those w ho are ungrateful, (disbelievers). Would it be reasonable to punish someone w ho is righteous? This explanation w as also mentioned in a Hadith by the Prophet PBUH w ho said: [Saba Verse: 17] ((O Mu'adh! Do you know w hat Allah's Right upon His slaves is?" I said, "Allah and His Apostle know best." He repeated the question a second then a third tim e, and then the Prophet said, " O Mu'adh! To w orship Him (Allah) Alone and to join none in w orship w ith Him (Allah). Then he asked him again: Do you know w hat their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." He repeated the question a second then a third tim e and then the Prophet PBUH said: (and now pay attention to the answ er): O Mu'adh! "Not to punish them (if they do so).)) [ Agreed upon] Security is a great blessing Allah gives to the believers: There is no cause for it. Imagine if a child comes home to his father holding his report card, he s the first in class, and his clothes are clean, his attitude is respectable, and he helps his mother and brothers and sisters, is there any father on the face of this earth w ho w ould hit such a child? No! there is no reason. There is no punishment w ith a cause. Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him [An-Nisa Verse: 147] And just so you w ould feel comfort, security is an important factor, is it a blessing from amongst the greatest blessings w hich Allah made especially for the Believers. Allah Almighty says: So) w hich of the tw o parties has more right to be in security? If you but know.(81) It is those w ho

5 believe (in the Oneness of Allah and w orship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief w ith Zulm (w rong i.e. by w orshipping others besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided (82) They alone have the security, if He said: they have the security, it means that others may share that security w ith them, but for them (only) there is security [Al-An am Verse:81,82] Alone, so that you can be assured that w hen you hold a treaty w ith Allah, and are on His straight path, and you don t harm any of His creatures, and you don t lie, rather you are honest, you don t cheat, rather you are truthful, Allah Almighty reassures you, you are under Allah Almighty s umbrella, in His protection, and the holy Quran there are assuring verses, Allah Almighty says: And He is w ith you (by His Know ledge) w heresoever's you may be. [Al-Hadid Verse: 4] This is for all the creation; He is w ith you by His Know ledge, w ith the disbeliever, w ith the debauchee, w ith the murderer, w ith the criminal by His Know ledge, so this is a general accompaniment, w hereas the special accompaniment is for the believers alone, so He is w ith them in their success, protection and guidance, Allah is w ith the pious, Allah is w ith the true and the honest, Allah is w ith the ones w ho believed and performed good deeds, this is the special accompaniment. Therefore if Allah is w ith you, then w ho can be against you? Allah, the One Whom there is no god but He, is the heart of the true honest believer, w hose security if distributed among the nation of a tow n, it w ould suffice them. Some people w ith much know ledge about Allah said: If the kings knew w hat w e have (our faith in Allah) they w ould have fought us w ith sw ords. Allah exists, Allah does w hat He Wills. When you are with Allah He defends you and leads you to the right: Verily, your Lord is the doer of w hat He w ills. [Hud Verse: 107] Our fate is in the Hands of Allah, not in the hands of our enemies, our safety and happiness are in the Hands of Allah; Allah can see all w e do and He can see our intentions, our thoughts, our secrets, w hat w e conceal and He can see our seclusion. This is w hy the Believer, my dear brothers, is distinguished by a quality that all the money in the w orld cannot outw eigh. When he sleeps his mind is at rest, and he sleeps peacefully, As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty commanded the Prophet PBUH to challenge the disbelievers. Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except w hat Allah has ordained for us [At-Taubah Verse:51] vwho are you w ith? Sometimes a soldier in a very strong army feels that the w hole army is protecting him, and that all the strength of the army is shielding him and defending him. This feeling comes from the army s strength, and w hen someone attacks a soldier that belongs to a strong army, he w ould be very hesitant, because the retaliation w ould be severe. And w hen you are a soldier for Allah, and you are in His protection, and w hen you are under His umbrella, and w hen you are w ith Allah in a very special company, He w ill defend you and protect you, and He w ill inspire you to w hat is right. Just yesterday a brother told me about a plot that w as devised against someone. Someone planted drugs in his house and then told the authorities that he is a drug addict, so

6 the police officer came to his house and searched it inside out, and finally she found the drugs, and he w as admitted to prison. All the evidence pointed to that he had possession of drugs. But w hen the judge w as about to pronounce the sentence, he saw that this w as not that of a drug addict, so he set him free, and dropped the charges against him. Allah Almighty has many endless options, sometimes He places love in people s hearts, sometimes He places fear, other times He drives a tragic incident to w hich in fact w ill be the cause of one s deliverance. So do not become w eak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you w ill be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. [Aal Imran Verse: 139] You should believe truly that Allah w ill not abandon you, and that your acts and deeds are all stored and saved w ith Allah, and that your straightforw ardness and honesty is w orth a lot for Allah, and that the acts of virtue w hich you perform to get you closer to Allah, w ill not be w asted. Allah Almighty says: So w hosoever does good equal to the w eight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And w hosoever does evil equal to the w eight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it This w orld is the plantation for the Hereafter; dear brothers: Do you w ish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves? [Al-Zalzalah Verses: 7,8] The Majestic Creator, everything is in His Hands, w ho has control on the fatal diseases? Who has control on the destructive accidents, w ho has control over the volcanoes, w ho has control over the thunder storms, w ho has control over the rockets, the mines, w ho ow ns all of this? No one gets but w hat he deserves, and as a consequence of w hat he has done to himself, because Allah does not drive any disasters to anyone w ithout a reason from the people themselves. And w hatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of w hat your hands have earned. And He pardons m uch [Ash-Shoura Verse 30] (What is the matter w ith you?) When a single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) w ith one tw ice as great, you say: "From w here does this come to us?" Say (to them), "It is from yourselves (because of your evil deeds)." And Allah has pow er over all things [Aal Imran Verse: 165] Allah is absolutely Just and Nothing can happen except with His Knowledge: This is w hy w hen a man proclaimed in front of Omar Ibn al-khattab RA that Allah has destined him to drink alcohol, he said: raise the punishment for him tw ice, once because he drank alcohol, and the second because he told a lie against Allah, he said: Woe to you. Allah Almighty s fate w ill not hinder you from making a choice and change that into an obligation. Of course, the untamed man w ho is not ruled by any values, and no principles guide him, w ill move around aimlessly, w hereas the Great Lord, Whose justice is general and nothing happens to anything w ithout His Know ledge. not a leaf falls, but he know s it

7 [Al-Anaam] Matters are not as the disbelievers think they are, life is for the strong ones, so He gives the strong ones the w orldly life, but He w ill put him to a very difficult account. Consider not that Allah is unaw are of that w hich the Zâlimûn (polytheists, w rong-doers, etc.) do, but He gives them respite up to a Day w hen the eyes w ill stare in horror Do you w ish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves? [Ibrahim Verse: 42] Imagine a person w ho during all his w hole life and during his career, he is honest and goes according to the rules, even if he obeys his leader, the leader does not have any authority over him. There must be a violation w hich he commits so that there is a law suit against him, there should be a violation by w hich he is sent to jail, there must be a violation upon w hich he is deprived. Otherw ise a person w ho is orderly, obeys the rules, and does not commit any violation of the law s, he is considered special among the people of this earth, and even more so w ith Allah the One and Only, the Creator of this universe. Obedience and disobedience of Allah: I w ill remind you of the previous example w hich further clarifies this verse; if the goods and merchandise you have in the store, is clean, orderly and all supported by accurate invoices, and if the customs officer passes by your store, w ill any hair on your skin quiver? Never, and that is because this person does not hold anything against you, because you are honest. Whereas, if you had many violations, you w ould shiver and w ould be afraid, because the officer w ould have authority over you. The Divine rank is a great rank, although Allah Almighty, Exalted and Sublime says about Himself: O my Servant! I have no pow er over you if you obey me. This is a real fine explanation, so My servant, if you obey Me, I w on t have authority over you, this is w hat the interpreters said concerning the follow ing verse: "Our Lord! Make the stages betw een our journey longer [Sab a Verse: 19] Yemen w as very fertile lands, and w hen you ride a vehicle, you travel for hundreds of kilometers w ith green land all around you, all buildings, and facilities, luxurious houses, hotels, shops for sale, and the buildings w ere all close to one another, so the people of Yemen said: "Our Lord! Make the stages betw een our journey longer meaning make these lands open space, so sometimes you go from city to another a distance of 160 kilometers, most of it is desert. Make the stages betw een our journey longer Is there any sane man on earth w ho w ould pray for his ow n destruction? No, never. So w hat is the meaning of this verse? The interpreters said: w hen you disobey Allah, you say: Oh Lord, perish me, Oh Lord, punish me, oh Lord, take aw ay all my w ealth w ithout you feeling that you are saying that. So w hen a person acts haughty, he says: Oh Lord, perish me, oh Lord crush me. His tongue utters the w ords: Oh Lord: make me poor, actually no one on earth really prays for his destruction, but the evil and the disobedient says: Oh Lord, destroy me. Many Quranic verses reassures us that Allah is Just:

8 I say to you, my brothers: If a person is living a quiet balanced life, and if he does not change that, Allah the Exalted and Mighty w ill not change him, so be sure about Allah s justice, be assured about His Mercy, so if you do not change, Allah w ill not change anything. But if you change all that, then it is inevitable that Allah w ill change things for you. Therefore some Prophetic hadiths mention: O Allah! I seek refuge from Your sudden Wrath upon me, and from changing my state of life and state of health and I seek refuge from all Your dissatisfaction w ith me. Disasters may occur suddenly and all at once, in one second one can lose all his movement, in one second one can lose his sight, therefore: O Allah! I seek refuge from Your sudden Wrath upon me, and from changing my state of life and state of health and I refuge from all Your dissatisfaction w ith me. The follow ing verse is reassuring, just as there are so many other comforting verses. Or do those w ho earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal w ith those w ho believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islam ic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds [al-jathiyah Verse: 21] Is then he w ho is a believer like him w ho is Fâsiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they. [As-Sajdah Verse:18] Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimûn (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)?(35) What is the matter w ith you? How judge you? [Al-Qalam Verse: 35,36] Is he w hom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise), w hich he w ill find true, like him w hom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) w orld, then on the Day of Resurrection, he w ill be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)? [Al-Qassas Verse: 61] We should read the verses of hope every now and then to be reassured: Impossible and a thousand times impossible. Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except w hat Allah has ordained for us [At-Taubah Verse:51] Verily, those w ho say: "Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they Istaqâmû, on them the angels w ill descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise w hich you have been promised! [Fussilat Verse: 30] Whoever w orks righteousness, w hether male or female, w hile he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We w ill give a good life (in this w orld w ith respect, contentm ent and law ful provision The Creator of the Universe says: [An-Nahl Verse: 97]

9 We w ill give a good life (in this w orld w ith respect, contentment and law ful provision you are under Our Eyes [At-Tur Verse: 48] Any Believer w ho follow s the method and teachings of our Prophet Mohammed PBUH w ill be in Allah s care and protection. There are verses from the Quran w hich w e recite every now and then in w hich w e ask for hope so that w e can be assured, because the truth is that the danger w hich w e see w ith our ow n eyes is more than anyone can imagine, destructive danger, and nothing w ill protect us from fear of that danger except our hope in Allah Almighty, and nothing w ill prevent our fear from that danger except our holding steadfast to His commands. Verily, the hypocrites w ill be in the low est depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper w ill you find for them [ An-Nisa Verse: 145] Sometimes a person is punished by another person, and someone w ho is stronger than the punished one intercedes, and he gives an order to release him, how ever, w ith Allah, it is different. No pow er on earth can change the ruling of Allah. All human beings come individually on the Day of Resurrection there is none to put back His Judgment [Ar-Ra d Verse:41] The Magistrate judge may decide to reconcile in a case, he may rule in your favor, then the appealing judge may abrogate the ruling, and the appealing judge may also rule in your favor, then the judge of appeal and he may abrogate the ruling, and he may rule against you as a final verdict. Then the king may send a pardon and the ruling is cancelled, there is none to put back His Judgment But w hen Allah w ills a people's punishment, there can be no turning back of it there is none to put back His Judgment [Ar-Ra d Verse: 11] Verily, the hypocrites w ill be in the low est depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper w ill you find for them This is w hy people come each one on his ow n (single), now w hen someone comes he may have a million people around him, or maybe hundreds of thousands, around him there w ill be a strong pow er, each one of these people are afraid of him. How ever, on Doomsday, all the people w ill go to account each one on his ow n. Allah Almighty says: And truly you have come unto Us alone (w ithout w ealth, companions or anything else) as We created you the first time [Al-Anaam Verse: 94]

10 The wrong-doer can only repent if he does good deeds: And Allah Almighty also says: Those w ho take disbelievers for Auliyâ' (protectors or helpers or friends) instead of believers And He Almighty says: Verily, the hyprocrites w ill be in the low est depths (grade) of the Fire But Allah has opened a chance for their salvation, as He says: [An-Nisa Verse: 139] Except those w ho repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion for Allah (by w orshipping none but Allah, and do good for Allah's sake only, not to show -off), then they w ill be w ith the believers. And Allah w ill grant to the believers a great rew ard. [ An-Nisa Verse: 146] When he w as a hypocrite, he w as corrupted, w hen he w as a hypocrite he helped the disbelievers against the Believers, w hen he w as a hypocrite he w as a liar, this is w hy he caused evil by helping the disbelievers, and he committed evil by conspiring against the Believers, and he caused corruption. Allah Almighty said: Except those w ho repent (from hypocrisy) the repentance of the hypocrite w ill not be accepted except if he later does righteous deeds: Whenever Allah warns His servants against sins He gives them Hope of repentence Who repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, it means they obey, so if he repents from his sin, and he corrects his faults by doing righteous deeds, and then he holds fast to Allah s commands by obeying, and purify their religion for Allah they purify their religion not for fear of people, nor for hope of gaining a rew ard, instead they do it to gain Allah s Pleasure, Allah Almighty says: those are the ones w ho w ill be saved then they w ill be w ith the believers then they w ill be w ith the believers The greatness of the Quran is that every time Allah w arns, He also gives hope, and every time He Warns His servants against committing sins, He also gives them hope of salvation by repenting, because Allah Almighty w ants to accept His servants repentance. Allah Almighty says:

11 Allah w ishes to accept your repentance [ An-Nisaa verse: 27] Truly, Allah loves those w ho turn unto Him in repentance [Al-Baqarah Verse: 222] Repentance has no value without faith and straightness: So every time a slave commits a sin Allah opens a door for repentance for him Except those w ho repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion for Allah this is the simple naïve meaning of Truly Allah is Oft-forgiving and He is Merciful. So if one commits sins and evil, and later says that Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, and people take that for granted saying that Allah is Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful, so they consider the sins w hich they commit as trivial, but read on: Allah Almighty says: Declare (O Muham m ad SAW) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful Continue reading: He also says: And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment [Al-Hijr Verse: 49] [Al-Hijr Verse: 50] Say: "O 'Ibâdî (My slaves) w ho have transgressed against them selves (by com m itting evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (53) And turn in repentance and in obedience w ith true Faith (Islâmic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him, (in Islam), before the torment comes upon you, then you w ill not be helped. There are more than eight verses. [Az-Zummar Verse:53,54] Then, verily! Your Lord for those w ho emigrated after they had been put to trials and thereafter strove hard and fought (for the Cause of Allah) and w ere patient, verily, your Lord afterw ard is, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful [An-Nahl Verse: 110] This verse is very clear. Except those w ho have repented and rectified all their previous errors, and they obeyed Allah Almighty and w ere faithful, they have devoted themselves to Allah Alone, these are the Believers. It means that repentance w ithout any good deeds, repentance w ithout avoidance, repentance w ithout paying a price, repentance w ithout striving hard, repentance w ithout changing anything, repentance w ithout belief in Allah and repentance w ithout righteousness, is meaningless. those w ho repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion for Allah (by w orshipping none but Allah, and do good for Allah's sake only, not to

12 show -off), then they w ill be w ith the believers. And Allah w ill grant to the believers a great rew ard. If we believe in Allah and thank Him for His grants we fulfill the aim of our existence: Then Allah Almighty says: Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All Appreciative (of good), All-know ing [An-Nisa Verse: 147] The truth is that this verse is very clear, the reason for our existence is to believe in Allah, and to be happy to be close to Him, so w hen w e thank Him, w e w ould have fulfilled the aim and reached the goal for our existence, and this is w here the dilemma stops. So for example if a doctor decides to remove a kidney that is not functioning, it w ould be a w ise decision, and before he performs the operation, he takes an X-ray of that kidney and finds that it is functioning perfectly, w ould he then have to operate and remove it? Of course not. And similarly w hen a person believes in Allah, and he thanks Him, he w ould have fulfilled the reason of his existence because Allah has given him life, and granted him Paradise, and the Universe, and the Quran, He granted him a sound mind, and a choice, He granted him his desire, all these are grants from Allah Almighty, and so if you believe in the One w ho gave you all these grants, and w hen you thank Him for w hat He gave you, you w ould have achieved the reason for your existence. Therefore the argument w ill end. Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. the w orld has been subjected to you tw ice, one employment is for know ledge, and the other is the subjectivity for honor. If your friend gave you a phone w ith many useful features as a gift, it w ould be a gift to start w ith, and you w ould be very impressed by all the features w hich he has designed, so you w ould have tw o kinds of feelings tow ards the phone, the first feeling w ould be that of being impressed by it, and you w ould also feel gratitude tow ards your friend, because he gave you the gift. Therefore you should know w ith all certainty, that this Universe w as subjugated to you, o human, one subjugation is for you to know Allah through this Universe, and the second subjugation is an honorable one so that you w ould love Him for His grant. So w hen you believe in the existence of Allah, and in His Perfection, His Oneness, and w hen you thank Him for your being, for your sustenance, and for your guidance and sound mind, you w ould have achieved the reason for your being, and w ould there be any reason for arguments and disasters? Allah Almighty says: Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All Appreciative (of good), All-know ing A creature (human) sometimes benefits from torturing another human, sometimes he tortures him to gain his money, or to get his w ife for example, so a man might find gain from torturing another man. How ever, the Creator of these universes w ould not even increase in His Kingdom even if all His Servants hearts w ere as pious as the most pious one of them, and likew ise if they w ere all like the most evil one of them, nothing w ould decrease from His Kingdom. Therefore my dear brothers, these verses are very reassuring: Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. so you should believe and thank Allah, and the argument w ill be over, and the verse is very clear.

13 Translation : Iman Nashar Auditing : Zena El-Abaza