- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- (007) Al Araaf
All Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad the truthful in promise and the worthy of all trust, and upon his Family and Companions, the trustees on his mission, leaders of his brigades, be pleased with us and them Lord of the worlds
Honorable brother, with lesson 31 of surat Al_A’raaf, verse 94, Allah the Almighty says:
“And We sent no prophet unto any township but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity that haply they might grow humble.
Afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity
1. The meaning of Township:
I think that this is the most verse in the holy Quran that applies to the condition of Muslims these days. A township is the town that contains the interests of its inhabitants; it has materials, goods, shops, court house, a judge and a ruler.(And we sent no prophet unto any township)
2. Divine Disciplining and treatment of disbelievers:
The statement is comprehensive, any township Allah the Almighty sent a messenger to and they denied/ disbelieved him. When they disbelieved the messenger, they went through educational treatment. The educator’s attitude is different from the non educator; the latter leaves those who don’t respond to their own but the former, because of the mercy in his heart, must treat those whom he educates.Therefore: Our God and Lord, Lord of the worlds educates us all, so if we gave lie to His prophets, did not respond to them and did not apply, committed sins, ate the ill gotten money, assaulted each other, ignored our Lord and did not do our duty in worship, sacrificed our afterlife, walked in the road of abyss, if we did all these it would not be reasonable nor acceptable from a merciful God to leave us alone, that is a very accurate thing.
You walk on the road, you see three young men, the first one is your son, the second is your nephew and the third one is your nephew’s friend. If you see them in an unpleasant condition, smoking for instance, you get mad, and have the greatest pain because of your mercy on your son, but to your nephew, you say: “is that how your father raised you?” The greatest pain, worry, and anger is on your son because he is part of you, he is your continuation and your fate. 50% of the anger is on your nephew, his father is responsible, but to his friend, you just send him away, and that is pretty normal.
As if pain, concern and mercy are related to closeness. The closest party to a slave is his Lord; He is the one who created and educated him. Don’t be surprised if someone got astray from the way of Allah and Allah leaves him astray. Do not believe that if the slave went astray from the way of Allah that He leaves him astray, no, there must be treatment.
The Divine ways of treating the strays:
1. Notification/ Rhetoric call:
I have always reminded you that Allah the Almighty, out of His Mercy, starts a peaceful phase with His slave, that is the peaceful notification. He lets you listen to a speech, a lesson, you read a book, attend a seminar, listen to a lecture that explains the secret of your existence and the aim of your being. If you respond, that is the most peaceful, most perfect and most comfortable way.
“O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.”
The most elegant relationship with Allah is that if He calls you to Him, you simply respond. The holy Quran is as clear as the sun, Allah created you in order to please you in this life and in the afterlife. He created you for a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth. He said to you: “ Do and Do not do”. Any divine matter has a scientific relation with its result_ a cause and effect relationship.
When you believe that the things that Allah Has forbidden us to do is but only for our own safety, not to tighten on us, nor to limit our freedom. The same way when you see a sign with: “mine field, do not overtake”, you do not bear grudge on the person who put that sign, you feel exactly the opposite, your heart is full of gratitude for him, because he was concerned about your safety so he warned you. The moment you feel that the things Allah has forbidden you are not forbidden to tie you, nor make your life difficult, but He has forbidden you from them in order to guarantee your safety. That is the fiqh (jurisprudence)- to see those things for your own benefit.
“Whosoever obeyeth Allah and His messenger, he verily hath gained a signal victory.”
“..Whoso is removed from the Fire and is made to enter paradise, he indeed is triumphant. The life of this world is but comfort of illusion” (185)
From birth, man loves to win, he loves to win all the winning, succeed all the success, have all the superiority, have all the reason, all the intelligence in the obedience of Allah. You do not love anyone, you only love yourself. You are made to love your existence, to love the safety of your existence, to love the perfection of your existence, to love the continuation of your existence. The safety of your existence, the perfection of your existence, the continuation of your existence in a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth eternally, all these are in the obedience of Allah.The issue here is very delicate, Allah the Almighty is more merciful with us than we are with ourselves. He created us for a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth. If we do not respond, do not obey Him, do not surrender to Him, do not think, do not discipline, do not commit, is it acceptable from a merciful God to leave that slave alone?
I would give you a clear example hopefully: a five year old boy said to his father: “ I do not like to study”, the father said: “quit school”. The next day the boy did not go to school, no study, no getting up early, no homework, no teachers, no punishment for not doing the homework. The boy slept till noon, what a comfortable life! He went out with bad guys, he imagined he was in great happiness, no burdens, no responsibilities, no punishment, no accounts, no duties, and no getting up early. When he grew up, he found himself unemployed, without a wife, without a home, he was astray and lost man, he held grudge against his father, and said to him: “ father, when I told you I didn’t like school, why didn’t you hit me so hard? Why did you let me quit school?”
“Otherwise, if disaster should afflict them because of that which their own hands have sent before (them), they might say” on the Day of Resurrection “Our Lord! Why sentest Thou no messenger unto us, that we might have followed Thy revelations and been of the believers?”(47)
Disasters are practical Godly messages with understood intentions:
Pay attention to the word:
“Why sentest Thou no messenger unto us”
Allah the Almighty called the disaster that He inflicted on His slaves as a messenger from Allah, a practical letter. The moment you understand that disasters are messages from Allah. If you collect ill-gotten money, and the money is destroyed, this destruction is a message from Allah saying “my slave repent, you have sinned”“Lo! Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts were ever sinning.” (8)
You loved a woman for her looks and her beauty, and did not care about her weak religion. You tasted all kinds of misery in that marriage. That misery that Allah inflicted on you is a message from Allah. The moment you understand that Allah’s treatment to you is messages, then you are a scholar/jurist.
Therefore: do not wait from the All Merciful to leave you alone if you walked the way of the abyss, Allah the Almighty said:
“So if they deny you, [O Muhammad], say, "Your Lord is the possessor of vast mercy”
What does His vast mercy require?
“So if they deny you, [O Muhammad], say, "Your Lord is the possessor of vast mercy; but His punishment cannot be repelled from the people who are criminals."
The great mercy of Allah demands that his punishment is not withdrawn from the guilty folks, those who took the path of destruction. When you understand the reality of the perfection of Allah the Almighty, you will feel that when Allah tightens on man, it is in order to get him back to Him. Allah the Almighty fixed millions of rules. The universe is fixed; the cycle of the orbit, the quality of materials, laws of physics, chemistry and the orbit, and motion. But He moved health and livelihood, they are in the hands of Allah. There are still diseases with no treatment until now_ malignant tumors, kidney failure, cirrhosis, and clot in the brain. All these are serious diseases. When Allah the Almighty sees that His slaves went astray from Him and took the way of desire, the way to the abyss, a way that leads to hell, is it reasonable and acceptable from the Glory God, the Most Merciful and Most Gracious to leave us alone? This verse:
“And We sent no prophet unto any township”
We sent a messenger to a township and they denied him /did not believe him, they did not respond to him, did not care about his message.
but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity”
3- but We did afflict its folk with tribulation
They say to you: fifteen thousand plastic houses/green houses were destroyed by the last frost, and those fields were expected to produce six million tons of wheat, but they did not produce one piece.“but We did afflict its folk with tribulation”
Lack of materials, earthquakes or volcanoes. Those are natural disasters with scientific explanation, a disturb in the cortex, but Who is the cause of these causes? The Lord of the Worlds. Drought/Dryness, dry years, where plants and animals die, and man can immigrate.
“And We sent no prophet unto any township but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity"
4_ And Adversity
Adversity means diseases, disasters that afflict man himself. It might be amputation of an organ, loss of sight, paralysis, that is adversity, and tribulation is drought.Some cosmic laws inflicted on the strays:
“Say: He is able to send punishment upon you from above you.”
Those thunderbolts, and missiles/ rockets nowadays.“ or from beneath your feet”
Earthquakes and mines.
But the most dangerous thing:
“or to bewilder you with dissension”
Sectarianism
“Lo! Pharaoh exalted himself in the earth and made its people castes. A tribe among them he oppressed, killing their sons and sparing their women. Lo! he was of those who work corruption.” (4)
“or to bewilder you with dissension and make you taste the tyranny one of another.”
The verse explains what is going on in the Islamic world. There are 1.5 billion Muslims who went astray from the way of Allah. They were dazzled by the west, they preferred lust to Allah’s obedience. They ate the ill-gotten money, attacked each sh3er’ lands, did not care about the way of Allah, did not apply Allah’s way, got attached to singing and forgot the quran. We were the nation of “Read”, but now we are the nation of dancing. When they went astray form the way of Allah the Almighty, when they underestimated Allah’s orders, Allah underestimated them. Five Islamic nations are occupied, their resources have been stolen, their youth have been killed, they cannot mind their own affairs. The nations’ enemies have ways of humiliating their youth, arresting them and demolishing their houses, as you hear and see, where is Allah? That is Allah’s doing for a great wisdom known by some and ignored by sh3er.“And We sent no prophet unto any township but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity that haply they might grow humble.
Tribulation is great disasters that inflect their crops or resources- their resources are stolen, the springs in their land dry out, rain stops, plant diseases damage everything.
“and adversity”
Diseases, trouble, hardships, subjugation, illness, why Lord? Words of the creator of the heavens and the earth, He said:
“That haply they might grow humble”
5. “That haply they might grow humble”
In order to procrastinate at night and say: “ O Lord! I repented to you, forgive me, I have no one but you, O Lord, I beseech your forgiveness from every sin that I have committed.
Believe me dear brother, I swear to Allah that if we beseech to Allah the way it should be, all the disasters will be removed, why? Because Allah the Almighty says:
“What concern hath Allah for your punishment if ye are thankful (for His mercies) and believe (in Him)? Allah was ever Responsive, Aware.”
Simply speaking, if the child was the top in his class, polite, with high morals, clean, tidy, no matter how bad the father was, would it be reasonable for the father to hit him? “Why are you hitting me father? What have I done so that you hit me?” The father wouldn’t do it, pay attention to:
“What concern hath Allah for your punishment if ye are thankful (for His mercies) and believe (in Him)? Allah was ever Responsive, Aware.”
A very accurate verse:
(And we sent no prophet unto any township)
This rhetoric mission, a generous prophet with a miracle, he said to you: “I am a generous messenger, that is his mission, his method, do and do not do, that is forbidden and that is permitted, if you respond, that is wonderful and you take the highest position, you have responded to the rhetoric mission of Allah.
Sometimes the doctor says to you: “you have strong infection in the stomach, this illness could turn into ulcer, this could end with a hole in the stomach, and then surgery might be needed. But you might be completely cured through following a strict diet. You are a wise and reasonable human being, the doctor persuaded you to follow the strict diet, you applied it, your stomach is cured. The doctor only spoke to you, and you responded. If you hadn’t responded to him, surgery should have been done. He says to you: “you are the reason, I offered you the strict diet, and you refused, pay the price, there must be surgery.”
2. Educational Disciplining:
Now to the second stage. This is the educational disciplining, the most perfect situation in it is repenting to Allah.The verses are very accurate, and we are in great need to understanding them fully, because the solution lie in them,
“And We sent no prophet unto any township”
There is an implication, they did not respond, did not repent, did not accept, they refused:
“And We sent no prophet unto any township but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity.”
Sending prophets is a rhetoric mission/ call, but tribulation and adversity are educational disciplining, the most perfect situation in it is responding:
“O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.”
But repenting is the most perfect situation in the educational disciplining:
"but We did afflict its folk with tribulation”
With money, fields, cultivation, factories, with aggression, invasion, with stolen money- billions have been transferred from the east to the west in the past twenty years.
but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity”
Diseases, AIDS, why?
“that haply they might grow humble”
If they grew humble, made peace with Allah and repented, all those disasters would be removed.If a nation deviated, so Allah appointed a big enemy who mastered constraining it. Allah would unveil that nightmare from it in one case_ if they return to Allah the Almighty.
“And We sent no prophet unto any township but We did afflict its folk with tribulation and adversity that haply they might grow humble".
“Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of (the evil) which men's hands have done, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return.”
“And verily We make them taste the lower punishment before the greater, that haply they may return.”
3- Gradual Honoring:
In the second stage, that is the educational disciplining there was no repentance, but there is a third stage, a serious one, I called it the gradual honoring.
“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease. So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.”
“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease."
The meaning of the verse:
1. “Then We exchanged in place of the bad, good”
Heavy rain, large income, large harvest, welfare, houses, travel, hotels, women clothed and unclothed, mixed parties and banquets/feasts:
“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered]”.
That was how they understood the world, a day for you and a day against you, they understood that the world is for the powerful, the clever, for the one who has money. The paradise on the earth is for the powerful, for those who have money, if you are powerful, then you are right, right is for the power.
Allah the Almighty said:
“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease.”
2. What they said:
That is the nature of life, sometimes man refuses to believe that the divine disciplining is Godly, he sees it as bad luck, he says to you: fate has mocked me, I do not have luck, that is nonsense.
“Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease.”
That is the third stage, the gradual honoring, the most perfect situation in it is thanking Allah the Almighty.
In a country famous for exporting sheep, twenty million sheep were shot to death in order to maintain the high price, and nations die in hunger in another part of the world.
Sometimes thousands of tons of citrus fruits are damaged to maintain the high price!!
Sometimes dairy products as large as the pyramids of Egypt are destroyed to maintain the high price and nations die of hunger!!!
“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered]
That is: Allah has extended their livelihood in the world, that is called bringing gradually, this is the most dangerous thing, if you see that Allah is keeping blessing you, and you disobey Him, be careful, a large bump is ahead of you.“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease.”
That is normal, this is the way of life, a man who is far from Allah might refuse to consider the disaster from Allah as disciplining, otherwise, he says: this is my luck, that is how life is, when you refuse what is mentioned in the quran.
“And was it so, when a disaster smote you, though ye had smitten (them with a disaster) twice (as great), that ye said: How is this?”
Allah said:“Say (unto them, O Muhammad): It is from yourselves”
“Whatever of misfortune striketh you, it is what your right hands have earned. And He forgiveth much.”
3- So We seized them suddenly” while they did not perceive.”
"Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease. So We seized them suddenly” while they did not perceive.”
Suddenly, you hear: hurricanes caused thirty billion dollars loss, fire in forests, dryness of the green and the dry.
“So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.”
In the third stage, they could have thanked their God for those blesses, but they denied them and disbelieved them.He said,
"I was only given it because of knowledge I have."
They never give the credit to Allah, but to themselves.
"So We seized them suddenly” while they did not perceive.”
Then Allah the Almighty says:
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth. But (unto every messenger) they gave the lie, and so We seized them on account of what they used to earn. (96)”
Of course before we continue, there is a verse related to that topic, the verse:
“Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease. So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.”
In another verse:
“Then, when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We opened unto them the gates of all things till, even as they were rejoicing in that which they were given, We seized them unawares, ”
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil,
1-Faith and Piety are two reasons for blessings
Now:
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil,
He did not say “believe”, we are now, thanks to Allah, believers, but some of us do not have piety to Allah the Almighty:
“had believed and kept from evil,
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth. But (unto every messenger) they gave the lie, and so We seized them on account of what they used to earn. (96)”
Is there such a clear verse? Believe and have piety, do you believe that solving the problems of the Islamic world lie in two words in a verse.
“ But if ye persevere and keep from evil their guile will never harm you.”
“Verily they have plotted their plot, and their plot is with Allah, though their plot were such whereby the mountains should be moved. (46) So think not that Allah will fail to keep His promise to His messengers. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Able to Requite (the wrong). (47)”
“ But if ye persevere and keep from evil their guile will never harm you.”
Everything has finished.
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth.”
A question: if people went astray from the way of Allah, and you are one, what have you got to do with this matter? Listen to this answer: the greatness of this religion is that it is for the group, but if one member applies it alone, he will reap its fruits, and he has a special treatment.Pay attention to this: the people have gone astray from the path of Allah and did not respond to Him. Do not look at this great gathering. In Damascus, on Fridays, the number of people who attend mosques is less than 500 thousand people, the population of Damascus is 5 million and a half, that is one tenth, the sh3er are astray.
The straight in the time of the strays have special treatment:
If people went astray, did not respond, were drowned in their desires, in gaining the ill-gotten money, in assaulting people’s honor, in indulgence in cheap pleasure, and you are one, if you apply the word of Allah, you will have special treatment.I would like to comfort you young man, there is general corruption, but Allah the Almighty does not punish one for another’s sin/guilt.
“nor doth any laden bear another's load.”
You are straight, you have safety from Allah, you have a comfortable future, you have a wife to make you happy if Allah wills, a house to keep you, an income that satisfies you, you have good reputation.
“ Lo! those who say: Our Lord is Allah, and afterward are upright, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not nor grieve, but hear good tidings of the paradise which ye are promised. (30) We are your protecting friends in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There ye will have (all) that your souls desire, and there ye will have (all) for which ye pray. (31) A gift of welcome from One Forgiving, Merciful. (32)”
You are granted special treatment."Punish We ever any save the ingrates? (17)”
“And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then, (7) And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then. (8)”
A Bedouin said to the prophet: “messenger of Allah, preach me and do not speak in length”, then he said this verse:“And whoso doeth good an atom’s weight will see it then, (7) And whoso doeth ill an atom’s weight will see it then. (8)”
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth.”
Great divine promises for the believers:
I am addressing the young men. I know well that every young man has a desperate need for a job, for a house and a wife, doesn’t he? Every young man of you needs a job that provides him with an income that satisfies his needs, a wife and a house, I swear to Allah, demolishing the universe is easier to Allah than not to make this verse come true.“And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out”
I depend on the words of God, the words of God are the greatest guarantee to you.“Then is one who was a believer like one who was defiantly disobedient? They are not equal.”
Be accurate:
“Or do those who commit ill-deeds suppose that We shall make them as those who believe and do good works(21)”
Is that your supposition of Allah the Almighty? A young believer, straight, pure, who turns a blind eye to the wrong, keeps his tongue, serves people, his income is pure and performs his prayers perfectly, is this person treated the same way as the disobedient? Is this your thought of Allah the Almighty?“Then is one who was a believer like one who was defiantly disobedient? They are not equal.”
“Then will We treat the Muslims like the criminals? What is [the matter] with you? How do you judge?”
“Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will obtain like he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life”.
But the very accurate verse:
“Or do those who commit ill-deeds suppose that We shall make them as those who believe and do good works, (21)”
“ the same in life”
Let us talk about this life, the afterlife is a right, in this life, a young believer who has a good wife, with a satisfactory income, has a house that shelters him, has good reputation, Allah the Almighty pleases him. This verse is an emblem/ motto for each young man:
“Or do those who commit ill-deeds suppose that We shall make them as those who believe and do good works, the same in life”
“and death? Bad is their judgment! (21)”
Be optimistic. With the belief in Allah, there is no pain, no distress, no grief, no worry, no desperation and no frustration. This inflicts the Muslims from the weakness of their belief. There is Allah, and He did not deliver you to anyone. How could He say: “worship me”? and our affairs are in another one’s hand? That is impossible!
“And to Allah belong the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth and to Him will be returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him.”
I long for a young man who believes in Allah, his relationship with Allah is good, fears Allah, controls his organs, controls his hands, his movements, his income, seeks the satisfaction of Allah. He has a mosque to go to, has a religious reference to consult, likes to serve his nation. For this person, I swear to Allah that demolishing the universe is easier to Allah than making the result of his deeds a welfare in the world.
"My welfare is only in Allah.”
This is an only verse in the quran, nothing on earth succeeds without Allah.“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth.”
As mentioned previously: if one young man believes and follows the path of Allah, Allah will grant him welfare in this life and the afterlife, because there is no God but Allah, no raiser, no degrader, no cherisher, no humiliating, no giver and no preventer except Allah.
“And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth. But (unto every messenger) they gave the lie, and so We seized them on account of what they used to earn. (96)”
2. But they gave the lie, and so We seized them
Once they asked Taymour Lank, a great tyrant, so he gave a monotheistic answer, he said: “ I am the anger of the Lord, when a man is mad, he raises his voice, or slams the door fiercely, but if the Lord of Lords gets mad, he sends Taymour Lank, this is the anger of the Lord.Therefore, it was mentioned in the divine traditions (as7adeth qudsiyeh):
(I am the owner of kings and the king of kings, the kings’ hearts are in my hands, and if the slaves obey me, I will turn their kings’ hearts to become merciful and pitiful with them. And if the slaves disobey me, I will turn it into grumpiness and indignation unto them, so do not get busy in cursing kings, and make dua’ for them with goodness, for their goodness is connected with yours)
Once, Al_Hajjaj asked someone in order to embarrass him, he said to him: “how do you evaluate Al_Hajjah?” If the man answered: “a great believer”, he would tell him that he was the greatest hypocrite, if he told him that he was a criminal, he would kill him, what would he say? He said to him: “our sins are embodied in Al_Hajjaj, you are our sins.”It was told that in Algeria after being occupied, a great French leader stood with a scientist who was famous for being good, he said to him, in your quran:
“and Allah will not give the disbelievers any way (of success) against the believers.” (141)
He said: “here we are, we have thousands of ways on you, where is the verse?” The good man answered “Allah the Great is true, we refrained with our God, so you were the cure”, that is the reality.Honorable brother, I hope that we would continue these verses in the next lesson.
