Ayah 5

Ihdina alssirata almustaqeema

Usually translated:

Show us the straight path (Picktall), Show us the straight way (Yusuf Ali), Guide us to the Straight Way (Dr. Mohsin)

This is probably my favorite ayah in this surah but translations as usual do not capture its depth.

Ihdina –Guide us

When you ask for help, that help could be a number of things but Allah says here that this is one help that will answer everything. It will take of you in everything. Allah is teaching us that the number one thing you ask for is guidance.

When you think of someone who has a good life or successful, Muslim or non muslim, you think of someone with wealth, a good job, a good car etc.

Now compare this:

You look at Musa travelling in the desert with his family and you look at pharaoh living in his palaces…
Who do you think is successful or has the good life?

You look at abu lahab and abu jahl living it up in mecca, and the prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) homeless in a cave.
Who do you think is successful or has the good life?

Anyone else would say that pharaoh, abu lahab and abu jahl are the successful ones and have the good life.
.
But we know who has the good life. We know that the prophets are the successful ones.

So what is the one thing they (prophets) had, that nothing else matters?

That one thing is guidance, nothing else matters…. Everything else is irrelevant. Our entire definition of who is a winner or a loser changed, just by this one word ‘guidance’.

It is easy to look at the past and say those were the successful ones… We need to change our mindset today as to how we look at success…. That million dollar mansion is not success, it is nothing, same with that Bentley. True success is when you have guidance….

When next, you see a beautiful house, recognize that it is not success… Nice car? That is not success…

The number one thing we need before any of these things is guidance… That is what Allah is teaching..

Ayah 5 (Cont'd)

Why guide us? and all the time?

So why did Idhina- Guide Us

Not Idhini – Guide me

The plural has been consistent since Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu..

We, We, We….

Allah is teaching us to ask for these things together , He is asking us to live this life together. The collective life of a muslim is very important. We must seek Allah help together. It is as though Allah is saying by yourself, you wouldn’t survive. We need each other.

We have to be in community, We have to pray together, that is why the most beautiful and rewarding prayers are in congregation (Jama'ah).

So We just asked Allah for guidance, the greatest gift of all…

Simple Illustration: Imagine i just drank a glass of water and i asked a friend to get me some more; Would i die if he forgets? No because i just drank some water and i am nor desperate.

Now, imagine i am dying of thirst, I will ask for the water over and over again..

When someone asks over and over, what does that signify? It means they are desperate…

Allah taught us to ask for guidance over and over again. We repeat the prayer of guidance over and over again… It is like taught us to be desperate…

Do you stand up in salat desperately asking for guidance? Or our minds are not even there… if we are not desperately seeking guidance, we are missing the whole point… The whole point of it was to be deperate.

You ask for something you don’t have, You do not ask for something you already have.. you are desperate asking over and over again for something you don’t have…
What do we learn from this?

We learn that we do not own guidance, you and I do not own guidance. We do not own it even as muslims.

Allah owns guidance and it is so expensive that we have to ask for it in between rakats (units of prayer)… Not even between salat (prayer),

This means we are in need of guidance even between rakats. So between the first and the second rakat; we ask for guidance… We do this over and over again….

How can we then feel that we do not need guidance between the salat? Fatiha is mandatory for every rakat… So we ask again and again..

So Allah may grant us guidance between the salat (from one salah to the next) but we might forget so we come back again.

The test of whether you truly asked for guidance is the hours between salat. If you truly asked for guidance , the result will be seen between those hours… What are you doing in between those hours?

We can’t own guidance, even the prophet would ask for guidance all the time in the night prayers, desperately asking over and over again.

What about us?

Ayah 5 (Cont'd)

Knowledge and guidance

Knowledge is not equal to guidance, Do not think that because you have knowledge, you have guidance. Guidance is a desperate request from Allah. You can acquire knowledge ,and become egotistical.

If knowledge does not change you, then you have no guidance; You have the example of the children of Israel where Allah said:

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah . And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. (Surah 62:5)

So knowledge is not guidance, If you have knowledge and

-you talk back to your mum
-You curse
- Your prayers are empty

Then you have no guidance, It is not about how many quotes from scholars you have:

The more knowledge you acquire should make you more humble just like a branch that begins to bear fruit… The more fruit it bears, the branch comes down….

May Allah make knowledge lead us to humility.

Ayah 5 (Cont'd)

Alssirata almustaqeema

Linguistically speaking, Sirat refers to a path where there is not an alternative route. It has no plural in the Arabic language, there is only one sirat… other words for path in Arabic have plurals…

There can only be one straight path with Allah; that path is islam.

Sirat means a path that is straight and wide. It also implies a path that is more dangerous..

Ex. When you are going on a straight wide path, there are less places to hide, it makes you easier to attack by the enemy because you are easily spotted. Everyone on the straight path is easy to spot by shaitan and the rest of his clientele.

The road is straight, wide and dangerous…

So what does almustaqeem mean then if siraat already covers straight path?

Almustaqeem means straight upwards; that is vertically upwards; So Allah istelling us to ask for a path that is straight, wide and dangerous that leads upwards.

Why?

You are climbing upwards leaving the world and its temptations behind, you are struggling against gravity…

The Quran describes believers who didn’t take their struggle seriously as going deep into the earth in surah Araf..

And here it describes the straight path that goes upwards. As long as you are on the earth, gravity still has an impact on you. So no matter, how many acts of worship, you have done as long as you are still alive… You are exposed to

- Temptation
- Greed
- Seduction
These things will always be there.

Even if you are a hifz of the Quran, that lady you lowered your gaze for, is still pretty to you… The temptation to watch that movie is still there. The temptation never goes away.

As long as we are alive, we still have these struggles, just as when we are still in the earth’s atmosphere climbing upwards , we still struggle with gravity pulling us down…… The higher up, you go the more dangerous, it is… If a person takes one step up a ladder and falls, he is fine but if one takes 99 steps up a ladder and falls he is finished. Not only does he fall on the earth , he goes deep into the earth

Allah describes this in surah Araf. The Quran describes former pious believers who went astray as going depth into the earth, clinging to it , clinging to their desires, and he could have been raised high… (rough translation)

[Prophet], tell them the story of the man to whom We gave Our messages: he sloughed them off, so Satan took him as his follower and he went astray– if it had been Our will, We could have used these signs to raise him high, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires– he was something like a dog that pants with a lolling tongue whether you drive it away or leave it alone. Such is the image of those who reject Our signs. Tell them the story so that they may reflect. (Suurah Araf :175-176)

Allah is describing people of knowledge here, people who Allah gave status by means of their knowledge but they became materialistic and they went after this world. Allah compares them to dogs.. Allah does even say they are like dogs, He said they are something like a dog suggesting a dog is better…

Allah compares such a person to a drooling dog, they are hungry when they are hungry or not… They are addicted, they become like filthy animal and they used to be amazing people. Allah gave them the opportunity of going so high but they went so low…

The higher up this path you go, the scarier it gets, the more dangerous it is… There is no such thing as safe status in Islam. You are never safe…

Praise is something that does not help a scholar or a daee or a speaker. If you want to help people that have knowledge… Make dua for them without talking to them.

Praise doesn’t help them… We need to kill that culture as muslims making celebrities out of speakers… It doesn’t help them…… They are humans too… And shaitan is still around to whisper to them.

Shaitan took his time when whispering to our parents Adam and Hauwa (Eve),.. He got them slowly… He took his time.

Conclusion

After asking Allah to guide us to the straight, wide and dangerous path upwards, We ask Allah to help us follow the path of those that have already succeeded on this path.. Those that have left the earth atmosphere..

Those successful ones that are no longer here... That leads us to Ayah 6...

End of Ayah 5

Comments and Questions are welcome

.....

Ayah 6

Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim wala alddalleena

Usually translated as: The path of those whom Thou hast favoured. Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. (Picktall)
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, Those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray. (Yusuf Ali)

The surah ends with three groups of people.. So far we have learnt that we can’t own guidance, it is super expensive. Even the prophet had to ask for guidance way more times than us. We asked Allah to guide us to a path that is straight, wide and dangerous and faces upwards. There have been graduates of this path, those who have been successful…. As long as we are alive, we are still volatile…

Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim

The straight path (upwards) of those who you already showered favour upon….

Past tense..

We are asking Allah to shower his favours upon us like he has upon those that succeeded before. The graduates of this path. This is because as long as we are alive we are volatile.

This graduation ceremony is death; and there have been people on this path before who succeeded because they were favoured by Allah.

A muslim realizes that there is no way, he is making it through this path without the help of Allah. It is made easy for the successful only by the help of Allah.

The word anAAamta indicates something that is relaxed and chill (usually used for the behavior of a cow). Allah is saying he made this journey relaxed for these people. Allah is telling us that this journey of guidance can be made easy for us if He bestows his favour.

Allah describes these people all over the Quran; All the stories of the righteous and the prophets in the Quran is a response to our prayer . Allah shows us the ones that have been shown this favour already.

ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim

This is also poorly translated as: Not (the path) of those who earn your anger or wrath

This is no word as thine or your… there is no thine, or you or your in the language…

almaghdoobi AAalayhim describes someone, everybody is mad at… The best way to translate it is the one who is receiving anger. When you say , he is receiving anger, it means it is more than one source. There is no object.

- Allah is angry with them
- The angels are angry with them
- Their past generation is angry with them
- Their future generation is angry with them
- the believers are angry with them

They are receiving anger from so many different angles; we see many of these instances in the Quran.

Anger is being hurled at them.

Allah does not even want his name near to them….

wala alddalleena

This refers to one that is lost. Imagine you give a friend your address but he gets lost.

We are getting to the juicy parts;

Remember what we said about noun and verbs; Nouns are permanent and verbs are time dependent.

When Allah describes those we should follow, he used a past tense verb indicating that they are past.
When he described the ones we should not follow, he used nouns.

This means that as Muslims, our role models are the ones who are dead, the ones that are past. The ones we should worry about are always around . They will always be there. Watch out for them.

Now let us tie up ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim wala alddalleena

Imagine i have two sons, I leave a cake on the table and i tell one of them, not to eat the cake. This one has been given the information not to eat the cake, the other brother does not know. I come back and meet the two of them eating the cake.

Who am i angry at? Obviously the one i told… The other would say, i was lost, i didn’t know…

I have the right the right to be angry at the one i told. The one who knew what to do and didn’t do it is the one i get angry at.

Imagine i tell a student, these are the questions for the test tomorrow and these are the answers. Inspite of this information, the student fails the test. I have the right to get angry. The guy who missed the class the day before and fails is lost.

almaghdoobi AAalayhim refers to people who have knowledge but did not make good use of that knowledge, people who knew better.

wala alddalleen refers to those who performed wrong actions because they didn’t know better… they didn’t have proper knowledge. Imagine the police stops you for a crime and you say ‘ I didn’t know’… Is he going to let you go? No. Ignorance is not a valid excuse…

The prophet said that an example of almaghdoobi AAalayhim is the jews and an example of wala alddalleen is Christians.

Whenever Allah describes the jews in the Quran, he describes them as knowing better and the Christians as not knowing any better.

We also fall into the danger of falling into these two categories; whenever we commit actions even when we know better and when we do things without any proper knowledge.

Allah did not put jews and Christians in the ayah because we also are in the danger of falling into any of these categories. If we are not in this danger, we will not have to ask…

The Juicy parts: Literary gems in the surah

I told you in the introduction that this surah is all about balance; I will now share some of the most amazing things about the fatiah..

Gem 1

1. The surah begins with an introduction of Allah; What we called Knowledge…

a. Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameena
b. Alrrahmani alrraheemi
c. Maliki yawmi alddeeni

All of these are knowledge.

2. Knowledge leads to action… The next ayah describes action.
a. Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu
This is action

3. Then the next ayah describes those with Knowledge and action, Guidance is when you balance knowledge with action
a. Ihdina alssirata almustaqeema
b. Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim
Knowledge with Action

4. Then it describes those with knowledge but no action
a. ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim
Knowledge but no action

5. Then it describes those with action but no knowledge
a. wala alddalleena

Action but no knowledge

Balance… The surah has the flow
1. Knowledge
2. Action
3. Knowledge with action
4. Knowledge without action
5. Action without knowledge.

The whole thing is balanced between knowledge and action, It is incredible, SubhanAllah.The Quran is one shot, no editing , nothing. But that is not all…

Gem 2.
In a hadith qudsi, When we recite the according to the hadith:

Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu (Wa means and)

Allah responds that: This ayah is common between Me and my slave.

This means that the ayah is common between Allah and his slave.

The first part of the surah is for the slave: Knowledge about Allah

The last part is for Allah : Request by the slave

The middle Ayah is between Allah and his slave

Now check this:

The conclusion and result of the first part of the surah after knowledge of Allah is given is
Iyyaka naAAbudu

The beginning and explanation of the second part ( the ask for help) is the second part
iyyaka nastaAAeen

Iyyaka naAAbudu is conclusion/result of the first part

iyyaka nastaAAeen is the explanation of the second part

Again balance…. But there is more….

Gem 3

3. We talked about nouns and verbs earlier…. What did we say? Nouns are permanent, Verbs are temporary….. This is about Arabic grammar so i will make it as simple as possible insha Allah.

In the Arabic language, there are two types of sentences,

i. Noun sentences

ii. Verb sentences.

The Noun sentences are permanent. The verb sentences are not.

The first part of the surah is about Allah

The middle part (Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu) is about us and Allah

The last part is about us…

The first part is about Allah and it is a noun sentence and hence it is more appropriate that noun sentence are used. Allah is permanent

The last part is about us and it is a verb sentence.. We are temporary

The middle part (Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu) cannot be grouped into either verb sentence or noun sentence… It has the characteristics of both noun and verb sentences…

When you study this, you are blown away…

All of this was revealed at one shot, no editorial process, no adjusting, nothing. You study this and you just say ‘wow, word of God’…

And there is more…

Gem 4

Just like most surahs the beginning and the end are linked…

Allah described himself as the ‘Master of the alameen’ (nations of people)

In the end, Allah described nations of people into three parts

i. Those who He favoured
ii. Those who receive anger
iii. those who are lost

That is all of humanity.. we will be divided into these three groups…

The last ayah is a tafseer (commentary) for the first ayah,

Balance, Balance Balance

Balance between knowledge and action, between noun and verb, between mercy and justice….

But there is more

Gem 5

Allah says

Alhamdulilah

Every single human being has their own personal taste of hamd.

Allah says

Alrrahmani alrraheemi

Every single person has their own taste of mercy

Allah says..

Maliki yawmi alddeeni

Every single person would individually face Allah on Judgement

Everything about the introduction was personal, I, I, I.., Every single person will have their individual experiences….

However when we get to the next ayah, it changes

Iyyaka naAAbudu wa-iyyaka nastaAAeenu

It becomes WE, WE, WE for the rest of the surah

This surah is a balance between individual knowledge and collective action…

The definition of a Muslim is balance and we have to work together. But there is more:

Gem 6

The last surah of the Quran is Suratul Nas…. The prophet used to recite from surah An nas to the fatiha… It is as if the Quran didn’t end….

There is an incredible balance between the first surah of the Quran and the last surah.

i. The first surah begins with a positive word, Alhamdulilah… The last surah begins with a word that is negative in nature “Qul aAAoothu’ (Say: I seek refuge ). Life is good, Life is difficult… balance in both situations

ii. Surah fatiha begins with a noun, Surah An nas begins with a verb

iii. Surah fatiha says rabbil alameen , Surah nas says rabbi alnnasi….. rabb in both places

iv. Surah fatiha says Malik yawn mi deen, Surah nas Malik Nas… Malik in both places

Surah an nas does not mention mercy because the context is totally different, it is not about seeking mercy, it is about protection not mercy.

v. In Surah fatiha we say Iyyaka abudu, Who do we worship and enslave ourselves to? Allah… Surah An Nas says Ilahi nas…. (the God of mankind)…

vi. In fatiha we mentioned, two kinds of bad influences….
-Those who receive anger
-Those who are lost
In surah An nas, two kinds of negative influence
- Jinn
- Men
vii. In surah fatiha, the pronoun We is used… In Surah An nas the pronoun I is used.

Individually, we get negative influences from men and Jinn..

Collectively, we get negative influences from failed nations

Everything is balanced…. SubhanAllah....

Left-overs

More Balance: The last balance i will like to talk about is the balance between the help of Allah and our efforts. We ask for help in matters we already put efforts in ....

Human are in the position of getting the help of Allah when they put up their efforts.

The two other extremes are

i. One who put no effort and ask for Allah's help

ii. Those who think they succeed only because of their efforts or their talents.

We have to recognize that there is a balance between our effort and Allah help.. ... Allah says (rouugh translation) : 'He will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves'...

More about the last Ayah

Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim wala alddalleena

Roughly translated: The path of those whom you have favoured, not of those who have earned rage or those who are lost...

There are other ways of looking at this ayah...

1. Allah sent messengers to all nations, All nations were favoured with the gift of guidance but they got lost in two ways.... It is either they didn't take the knowledge seriously and therefore earned rage or they acted without knowledge and were lost.

2. There is also an implication of a progression at the end... According to the surah, the most important gift is guidance, the opposite of guidance is being lost...... If you do not take the knowledge given to you seriously, you could incur the rage of Allah such that He will eventually make you lost and you cannot find your way back even if you want to...

EX: There is a population of muslims, that know what they are supposed to do but refuse to do it... That includes you and I.

There is another population of 'muslims' who are totally lost, doing all kinds of things that are not related to Islam , all kinds of bidah.. They do not even know what they are doing..

The first thing we should think about when we recite this ayat is ourselves. We need to look within ourselves and our family.


Conclusion

The Quran is incredible literature, we will be a different ummah if we understand how incredible this book is... The incredible coherence and togetherness of this book in the divinely ordained structure of the mushaf even though the ayahs were revealed over 23 years in totally unrelated conditions and different places is mind blowing...

I hope i can share a little bit of that from what i have learnt....

End of Fatiha

We will be starting baqarah next, insha Allah

Comments and questions are welcome

Suratul Baqarah Introduction

In this surah, Allah responds to our appeal for guidance and tells us where to get...

In this Surah, Allah introduces a new nation. Before introducing this nation, Allah talks about a nation, he had favoured but who lost the favour as result of their continuous trangressions...

The surah was revealed over several (about 12 years) years in the city of medina in different circumstances as spoken word. Yet the ideas are so beautifully woven together and coherent in an incredible fashion. This surah exhibits a fascinating kind of coherence known as the 'ring composition... It is incredible. The only explanation is that the author knew the future, which ofcourse He did. SubhanAllah

'In ring compositions there must be a correspondence between the beginning and the end. The correspondence usually involves the repetition of a striking or evident word or phrase, and there must be a clear thematic connection between the two sections. The correspondence serves to complete the circle and provide closure. Also, the internal sections - within the ring - must correspond to each other.' ("Thinking in Circles: An Essay on Ring Composition" Mary Douglas)

Raymond K Farrin concludes on the ring composition of surah al-Baqarah:

"Indeed this sura exhibits marvellous justness of design. It is precisely and tightly arranged, as we have seen, according to the principles of ring composition; even the section lengths fit perfectly in the overall scheme. Moreover, the precise structure serves as a guide, pointing to key themes in the sura. These occur, according to the logic of the pattern, at the centers of individual rings and, particularly, at the center of the whole sura. At the center of the sura, again, one finds instructions to face Mecca — this being a test of faith; identification of the Muslims as a new, middle community; and the message that all people, regardless of their qibla or spiritual orientation, should race to do good and God will bring them together."

A simplified picture of the structure is shown below



We will take parts of the surah, one after the other and link it together insha Allah......

The Quran is incredible...

Surah Baqarah

This surah was revealed in medina. For the first time, the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has real contact with Jewish and christian communities. Allah builds a beautiful argument that leads to the birth of a new nation. One of the central themes of the surah is belief in the message,

Ayah 1

1. Alif-lam-meem

These are Huroof al Muqatta’aat – Disjointed letters/ Separated letters… They are spread across the Quran in different forms.

No one knows what it means….

After asking for guidance in the fatiha, Allah begins with words we can’t even understand, this is important because it puts our attitude in check. Do not come to this book expecting that you know everything, come to this book understanding and acknowledging that you know nothing and that Allah only knows… Until you have the attitude of intellectual humility, you cannot take in what guidance is supposed to be. Alif-lam-meem puts the human being in his place.

This raises the Question ‘why don’t i know’?’ ‘How come i do not understand what this is?’... You do not know what this is because it is from a higher source , He gives you from his knowledge whatever He wills… The next word points that why…

Ayah 2

2. Thalika alkitabu la rayba feehi hudan lilmuttaqeena

Common translation (yusuf ali): This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah.

There are multiple ways of understating this ayah, we will go through all of them…

Thalika alkitabu

Thalika means ‘That’

‘That’ (Thalika) in Arabic is a pointing word; It is demonstrative noun for something distant. The closer pointer is ‘Hadda’ (this). The Quran was already been recited at the time of revelation but not written , how come Allah uses the word ‘ That’ ?

This is because the word ‘kitab’ is. Normally translated as book, it actually means something written, etched or carved in or documented. When Allah refers to the written, he refers to the actual documented Quran is in the heavens (the ummul kitab (mother of all books)); that is with Allah, in the al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (Guarded Tablet). The use of the word ‘ That’ is appropriate because, it refers to something very very far away…

This book is from a divine source , come to it with intellectual humility.

Thalika alkitabu la rayba

this means: That is in fact the book, no doubt

This is answering the request for guidance in the fatiha… this Quran is no doubt the book that offers that guidance. This is what you were asking for, no doubt.

It is the continuation of that conversation…

Thalika alkitabu la rayba feehi

This means: That is in fact the book, no doubt in it

This means that this book has a special quality, and the quality is that there can be no doubt whatsoever in this book. Whatever you read in this book whether you understand it or not , one thing is clear,There is no doubt. For anyone that come to it with the right attitude, that doubt is not possible.

Allah goes ahead and explains for whom in which this book there is no doubt whatsoever… The muttaqiun.... For people who want to protect themselves.

Thalika alkitabu la rayba feehi hudan

This means: That is in fact the book, no doubt in it is guidance sure

Thalika alkitabu la rayba feehi hudan lilmuttaqeena

This means: That is in fact the book, no doubt in it is guidance sure for the Muttaquin (people with taqwa)

In order words, only those who come to this book with genuine concern for the truth will find guidance.

EX: There are people looking for religion out of curiousity, for them it is like a shopping experience. Picking and choosing what they like from different faiths. Some are looking at religion for intellectual curiousity, some are looking for a philosophical world view.

Then there is particular kind of person, looking for the truth because he knows that his well-being depends on it. One who is concerned with their safety.

That is what Muttaquin means… They might not be muslims yet but if they are concerned about the truth and their safety, when they truly go out on a hunt, there is no doubt about it that it is in this Quran, they will find guidance.

Because they had the attitude of wanting to protect themselves, they will find guidance in this book.

The Muttaquin could be muslim or not yet muslim….

A note on Alif Lam Meem

Alif, Lam and mim are letters in the Arabic Laguage, This Surah was revealed in Medina. When the prophet migrated to Medina, he encountered an educated Jewish community ( they could read and write). The messenger could not read and write. Like the Quran says:

You never recited any Scripture before We revealed this one to you; you never wrote one down with your hand. If you had done so, those who follow falsehood might have had cause to doubt. (Surah 29:48)

When Allah’s Messenger recited; Alif Lam Meem, the ones who thought that they had full knowledge of language became shocked. How can a people who are illiterate use such letters which are only used in text? These letters and names are not known to those who cannot read or write. The only people that learn the names of alphabets are those who can read or write.

The Arab Jews of medina prided themselves in the fact that they were knowledgeable and they knew how to read or write. One of the ways, to discredit the prophet was to say ‘ He doesn’t know how to read or write’…. It is like Allah responds to this by putting these disjointed letters, and these baffled the rabbis at the time because they were shocked that an unlettered man knew the names of the alphabets.

Ayah 3

Allatheena yu/minoona bialghaybi wayuqeemoona alssalata wamimma razaqnahum yunfiqoona

Usually translated (yusuf Ali): Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them;

Allatheena yu/minoona bialghaybi

This statement refers to those who believe in the unseen right now (the muslims) and those who have the potential to believe in the future even though they are not yet musims… The present tense in Arabic covers what happens now and what will happen in the future….

A proper english translation will be … Who believe/ will be coming to believe in the unseen…


wayuqeemoona alssalata

And they establish the prayer…

The connection between these two things have to be clearly understood, when ideas are put together in the Quran, there is a reason they are put together in a certain order.

Firstly , Allah calls these people who will no doubt find guidance in this book as those that want to protect themselves,

The first quality of these guys is that they believe in the unseen,

In other words, they want to protect themselves from something that is in the unseen, It is easy to protect yourself from dangers in the seen world. … These people have a greater sense of understanding and realize that there may be a greater danger to their well-being than what they see in front of them….

In the beginning of our relationship with Allah, we might first want to protect ourselves from the punishment of Allah, but as we grow, we learn to love Allah more and try not to disappoint Allah by falling short of what is required of us. The relationship matures overtime…

Having a consciousness of the unseen is a trait of these people… There are seeking to protect themselves, they put themselves on guard…. What happens when someone is on guard, they can sleep off, they could tire,…. In other to keep the consciousness strong, there is the institution of salah (prayer).

The establishment of the salah reminds them of the unseen. It reminds them…. Salah (usually translated as prayer) means connection, It is connection with Allah by connecting us to this guidance without doubt, the Quran….

The salah ensures that that consciousness stays alive and the belief in the unseen stays strong…. It is much easier to forget the unseen than the seen, that is why we need the reminder.

wamimma razaqnahum yunfiqoona

spend out of what We have provided for them

These people recognise that whatever they have, has been given to them from the unseen. it is easy for them to spend because they recognize this is from the unseen….. Everything is logically tied to each other….

Everything is natural consequence of this belief in the unseen and these people who will no doubt find guidance in this book …

Ayah 4

Waallatheena yu/minoona bima onzila ilayka wama onzila min qablika wabial-akhirati hum yooqinoona

Usual translation (Yusuf Ali): And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee, and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.

Waallatheena yu/minoona bima onzila ilayka wama onzila min qablika

Then Allah says: They are the people that believe and are going to believe in what was sent to you and was sent much before you….

Now there are three main areas of faith (Iman) that the Quran highlights

- Belief in Allah
- Belief in the message
- Belief in Afterlife

The faith in the message encompasses belief in the angels who deliver the message, the prophets and the books….

In Surah baqarah, belief in the message is a major theme of the surah… From the second ayah, the emphasis was on faith in the message… Keep this in mind…. It is a very important part of the surah….

By using the word ilayka, Allah indicates that the revelation is a privilege and a gift we have been given…

In modern times, there are people that spread the fitnah of believing in another messenger after the prophet, groups like ahmadiyya , The response to this is in the beginning of the Quran (this ayah).. The ayah clearly tells us to believe in only two messages, The one revealed to the prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and the ones revealed way before him… There is no messenger coming with any revelation after him…

People who are going to successfully protect themselves are the ones who believe in two revelations, the one revealed to the prophet and the one revealed way before the prophet…. There is no other category.

If you want to be a person of Taqwa, these are the only two options…

wabial-akhirati hum yooqinoona

Then Allah says: And infact these are the people especially when it comes to the afterlife, they are thoroughly convinced……

This last statement, yaqin is mentioned . yooqinoona means to have conviction like you can see it…. The kind of belief is so strong it can’t be broken.

The ones with taqwa believe in the afterlife like they can see it, like they experience it.

This is not the first time the afterlife has been implied…. Allah said earlier that this book is sure guidance for those who protect themselves… what danger are they to protect themselves from?

What they are to protect themselves from is the afterlife….

So while they always had that sentiment as Muttaqin, Once revelation comes, that sentiment is cemented and now they are absolutely certain of it, as if they can see it….

See how it ties together… SubhanAllah…

Ayah 5

Ola-ika AAala hudan min rabbihim waola-ika humu almuflihoona

Usual translation: (yusuf Ali): They are on (true) guidance, from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper.

Ola-ika AAala hudan min rabbihim

Then Allaah say: Those are the people that are committed to guidance from their master…

Allah uses "those", a pointing pronoun again…

Allah is addressing people who are not yet on that level and pointing to the standards that they have to get…

I.e Like i tell a child, : “ Make sure you emulate those kids”

Allah started with guidance and comes back to guidance again in this ayah…. Allah gave the qualities of those people that protect themselves, these are the people that are truly committed to guidance..

There are many people that will claim they are committed to guidance but the way to tell who is committed to guidance for real is this litmus test .

waola-ika humu almuflihoona

And those are infact the real one that are going to succeed

In other words, they will be those, who will fake it and not succeed

Now Allah has given two noun attributes to the people of guidance

i. Muttaquin : Those who protect themselves

ii. muflihoon : Those who succeed

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS….. We will come back to it

Ayah 1-5 Ended

Comments and questions are welcome insha Allah

SubhanAllah...! I really dont know where the fear came from reading These Amazing Quran season...but I'm sure it's a wake up call to start doing things the way Allah (SWT) has laid down. Tears is the only thing left in me.

May Allah have mercy on you and count you among those He promised the Juicy Garden.

But...is this a free text I can copy and give out for free?

JazakAllahu Khairan

PaBLo(A):
SubhanAllah...! I really dont know where the fear came from reading These Amazing Quran season...but I'm sure it's a wake up call to start doing things the way Allah (SWT) has laid down. Tears is the only thing left in me.

May Allah have mercy on you and count you among those He promised the Juicy Garden.

But...is this a free text I can copy and give out for free?

JazakAllahu Khairan

Wa iyyakum, bro..

Yes, it is a free text....

Ayah 6

After talking about those who protect themselves, Allah talks about the opposite group... Those who reject, ....

Inna allatheena kafaroo sawaon AAalayhim aanthartahum am lam tunthirhum la yu/minoona

Usually translated: (Yusuf Ali) As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.

Inna allatheena kafaroo

Allah says: No doubt, those who have disbelieve…

This is in contrast to those who believe,

The first thing that was mentioned about those who believe is that they have no doubt in this book whatsoever. So here when Allah mentions those who have disbelieved, it includes those who even have a shred of doubt in the book too.

You believe in this book entirely without no shred of doubt. If you have a shred of doubt, you have fallen into kufr (disbelief).

It is the contrast between the two groups…

Also, this is not all non-muslims, Allah already covered those non-muslim who have the potential to come to belief in Ayah 3, “ those who believe and who will come to believe in the unseen…..”

This is important to note because it is not fair to call every non-Muslim a kafir (disbeliever). That is not what the Quran does…

The Quran does make an assessment of those who have been given plenty of opportunity to see this book, experience the character of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and still disbelieved and rejected after a long time. Kafir refers to those who bury the seed of truth deep inside of themselves. The fitrah, Allah gave them has been choked to death. At this point, they are at the point of no return.

So Allah says of these people…

sawaon AAalayhim aanthartahum am lam tunthirhum la yu/minoona

At this point, whether you warn them or not, there are not going to believe.

In essence, the Quran is saying of this group of people that they don’t believe and they won’t believe…. This ayah was in reference to some of the Quraish of mecca who had rejected the Quran and the prophet for a long time. Imagine, these people experienced this incredible Quran without the filter of translation as it was already in their language and the best of speakers, the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) giving it to them, yet they hid the truth inside of themselves, choked their conscience and became lost…..

Allah continues about this group:

Ayah 7

Khatama Allahu AAala quloobihim waAAala samAAihim waAAala absarihim ghishawatun walahum AAathabun AAatheemun

Usually translated: (yusuf Ali) Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing And on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).

Khatama Allahu AAala quloobihim waAAala samAAihim

So for this particular group that is bent on disbelief:

Allah says: Allah has placed a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing…

So why did Allah mention their hearts first?

Everything that has been talked about so far has to do with the heart..

i. There is no doubt about the book ; doubt is in the heart

ii. The Muttaquin (those with taqwa); Taqwa is in the heart

ii. Belief in the unseen; faith is the heart

All that have been mentioned so far is a matter of the heart so when Allah talks about the punishment for those who have stubbornly rejected faith, He talks about sealing the heart first.. This is part of the beauty of the Quran everything is so perfectly aligned…

In surah Jathiyah, Allah talks about sealing their ear (hearing), comes first, also in line with the theme of discussion

[Prophet], consider the one who has taken his own desire as a god, whom God allows to stray in the face of knowledge, sealing his ears and heart and covering his eyes– who can guide such a person after God [has done this]? Will you [people] not take heed? (Surah 45:23)

waAAala absarihim ghishawatun

Then Allah says: Even on their eyes there is a cover;

When a person heart is sealed, it means they are no longer interested in the message. When they are no longer interested in the message, no matter what you say to them, it won’t matter… the warning the prophet gives is experienced by the ear. When the heart is gone that warning won’t have any impact. All they hear are things they can make fun of, things they can joke around with..

Now Allah says, even on their eyes there is a cover, This means that they will see the flawless character of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or in our case the beautiful Islamic practices and they won’t even see it for what it is..

Allah continues:

walahum AAathabun AAatheemun

And for these people especially, there is great punishment

In the beginning of the fatiha, Allah called himself master of the nations of people… Allah classifies humanity into different groups here..

So far Allah has divided humanity into two groups

i. Those who believe or have the potential of believing

ii. Those who would not believe, no matter what…

There is a third group, these are people of weak character, the hypocrite… This leads us to the next ayah

Ayah 8

Wamina alnnasi man yaqoolu amanna biAllahi wabialyawmi al-akhiri wama hum bimu/mineena

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): Of the people there are some who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day" but they do not (really) believe.

Wamina alnnasi man yaqoolu

From the people there is someone who says:

It is interesting that Allah uses ‘from the people ‘ , because for someone who says he believes, you could say ‘ from the believers, there is someone who says’ … but Allah says from the people because Allah is going to let us know that they are not believers at all…

Wamina alnnasi man yaqoolu amanna biAllahi wabialyawmi al-akhiri

From the people there is someone who says: We have come to believe in Allah and even in the last day

So why does this person say WE?

You see this is what a hypocrite does, He tries to blend in so he says ‘ we believe’…

He doesn’t say ‘we believe in Allah and the last day’

He says ‘ We believe in Allah and even in the last day’

Imagine a child comes and tells you that: I didn’t do that thing by the way….

You know that he did that thing for sure;It is his guilty conscience speaking… Same thing with the hypocrite when he says

We believe in Allah and even the last day

The hypocrite is compensating and Allah calls him and those like him out:

wama hum bimu/mineena

and they are not believers at all…

Before we continue, it is important to note a few things. Hypocrisy is a big deal in the Quran; it is one of the things that can destroy guidance. So Allah has told us a lot about hypocrisy so if you notice a similar trait in yourself, you make changes…

A few points to note

i. You and I can NEVER judge someone as a hypocrite, we do not have that right, It does not matter how clear their actions are… We do not have the license to call anyone a hypocrite. This religion did not give us that sanction

There are two kinds of hypocrites

a. Hypocrites that know that they are not muslim, they are only prtending to be muslim like spies

b. The second type of hypocrite is the one that has no idea that he is a hypocrite. This is the scarier kind because it could be anyone of us… None of us are safe…

So i. you can’t label anyone a hypocrite

ii. We can’t keep ourselves safe from that label… We can’t assume that we are safe from hypocrisy..

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said about hypocrisy, “No one fears it but a believer, and no one feels safe from it but a hypocrite.”

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab used to ask Huthayfah ibn Al-Yamaan saying, “Did the Messenger of Allaah , mention me to you among (the names of) the hypocrites?” Huthayfah replied in the negative.

The prophet gave Huthayfah the names of hypocrites and umar was scared, he was part of them…
This is Umar that was guaranteed Jannah. That is a believer.

It is narrated in a Hadeeth (narration) that Ibn Abi Mulaykah said, “I have witnessed thirty of the companions of the Prophet , all of them feared falling into hypocrisy.” [Al-Bukhaari]

iii. You might see attributes of hypocrisy in people that are mentioned in the Quran but you are still not allowed to call them hypocrites.

This is clear from a hadith where the muslims were involved in a battle (a raid) and usama bin Zaid and an ansar killed a man even after he said his shahada because they felt he was not sincere and he was just doing it to save himself. When the prophet heard about this, He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Did you check inside his heart to find out whether he said it (out of fear) or not? In another narration he said: Did you kill him after he had made the profession that there is no god but Allah? He was upset and kept on repeating this such that Usama wished he had not embraced Islam before that day. ( the narration can be found in Bukhari & muslim) (Muslim Found in: Faith (Kitab Al Iman) Hadith no: 176 &177)

Obviously the man is trying to save his skin but even in this clear instance, you cannot say he is a hypocrite.

So when we hear these things about hypocrites, there are two attitudes, you start thinking of someone else or you look within yourself.

The believers attitude as he is reading this is : Is this me?

This is correct attitude…. May Allah protect us from hypocrisy…

Ayah 9

YukhadiAAoona Allaha waallatheena amanoo wama yakhdaAAoona illa anfusahum wama yashAAuroona

Usually translated: (yusuf Ali) Fain would they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and realize (it) not!

YukhadiAAoona Allaha waallatheena amanoo wama yakhdaAAoona illa anfusahum wama yashAAuroona

They try to deceive Allah and those who believe, however they are not going to be deceiving anyone at all except their own selves and they have no realization whatsoever.

No realization whatsoever might even be talking of the second category of hypocrites, those that are not even aware that they are hypocrites.

Allah explains why and how they do this in next ayah

Ayah 10:

Fee quloobihim maradun fazadahumu Allahu maradan walahum AAathabun aleemun bima kanoo yakthiboona

Usually translated as (Yusuf Ali): In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease and grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves).

Fee quloobihim maradun fazadahumu Allahu maradan

It is only in their hearts, there is a disease and Allah increased them in that disease

Allah says that the disease is nowhere else but their hearts.

How do we understand this?

Hypocrisy happens when you are trying to save yourself from someone other than Allah. You are trying to gain rewards from somewhere other than Allah’s rewards.

Technically, a hypocrite is also someone trying to protect himself. The word munafiq(hypocrite) is obtained from a lizard having two exit holes… If there is trouble on one end, he runs to the other and vice versa…

The hypocrite alternates his loyalties between the believers and the disbelievers, If there trouble on one end, he runs to the other…. He is protecting himself but not from the displeasures of Allah, He is protecting himself from things that happen in the seen world.. That is the condition of his heart.

A muttaqin protects himself from the displeasure of Allah….

The hypocrite has loyalties on both sides….

walahum AAathabun aleemun bima kanoo yakthiboona

And for these people especially there is painful punishment, because of the lies they continue to tell…

Meaning the lies they make to themselves, the lies they make to Allah’s messenger, the lies they make to the believers. by means of these lies, they try to deceive the believers and disrupt the work of Allah.

In surah munafiqun (rough translation) :

When the hypocrites come to you [Prophet], they say, ‘We bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah.’ Allah knows that you truly are His Messenger and He bears witness that the hypocrites are liars–– (Surah 65:1)

To impress the prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), the hypocrites will say to him : We bear witness that you are the messenger of Allah”

Now

There is a difference between saying: you are the messenger of Allah

And Saying: We bear witness that you are the messenger of Allah”

When you say: you are the messenger of Allah,

This statement is true no matter what

When they say: We bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah

This statement could be true or false.

Their testimony could be true or false so Allah testifies that the hypocrites are lying,

The hypocrites testify at the beginning ‘We believe in Allah and even in the last day’, this testimony is a lie so Allah promises them a punishment for the continuous lies they made.

It also means they spread lies about the muslims, lies about the prophet( Peace and blessings be upon him). They spread lies about Aisha (RA) for instance.