جزء : 5

In a Sacred hadith, the Prophet (saws) said that Allah (swt) says:

“O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My dominion in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I record for you and then recompense you for. So let him who finds good, praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.”[1]

Allah as well says:

 وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ

(And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor];) (Ibrahim: 7)

Allah (swt) puts believing before gratefulness, because the last is connected with the gifts while believing is connected with the Granter. For the human sees first the giving then he believes in the Giver. Certainly, Allah (swt) is more merciful than all humans because He (swt) is Who created them, definitely not to torture them, hence, whenever man is grateful, Allah (swt) will surely increase him in favour

 

 

[1] Sahih Muslim: The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of Kinship, Hadith No. 2577.

For a person not to think that the doors had been closed, Allah (swt) opens the door of repentance. Allah (swt) excludes those who repent from what is mentioned in the previous verse. On the other hand He (swt) states the signs of repentance, that are: Reforming what was corrupted, holding fast to Allah (swt) and sincerity towards Allah (swt), meaning to avoid the hypocrisy in all its aspects.

( وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا … ) (…And Allah is going to give the believers a great reward): This reward will not give the disbelievers a way over the believers in this world if they are true believers, and in the hereafter they will have the great reward which is according to the greatness of the giver.

 

In Paradise there are high degrees and in the Hell there are low depths, in which the hypocrites will be.

Allah (swt) is addressing the believers not to take the disbelievers in Mecca as allies thinking that they own the power rather than the believers.

( أَتُرِيدُونَ أَن تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُّبِينًا … ) (…Do you wish to give Allah against yourselves a clear case?): A clear case that He decreed on the hypocritical people, whom He described to you, and told you of their fate.

The hypocrites are wavering because they follow their desires, when they find a powerful side, they incline to it, then when they find wealth with another side, they incline to it. So they neither belong to believers neither to disbelievers.

( وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ سَبِيلًا … ) (…And whoever Allah leaves astray – never will you find for him a way): Allah (swt) guided them but they chose the blindness over guidance:

 إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا

(Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful.) (Al-Insan: 7)

Allah (swt) showed us the path of guidance and guided us to it. When we choose it, He (swt) helps us to follow it, but when we chose the bad way, then Allah (swt) will leaves us astray.

The hypocrites think that they deceive allah (swt) whereas Allah (swt) is deceiving them. But we must pay attention that we do not say that Allah (swt) is deceiver (God forbid), Allah (swt) is not called except by But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.by which He named himself, when Allah (swt) says:

 وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

(But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.) (Al-Anfal: 30)

The plan but Allah (swt) nullifies their plans.

(… وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ…) (…And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, …): Because, in principle, they only care about the apparent, to say that they are Muslims, and they are not believers, they stand for prayer lazily, because they do not understand the meaning of prayer that it is a connection with the Creator, and good morals with creation. The Prophet (saws) used to say about prayer:

“Declare that the time for prayer has come, Bilal, and give us rest by it.”[1]

Whereas those hypocrites say: Give us rest from it.

(… يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ …) (…showing [themselves to] the people …): The is a kind of hidden polytheism; Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) one day cried and when was asked about the reason, he said: I heard the Prophet (saws) saying:

  “The thing that I fear most for my nation is associating others with Allah and hidden desires,

So I asked him: May your nation associate others with Allah after you? He (saws) said:

“Yes, they will not worship the sun or the moon or idols, but deeds done for the sake of anyone other than Allah.”

Meaning, the are hypocrites; they do for the people and claim that their deeds are for Allah (swt).

( وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا … ) (…and not remembering Allah except a little,): Remembering Allah (swt) is the opposite of forgetting Him (swt). If you remember Allah (swt), means you follow His commands and you are with Him, and this is one of the foundations of faith. One day, Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) was riding behind the Prophet (saws) when He said:

“O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you); and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. The pens had been lifted and the ink had dried up”.[2]

[1] Sunan abi-Dawood: Book of Virtues, Chapter of Prayer of Night, Hadith No. 4985.

 

[2] Sunan at-Tirmidhi: Boof of the description of the Day of Judgement, Softening  the hearts, Hadith No. 2516.

(… الَّذِينَ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ بِكُمْ ) (Those who wait [and watch] you. …): This is the sign of the hypocrite.

 (… فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ فَتْحٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ …) (…Then if you gain a victory from Allah,…): If you had power and gifts from Allah (swt):

 (… قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَكُن مَّعَكُمْ …) (…they say, “Were we not with you?” …).

(… وَإِن كَانَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ نَصِيبٌ …) (…But if the disbelievers have a success,…): Notice the difference between the word relating to believers and the word relating to unbelievers; it is (victory) with the believers and (success) with the disbelievers, because the disbelievers may gain but at last the winner is the righteous:

 وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

(And say, “Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart.”) (Al-Israa: 81)

(… فَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ …) (…Allah will judge between [all of] you on the Day of Resurrection, …): Do not think that the hypocrite escapes the punishment of Allah (swt).

( وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلً … ) (…and never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way [to overcome them]): Some people say how Allah (swt) says that while we see the Zionists, for example, the Mongols, the Tartars, and the Foreigners, and what they did in Muslim countries over time, so they see that the reality is contrary to this verse. We tell them: The truth is not like that, and the reality is completely identical to the word of Allah (swt). The answer is that they did not notice that Allah (swt) says (over the believers) and did not say (over the Muslims), however, there is a very big difference:

قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(The bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], ‘We have submitted,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”) (Al-Hujurat: 14)

What is the difference between Iman faith and Islam?

There is indeed a very big difference, and this is the problem of this nation and the problem in which it falls. Allah (swt) says:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ

(O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet.) (Muhammad: 7)

 وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(and incumbent upon Us was support of the believers) (Ar-Room: 47)

And did not say: Us was support the believers, because Islam is the acts of obedience through which a person worships, such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage and zakat, but faith must have evidence and it is wider and more comprehensive; its deeds have an impact on the believer himself, his family, his society, his homeland, and all humanity. The Prophet (saws) described it as:

“Iman has over seventy branches – or over sixty branches – the uppermost of which is the declaration: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’; and the least of which is the removal of harmful object from the road”[1]

An He (saws) said as well:

“No one of you becomes a true believer until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself”.[2]

We need to see the reflection of Faith over behavior to know whether it really exists or not:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِّن نِّسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ ۖ بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ % يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers. % O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.) (Al-Hujurat: 11-12)

The Prophet (saws) also said:

“The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever”.[3]

Are all of these criteria applied? You may be a Muslim but you backbite and lie, and the believer is not a liar, so how can you lie and pray, backbite and fast, perform Hajj and disobey!!!

So, there are Faith, Islam and Ihsan (doing good) which is the top because it is to worship Allah (swt) as if you see Him (swt) and if you do not achieve this state of devotion, then take it for granted that Allah sees you.

Hence, the believer that is indicated in this verse of study is the one who is characterized by all the elements of faith, such as belief in Allah (swt), His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and he also does not lie, do not backbite, does not slander, does no harm his neighbors, honors his parents, loves people and his community, and he is the source of all good. Applying these standards of Faith, then never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way to overcome them

[1] Sahih Muslim: Book of Faith, Chapter: Numerous ways of doing Good, Hadith No. 35.

[2] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Faith, Hadirh No. 13.

[3] Sahih Muslim: The Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of Kinship, Chapter of Being Dutiful To One’s Parents, And Which Of Them Is More Entitled To It, Hadith No. 2586.

A group of hypocrites was sitting with the polytheists in Medina and mocking while they were talking about the words of Allah (swt) and the Holy Qur’an, but Allah (swt) exposes them with this verse.

( إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا … ) (…Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all together): Their destination is the same, in the Hell, for the hypocrites can deceive all the people but cannot deceive Allah (swt).

 

The main reason for hypocrisy is always that the hypocrite desires to obtain something from the one who is hypocritical to him. In Medina, the group of hypocrites used to tell the polytheists of Mecca that they were with them, but they pretended Islam to convey news to them, so they would show something and conceal other things in themselves and they take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers to seek the honour through either the wealth or the power. However, the Prophet (saws) clarified to us how to recognize the hypocrites by saying:

“There are three signs of a hypocrite: when he speaks, he tells lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays his trust.” Agreed upon.”[1]

(… أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ الْعِزَّةَ …) (…Do they seek with them honor [through power]? …): The hypocrite seeks the honour through the disbelievers because he thinks that they possess power, prestige and authority, and definitely he is wrong, because the person in this world is changes, so the one with authority, money or power today may become poor, sick or humiliated tomorrow, whereas:

( فَإِنَّ الْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا … ) (…But indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely): The honour of everything belongs to Allah (swt), He is rich and does not become poor, and He is strong and does not weaken, and the Owner of the kingdom, the Owner of Majesty and Honor. Allah (swt) does not change for He is the Perfection

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Faith, Chapter of signs of Hypocrites, Hadith No. 33.

The hypocrite shows something and conceals something other than the truth and other than what shows in front of people, and he has two directions and two faces, and he is more harmful and painful in society than the apparent enemy because the apparent enemy you see his enmity, while the hypocrite is of two faces.

The Holy Qur’an has mentioned many verses about this incurable disease that afflicts societies, which is hypocrisy, as it is a danger lurking within human societies. The friend is well-known, and the enemy’s enmity is a clear a person can be careful of. As for the hypocrite, he is a danger lurking within the body of the nation.

The word hypocrite in Arabic is derived from the name of a desert animal called the jerboa, which is a deceptive desert animal that enters from one place and exits from another one. Likewise, the hypocrite deceives society, and above that he deceives himself. That is why Allah (swt) says:

(. بَشِّرِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ) (Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment): Tidings is usually for something good and warning is for something bad. But here Allah (swt) uses this method of speech to ridicule of them, because they think that they are deceiving Allah (swt), just as when you say to a person known to be stingy: Welcome, Hatem Al-Tai, as a manner of sarcasm.

Those are the hypocrites because they claimed faith in the beginning and then disbelieved after that, then they increased in disbelief and wanted sedition by that:

وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ

(and fitnah is worse than killing) (Al-Baqara: 191)

Those will never Allah (swt) forgive them, nor will He guide them to a way because they claim the faith by speech, whereas faith is a doctrine.

(… يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا ) (O you who have believed, believe in Allah..): This is the first matter raised by orientalists in many of their books, due to their lack of knowledge of the secrets of the Arabic language, and because orientalists measured the Holy Qur’an on human speech, so that the problem arose. But when we attribute the Qur’an to Allah (swt), we see the matter clearly. There are no limits to Allah’s words:

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا

(Say, “If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.”) (Al-Kahf: 109)

They said: How to ask the believers to believe? It’s like saying to someone who drinks: Drink. This is the human language. As for this speech, it is the word of Allah (swt). There is another verse that says:

 يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ

(O Prophet, fear Allah) (Al-Ahzab: 1)

Whereas, the Prophet (saws) is the most fearful persons of Allah (swt) on earth!

Hence, when Allah (swt) says to the believers to believe, this means to keep their faith, because faith is not a matter of words, but rather a doctrine:

 قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَٰكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(The bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], ‘We have submitted,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”) (Al-Hujurat: 14)

So that, when Allah (swt) asks the Prophet (saws) to fear Him (swt), this means to adhere to all the elements of faith.

(… آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ …) (…believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before.…): Meaning, you have to believe faithfully in Allah (swt) and in the Holy Quran and in The Bible, the Torah, the Psalms, and the Books of Abraham (PBUH), because we believe in all the Messengers of Allah (swt).

( وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا … ) (…And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.): Belief in Allah (swt), angels and previous books is belief in the unseen. The book is actually in our hands, but being from Allah (swt) is a metaphysical matter, just as sending the Messengers and assigning them to deliver the messages are hidden matters for us. And the last day is hidden as well. The beginning of faith can never be except with belief in Allah (swt) and its end is belief in the Last Day, because the result of belief in the existence of Allah (swt) is the existence of the day of reckoning, reward, punishment, Paradise and Hellfire. And whoever disbelieves in all of them he will have deviated from the correct guidance and strayed far away from its path.

The religion of Islam is a religion based on justice, and doing justice is the basis of faith, because it is what Allah (swt) has commanded:

 إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا

(Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.) (An-Nisaa: 58)

Justice must prevail in every matter so that rights are not lost, and so that every person obtains his right and performs his duty in the best way.

(… يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ ) (O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice …): Meaning, you who have believed in Allah (swt) be standing firm in justice not only one time but always in every affair in your life and in every matter.

(… شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ …) (…witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives.…): That is, when a person witnesses for Allah (swt) against himself that he is the one who committed something or against the closest people to him, the testimony must certainly be with justice, and our Prophet Muhammad (saws) taught us that through the story of the Makhzumi woman when he said:

“By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if Fatimah bint Muhammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand.”[1]

So the Muslim has to be persistently standing firm in justice even against himself because this is an admission of guilt and is the first way to repent to Allah (swt).

(… إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا …) (…Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both.…): Someone may deviate from justice out of greed for money, out of fear of the authority of the rich, or as mercy and compassion for the poor. Allah (swt) commands you to be just in all cases. Wealth and poverty have nothing to do with the issue of justice. Justice is an issue of rights, and the lives of societies are not upright except when rights are fulfilled and justice is the basis.

(… فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا …) (…So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. …): Because unfairness means following a whim, either this whim is misguidance, or it is out of greed for money, bribery, or fear. Whatever it is, do not follow whims to avoid being unjust.

( وَإِن تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا … ) (…And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted): It suffices for you that Allah (swt) is All-Knowing of what  you did in the lack of justice and the adoption of perjury, lying, or other things.

It was narrated that one of the judges had a case of contention between two opponents and he loved dates very much, especially in his first days, so one of them came and knocked on the door of his house a day before the date of the court session and he had a basket of dates. The judge refused to take it and closed the door in his face even though he loves them very much. Next day was the session in the judiciary, so that man came with his opponent to the judge and stood in front of the judge, so he ruled with the truth, but when he came out of the courthouse he went to Amir al-Muminin and said: O Chief of Believers, by Allah, they are not equal in my view, so I submit my resignation from the judiciary, so the Caliph was surprised and he asked him: What are you talking about, our judge? He replied: “O Chief of Believers, there is a case of disagreement between two people, so one of them came to my house and offered me dates, although I refused them, but when they stood before me in the courthouse, by Allah, they were not equal for my heart inclined to one of them, although I judged justly for the one who brought me the dates, so I submit my resignation from the judiciary.” This is the justice that the verse talks about, and which the Prophet (saws) established, and the honorable companions were brought up on it, so they established justice in ruling between the disputants and spread it

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of: Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi), Chapter of: Who witnessed Makkah conquest, Hadith No. 4053.

The reward is given according to deeds.

(… ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا …) (…the reward of this world …): It is what Allah (swt) gives the man of health, poverty and money and the reward of the Hereafter is Allah’s satisfaction and the Paradise.

Whoever wants the reward of this world, let him do a righteous deed, for Allah (swt) created things that work for you, and He created things that work through you. Among the things that work for you are the sun, the moon, the air, the night and the day, the clouds, the rain, the vegetation and others, and they are for the believers and the unbelievers. There are things that work by your movement and they are the basis of progress, development and civilization. It is true that Allah (swt) created for you the sun and the heat gives you light and warmth, but if you study and learn physics and build laboratories, you can use it as a source for generating electrical energy. So, Allah (swt) asks man to take reasons in this worldly life, then Allah (swt) rewards him regardless of whether he is a believer or a non-believer. For example, we may ask why Western countries are advanced while they are not believers and do such and such? Because the things that Allah (swt) created work for them because of their movement and work, this is the reward of this world.

Allah (swt) in this verse wants to say to you that it is the best for you to gain the reward of this life and the hereafter; that is if you benefit from the things He (swt) has created for you, then you will gain the reward of this life and when are committed to His orders and do good with His creation, then you will be rewarded in the hereafter.

( وَكَانَ اللَّهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا … ) (…And ever is Allah Hearing and Seeing): This is because the matter is related to the work entrusted to man and the effort he puts in. Therefore, O man, rest assured that Allah (swt) is hearing and seeing all the work that you do.

Allah (swt) is merciful to people and their weakness, and He is the Creator, the All-Knowing of His creation, and He is kind to them, so His mercy encompasses everything, and if He wills, He can do away with us and bring others, but He wants and loves the servants to be repentant, whenever they commit a sin, they repent and seek forgiveness.

Abo Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (saws) one day stood up for the prayer and we too stood up along with him. Then a bedouin shouted while offering prayer. “O Allah! Bestow Your Mercy on me and Muhammad only and do not bestow it on anybody else along with us. “When the Prophet (saws) had finished his prayer with Taslim, he said to the Bedouin:

“You have limited (narrowed) a very vast (thing),” meaning Allah’s Mercy.[1]

Verily, there are one hundred (parts of) mercy for Allah (swt), and it is one part of this mercy by virtue of which there is mutual love between the people and ninety-nine reserved for the Day of Resurrection.

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Good manners and Form, Chapter: Being Merciful to people and to the animals, Hadith No. 5664.

(… وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ) (And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.…): We note an important thing; this phrase was mentioned in the previous verse and in this verse three times. The repetition in the Holy Qur’an is for the sake of consolidation in the minds and for many secrets and meanings. This is the third time that Allah (swt) reassures human beings that He (swt) guarantees and preserves the necessities of life, the sun will not rebel against rising, the air will not rebel against blowing, nor will the water be rebellious to descend, the earth will not rebel against sprouts, and all the elements of human life will not rebel against the commands of Allah (swt), for He has what is in the heavens and the earth, and sufficient is Allah (swt) as Disposer of affairs.

Allah (swt) repeats to man that he must be reassured that to Allah (swt) belong what is in the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and He (swt) is the only actor of His dominion.

When the conciliation becomes impossible, then divorce is the choice, taking into consideration that it is of all the lawful acts the most detestable to Allah (swt).

(… يُغْنِ اللَّهُ كُلًّا مِّن سَعَتِهِ …) (…Allah will enrich each [of them] from His abundance.…): The abundance of Allah (swt) is suffices all people, for the mane may marry another woman and she may marry a different man, same as the case of the gifts and bounties of Allah (swt) which are sufficient for all the human beings, this is the religion of mercy.

The equality here relates to feelings and the evidence of this is the rest of the verse:

(… فَلَا تَمِيلُوا كُلَّ الْمَيْلِ فَتَذَرُوهَا كَالْمُعَلَّقَةِ …) (…So do not incline completely [toward one] and leave another hanging. …): The inclination is of the heart as the Prophet (saws) said:

“O Allah, this is my division concerning what I possess, so do not blame me concerning what You possess and I do not.”[1]  

With regard to polygamy, justice is required. It is not permissible for a man to lean towards one wife and leave the other one hanging without divorcing her.

( وَإِن تُصْلِحُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا … ) (…And if you amend [your affairs] and fear Allah – then indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful): Note the affirmation by the two words: amend and fear. Fearing Allah (swt) (Piety) brings together all that is good, and amending is the healing of what has gone astray and the restoration of things to their rightful place. So, our religion forbids violence and demands kindness from man.

[1] Sunan abi-Dawood: Book of marriage, Hadith No. 2134.

The Holy Qur’an now deals with the innermost affairs of the soul and the marital relationship between husband and wife. Islam has given a title to marriage which is the finest title that is ignored by the West, which talks about human rights, and by those who try to attack religion under the pretext that religion is backwardness and terrorism and the source of extremism and all evils -according to their claim-, while the truth is completely different. Islam is the source of goodness, and religions came for the benefit of man. Here, Islam sets the rules for the marital relationship between a woman and a man:

 وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

(And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.) (Ar-Room: 21)

affection is stated at the beginning of marriage, which is love and affection of the heart. However, after several years of marriage, when a woman grows up, becomes pregnant, gives birth, works and devote herself for the sake of her husband and children, then comes the mercy. She becomes merciful to her husband and the husband is merciful to his wife. Therefore, Islam has laid down several rules for the relationship between a man and a woman, including this rule indicated in this verse.

(… وَالصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ …) (…and settlement is best …): Islam always call to reform the relation between people, the Prophet (saws) said:

“Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, prayer and almsgiving (sadaqah)? The people replied: Yes, Prophet of Allah! He said: It is putting things right between people, spoiling them is the shaver (destructive).”

The first reform to be is that between a man and his wife and the settlement of appropriate solutions to the problems of life that obstruct the marital relationship.

(… وَأُحْضِرَتِ الْأَنفُسُ الشُّحَّ …) (…And present in [human] souls is stinginess.…): By nature, souls are stingy, as women are keen on dowry and money, and men are keen on alimony, so everything related to material matters must be excluded in the field of reconciliation.

 ( وَإِن تُحْسِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا … ) (…But if you do good and fear Allah – then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted): There is no doing good without fearing Allah (swt),  benevolence is in everything, Allah (swt) has decreed mercy upon Himself, so it is natural that the relationship between people, between a man and his wife, is based on benevolence.

It is narrated that a righteous man from among the senior scholars had a wife of bad manners and he was always trying to reform her behaviour, so he once asked her to attend a lecture that he gives in the mosque to see how people listen to him and receive his sermons thus she may respect him. And after she came and heard and returned home, he asked her: How did you think of what you saw? She replied: I have seen all people in calmness, dignity and serenity, while you are the only one who shouts and incenses and …. He said: There is no power and no might except by Allah, and he was patient with her. Accordingly, his gift was great. After a period of time, the lessons of this scholar diminished and became less important. People asked him: What happened with you? Whereas his wife had died, so he replied: The one whom my Lord would honor me had died. His view of the matter was that Allah (swt) honored him with his patience over a wife of bad mood. As such, when a woman is patient with her husband.  

Marriage is a contract between a man and a woman, and it is a life partnership, raising children, worries, hopes, future and dreams. It is in the nature of life that there must be differences, so settlement is good, and there should be no stinginess in the relationship between spouses, and the material relationship should not have an effect, but the relationship should be based on affection, mercy, intimacy and love, and the marital relationship should be based on respect and mutual love:

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

(And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.) (Ar-Room: 21)