Thursday, February 28, 2013

[21].Al-Anbiya' [The Prophets]: Ayat 24-25



Ayat 24. Or have they taken for worship (other) âliha (gods) besides Him? Say (O Muhammad [SAWW](PBUH): "Bring your proof:" This (the Qur'an) is the Reminder for those with me and the Reminder for those before me. But most of them know not the Truth, so they are averse.
Ayat 25. And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad [SAWW](PBUH) but We inspired him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)." 
[Tafseer] Or have they taken for worship (other) gods besides him? Say, "Bring your convincing proof: this is the Message of those with me and the Message of those before me." But most of them know not the Truth, and so turn away, where two kinds of false worship are noted. Now we are warned against a third danger, the worship of false gods of any sort. Pagan man is prolific of creating abstract images for worship, including Self or abstract Intelligence or Power. In next verse 26 mentioned a fourth kind of false worship, which imagines that Allah begets sons or daughters. This verse should be read with the next. All reason revolts against the idea of conflicting gods, and points to Unity in Creation and Unity in Godhead. This is not only the Message of Islam ("those with me") but the message of all prophets who came before the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)("those before me"), and the line of prophets was closed with him. The Message given to every prophet in all ages was that of Unity as the fundamental basis of Order and Design in the world, material, moral, and spiritual. Not a messenger did We send before thee without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that there is no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me.   

Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) said, When it was evening, the Prophet (PBUH) used to supplicate: "Amsaina wa amsal-mulku lillah, wal-hamdu lillah. La `ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu (We have entered upon evening and the whole kingdom of Allah, too, has entered upon evening. Praise is due to Allah. There is none who has the right to be worshiped but Allah, the One who has no partner with Him).'' He (the narrator) said: I think that he (PBUH) used to follow the recitation with these words: "Lahul-mulku, wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa `ala kulli shi'in Qadir. Rabbi as'aluka khaira ma fi hadhihil-lailati, wa khaira ma ba`daha; wa a`udhu bika min sharri ma fi hadhihil-lailati, wa sharri ma ba`daha; Rabbi a'udhu bika minal-kasali, wa su'il-kibari; Rabbi a`udhu bika min `adhabin fin-nari, wa `adhabin fil-qabri (His is the sovereignty and to Him is all praise due, and He is Omnipotent. My Rubb, I beg of you good that lies in this night and good that follows it, and I seek refuge in You from the evil that lies in this night and from the evil of that which follows it. My Rubb! I seek refuge in You from lethargy and the misery of old age. O Allah! I seek Your Protection from the torment of Hell-fire and the punishment of the grave).'' When it was morning, he (PBUH) would recite the same, replacing the words: "We have entered upon evening and the whole kingdom of Allah, too, has entered upon evening'' with "We have entered upon morning and the whole kingdom of Allah entered upon morning.'' (Replace the words "Amsaina, amsa, hadhihil-lailati, ma ba`daha with Asbahna, asbaha, hadhal-yaumi, ma ba`dahu, respectively.)
[Muslim Book 35,Chapter 17, Hadith # 6570] 
Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Anbiya' Ayat 25."none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else). It is desirable to recite the invocations cited in the Hadith in the morning and the evening and also when one goes to bed and awakes. The purpose is that the concept of Allah's Providence and Divinity remains alive all the time in one's mind. With these words one seeks Allah's Protection in life and the Hereafter from things which are harmful. One also begs for his safety and guidance in this life and the Hereafter. This Hadith fully expresses one's recognition of Allah's Godhood and Lordship.  

[21].Al-Anbiya' [The Prophets]: Ayat 22-23



Ayat 22. Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him!
Ayat 23. He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.
[Tafseer] If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in both! but glory to Allah, the Lord of the Throne: (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! After the false gods of the earth (verse 21), are mentioned the false gods in the heavens and the earth, like those in the Greek Pantheon (verse 22), who quarrelled and fought and slandered each other and made their Olympus a perfect bear-garden! He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned (for theirs). Allah is Self-Subsisting. All His creatures are responsible to Him and dependent on Him. There is no other being to whom He can be responsible or on whom He can be dependent. 
Hazrat Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zaid Al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) and said, "Direct me to a deed which will admit me to Jannah and take me away from the Fire". The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) said, "Worship Allah and associate no partner with Him, perform As-Salat, pay Zakat, and maintain the ties of kinship". 
[Al-Bukhari Hadith # 1396] 
Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Anbiya' Ayat 22."the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him!" This Hadith indicates the actions which constitute the means to attain Jannah and salvation from Hell. Thus, it makes evident that Jannah cannot be achieved by wishful thinking. One cannot get it without Faith and good deeds. In the absence of these two factors, intercession of any person will be of no avail. 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

[21].Al-Anbiya' [The Prophets]: Ayat 19-21



Ayat 19. To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on earth. And those who are near Him (i.e. the angels) are not too proud to worship Him, nor are they weary (of His worship).
Ayat 20. They (i.e. the angels) glorify His Praises night and day, (and) they never slacken (to do so).
Ayat 21. Or have they taken (for worship) âliha (gods) from the earth who raise the dead?
[Tafseer] To Him belong all (creatures) in the heavens and on earth: Even those who are in His (very) Presence are not(2679) too proud to serve Him, nor are they (ever) weary (of His service): The pure angelic hosts, whom we imagine to be glorious creatures of light, high in the spiritual world, near the Throne of Allah Himself, are yet His creatures, and serve Him without ceasing, and are proud to do so. Such is the majesty of Allah Most High. They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever flag or intermit. Or have they taken (for worship) gods from the earth who can raise (the dead)? The different kinds of false gods whom people raise from their imagination are now referred to. In verses 21-23, the reference is to the gods of the earth, whether idols or local godlings, or deified heroes, or animals or trees or forces of the nature around us, which men have from time to time worshipped. These, as deities, have not life except what their worshippers give them. The answer of course is "no". No one but Allah can raise the dead to life. The miracle in the story of Jesus (3:49 and 5:112-115) was "by Allah's leave' 1 . It was a miracle of Allah, not one of Jesus by his own power or will.
Hazrat Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) said, "I see what you do not see and I hear what you do not hear; heaven has squeaked, and it has right to do so. By Him, in Whose Hand my soul is, there is not a space of four fingers in which there is not an angel who is prostrating his forehead before Allah, the Exalted. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little, weep much, and you would not enjoy women in beds, but would go out to the open space beseeching Allah". [At-Tirmidhi Hadith # 2312] 
Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Anbiya' Ayat 19."Him (i.e. the angels) are not too proud to worship Him" This Hadith also highlights the importance of fear of Allah because the more awareness a Muslim has of the Majesty and Magnificence of Allah, the greater shall be the terror in his heart for His punishment and hope of His Mercy. With this state of mind, he will perform greater acts of obedience and abstain more rigidly from sins.
2. The Hadith also mentions the heaven teeming with angels who are all the time prostrating before Allah in worship. When this is the condition of the angels, who do not slack for a moment in the obedience of Allah, how important it is for man to worship Him because he is all the time violating commands of Allah. It is, therefore, incumbent on man to obey Allah and always seek His Help and Refuge.

[21].Al-Anbiya' [The Prophets]: Ayat 16-18

Ayat 16. We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for a (mere) play .
Ayat 17. Had We intended to take a pastime (i.e. a wife or a son, etc.), We could surely have taken it from Us, if We were going to do (that).
Ayat 18. Nay, We fling (send down) the truth (this Qur'an) against the falsehood (disbelief), so it destroys it, and behold, it (falsehood) is vanished. And woe to you for that (lie) which you ascribe (to Us) (against Allah by uttering that Allah has a wife and a son). 
[Tafseer] Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between! The Hindu doctrine of Lila, that alt things were created for sport, is here negative. But more: with Allah we must not associate any ideas but those of Truth. Righteousness, Mercy, Justice, and the other attributes implied in His Beautiful Names. He does not jest nor play with His creatures. If it had been Our wish to take (just) a pastime, We should surely have taken it from the things nearest to Us, if We would do (such a thing)! If such an idea as that of play or pastime had been possible with regard to Allah, and if He had wished really to indulge in pastime, He would have done it with creatures of Light nearest to Him, not with the lowly material creation that we see around us. Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it knocks out its brain, and behold, falsehood doth perish! Ah! woe be to you for the (false) things ye ascribe (to Us). Such as that (1) Allah has partners, or (2) that He has gotten a son, or (3) has daughters, or any other superstitions derogatory to the dignity and glory of Allah.  

Hazrat Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) said, "When an infidel accomplishes any good deed, he is rewarded for it in this world; and in the case of a Muslim, Allah stores up his good acts for him in the Hereafter and provides him with subsistence in this life due to his obedience.'' 
[Muslim Book 39,Chapter 11, Hadith # 6739] 
Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah does not wrong a believer a good deed because he is given blessings for it in this world and will be rewarded for it in the Hereafter. But the infidel is given in the world the reward for good deeds, he has performed for the sake of Allah and when he comes to the Hereafter, there is no good deed for which he can be rewarded". [Muslim Book 39,Chapter 11, Hadith # 6740] 
Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Anbiya' Ayat 16."We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for a (mere) play" The infidels also do in this world many works which are for public welfare, or which come under the category of good deeds. Almighty Allah gives them reward for such good deeds in this world in the form of wealth, sound health, or saving them from some trouble, because Belief is precondition for reward in the Hereafter. Since an infidel is deprived of it, he will also be deprived of their reward in the Hereafter. Thus, we learn that Belief constitutes the basis of every action and is a precondition for the acceptance of any good deed by Allah.