^{Surah Name:} Aal-e-Imran ^Meaning: The Family of Imran

Key Points

Surah Aal-e-Imran

Secrets Of Revelation

O you who believe! Devour not usury... prepared for the non-believers.

Reliance

This quality must be applied to the entire conduct of a believer and it must be adopted in all walks of life. To fight in a battlefield is Jihad-e-Asghar (Jihad minor) and to struggle throughout life subjugating ones desires to the Divine Will is Jihad-e-Akbar (Jihad major) because it is a constant and continuous battle.

Human endeavour generally revolves around fiscal activity. The real task is to employ fair and permissible means for the attainment of livelihood and the inference is to give up usury completely. Although there is a possibility of making much more money, but interest is prohibited and against Taqwa. The non-believers used their usury money in preparations for war, but the Muslims should never think that more weaponry can be acquired this way; rather should focus on the real deliverance and salvation attainable only through Taqwa and Allaah^-SWT's obedience.

Thus a purely economic matter has been discussed with reference to war and peace. A Muslim should rely upon Allaah^-SWT not only in the battlefield but also in every walk of life and must never be heedless of His obedience. For if he indulges in capital sins he is likely to be punished in the Fire which basically is prepared for the non-believers. Persistence on capital sins may lead to loss of faith and one may die as a non-believer. This means that a Muslim must, under all circumstances, keep an eye on the eternal results and should never be overcome by avarice as to adopt unfair means averse to Allaah^-SWT's obedience and trust in Him.

And obey Allaah^-SWT and the Messenger^-SW... prepared for the Muttaqin.

The Muslims must worship Allaah^-SWT and obey the Holy Prophet^-SW in order to be blessed with His Mercy. One of the duties of the Holy Prophet^-SW was that he conveyed the Divine Message to the mankind. Now if someone says that the Qura'an is sufficient for him, he can only justify his claim by obtaining its explanation and meanings from the Holy Prophet^-SW whose mission is to explain to mankind what has been revealed unto him^-SW.

What Is Obedience To Holy Prophet^-SW

The obedience to the Holy Prophet^-SW has been stressed in order to ensure that no one can interpret the Qura'an according to his own choice. The addressees of the Holy Prophet^-SW were the eloquent of the Arabic language, but inspite of their literary power and eloquence, they depended on the Holy Prophet^-SW to understand Allaah^-SWT's Book. Most of the Commandments were revealed in an abridged form, which were explained by the Holy Prophet^-SW to the people. For instance the Qura'an enjoins: “Establish your Salat and pay Zakat (2:43)” Now the constituents of the Salat such as Ruku’ (bowing) Sajdah, glorification, standing or number of cycles and the timings were all taught by the Holy Prophet^-SW. These details were also revealed to him^-SW through Revelation as he^-SW was tasked for the purpose. Similarly the various facets of Zakat or other financial matters like trading or the things prohibited and permissible were explained by him^-SW. The Holy Prophet^-SW raised a complete society comprising all sorts of people both from urban and rural backgrounds, including scholars, ignorant, young, old, men and women, farmers, labourers and traders. He^-SW instructed and disciplined them in accordance with the Will of Allaah^-SWT's Book. He^-SW explained to them the meanings of the revealed Ayat. They listened, understood, acted upon them in his^-SW presence and obtained his^-SW direct approval. They then passed this legacy on to the next generations. May Allaah^-SWT bless them all!

It is not correct at all for anyone that while he obtains the text of Qura'an from them, he sets out to determine the meanings and interpretations on his own or to deny the Hadith on the ground that it is not integral to Qura'an. It has been highlighted earlier that the Divine Protection is not confined to the text of Qura'an alone but also covers its interpretation given by the Holy Prophet^-SW. And the way Allaah^-SWT has blessed the Muslim scholars with the honour of preserving the Hadith is exclusively their lot.

Allaah^-SWT commands the believers to hasten towards His Forgiveness and Paradise and obey Him in the light of the teachings of the Holy Prophet^-SW, with full devotion and vigour, like an athlete who exerts his maximum effort to win a race. Similarly one must try to seek Allaah^-SWT's Forgiveness and entry into Paradise, which is a symbol of His Pleasure. Here the Attributive Name Rubb has been mentioned along with forgiveness. His Providence not only caters for providing nourishment to every single thing but also makes sure to place things where they are most appropriate and necessary. This beauty of arrangement is also a wonder of Providence, for never will the mangoes grow on an acacia or berries on a banana tree.

The forgiveness too will certainly be forthcoming through the means employed for its attainment, which are noble deeds and adherence to the Holy Prophet^-SW’s Sunnah. Besides, entry into Paradise is impossible without Forgiveness, which is such a splendid place that earth and heavens put together cannot equal its worth. Its expanse is such that its width is more than that of the earth and heavens adjoined while Allaah^-SWT only knows its length. Man does not know anything vast enough in comparison with which he can conceive the expanse of Paradise. And this prodigious kingdom had been prepared for the Muttaqin.

Those who spend (in His way)... and an admonition to the Muttaqin.

The Beloved Of Allaah^-SWT

These are the people who, in affluence and in poverty, exert all their capabilities in the Cause of Allaah^-SWT.Whether it is wealth, energy, power and authority, knowledge and wisdom or comforts and luxuries, they are always ready to sacrifice these for Allaah^-SWT's Pleasure. They always invite mankind to truth and justice. If their own rights are violated by anyone they do feel the pinch being human, yet conceal their annoyance and overlook it and continue to do good. They are totally sincere and selfless. They honour the rights of others and also forego their own, in order to please Allaah^-SWT.Verily such people are the beloved of Allaah^-SWT, an optimum level of excellence attainable by mankind. Therefore, anyone who neither bothers about the rights of Allaah^-SWT nor of the people should not be taken as a Wali.

The beloved of Allaah^-SWT not only enlighten their own hearts but also strive to illuminate the hearts of others. Inspite of all these qualities they are still human, possessing natural desires and needs. They too can err, for innocence is only the domain of Prophethood. Whereas the Prophets^-AS are innocent, the Aulia enjoy the Divine Protection. Nevertheless, if they commit any mistake they intently resort to Zikr, seeking His Forgiveness. Imam Razi^-RUA observes that Zikr is the opposite of forgetfulness.

Zikr-e-Qalbi

Know that the Qura'an addresses the Qalb and not the mind, so forgetfulness or Zikr must be a state of the Qalb. According to Bahr-e-Mohit, a verbal repentance, without the participation of the Qalb, is not reliable. In other words, the Qulub of the beloved of Allaah^-SWT are alive, which is the ultimate aim of life. This is why Qadhi Thana Ullah Panipatti^-RUA observes that the attainment of Zikr-e-Qalbi is compulsory for every man and woman.

Allaah^-SWT Alone forgives the mistakes. His beloveds do not make it a habit to indulge in sin; rather they give up whatever is wrong. Thus the unintentional commission of a sin is not contrary to Wilayah but persistence on it is. For such righteous people awaits the Divine Mercy and admission into Paradise, with streams flowing underneath, as a reward. They shall abide therein permanently and shall never be expelled. This is a great reward for the obedient for they had to struggle for a very short time while the reward is eternal. Even the best of human endeavours towards obedience has its shortcomings while the reward and recompense accrued is in accordance with the Divine standards.

Besides, every inch of this earth bears evidence to these Divine Revelations. People before the Muslims, amongst whom some were pious, and the others wicked inhabited it. A look at their history will reveal that respect, honour and peace have always been for the righteous. The infidels always suffered from anxiety and unrest and ultimately met destruction. The ruins of their settlements mourn their mortal glory even today.

All this has been explained as an admonition for mankind and carries a guidance within, in the light of which every individual can attain the desirable morals and the right beliefs. But this wealth is only acquired by those whose hearts are filled with Allaah^-SWT's Zikr and who are aware of Allaah^-SWT's Greatness in their own capacity. (Taqwa is the connection with which the heart is blessed when present in the Divine Court).

So lose not heart nor grieve... you have seen it with your own eyes.

It does not befit the Muslims to be disheartened by the intensity of this war nor there is a need for it because victory, in any case, shall be theirs. They will always be victorious provided they sincerely adhere to the Holy Prophet^-SW’s obedience. They should adopt a firm faith and righteousness. In other words, the perfect connection with the Holy Prophet^-SW must be attained, for this is the truth and the truth never submits to falsehood. The believers will have to incessantly strive in their practical lives to uphold Islam and eradicate evil.

In short, the Muslims should never withdraw from Jihad losing heart. Besides, the tenacity of faith is the key to success, whether it is one’s personal or national life. If the believers adhere to the right beliefs and firmly hold the Sunnah, victory shall always be theirs. The temporary hardships or distress are of no consequence. If they were hurt at Uhad, they had inflicted much more casualties upon their enemy at Badar. If the Muslims are slain and wounded today, their enemy too had fled from the battlefield bleeding and leaving behind beheaded corpses of their chieftains besides the captives. These vicissitudes of time keep on changing; joy and woe come and go. Had only distress been ordained for the non-believers and comforts for the believers, many would convert to Islam under compulsion.

This will never happen and circumstances will keep on changing. Men shall always be obliged to accept Islam after being convinced of its truth using their wisdom and intellect. The point to take note of is that the non-believers fought for falsehood, died on it and were condemned to Hell for their transgression as transgressors can never be loved by Allaah^-SWT.On the contrary, the Muslims fought for the truth, an act that is fabulously rewarded by Him. They were elevated in His nearness when wounded, and were blessed with Shahadah when slain. He chose them as witnesses to His Glory and manifested their greatness to the whole world. This is what is meant by the expression “that Allaah^-SWT may know,” otherwise His Knowledge is Eternal. He knows everything before it actually happens equally well as after it has taken place.

Hardships For Believers

Imam Razi^-RUA asserts that if Allaah^-SWT does not have knowledge about a thing, it is essentially non-existent. Likewise, what is in His Knowledge surely exists. In other words, this Ayah indicates that Allaah^-SWT wanted the Muslims to attain His Blessings and be purified, and at the same time intended to crush the non-believers. When a believer faces worldly hardships, these lead to atonement of his sins and are a source of elevating his spiritual status. There are certain levels of His nearness, which cannot be attained without enduring distress, for instance Shahadah. To attain this honour one has to sacrifice his very life in the Cause of Allaah^-SWT. Besides, our worships and obedience is not up to the standard and is often marred by errors, a situation atoned by hardships. On the contrary, the unfortunate, the non-believers suffer distress as punishment and are disgraced in the worldly life. If they persist on disobedience they are ultimately destroyed and are condemned to eternal disgrace. No one should misconceive that he would be admitted to Paradise without any practical effort. The basic qualities required for it are Jihad and patience. According to Imam Razi^-RUA entry into Paradise and the lack of patience in Jihad cannot co-exist. This is why the founders of anti-Islam movements in the garb of Islam declare Jihad as unlawful. The aim is to push the Muslims towards infidelity. Imam Razi^-RUA continuing the discussion in Tafsir-e-Kabir observes that the temporal love cannot be put together with eternal bliss. As one increases the other is bound to diminish. This is because worldly benefits can only be attained when the heart pursues them, whereas the glory in Akhirah also demands that the heart seeks no one but Allaah^-SWT and is full of His love. Hence these two simply cannot coexist. He^-RUA goes on to say that love for Allaah^-SWT cannot be proved by mere declarations and neither is every claimant truthful. The proof of truthfulness is that the claimant must leave all that is disliked by Allaah^-SWT and sacrifice his own preferences over His Choice. Love is a sacred feeling, which is neither diminished by the beloved’s severity nor augmented by the tenderness.

The essence of love is that it persists under troubles and sufferings. Therefore, Allaah^-SWT says that it is useless to dream of Paradise without struggle, patience and sincere efforts for obedience. Abandoning the sources of Mercy, tantamounts to inviting His Wrath. The Muslims had always wished for Shahadah so now that Allaah^-SWT has provided them that opportunity and they have witnessed death with open eyes, there is indeed no reason to be scared of it. The rare and short lived success of the non-believers carries for the believers an opportunity of attaining Allaah^-SWT's nearness and the honour of Shahadah. Hence instead of losing heart, it is better to probe into the shortcomings and to find out where one has drifted away from the Sunnah, because adherence to it is a sure guarantee to success.