Tazkirul Quran(Maulana Wahiduddin Khan) — Al-A'raf 7:1 – Al-Anfal 8:75

The Book of God is, in essence, a book of guidance. But as such it is of value only to the few who have kept their consciences alive. For the others it amounts only to a warning of the impending grievous fate towards which they are moving because of their arrogance. The preacher of truth is concerned to see that what he sees as the absolute truth is being rejected by the majority of the people who consider it a falsehood. What is paramount in his eyes is treated by people with unconcern, as if it had no substance, as if it were completely unreal.

The Book of God is, in essence, a book of guidance. But as such it is of value only to the few who have kept their consciences alive. For the others it amounts only to a warning of the impending grievous fate towards which they are moving because of their arrogance. The preacher of truth is concerned to see that what he sees as the absolute truth is being rejected by the majority of the people who consider it a falsehood. What is paramount in his eyes is treated by people with unconcern, as if it had no substance, as if it were completely unreal.

This is a world of trial. Here everybody has the opportunity and the liberty to accept or reject the truth as he pleases, and even find clever words to justify his stand. But this position is a temporary one. As soon as the period of trial comes to an end, it will be revealed to all that the preacher’s words were based on eternal truths; that it was sheer bias and egotism on his opponents’ part which prevented them from seeing the Truth at the core of his arguments. It will become clear at that time that the arguments advanced by them to contradict the preacher’s words were simply a falsification of the facts and not a form of reasoning in any real sense.

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

In this world the importance of an individual is gauged by the material splendour surrounding him, and his ability to influence people with his impressive words, and thus have a massive following. Since the preacher is not generally in such a happy position, his word is valueless in the eyes of worldly people, while the words of his opponents, who bask in material grandeur have a greater impact. But when Doomsday uncovers all the facts, the position will be just the opposite. Now, all the weight will be on the side of the Truth: Untruth will be divested of all its arguments and will be rendered valueless.

Whatever God has bestowed upon man in this world has been given for the purpose of eliciting his gratitude. But this is the very thing which man does not offer to his Lord. The reason for this is that Satan contrives to distort his feelings and steers him away from any expression of gratitude. It becomes evident from the story of Adam and Satan what the real criterion is for the judgement of one’s case. Man is being judged at the point where feelings of jealousy and pride develop in the human heart. In this world of trial it happens again and again that one man rises above another; sometimes one man receives a greater share of wealth and honour as compared to his fellow men. Sometimes, in a deal between two persons, it happens that one of them considers his discharging of the other’s legitimate rights as degrading to himself. On all such occasions man is being judged whether he responds positively or reacts negatively.

Whatever God has bestowed upon man in this world has been given for the purpose of eliciting his gratitude. But this is the very thing which man does not offer to his Lord. The reason for this is that Satan contrives to distort his feelings and steers him away from any expression of gratitude. It becomes evident from the story of Adam and Satan what the real criterion is for the judgement of one’s case. Man is being judged at the point where feelings of jealousy and pride develop in the human heart. In this world of trial it happens again and again that one man rises above another; sometimes one man receives a greater share of wealth and honour as compared to his fellow men. Sometimes, in a deal between two persons, it happens that one of them considers his discharging of the other’s legitimate rights as degrading to himself. On all such occasions man is being judged whether he responds positively or reacts negatively.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Sometimes God chooses a messenger to convey His word to the people, but his status as a guide is not readily acceptable to them. For this would imply that they were inferior to the messenger as they had failed to arrive at the truth. On such occasions Satan stirs up feelings of jealousy and pride. Puffed up with the feeling: ‘I am better,’ a man is not prepared to acknowledge the superiority of his brother. In the eyes of God, this amounts to treading the path of Satan. In such instances, one who treads the path of jealousy and pride makes himself deserving of the fate of hell, while one who remains humble proves that he deserves to find an abode in the gardens of Paradise. Whatever a man receives comes from God. So, the admission of someone else’s superiority is in fact an admission of the propriety of God’s endowments. Thus, denying the superiority of a well-endowed person is like the denial of God’s own decree. Similarly, when one man yields to another on the basis of some truth, he is not bowing down before just some man but before God; he does so in response to God’s command and not because of the other’s personal superiority.

Paradise with all its vast expanses was open to Adam and his spouse. There were innumerable types of good things in it. And they had all the freedom to use them in whatever manner they liked. In the midst of countless permitted things, they were prohibited the use of only one thing. Satan used this prohibition as a vantage point from which to attack them. He incited them to wrongdoing by saying that the thing from which they were kept away was the most important thing in Paradise, the whole secret of holiness and eternity was hidden therein. Adam and his spouse were influenced by Satan’s continuous urging and finally ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. But, when they did this, the result was entirely the opposite of what they had expected. This disobedience of theirs removed the cloak of safety from their bodies. They became absolutely helpless in a world where they had had every convenience and total safety. This indicates the special weapon used by Satan to deceive man into distancing himself from God’s grace and succour. His strategy was to belittle in the eyes of man the extensive world of legitimate gifts from God and to inflate the importance of the few prohibited things, by presenting them in an attractive light, all the while reassuring man of the immense advantages concealed within them. In performing this task, Satan treats everybody according to his tastes and circumstances. He will misguide some by making them hate health-giving food and teaching them that, if they want to have wonderful health, they should take to drinking wines; a man may feel that he should consolidate his own position in order to defeat his opponent, but Satan will poison his mind by suggesting that the most effective method of defeating his opponent is to start destructive activities against him; for another there will be ample opportunities to adopt the policy of self-improvement, but Satan will teach him that indulging in protests and demands is the shortest way to achieve success; yet another might have countless religious tasks before him which he may perform without there being any clash with the Government of the day, but Satan will create the misunderstanding that only if un-Islamic rulers are unseated can Islam’s perfect system prevail there and then throughout the whole country; and so on.

Paradise with all its vast expanses was open to Adam and his spouse. There were innumerable types of good things in it. And they had all the freedom to use them in whatever manner they liked. In the midst of countless permitted things, they were prohibited the use of only one thing. Satan used this prohibition as a vantage point from which to attack them. He incited them to wrongdoing by saying that the thing from which they were kept away was the most important thing in Paradise, the whole secret of holiness and eternity was hidden therein. Adam and his spouse were influenced by Satan’s continuous urging and finally ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. But, when they did this, the result was entirely the opposite of what they had expected. This disobedience of theirs removed the cloak of safety from their bodies. They became absolutely helpless in a world where they had had every convenience and total safety. This indicates the special weapon used by Satan to deceive man into distancing himself from God’s grace and succour. His strategy was to belittle in the eyes of man the extensive world of legitimate gifts from God and to inflate the importance of the few prohibited things, by presenting them in an attractive light, all the while reassuring man of the immense advantages concealed within them. In performing this task, Satan treats everybody according to his tastes and circumstances. He will misguide some by making them hate health-giving food and teaching them that, if they want to have wonderful health, they should take to drinking wines; a man may feel that he should consolidate his own position in order to defeat his opponent, but Satan will poison his mind by suggesting that the most effective method of defeating his opponent is to start destructive activities against him; for another there will be ample opportunities to adopt the policy of self-improvement, but Satan will teach him that indulging in protests and demands is the shortest way to achieve success; yet another might have countless religious tasks before him which he may perform without there being any clash with the Government of the day, but Satan will create the misunderstanding that only if un-Islamic rulers are unseated can Islam’s perfect system prevail there and then throughout the whole country; and so on.

Paradise with all its vast expanses was open to Adam and his spouse. There were innumerable types of good things in it. And they had all the freedom to use them in whatever manner they liked. In the midst of countless permitted things, they were prohibited the use of only one thing. Satan used this prohibition as a vantage point from which to attack them. He incited them to wrongdoing by saying that the thing from which they were kept away was the most important thing in Paradise, the whole secret of holiness and eternity was hidden therein. Adam and his spouse were influenced by Satan’s continuous urging and finally ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. But, when they did this, the result was entirely the opposite of what they had expected. This disobedience of theirs removed the cloak of safety from their bodies. They became absolutely helpless in a world where they had had every convenience and total safety. This indicates the special weapon used by Satan to deceive man into distancing himself from God’s grace and succour. His strategy was to belittle in the eyes of man the extensive world of legitimate gifts from God and to inflate the importance of the few prohibited things, by presenting them in an attractive light, all the while reassuring man of the immense advantages concealed within them. In performing this task, Satan treats everybody according to his tastes and circumstances. He will misguide some by making them hate health-giving food and teaching them that, if they want to have wonderful health, they should take to drinking wines; a man may feel that he should consolidate his own position in order to defeat his opponent, but Satan will poison his mind by suggesting that the most effective method of defeating his opponent is to start destructive activities against him; for another there will be ample opportunities to adopt the policy of self-improvement, but Satan will teach him that indulging in protests and demands is the shortest way to achieve success; yet another might have countless religious tasks before him which he may perform without there being any clash with the Government of the day, but Satan will create the misunderstanding that only if un-Islamic rulers are unseated can Islam’s perfect system prevail there and then throughout the whole country; and so on.

Both Adam and Satan have been sent to the earth as each other’s enemies. Now the battle which goes on between them will continue till Doomsday. Satan constantly strives to bring human beings on to his path and to deprive man of God’s grace, just as he himself had been deprived of it. But man should place himself in opposition to him; he should sabotage the plans of Satan. He should ignore his call and rush to obey the call of God. The fight between Adam and Satan makes itself manifest in the formation of human beings into two groups. Some succumb to the inducements of Satan and fall in line with him, while others who respond to God’s call incur the risk of all the companions of Satan contriving to vilify and defeat them. It has been seen in every age that true devotees of truth, who are always small in number, remain victims of the direst enmity of those who deny the truth. The reason for this is Satan’s inimical actions. He turns people against the true believers, in different ways filling their hearts with a burning hatred for them. Thus certain people become Satan’s tools and start harassing these devotees of truth. The real sin of Satan was his refusal to acknowledge the favour bestowed upon Adam by God. It is Satan’s effort to create in every man a temperament similar to his own. He instigates the younger ones not to give due regard to their elders. In the course of social or business transactions, when one party is honour-bound to give the other his dues, Satan persuades the former not to honour his pledge. When a servant of God brings the message of truth, Satan introduces different types of doubts into the hearts of the people and induces them not to accept it. If there is a dispute between two parties and if one of them is ready to pay an amount commensurate with his circumstances, Satan insidiously persuades the other party not to accept this offer, but rather to make such huge demands as the other party cannot meet, so that the fight continues unabated. In this way, due to the misguidance of Satan, enmity between people prevails everywhere. Two opposing groups form among human beings and Satan sees to it that the confrontation between them will be unending.

Both Adam and Satan have been sent to the earth as each other’s enemies. Now the battle which goes on between them will continue till Doomsday. Satan constantly strives to bring human beings on to his path and to deprive man of God’s grace, just as he himself had been deprived of it. But man should place himself in opposition to him; he should sabotage the plans of Satan. He should ignore his call and rush to obey the call of God. The fight between Adam and Satan makes itself manifest in the formation of human beings into two groups. Some succumb to the inducements of Satan and fall in line with him, while others who respond to God’s call incur the risk of all the companions of Satan contriving to vilify and defeat them. It has been seen in every age that true devotees of truth, who are always small in number, remain victims of the direst enmity of those who deny the truth. The reason for this is Satan’s inimical actions. He turns people against the true believers, in different ways filling their hearts with a burning hatred for them. Thus certain people become Satan’s tools and start harassing these devotees of truth. The real sin of Satan was his refusal to acknowledge the favour bestowed upon Adam by God. It is Satan’s effort to create in every man a temperament similar to his own. He instigates the younger ones not to give due regard to their elders. In the course of social or business transactions, when one party is honour-bound to give the other his dues, Satan persuades the former not to honour his pledge. When a servant of God brings the message of truth, Satan introduces different types of doubts into the hearts of the people and induces them not to accept it. If there is a dispute between two parties and if one of them is ready to pay an amount commensurate with his circumstances, Satan insidiously persuades the other party not to accept this offer, but rather to make such huge demands as the other party cannot meet, so that the fight continues unabated. In this way, due to the misguidance of Satan, enmity between people prevails everywhere. Two opposing groups form among human beings and Satan sees to it that the confrontation between them will be unending.

Both Adam and Satan have been sent to the earth as each other’s enemies. Now the battle which goes on between them will continue till Doomsday. Satan constantly strives to bring human beings on to his path and to deprive man of God’s grace, just as he himself had been deprived of it. But man should place himself in opposition to him; he should sabotage the plans of Satan. He should ignore his call and rush to obey the call of God. The fight between Adam and Satan makes itself manifest in the formation of human beings into two groups. Some succumb to the inducements of Satan and fall in line with him, while others who respond to God’s call incur the risk of all the companions of Satan contriving to vilify and defeat them. It has been seen in every age that true devotees of truth, who are always small in number, remain victims of the direst enmity of those who deny the truth. The reason for this is Satan’s inimical actions. He turns people against the true believers, in different ways filling their hearts with a burning hatred for them. Thus certain people become Satan’s tools and start harassing these devotees of truth. The real sin of Satan was his refusal to acknowledge the favour bestowed upon Adam by God. It is Satan’s effort to create in every man a temperament similar to his own. He instigates the younger ones not to give due regard to their elders. In the course of social or business transactions, when one party is honour-bound to give the other his dues, Satan persuades the former not to honour his pledge. When a servant of God brings the message of truth, Satan introduces different types of doubts into the hearts of the people and induces them not to accept it. If there is a dispute between two parties and if one of them is ready to pay an amount commensurate with his circumstances, Satan insidiously persuades the other party not to accept this offer, but rather to make such huge demands as the other party cannot meet, so that the fight continues unabated. In this way, due to the misguidance of Satan, enmity between people prevails everywhere. Two opposing groups form among human beings and Satan sees to it that the confrontation between them will be unending.

Both Adam and Satan have been sent to the earth as each other’s enemies. Now the battle which goes on between them will continue till Doomsday. Satan constantly strives to bring human beings on to his path and to deprive man of God’s grace, just as he himself had been deprived of it. But man should place himself in opposition to him; he should sabotage the plans of Satan. He should ignore his call and rush to obey the call of God. The fight between Adam and Satan makes itself manifest in the formation of human beings into two groups. Some succumb to the inducements of Satan and fall in line with him, while others who respond to God’s call incur the risk of all the companions of Satan contriving to vilify and defeat them. It has been seen in every age that true devotees of truth, who are always small in number, remain victims of the direst enmity of those who deny the truth. The reason for this is Satan’s inimical actions. He turns people against the true believers, in different ways filling their hearts with a burning hatred for them. Thus certain people become Satan’s tools and start harassing these devotees of truth. The real sin of Satan was his refusal to acknowledge the favour bestowed upon Adam by God. It is Satan’s effort to create in every man a temperament similar to his own. He instigates the younger ones not to give due regard to their elders. In the course of social or business transactions, when one party is honour-bound to give the other his dues, Satan persuades the former not to honour his pledge. When a servant of God brings the message of truth, Satan introduces different types of doubts into the hearts of the people and induces them not to accept it. If there is a dispute between two parties and if one of them is ready to pay an amount commensurate with his circumstances, Satan insidiously persuades the other party not to accept this offer, but rather to make such huge demands as the other party cannot meet, so that the fight continues unabated. In this way, due to the misguidance of Satan, enmity between people prevails everywhere. Two opposing groups form among human beings and Satan sees to it that the confrontation between them will be unending.

God has created the system of the world in such a way that its externals are the signs of an inner reality. By pondering over outward things, a man can arrive at hidden truths. One such outer emblem is human attire. God has given clothes to man which protect him as well as being a means of improving his looks and prestige. This is indicative of the fact that a form of clothing is necessary for man’s spiritual existence as well. This clothing is righteousness born of the fear of God (taqwa), which represents the inner personality of a man. This vestment of taqwa on the one hand protects man from the attacks of Satan and, on the other, enhances his inner self and makes him capable of inhabiting the fine and aesthetic world of Paradise. What is this righteousness, or taqwa? It is fear of God, acknowledging of the Truth, adhering to uniform criteria for oneself and others, considering oneself a subject of God, behaving with modesty and humility, leading a Hereafter-oriented life instead of going astray in the world. When a man develops these virtues he ‘dresses’ his inner self. While the outer body is covered by a garment made of cloth, the inner self, the soul, is clad in taqwa. But if his behaviour is the opposite, he is, as it were, laying his inner self bare.

God has given clothes to man which protect him as well as being a means of improving his looks and prestige. This is indicative of the fact that a form of clothing is necessary for man’s spiritual existence as well. This clothing is righteousness born of the fear of God (taqwa), which represents the inner personality of a man. This vestment of taqwa on the one hand protects man from the attacks of Satan and, on the other, enhances his inner self and makes him capable of inhabiting the fine and aesthetic world of Paradise. What is this righteousness, or taqwa? It is fear of God, acknowledging of the Truth, adhering to uniform criteria for oneself and others, considering oneself a subject of God, behaving with modesty and humility, leading a Hereafter-oriented life instead of going astray in the world. When a man develops these virtues he ‘dresses’ his inner self. While the outer body is covered by a garment made of cloth, the inner self, the soul, is clad in taqwa. But if his behaviour is the opposite, he is, as it were, laying his inner self bare.

The way that Satan leads a man astray is by misinforming him. He shows the prohibited tree as the fountainhead of all advantages. He approaches man by such innocuous ways that he has no suspicion that he is about to be misled. Satan knows all the weak points, delicate places in the moral armour of human beings and he takes care to attack those very spots. Which people is Satan successful in misguiding? He is successful with those who are unable to give proof of faith on occasions of trial; with those who do not carefully ponder over the signs of God; with those who reject valid arguments; and with those who cannot abide by the demands of truth in preference to their own personal inclinations. They do not recognize Truth as such if it does not promote their interests.

The word ‘justice’ (qist) signifies a form of behaviour which fulfills every moral criterion. It is what it should be. Worship in the form of prayer is a natural urge in every man; he wants to accept some Being as supreme and to prostrate himself before Him. In this matter justice will be done only if he worships the one true God who is his Creator, Lord and Sustainer. Man wants to have some Being at the core of his conviction. In this case, justice will consist in his making God, who is all-Powerful, the basis of his trust. Similarly, acceptance of further life after death will be justice in the absolute sense, because when a man is born, he comes into existence from non-existence. So believing in the life after death (resurrection) will amount to believing in the very reality which every man has already experienced at the time of his birth in this world. Man looks to the luminaries of former times for support, so that he may reject the preacher of Truth. The greatness of these ancient forebears has been historically established and in the eyes of all and sundry their being in the right is taken for granted. As opposed to this, the preacher of Truth before them is a new preacher who has not yet been sanctified by historical testimony. When the individual looks at the ancients, who are revered as saints because of their illustrious history, and compares them to the new missionary of Truth with no tradition behind him, he rejects him outright, believing himself to be on the right path. But this sort of misunderstanding cannot provide an excuse in the eyes of God, for, in rejecting the missionary, one is not really following God: one is merely following Satan in the name of God.

The word ‘justice’ (qist) signifies a form of behaviour which fulfills every moral criterion. It is what it should be. Worship in the form of prayer is a natural urge in every man; he wants to accept some Being as supreme and to prostrate himself before Him. In this matter justice will be done only if he worships the one true God who is his Creator, Lord and Sustainer. Man wants to have some Being at the core of his conviction. In this case, justice will consist in his making God, who is all-Powerful, the basis of his trust. Similarly, acceptance of further life after death will be justice in the absolute sense, because when a man is born, he comes into existence from non-existence. So believing in the life after death (resurrection) will amount to believing in the very reality which every man has already experienced at the time of his birth in this world. Man looks to the luminaries of former times for support, so that he may reject the preacher of Truth. The greatness of these ancient forebears has been historically established and in the eyes of all and sundry their being in the right is taken for granted. As opposed to this, the preacher of Truth before them is a new preacher who has not yet been sanctified by historical testimony. When the individual looks at the ancients, who are revered as saints because of their illustrious history, and compares them to the new missionary of Truth with no tradition behind him, he rejects him outright, believing himself to be on the right path. But this sort of misunderstanding cannot provide an excuse in the eyes of God, for, in rejecting the missionary, one is not really following God: one is merely following Satan in the name of God.

Some Arab tribes used to perform their circumambulation of the Ka‘bah completely bare-bodied, thinking that it brought them nearer to God. Similarly, during the pre-Islamic period (the days of ignorance) they used to abstain from certain things such as goat’s milk or meat, while starting out on Hajj, imagining that they were performing great and righteous deeds. This type of misguided action has been indulged in by people of every period. Such individuals do not include the requirements of religion in their everyday life; only on certain occasions, by paying special heed to certain irrelevant, pointless actions, they make a great show of conducting themselves according to the religion of God, and contend that by attending to trivialities, they are fulfilling God’s will to the maximum extent. God wants man to abstain from being a spendthrift; that is, he should not transgress the limits laid down by God. He should not hold permitted things as forbidden and vice versa. He should eschew shameful acts. He should abstain from whatever is evidently evil in the light of common sense. He should shun all excesses. Whenever Truth appears before him, he should accede to it, ignoring all else. He should fully cleanse himself of polytheism (ascribing partners to God). With no one should he have the sublime relationship, which is the actual right of the one and only God. It should not happen that he adopts the path of his choice and then attributes it to God without any reason; he should consistently remain a subject of God; as such he should not adopt any ways which are not proper for him as a servant of God. In the Hereafter, God’s bounties will be received as a reward; as such they will be given only to those subjects of God whom God decides to send to Paradise. Unlike these divine rewards, the bounties that are received in the world are available only for a limited period for the purposes of human trial. So one receives a share in them only in terms of his ‘test paper.’ The way to fulfill the requirements of this test is not to keep away from the worldly provisions that God has provided him for this purpose, but to use them within the limits specified for them. Man should respond to the blessing of God with gratitude and not by renunciation or a display of bravado.

Some Arab tribes used to perform their circumambulation of the Ka‘bah completely bare-bodied, thinking that it brought them nearer to God. Similarly, during the pre-Islamic period (the days of ignorance) they used to abstain from certain things such as goat’s milk or meat, while starting out on Hajj, imagining that they were performing great and righteous deeds. This type of misguided action has been indulged in by people of every period. Such individuals do not include the requirements of religion in their everyday life; only on certain occasions, by paying special heed to certain irrelevant, pointless actions, they make a great show of conducting themselves according to the religion of God, and contend that by attending to trivialities, they are fulfilling God’s will to the maximum extent. God wants man to abstain from being a spendthrift; that is, he should not transgress the limits laid down by God. He should not hold permitted things as forbidden and vice versa. He should eschew shameful acts. He should abstain from whatever is evidently evil in the light of common sense. He should shun all excesses. Whenever Truth appears before him, he should accede to it, ignoring all else. He should fully cleanse himself of polytheism (ascribing partners to God). With no one should he have the sublime relationship, which is the actual right of the one and only God. It should not happen that he adopts the path of his choice and then attributes it to God without any reason; he should consistently remain a subject of God; as such he should not adopt any ways which are not proper for him as a servant of God. In the Hereafter, God’s bounties will be received as a reward; as such they will be given only to those subjects of God whom God decides to send to Paradise. Unlike these divine rewards, the bounties that are received in the world are available only for a limited period for the purposes of human trial. So one receives a share in them only in terms of his ‘test paper.’ The way to fulfill the requirements of this test is not to keep away from the worldly provisions that God has provided him for this purpose, but to use them within the limits specified for them. Man should respond to the blessing of God with gratitude and not by renunciation or a display of bravado.

Some Arab tribes used to perform their circumambulation of the Ka‘bah completely bare-bodied, thinking that it brought them nearer to God. Similarly, during the pre-Islamic period (the days of ignorance) they used to abstain from certain things such as goat’s milk or meat, while starting out on Hajj, imagining that they were performing great and righteous deeds. This type of misguided action has been indulged in by people of every period. Such individuals do not include the requirements of religion in their everyday life; only on certain occasions, by paying special heed to certain irrelevant, pointless actions, they make a great show of conducting themselves according to the religion of God, and contend that by attending to trivialities, they are fulfilling God’s will to the maximum extent. God wants man to abstain from being a spendthrift; that is, he should not transgress the limits laid down by God. He should not hold permitted things as forbidden and vice versa. He should eschew shameful acts. He should abstain from whatever is evidently evil in the light of common sense. He should shun all excesses. Whenever Truth appears before him, he should accede to it, ignoring all else. He should fully cleanse himself of polytheism (ascribing partners to God). With no one should he have the sublime relationship, which is the actual right of the one and only God. It should not happen that he adopts the path of his choice and then attributes it to God without any reason; he should consistently remain a subject of God; as such he should not adopt any ways which are not proper for him as a servant of God. In the Hereafter, God’s bounties will be received as a reward; as such they will be given only to those subjects of God whom God decides to send to Paradise. Unlike these divine rewards, the bounties that are received in the world are available only for a limited period for the purposes of human trial. So one receives a share in them only in terms of his ‘test paper.’ The way to fulfill the requirements of this test is not to keep away from the worldly provisions that God has provided him for this purpose, but to use them within the limits specified for them. Man should respond to the blessing of God with gratitude and not by renunciation or a display of bravado.

According to the creation plan one has the opportunity to perform well or badly in the present world till the period of one’s trial is over. But as far as a community or a nation is concerned, there is no such limit for the enforcement of God’s decision. This decision is taken on the basis of that community’s response after the truth has been introduced to it. The community whose period is over, is sometimes destroyed by the inflicting of an extraordinary retributive punishment and sometimes it is punished by being displaced from its position of honour and supremacy. The decision about Heaven or Hell as the final destination for a man is taken on the basis of his response after the truth has appeared before him, supported by arguments whose rationality is testified to by his intellect. This means conveying the message in the full sense. Even after that, if a man refuses to accept the Truth, he does so out of egotism. His desire to maintain his superiority prevents him from lowering himself in comparison to the Truth. For such a man, before God, there is no fate except Hell.

According to the creation plan one has the opportunity to perform well or badly in the present world till the period of one’s trial is over. But as far as a community or a nation is concerned, there is no such limit for the enforcement of God’s decision. This decision is taken on the basis of that community’s response after the truth has been introduced to it. The community whose period is over, is sometimes destroyed by the inflicting of an extraordinary retributive punishment and sometimes it is punished by being displaced from its position of honour and supremacy. The decision about Heaven or Hell as the final destination for a man is taken on the basis of his response after the truth has appeared before him, supported by arguments whose rationality is testified to by his intellect. This means conveying the message in the full sense. Even after that, if a man refuses to accept the Truth, he does so out of egotism. His desire to maintain his superiority prevents him from lowering himself in comparison to the Truth. For such a man, before God, there is no fate except Hell.

According to the creation plan one has the opportunity to perform well or badly in the present world till the period of one’s trial is over. But as far as a community or a nation is concerned, there is no such limit for the enforcement of God’s decision. This decision is taken on the basis of that community’s response after the truth has been introduced to it. The community whose period is over, is sometimes destroyed by the inflicting of an extraordinary retributive punishment and sometimes it is punished by being displaced from its position of honour and supremacy. The decision about Heaven or Hell as the final destination for a man is taken on the basis of his response after the truth has appeared before him, supported by arguments whose rationality is testified to by his intellect. This means conveying the message in the full sense. Even after that, if a man refuses to accept the Truth, he does so out of egotism. His desire to maintain his superiority prevents him from lowering himself in comparison to the Truth. For such a man, before God, there is no fate except Hell.

Whenever a man rejects the truth, he does so imagining that he has something to back him up. He may rely on wealth and power, or on respect and popularity. He may feel confident that all his personal matters are in such good order that rejection of the Truth will not harm him in any way. He may take pride in having the intelligence to find eloquent expressions with which to present his own ideas, as if they came directly from God. But these are all great misapprehensions. He has erroneously regarded as supports—on which he could depend for salvation—the things actually meant for his trial. But on Doomsday, when all these false props desert him, it will not be difficult for him to understand that he was actually rejecting the Truth merely due to ignorance, though he kept quoting ‘principles’ to justify his rejection.

In this verse ‘community’(ummah) means those leaders who misguide and ‘fellow community’ (ukht) means the misguided general public. In the Hereafter when the wrong-thinking leaders and their misguided followers from the general public are cast into Hell, this will present a great lesson-giving scene. In the world they posed as each other’s well-wishers and as being ready to make sacrifices for each other. Such leaders used to respect each and every wish of the general public and the general public made heroes of their leaders. But, when they are trapped in the fire of Hell, all the artificial veils will drop from their eyes. Then everybody will be seen in his true colours. The followers will say to their leaders, ‘May you be accursed! How terrible was your leadership which showed us false spectacles and thereafter thrust us into such horrible affliction!’ In reply to this, the leaders will say, ‘You wanted a religion to your liking and finding such a religion with us, you rushed towards us. Otherwise, during that very period there were such servants of God as were calling you towards the path of real success. You heard their call, but did not pay attention to them.’ The leaders will tell their followers, ‘You are in no way better than us. We established leadership in pursuance of our desires, and you followed us for the sake of your desires. So, in point of fact, both of us are in the same position. So, here you will be liable to receive the same punishment as has been laid down for us in accordance with our deeds.’ The followers will tell God that the leaders had misled them and as such the latter should be given double the punishment that they received. The reply will be that the leaders were already being given double punishment but that they did not know it. The fact is that in Hell whatever punishment is given to anybody will be felt to be so severe that he will think that nobody else is in such terrible agony. Everyone will feel himself the worst afflicted. In the world self-interested leaders and self-interested followers are inter-linked in strong bonds of friendship. Each group expresses fine opinions about the other, and each finds words for the good of the other. But, in the Hereafter the one group will hate the other. Each will try to push the other towards the direst of fates.

In this verse ‘community’(ummah) means those leaders who misguide and ‘fellow community’ (ukht) means the misguided general public. In the Hereafter when the wrong-thinking leaders and their misguided followers from the general public are cast into Hell, this will present a great lesson-giving scene. In the world they posed as each other’s well-wishers and as being ready to make sacrifices for each other. Such leaders used to respect each and every wish of the general public and the general public made heroes of their leaders. But, when they are trapped in the fire of Hell, all the artificial veils will drop from their eyes. Then everybody will be seen in his true colours. The followers will say to their leaders, ‘May you be accursed! How terrible was your leadership which showed us false spectacles and thereafter thrust us into such horrible affliction!’ In reply to this, the leaders will say, ‘You wanted a religion to your liking and finding such a religion with us, you rushed towards us. Otherwise, during that very period there were such servants of God as were calling you towards the path of real success. You heard their call, but did not pay attention to them.’ The leaders will tell their followers, ‘You are in no way better than us. We established leadership in pursuance of our desires, and you followed us for the sake of your desires. So, in point of fact, both of us are in the same position. So, here you will be liable to receive the same punishment as has been laid down for us in accordance with our deeds.’ The followers will tell God that the leaders had misled them and as such the latter should be given double the punishment that they received. The reply will be that the leaders were already being given double punishment but that they did not know it. The fact is that in Hell whatever punishment is given to anybody will be felt to be so severe that he will think that nobody else is in such terrible agony. Everyone will feel himself the worst afflicted. In the world self-interested leaders and self-interested followers are inter-linked in strong bonds of friendship. Each group expresses fine opinions about the other, and each finds words for the good of the other. But, in the Hereafter the one group will hate the other. Each will try to push the other towards the direst of fates.

Why is it that when God’s missionaries give the call to Truth, the egotism of their addressees prevents them from accepting their call? The reason for this is that the call-givers’ sole strength is argument, while the addressee has the support of material glories. The call-giver stands on the basis of argument, while the addressees stand on a tangible material basis. The force of argument is both intangible and invisible. This difference fosters egotism, causing people to consider the call-giver lower in status than themselves and giving them a ‘reason’ to ignore him. The admission of such people to the mercy of God is as impossible as the passing of a camel through the eye of a needle. They ignore God, so God ignores them. God gave them glimpses of Himself through the call-giver; He appeared before them in the form of arguments; but they attached no importance to these signs and refused to bow down before them. How can such people have a share in God’s bounty?

Why is it that when God’s missionaries give the call to Truth, the egotism of their addressees prevents them from accepting their call? The reason for this is that the call-givers’ sole strength is argument, while the addressee has the support of material glories. The call-giver stands on the basis of argument, while the addressees stand on a tangible material basis. The force of argument is both intangible and invisible. This difference fosters egotism, causing people to consider the call-giver lower in status than themselves and giving them a ‘reason’ to ignore him. The admission of such people to the mercy of God is as impossible as the passing of a camel through the eye of a needle. They ignore God, so God ignores them. God gave them glimpses of Himself through the call-giver; He appeared before them in the form of arguments; but they attached no importance to these signs and refused to bow down before them. How can such people have a share in God’s bounty?

The position in Hell will be that people who were friends in this world will hate and curse each other. But, the atmosphere in Heaven will be entirely different. Here, all people’s hearts will be open to each other. Fountains of love and well-wishing for others will emerge from every heart. For the man in Hell, his past will be a bitter memory, while for the man in Heaven his past will be a pleasant memory. The future life of evil people will start with their hearts being a graveyard of regret and frustration. Their past will be solely composed of bitter memories. In contrast to this, the condition of good people will be that their minds will be full of the remembrance of God on whom they had rightly relied. They will be happy to find the intimation given by the flag-bearers of Truth to be absolutely correct. They will thankfully recognize God’s grace in His having blessed them and inspired them to support those who summoned them to accept the Truth.

The position in Hell will be that people who were friends in this world will hate and curse each other. But, the atmosphere in Heaven will be entirely different. Here, all people’s hearts will be open to each other. Fountains of love and well-wishing for others will emerge from every heart. For the man in Hell, his past will be a bitter memory, while for the man in Heaven his past will be a pleasant memory. The future life of evil people will start with their hearts being a graveyard of regret and frustration. Their past will be solely composed of bitter memories. In contrast to this, the condition of good people will be that their minds will be full of the remembrance of God on whom they had rightly relied. They will be happy to find the intimation given by the flag-bearers of Truth to be absolutely correct. They will thankfully recognize God’s grace in His having blessed them and inspired them to support those who summoned them to accept the Truth.

The question was asked in early times how with Heaven and Hell being far away from each other—heaven above the skies and Hell at the lowest possible level—it would be possible for the voices of the people in heaven to reach the people in hell. But, in this age of mass communication, this question has become a relative matter. Now, man has come to know that it is possible to see far-away things and to hear voices from far away. What was not clear in ancient times has now become fully understandable in the light of modern experience and observation. This indicates that if any statement of the Quran defies analysis in the light of today’s knowledge, no conclusion should be drawn about it. It is quite possible that, with the increase in knowledge, it may become an accepted fact tomorrow, though today it seems to be strange and unknowable. However, this does not mean that, in the Hereafter, a connection will be established between the respective inmates of heaven and hell by means of modern radio or television. It only means that modern discoveries have shown that, in this universe of God, certain arrangements make it possible for two men situated far away from each other to see and talk to each other without any difficulty. A man can feel the weight of an argument only if he is serious and sincere about it. Those who do not attach significance to the Hereafter, are unable to see the point of arguments about the after-life. The reality of the Hereafter is supported by extremely strong arguments, but with their non-serious minds they can only ferret out defects in it. They produce different types of objections to it and, as a result, not only do they themselves entertain different suspicions and doubts about it, but they incline others towards incredulity. Such people are, in the eyes of God, guilty in the extreme. In the Hereafter, they will suffer the scourge of God, though in this world they may consider themselves entitled to His grace. Howsoever strong and convincing an argument may be, doubt can always be cast upon its veracity by clever utterances. People in general are unable to differentiate between a real argument and sophistry. So, they move away from Truth on hearing such talk. But those who, in spite of being capable of understanding the Truth, alienate people from it by indulging in such clever utterances, will be far removed from God’s grace on the Day of Reckoning.

The question was asked in early times how with Heaven and Hell being far away from each other—heaven above the skies and Hell at the lowest possible level—it would be possible for the voices of the people in heaven to reach the people in hell. But, in this age of mass communication, this question has become a relative matter. Now, man has come to know that it is possible to see far-away things and to hear voices from far away. What was not clear in ancient times has now become fully understandable in the light of modern experience and observation. This indicates that if any statement of the Quran defies analysis in the light of today’s knowledge, no conclusion should be drawn about it. It is quite possible that, with the increase in knowledge, it may become an accepted fact tomorrow, though today it seems to be strange and unknowable. However, this does not mean that, in the Hereafter, a connection will be established between the respective inmates of heaven and hell by means of modern radio or television. It only means that modern discoveries have shown that, in this universe of God, certain arrangements make it possible for two men situated far away from each other to see and talk to each other without any difficulty. A man can feel the weight of an argument only if he is serious and sincere about it. Those who do not attach significance to the Hereafter, are unable to see the point of arguments about the after-life. The reality of the Hereafter is supported by extremely strong arguments, but with their non-serious minds they can only ferret out defects in it. They produce different types of objections to it and, as a result, not only do they themselves entertain different suspicions and doubts about it, but they incline others towards incredulity. Such people are, in the eyes of God, guilty in the extreme. In the Hereafter, they will suffer the scourge of God, though in this world they may consider themselves entitled to His grace. Howsoever strong and convincing an argument may be, doubt can always be cast upon its veracity by clever utterances. People in general are unable to differentiate between a real argument and sophistry. So, they move away from Truth on hearing such talk. But those who, in spite of being capable of understanding the Truth, alienate people from it by indulging in such clever utterances, will be far removed from God’s grace on the Day of Reckoning.

It happens in the world that believers and those who deny the truth alike are recipients of both the bounties and the afflictions sent down by God. But, it will not be so in the Hereafter. There, a barrier will be set up between the two. There, the joys of the bounties savoured by the people of Paradise will not reach the people of Hell, and similarly the woes afflicting the people of Hell will not reach the people of Heaven.

It happens in the world that believers and those who deny the truth alike are recipients of both the bounties and the afflictions sent down by God. But, it will not be so in the Hereafter. There, a barrier will be set up between the two. There, the joys of the bounties savoured by the people of Paradise will not reach the people of Hell, and similarly the woes afflicting the people of Hell will not reach the people of Heaven.

According to al-Qurtubi, ‘the people of the heights’ in this verse refers to shuhada’. That is, those special servants of God who, in the service of the religion of God, were witness to the deeds of the nations of the world. Some accepted their call, while others rejected it. These preachers of the divine message have been mentioned in the Quran in many different terms such as ‘warner’, ‘bearer of glad tidings’, ‘the caller’, etc. This group, originally formed of the prophets, was later made up of those special servants of God who followed the example of the prophets and performed dawah for the people of their times. The Final Judgement on human beings, which is going to take place in the hereafter, will be based on the task performed by the witnesses (shahadah) for the people of the world. This task of witness divides the people of the world into two groups: one which accepts the divine message and the other which rejects it. On the Day of Judgement these two opposing groups will be separated from each other. Then according to their deeds, they will be judged and will be destined to two different sets of consequences. Though this judgement will be entirely God’s judgement, the announcement of it will be made by those special servants of God who had undertaken the task of calling people to God. This will be a matter of a great honour to them. On the Day of Judgement, high platforms will be raised for ‘the people of the heights’ to stand on. From there they will be able to see everyone, and will pronounce God’s judgement to the people. Those who bore witness to people (shuhada’) and those who called people to truth (du‘at), strove very hard in the world to convey the message of God to people. They dedicated their entire lives to this mission, as if it were their own personal work. For this reason, they will be honoured on the Day of Judgement by being asked to announce the final result of their call to the people to truth. They ranked high in the world according to their mission, and they will be referred to as high-ranked on the Day of Judgement, according to the result of their actions. The conveying of the message of Truth to everyone, the responsibility for which has been placed on the Muslims, is not like an optional subject, which you may either take up or make some excuse to leave off. This is a responsibility of such a nature that it has to be discharged at all costs. No excuse made by the followers of the Prophet will be heard and found acceptable by God. Even other religious acts and deeds will not be enough for the salvation of the believers, if they have ignored the responsibility of conveying the message of Truth to all the people.Thousands of men and women are dying every day without having had the message of God conveyed to them; without having had the opportunity to accept it, they have missed their chance of improving their lives in the Hereafter. In such a situation it is the grave responsibility of the believers to desist from making excuses and seriously take up the mission of proclaiming the divine truth.

The world offers a spread of two types of food—one worldly and the other other-worldly. There is one kind of man whose soul derives nourishment from seeing his ‘self’ receive prominence. He feels very happy when he is surrounded by worldly glories. He considers himself successful on procuring and becoming the owner of worldly material goods. This man is completely forgetful of God and the life of the Hereafter. If anything relating to God is brought to his attention, he will consider it insignificant and ignore it. He will deal with it superficially, as if it were not a serious matter but a trivial charade. For such a person there will be no share in the bounties of Hereafter. He has fostered such a soul in himself as could derive nourishment only from worldly materials. Then, how can his soul be nourished by the things of the Hereafter? For one who has not lived for the Hereafter in his life today cannot be held deserving for God’s blessings in the Hereafter. The other kind of person is one who has been lost in unseen realities; whose soul could relish the remembrance of the Hereafter; whose bread and butter will be living in God and breathing in the atmosphere of God. This will be the man for whom the Hereafter will be a place where he will find all the good things he desires. But just as he had found God in the world of the unseen, so will he find God in the seen world of the Hereafter. Why does it happen that, in this world of God, man forgets God? The reason is that God makes His appearance felt in the world through signs which come within human grasp only on reflection. Man leans towards outward things and ignores the signs pointing to God. But any such action amounts to forsaking the Hereafter for the sake of the world. And one who takes no account of the Hereafter in the life before death will be deprived of the Hereafter even in the life after death. When people show blatant disregard for something which has been presented to them by God as the Truth, they in effect are treating God Himself as being so unimportant as to be undeserving of any serious consideration. They may possibly be deceived by the divine forces underlying Truth remaining invisible, but they nevertheless risk being ignored by God on the Day of Reckoning, just as they — imagining that no harm could come to them thereby—ignored God in this life.

The world offers a spread of two types of food—one worldly and the other other-worldly. There is one kind of man whose soul derives nourishment from seeing his ‘self’ receive prominence. He feels very happy when he is surrounded by worldly glories. He considers himself successful on procuring and becoming the owner of worldly material goods. This man is completely forgetful of God and the life of the Hereafter. If anything relating to God is brought to his attention, he will consider it insignificant and ignore it. He will deal with it superficially, as if it were not a serious matter but a trivial charade. For such a person there will be no share in the bounties of Hereafter. He has fostered such a soul in himself as could derive nourishment only from worldly materials. Then, how can his soul be nourished by the things of the Hereafter? For one who has not lived for the Hereafter in his life today cannot be held deserving for God’s blessings in the Hereafter. The other kind of person is one who has been lost in unseen realities; whose soul could relish the remembrance of the Hereafter; whose bread and butter will be living in God and breathing in the atmosphere of God. This will be the man for whom the Hereafter will be a place where he will find all the good things he desires. But just as he had found God in the world of the unseen, so will he find God in the seen world of the Hereafter. Why does it happen that, in this world of God, man forgets God? The reason is that God makes His appearance felt in the world through signs which come within human grasp only on reflection. Man leans towards outward things and ignores the signs pointing to God. But any such action amounts to forsaking the Hereafter for the sake of the world. And one who takes no account of the Hereafter in the life before death will be deprived of the Hereafter even in the life after death. When people show blatant disregard for something which has been presented to them by God as the Truth, they in effect are treating God Himself as being so unimportant as to be undeserving of any serious consideration. They may possibly be deceived by the divine forces underlying Truth remaining invisible, but they nevertheless risk being ignored by God on the Day of Reckoning, just as they — imagining that no harm could come to them thereby—ignored God in this life.

The world offers a spread of two types of food—one worldly and the other other-worldly. There is one kind of man whose soul derives nourishment from seeing his ‘self’ receive prominence. He feels very happy when he is surrounded by worldly glories. He considers himself successful on procuring and becoming the owner of worldly material goods. This man is completely forgetful of God and the life of the Hereafter. If anything relating to God is brought to his attention, he will consider it insignificant and ignore it. He will deal with it superficially, as if it were not a serious matter but a trivial charade. For such a person there will be no share in the bounties of Hereafter. He has fostered such a soul in himself as could derive nourishment only from worldly materials. Then, how can his soul be nourished by the things of the Hereafter? For one who has not lived for the Hereafter in his life today cannot be held deserving for God’s blessings in the Hereafter. The other kind of person is one who has been lost in unseen realities; whose soul could relish the remembrance of the Hereafter; whose bread and butter will be living in God and breathing in the atmosphere of God. This will be the man for whom the Hereafter will be a place where he will find all the good things he desires. But just as he had found God in the world of the unseen, so will he find God in the seen world of the Hereafter. Why does it happen that, in this world of God, man forgets God? The reason is that God makes His appearance felt in the world through signs which come within human grasp only on reflection. Man leans towards outward things and ignores the signs pointing to God. But any such action amounts to forsaking the Hereafter for the sake of the world. And one who takes no account of the Hereafter in the life before death will be deprived of the Hereafter even in the life after death. When people show blatant disregard for something which has been presented to them by God as the Truth, they in effect are treating God Himself as being so unimportant as to be undeserving of any serious consideration. They may possibly be deceived by the divine forces underlying Truth remaining invisible, but they nevertheless risk being ignored by God on the Day of Reckoning, just as they — imagining that no harm could come to them thereby—ignored God in this life.

The Quran warns mankind of the life after death. It tells of the reckoning of the Hereafter. But, man is not awakened. These intimations of the Quran are not merely ‘news,’ but the inevitable realities of the universe. However, they have not yet appeared as factual events. They are still hidden in the veil of the future. Unmindfully, man thinks that this is nothing but meaningless talk and ignores it, considering it unimportant. But these messages are on behalf of God who is all-knowing. Those who have not vitiated their nature and whose eyes are not covered by artificial veils will find the tenor of the Quran to be in consonance with the voice of their hearts. They will find that this is the very thing which their nature was already in search of. For them the Quran will become a treasure of life and Faith. The position of those who do not take the warnings of the Quran seriously will be entirely different. They will linger in this slumber until that event breaks upon them of which they are being warned. At that time, man will suddenly come to know that he has become completely helpless. The problems to which he gave importance and in which he was therefore embroiled will now appear to be baseless. The things on which he was relying will have ceased to be with him. The rosy hopes on which he was living will all prove to be false. The belief in the Hereafter appears to be an abstract idea. So, man does not become serious about it. But, in the life after death, when the Hereafter with all its terror will be thrust upon man, everyone will be compelled at that time to accept what he had not earlier been ready to accept. Man will then come to know that what he was being told earlier in the language of arguments was absolute fact and that, not being serious about it, he could not grasp its significance. When all those things on which he was relying in the world, leave man in the lurch, he will want to be sent back to earth, so that he may lead his life in a proper manner. But such an opportunity does not come to anyone twice.

The Quran warns mankind of the life after death. It tells of the reckoning of the Hereafter. But, man is not awakened. These intimations of the Quran are not merely ‘news,’ but the inevitable realities of the universe. However, they have not yet appeared as factual events. They are still hidden in the veil of the future. Unmindfully, man thinks that this is nothing but meaningless talk and ignores it, considering it unimportant. But these messages are on behalf of God who is all-knowing. Those who have not vitiated their nature and whose eyes are not covered by artificial veils will find the tenor of the Quran to be in consonance with the voice of their hearts. They will find that this is the very thing which their nature was already in search of. For them the Quran will become a treasure of life and Faith. The position of those who do not take the warnings of the Quran seriously will be entirely different. They will linger in this slumber until that event breaks upon them of which they are being warned. At that time, man will suddenly come to know that he has become completely helpless. The problems to which he gave importance and in which he was therefore embroiled will now appear to be baseless. The things on which he was relying will have ceased to be with him. The rosy hopes on which he was living will all prove to be false. The belief in the Hereafter appears to be an abstract idea. So, man does not become serious about it. But, in the life after death, when the Hereafter with all its terror will be thrust upon man, everyone will be compelled at that time to accept what he had not earlier been ready to accept. Man will then come to know that what he was being told earlier in the language of arguments was absolute fact and that, not being serious about it, he could not grasp its significance. When all those things on which he was relying in the world, leave man in the lurch, he will want to be sent back to earth, so that he may lead his life in a proper manner. But such an opportunity does not come to anyone twice.

God is the Creator of the earth, the sky and all things. This creation could have been haphazard, i.e. all things could have been created, then left in confusion. But He did not do so. He linked all things in an absolutely perfect, well-organised and wisely regulated system, and activated them in such a way that everything kept working exactly in the manner in which it ought to, if it had to serve the collective interest. Man is also a small part of this world. Then, what should be his role in this well-formed environment? His role should be the same as that of all other things. He should devote himself to the Creator’s plan, in the way that the whole Universe has surrendered itself to this plan in all obedience. All things of the universe take part in the plan of God with the utmost degree of efficiency (ihsan). So, man should also devote himself to this to the same degree. Here nothing exceeds the prescribed limits. So, it is necessary also for man not to exceed the limits of justice and Truth prescribed by God. Furthermore, man has the additional attributes of the power of speech and consciousness. So, even at the level of speech and consciousness, the expression of his surrender to his Lord is also necessary. The recognition and realisation of God should be so deeply embedded in man that they come to be expressed again and again. He should call out to God as a subject calls out to his Creator and Lord. He should be so conscious of God’s godhead that nothing except God should remain at the centre of his hopes or fears. He should fear only God and link his hopes to Him alone. To associate one’s fears and hopes with God is the ultimate stage of obedience to God.

The greatest achievement of man is that he should be able to attain God’s mercy. But the grace of God falls to the lot of those who associate themselves with God to such an extent that all their emotions without exception are directed towards Him. They should call out only to Him and behave with humility towards Him alone. They should entertain hopes of receiving things from Him, and fear Him alone lest things be taken away. People who do so seek closeness to God and God awards them a place close to Him.

The greatest achievement of man is that he should be able to attain God’s mercy. But the grace of God falls to the lot of those who associate themselves with God to such an extent that all their emotions without exception are directed towards Him. They should call out only to Him and behave with humility towards Him alone. They should entertain hopes of receiving things from Him, and fear Him alone lest things be taken away. People who do so seek closeness to God and God awards them a place close to Him.

God has made the world in such a way that its material occurrences symbolize its spiritual aspects. When rain falls anywhere, the water reaches every part of that place. But in respect of its use, conditions in different lands vary. When one region gets water, lush green fields emerge from it. There may be another region which, even after getting rain, remains unaffected, and nothing but wild bushes will grow there. The same is the position of that spiritual rainfall which comes down on behalf of God in the shape of His guidance. The message of this guidance reaches the ears of every man but its benefits accrue to everybody according to his receptivity. One who is receptive to accepting the Truth, derives full advantage from it; he gets a new lease of life from it; his nature is suddenly activated. His contact with his Almighty Lord is established. His parched soul blooms with divine inspiration. Just the opposite is the condition of the person who has lost his natural receptivity. The rainfall of guidance, in spite of its immense possibilities, does not benefit him at all; he remains as dry as he was earlier. If at all there is any crop, it is only a scanty growth of wild bushes. The rainfall of guidance breeds in him jealousy, haughtiness, a tendency to employ meaningless sophistry, and opposition to the truth. Thus he fails to accept the truth and support it. In order to absorb the rainwater, the land must necessarily be dry. If the land is not dry, the rain water will simply pass over it, and will not be absorbed in it. In the same way, the guidance of God becomes rooted only in that man who is desirous of it; one who has emptied his soul of the dross of this world. Unlike him, one who is careless of God’s guidance and whose heart is engrossed in other interests and other glories may encounter God’s guidance, but it will not permeate him. It will not become the nutrition of his soul; it will not water the land of his soul and help to grow the garden of God in it.

God has made the world in such a way that its material occurrences symbolize its spiritual aspects. When rain falls anywhere, the water reaches every part of that place. But in respect of its use, conditions in different lands vary. When one region gets water, lush green fields emerge from it. There may be another region which, even after getting rain, remains unaffected, and nothing but wild bushes will grow there. The same is the position of that spiritual rainfall which comes down on behalf of God in the shape of His guidance. The message of this guidance reaches the ears of every man but its benefits accrue to everybody according to his receptivity. One who is receptive to accepting the Truth, derives full advantage from it; he gets a new lease of life from it; his nature is suddenly activated. His contact with his Almighty Lord is established. His parched soul blooms with divine inspiration. Just the opposite is the condition of the person who has lost his natural receptivity. The rainfall of guidance, in spite of its immense possibilities, does not benefit him at all; he remains as dry as he was earlier. If at all there is any crop, it is only a scanty growth of wild bushes. The rainfall of guidance breeds in him jealousy, haughtiness, a tendency to employ meaningless sophistry, and opposition to the truth. Thus he fails to accept the truth and support it. In order to absorb the rainwater, the land must necessarily be dry. If the land is not dry, the rain water will simply pass over it, and will not be absorbed in it. In the same way, the guidance of God becomes rooted only in that man who is desirous of it; one who has emptied his soul of the dross of this world. Unlike him, one who is careless of God’s guidance and whose heart is engrossed in other interests and other glories may encounter God’s guidance, but it will not permeate him. It will not become the nutrition of his soul; it will not water the land of his soul and help to grow the garden of God in it.

After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God). Thereafter, according to a tradition as told by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, people started making the likenesses of their ancient great ones, so that the memory of their feats and their prayers would remain fresh in their minds. The names of these revered figures were Wudd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uq and Nasr. Gradually, these great men acquired the status of gods among these people who inhabited ancient Iraq. When this evil increased to this extent in them, God sent Noah to reform them, appointing him as His Prophet. But they refused to accept Noah. They were not ready to adopt the way of righteousness and fear of God (taqwa). According to the Quran, the reason for this refusal was that it was very difficult for them to understand that a man who was apparently like them had been selected to deliver God’s message on His behalf. Compared to the great men whose religion they were ostensibly following and whose greatness had become recognised in the annals of history, Noah, their contemporary, with no glory attached to his name, appeared to them to be just an ordinary man. So, his community refused to accept him. They did not hesitate to call the prophet of the time foolish and misguided, because according to them, he had deviated from the religion of their great ones. The well-wishing on the part of Noah, the strength of his arguments, his reasoning, his being staunchly on the path of Truth—none of these things could influence them. When Noah had fully conveyed the divine message, and was rejected by the people, the community was drowned in the great flood. The reason for this punishment was that they had falsified and denied God’s signs. They wanted God’s message to be conveyed to them through an established personality instead of an ‘ordinary person.’ But, in the eyes of God, this was blindness. God has given man insight so that he should recognise the Truth in the shape of ‘signs’ and not through any tangible object. Those who do not recognise Truth in the shape of signs, are in the eyes of God blind in spite of having eyes. Such people have no share in the grace of God.

After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God). Thereafter, according to a tradition as told by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, people started making the likenesses of their ancient great ones, so that the memory of their feats and their prayers would remain fresh in their minds. The names of these revered figures were Wudd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uq and Nasr. Gradually, these great men acquired the status of gods among these people who inhabited ancient Iraq. When this evil increased to this extent in them, God sent Noah to reform them, appointing him as His Prophet. But they refused to accept Noah. They were not ready to adopt the way of righteousness and fear of God (taqwa). According to the Quran, the reason for this refusal was that it was very difficult for them to understand that a man who was apparently like them had been selected to deliver God’s message on His behalf. Compared to the great men whose religion they were ostensibly following and whose greatness had become recognised in the annals of history, Noah, their contemporary, with no glory attached to his name, appeared to them to be just an ordinary man. So, his community refused to accept him. They did not hesitate to call the prophet of the time foolish and misguided, because according to them, he had deviated from the religion of their great ones. The well-wishing on the part of Noah, the strength of his arguments, his reasoning, his being staunchly on the path of Truth—none of these things could influence them. When Noah had fully conveyed the divine message, and was rejected by the people, the community was drowned in the great flood. The reason for this punishment was that they had falsified and denied God’s signs. They wanted God’s message to be conveyed to them through an established personality instead of an ‘ordinary person.’ But, in the eyes of God, this was blindness. God has given man insight so that he should recognise the Truth in the shape of ‘signs’ and not through any tangible object. Those who do not recognise Truth in the shape of signs, are in the eyes of God blind in spite of having eyes. Such people have no share in the grace of God.

After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God). Thereafter, according to a tradition as told by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, people started making the likenesses of their ancient great ones, so that the memory of their feats and their prayers would remain fresh in their minds. The names of these revered figures were Wudd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uq and Nasr. Gradually, these great men acquired the status of gods among these people who inhabited ancient Iraq. When this evil increased to this extent in them, God sent Noah to reform them, appointing him as His Prophet. But they refused to accept Noah. They were not ready to adopt the way of righteousness and fear of God (taqwa). According to the Quran, the reason for this refusal was that it was very difficult for them to understand that a man who was apparently like them had been selected to deliver God’s message on His behalf. Compared to the great men whose religion they were ostensibly following and whose greatness had become recognised in the annals of history, Noah, their contemporary, with no glory attached to his name, appeared to them to be just an ordinary man. So, his community refused to accept him. They did not hesitate to call the prophet of the time foolish and misguided, because according to them, he had deviated from the religion of their great ones. The well-wishing on the part of Noah, the strength of his arguments, his reasoning, his being staunchly on the path of Truth—none of these things could influence them. When Noah had fully conveyed the divine message, and was rejected by the people, the community was drowned in the great flood. The reason for this punishment was that they had falsified and denied God’s signs. They wanted God’s message to be conveyed to them through an established personality instead of an ‘ordinary person.’ But, in the eyes of God, this was blindness. God has given man insight so that he should recognise the Truth in the shape of ‘signs’ and not through any tangible object. Those who do not recognise Truth in the shape of signs, are in the eyes of God blind in spite of having eyes. Such people have no share in the grace of God.

After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God). Thereafter, according to a tradition as told by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, people started making the likenesses of their ancient great ones, so that the memory of their feats and their prayers would remain fresh in their minds. The names of these revered figures were Wudd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uq and Nasr. Gradually, these great men acquired the status of gods among these people who inhabited ancient Iraq. When this evil increased to this extent in them, God sent Noah to reform them, appointing him as His Prophet. But they refused to accept Noah. They were not ready to adopt the way of righteousness and fear of God (taqwa). According to the Quran, the reason for this refusal was that it was very difficult for them to understand that a man who was apparently like them had been selected to deliver God’s message on His behalf. Compared to the great men whose religion they were ostensibly following and whose greatness had become recognised in the annals of history, Noah, their contemporary, with no glory attached to his name, appeared to them to be just an ordinary man. So, his community refused to accept him. They did not hesitate to call the prophet of the time foolish and misguided, because according to them, he had deviated from the religion of their great ones. The well-wishing on the part of Noah, the strength of his arguments, his reasoning, his being staunchly on the path of Truth—none of these things could influence them. When Noah had fully conveyed the divine message, and was rejected by the people, the community was drowned in the great flood. The reason for this punishment was that they had falsified and denied God’s signs. They wanted God’s message to be conveyed to them through an established personality instead of an ‘ordinary person.’ But, in the eyes of God, this was blindness. God has given man insight so that he should recognise the Truth in the shape of ‘signs’ and not through any tangible object. Those who do not recognise Truth in the shape of signs, are in the eyes of God blind in spite of having eyes. Such people have no share in the grace of God.

After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God). Thereafter, according to a tradition as told by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, people started making the likenesses of their ancient great ones, so that the memory of their feats and their prayers would remain fresh in their minds. The names of these revered figures were Wudd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uq and Nasr. Gradually, these great men acquired the status of gods among these people who inhabited ancient Iraq. When this evil increased to this extent in them, God sent Noah to reform them, appointing him as His Prophet. But they refused to accept Noah. They were not ready to adopt the way of righteousness and fear of God (taqwa). According to the Quran, the reason for this refusal was that it was very difficult for them to understand that a man who was apparently like them had been selected to deliver God’s message on His behalf. Compared to the great men whose religion they were ostensibly following and whose greatness had become recognised in the annals of history, Noah, their contemporary, with no glory attached to his name, appeared to them to be just an ordinary man. So, his community refused to accept him. They did not hesitate to call the prophet of the time foolish and misguided, because according to them, he had deviated from the religion of their great ones. The well-wishing on the part of Noah, the strength of his arguments, his reasoning, his being staunchly on the path of Truth—none of these things could influence them. When Noah had fully conveyed the divine message, and was rejected by the people, the community was drowned in the great flood. The reason for this punishment was that they had falsified and denied God’s signs. They wanted God’s message to be conveyed to them through an established personality instead of an ‘ordinary person.’ But, in the eyes of God, this was blindness. God has given man insight so that he should recognise the Truth in the shape of ‘signs’ and not through any tangible object. Those who do not recognise Truth in the shape of signs, are in the eyes of God blind in spite of having eyes. Such people have no share in the grace of God.

After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God). Thereafter, according to a tradition as told by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, people started making the likenesses of their ancient great ones, so that the memory of their feats and their prayers would remain fresh in their minds. The names of these revered figures were Wudd, Suwa‘, Yaguth, Ya‘uq and Nasr. Gradually, these great men acquired the status of gods among these people who inhabited ancient Iraq. When this evil increased to this extent in them, God sent Noah to reform them, appointing him as His Prophet. But they refused to accept Noah. They were not ready to adopt the way of righteousness and fear of God (taqwa). According to the Quran, the reason for this refusal was that it was very difficult for them to understand that a man who was apparently like them had been selected to deliver God’s message on His behalf. Compared to the great men whose religion they were ostensibly following and whose greatness had become recognised in the annals of history, Noah, their contemporary, with no glory attached to his name, appeared to them to be just an ordinary man. So, his community refused to accept him. They did not hesitate to call the prophet of the time foolish and misguided, because according to them, he had deviated from the religion of their great ones. The well-wishing on the part of Noah, the strength of his arguments, his reasoning, his being staunchly on the path of Truth—none of these things could influence them. When Noah had fully conveyed the divine message, and was rejected by the people, the community was drowned in the great flood. The reason for this punishment was that they had falsified and denied God’s signs. They wanted God’s message to be conveyed to them through an established personality instead of an ‘ordinary person.’ But, in the eyes of God, this was blindness. God has given man insight so that he should recognise the Truth in the shape of ‘signs’ and not through any tangible object. Those who do not recognise Truth in the shape of signs, are in the eyes of God blind in spite of having eyes. Such people have no share in the grace of God.

Iram, Noah’s grandson was one of the believers who were saved in Noah’s Ark. He was the forefather of a tribe known as ‘Ad. These people, settled in Yemen, were initially adherents of the religion of Noah. But later on when they strayed from the right path, God appointed Hud to be their prophet. But in the eyes of the leaders of the community, he did not appear to possess that greatness which they thought should inhere in prophets. So they felt that either he was a fool or that he was making a false claim.

Literally ‘I am your well-wisher.’ This utterance of the prophet shows that the relationship between the call-giver and his addressees is not that of a rival or a competitor. It is a relationship of well-wishing and trust. The call-giver should be such that he should have nothing in his heart except good wishes for his addressees. Howsoever rude and unpleasant the behaviour that he comes across in his addressees may be, the call-giver should remain their well-wisher till the last moment. Then, while delivering his message, he should not have the feeling that he is bestowing upon another something which belongs to him. He should feel rather that it belongs to others and that he is holding it in trust for them, and that, by delivering it, he is relieving himself of a great responsibility.

Literally ‘I am your well-wisher.’ This utterance of the prophet shows that the relationship between the call-giver and his addressees is not that of a rival or a competitor. It is a relationship of well-wishing and trust. The call-giver should be such that he should have nothing in his heart except good wishes for his addressees. Howsoever rude and unpleasant the behaviour that he comes across in his addressees may be, the call-giver should remain their well-wisher till the last moment. Then, while delivering his message, he should not have the feeling that he is bestowing upon another something which belongs to him. He should feel rather that it belongs to others and that he is holding it in trust for them, and that, by delivering it, he is relieving himself of a great responsibility.

Literally ‘I am your well-wisher.’ This utterance of the prophet shows that the relationship between the call-giver and his addressees is not that of a rival or a competitor. It is a relationship of well-wishing and trust. The call-giver should be such that he should have nothing in his heart except good wishes for his addressees. Howsoever rude and unpleasant the behaviour that he comes across in his addressees may be, the call-giver should remain their well-wisher till the last moment. Then, while delivering his message, he should not have the feeling that he is bestowing upon another something which belongs to him. He should feel rather that it belongs to others and that he is holding it in trust for them, and that, by delivering it, he is relieving himself of a great responsibility.

The basis of the missionary call of the prophets has always been to remind man of the bounties conferred on him, and to warn him that if he did not remain grateful to God, he would have to suffer the scourge of God. Communal and material issues are never made the topics of their missionary discourses by prophets. They try their best to ensure that in the discussions between them and their addressees nothing but truths of real concern are taken up; their community should see them as preachers of the cause of the one God and the Hereafter and in no other form. ‘Remember the favours of God, so that you may prosper.’ This shows that the bounties of the Hereafter are merited only by one who has admitted God’s grace in the world. Paradise is the greatest expression of God’s grace and bountifulness. So, the Paradise of the Hereafter will be attained by one who has found and recognised God’s attribute of grace and magnanimity. This realisation is the real price of Paradise.

The basis of the missionary call of the prophets has always been to remind man of the bounties conferred on him, and to warn him that if he did not remain grateful to God, he would have to suffer the scourge of God. Communal and material issues are never made the topics of their missionary discourses by prophets. They try their best to ensure that in the discussions between them and their addressees nothing but truths of real concern are taken up; their community should see them as preachers of the cause of the one God and the Hereafter and in no other form. ‘Remember the favours of God, so that you may prosper.’ This shows that the bounties of the Hereafter are merited only by one who has admitted God’s grace in the world. Paradise is the greatest expression of God’s grace and bountifulness. So, the Paradise of the Hereafter will be attained by one who has found and recognised God’s attribute of grace and magnanimity. This realisation is the real price of Paradise.

Man is able to imagine virtues or qualities through names. If a good word is attached to a person, he appears to be good and if a bad word is attached to him he appears to be bad. Things or beings other than God who become the centre of the attention of men come to be such because of these names. Certain individuals come to be called by such names as ghaus-e-pak (holy hearer of plaints), ganj bakhsh (granter of treasure), gharib nawaz (benefactor of the poor), or mushkil kusha (solver of difficulties). Gradually these names become so attached to their personalities that people start believing that the person called ghaus really has the power to hear plaints and pleas; and that the person known as mushkil kusha can really solve difficulties. But the truth is that names of this kind are all devised by human beings. There is nobody existing who carries these names. There is no religious or rational argument in their favour. The above kind of tradition in names is that which is prevalent among the ignorant masses. However, there is a civilized form of this tradition which is popular among educated people. In this, too, extraordinary words are attached to certain personalities, for example, qudsi sifat (having the attributes of angels), mahbub-e-khuda (beloved of God), sutun-e-Islam (pillar of Islam), najat dehenda-e-millat (saviour of the community), etc. Gradually, these words become integral parts of the names of the respective persons. People start considering them as being as extraordinary as their conferred names and titles indicate. Whatever, as a result of long-standing conventions, has acquired the holiness attaching to the past, assumes great importance and loftiness in the eyes of the people. Compared to it, the call of today’s preacher appears to be trivial. So, they ignore the present missionary considering him unimportant. They are confident that nothing will harm them, as they consider themselves the inheritors of the glory of their forefathers. Recklessness in respect of God gradually makes a man insensitive. He does not remain capable of reforming himself through the language of admonition or remembrance. It will be only when he hears the voice of God pronouncing the verdict of divine retribution that he will become aware of his own shortcomings.

Man is able to imagine virtues or qualities through names. If a good word is attached to a person, he appears to be good and if a bad word is attached to him he appears to be bad. Things or beings other than God who become the centre of the attention of men come to be such because of these names. Certain individuals come to be called by such names as ghaus-e-pak (holy hearer of plaints), ganj bakhsh (granter of treasure), gharib nawaz (benefactor of the poor), or mushkil kusha (solver of difficulties). Gradually these names become so attached to their personalities that people start believing that the person called ghaus really has the power to hear plaints and pleas; and that the person known as mushkil kusha can really solve difficulties. But the truth is that names of this kind are all devised by human beings. There is nobody existing who carries these names. There is no religious or rational argument in their favour. The above kind of tradition in names is that which is prevalent among the ignorant masses. However, there is a civilized form of this tradition which is popular among educated people. In this, too, extraordinary words are attached to certain personalities, for example, qudsi sifat (having the attributes of angels), mahbub-e-khuda (beloved of God), sutun-e-Islam (pillar of Islam), najat dehenda-e-millat (saviour of the community), etc. Gradually, these words become integral parts of the names of the respective persons. People start considering them as being as extraordinary as their conferred names and titles indicate. Whatever, as a result of long-standing conventions, has acquired the holiness attaching to the past, assumes great importance and loftiness in the eyes of the people. Compared to it, the call of today’s preacher appears to be trivial. So, they ignore the present missionary considering him unimportant. They are confident that nothing will harm them, as they consider themselves the inheritors of the glory of their forefathers. Recklessness in respect of God gradually makes a man insensitive. He does not remain capable of reforming himself through the language of admonition or remembrance. It will be only when he hears the voice of God pronouncing the verdict of divine retribution that he will become aware of his own shortcomings.

After the destruction of the ‘Ad community, certain righteous people redeemed by God settled in the Hajr, the area in the north west of Arabia. Their race increased and they made immense progress in the fields of agriculture and construction. They constructed palaces in the plains and by chiselling the hills, made stone houses. But later on they fell victim to the evils that generally follow a community’s material development and worldly well-being, i.e. debauchery, obliviousness of the Hereafter, heedlessness about the limits laid down by God, self-conceit and disregard for the greatness of God. At this juncture God raised Salih so that he might warn them of the chastisement of God. But they did not accept the admonition. They were not willing to mend their ways. In the universe, where all things are living in complete obedience to God, they opted to live in arrogance and disobey God: where everything strictly observed the limits set by God, man wanted to lead his life by transgressing His limits. Their transgression created disturbances in the reformed world. Therefore, they were held unfit to inhabit the world. For the purpose of testing the community of Thamud, God assigned a she-camel to them and commanded them not to harm her, or else they would be destroyed. It would have been quite possible for God to appoint a terrifying lion for this purpose. But God appointed a she-camel instead of a lion. The reason for this is that the test of a man’s fear of God is always taken at the level of a ‘she camel’ and not at the level of a ‘lion’. In society there are always some people who are like the camel of God. These are the weak individuals who do not have the material strength which could act as a deterrent to oppression. Through these people, God tests the true faith of His people. And the certificates of Heaven and Hell are given on the basis of the results of these tests.

The people of Thamud perfected the art of construction. They were definitely well versed in related branches of knowledge, for example, mathematics, geometry and engineering, otherwise such development could not have been possible. But they were held guilty not of material developments but of spreading disturbance on the earth. This means that God does not prohibit progress within legitimate limits. But, in the matter of how he conducts his life, man should follow the balanced system which God has enforced in the whole universe. When a prophet comes to the world, he is a controversial figure in his time rather than an established personality. Moreover, he is not surrounded by worldly glories. He is not the occupier of any of the important seats of the time. That is why his contemporaries, unable to understand his prophethood, reject him. They find it difficult to believe that one whom they know as an ordinary person is the very individual whom God has chosen to deliver His message. ‘We are believers in that with which he has been sent.’ This reply of Salih’s companions tells us the difference between them and others. Those who deny the truth looked at the personality of Salih while the believers looked at the real message. Since, for those who denied the truth, no outward glory surrounded the personality of Salih, they ignored him. The believers, on the contrary, saw glimpses of Truth in Salih’s message, so they immediately accepted his words and became his companions.

The people of Thamud perfected the art of construction. They were definitely well versed in related branches of knowledge, for example, mathematics, geometry and engineering, otherwise such development could not have been possible. But they were held guilty not of material developments but of spreading disturbance on the earth. This means that God does not prohibit progress within legitimate limits. But, in the matter of how he conducts his life, man should follow the balanced system which God has enforced in the whole universe. When a prophet comes to the world, he is a controversial figure in his time rather than an established personality. Moreover, he is not surrounded by worldly glories. He is not the occupier of any of the important seats of the time. That is why his contemporaries, unable to understand his prophethood, reject him. They find it difficult to believe that one whom they know as an ordinary person is the very individual whom God has chosen to deliver His message. ‘We are believers in that with which he has been sent.’ This reply of Salih’s companions tells us the difference between them and others. Those who deny the truth looked at the personality of Salih while the believers looked at the real message. Since, for those who denied the truth, no outward glory surrounded the personality of Salih, they ignored him. The believers, on the contrary, saw glimpses of Truth in Salih’s message, so they immediately accepted his words and became his companions.

The people of Thamud perfected the art of construction. They were definitely well versed in related branches of knowledge, for example, mathematics, geometry and engineering, otherwise such development could not have been possible. But they were held guilty not of material developments but of spreading disturbance on the earth. This means that God does not prohibit progress within legitimate limits. But, in the matter of how he conducts his life, man should follow the balanced system which God has enforced in the whole universe. When a prophet comes to the world, he is a controversial figure in his time rather than an established personality. Moreover, he is not surrounded by worldly glories. He is not the occupier of any of the important seats of the time. That is why his contemporaries, unable to understand his prophethood, reject him. They find it difficult to believe that one whom they know as an ordinary person is the very individual whom God has chosen to deliver His message. ‘We are believers in that with which he has been sent.’ This reply of Salih’s companions tells us the difference between them and others. Those who deny the truth looked at the personality of Salih while the believers looked at the real message. Since, for those who denied the truth, no outward glory surrounded the personality of Salih, they ignored him. The believers, on the contrary, saw glimpses of Truth in Salih’s message, so they immediately accepted his words and became his companions.

Truth always reveals itself on the strength of arguments and not on the strength of worldly glories. Those who are capable of seeing the Truth in the shape of arguments immediately find it, while those perpetually awed by outward glories remain doubtful. They never receive God’s guidance to become supporters of truth. The killer of Salih’s she-camel was an arrogant member of that community. But this action was attributed to the entire community and it was said, ‘They hamstrung the she-camel.’ This shows that if one member among a group performs a bad deed and other people do not condemn such deeds, all of them are treated as a party to this criminal action. The community which succumbs to desire is not at all impressed by realistic talk. It is not prepared to support anyone who invites its members to engage in serious and sincere action. On the contrary, huge crowds gather around people who utter pleasant words and trade in false promises. They are not attracted towards true well- wishers, but rush towards the exploiters.

Truth always reveals itself on the strength of arguments and not on the strength of worldly glories. Those who are capable of seeing the Truth in the shape of arguments immediately find it, while those perpetually awed by outward glories remain doubtful. They never receive God’s guidance to become supporters of truth. The killer of Salih’s she-camel was an arrogant member of that community. But this action was attributed to the entire community and it was said, ‘They hamstrung the she-camel.’ This shows that if one member among a group performs a bad deed and other people do not condemn such deeds, all of them are treated as a party to this criminal action. The community which succumbs to desire is not at all impressed by realistic talk. It is not prepared to support anyone who invites its members to engage in serious and sincere action. On the contrary, huge crowds gather around people who utter pleasant words and trade in false promises. They are not attracted towards true well- wishers, but rush towards the exploiters.

Truth always reveals itself on the strength of arguments and not on the strength of worldly glories. Those who are capable of seeing the Truth in the shape of arguments immediately find it, while those perpetually awed by outward glories remain doubtful. They never receive God’s guidance to become supporters of truth. The killer of Salih’s she-camel was an arrogant member of that community. But this action was attributed to the entire community and it was said, ‘They hamstrung the she-camel.’ This shows that if one member among a group performs a bad deed and other people do not condemn such deeds, all of them are treated as a party to this criminal action. The community which succumbs to desire is not at all impressed by realistic talk. It is not prepared to support anyone who invites its members to engage in serious and sincere action. On the contrary, huge crowds gather around people who utter pleasant words and trade in false promises. They are not attracted towards true well- wishers, but rush towards the exploiters.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. The community to which he was sent as a prophet was settled on the banks of the river Jordan in southern Syria. The prosperity of the community led its members into an excessive love of luxury, and evil behaviour which went to extremes in sexual promiscuity and even homosexuality. The prophet warned them against this open shamelessness. The universe has a scheme of nature. This scheme is called the reformed state (islah) in Quranic terminology. Going against this means a disturbance in the balance of things (fasad) in this universe. It is only man who takes undue advantage of his freedom and goes against the way of nature. The community of Lot also committed such a disruption of the divine order. The natural form of sexual relationship is that of a husband and wife. This means following the way of islah. As opposed to this, if a sexual relation develops between man and man, and a woman and a woman, this amounts to transgressing the limits fixed by God. This is what is called fasad in the Quran. Only a few people close to Lot had any faith in him. The rest of the people were sunk in debauchery. They even said: ‘When these people consider us dirty and want to keep themselves pure, why should the clean live with the unclean? They had better leave our town.’ This statement of theirs smacked of their haughtiness. They had the courage to say this because they were in the majority and enjoyed material superiority; they thus considered themselves safe. When God’s retribution visited Lot’s community, the Prophet Lot’s wife was one of the victims. This shows the unbiased justice of God in the matter of reward and punishment. In the judicial balance of God there is no regard for relationships or friendships. God’s decision was so unbiased that it did not spare even Noah’s son, Abraham’s father, Lot’s wife and the Prophet Muhammad’s uncle. On the other hand, when Pharaoh’s wife performed righteous deeds, she was admitted to Paradise.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. The community to which he was sent as a prophet was settled on the banks of the river Jordan in southern Syria. The prosperity of the community led its members into an excessive love of luxury, and evil behaviour which went to extremes in sexual promiscuity and even homosexuality. The prophet warned them against this open shamelessness. The universe has a scheme of nature. This scheme is called the reformed state (islah) in Quranic terminology. Going against this means a disturbance in the balance of things (fasad) in this universe. It is only man who takes undue advantage of his freedom and goes against the way of nature. The community of Lot also committed such a disruption of the divine order. The natural form of sexual relationship is that of a husband and wife. This means following the way of islah. As opposed to this, if a sexual relation develops between man and man, and a woman and a woman, this amounts to transgressing the limits fixed by God. This is what is called fasad in the Quran. Only a few people close to Lot had any faith in him. The rest of the people were sunk in debauchery. They even said: ‘When these people consider us dirty and want to keep themselves pure, why should the clean live with the unclean? They had better leave our town.’ This statement of theirs smacked of their haughtiness. They had the courage to say this because they were in the majority and enjoyed material superiority; they thus considered themselves safe. When God’s retribution visited Lot’s community, the Prophet Lot’s wife was one of the victims. This shows the unbiased justice of God in the matter of reward and punishment. In the judicial balance of God there is no regard for relationships or friendships. God’s decision was so unbiased that it did not spare even Noah’s son, Abraham’s father, Lot’s wife and the Prophet Muhammad’s uncle. On the other hand, when Pharaoh’s wife performed righteous deeds, she was admitted to Paradise.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. The community to which he was sent as a prophet was settled on the banks of the river Jordan in southern Syria. The prosperity of the community led its members into an excessive love of luxury, and evil behaviour which went to extremes in sexual promiscuity and even homosexuality. The prophet warned them against this open shamelessness. The universe has a scheme of nature. This scheme is called the reformed state (islah) in Quranic terminology. Going against this means a disturbance in the balance of things (fasad) in this universe. It is only man who takes undue advantage of his freedom and goes against the way of nature. The community of Lot also committed such a disruption of the divine order. The natural form of sexual relationship is that of a husband and wife. This means following the way of islah. As opposed to this, if a sexual relation develops between man and man, and a woman and a woman, this amounts to transgressing the limits fixed by God. This is what is called fasad in the Quran. Only a few people close to Lot had any faith in him. The rest of the people were sunk in debauchery. They even said: ‘When these people consider us dirty and want to keep themselves pure, why should the clean live with the unclean? They had better leave our town.’ This statement of theirs smacked of their haughtiness. They had the courage to say this because they were in the majority and enjoyed material superiority; they thus considered themselves safe. When God’s retribution visited Lot’s community, the Prophet Lot’s wife was one of the victims. This shows the unbiased justice of God in the matter of reward and punishment. In the judicial balance of God there is no regard for relationships or friendships. God’s decision was so unbiased that it did not spare even Noah’s son, Abraham’s father, Lot’s wife and the Prophet Muhammad’s uncle. On the other hand, when Pharaoh’s wife performed righteous deeds, she was admitted to Paradise.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. The community to which he was sent as a prophet was settled on the banks of the river Jordan in southern Syria. The prosperity of the community led its members into an excessive love of luxury, and evil behaviour which went to extremes in sexual promiscuity and even homosexuality. The prophet warned them against this open shamelessness. The universe has a scheme of nature. This scheme is called the reformed state (islah) in Quranic terminology. Going against this means a disturbance in the balance of things (fasad) in this universe. It is only man who takes undue advantage of his freedom and goes against the way of nature. The community of Lot also committed such a disruption of the divine order. The natural form of sexual relationship is that of a husband and wife. This means following the way of islah. As opposed to this, if a sexual relation develops between man and man, and a woman and a woman, this amounts to transgressing the limits fixed by God. This is what is called fasad in the Quran. Only a few people close to Lot had any faith in him. The rest of the people were sunk in debauchery. They even said: ‘When these people consider us dirty and want to keep themselves pure, why should the clean live with the unclean? They had better leave our town.’ This statement of theirs smacked of their haughtiness. They had the courage to say this because they were in the majority and enjoyed material superiority; they thus considered themselves safe. When God’s retribution visited Lot’s community, the Prophet Lot’s wife was one of the victims. This shows the unbiased justice of God in the matter of reward and punishment. In the judicial balance of God there is no regard for relationships or friendships. God’s decision was so unbiased that it did not spare even Noah’s son, Abraham’s father, Lot’s wife and the Prophet Muhammad’s uncle. On the other hand, when Pharaoh’s wife performed righteous deeds, she was admitted to Paradise.

One of the sons of Abraham was Madyan who was born of his third wife, Quatura. The people of Midian (or Madyan), his decendants, settled on the Arabian coast of the Red Sea. These people believed in God and professed to be of Abraham’s religion. But, five hundred years after the time of Abraham, they fell into wrong ways. They were a trading community; so their evil found expression in their dealings. They did not maintain the principles of honesty in weights, measures and transactions. Injustice in dealing with others is against the balanced system (islah) enforced by God. God has caused the system of this world to work on the basis of perfect justice. Here, there is nothing like taking more from others and giving less in return. Here everything functions on the principles of justice to the point of mathematical exactness. If this does not happen, then it would amount to creating a disturbance in the well-balanced world of God.

One of the sons of Abraham was Madyan who was born of his third wife, Quatura. The people of Midian (or Madyan), his decendants, settled on the Arabian coast of the Red Sea. These people believed in God and professed to be of Abraham’s religion. But, five hundred years after the time of Abraham, they fell into wrong ways. They were a trading community; so their evil found expression in their dealings. They did not maintain the principles of honesty in weights, measures and transactions. Injustice in dealing with others is against the balanced system (islah) enforced by God. God has caused the system of this world to work on the basis of perfect justice. Here, there is nothing like taking more from others and giving less in return. Here everything functions on the principles of justice to the point of mathematical exactness. If this does not happen, then it would amount to creating a disturbance in the well-balanced world of God.

When the people of Midian went to extremes in their wrongful ways, God sent Shu‘ayb to them with His message. He exhorted them to adopt the way of righteousness and honesty in their dealings. With the help of clear arguments, He made them fully aware of the necessity for honesty. But they were not willing to accept the admonition. Not only that, they were not ready to accept the mission of Shu‘ayb. They distorted his preachings and created misunderstanding among the people about him. They even resorted to violent means to dissuade the people from supporting him. In the end the retribution of God descended upon them and they were destroyed. In the eyes of God, matters relating to the consideration of the rights of fellow human beings and honesty in mutual dealings are so important that a community, in spite of claiming to be believers, was destroyed. God is the best Judge and His judgement cannot be biased.

When the people of Midian went to extremes in their wrongful ways, God sent Shu‘ayb to them with His message. He exhorted them to adopt the way of righteousness and honesty in their dealings. With the help of clear arguments, He made them fully aware of the necessity for honesty. But they were not willing to accept the admonition. Not only that, they were not ready to accept the mission of Shu‘ayb. They distorted his preachings and created misunderstanding among the people about him. They even resorted to violent means to dissuade the people from supporting him. In the end the retribution of God descended upon them and they were destroyed. In the eyes of God, matters relating to the consideration of the rights of fellow human beings and honesty in mutual dealings are so important that a community, in spite of claiming to be believers, was destroyed. God is the best Judge and His judgement cannot be biased.

When the people of Midian went to extremes in their wrongful ways, God sent Shu‘ayb to them with His message. He exhorted them to adopt the way of righteousness and honesty in their dealings. With the help of clear arguments, He made them fully aware of the necessity for honesty. But they were not willing to accept the admonition. Not only that, they were not ready to accept the mission of Shu‘ayb. They distorted his preachings and created misunderstanding among the people about him. They even resorted to violent means to dissuade the people from supporting him. In the end the retribution of God descended upon them and they were destroyed. In the eyes of God, matters relating to the consideration of the rights of fellow human beings and honesty in mutual dealings are so important that a community, in spite of claiming to be believers, was destroyed. God is the best Judge and His judgement cannot be biased.

When the people of Midian went to extremes in their wrongful ways, God sent Shu‘ayb to them with His message. He exhorted them to adopt the way of righteousness and honesty in their dealings. With the help of clear arguments, He made them fully aware of the necessity for honesty. But they were not willing to accept the admonition. Not only that, they were not ready to accept the mission of Shu‘ayb. They distorted his preachings and created misunderstanding among the people about him. They even resorted to violent means to dissuade the people from supporting him. In the end the retribution of God descended upon them and they were destroyed. In the eyes of God, matters relating to the consideration of the rights of fellow human beings and honesty in mutual dealings are so important that a community, in spite of claiming to be believers, was destroyed. God is the best Judge and His judgement cannot be biased.

Shu‘ayb’s community was not guilty of denying God, but of misrepresenting Him, i.e. it had attributed to God a religion which was not sent by Him. This has been the position of the communities of all the prophets. The communities of the prophets were no different from those to whom God had earlier revealed His religion. But, by means of self-made changes and additions, they made it into something else. They changed the religion of God into the religion of their desires and started calling it the religion of God. The religious leaders of today, who have the support of the people and are in power, do realize that they cannot argue with the prophets, as they would not succeed. But since they do not want someone to usurp them of their importance, they look for a way to silence them. Allowances can be made for a person so long as the Truth is not clear to him. But after the Truth has been made clear, and if a man still chooses to be arrogant, he loses any right to sympathy. In this world, punishment is given on this basis; and on this same basis, punishment will be decided according to the guilt of the people in the Hereafter.

Shu‘ayb’s community was not guilty of denying God, but of misrepresenting Him, i.e. it had attributed to God a religion which was not sent by Him. This has been the position of the communities of all the prophets. The communities of the prophets were no different from those to whom God had earlier revealed His religion. But, by means of self-made changes and additions, they made it into something else. They changed the religion of God into the religion of their desires and started calling it the religion of God. The religious leaders of today, who have the support of the people and are in power, do realize that they cannot argue with the prophets, as they would not succeed. But since they do not want someone to usurp them of their importance, they look for a way to silence them. Allowances can be made for a person so long as the Truth is not clear to him. But after the Truth has been made clear, and if a man still chooses to be arrogant, he loses any right to sympathy. In this world, punishment is given on this basis; and on this same basis, punishment will be decided according to the guilt of the people in the Hereafter.

Shu‘ayb’s community was not guilty of denying God, but of misrepresenting Him, i.e. it had attributed to God a religion which was not sent by Him. This has been the position of the communities of all the prophets. The communities of the prophets were no different from those to whom God had earlier revealed His religion. But, by means of self-made changes and additions, they made it into something else. They changed the religion of God into the religion of their desires and started calling it the religion of God. The religious leaders of today, who have the support of the people and are in power, do realize that they cannot argue with the prophets, as they would not succeed. But since they do not want someone to usurp them of their importance, they look for a way to silence them. Allowances can be made for a person so long as the Truth is not clear to him. But after the Truth has been made clear, and if a man still chooses to be arrogant, he loses any right to sympathy. In this world, punishment is given on this basis; and on this same basis, punishment will be decided according to the guilt of the people in the Hereafter.

According to the tradition (of the Prophet), a believer goes on getting into difficulties until he becomes clear of sins, and a hypocrite is like a donkey who does not know why his owner has tied him and why he has let him loose. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). God imposes various types of difficulties on man so that his heart may soften, he may give up his reliance on anything other than God, and his haughtiness—which prevents him from accepting the Truth from outside may diminish. In this way, by God’s arrangements, the psychology of shortcomings and helplessness is instilled in man, so that he may give his full attention to the voice of Truth. The general public as well as the prophet’s addressees undergo this treatment. However, according to the usual procedure of God, all this happens garbed in doubt. For example, if some trouble affects somebody, it does so as part of the cause-and-effect process. This sort of occurrence poses a test for many people. They ignore it, saying that this was bound to happen and it happened. When they do not learn a lesson from these difficulties, God changes their conditions for the better. Now such people are pushed towards more severe misunderstandings. They firmly believe this to be a part of the occurrences of the time; a matter of the usual ups and downs which people are subjected to, under normal conditions; otherwise they would not have experienced good days after bad days. So they are thus prevented from learning a lesson from the first set of circumstances as well as from the second set. To be blessed with progress even after being guilty of arrogance is very dangerous. It is a sign of the fact that God has decided to catch hold of the culprit at the point where he has become most fearless of God’s punishment. The real reward of a God-fearing life will come in the Hereafter. However, if God wishes, He gives the initial reward in this world also in the shape of well-being and respect.

According to the tradition (of the Prophet), a believer goes on getting into difficulties until he becomes clear of sins, and a hypocrite is like a donkey who does not know why his owner has tied him and why he has let him loose. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). God imposes various types of difficulties on man so that his heart may soften, he may give up his reliance on anything other than God, and his haughtiness—which prevents him from accepting the Truth from outside may diminish. In this way, by God’s arrangements, the psychology of shortcomings and helplessness is instilled in man, so that he may give his full attention to the voice of Truth. The general public as well as the prophet’s addressees undergo this treatment. However, according to the usual procedure of God, all this happens garbed in doubt. For example, if some trouble affects somebody, it does so as part of the cause-and-effect process. This sort of occurrence poses a test for many people. They ignore it, saying that this was bound to happen and it happened. When they do not learn a lesson from these difficulties, God changes their conditions for the better. Now such people are pushed towards more severe misunderstandings. They firmly believe this to be a part of the occurrences of the time; a matter of the usual ups and downs which people are subjected to, under normal conditions; otherwise they would not have experienced good days after bad days. So they are thus prevented from learning a lesson from the first set of circumstances as well as from the second set. To be blessed with progress even after being guilty of arrogance is very dangerous. It is a sign of the fact that God has decided to catch hold of the culprit at the point where he has become most fearless of God’s punishment. The real reward of a God-fearing life will come in the Hereafter. However, if God wishes, He gives the initial reward in this world also in the shape of well-being and respect.

According to the tradition (of the Prophet), a believer goes on getting into difficulties until he becomes clear of sins, and a hypocrite is like a donkey who does not know why his owner has tied him and why he has let him loose. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). God imposes various types of difficulties on man so that his heart may soften, he may give up his reliance on anything other than God, and his haughtiness—which prevents him from accepting the Truth from outside may diminish. In this way, by God’s arrangements, the psychology of shortcomings and helplessness is instilled in man, so that he may give his full attention to the voice of Truth. The general public as well as the prophet’s addressees undergo this treatment. However, according to the usual procedure of God, all this happens garbed in doubt. For example, if some trouble affects somebody, it does so as part of the cause-and-effect process. This sort of occurrence poses a test for many people. They ignore it, saying that this was bound to happen and it happened. When they do not learn a lesson from these difficulties, God changes their conditions for the better. Now such people are pushed towards more severe misunderstandings. They firmly believe this to be a part of the occurrences of the time; a matter of the usual ups and downs which people are subjected to, under normal conditions; otherwise they would not have experienced good days after bad days. So they are thus prevented from learning a lesson from the first set of circumstances as well as from the second set. To be blessed with progress even after being guilty of arrogance is very dangerous. It is a sign of the fact that God has decided to catch hold of the culprit at the point where he has become most fearless of God’s punishment. The real reward of a God-fearing life will come in the Hereafter. However, if God wishes, He gives the initial reward in this world also in the shape of well-being and respect.

It happens again and again that a community reaches a high level of honour and prosperity and thereafter faces decline. It is removed from the scene and in its place another community occupies the same position of honour and prosperity that the former community enjoyed. This event is a sign of God, which should remind man of His supremacy. It shows that all the strings controlling gains and losses are in the hands of a supreme being. He may award good fortune to one or take it away from another. Making use of the powers of observation and thinking bestowed on him by God, man can easily understand these facts. He will realise that had the real source of power not been in other hands, the group which once managed to attain ascendancy would never have allowed others to replace it. If man can learn such lessons, he will find divine nourishment in the rise and fall of nations. But whenever a community falls from grace and another community rises in its place, the members of the rising community entertain the misunderstanding that whatever happened to the previous community was the fate particular to that community, and that it was never going to happen to them.

It happens again and again that a community reaches a high level of honour and prosperity and thereafter faces decline. It is removed from the scene and in its place another community occupies the same position of honour and prosperity that the former community enjoyed. This event is a sign of God, which should remind man of His supremacy. It shows that all the strings controlling gains and losses are in the hands of a supreme being. He may award good fortune to one or take it away from another. Making use of the powers of observation and thinking bestowed on him by God, man can easily understand these facts. He will realise that had the real source of power not been in other hands, the group which once managed to attain ascendancy would never have allowed others to replace it. If man can learn such lessons, he will find divine nourishment in the rise and fall of nations. But whenever a community falls from grace and another community rises in its place, the members of the rising community entertain the misunderstanding that whatever happened to the previous community was the fate particular to that community, and that it was never going to happen to them.

It happens again and again that a community reaches a high level of honour and prosperity and thereafter faces decline. It is removed from the scene and in its place another community occupies the same position of honour and prosperity that the former community enjoyed. This event is a sign of God, which should remind man of His supremacy. It shows that all the strings controlling gains and losses are in the hands of a supreme being. He may award good fortune to one or take it away from another. Making use of the powers of observation and thinking bestowed on him by God, man can easily understand these facts. He will realise that had the real source of power not been in other hands, the group which once managed to attain ascendancy would never have allowed others to replace it. If man can learn such lessons, he will find divine nourishment in the rise and fall of nations. But whenever a community falls from grace and another community rises in its place, the members of the rising community entertain the misunderstanding that whatever happened to the previous community was the fate particular to that community, and that it was never going to happen to them.

It happens again and again that a community reaches a high level of honour and prosperity and thereafter faces decline. It is removed from the scene and in its place another community occupies the same position of honour and prosperity that the former community enjoyed. This event is a sign of God, which should remind man of His supremacy. It shows that all the strings controlling gains and losses are in the hands of a supreme being. He may award good fortune to one or take it away from another. Making use of the powers of observation and thinking bestowed on him by God, man can easily understand these facts. He will realise that had the real source of power not been in other hands, the group which once managed to attain ascendancy would never have allowed others to replace it. If man can learn such lessons, he will find divine nourishment in the rise and fall of nations. But whenever a community falls from grace and another community rises in its place, the members of the rising community entertain the misunderstanding that whatever happened to the previous community was the fate particular to that community, and that it was never going to happen to them.

It happens again and again that a community reaches a high level of honour and prosperity and thereafter faces decline. It is removed from the scene and in its place another community occupies the same position of honour and prosperity that the former community enjoyed. This event is a sign of God, which should remind man of His supremacy. It shows that all the strings controlling gains and losses are in the hands of a supreme being. He may award good fortune to one or take it away from another. Making use of the powers of observation and thinking bestowed on him by God, man can easily understand these facts. He will realise that had the real source of power not been in other hands, the group which once managed to attain ascendancy would never have allowed others to replace it. If man can learn such lessons, he will find divine nourishment in the rise and fall of nations. But whenever a community falls from grace and another community rises in its place, the members of the rising community entertain the misunderstanding that whatever happened to the previous community was the fate particular to that community, and that it was never going to happen to them.

God has blessed man with the powers of observation, hearing and thinking, so that he may learn lessons and, with their help, may understand the signs of God. But when a man does not utilize these powers for the purpose for which they were intended, then it inevitably happens that the sensitivity of his heart starts waning until his feelings become blunted; the seal of insensitivity is thus fixed on his heart and mind. Now, his position becomes that of one who does not see in spite of having eyes, does not hear in spite of having ears and does not understand in spite of having a mind; and in spite of being a human being, he loses his humanity. The human race began with the followers of Adam. Thereafter, when they fell into wrong ways, the prophets of God came to admonish them. Now those who reformed themselves on the advent of the prophets were saved and those who refused to be reformed were destroyed. Again the following generations forgot the vows of submission to God made to their prophets, and they suffered the same consequences as those of the later generations of Adam’s followers. Such a state of affairs has occurred again and again, so much so that the history of the greater part of the human race has become that of disobedience and the breaking of pledges.

God has blessed man with the powers of observation, hearing and thinking, so that he may learn lessons and, with their help, may understand the signs of God. But when a man does not utilize these powers for the purpose for which they were intended, then it inevitably happens that the sensitivity of his heart starts waning until his feelings become blunted; the seal of insensitivity is thus fixed on his heart and mind. Now, his position becomes that of one who does not see in spite of having eyes, does not hear in spite of having ears and does not understand in spite of having a mind; and in spite of being a human being, he loses his humanity. The human race began with the followers of Adam. Thereafter, when they fell into wrong ways, the prophets of God came to admonish them. Now those who reformed themselves on the advent of the prophets were saved and those who refused to be reformed were destroyed. Again the following generations forgot the vows of submission to God made to their prophets, and they suffered the same consequences as those of the later generations of Adam’s followers. Such a state of affairs has occurred again and again, so much so that the history of the greater part of the human race has become that of disobedience and the breaking of pledges.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment. Such people, thanks to their superior intellect, are in a better position to understand the message of Truth in all its profundity. But, history shows that they have invariably always been antagonistic to the prophet’s call, i.e. they utilize their mental talents to assign a wrong meaning to the message of Truth. For example, they declare a sign which had appeared on the strength of God’s intervention to have appeared by the force of magic, or, in order to disparage the prophetic movement, give it a political colour and say that such preachers are simply seeking power. As the general public are unable to analyse matters, such talk leads them into becoming suspicious of the Truth. But to raise such frivolous points against the messenger of Truth is a great crime. In this way, the leading lights of the day may be able to preserve their leadership, but it will be at the cost of the Hereafter. God is the Truth. So it is not proper for one who comes forward in the name of God to speak of anything other than truth and justice. If he does otherwise, he will lose the right to represent God and will be liable to be punished rather than rewarded by God. Moses was sent (by God) to both the Children of Israel and to the Pharaoh and his Copt community. At that time the Children of Israel suffered from many weaknesses. However, they basically supported Moses. Unlike them, Pharaoh and his community, (with the exception of a few) rejected him. Finally, after 40 years of attempting to propagate God’s command, Moses was commanded to migrate from Egypt along with the Children of Israel. He asked Pharaoh to allow the Children of Israel to leave the country, so that they might be able to pray to the one and only God in the open atmosphere of the desert (Exodus-16). Moses was the representative of Truth, but Pharaoh considered him to be merely practising magic and decided to overcome him through his own magicians.

Prophet’s are given miracles according to the mindset of their contemporaries. In ancient Egypt magic captivated the minds of the people, so Moses was given the miracle of magic. As planned by Pharaoh, on the occasion of the national festival, all their great magicians assembled. The magicians asked Moses whether they should perform their feat first, or whether he would like to start the proceedings. Moses asked them to demonstrate their magic first, and they accepted. This shows that a prophet never takes the initiative in taking action against his enemy. Till the last moment he gives his opponents the opportunity to open hostilities. When his opponents, in this way, have already taken upon themselves the responsibility of initiating action, at that time the prophet uses all the powers at his command to subdue them. Presenting the ideology of Islam theoretically, a prophet takes the first step, but he never takes the initiative when it could lead to an offensive action.

Prophet’s are given miracles according to the mindset of their contemporaries. In ancient Egypt magic captivated the minds of the people, so Moses was given the miracle of magic. As planned by Pharaoh, on the occasion of the national festival, all their great magicians assembled. The magicians asked Moses whether they should perform their feat first, or whether he would like to start the proceedings. Moses asked them to demonstrate their magic first, and they accepted. This shows that a prophet never takes the initiative in taking action against his enemy. Till the last moment he gives his opponents the opportunity to open hostilities. When his opponents, in this way, have already taken upon themselves the responsibility of initiating action, at that time the prophet uses all the powers at his command to subdue them. Presenting the ideology of Islam theoretically, a prophet takes the first step, but he never takes the initiative when it could lead to an offensive action.

Prophet’s are given miracles according to the mindset of their contemporaries. In ancient Egypt magic captivated the minds of the people, so Moses was given the miracle of magic. As planned by Pharaoh, on the occasion of the national festival, all their great magicians assembled. The magicians asked Moses whether they should perform their feat first, or whether he would like to start the proceedings. Moses asked them to demonstrate their magic first, and they accepted. This shows that a prophet never takes the initiative in taking action against his enemy. Till the last moment he gives his opponents the opportunity to open hostilities. When his opponents, in this way, have already taken upon themselves the responsibility of initiating action, at that time the prophet uses all the powers at his command to subdue them. Presenting the ideology of Islam theoretically, a prophet takes the first step, but he never takes the initiative when it could lead to an offensive action.

Prophet’s are given miracles according to the mindset of their contemporaries. In ancient Egypt magic captivated the minds of the people, so Moses was given the miracle of magic. As planned by Pharaoh, on the occasion of the national festival, all their great magicians assembled. The magicians asked Moses whether they should perform their feat first, or whether he would like to start the proceedings. Moses asked them to demonstrate their magic first, and they accepted. This shows that a prophet never takes the initiative in taking action against his enemy. Till the last moment he gives his opponents the opportunity to open hostilities. When his opponents, in this way, have already taken upon themselves the responsibility of initiating action, at that time the prophet uses all the powers at his command to subdue them. Presenting the ideology of Islam theoretically, a prophet takes the first step, but he never takes the initiative when it could lead to an offensive action.

In Egypt, the mission of Moses continued for about forty years. This competition with the magicians took place in the last stage of this period. We can imagine from this that the magicians must have been aware of Moses’ message. However, the veil covering their eyes had not fallen away. When they saw Moses’ superiority in the field in which they specialised, then all the veils were torn apart. They could see that this was not a case of magic but of Divine prophethood. They voluntarily and spontaneously prostrated themselves before God. When the sticks and ropes were thrown down by the magicians, they appeared to the people to be moving snakes, due to an optical illusion. But when Moses’ staff turned into a snake and started moving along the ground, the magician’s sticks and ropes turned back into sticks and ropes. The magicians knew the limits of magic. In this event, the magicians realised actually how insignificant were man’s devices, even in their most perfect forms, and how Great and all-Powerful was God. Thereafter, Pharaoh—with all his authority—appeared valueless to them. The same magicians who, before witnessing God’s greatness, were desirous of rewards from Pharaoh, ignored Pharaoh’s threat of the worst punishment as if it were of no account.

In Egypt, the mission of Moses continued for about forty years. This competition with the magicians took place in the last stage of this period. We can imagine from this that the magicians must have been aware of Moses’ message. However, the veil covering their eyes had not fallen away. When they saw Moses’ superiority in the field in which they specialised, then all the veils were torn apart. They could see that this was not a case of magic but of Divine prophethood. They voluntarily and spontaneously prostrated themselves before God. When the sticks and ropes were thrown down by the magicians, they appeared to the people to be moving snakes, due to an optical illusion. But when Moses’ staff turned into a snake and started moving along the ground, the magician’s sticks and ropes turned back into sticks and ropes. The magicians knew the limits of magic. In this event, the magicians realised actually how insignificant were man’s devices, even in their most perfect forms, and how Great and all-Powerful was God. Thereafter, Pharaoh—with all his authority—appeared valueless to them. The same magicians who, before witnessing God’s greatness, were desirous of rewards from Pharaoh, ignored Pharaoh’s threat of the worst punishment as if it were of no account.

In Egypt, the mission of Moses continued for about forty years. This competition with the magicians took place in the last stage of this period. We can imagine from this that the magicians must have been aware of Moses’ message. However, the veil covering their eyes had not fallen away. When they saw Moses’ superiority in the field in which they specialised, then all the veils were torn apart. They could see that this was not a case of magic but of Divine prophethood. They voluntarily and spontaneously prostrated themselves before God. When the sticks and ropes were thrown down by the magicians, they appeared to the people to be moving snakes, due to an optical illusion. But when Moses’ staff turned into a snake and started moving along the ground, the magician’s sticks and ropes turned back into sticks and ropes. The magicians knew the limits of magic. In this event, the magicians realised actually how insignificant were man’s devices, even in their most perfect forms, and how Great and all-Powerful was God. Thereafter, Pharaoh—with all his authority—appeared valueless to them. The same magicians who, before witnessing God’s greatness, were desirous of rewards from Pharaoh, ignored Pharaoh’s threat of the worst punishment as if it were of no account.

In Egypt, the mission of Moses continued for about forty years. This competition with the magicians took place in the last stage of this period. We can imagine from this that the magicians must have been aware of Moses’ message. However, the veil covering their eyes had not fallen away. When they saw Moses’ superiority in the field in which they specialised, then all the veils were torn apart. They could see that this was not a case of magic but of Divine prophethood. They voluntarily and spontaneously prostrated themselves before God. When the sticks and ropes were thrown down by the magicians, they appeared to the people to be moving snakes, due to an optical illusion. But when Moses’ staff turned into a snake and started moving along the ground, the magician’s sticks and ropes turned back into sticks and ropes. The magicians knew the limits of magic. In this event, the magicians realised actually how insignificant were man’s devices, even in their most perfect forms, and how Great and all-Powerful was God. Thereafter, Pharaoh—with all his authority—appeared valueless to them. The same magicians who, before witnessing God’s greatness, were desirous of rewards from Pharaoh, ignored Pharaoh’s threat of the worst punishment as if it were of no account.

In Egypt, the mission of Moses continued for about forty years. This competition with the magicians took place in the last stage of this period. We can imagine from this that the magicians must have been aware of Moses’ message. However, the veil covering their eyes had not fallen away. When they saw Moses’ superiority in the field in which they specialised, then all the veils were torn apart. They could see that this was not a case of magic but of Divine prophethood. They voluntarily and spontaneously prostrated themselves before God. When the sticks and ropes were thrown down by the magicians, they appeared to the people to be moving snakes, due to an optical illusion. But when Moses’ staff turned into a snake and started moving along the ground, the magician’s sticks and ropes turned back into sticks and ropes. The magicians knew the limits of magic. In this event, the magicians realised actually how insignificant were man’s devices, even in their most perfect forms, and how Great and all-Powerful was God. Thereafter, Pharaoh—with all his authority—appeared valueless to them. The same magicians who, before witnessing God’s greatness, were desirous of rewards from Pharaoh, ignored Pharaoh’s threat of the worst punishment as if it were of no account.

In Egypt, the mission of Moses continued for about forty years. This competition with the magicians took place in the last stage of this period. We can imagine from this that the magicians must have been aware of Moses’ message. However, the veil covering their eyes had not fallen away. When they saw Moses’ superiority in the field in which they specialised, then all the veils were torn apart. They could see that this was not a case of magic but of Divine prophethood. They voluntarily and spontaneously prostrated themselves before God. When the sticks and ropes were thrown down by the magicians, they appeared to the people to be moving snakes, due to an optical illusion. But when Moses’ staff turned into a snake and started moving along the ground, the magician’s sticks and ropes turned back into sticks and ropes. The magicians knew the limits of magic. In this event, the magicians realised actually how insignificant were man’s devices, even in their most perfect forms, and how Great and all-Powerful was God. Thereafter, Pharaoh—with all his authority—appeared valueless to them. The same magicians who, before witnessing God’s greatness, were desirous of rewards from Pharaoh, ignored Pharaoh’s threat of the worst punishment as if it were of no account.

To sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Truth amounts to bearing the final testimony to the Truth as the Truth. With the help of God, the magicians were enabled to make this sacrifice. The magicians, by offering themselves for the worst punishment, proved that their faith in Moses was not a matter of excuse or conspiracy, but a genuine acknowledgement of the truth. But, this supreme action of the magicians stung Pharaoh’s pride. Supporting Moses against him amounted to insulting Pharaoh before the whole community. So, Pharaoh was enraged at them. He, therefore, decided to take stern action against the magicians, as any haughty person in a position of power would do. Both the magicians as well as Pharaoh were defeated in the field of arguments. But the magicians, by admitting their defeat, became entitled to God’s eternal rewards, while Pharaoh made it a prestige issue. In order to satisfy his false egotism, he could do little but oppress truth-loving individuals and in the Hereafter be himself consigned to God’s eternal punishment. Pharaoh considered the question of acceptance or non-acceptance of Moses’ call as one involving his ‘permission’, while the magicians treated it as a ‘sign’ (from God). It is always the attitude of a haughty person that his opinion overrides arguments and proofs. Such people never receive inspiration to accept the Truth. At this critical juncture, the strength shown by the magicians was entirely due to God’s help, and the prayer which fell from their lips was entirely inspired. When a subject of God surrenders himself body and soul to God, he becomes so close to Him that he starts receiving special blessings from God. He utters such words as are God-inspired in the full sense. The magicians’ prayer, ‘Our Lord, pour patience upon us, and cause us to die in a state of submission to You,’ meant ‘We have entirely surrendered to You, O God. Now, we have done whatever it is in our power to do, and we leave the rest to You.’ When a subject of God prays like this from the bottom of his heart, certainly God is sufficient for him to solve all his difficulties.

To sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Truth amounts to bearing the final testimony to the Truth as the Truth. With the help of God, the magicians were enabled to make this sacrifice. The magicians, by offering themselves for the worst punishment, proved that their faith in Moses was not a matter of excuse or conspiracy, but a genuine acknowledgement of the truth. But, this supreme action of the magicians stung Pharaoh’s pride. Supporting Moses against him amounted to insulting Pharaoh before the whole community. So, Pharaoh was enraged at them. He, therefore, decided to take stern action against the magicians, as any haughty person in a position of power would do. Both the magicians as well as Pharaoh were defeated in the field of arguments. But the magicians, by admitting their defeat, became entitled to God’s eternal rewards, while Pharaoh made it a prestige issue. In order to satisfy his false egotism, he could do little but oppress truth-loving individuals and in the Hereafter be himself consigned to God’s eternal punishment. Pharaoh considered the question of acceptance or non-acceptance of Moses’ call as one involving his ‘permission’, while the magicians treated it as a ‘sign’ (from God). It is always the attitude of a haughty person that his opinion overrides arguments and proofs. Such people never receive inspiration to accept the Truth. At this critical juncture, the strength shown by the magicians was entirely due to God’s help, and the prayer which fell from their lips was entirely inspired. When a subject of God surrenders himself body and soul to God, he becomes so close to Him that he starts receiving special blessings from God. He utters such words as are God-inspired in the full sense. The magicians’ prayer, ‘Our Lord, pour patience upon us, and cause us to die in a state of submission to You,’ meant ‘We have entirely surrendered to You, O God. Now, we have done whatever it is in our power to do, and we leave the rest to You.’ When a subject of God prays like this from the bottom of his heart, certainly God is sufficient for him to solve all his difficulties.

To sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Truth amounts to bearing the final testimony to the Truth as the Truth. With the help of God, the magicians were enabled to make this sacrifice. The magicians, by offering themselves for the worst punishment, proved that their faith in Moses was not a matter of excuse or conspiracy, but a genuine acknowledgement of the truth. But, this supreme action of the magicians stung Pharaoh’s pride. Supporting Moses against him amounted to insulting Pharaoh before the whole community. So, Pharaoh was enraged at them. He, therefore, decided to take stern action against the magicians, as any haughty person in a position of power would do. Both the magicians as well as Pharaoh were defeated in the field of arguments. But the magicians, by admitting their defeat, became entitled to God’s eternal rewards, while Pharaoh made it a prestige issue. In order to satisfy his false egotism, he could do little but oppress truth-loving individuals and in the Hereafter be himself consigned to God’s eternal punishment. Pharaoh considered the question of acceptance or non-acceptance of Moses’ call as one involving his ‘permission’, while the magicians treated it as a ‘sign’ (from God). It is always the attitude of a haughty person that his opinion overrides arguments and proofs. Such people never receive inspiration to accept the Truth. At this critical juncture, the strength shown by the magicians was entirely due to God’s help, and the prayer which fell from their lips was entirely inspired. When a subject of God surrenders himself body and soul to God, he becomes so close to Him that he starts receiving special blessings from God. He utters such words as are God-inspired in the full sense. The magicians’ prayer, ‘Our Lord, pour patience upon us, and cause us to die in a state of submission to You,’ meant ‘We have entirely surrendered to You, O God. Now, we have done whatever it is in our power to do, and we leave the rest to You.’ When a subject of God prays like this from the bottom of his heart, certainly God is sufficient for him to solve all his difficulties.

To sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Truth amounts to bearing the final testimony to the Truth as the Truth. With the help of God, the magicians were enabled to make this sacrifice. The magicians, by offering themselves for the worst punishment, proved that their faith in Moses was not a matter of excuse or conspiracy, but a genuine acknowledgement of the truth. But, this supreme action of the magicians stung Pharaoh’s pride. Supporting Moses against him amounted to insulting Pharaoh before the whole community. So, Pharaoh was enraged at them. He, therefore, decided to take stern action against the magicians, as any haughty person in a position of power would do. Both the magicians as well as Pharaoh were defeated in the field of arguments. But the magicians, by admitting their defeat, became entitled to God’s eternal rewards, while Pharaoh made it a prestige issue. In order to satisfy his false egotism, he could do little but oppress truth-loving individuals and in the Hereafter be himself consigned to God’s eternal punishment. Pharaoh considered the question of acceptance or non-acceptance of Moses’ call as one involving his ‘permission’, while the magicians treated it as a ‘sign’ (from God). It is always the attitude of a haughty person that his opinion overrides arguments and proofs. Such people never receive inspiration to accept the Truth. At this critical juncture, the strength shown by the magicians was entirely due to God’s help, and the prayer which fell from their lips was entirely inspired. When a subject of God surrenders himself body and soul to God, he becomes so close to Him that he starts receiving special blessings from God. He utters such words as are God-inspired in the full sense. The magicians’ prayer, ‘Our Lord, pour patience upon us, and cause us to die in a state of submission to You,’ meant ‘We have entirely surrendered to You, O God. Now, we have done whatever it is in our power to do, and we leave the rest to You.’ When a subject of God prays like this from the bottom of his heart, certainly God is sufficient for him to solve all his difficulties.

For the Children of Israel Pharaoh’s rule created a problem, and they asked their prophet to solve it for them. But the solution suggested by the Prophet was that they should turn towards God. This indicates the difference in the way of thinking of worldly leaders and that of the Prophet regarding communal problems. Worldly leaders seek the solution to such problems at the government level, either by way of compromise with the government or by a clash with the government. But the solution offered by the Prophet was that whatever was happening should be tolerated and God’s help should be solicited; without expecting anything from the powers that be, one should turn to God.

Then the prophet also explained why he was presenting a solution which was against the general way of thinking of the community; though these problems apparently stemmed from the ruling authority and were resolvable only by that ruling authority, the more important point for consideration was how power and authority came to be wielded. Nobody wields power simply as a result of strategies; power is bestowed or taken away directly by God. This being so, it follows that the solution to the problem also lies in God. Then, this power, regardless of whoever it is bestowed upon, is in fact a test for the recipient. In this world, being powerful is as much of a test as being powerless. Today, if one has received power, it is because he is being tested on whether he will become haughty and tyrannical, or will behave with justice and modesty. If empowerment is conferred upon others, even then the purpose will be to test others. If, due to its incompetence, one group has power taken away from it and handed over to another group, and if this other group also proves incompetent, power will likewise be taken away from it and given to yet another group. The prosperity and power for which a man pines in this world are in fact, assets that are attainable in the real sense only in the Hereafter: thus in the world these things are conferred on human beings solely to put them to the test, while in the Hereafter they will be given to the righteous people as rewards.

Then the prophet also explained why he was presenting a solution which was against the general way of thinking of the community; though these problems apparently stemmed from the ruling authority and were resolvable only by that ruling authority, the more important point for consideration was how power and authority came to be wielded. Nobody wields power simply as a result of strategies; power is bestowed or taken away directly by God. This being so, it follows that the solution to the problem also lies in God. Then, this power, regardless of whoever it is bestowed upon, is in fact a test for the recipient. In this world, being powerful is as much of a test as being powerless. Today, if one has received power, it is because he is being tested on whether he will become haughty and tyrannical, or will behave with justice and modesty. If empowerment is conferred upon others, even then the purpose will be to test others. If, due to its incompetence, one group has power taken away from it and handed over to another group, and if this other group also proves incompetent, power will likewise be taken away from it and given to yet another group. The prosperity and power for which a man pines in this world are in fact, assets that are attainable in the real sense only in the Hereafter: thus in the world these things are conferred on human beings solely to put them to the test, while in the Hereafter they will be given to the righteous people as rewards.

Words have necessarily to be used to pronounce a thing right or wrong or to label a man innocent or guilty. But, the user of the words is man and in this present world of trial, he has been given the power to use these words in any way he pleases. The most critical part of the freedom given to him is his having the ability to justify his calling the Truth falsehood or falsehood the Truth. He can classify as magic what is clearly a miracle wrought by a prophet, and then ignore it. If God gives him some blessing, he can express this in a way which suggests that whatever he received was due solely to his own capabilities and efforts. If God sends some warning as a punishment to him for his ignoring the Truth, he is free to say that it was due to the inauspicious presence of those very God-worshipping servants whom he had ill-treated and on whose account he had been sent that warning. Everything flows from God so that man should learn a lesson from it. But by using certain words, man gives the opposite meaning to every admonition and thus remains deprived of its inherent lesson. ‘Whatever sign you might bring, we will not embrace the Faith.’ This statement made by Pharaoh shows that in spite of the Truth being apparent in an abundantly clear and perfect shape, only that person becomes a recipient of it who is open to it. In other words, the reality of Truth reveals itself only to that person who is serious about the Truth; who has the inclination and willingness to receive and accept the Truth, wherever and in whatever form it is offered. Unlike him, one who is not serious about this matter; whose mental condition is such that he is satisfied with the statusquo will not be capable of seeing the Truth as such; so he will not be able to accept it. Being happy with the condition in which a man finds himself makes him unaware of the things outside himself; he is ignorant in spite of having knowledge; he does not hear in spite of having ears. Man will certainly find the Truth if his mind is free from negatively conditioned thinking. But, mostly people have been subjected to such mental conditioning and that is why the Truth eludes them.

Words have necessarily to be used to pronounce a thing right or wrong or to label a man innocent or guilty. But, the user of the words is man and in this present world of trial, he has been given the power to use these words in any way he pleases. The most critical part of the freedom given to him is his having the ability to justify his calling the Truth falsehood or falsehood the Truth. He can classify as magic what is clearly a miracle wrought by a prophet, and then ignore it. If God gives him some blessing, he can express this in a way which suggests that whatever he received was due solely to his own capabilities and efforts. If God sends some warning as a punishment to him for his ignoring the Truth, he is free to say that it was due to the inauspicious presence of those very God-worshipping servants whom he had ill-treated and on whose account he had been sent that warning. Everything flows from God so that man should learn a lesson from it. But by using certain words, man gives the opposite meaning to every admonition and thus remains deprived of its inherent lesson. ‘Whatever sign you might bring, we will not embrace the Faith.’ This statement made by Pharaoh shows that in spite of the Truth being apparent in an abundantly clear and perfect shape, only that person becomes a recipient of it who is open to it. In other words, the reality of Truth reveals itself only to that person who is serious about the Truth; who has the inclination and willingness to receive and accept the Truth, wherever and in whatever form it is offered. Unlike him, one who is not serious about this matter; whose mental condition is such that he is satisfied with the statusquo will not be capable of seeing the Truth as such; so he will not be able to accept it. Being happy with the condition in which a man finds himself makes him unaware of the things outside himself; he is ignorant in spite of having knowledge; he does not hear in spite of having ears. Man will certainly find the Truth if his mind is free from negatively conditioned thinking. But, mostly people have been subjected to such mental conditioning and that is why the Truth eludes them.

Words have necessarily to be used to pronounce a thing right or wrong or to label a man innocent or guilty. But, the user of the words is man and in this present world of trial, he has been given the power to use these words in any way he pleases. The most critical part of the freedom given to him is his having the ability to justify his calling the Truth falsehood or falsehood the Truth. He can classify as magic what is clearly a miracle wrought by a prophet, and then ignore it. If God gives him some blessing, he can express this in a way which suggests that whatever he received was due solely to his own capabilities and efforts. If God sends some warning as a punishment to him for his ignoring the Truth, he is free to say that it was due to the inauspicious presence of those very God-worshipping servants whom he had ill-treated and on whose account he had been sent that warning. Everything flows from God so that man should learn a lesson from it. But by using certain words, man gives the opposite meaning to every admonition and thus remains deprived of its inherent lesson. ‘Whatever sign you might bring, we will not embrace the Faith.’ This statement made by Pharaoh shows that in spite of the Truth being apparent in an abundantly clear and perfect shape, only that person becomes a recipient of it who is open to it. In other words, the reality of Truth reveals itself only to that person who is serious about the Truth; who has the inclination and willingness to receive and accept the Truth, wherever and in whatever form it is offered. Unlike him, one who is not serious about this matter; whose mental condition is such that he is satisfied with the statusquo will not be capable of seeing the Truth as such; so he will not be able to accept it. Being happy with the condition in which a man finds himself makes him unaware of the things outside himself; he is ignorant in spite of having knowledge; he does not hear in spite of having ears. Man will certainly find the Truth if his mind is free from negatively conditioned thinking. But, mostly people have been subjected to such mental conditioning and that is why the Truth eludes them.

Moses performed his prophetic mission in Egypt for about forty years. There were two parts of his mission—one, to give the message of the oneness of God to Pharaoh and secondly, to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, settle them in the Sinai Desert and give them religious training in that untainted atmosphere. The Children of Israel (the progeny of Joseph) at that time were in the the grip of the Copt ruler (Pharaoh). The Copts used to utilise them as labourers in their agricultural and construction works. So, the Copt rulers did not want the Israelites to leave Egypt. Initially, when Moses demanded that Pharaoh should allow the Children of Israel to leave Egypt along with him, Pharaoh and his courtiers gave his request a political colour and accused Moses of intending to remove the Copt from Egypt ( 7:110 ). This was absolutely meaningless, because Moses’s plan was to remove himself from Egypt. At that time Pharaoh and his companions had an inflated opinion of their power and that is why they saw even a straight proposition in a crooked way. But, in later stages, God subjected Pharaoh and his community to all types of calamities. For many years they had continuously to face famines; they had severe hail-storms with lightning and thunder; swarms of locusts invaded their country and ate up their crops and gardens and completely destroyed all greenery; lice so proliferated that clothes and beds became infested with them; and in the houses and on the pathways, frogs were hopping about everywhere; the water in the rivers and lakes became bloody. When Pharaoh and his community began to suffer these strange afflictions, they asked Moses to pray to his Lord to relieve them of these troubles, then they would allow the Children of Israel to leave with Moses. Moses’s demand, which had earlier appeared to the Copts as a political conspiracy to evict them, now appeared to them simply as a migration of the Children of Israel themselves.

Moses performed his prophetic mission in Egypt for about forty years. There were two parts of his mission—one, to give the message of the oneness of God to Pharaoh and secondly, to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, settle them in the Sinai Desert and give them religious training in that untainted atmosphere. The Children of Israel (the progeny of Joseph) at that time were in the the grip of the Copt ruler (Pharaoh). The Copts used to utilise them as labourers in their agricultural and construction works. So, the Copt rulers did not want the Israelites to leave Egypt. Initially, when Moses demanded that Pharaoh should allow the Children of Israel to leave Egypt along with him, Pharaoh and his courtiers gave his request a political colour and accused Moses of intending to remove the Copt from Egypt ( 7:110 ). This was absolutely meaningless, because Moses’s plan was to remove himself from Egypt. At that time Pharaoh and his companions had an inflated opinion of their power and that is why they saw even a straight proposition in a crooked way. But, in later stages, God subjected Pharaoh and his community to all types of calamities. For many years they had continuously to face famines; they had severe hail-storms with lightning and thunder; swarms of locusts invaded their country and ate up their crops and gardens and completely destroyed all greenery; lice so proliferated that clothes and beds became infested with them; and in the houses and on the pathways, frogs were hopping about everywhere; the water in the rivers and lakes became bloody. When Pharaoh and his community began to suffer these strange afflictions, they asked Moses to pray to his Lord to relieve them of these troubles, then they would allow the Children of Israel to leave with Moses. Moses’s demand, which had earlier appeared to the Copts as a political conspiracy to evict them, now appeared to them simply as a migration of the Children of Israel themselves.

Moses performed his prophetic mission in Egypt for about forty years. There were two parts of his mission—one, to give the message of the oneness of God to Pharaoh and secondly, to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, settle them in the Sinai Desert and give them religious training in that untainted atmosphere. The Children of Israel (the progeny of Joseph) at that time were in the the grip of the Copt ruler (Pharaoh). The Copts used to utilise them as labourers in their agricultural and construction works. So, the Copt rulers did not want the Israelites to leave Egypt. Initially, when Moses demanded that Pharaoh should allow the Children of Israel to leave Egypt along with him, Pharaoh and his courtiers gave his request a political colour and accused Moses of intending to remove the Copt from Egypt ( 7:110 ). This was absolutely meaningless, because Moses’s plan was to remove himself from Egypt. At that time Pharaoh and his companions had an inflated opinion of their power and that is why they saw even a straight proposition in a crooked way. But, in later stages, God subjected Pharaoh and his community to all types of calamities. For many years they had continuously to face famines; they had severe hail-storms with lightning and thunder; swarms of locusts invaded their country and ate up their crops and gardens and completely destroyed all greenery; lice so proliferated that clothes and beds became infested with them; and in the houses and on the pathways, frogs were hopping about everywhere; the water in the rivers and lakes became bloody. When Pharaoh and his community began to suffer these strange afflictions, they asked Moses to pray to his Lord to relieve them of these troubles, then they would allow the Children of Israel to leave with Moses. Moses’s demand, which had earlier appeared to the Copts as a political conspiracy to evict them, now appeared to them simply as a migration of the Children of Israel themselves.

Punishment was inflicted on the communities addressed by the Prophet because of their denial of the signs (ayat) of God. The believers in the Prophet on the other hand, were entitled to special succour from God, thanks to their patience in the face of all kinds of provocations from their contemporaries (the addressees of the Prophet) and their remaining steadfast on the path of God. By ‘signs’ is meant those arguments which establish Truth as Truth. But man, due to his egotism or pride is unable to accept them. Instead of paying full attention to the arguments presented to him, he diverts his attention to the preacher, the presenter of arguments. He fails to counter the arguments, but the person who is presenting them is not a historically established figure, neither is he covered in worldly glory, so the addressee finds it easier to ridicule the presenter instead of his arguments. He (the addressee) thinks that if he listens to the arguments, it will amount to making his status inferior to that of the preacher. Therefore, in order to maintain his pride and superiority vis à vis the dai, he refuses to acknowledge the superiority of the Truth. This is the real point on which man is being tested. In the present world, God reveals Himself indirectly in the form of signs and reason. In the Hereafter, He will reveal His Being directly, then no one will dare to deny Him. But only that faith is of value when it stems from man’s discovery of the truth when God is as yet unseen.

Punishment was inflicted on the communities addressed by the Prophet because of their denial of the signs (ayat) of God. The believers in the Prophet on the other hand, were entitled to special succour from God, thanks to their patience in the face of all kinds of provocations from their contemporaries (the addressees of the Prophet) and their remaining steadfast on the path of God. By ‘signs’ is meant those arguments which establish Truth as Truth. But man, due to his egotism or pride is unable to accept them. Instead of paying full attention to the arguments presented to him, he diverts his attention to the preacher, the presenter of arguments. He fails to counter the arguments, but the person who is presenting them is not a historically established figure, neither is he covered in worldly glory, so the addressee finds it easier to ridicule the presenter instead of his arguments. He (the addressee) thinks that if he listens to the arguments, it will amount to making his status inferior to that of the preacher. Therefore, in order to maintain his pride and superiority vis à vis the dai, he refuses to acknowledge the superiority of the Truth. This is the real point on which man is being tested. In the present world, God reveals Himself indirectly in the form of signs and reason. In the Hereafter, He will reveal His Being directly, then no one will dare to deny Him. But only that faith is of value when it stems from man’s discovery of the truth when God is as yet unseen.

The Israelites crossed the northern end of the Red Sea and reached the Sinai Peninsula. Then they travelled Southwards along the banks of the sea. During this journey, they witnessed a community engaged in polytheism. On seeing this, some of the Israelites demanded that Moses make an idol for them. The greatest weakness of man is to attach importance to appearances, thus becoming unable to devote his attention to the Invisible God. That is why he cannot detach himself from things which can be seen with the naked eye. The un-enlightened bow down before deities of stone and metals, while the civilized devote their attention to a particular personality or a community or a cultural structure, etc. When a group of Israelites asked Moses to make tangible idols, Moses replied, ‘All their devotion is going to be wasted.’ What he meant was that when his mission was to make people worship the one God, how could he possibly carve idols for his community? The Israelites were given superiority over all mankind. This ‘superiority’ is not used here in the racial sense, but refers rather to their mission. It conveys the same sense as the Quranic phrase “you are the best community” applied to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad. It is the way of God that He selects a community to become the bearer of the Book of God and, through this community, He conveys His message to other nations. In ancient times this office was held by the Israelites, but after the coming of the Final Prophet, this office was given to the Muslim community. The opportunity Pharaoh had of oppressing the Israelites was a test for the Israelites and not a punishment. Believers are subjected to such trials in order to shake them and awaken them by shock treatment. It thus becomes clear who are the people who turn away from the true religion of God because of having to face difficult circumstances and who are the people who can adhere strictly to God’s religion by exercising patience in times of adversity.

The Israelites crossed the northern end of the Red Sea and reached the Sinai Peninsula. Then they travelled Southwards along the banks of the sea. During this journey, they witnessed a community engaged in polytheism. On seeing this, some of the Israelites demanded that Moses make an idol for them. The greatest weakness of man is to attach importance to appearances, thus becoming unable to devote his attention to the Invisible God. That is why he cannot detach himself from things which can be seen with the naked eye. The un-enlightened bow down before deities of stone and metals, while the civilized devote their attention to a particular personality or a community or a cultural structure, etc. When a group of Israelites asked Moses to make tangible idols, Moses replied, ‘All their devotion is going to be wasted.’ What he meant was that when his mission was to make people worship the one God, how could he possibly carve idols for his community? The Israelites were given superiority over all mankind. This ‘superiority’ is not used here in the racial sense, but refers rather to their mission. It conveys the same sense as the Quranic phrase “you are the best community” applied to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad. It is the way of God that He selects a community to become the bearer of the Book of God and, through this community, He conveys His message to other nations. In ancient times this office was held by the Israelites, but after the coming of the Final Prophet, this office was given to the Muslim community. The opportunity Pharaoh had of oppressing the Israelites was a test for the Israelites and not a punishment. Believers are subjected to such trials in order to shake them and awaken them by shock treatment. It thus becomes clear who are the people who turn away from the true religion of God because of having to face difficult circumstances and who are the people who can adhere strictly to God’s religion by exercising patience in times of adversity.

The Israelites crossed the northern end of the Red Sea and reached the Sinai Peninsula. Then they travelled Southwards along the banks of the sea. During this journey, they witnessed a community engaged in polytheism. On seeing this, some of the Israelites demanded that Moses make an idol for them. The greatest weakness of man is to attach importance to appearances, thus becoming unable to devote his attention to the Invisible God. That is why he cannot detach himself from things which can be seen with the naked eye. The un-enlightened bow down before deities of stone and metals, while the civilized devote their attention to a particular personality or a community or a cultural structure, etc. When a group of Israelites asked Moses to make tangible idols, Moses replied, ‘All their devotion is going to be wasted.’ What he meant was that when his mission was to make people worship the one God, how could he possibly carve idols for his community? The Israelites were given superiority over all mankind. This ‘superiority’ is not used here in the racial sense, but refers rather to their mission. It conveys the same sense as the Quranic phrase “you are the best community” applied to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad. It is the way of God that He selects a community to become the bearer of the Book of God and, through this community, He conveys His message to other nations. In ancient times this office was held by the Israelites, but after the coming of the Final Prophet, this office was given to the Muslim community. The opportunity Pharaoh had of oppressing the Israelites was a test for the Israelites and not a punishment. Believers are subjected to such trials in order to shake them and awaken them by shock treatment. It thus becomes clear who are the people who turn away from the true religion of God because of having to face difficult circumstances and who are the people who can adhere strictly to God’s religion by exercising patience in times of adversity.

The Israelites crossed the northern end of the Red Sea and reached the Sinai Peninsula. Then they travelled Southwards along the banks of the sea. During this journey, they witnessed a community engaged in polytheism. On seeing this, some of the Israelites demanded that Moses make an idol for them. The greatest weakness of man is to attach importance to appearances, thus becoming unable to devote his attention to the Invisible God. That is why he cannot detach himself from things which can be seen with the naked eye. The un-enlightened bow down before deities of stone and metals, while the civilized devote their attention to a particular personality or a community or a cultural structure, etc. When a group of Israelites asked Moses to make tangible idols, Moses replied, ‘All their devotion is going to be wasted.’ What he meant was that when his mission was to make people worship the one God, how could he possibly carve idols for his community? The Israelites were given superiority over all mankind. This ‘superiority’ is not used here in the racial sense, but refers rather to their mission. It conveys the same sense as the Quranic phrase “you are the best community” applied to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad. It is the way of God that He selects a community to become the bearer of the Book of God and, through this community, He conveys His message to other nations. In ancient times this office was held by the Israelites, but after the coming of the Final Prophet, this office was given to the Muslim community. The opportunity Pharaoh had of oppressing the Israelites was a test for the Israelites and not a punishment. Believers are subjected to such trials in order to shake them and awaken them by shock treatment. It thus becomes clear who are the people who turn away from the true religion of God because of having to face difficult circumstances and who are the people who can adhere strictly to God’s religion by exercising patience in times of adversity.

Moses was given dawah commands in Egypt, while laws were communicated to him after he reached the Sinai desert. This shows the order of divine injunctions. In general situations, what is required of the believers is to rectify their personal life and live as true devotees of God, and along with this, they must invite others to accept monotheism and the Hereafter-oriented life. But when the believers acquire the position of an independent community and have the freedom to organize themselves as the Israelites did in the Sinai desert, then it becomes incumbent on them to establish their social life on the basis of the Islamic law. When Moses appointed Aaron as guardian of the Israelites in his absence, he said to him, ‘Take my place among my people: act rightly and do not follow the way of those who spread corruption.’ This shows the basic principle of shouldering one’s responsibilities as the head of the community.

Moses wanted to see God, but when he learnt that it was not possible to do so, he turned to God in repentance and reposed his faith in God, the unseen. Thus man is put to the test of believing in God without seeing Him. Seeing God is a reward reserved for the Hereafter, so how is it possible to see God in this present world? Moses received his first prophetic call on the mountainside. The next time he was again called to the mountain to receive the commands of the Torah. This is an indication that the best place to receive divine inspiration is the environment of nature rather than that of human society. Where man emerges from the hubbub of this noisy world of human beings and reaches the quiet world of the trees, mountains and rivers, he begins to feel himself closer to God. His mind is free from mundane problems; it is not preoccupied with worldly thoughts, so this is the best moment for him to think without any bias or complexes which might affect his thinking. Then he can be in true communion with God.

Moses wanted to see God, but when he learnt that it was not possible to do so, he turned to God in repentance and reposed his faith in God, the unseen. Thus man is put to the test of believing in God without seeing Him. Seeing God is a reward reserved for the Hereafter, so how is it possible to see God in this present world? Moses received his first prophetic call on the mountainside. The next time he was again called to the mountain to receive the commands of the Torah. This is an indication that the best place to receive divine inspiration is the environment of nature rather than that of human society. Where man emerges from the hubbub of this noisy world of human beings and reaches the quiet world of the trees, mountains and rivers, he begins to feel himself closer to God. His mind is free from mundane problems; it is not preoccupied with worldly thoughts, so this is the best moment for him to think without any bias or complexes which might affect his thinking. Then he can be in true communion with God.

A prophet is also a man like other men. He is not a supernatural creature. His only special characteristic is that he is successful in preserving his inborn abilities intact. Therefore he is chosen by God to become the bearer of His message and may be trusted to represent Him among the people. In this sense, Moses was the best person of his community. Therefore, God chose him as His prophet, and revealed His message to him. God’s revelation provides the necessary guidance for one’s life. But these divine messages come down in the form of words, and in the present world of trial, there is always the possibility of putting a wrong or distorted construction upon these words to suit one’s own desires. But one who is serious and sincere in this matter of guidance and fears God for His chastisement or censure, will be able to draw from those words the same meaning which God wanted to convey. Thus it is only one who is desirous of finding the True Path who will receive divine inspiration from God’s words. ‘Soon I shall show you the homes of the wicked.’ That is, during your journey you will pass through the ruins of those communities that had been destroyed. They had been given God’s guidance, but they transgressed in their ways. They could not stay strong and firm in their belief, for they failed to ignore the pressures of circumstances and succumbed to their own personal desires and ambitions. So they earned God’s displeasure and were destroyed. Likewise, if the Children of Israel also disobeyed God, they would meet the same fate. God is not partial to any community in the balance of Divine justice; there is no difference between one community and another. In this world one has the opportunity to interpret God’s words according to one’s own whims and fancies and even put distorted interpretations upon them. But this is the kind of insolence which places even those who profess to be obedient on the list of disobedient persons in the eyes of God.

There are two ways of leading one’s life in this world. One way is to keep one’s eyes and ears open. Then one can see things as they really are. When truth appears, one will recognise it, for lessons are sure to be found in the signs of God which are in evidence everywhere in the universe. The other way to lead one’s life is to have a superiority complex. One who has such a complex lives as if he is the owner of this world. He does not care for anything except for his personal interests. He thinks that all the good things he is receiving in this world are thanks to his own ability and his own efforts. Therefore, he does not consider others’ needs. This attitude on his part comes in the way of his recognising and accepting the truth. The former type of man is mentally receptive to his environment. With his openness of mind he can understand the relevance of God’s signs and loses no time in moulding himself accordingly. Unlike him, the latter type of man is not receptive to his environment because of his pride and self-righteousness. He is confronted with the truth but, attaching no importance to it, he ignores it. Nature sings its melodies in silent language, but he pays no attention to it. He is not inclined towards any form of truth, which is outside his own beliefs. The world of the Hereafter is not for people of this category. Just as he ignored the message of God in this world of trials, so will he be ignored by God in the eternal world of the Hereafter, while those of the former type will be bountifully rewarded by God. Treading the path of misguidance is the result of man’s following the desires of his own self. The path of guidance can be arrived at when one rises above the influence of the self and one’s surroundings: it is a path opted for purely for the sake of God. The self-centred person who appreciates nothing but the fulfillment of his own desires rushes headlong towards the path of transgression. The right path appears strange and alien to his temperament, so he will fail to follow it. One who feels himself to be superior finds it easy to accept any proposition which does not diminish his sense of superiority. But where he thinks he will not receive due importance, he becomes disinterested.

There was a clever man named Samiri among the Israelites. When Moses left for the mountain, leaving his people in the care of Aaron, Samiri started misleading them. He collected pieces of jewellery from the people and moulded them into the shape of a calf. The sculpting art of the ancient Egyptians was such that when air passed through it, a bellowing sound came out of the calf’s mouth. People are generally awed by strange things. So this ‘miracle’ of the calf led them to believe that there was something sacred about it and they began worshipping it. Thanks to Samiri’s engaging way of speaking, people started gathering around him. His influence increased to such an extent that he soon acquired a large number of followers, except for Aaron and a few of his companions. Nobody dared to openly protest against him. In the face of this mass following, even the protests of Aaron were not strong enough to sway the people and no other member of the community had the courage to speak up. This has always been the reaction of the public from ancient times to the present day. A clever person by his sheer eloquence may draw a huge crowd, even on some non-issue. The public who are attracted to trivialities which are unrelated to the facts do not have the ability to think deeply enough to analyse what is true and what is not. That is why they rally to the side of such a person, thus adding to his popularity and importance. And if anyone attempts to reveal the truth, he is simply ignored in the same way as Aaron was.

There was a clever man named Samiri among the Israelites. When Moses left for the mountain, leaving his people in the care of Aaron, Samiri started misleading them. He collected pieces of jewellery from the people and moulded them into the shape of a calf. The sculpting art of the ancient Egyptians was such that when air passed through it, a bellowing sound came out of the calf’s mouth. People are generally awed by strange things. So this ‘miracle’ of the calf led them to believe that there was something sacred about it and they began worshipping it. Thanks to Samiri’s engaging way of speaking, people started gathering around him. His influence increased to such an extent that he soon acquired a large number of followers, except for Aaron and a few of his companions. Nobody dared to openly protest against him. In the face of this mass following, even the protests of Aaron were not strong enough to sway the people and no other member of the community had the courage to speak up. This has always been the reaction of the public from ancient times to the present day. A clever person by his sheer eloquence may draw a huge crowd, even on some non-issue. The public who are attracted to trivialities which are unrelated to the facts do not have the ability to think deeply enough to analyse what is true and what is not. That is why they rally to the side of such a person, thus adding to his popularity and importance. And if anyone attempts to reveal the truth, he is simply ignored in the same way as Aaron was.

There was a clever man named Samiri among the Israelites. When Moses left for the mountain, leaving his people in the care of Aaron, Samiri started misleading them. He collected pieces of jewellery from the people and moulded them into the shape of a calf. The sculpting art of the ancient Egyptians was such that when air passed through it, a bellowing sound came out of the calf’s mouth. People are generally awed by strange things. So this ‘miracle’ of the calf led them to believe that there was something sacred about it and they began worshipping it. Thanks to Samiri’s engaging way of speaking, people started gathering around him. His influence increased to such an extent that he soon acquired a large number of followers, except for Aaron and a few of his companions. Nobody dared to openly protest against him. In the face of this mass following, even the protests of Aaron were not strong enough to sway the people and no other member of the community had the courage to speak up. This has always been the reaction of the public from ancient times to the present day. A clever person by his sheer eloquence may draw a huge crowd, even on some non-issue. The public who are attracted to trivialities which are unrelated to the facts do not have the ability to think deeply enough to analyse what is true and what is not. That is why they rally to the side of such a person, thus adding to his popularity and importance. And if anyone attempts to reveal the truth, he is simply ignored in the same way as Aaron was.

When Moses came down from the Mountain and saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, he held Aaron responsible for this, under the impression that he had neglected his duty as a reformer. Moses caught hold of him in anger but Aaron clarified his position and told him that he had done all he could to show them the right path. But they had not listened to him. So Moses checked himself, and started praying to God for Aaron. Many misunderstandings take place between believers, but after clarification they return to normalcy, just as if no misunderstanding had ever taken place.

When Moses came down from the Mountain and saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, he held Aaron responsible for this, under the impression that he had neglected his duty as a reformer. Moses caught hold of him in anger but Aaron clarified his position and told him that he had done all he could to show them the right path. But they had not listened to him. So Moses checked himself, and started praying to God for Aaron. Many misunderstandings take place between believers, but after clarification they return to normalcy, just as if no misunderstanding had ever taken place.

This action of the Israelites has been called false representation (iftira). Why was it so called? The reason is that they had committed this wrongful act in the name of Truth. Their case was not of the rejection of truth but of the exploition of Truth in order to gain material benefits. They used to justify such acts in religious terms. Like the polytheists, they said that God had become incarnate in the form of the idol they had made themselves, so they believed that worshipping it was as good as worshipping God. Moreover, Samiri also fabricated a dream, saying that in it he had seen Gabriel and collected a handful of earth from the footprint of his horse and put it in the statue of the calf, which caused a sound to come from its mouth. Samiri and his companions fabricated falsehoods and attributed them to God. Such action amounted to the making of false allegations (iftira) about God. When the People of the Book indulge in such irreligious acts in the name of religion, they incur the wrath of God. Such people are punished not only in the Hereafter but also in this life. As for the Israelites, Moses instructed the leaders of each tribe to find out those who were initially responsible for this wrongdoing. The guilty were thus caught and put to death by their own tribesmen. Only those who, greatly ashamed of their actions, admitted their guilt and sincerely repented, were not punished. The Israelites were punished for their wrongdoing by their own people. However, such punishment is sometimes meted out by other people or communities, especially when they can also inflict humiliation or ignominy. Being truly ashamed of sin is the real essence of repentance (tawbah). This strong feeling of shame is a guarantee that the individual resolves in the innermost recesses of his heart that he will never indulge in such an act in future. When a sinner displays this feeling of shame and proves his determination never to repeat the act in question, it is as if he has embraced the faith afresh. After a period of backsliding, he re-enters the fold of God’s religion.

This action of the Israelites has been called false representation (iftira). Why was it so called? The reason is that they had committed this wrongful act in the name of Truth. Their case was not of the rejection of truth but of the exploition of Truth in order to gain material benefits. They used to justify such acts in religious terms. Like the polytheists, they said that God had become incarnate in the form of the idol they had made themselves, so they believed that worshipping it was as good as worshipping God. Moreover, Samiri also fabricated a dream, saying that in it he had seen Gabriel and collected a handful of earth from the footprint of his horse and put it in the statue of the calf, which caused a sound to come from its mouth. Samiri and his companions fabricated falsehoods and attributed them to God. Such action amounted to the making of false allegations (iftira) about God. When the People of the Book indulge in such irreligious acts in the name of religion, they incur the wrath of God. Such people are punished not only in the Hereafter but also in this life. As for the Israelites, Moses instructed the leaders of each tribe to find out those who were initially responsible for this wrongdoing. The guilty were thus caught and put to death by their own tribesmen. Only those who, greatly ashamed of their actions, admitted their guilt and sincerely repented, were not punished. The Israelites were punished for their wrongdoing by their own people. However, such punishment is sometimes meted out by other people or communities, especially when they can also inflict humiliation or ignominy. Being truly ashamed of sin is the real essence of repentance (tawbah). This strong feeling of shame is a guarantee that the individual resolves in the innermost recesses of his heart that he will never indulge in such an act in future. When a sinner displays this feeling of shame and proves his determination never to repeat the act in question, it is as if he has embraced the faith afresh. After a period of backsliding, he re-enters the fold of God’s religion.

The Book of God is one of guidance and grace. It is the best guide for man in the life of this world and a certain source of God’s grace in the Hereafter. But the Book of God can benefit only those who fear God, who constantly think of how their fate will be decided by God. These are the people who are the real seekers after Truth. So when the Truth comes before them, they accept it without suffering from any psychological complexes. God becomes the centre of their hopes and fears. Their lives and their possessions are all then devoted to God. Their fear of God awakens their consciousness. All barriers are removed from their eyes. They do not fail to recognize God’s signs when these appear before them. In short, they live in fear and not in contentment and complacency.

The making of a calf by the Israelites for the purposes of worship revealed that they did not have that conviction and faith in God that they should have had. So they were called by God to Mount Sinai to which Moses, along with seventy representatives of the Children of Israel, once again went at the appointed time. There God created conditions by means of thunder, lightning and earthquakes such as made them turn to God in total submission. The Children of Israel cried and wailed before God and repented collectively. They vowed that they would truly carry out the commandments of the Torah. On this occasion, Moses prayed, ‘O, my Lord, ordain for us good in this world and in the Hereafter.’ God said, ‘I inflict My punishment on whomsoever I will and My mercy embraces all things.’ Moses’ prayer was for his entire community, in general, but in His reply God made it clear that salvation and success did not depend on belonging to any particular community. This would be decided in respect of every individual on the basis of his deeds. God is the most merciful, yet one who does not perform righteous deeds cannot escape God’s chastisement, irrespective of his belonging to any special group

The making of a calf by the Israelites for the purposes of worship revealed that they did not have that conviction and faith in God that they should have had. So they were called by God to Mount Sinai to which Moses, along with seventy representatives of the Children of Israel, once again went at the appointed time. There God created conditions by means of thunder, lightning and earthquakes such as made them turn to God in total submission. The Children of Israel cried and wailed before God and repented collectively. They vowed that they would truly carry out the commandments of the Torah. On this occasion, Moses prayed, ‘O, my Lord, ordain for us good in this world and in the Hereafter.’ God said, ‘I inflict My punishment on whomsoever I will and My mercy embraces all things.’ Moses’ prayer was for his entire community, in general, but in His reply God made it clear that salvation and success did not depend on belonging to any particular community. This would be decided in respect of every individual on the basis of his deeds. God is the most merciful, yet one who does not perform righteous deeds cannot escape God’s chastisement, irrespective of his belonging to any special group

To the knowledge of the Israelites, whatever prophets had come, had all without exception been from their own community. Now, according to God’s plan the last prophet was to be appointed from the Children of Isma‘il, a fact which God had already conveyed to the Israelites through their prophets. They were given these tidings, so that when the last prophet appeared, they should not have to undergo any great trial, but be able to recognize him readily and rally to his cause. Many predictions on this subject are still extant in their Books. The Prophet Muhammad was unlettered, so that no one might doubt his credibility. If he had been educated, people would have had their doubts that he had invented everything himself, while attributing it to God. Furthermore, according to Jewish tradition, it was predicted in the scriptures that the Final Prophet would be unlettered, so that people would have no difficulty in recognizing him as a prophet of God. The real spirit of religion is the fear of God and concern for the Hereafter. But in the later generations (of a prophet or a reformer) when the inner spirit became less ardent, and the utmost importance was attached to the form, the Prophet Muhammad brought the pure religion, free of all human additions and interpolations. When a prophet appears, the greatest virtue lies in believing in him. But this Faith does not simply mean reciting a few words as if performing a ritual. It, in fact, amounts to abandoning the soulless structure of rituals in favour of a living religion, having direct appeal to human nature. Man’s links with the former religious structure rest simply on the strength of historical traditions and racial customs. But when he accepts a new religion (of a new prophet) it involves a conscious decision on his part. He leaves behind him soulless rituals and opts for the reality. This appears to be a simple matter, but this has proved to be the most difficult step to take in every age. (That is, people find it most difficult to see beyond appearances).

‘Say, “People, I am God’s Messenger to you all,”’ does not mean that all other prophets were sent to their own community while the Prophet Muhammad was sent to all the nations. This statement is not meant to compare one prophet with any other, but is simply a statement of fact. In fact, the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad has two distinct aspects. One is direct and the other through his community, the ‘ummah’. He was sent to convey the divine message directly to people living in Arabia ( 6:92 ) and he was to convey the message indirectly to the whole world ( 22:78 ). In principle, this was the nature of the task assigned to all the prophets of God. But the religion brought by other prophets did not remain in its original, pristine condition, hence it was not possible for them to become the givers of good tidings or to warn the people of the consequences of their actions in the life to come, that being the main duty of a prophet. About the Arab Prophet there is a prediction in the Bible that all the tribes of the earth will be blessed through him (Genesis, Ch. 12 ) It has been possible for his blessings to reach all nations because the religion brought by him has been preserved in its original state. The religion brought by Moses and Jesus Christ has been distorted. Therefore, its voice may reach everybody, but its blessings will not. A number of Jewish tribes were settled in Arabia, who were proud of having God’s holy Book. Such people resist accepting any external truth. Their feeling that they are in possession of the greatest Truth hinders them from accepting any Truth brought to them by any other. The large majority of the Jews were blinded by obstinacy and prejudice, except for a few people like ‘Abdullah ibn Salam, who could look upon Islam with an open mind. They vouched for its veracity without caring for their worldly honour and surrendered themselves wholeheartedly to it. ‘The unlettered prophet who believes in God and His words.’ This statement indicates the difference between the philosopher’s concept of God and the prophet’s concept of God. The philosopher’s God is an abstract spirit. Accepting Him is like accepting the force of gravity in the universe. But the force of gravity neither speaks nor gives commands, whereas the God of the prophet is a living and conscious God. He speaks to human beings; He commands His subjects and decides on reward or punishment on the basis of obedience or disobedience to His commands.

‘Say, “People, I am God’s Messenger to you all,”’ does not mean that all other prophets were sent to their own community while the Prophet Muhammad was sent to all the nations. This statement is not meant to compare one prophet with any other, but is simply a statement of fact. In fact, the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad has two distinct aspects. One is direct and the other through his community, the ‘ummah’. He was sent to convey the divine message directly to people living in Arabia ( 6:92 ) and he was to convey the message indirectly to the whole world ( 22:78 ). In principle, this was the nature of the task assigned to all the prophets of God. But the religion brought by other prophets did not remain in its original, pristine condition, hence it was not possible for them to become the givers of good tidings or to warn the people of the consequences of their actions in the life to come, that being the main duty of a prophet. About the Arab Prophet there is a prediction in the Bible that all the tribes of the earth will be blessed through him (Genesis, Ch. 12 ) It has been possible for his blessings to reach all nations because the religion brought by him has been preserved in its original state. The religion brought by Moses and Jesus Christ has been distorted. Therefore, its voice may reach everybody, but its blessings will not. A number of Jewish tribes were settled in Arabia, who were proud of having God’s holy Book. Such people resist accepting any external truth. Their feeling that they are in possession of the greatest Truth hinders them from accepting any Truth brought to them by any other. The large majority of the Jews were blinded by obstinacy and prejudice, except for a few people like ‘Abdullah ibn Salam, who could look upon Islam with an open mind. They vouched for its veracity without caring for their worldly honour and surrendered themselves wholeheartedly to it. ‘The unlettered prophet who believes in God and His words.’ This statement indicates the difference between the philosopher’s concept of God and the prophet’s concept of God. The philosopher’s God is an abstract spirit. Accepting Him is like accepting the force of gravity in the universe. But the force of gravity neither speaks nor gives commands, whereas the God of the prophet is a living and conscious God. He speaks to human beings; He commands His subjects and decides on reward or punishment on the basis of obedience or disobedience to His commands.

God took the Israelites from the polytheistic atmosphere of Egypt and settled them in the desert of Sinai. Here they were organised and divided into twelve groups. Each group had a leader and all were under the charge of Moses. Then, the Children of Israel were specially provided with all the necessities of life. Water was provided for them from mountain springs. For their food, ‘manna and quails’ were sent down and these were readily available to them right in front of their tents. For their regular settlement one entire city, Ariho, (in the Jordan valley) was given to them. God then advised them that He had arranged for all their necessities and that they should therefore desist from being greedy for the pleasures of the world and the flesh and should not rush towards unholy things; instead, they should adopt the way of contentment and gratefulness towards God.

Literally, ‘Enter the gate bowing down or kneeling down.’ The Jews were asked to enter their place of worship with humility and modesty and to worship their Lord; they were enjoined to remember the majesty and supremacy of God and admit their shortcomings before Him. But the Jews forgot the admonition of God. Instead of adopting the way shown by God, they followed a path devised by themselves in the name of God. They adopted the way of arrogance instead of treading the path of humility. Their utterances were not of gratitude but of insolence. When the Jews went to this extent in their wrongdoing, God withdrew His grace from them. They were surrounded by different kinds of punishments instead of God’s blessings.

Literally, ‘Enter the gate bowing down or kneeling down.’ The Jews were asked to enter their place of worship with humility and modesty and to worship their Lord; they were enjoined to remember the majesty and supremacy of God and admit their shortcomings before Him. But the Jews forgot the admonition of God. Instead of adopting the way shown by God, they followed a path devised by themselves in the name of God. They adopted the way of arrogance instead of treading the path of humility. Their utterances were not of gratitude but of insolence. When the Jews went to this extent in their wrongdoing, God withdrew His grace from them. They were surrounded by different kinds of punishments instead of God’s blessings.

It is a sin to do anything which God has prohibited. But to perform a prohibited act by attempting to legalize it through some trick amounts to adding insult to injury. By violating the rule of the Sabbath, the Jews had committed a double sin. Such people must suffer divine retribution; that is, they are deprived of the bounties which God has set apart for human beings alone. In this world such people fall from the level of humanity to the level of the animals.

It is a sin to do anything which God has prohibited. But to perform a prohibited act by attempting to legalize it through some trick amounts to adding insult to injury. By violating the rule of the Sabbath, the Jews had committed a double sin. Such people must suffer divine retribution; that is, they are deprived of the bounties which God has set apart for human beings alone. In this world such people fall from the level of humanity to the level of the animals.

This was the fate of those who contravened the rule of the Sabbath. But ‘God made them apes,’ does not mean that their faces became the faces of apes; it means that their character became ape-like; their hearts and thinking were like those of apes instead of human beings. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi). Now, man’s becoming an ape means that he becomes so insensitive after taking action again and again against the dictates of his wisdom and conscience, that any fine feelings are completely driven out of him. Whatever desire takes shape in his heart, he puts it into action. Whenever anyone comes into his ambit, he will attack his honour and property. If he has a complaint against anybody, he will immediately set about degrading that person. If he has any differences with anybody, he will start denigrating him. If he finds somebody to be an impediment in his way, he will immediately start fighting with him. A true man is one who applies the bridle of God to himself, and an ape is one who unrestrictedly starts doing whatever his base self asks him to do. Preventing others from doing evil is, in fact, a way of proclaiming that one has discharged one’s responsibility. So, when God’s scourge falls upon a group, those people who are extremely disgusted with evil, to the extent of becoming its preventers, are saved from this punishment. A human being is a creature into whom the Creator has infused intelligence and conscience. In a human being when some desire takes shape, his wisdom and conscience immediately becomes activated and the question arises as to whether the fulfillment of that desire is proper or not. In the case of an ape, however, there is no impediment between his wish and its fulfillment. Whatever comes into his mind he immediately does it. It is not necessary for him to think about his wish, nor need he be ashamed after pursuing it.

This was the fate of those who contravened the rule of the Sabbath. But ‘God made them apes,’ does not mean that their faces became the faces of apes; it means that their character became ape-like; their hearts and thinking were like those of apes instead of human beings. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi). Now, man’s becoming an ape means that he becomes so insensitive after taking action again and again against the dictates of his wisdom and conscience, that any fine feelings are completely driven out of him. Whatever desire takes shape in his heart, he puts it into action. Whenever anyone comes into his ambit, he will attack his honour and property. If he has a complaint against anybody, he will immediately set about degrading that person. If he has any differences with anybody, he will start denigrating him. If he finds somebody to be an impediment in his way, he will immediately start fighting with him. A true man is one who applies the bridle of God to himself, and an ape is one who unrestrictedly starts doing whatever his base self asks him to do. Preventing others from doing evil is, in fact, a way of proclaiming that one has discharged one’s responsibility. So, when God’s scourge falls upon a group, those people who are extremely disgusted with evil, to the extent of becoming its preventers, are saved from this punishment. A human being is a creature into whom the Creator has infused intelligence and conscience. In a human being when some desire takes shape, his wisdom and conscience immediately becomes activated and the question arises as to whether the fulfillment of that desire is proper or not. In the case of an ape, however, there is no impediment between his wish and its fulfillment. Whatever comes into his mind he immediately does it. It is not necessary for him to think about his wish, nor need he be ashamed after pursuing it.

When a great reward is given for the performance of a task, it follows that the punishment for non-performance of that task will be equally great. This is the case in respect of a community which has been made the bearer of the Holy Book. God had elevated the Jews to this status. So, besides being made promises of bounties in the Hereafter, they were granted extraordinary benefits in the world as well. But the Jews continuously indulged in disobedience, committing irreligious acts in the name of practicing religion. The result was that God deposed them from their elevated status. It was decided that so long as the world existed, they would continue to experience God’s punishment, and whatever was going to happen in the Hereafter would be further to that. This does not mean that till Doomsday, they would never have good fortune. As is clarified in these verses themselves, they would have intervals of good days, but such periods would themselves be a sort of divine curse on them, in as much as it would be an opportunity for them to indulge in more insolence and thus become liable for more punishment. This universal law of God was not solely for the Jews. It was applicable to even that later group which was raised, after the deposition of the Jews, to the elevated position of God’s witnesses. If Muslims find that they are being dominated by those who deny the truth and polytheists, and that their various groups have become scattered, then they must revert to God, because this shows that they have incurred God’s displeasure.

When a great reward is given for the performance of a task, it follows that the punishment for non-performance of that task will be equally great. This is the case in respect of a community which has been made the bearer of the Holy Book. God had elevated the Jews to this status. So, besides being made promises of bounties in the Hereafter, they were granted extraordinary benefits in the world as well. But the Jews continuously indulged in disobedience, committing irreligious acts in the name of practicing religion. The result was that God deposed them from their elevated status. It was decided that so long as the world existed, they would continue to experience God’s punishment, and whatever was going to happen in the Hereafter would be further to that. This does not mean that till Doomsday, they would never have good fortune. As is clarified in these verses themselves, they would have intervals of good days, but such periods would themselves be a sort of divine curse on them, in as much as it would be an opportunity for them to indulge in more insolence and thus become liable for more punishment. This universal law of God was not solely for the Jews. It was applicable to even that later group which was raised, after the deposition of the Jews, to the elevated position of God’s witnesses. If Muslims find that they are being dominated by those who deny the truth and polytheists, and that their various groups have become scattered, then they must revert to God, because this shows that they have incurred God’s displeasure.

During the time of Moses, Jews were given the commandments of God, the event having taken place at the foot of a hill. At that time such conditions were created that the Jews felt as if the hill was about to fall on them. This was to impress upon them that giving a pledge to God was a very serious matter, and that if they did not fulfil the conditions of the pledge, they had to remember that the other party to this pledge was that majestic Being who, if He so desired, could cause the hill to fall on them. At that time, there were many people among the Jews who were God-fearing and righteous in their deeds. But, later on, they gradually adopted the world as the goal of their life. They started accumulating wealth without having any scruples about its being legitimate or otherwise. Even then, they used to read the Holy Book, but by means of self-devised interpretations, they gave it such a colour that God Himself appeared to be supporting their rebellious way of life. Their insensitiveness increased to the extent that they took satisfaction in declaring, ‘We are a pious community; we are the progeny of prophets; God will forgive us in the name of His favourite subjects.’

This happens in the case of every prophet’s community. In the beginning, its individuals are God-fearing and pious. But in later generations, this spirit vanishes. They become just like other worldly people. Religion is still amongst them. The Holy Book is still read and taught. But all this is done in the context of a national heritage and not as a real fulfilment of a pledge to God. They proceed in the way of the world and in practice forget the Hereafter. Being completely unmindful of right or wrong, they make their desire their religion. At the same time they are proud of being the best of all communities. They are the members of the community of one who is God’s favourite; they are the inheritors of the Holy Book; by the grace of the belief in monotheism they shall certainly be granted salvation. But the truth is that man should hold fast to God’s Word; he should regularly say his prayers. And the sign of holding fast God’s Book and of having said his prayers sincerely is that he should have become a maintainer of peace and harmony (muslihun). Communion with God’s Book and God’s worship are what makes a man opposed to one who disturbs the peace.

This happens in the case of every prophet’s community. In the beginning, its individuals are God-fearing and pious. But in later generations, this spirit vanishes. They become just like other worldly people. Religion is still amongst them. The Holy Book is still read and taught. But all this is done in the context of a national heritage and not as a real fulfilment of a pledge to God. They proceed in the way of the world and in practice forget the Hereafter. Being completely unmindful of right or wrong, they make their desire their religion. At the same time they are proud of being the best of all communities. They are the members of the community of one who is God’s favourite; they are the inheritors of the Holy Book; by the grace of the belief in monotheism they shall certainly be granted salvation. But the truth is that man should hold fast to God’s Word; he should regularly say his prayers. And the sign of holding fast God’s Book and of having said his prayers sincerely is that he should have become a maintainer of peace and harmony (muslihun). Communion with God’s Book and God’s worship are what makes a man opposed to one who disturbs the peace.

This happens in the case of every prophet’s community. In the beginning, its individuals are God-fearing and pious. But in later generations, this spirit vanishes. They become just like other worldly people. Religion is still amongst them. The Holy Book is still read and taught. But all this is done in the context of a national heritage and not as a real fulfilment of a pledge to God. They proceed in the way of the world and in practice forget the Hereafter. Being completely unmindful of right or wrong, they make their desire their religion. At the same time they are proud of being the best of all communities. They are the members of the community of one who is God’s favourite; they are the inheritors of the Holy Book; by the grace of the belief in monotheism they shall certainly be granted salvation. But the truth is that man should hold fast to God’s Word; he should regularly say his prayers. And the sign of holding fast God’s Book and of having said his prayers sincerely is that he should have become a maintainer of peace and harmony (muslihun). Communion with God’s Book and God’s worship are what makes a man opposed to one who disturbs the peace.

If an animal is separated from its father and mother and it is brought up in a strange atmosphere, even after growing up it retains the characteristics of its species. The way it behaves in all its dealings is rooted in its instinct. The same is true of the human being as regards his ‘God-consciousness’. In the soul of a human being the consciousness of a Creator and Lord has been instilled so deeply that he never loses it. However, there is one difference between animals and human beings. Animals are not capable of going against their nature. They are compelled to do whatever their inner nature urges them to do. But the case of a human being is different. This awareness is embedded in his nature, but he is completely free in the matter of action, even although his mind and his conscience start pointing out to him what is right and what is wrong. A human being has, therefore, the power and the option either to follow his inner voice, or to ignore it and start doing whatever he likes. It is on such occasions of moral choice that man is on trial and on the basis of its result, decisions regarding heaven or hell are taken. The one who lends his ears to the voice of God and does whatever He tells him to do through the silent language of ‘Nature’, passes the test. The doors of heaven (Paradise) will be thrown open for him after death, whereas one who ignores the voice of God speaking at Nature’s level, will be held guilty in the eyes of God and he will be ignored by God, just as he ignored God’s voice. This voice of inner nature is, in itself, evidence of the existence of God. Now, nobody has the excuse of ignorance and nobody can say that he is just doing whatever has been done since ancient times. Man brings the consciousness of God along with him from his birth. This consciousness remains preserved even with changes in his circumstances. In view of this, what excuse has anyone to follow the path of misguidance?

If an animal is separated from its father and mother and it is brought up in a strange atmosphere, even after growing up it retains the characteristics of its species. The way it behaves in all its dealings is rooted in its instinct. The same is true of the human being as regards his ‘God-consciousness’. In the soul of a human being the consciousness of a Creator and Lord has been instilled so deeply that he never loses it. However, there is one difference between animals and human beings. Animals are not capable of going against their nature. They are compelled to do whatever their inner nature urges them to do. But the case of a human being is different. This awareness is embedded in his nature, but he is completely free in the matter of action, even although his mind and his conscience start pointing out to him what is right and what is wrong. A human being has, therefore, the power and the option either to follow his inner voice, or to ignore it and start doing whatever he likes. It is on such occasions of moral choice that man is on trial and on the basis of its result, decisions regarding heaven or hell are taken. The one who lends his ears to the voice of God and does whatever He tells him to do through the silent language of ‘Nature’, passes the test. The doors of heaven (Paradise) will be thrown open for him after death, whereas one who ignores the voice of God speaking at Nature’s level, will be held guilty in the eyes of God and he will be ignored by God, just as he ignored God’s voice. This voice of inner nature is, in itself, evidence of the existence of God. Now, nobody has the excuse of ignorance and nobody can say that he is just doing whatever has been done since ancient times. Man brings the consciousness of God along with him from his birth. This consciousness remains preserved even with changes in his circumstances. In view of this, what excuse has anyone to follow the path of misguidance?

During the period of the Prophet Muhammad there was a man of great moral and intellectual distinction called Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt. When he came to know that there were predictions in the Holy Books of the Christians and Jews about the coming of a prophet, he felt that he himself was that prophet. Later, when he was informed about the claim to prophethood made by the Prophet Muhammad and he heard the fine discourse revealed to him, he was greatly disappointed, and became an opponent of the Prophet. The proper use of the superior qualities given by God to Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt would have been to recognise the Prophet of God and then become his companion. But because of the blessings of God already showered on him, he formed the idea that God should have showered the blessing of prophethood on him rather than on anyone else. He saw worldly benefit in the rejection of the Prophet of God while, on the contrary, acceptance of the Prophet would have led to benefit in the Hereafter. Had he gone in the direction of acceptance, he could have made the angels his fellow travellers. But when he walked the path of jealousy and pride, there was nobody except Satan to give him company. This example is applicable to all those people who ignore the Truth or refuse to accept it on the basis of jealousy and haughtiness. A man’s becoming like this amounts to falling down from the status of humanity to the status of a dog. A dog pants on good treatment as well as on bad. This is the condition of such a man. When God blessed him, he became arrogant and when He did not bless him, he still remained arrogant. Actually, he should have been grateful and obliged to God for His blessing, and when he did not receive some blessing, he should have reconciled himself to God’s dispensation and turned back to Him. God does not openly appear to guide people, He shows His way to the people by means of signs. Those who have the ability to recognize Truth as it appears in the shape of signs and arguments, and are ready to surrender to it, are the ones who avail of guidance in this world. And for those who do not attach importance to signs and arguments, there is nothing but eternal destruction.

During the period of the Prophet Muhammad there was a man of great moral and intellectual distinction called Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt. When he came to know that there were predictions in the Holy Books of the Christians and Jews about the coming of a prophet, he felt that he himself was that prophet. Later, when he was informed about the claim to prophethood made by the Prophet Muhammad and he heard the fine discourse revealed to him, he was greatly disappointed, and became an opponent of the Prophet. The proper use of the superior qualities given by God to Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt would have been to recognise the Prophet of God and then become his companion. But because of the blessings of God already showered on him, he formed the idea that God should have showered the blessing of prophethood on him rather than on anyone else. He saw worldly benefit in the rejection of the Prophet of God while, on the contrary, acceptance of the Prophet would have led to benefit in the Hereafter. Had he gone in the direction of acceptance, he could have made the angels his fellow travellers. But when he walked the path of jealousy and pride, there was nobody except Satan to give him company. This example is applicable to all those people who ignore the Truth or refuse to accept it on the basis of jealousy and haughtiness. A man’s becoming like this amounts to falling down from the status of humanity to the status of a dog. A dog pants on good treatment as well as on bad. This is the condition of such a man. When God blessed him, he became arrogant and when He did not bless him, he still remained arrogant. Actually, he should have been grateful and obliged to God for His blessing, and when he did not receive some blessing, he should have reconciled himself to God’s dispensation and turned back to Him. God does not openly appear to guide people, He shows His way to the people by means of signs. Those who have the ability to recognize Truth as it appears in the shape of signs and arguments, and are ready to surrender to it, are the ones who avail of guidance in this world. And for those who do not attach importance to signs and arguments, there is nothing but eternal destruction.

During the period of the Prophet Muhammad there was a man of great moral and intellectual distinction called Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt. When he came to know that there were predictions in the Holy Books of the Christians and Jews about the coming of a prophet, he felt that he himself was that prophet. Later, when he was informed about the claim to prophethood made by the Prophet Muhammad and he heard the fine discourse revealed to him, he was greatly disappointed, and became an opponent of the Prophet. The proper use of the superior qualities given by God to Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt would have been to recognise the Prophet of God and then become his companion. But because of the blessings of God already showered on him, he formed the idea that God should have showered the blessing of prophethood on him rather than on anyone else. He saw worldly benefit in the rejection of the Prophet of God while, on the contrary, acceptance of the Prophet would have led to benefit in the Hereafter. Had he gone in the direction of acceptance, he could have made the angels his fellow travellers. But when he walked the path of jealousy and pride, there was nobody except Satan to give him company. This example is applicable to all those people who ignore the Truth or refuse to accept it on the basis of jealousy and haughtiness. A man’s becoming like this amounts to falling down from the status of humanity to the status of a dog. A dog pants on good treatment as well as on bad. This is the condition of such a man. When God blessed him, he became arrogant and when He did not bless him, he still remained arrogant. Actually, he should have been grateful and obliged to God for His blessing, and when he did not receive some blessing, he should have reconciled himself to God’s dispensation and turned back to Him. God does not openly appear to guide people, He shows His way to the people by means of signs. Those who have the ability to recognize Truth as it appears in the shape of signs and arguments, and are ready to surrender to it, are the ones who avail of guidance in this world. And for those who do not attach importance to signs and arguments, there is nothing but eternal destruction.

During the period of the Prophet Muhammad there was a man of great moral and intellectual distinction called Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt. When he came to know that there were predictions in the Holy Books of the Christians and Jews about the coming of a prophet, he felt that he himself was that prophet. Later, when he was informed about the claim to prophethood made by the Prophet Muhammad and he heard the fine discourse revealed to him, he was greatly disappointed, and became an opponent of the Prophet. The proper use of the superior qualities given by God to Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt would have been to recognise the Prophet of God and then become his companion. But because of the blessings of God already showered on him, he formed the idea that God should have showered the blessing of prophethood on him rather than on anyone else. He saw worldly benefit in the rejection of the Prophet of God while, on the contrary, acceptance of the Prophet would have led to benefit in the Hereafter. Had he gone in the direction of acceptance, he could have made the angels his fellow travellers. But when he walked the path of jealousy and pride, there was nobody except Satan to give him company. This example is applicable to all those people who ignore the Truth or refuse to accept it on the basis of jealousy and haughtiness. A man’s becoming like this amounts to falling down from the status of humanity to the status of a dog. A dog pants on good treatment as well as on bad. This is the condition of such a man. When God blessed him, he became arrogant and when He did not bless him, he still remained arrogant. Actually, he should have been grateful and obliged to God for His blessing, and when he did not receive some blessing, he should have reconciled himself to God’s dispensation and turned back to Him. God does not openly appear to guide people, He shows His way to the people by means of signs. Those who have the ability to recognize Truth as it appears in the shape of signs and arguments, and are ready to surrender to it, are the ones who avail of guidance in this world. And for those who do not attach importance to signs and arguments, there is nothing but eternal destruction.

The Truth is a thing which a man has to discover by himself. God has given everyone a heart (mind), eyes and ears. Man arrives at the Truth by utilizing these faculties. The man who does not do so will be unable to discover the Truth, howsoever close it may be to him. Discovery of the Truth is the conscious and deliberate act of every man. Only one who has kept the doors of his heart (mind) open for the purpose, will be able to understand the Truth. Only one who has not covered his eyes with artificial veils will be able to see it. Only one who has not plugged his ears will hear its voice. Such people will recognise the voice of Truth and will surrender themselves before it. And one whose case is opposite to this will remain mindless like the animals. It will not be possible for him to be moved by even the weightiest of arguments. Flashes of God’s brilliant light will appear before him, but he will not be able to see them. The melody of Divine song will come to his ears, but he will be prevented from hearing it. Truth is available to those who are awake; for neglectful people, no truth is Truth.

The reason for man’s being misguided in respect of God is that, although he accepts His existence, he often frames a wrong image of God in his mind. He attributes some things to God which do not befit His glory. For example, imagining things as in the case of a human being, he formulates the idea of God’s close ones. Looking at Kings, he assumes the existence of deputies and assistants of God, just as there are regents and advisers of Kings. In the matter of God’s decisions, he assumes such things as fulfil his desires, but which are not in accordance with God’s justice. Attributing to God such matters as are not consistent with His Majesty and Glory amounts to distortion of the names of God. God does not seize a person immediately for his wrongdoing. In this way, he is given the opportunity either to take a lesson from God’s warnings and reform himself, or to become still more fearless so that his guilt becomes well-established.

The reason for man’s being misguided in respect of God is that, although he accepts His existence, he often frames a wrong image of God in his mind. He attributes some things to God which do not befit His glory. For example, imagining things as in the case of a human being, he formulates the idea of God’s close ones. Looking at Kings, he assumes the existence of deputies and assistants of God, just as there are regents and advisers of Kings. In the matter of God’s decisions, he assumes such things as fulfil his desires, but which are not in accordance with God’s justice. Attributing to God such matters as are not consistent with His Majesty and Glory amounts to distortion of the names of God. God does not seize a person immediately for his wrongdoing. In this way, he is given the opportunity either to take a lesson from God’s warnings and reform himself, or to become still more fearless so that his guilt becomes well-established.

The reason for man’s being misguided in respect of God is that, although he accepts His existence, he often frames a wrong image of God in his mind. He attributes some things to God which do not befit His glory. For example, imagining things as in the case of a human being, he formulates the idea of God’s close ones. Looking at Kings, he assumes the existence of deputies and assistants of God, just as there are regents and advisers of Kings. In the matter of God’s decisions, he assumes such things as fulfil his desires, but which are not in accordance with God’s justice. Attributing to God such matters as are not consistent with His Majesty and Glory amounts to distortion of the names of God. God does not seize a person immediately for his wrongdoing. In this way, he is given the opportunity either to take a lesson from God’s warnings and reform himself, or to become still more fearless so that his guilt becomes well-established.

The reason for man’s being misguided in respect of God is that, although he accepts His existence, he often frames a wrong image of God in his mind. He attributes some things to God which do not befit His glory. For example, imagining things as in the case of a human being, he formulates the idea of God’s close ones. Looking at Kings, he assumes the existence of deputies and assistants of God, just as there are regents and advisers of Kings. In the matter of God’s decisions, he assumes such things as fulfil his desires, but which are not in accordance with God’s justice. Attributing to God such matters as are not consistent with His Majesty and Glory amounts to distortion of the names of God. God does not seize a person immediately for his wrongdoing. In this way, he is given the opportunity either to take a lesson from God’s warnings and reform himself, or to become still more fearless so that his guilt becomes well-established.

A man with a mission is a man of principle. His thinking is unconditioned thinking. He has risen above all kinds of worldly interests. Truth becomes his sole concern. He sacrifices his life and property for a goal, which does not appear to yield any result in this world. That is why a man with a mission is called crazy, out of his mind. A prophet of God was the greatest man with a mission of his time. So, people in every age have called the prophets of God fanatics. To call a missionary of God’s religion a madman is the greatest of all transgressions, because the message with which he comes is one which is corroborated by the entire heaven and earth. He calls mankind towards God who is supremely manifest in His Creations in the Universe. He informs people of the Hereafter which, in heaven and on the earth, is equal in gravity to a full pregnancy in a woman’s womb. But people are not serious about the truth. So, a man who sacrifices his life for the sake of the truth appears mad to them. Had they known the real value of truth, they would never have used the word ‘mad’.

‘On which day will Doomsday occur?’ Questions of this sort are produced by non-serious minds. Only the sincere will believe in the Day of Judgement, without wanting to know the exact date of its occurrence. As this world is a place of testing, Doomsday will be indicated here in terms of caution and warning alone.

‘On which day will Doomsday occur?’ Questions of this sort are produced by non-serious minds. Only the sincere will believe in the Day of Judgement, without wanting to know the exact date of its occurrence. As this world is a place of testing, Doomsday will be indicated here in terms of caution and warning alone.

‘On which day will Doomsday occur?’ Questions of this sort are produced by non-serious minds. Only the sincere will believe in the Day of Judgement, without wanting to know the exact date of its occurrence. As this world is a place of testing, Doomsday will be indicated here in terms of caution and warning alone.

‘On which day will Doomsday occur?’ Questions of this sort are produced by non-serious minds. Only the sincere will believe in the Day of Judgement, without wanting to know the exact date of its occurrence. As this world is a place of testing, Doomsday will be indicated here in terms of caution and warning alone.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.

This vast universe itself introduces its Creator. This introduction in no case admits of the concept of polytheism. In the universe countless items or parts are found separately; but all these parts combine and become a harmonious whole. There is no contradiction or clash among them. This perfect harmony could not be possible unless the Creator and Lord of this universe were one and in control of its functioning. Look at the case of man and woman. Man and woman both are born as independent beings. But at the same time both are complementary to each other in the full sense of the word. This harmony is so perfect that each of them feels that he or she was created for the other. This is a most wonderful example of harmony in this world. This harmony is a clear proof that both the male and the female were created by one and the same God. Had there been more than one Being in action in the universe, this perfect harmony between two different and opposite entities would not have been possible.

But how surprising it is that in this world, where there are so many arguments in favour of one God, man makes polytheism his religion. By this miraculous harmony between two human beings, a child is born. Now some hold the belief that this has happened due to the blessing of some living or dead saint, some attribute it to certain supposed deities; some say that it was the result of some action and reaction between certain blind forces of matter, while others thought that it was the result of their own striving that had come to them in the shape of a beautiful baby. Behind the idols of stone or metal set up by polytheists is the ‘philosophy’ that these are external manifestations and in them their alleged god has become incarnate. By this token, the worship of these manifestations amounts to the worship of the god whom they are supposed to represent. However, at the level of the common people, polytheism takes the shape of people considering these idols themselves as holy. These idols are not capable of walking or talking or seeing or hearing, but superstitious man presumes they will be of use to him and will fulfil his needs.

But how surprising it is that in this world, where there are so many arguments in favour of one God, man makes polytheism his religion. By this miraculous harmony between two human beings, a child is born. Now some hold the belief that this has happened due to the blessing of some living or dead saint, some attribute it to certain supposed deities; some say that it was the result of some action and reaction between certain blind forces of matter, while others thought that it was the result of their own striving that had come to them in the shape of a beautiful baby. Behind the idols of stone or metal set up by polytheists is the ‘philosophy’ that these are external manifestations and in them their alleged god has become incarnate. By this token, the worship of these manifestations amounts to the worship of the god whom they are supposed to represent. However, at the level of the common people, polytheism takes the shape of people considering these idols themselves as holy. These idols are not capable of walking or talking or seeing or hearing, but superstitious man presumes they will be of use to him and will fulfil his needs.

However, this is not restricted only to known types of idols. This is the condition of all things—things which are given the status of objects of worship—from one’s native country and community to personalities, whether dead or alive, to whom those feelings are attached, whereas in reality, these feelings should be attached to the one and only God. All come into the same category (that is, it amounts to according them the status of God.) What is the reality of all these things? None has its own power; none of them has legs, hands or eyes of its own making. Every ‘leg-owner’ has been given a leg; if this limb is snatched away, he cannot make another leg again. Every ‘hand owner’ has been given a hand; if this hand does not remain with him, he cannot make another hand. Every ‘eye-owner’ has had an eye gifted to him; if this eye is lost, it is not possible for him to make another eye for himself. God alone is man’s Sustainer and Saviour. In this world He remains invisible but in the world of the Hereafter, He will reveal Himself, then man will see with his own eyes that it was God who alone was the provider and the sustainer of human beings. It was only because of his foolishness that he had attributed this to other supposed deities. These associates have no power of their own to take care even of themselves, so what can they do for others? It is God alone who helps His servants in this world and it is He who will also help His faithful servants in the world to come.

However, this is not restricted only to known types of idols. This is the condition of all things—things which are given the status of objects of worship—from one’s native country and community to personalities, whether dead or alive, to whom those feelings are attached, whereas in reality, these feelings should be attached to the one and only God. All come into the same category (that is, it amounts to according them the status of God.) What is the reality of all these things? None has its own power; none of them has legs, hands or eyes of its own making. Every ‘leg-owner’ has been given a leg; if this limb is snatched away, he cannot make another leg again. Every ‘hand owner’ has been given a hand; if this hand does not remain with him, he cannot make another hand. Every ‘eye-owner’ has had an eye gifted to him; if this eye is lost, it is not possible for him to make another eye for himself. God alone is man’s Sustainer and Saviour. In this world He remains invisible but in the world of the Hereafter, He will reveal Himself, then man will see with his own eyes that it was God who alone was the provider and the sustainer of human beings. It was only because of his foolishness that he had attributed this to other supposed deities. These associates have no power of their own to take care even of themselves, so what can they do for others? It is God alone who helps His servants in this world and it is He who will also help His faithful servants in the world to come.

Calling people to monotheism, the Hereafter, a virtuous life and justice is to call people to good (‘urf). That is, it is calling people to those good deeds, the goodness of which can be verified by reason. But people have found leading an upright life most difficult. The desire for immediate gain makes them opt for worldly gain. Very often they exploit religion to achieve their worldly interests. In such a state of affairs when the call for pure Truth is given to them, they are afraid that their interests will be affected so they oppose it with all their might. What should a preacher (da‘i) do in such a situation? The only right response from him on such occasions, is avoidance. That is, he should continue spreading the message without stirring up any clash or confrontation. If he fails to do so, ‘dawah’ will be turned into debate. His time and energies will be wasted in debating with his addressees. That is why, in order to preserve the purity of the call, it is essential that the da‘i exercise patience in all unpleasant situations and continue his work along positive lines. However, in this present world, no one is exempt from the attacks of self and Satan. What saves him on all such occasions is the fear of God. Fear of God makes one extremely sensitive. It is this sensitivity which is man’s greatest shield in this world of trial. Whenever any evil thought comes to his mind, or he is afflicted by a negative psychology, it is his sensitivity which immediately alerts him against it. Instantly his eyes are opened and he seeks God’s forgiveness and resolves never to commit such perverse acts again. On the contrary, those whose hearts are free from the fear of God are never on guard against Satan’s attacks. Satan leads them on and on to the pit of destruction without their ever being conscious of it. Sensitivity is man’s greatest shield. While insensitivity renders one defenceless against Satan’s attacks.

Calling people to monotheism, the Hereafter, a virtuous life and justice is to call people to good (‘urf). That is, it is calling people to those good deeds, the goodness of which can be verified by reason. But people have found leading an upright life most difficult. The desire for immediate gain makes them opt for worldly gain. Very often they exploit religion to achieve their worldly interests. In such a state of affairs when the call for pure Truth is given to them, they are afraid that their interests will be affected so they oppose it with all their might. What should a preacher (da‘i) do in such a situation? The only right response from him on such occasions, is avoidance. That is, he should continue spreading the message without stirring up any clash or confrontation. If he fails to do so, ‘dawah’ will be turned into debate. His time and energies will be wasted in debating with his addressees. That is why, in order to preserve the purity of the call, it is essential that the da‘i exercise patience in all unpleasant situations and continue his work along positive lines. However, in this present world, no one is exempt from the attacks of self and Satan. What saves him on all such occasions is the fear of God. Fear of God makes one extremely sensitive. It is this sensitivity which is man’s greatest shield in this world of trial. Whenever any evil thought comes to his mind, or he is afflicted by a negative psychology, it is his sensitivity which immediately alerts him against it. Instantly his eyes are opened and he seeks God’s forgiveness and resolves never to commit such perverse acts again. On the contrary, those whose hearts are free from the fear of God are never on guard against Satan’s attacks. Satan leads them on and on to the pit of destruction without their ever being conscious of it. Sensitivity is man’s greatest shield. While insensitivity renders one defenceless against Satan’s attacks.

Calling people to monotheism, the Hereafter, a virtuous life and justice is to call people to good (‘urf). That is, it is calling people to those good deeds, the goodness of which can be verified by reason. But people have found leading an upright life most difficult. The desire for immediate gain makes them opt for worldly gain. Very often they exploit religion to achieve their worldly interests. In such a state of affairs when the call for pure Truth is given to them, they are afraid that their interests will be affected so they oppose it with all their might. What should a preacher (da‘i) do in such a situation? The only right response from him on such occasions, is avoidance. That is, he should continue spreading the message without stirring up any clash or confrontation. If he fails to do so, ‘dawah’ will be turned into debate. His time and energies will be wasted in debating with his addressees. That is why, in order to preserve the purity of the call, it is essential that the da‘i exercise patience in all unpleasant situations and continue his work along positive lines. However, in this present world, no one is exempt from the attacks of self and Satan. What saves him on all such occasions is the fear of God. Fear of God makes one extremely sensitive. It is this sensitivity which is man’s greatest shield in this world of trial. Whenever any evil thought comes to his mind, or he is afflicted by a negative psychology, it is his sensitivity which immediately alerts him against it. Instantly his eyes are opened and he seeks God’s forgiveness and resolves never to commit such perverse acts again. On the contrary, those whose hearts are free from the fear of God are never on guard against Satan’s attacks. Satan leads them on and on to the pit of destruction without their ever being conscious of it. Sensitivity is man’s greatest shield. While insensitivity renders one defenceless against Satan’s attacks.

Calling people to monotheism, the Hereafter, a virtuous life and justice is to call people to good (‘urf). That is, it is calling people to those good deeds, the goodness of which can be verified by reason. But people have found leading an upright life most difficult. The desire for immediate gain makes them opt for worldly gain. Very often they exploit religion to achieve their worldly interests. In such a state of affairs when the call for pure Truth is given to them, they are afraid that their interests will be affected so they oppose it with all their might. What should a preacher (da‘i) do in such a situation? The only right response from him on such occasions, is avoidance. That is, he should continue spreading the message without stirring up any clash or confrontation. If he fails to do so, ‘dawah’ will be turned into debate. His time and energies will be wasted in debating with his addressees. That is why, in order to preserve the purity of the call, it is essential that the da‘i exercise patience in all unpleasant situations and continue his work along positive lines. However, in this present world, no one is exempt from the attacks of self and Satan. What saves him on all such occasions is the fear of God. Fear of God makes one extremely sensitive. It is this sensitivity which is man’s greatest shield in this world of trial. Whenever any evil thought comes to his mind, or he is afflicted by a negative psychology, it is his sensitivity which immediately alerts him against it. Instantly his eyes are opened and he seeks God’s forgiveness and resolves never to commit such perverse acts again. On the contrary, those whose hearts are free from the fear of God are never on guard against Satan’s attacks. Satan leads them on and on to the pit of destruction without their ever being conscious of it. Sensitivity is man’s greatest shield. While insensitivity renders one defenceless against Satan’s attacks.

Calling people to monotheism, the Hereafter, a virtuous life and justice is to call people to good (‘urf). That is, it is calling people to those good deeds, the goodness of which can be verified by reason. But people have found leading an upright life most difficult. The desire for immediate gain makes them opt for worldly gain. Very often they exploit religion to achieve their worldly interests. In such a state of affairs when the call for pure Truth is given to them, they are afraid that their interests will be affected so they oppose it with all their might. What should a preacher (da‘i) do in such a situation? The only right response from him on such occasions, is avoidance. That is, he should continue spreading the message without stirring up any clash or confrontation. If he fails to do so, ‘dawah’ will be turned into debate. His time and energies will be wasted in debating with his addressees. That is why, in order to preserve the purity of the call, it is essential that the da‘i exercise patience in all unpleasant situations and continue his work along positive lines. However, in this present world, no one is exempt from the attacks of self and Satan. What saves him on all such occasions is the fear of God. Fear of God makes one extremely sensitive. It is this sensitivity which is man’s greatest shield in this world of trial. Whenever any evil thought comes to his mind, or he is afflicted by a negative psychology, it is his sensitivity which immediately alerts him against it. Instantly his eyes are opened and he seeks God’s forgiveness and resolves never to commit such perverse acts again. On the contrary, those whose hearts are free from the fear of God are never on guard against Satan’s attacks. Satan leads them on and on to the pit of destruction without their ever being conscious of it. Sensitivity is man’s greatest shield. While insensitivity renders one defenceless against Satan’s attacks.

The Makkans used to ask the Prophet that if he was a Prophet of God why he did not bring miracles from God. It would indeed have been very easy for God to send His messenger with miracles. But if the Prophet had come with miracles, the real purpose of his coming would have been defeated. For instance, let’s suppose he was given a modern car with loudspeakers fixed to it in order to facilitate the communication of his message. One thousand five hundred years ago such a car would surely be a breathtaking miracle. Had this been so, people’s attention would have been diverted from the message. The real purpose of the coming of the prophet was that God’s word should serve to produce deep thinking in the people so that they might use their mental faculties to give deep thought to the words of God in order to purify their souls and establish contact with God. But given miracles, their attention would have been diverted, and they would have been lost in miracles instead of in God. True religion consists of paying attention to the word of God, in order to establish a profound relation with God. The devotee’s heart is softened. He becomes one who always remembers God. His heart and mind are overwhelmed with God’s majesty, making him truly modest and fearful of God. We are told to develop an angelic character in order that we may find the company of angels in the next life. When man frees himself from arrogance, he is so engrossed with God’s marvels expressed in creation that he cannot but remember God always from the innermost recesses of his heart. He attains the level of angels. The highest point for human achievement in his world is that, being a human being, one comes to develop an angelic character.

The Makkans used to ask the Prophet that if he was a Prophet of God why he did not bring miracles from God. It would indeed have been very easy for God to send His messenger with miracles. But if the Prophet had come with miracles, the real purpose of his coming would have been defeated. For instance, let’s suppose he was given a modern car with loudspeakers fixed to it in order to facilitate the communication of his message. One thousand five hundred years ago such a car would surely be a breathtaking miracle. Had this been so, people’s attention would have been diverted from the message. The real purpose of the coming of the prophet was that God’s word should serve to produce deep thinking in the people so that they might use their mental faculties to give deep thought to the words of God in order to purify their souls and establish contact with God. But given miracles, their attention would have been diverted, and they would have been lost in miracles instead of in God. True religion consists of paying attention to the word of God, in order to establish a profound relation with God. The devotee’s heart is softened. He becomes one who always remembers God. His heart and mind are overwhelmed with God’s majesty, making him truly modest and fearful of God. We are told to develop an angelic character in order that we may find the company of angels in the next life. When man frees himself from arrogance, he is so engrossed with God’s marvels expressed in creation that he cannot but remember God always from the innermost recesses of his heart. He attains the level of angels. The highest point for human achievement in his world is that, being a human being, one comes to develop an angelic character.

The Makkans used to ask the Prophet that if he was a Prophet of God why he did not bring miracles from God. It would indeed have been very easy for God to send His messenger with miracles. But if the Prophet had come with miracles, the real purpose of his coming would have been defeated. For instance, let’s suppose he was given a modern car with loudspeakers fixed to it in order to facilitate the communication of his message. One thousand five hundred years ago such a car would surely be a breathtaking miracle. Had this been so, people’s attention would have been diverted from the message. The real purpose of the coming of the prophet was that God’s word should serve to produce deep thinking in the people so that they might use their mental faculties to give deep thought to the words of God in order to purify their souls and establish contact with God. But given miracles, their attention would have been diverted, and they would have been lost in miracles instead of in God. True religion consists of paying attention to the word of God, in order to establish a profound relation with God. The devotee’s heart is softened. He becomes one who always remembers God. His heart and mind are overwhelmed with God’s majesty, making him truly modest and fearful of God. We are told to develop an angelic character in order that we may find the company of angels in the next life. When man frees himself from arrogance, he is so engrossed with God’s marvels expressed in creation that he cannot but remember God always from the innermost recesses of his heart. He attains the level of angels. The highest point for human achievement in his world is that, being a human being, one comes to develop an angelic character.

This chapter was revealed after the battle of Badr (2 A.H.). In this battle the Muslims were victorious and thereafter considerable spoils of war fell to their lot. After the battle a dispute arose over the distribution of the booty. All such quarrels go against the God-fearing spirit. The fear of God develops the psychology of responsibility in man. The attention of a believer is focussed on his duties and not on his rights. Instead of looking at himself, he should look towards God. His heart softens in obedience to God and His prophet. He becomes a praying and worshipping subject of God. He derives satisfaction from giving to people and not from snatching things away from them. These qualities create in man the attitude of realism and readiness to admit the truth. The inevitable result of realism and admission of truth is that all mutual quarrels vanish and if at all quarrels emerge incidentally, a warning given once is enough to set matters right.

This chapter was revealed after the battle of Badr (2 A.H.). In this battle the Muslims were victorious and thereafter considerable spoils of war fell to their lot. After the battle a dispute arose over the distribution of the booty. All such quarrels go against the God-fearing spirit. The fear of God develops the psychology of responsibility in man. The attention of a believer is focussed on his duties and not on his rights. Instead of looking at himself, he should look towards God. His heart softens in obedience to God and His prophet. He becomes a praying and worshipping subject of God. He derives satisfaction from giving to people and not from snatching things away from them. These qualities create in man the attitude of realism and readiness to admit the truth. The inevitable result of realism and admission of truth is that all mutual quarrels vanish and if at all quarrels emerge incidentally, a warning given once is enough to set matters right.

This chapter was revealed after the battle of Badr (2 A.H.). In this battle the Muslims were victorious and thereafter considerable spoils of war fell to their lot. After the battle a dispute arose over the distribution of the booty. All such quarrels go against the God-fearing spirit. The fear of God develops the psychology of responsibility in man. The attention of a believer is focussed on his duties and not on his rights. Instead of looking at himself, he should look towards God. His heart softens in obedience to God and His prophet. He becomes a praying and worshipping subject of God. He derives satisfaction from giving to people and not from snatching things away from them. These qualities create in man the attitude of realism and readiness to admit the truth. The inevitable result of realism and admission of truth is that all mutual quarrels vanish and if at all quarrels emerge incidentally, a warning given once is enough to set matters right.

This chapter was revealed after the battle of Badr (2 A.H.). In this battle the Muslims were victorious and thereafter considerable spoils of war fell to their lot. After the battle a dispute arose over the distribution of the booty. All such quarrels go against the God-fearing spirit. The fear of God develops the psychology of responsibility in man. The attention of a believer is focussed on his duties and not on his rights. Instead of looking at himself, he should look towards God. His heart softens in obedience to God and His prophet. He becomes a praying and worshipping subject of God. He derives satisfaction from giving to people and not from snatching things away from them. These qualities create in man the attitude of realism and readiness to admit the truth. The inevitable result of realism and admission of truth is that all mutual quarrels vanish and if at all quarrels emerge incidentally, a warning given once is enough to set matters right.

In Sha‘ban, (2 A.H.) the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, it came to be known that a commercial caravan of the Quraysh, carrying goods worth about fifty thousand guineas, was returning from Syria to Makkah. It was on a route which passed close by Madinah. It was feared that the Muslims might attack this caravan of their enemies. So, the chief of the caravan, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, sent word to the people of Makkah that they should rush to him with aid, otherwise the Muslims would capture the caravan. This news created a lot of fervour in Makkah. So, a troop of 950 horsemen (600 of them fully armoured) set out from Makkah for Madinah. The Prophet was also receiving all the news. Now the Muslims of Madinah were in between two groups—one was the caravan returning from Syria, and the other was the army advancing from Makkah to Madinah. One section of the Muslims had the idea that they should advance towards the caravan. Since this caravan had only 40 guards, it could be overcome and its goods captured. But God’s plan was different. In fact, God wanted to crush the strength of those who deny the truth rather than permit the Muslims to make some material gain. God, therefore, created special conditions and caused all the chiefs of the opponents to set out from Makkah and reach Badr, a place 20 miles from Madinah, so that they should finally perish forever after clashing with the Muslims. When the Prophet informed the Muslims of God’s plan, they all agreed and proceeded towards Badr. Their strength was only 313 and they were ill-equipped. But God gave them special aid, and they routed the army of the Quraysh. Seventy of their chiefs were killed and seventy were taken prisoner. The battlefield of Badr became the scene of Islam’s victory over the deniers of the Truth. Whenever it happens that there is material benefit on the one hand and religious benefit on the other, this division itself proves that God’s will and pleasure centre upon religious benefit and not upon material benefit.The target of Islamic effort is never the attainment of economic advantages. The purpose of Islamic struggle is always to break the strength of falsehood, either by ideological superiority or, through material power as dictated by the circumstances.

In Sha‘ban, (2 A.H.) the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, it came to be known that a commercial caravan of the Quraysh, carrying goods worth about fifty thousand guineas, was returning from Syria to Makkah. It was on a route which passed close by Madinah. It was feared that the Muslims might attack this caravan of their enemies. So, the chief of the caravan, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, sent word to the people of Makkah that they should rush to him with aid, otherwise the Muslims would capture the caravan. This news created a lot of fervour in Makkah. So, a troop of 950 horsemen (600 of them fully armoured) set out from Makkah for Madinah. The Prophet was also receiving all the news. Now the Muslims of Madinah were in between two groups—one was the caravan returning from Syria, and the other was the army advancing from Makkah to Madinah. One section of the Muslims had the idea that they should advance towards the caravan. Since this caravan had only 40 guards, it could be overcome and its goods captured. But God’s plan was different. In fact, God wanted to crush the strength of those who deny the truth rather than permit the Muslims to make some material gain. God, therefore, created special conditions and caused all the chiefs of the opponents to set out from Makkah and reach Badr, a place 20 miles from Madinah, so that they should finally perish forever after clashing with the Muslims. When the Prophet informed the Muslims of God’s plan, they all agreed and proceeded towards Badr. Their strength was only 313 and they were ill-equipped. But God gave them special aid, and they routed the army of the Quraysh. Seventy of their chiefs were killed and seventy were taken prisoner. The battlefield of Badr became the scene of Islam’s victory over the deniers of the Truth. Whenever it happens that there is material benefit on the one hand and religious benefit on the other, this division itself proves that God’s will and pleasure centre upon religious benefit and not upon material benefit.The target of Islamic effort is never the attainment of economic advantages. The purpose of Islamic struggle is always to break the strength of falsehood, either by ideological superiority or, through material power as dictated by the circumstances.

In Sha‘ban, (2 A.H.) the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, it came to be known that a commercial caravan of the Quraysh, carrying goods worth about fifty thousand guineas, was returning from Syria to Makkah. It was on a route which passed close by Madinah. It was feared that the Muslims might attack this caravan of their enemies. So, the chief of the caravan, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, sent word to the people of Makkah that they should rush to him with aid, otherwise the Muslims would capture the caravan. This news created a lot of fervour in Makkah. So, a troop of 950 horsemen (600 of them fully armoured) set out from Makkah for Madinah. The Prophet was also receiving all the news. Now the Muslims of Madinah were in between two groups—one was the caravan returning from Syria, and the other was the army advancing from Makkah to Madinah. One section of the Muslims had the idea that they should advance towards the caravan. Since this caravan had only 40 guards, it could be overcome and its goods captured. But God’s plan was different. In fact, God wanted to crush the strength of those who deny the truth rather than permit the Muslims to make some material gain. God, therefore, created special conditions and caused all the chiefs of the opponents to set out from Makkah and reach Badr, a place 20 miles from Madinah, so that they should finally perish forever after clashing with the Muslims. When the Prophet informed the Muslims of God’s plan, they all agreed and proceeded towards Badr. Their strength was only 313 and they were ill-equipped. But God gave them special aid, and they routed the army of the Quraysh. Seventy of their chiefs were killed and seventy were taken prisoner. The battlefield of Badr became the scene of Islam’s victory over the deniers of the Truth. Whenever it happens that there is material benefit on the one hand and religious benefit on the other, this division itself proves that God’s will and pleasure centre upon religious benefit and not upon material benefit.The target of Islamic effort is never the attainment of economic advantages. The purpose of Islamic struggle is always to break the strength of falsehood, either by ideological superiority or, through material power as dictated by the circumstances.

In Sha‘ban, (2 A.H.) the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, it came to be known that a commercial caravan of the Quraysh, carrying goods worth about fifty thousand guineas, was returning from Syria to Makkah. It was on a route which passed close by Madinah. It was feared that the Muslims might attack this caravan of their enemies. So, the chief of the caravan, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, sent word to the people of Makkah that they should rush to him with aid, otherwise the Muslims would capture the caravan. This news created a lot of fervour in Makkah. So, a troop of 950 horsemen (600 of them fully armoured) set out from Makkah for Madinah. The Prophet was also receiving all the news. Now the Muslims of Madinah were in between two groups—one was the caravan returning from Syria, and the other was the army advancing from Makkah to Madinah. One section of the Muslims had the idea that they should advance towards the caravan. Since this caravan had only 40 guards, it could be overcome and its goods captured. But God’s plan was different. In fact, God wanted to crush the strength of those who deny the truth rather than permit the Muslims to make some material gain. God, therefore, created special conditions and caused all the chiefs of the opponents to set out from Makkah and reach Badr, a place 20 miles from Madinah, so that they should finally perish forever after clashing with the Muslims. When the Prophet informed the Muslims of God’s plan, they all agreed and proceeded towards Badr. Their strength was only 313 and they were ill-equipped. But God gave them special aid, and they routed the army of the Quraysh. Seventy of their chiefs were killed and seventy were taken prisoner. The battlefield of Badr became the scene of Islam’s victory over the deniers of the Truth. Whenever it happens that there is material benefit on the one hand and religious benefit on the other, this division itself proves that God’s will and pleasure centre upon religious benefit and not upon material benefit.The target of Islamic effort is never the attainment of economic advantages. The purpose of Islamic struggle is always to break the strength of falsehood, either by ideological superiority or, through material power as dictated by the circumstances.

The battle of Badr took place under very critical conditions. Only 313 Muslims were pitted against about one thousand well-armed enemies. The Muslims were scantily armed. The enemies had already reached the venue of battle (Badr) and had captured a vantage point and the spring of water. Seeing this, the Muslims were beset by doubts that perhaps they would not be supported by God in the mission for which they had been sacrificing their lives. Had truth been on their side, God would not have helped the enemies on this critical occasion and all the favourable opportunities would have slipped from their grasp and passed on to their enemies. But at that time, Almighty God caused heavy rains to fall in the area of Badr. Muslims made ponds and stored the water. The enemy had deprived Muslims of the water of the land; God then arranged for them to have water from the sky. God furthermore blessed them with an extraordinary favour—that of sleep. Sleep is very necessary for a man to be refreshed, but the conditions in the battlefield are so terrible that it is impossible to have sound sleep. In spite of this, Almighty God blessed them with His special succour; on the eve of the battle, He made it possible for them to have sound sleep. In the night they slept free of all mental pressure and got up in the morning fully refreshed. Out of conditions which were causing Muslims to have misgivings, God created such possibilities that they developed new faith and a sense of self-reliance.

The battle of Badr took place under very critical conditions. Only 313 Muslims were pitted against about one thousand well-armed enemies. The Muslims were scantily armed. The enemies had already reached the venue of battle (Badr) and had captured a vantage point and the spring of water. Seeing this, the Muslims were beset by doubts that perhaps they would not be supported by God in the mission for which they had been sacrificing their lives. Had truth been on their side, God would not have helped the enemies on this critical occasion and all the favourable opportunities would have slipped from their grasp and passed on to their enemies. But at that time, Almighty God caused heavy rains to fall in the area of Badr. Muslims made ponds and stored the water. The enemy had deprived Muslims of the water of the land; God then arranged for them to have water from the sky. God furthermore blessed them with an extraordinary favour—that of sleep. Sleep is very necessary for a man to be refreshed, but the conditions in the battlefield are so terrible that it is impossible to have sound sleep. In spite of this, Almighty God blessed them with His special succour; on the eve of the battle, He made it possible for them to have sound sleep. In the night they slept free of all mental pressure and got up in the morning fully refreshed. Out of conditions which were causing Muslims to have misgivings, God created such possibilities that they developed new faith and a sense of self-reliance.

The battle of Badr took place under very critical conditions. Only 313 Muslims were pitted against about one thousand well-armed enemies. The Muslims were scantily armed. The enemies had already reached the venue of battle (Badr) and had captured a vantage point and the spring of water. Seeing this, the Muslims were beset by doubts that perhaps they would not be supported by God in the mission for which they had been sacrificing their lives. Had truth been on their side, God would not have helped the enemies on this critical occasion and all the favourable opportunities would have slipped from their grasp and passed on to their enemies. But at that time, Almighty God caused heavy rains to fall in the area of Badr. Muslims made ponds and stored the water. The enemy had deprived Muslims of the water of the land; God then arranged for them to have water from the sky. God furthermore blessed them with an extraordinary favour—that of sleep. Sleep is very necessary for a man to be refreshed, but the conditions in the battlefield are so terrible that it is impossible to have sound sleep. In spite of this, Almighty God blessed them with His special succour; on the eve of the battle, He made it possible for them to have sound sleep. In the night they slept free of all mental pressure and got up in the morning fully refreshed. Out of conditions which were causing Muslims to have misgivings, God created such possibilities that they developed new faith and a sense of self-reliance.

See note to 2:191.

At the time of confrontation what is required of the people of Truth is steadfastness. They should not be disheartened under any circumstances. The gift readily given by God in return for this steadfastness is the striking of terror into the hearts of the enemies of Truth, and nothing can save from defeat any such group as is terror-stricken by its opponents.

At the time of confrontation what is required of the people of Truth is steadfastness. They should not be disheartened under any circumstances. The gift readily given by God in return for this steadfastness is the striking of terror into the hearts of the enemies of Truth, and nothing can save from defeat any such group as is terror-stricken by its opponents.

When the clash between believers and those who deny the truth reaches the battlefield, it is a moment of reckoning for both the parties. If at that critical moment a believing individual or group, turns tail and flees from the battlefield, it amounts to committing the worst kind of crime. Such people consider it more important to save themselves rather than to defend the Truth. They do this when what is at stake is the life of that Truth which they have admitted as the greatest Truth and which they have embraced in all good faith. On such critical occasions, even a minor defection can cause a major debacle. One person’s or one group’s flight from the battlefield lowers the morale of the whole army. One person’s running away can finally turn into a mass stampede. However, the exception to this is when a soldier or an army unit retreats for some strategic purpose, perhaps to leave one front and join another. Retreat is undoubtedly an unpardonable crime, but when carried out on strategic grounds, it is legitimate. The aforesaid commandment originally relates to battle. However, other similar cases may also come within its purview. For example, a missionary may call people to engage in the peaceful and constructive propagation of Islam, but after some time, when he sees that his call is not very popular, he may lose patience and, abandoning the constructive approach, may rush towards that type of Islam through which fame and status among the general public can very soon become a reality. Running away from the battlefield occurs consciously and with intention. But ‘running away’ from the struggle going on outside the battlefield often takes place at the unconscious level. Man happens to be result-loving by nature. He likes to be admired for his work. He wants his work to be accepted and recognised. Such a temperament gradually removes him from the tasks from which an immediate result does not seem to follow. Barely conscious of the factors working within him, he is attracted towards such things as apparently give him the hope of immediate honour and success. Every deviation of this type is an example of what has been described in the above-mentioned verse as ‘running away from the battlefield.’

When the clash between believers and those who deny the truth reaches the battlefield, it is a moment of reckoning for both the parties. If at that critical moment a believing individual or group, turns tail and flees from the battlefield, it amounts to committing the worst kind of crime. Such people consider it more important to save themselves rather than to defend the Truth. They do this when what is at stake is the life of that Truth which they have admitted as the greatest Truth and which they have embraced in all good faith. On such critical occasions, even a minor defection can cause a major debacle. One person’s or one group’s flight from the battlefield lowers the morale of the whole army. One person’s running away can finally turn into a mass stampede. However, the exception to this is when a soldier or an army unit retreats for some strategic purpose, perhaps to leave one front and join another. Retreat is undoubtedly an unpardonable crime, but when carried out on strategic grounds, it is legitimate. The aforesaid commandment originally relates to battle. However, other similar cases may also come within its purview. For example, a missionary may call people to engage in the peaceful and constructive propagation of Islam, but after some time, when he sees that his call is not very popular, he may lose patience and, abandoning the constructive approach, may rush towards that type of Islam through which fame and status among the general public can very soon become a reality. Running away from the battlefield occurs consciously and with intention. But ‘running away’ from the struggle going on outside the battlefield often takes place at the unconscious level. Man happens to be result-loving by nature. He likes to be admired for his work. He wants his work to be accepted and recognised. Such a temperament gradually removes him from the tasks from which an immediate result does not seem to follow. Barely conscious of the factors working within him, he is attracted towards such things as apparently give him the hope of immediate honour and success. Every deviation of this type is an example of what has been described in the above-mentioned verse as ‘running away from the battlefield.’

It has been handed down in traditions that, when the battle of Badr was in full swing the words uttered by the Prophet, in prayer, were: ‘O, my Lord! If this class of people is killed, You will never be worshipped on earth.’ Helping believers is a responsibility borne by Almighty God. By His devices He renders ineffective whatever conspiracies their enemies hatch. He causes them to be overwhelmed so that the faithful may dominate. But when does this happen? This happens when the believers merge their will with that of God, in such a way that God’s will and their will become one and the same. When a subject of God aligns himself with God in such a way, whatever belongs to God becomes his, because he would have already given to God whatever was his. Before leaving for Badr, the chiefs of Makkah went to the House of God and, catching hold of the curtain of the Ka‘bah, prayed like this: ‘O, God help the better of the two armies; the more respectable of the two groups; and the better of the two tribes.’ At the battle of Badr, the chiefs of Makkah were totally defeated and the Faithful were completely victorious. So, by the very standard set by the chiefs themselves, it was proved that, before God it was not they who were superior and more honourable but the followers of Islam. In spite of this, they did not accept Islam. For those who conduct themselves in this way, there shall be grave punishment both in the Hereafter and in this world. ‘Bless with victory the side which is superior and the more honourable of the two.’ This was ostensibly a prayer, but in fact was an expression of boastful self-confidence. The rationale behind this was that they were the Trustees of the Ka‘bah; they were the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael. When they had such superior factors on their side, victory was bound to be theirs. But, before God, real value is attached to personal deeds and not to external connections. However great an external connection may be, it will be of no avail to anybody on Judgement Day.

It has been handed down in traditions that, when the battle of Badr was in full swing the words uttered by the Prophet, in prayer, were: ‘O, my Lord! If this class of people is killed, You will never be worshipped on earth.’ Helping believers is a responsibility borne by Almighty God. By His devices He renders ineffective whatever conspiracies their enemies hatch. He causes them to be overwhelmed so that the faithful may dominate. But when does this happen? This happens when the believers merge their will with that of God, in such a way that God’s will and their will become one and the same. When a subject of God aligns himself with God in such a way, whatever belongs to God becomes his, because he would have already given to God whatever was his. Before leaving for Badr, the chiefs of Makkah went to the House of God and, catching hold of the curtain of the Ka‘bah, prayed like this: ‘O, God help the better of the two armies; the more respectable of the two groups; and the better of the two tribes.’ At the battle of Badr, the chiefs of Makkah were totally defeated and the Faithful were completely victorious. So, by the very standard set by the chiefs themselves, it was proved that, before God it was not they who were superior and more honourable but the followers of Islam. In spite of this, they did not accept Islam. For those who conduct themselves in this way, there shall be grave punishment both in the Hereafter and in this world. ‘Bless with victory the side which is superior and the more honourable of the two.’ This was ostensibly a prayer, but in fact was an expression of boastful self-confidence. The rationale behind this was that they were the Trustees of the Ka‘bah; they were the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael. When they had such superior factors on their side, victory was bound to be theirs. But, before God, real value is attached to personal deeds and not to external connections. However great an external connection may be, it will be of no avail to anybody on Judgement Day.

It has been handed down in traditions that, when the battle of Badr was in full swing the words uttered by the Prophet, in prayer, were: ‘O, my Lord! If this class of people is killed, You will never be worshipped on earth.’ Helping believers is a responsibility borne by Almighty God. By His devices He renders ineffective whatever conspiracies their enemies hatch. He causes them to be overwhelmed so that the faithful may dominate. But when does this happen? This happens when the believers merge their will with that of God, in such a way that God’s will and their will become one and the same. When a subject of God aligns himself with God in such a way, whatever belongs to God becomes his, because he would have already given to God whatever was his. Before leaving for Badr, the chiefs of Makkah went to the House of God and, catching hold of the curtain of the Ka‘bah, prayed like this: ‘O, God help the better of the two armies; the more respectable of the two groups; and the better of the two tribes.’ At the battle of Badr, the chiefs of Makkah were totally defeated and the Faithful were completely victorious. So, by the very standard set by the chiefs themselves, it was proved that, before God it was not they who were superior and more honourable but the followers of Islam. In spite of this, they did not accept Islam. For those who conduct themselves in this way, there shall be grave punishment both in the Hereafter and in this world. ‘Bless with victory the side which is superior and the more honourable of the two.’ This was ostensibly a prayer, but in fact was an expression of boastful self-confidence. The rationale behind this was that they were the Trustees of the Ka‘bah; they were the progeny of Abraham and Ishmael. When they had such superior factors on their side, victory was bound to be theirs. But, before God, real value is attached to personal deeds and not to external connections. However great an external connection may be, it will be of no avail to anybody on Judgement Day.

When a Truth is presented before a man, ideally he apprehends it with all the human faculties granted to him by God. He gives his full attention to it, he feels the weight of its veracity and then he utters that correct response which a man’s nature should present in the face of Truth. One who behaves in this way has been receptive to the presented matter in the manner of a true human being. However, there is the type of individual who listens as if he has no ears to hear with. His mind fails to grasp the veracity of what he hears. And so he is unable to give the requisite response in view of the facts. One who behaves in this way has heard the presented matter as if he were an animal. The truth becomes clear only to one who hears it with a receptive mind. By contrast, one whose temperament is flawed by jealousy, haughtiness, self-interest and love of outward show will not regard the issue of Truth as worth considering and will not pay serious attention to it. So, he will certainly fail to discover its veracity. Faith on the face of it, is a statement of trust in God. But in reality it is a human decision. Faith is not merely repetition of words of testimony, but the verbal expression of one’s inner feeling. If a man’s condition is really the same as that declared by his words, he is a real believer in the eyes of God. A believer is the most serious human being and as such can never, by his words, show himself to be something other than what his inner condition actually is. A man whose faith reflects his inner reality, will, as soon as he admits his faith, make God his object of worship and will be a follower of His commands in all aspects of his life. For him oral acceptance of faith will be not just a verbal profession, but an indicator of the direction of his journey. Just the opposite is the condition of one who heard the voice of Truth, but did not let it enter his soul and did not let it become part of his heart-beats, even though he had no answer for its arguments. Outwardly he may have uttered the words, ‘Yes, it is true,’ but, his real life, even after that, remained the same as it had been earlier. This second attitude is hypocritical, and before God such a hypocritical ‘faith’ has no value.

When a Truth is presented before a man, ideally he apprehends it with all the human faculties granted to him by God. He gives his full attention to it, he feels the weight of its veracity and then he utters that correct response which a man’s nature should present in the face of Truth. One who behaves in this way has been receptive to the presented matter in the manner of a true human being. However, there is the type of individual who listens as if he has no ears to hear with. His mind fails to grasp the veracity of what he hears. And so he is unable to give the requisite response in view of the facts. One who behaves in this way has heard the presented matter as if he were an animal. The truth becomes clear only to one who hears it with a receptive mind. By contrast, one whose temperament is flawed by jealousy, haughtiness, self-interest and love of outward show will not regard the issue of Truth as worth considering and will not pay serious attention to it. So, he will certainly fail to discover its veracity. Faith on the face of it, is a statement of trust in God. But in reality it is a human decision. Faith is not merely repetition of words of testimony, but the verbal expression of one’s inner feeling. If a man’s condition is really the same as that declared by his words, he is a real believer in the eyes of God. A believer is the most serious human being and as such can never, by his words, show himself to be something other than what his inner condition actually is. A man whose faith reflects his inner reality, will, as soon as he admits his faith, make God his object of worship and will be a follower of His commands in all aspects of his life. For him oral acceptance of faith will be not just a verbal profession, but an indicator of the direction of his journey. Just the opposite is the condition of one who heard the voice of Truth, but did not let it enter his soul and did not let it become part of his heart-beats, even though he had no answer for its arguments. Outwardly he may have uttered the words, ‘Yes, it is true,’ but, his real life, even after that, remained the same as it had been earlier. This second attitude is hypocritical, and before God such a hypocritical ‘faith’ has no value.

When a Truth is presented before a man, ideally he apprehends it with all the human faculties granted to him by God. He gives his full attention to it, he feels the weight of its veracity and then he utters that correct response which a man’s nature should present in the face of Truth. One who behaves in this way has been receptive to the presented matter in the manner of a true human being. However, there is the type of individual who listens as if he has no ears to hear with. His mind fails to grasp the veracity of what he hears. And so he is unable to give the requisite response in view of the facts. One who behaves in this way has heard the presented matter as if he were an animal. The truth becomes clear only to one who hears it with a receptive mind. By contrast, one whose temperament is flawed by jealousy, haughtiness, self-interest and love of outward show will not regard the issue of Truth as worth considering and will not pay serious attention to it. So, he will certainly fail to discover its veracity. Faith on the face of it, is a statement of trust in God. But in reality it is a human decision. Faith is not merely repetition of words of testimony, but the verbal expression of one’s inner feeling. If a man’s condition is really the same as that declared by his words, he is a real believer in the eyes of God. A believer is the most serious human being and as such can never, by his words, show himself to be something other than what his inner condition actually is. A man whose faith reflects his inner reality, will, as soon as he admits his faith, make God his object of worship and will be a follower of His commands in all aspects of his life. For him oral acceptance of faith will be not just a verbal profession, but an indicator of the direction of his journey. Just the opposite is the condition of one who heard the voice of Truth, but did not let it enter his soul and did not let it become part of his heart-beats, even though he had no answer for its arguments. Outwardly he may have uttered the words, ‘Yes, it is true,’ but, his real life, even after that, remained the same as it had been earlier. This second attitude is hypocritical, and before God such a hypocritical ‘faith’ has no value.

When a Truth is presented before a man, ideally he apprehends it with all the human faculties granted to him by God. He gives his full attention to it, he feels the weight of its veracity and then he utters that correct response which a man’s nature should present in the face of Truth. One who behaves in this way has been receptive to the presented matter in the manner of a true human being. However, there is the type of individual who listens as if he has no ears to hear with. His mind fails to grasp the veracity of what he hears. And so he is unable to give the requisite response in view of the facts. One who behaves in this way has heard the presented matter as if he were an animal. The truth becomes clear only to one who hears it with a receptive mind. By contrast, one whose temperament is flawed by jealousy, haughtiness, self-interest and love of outward show will not regard the issue of Truth as worth considering and will not pay serious attention to it. So, he will certainly fail to discover its veracity. Faith on the face of it, is a statement of trust in God. But in reality it is a human decision. Faith is not merely repetition of words of testimony, but the verbal expression of one’s inner feeling. If a man’s condition is really the same as that declared by his words, he is a real believer in the eyes of God. A believer is the most serious human being and as such can never, by his words, show himself to be something other than what his inner condition actually is. A man whose faith reflects his inner reality, will, as soon as he admits his faith, make God his object of worship and will be a follower of His commands in all aspects of his life. For him oral acceptance of faith will be not just a verbal profession, but an indicator of the direction of his journey. Just the opposite is the condition of one who heard the voice of Truth, but did not let it enter his soul and did not let it become part of his heart-beats, even though he had no answer for its arguments. Outwardly he may have uttered the words, ‘Yes, it is true,’ but, his real life, even after that, remained the same as it had been earlier. This second attitude is hypocritical, and before God such a hypocritical ‘faith’ has no value.

Here the ‘call of life’ means the call for the struggle to convey the Truth to others. Initially this struggle starts by preaching by word of mouth or by means of the pen. But the belligerent attitude of those to whom the call is given takes this struggle to various other stages, even to the extent of migration or war. Man formulates his religious life in accordance with his ideas, at the individual level. He makes his life so consistent with his circumstances that it appears to be an island of safety for him. He has the feeling that if he exerts himself to reform others, this well-established abode will be destroyed; his well organised life will be disturbed and the regulation of his time and the system devised by him to govern his property—keeping his personal requirements in view—will be upset. Such fears prevent him from making efforts to call upon others to the Truth and to sacrifice his life and property for that cause. But this is utter stupidity. The fact is that the abode of peace which he considers his ‘life’ is his graveyard, and hidden in the sacrifice in which he sees his death, lies the secret of his life. Giving the call to the people and their reformation are extremely important tasks, provided that they are aimed at the Hereafter and are not for worldly purposes. It makes a dead religion a living religion. It links man with God at the highest level. It introduces man to such religious experiences as he could never have if he remained in his individual shell. If, in spite of hearing such an important call on behalf of God, people are still unmindful of it, they incur the risk of creating a psychological barrier between themselves and the Truth; they risk losing their natural capacity to hear the voice of Truth, to rush towards it and discover their Lord. Man’s life is social in nature. Nobody can go on living on his own on an isolated island. If a man is content with his personal righteousness, he always incurs the risk that, as a result of perversion in society, he himself will also be affected, for he is also a part of the same society. His struggle to reform the people would serve as a practical demonstration that he was not involved directly or indirectly with evil people. Every evil starts in a small way and then gradually becomes greatly enlarged. If it happens that when an evil is in the initial stages, it is opposed by a number of people at that time, it will be easily crushed. But once the evil has spread, it becomes so deep-rooted that it becomes impossible to eliminate it.

Here the ‘call of life’ means the call for the struggle to convey the Truth to others. Initially this struggle starts by preaching by word of mouth or by means of the pen. But the belligerent attitude of those to whom the call is given takes this struggle to various other stages, even to the extent of migration or war. Man formulates his religious life in accordance with his ideas, at the individual level. He makes his life so consistent with his circumstances that it appears to be an island of safety for him. He has the feeling that if he exerts himself to reform others, this well-established abode will be destroyed; his well organised life will be disturbed and the regulation of his time and the system devised by him to govern his property—keeping his personal requirements in view—will be upset. Such fears prevent him from making efforts to call upon others to the Truth and to sacrifice his life and property for that cause. But this is utter stupidity. The fact is that the abode of peace which he considers his ‘life’ is his graveyard, and hidden in the sacrifice in which he sees his death, lies the secret of his life. Giving the call to the people and their reformation are extremely important tasks, provided that they are aimed at the Hereafter and are not for worldly purposes. It makes a dead religion a living religion. It links man with God at the highest level. It introduces man to such religious experiences as he could never have if he remained in his individual shell. If, in spite of hearing such an important call on behalf of God, people are still unmindful of it, they incur the risk of creating a psychological barrier between themselves and the Truth; they risk losing their natural capacity to hear the voice of Truth, to rush towards it and discover their Lord. Man’s life is social in nature. Nobody can go on living on his own on an isolated island. If a man is content with his personal righteousness, he always incurs the risk that, as a result of perversion in society, he himself will also be affected, for he is also a part of the same society. His struggle to reform the people would serve as a practical demonstration that he was not involved directly or indirectly with evil people. Every evil starts in a small way and then gradually becomes greatly enlarged. If it happens that when an evil is in the initial stages, it is opposed by a number of people at that time, it will be easily crushed. But once the evil has spread, it becomes so deep-rooted that it becomes impossible to eliminate it.

In Makkah, Muslims were in a state of helplessness. They were always in fear of being uprooted at any time. They were like a weakling who is oppressed in every way and denied even his legitimate rights. At last the way to Madinah opened for them. They were given the opportunity to go to Madinah, form a centre of their own there and live in freedom and with respect in that atmosphere. This providing of easy circumstances after difficulties is meant to infuse feelings of gratefulness in man. When a man’s living conditions reach the point where he feels himself helpless, at that time suddenly God’s help appears and everything changes for the better. It happens in this way so that man should firmly believe that whatever happened was at the behest of God, and on the basis of this realisation, he should be overflowing with gratitude for the Grace of God. Man embraces faith in God and His Prophet. In this way, he vows that he will tread the path of God and His Prophet. But, while adopting the way of Faith, the compulsions of his property and children come in the way. Then, he shuns the requirements of Faith and gives all his attention to property and children. This is an open betrayal of his pledge of Faith. The gravity of this betrayal becomes painfully obvious when it is realised that the things for which man betrays God are in themselves gifts from God. What are a man’s property and his children? Are they not gifts from God? They are a trust given by God to his subject. The best use of this trust is that when its Donor wants it, it should be willingly surrendered to Him. But when God exhorts the people to rise and strive with all their might in the cause of His religion, they make an excuse of that very trust of God which they should have sacrificed for God’s religion and thus fulfilled their pledge of Faith to Him. In this way, after being on the verge of success, they add their names to the list of failures. An action becomes a crime in the eyes of God only when it is perpetrated in the full knowledge that it is wrong. If a deed is clearly wrong, yet the doer of that deed refuses to desist, he shall have to face serious consequences. This is because willfully repeating a wrong action amounts to flouting God’s will. God can never forgive such extreme behaviour.

In Makkah, Muslims were in a state of helplessness. They were always in fear of being uprooted at any time. They were like a weakling who is oppressed in every way and denied even his legitimate rights. At last the way to Madinah opened for them. They were given the opportunity to go to Madinah, form a centre of their own there and live in freedom and with respect in that atmosphere. This providing of easy circumstances after difficulties is meant to infuse feelings of gratefulness in man. When a man’s living conditions reach the point where he feels himself helpless, at that time suddenly God’s help appears and everything changes for the better. It happens in this way so that man should firmly believe that whatever happened was at the behest of God, and on the basis of this realisation, he should be overflowing with gratitude for the Grace of God. Man embraces faith in God and His Prophet. In this way, he vows that he will tread the path of God and His Prophet. But, while adopting the way of Faith, the compulsions of his property and children come in the way. Then, he shuns the requirements of Faith and gives all his attention to property and children. This is an open betrayal of his pledge of Faith. The gravity of this betrayal becomes painfully obvious when it is realised that the things for which man betrays God are in themselves gifts from God. What are a man’s property and his children? Are they not gifts from God? They are a trust given by God to his subject. The best use of this trust is that when its Donor wants it, it should be willingly surrendered to Him. But when God exhorts the people to rise and strive with all their might in the cause of His religion, they make an excuse of that very trust of God which they should have sacrificed for God’s religion and thus fulfilled their pledge of Faith to Him. In this way, after being on the verge of success, they add their names to the list of failures. An action becomes a crime in the eyes of God only when it is perpetrated in the full knowledge that it is wrong. If a deed is clearly wrong, yet the doer of that deed refuses to desist, he shall have to face serious consequences. This is because willfully repeating a wrong action amounts to flouting God’s will. God can never forgive such extreme behaviour.

In Makkah, Muslims were in a state of helplessness. They were always in fear of being uprooted at any time. They were like a weakling who is oppressed in every way and denied even his legitimate rights. At last the way to Madinah opened for them. They were given the opportunity to go to Madinah, form a centre of their own there and live in freedom and with respect in that atmosphere. This providing of easy circumstances after difficulties is meant to infuse feelings of gratefulness in man. When a man’s living conditions reach the point where he feels himself helpless, at that time suddenly God’s help appears and everything changes for the better. It happens in this way so that man should firmly believe that whatever happened was at the behest of God, and on the basis of this realisation, he should be overflowing with gratitude for the Grace of God. Man embraces faith in God and His Prophet. In this way, he vows that he will tread the path of God and His Prophet. But, while adopting the way of Faith, the compulsions of his property and children come in the way. Then, he shuns the requirements of Faith and gives all his attention to property and children. This is an open betrayal of his pledge of Faith. The gravity of this betrayal becomes painfully obvious when it is realised that the things for which man betrays God are in themselves gifts from God. What are a man’s property and his children? Are they not gifts from God? They are a trust given by God to his subject. The best use of this trust is that when its Donor wants it, it should be willingly surrendered to Him. But when God exhorts the people to rise and strive with all their might in the cause of His religion, they make an excuse of that very trust of God which they should have sacrificed for God’s religion and thus fulfilled their pledge of Faith to Him. In this way, after being on the verge of success, they add their names to the list of failures. An action becomes a crime in the eyes of God only when it is perpetrated in the full knowledge that it is wrong. If a deed is clearly wrong, yet the doer of that deed refuses to desist, he shall have to face serious consequences. This is because willfully repeating a wrong action amounts to flouting God’s will. God can never forgive such extreme behaviour.

This ability to tell right from wrong (furqan) is almost the same as inner realisation (ma‘rifah) or insight (basirah). The last mentioned creating an inner light in a man which enables him to see everything in its reality without his being deceived by its outward aspects. Whenever a man involves himself in anything to the point of always being careful about it, a particular sort of sensitivity develops in him which makes him recognise the favourable and unfavourable aspects of that matter. This applies to everyone, whether he be a religious man, a trader, a doctor or an engineer. If a man becomes totally devoted to his work, his inner realisation attains a degree when, without being entangled in this or that confusion, he straightway reaches the reality of the matter.Development of this divine insight (furqan) in a man is the greatest guarantee that he will be safe from evils; he will regularise his relations with God, and he finally will become entitled to the grace of God.

If a man fears God, he does whatever God has commanded him to do and refrains from doing whatever God has prohibited; he is inspired to be able to distinguish truth from falsehood. (The word used in the original for the ability to make this distinction is furqan). (Tafsir ibn Kathir). The greatest stimulus to the proper use of human capabilities is fear. Man, in a state of fear, becomes extremely realistic in all matters. Fear removes all veils from his mind so thoroughly that he is able to rise above all omissions, mistakes and misunderstandings and can then form the most correct opinions. This is exactly what happens to that subject of God who goes in fear (taqwa) of the Lord of all the universe. This ability to tell right from wrong (furqan) is almost the same as inner realisation (ma‘rifah) or insight (basirah). Insight creates an inner light in a man which enables him to see everything in its reality without his being deceived by its outward aspects. Whenever a man involves himself in anything to the point of always being careful about it, a particular sort of sensitivity develops in him which makes him recognise the favourable and unfavourable aspects of that matter. This applies to everyone, whether he be a religious man, a trader, a doctor or an engineer. If a man becomes totally devoted to his work, his inner realisation becomes so intense that, he cuts through all confusion, and straightaway understands the reality of the matter. Development of this Divine insight (furqan) in a man is the greatest guarantee that he will be safe from evils; it will enable him to place his relations with God, on a sound footing and he will finally become entitled to the grace of God. The development of this capacity to distinguish between truth and falsehood indicates that a man has attached himself to the truth to the extent that no difference remains between him and the Truth: the Truth and he have become complementary to each other. Thereafter his being saved becomes as necessary as the saving of Truth. Such people come directly under God’s protection. Now, plotting against them amounts to undermining the Truth itself. One who schemes against God is invariably unsuccessful, no matter how great the devices he employs.

Literally, ‘We can also produce such a discourse. If we speak untruths why do stones not rain down upon us?’ All such talk arises from haughtiness. When a man finds himself in a safe position in this world; when he observes that he has lost nothing by denying the Truth or by ignoring it, a certain false self-confidence is created in him. He thinks that whatever he has been doing is perfectly right. This feeling makes him utter such words as are not uttered by anyone in normal circumstances. This daring on the part of such people can manifest itself only because of God’s law of respite. God certainly punishes the guilty, but He follows the principle of seizing a man only when the work of clarifying to him Truth and falsehood has been fully performed. Before the completion of this task, nobody is struck down. Furthermore, if during the process of the missionary call, even one or two people at a time are influenced and start reforming themselves, God withholds His retribution so that all those who wish to respond positively to the call of truth may have the time and opportunity to do so.

Literally, ‘We can also produce such a discourse. If we speak untruths why do stones not rain down upon us?’ All such talk arises from haughtiness. When a man finds himself in a safe position in this world; when he observes that he has lost nothing by denying the Truth or by ignoring it, a certain false self-confidence is created in him. He thinks that whatever he has been doing is perfectly right. This feeling makes him utter such words as are not uttered by anyone in normal circumstances. This daring on the part of such people can manifest itself only because of God’s law of respite. God certainly punishes the guilty, but He follows the principle of seizing a man only when the work of clarifying to him Truth and falsehood has been fully performed. Before the completion of this task, nobody is struck down. Furthermore, if during the process of the missionary call, even one or two people at a time are influenced and start reforming themselves, God withholds His retribution so that all those who wish to respond positively to the call of truth may have the time and opportunity to do so.

It does not happen that when communities are diverted from the true path, all forms of religion disappear from among them. It always happens during such a period that when religion based on the fear of God is submerged, its place is taken by a false, ostentatious religion. Now, the community relates not to the religion per se but to the hallowed personalities of the past. By attaching themselves to these personalities and by occupying their revered seats, they think that they have attained the greatness which those personalities enjoyed on historical grounds. Such people are hollow inside, but by performing showy deeds on the strength of big names, they think that they are undertaking tremendous religious feats. The people of Makkah were suffering from this psychological affliction. They were proud that they were the inheritors of the House of God; that they were the descendants of the great Prophets, Abraham and Ishmael; they had the honour of being the servants of the Kabah. So, they thought that when they had such religious honours and performed such ‘religious’ deeds, it was not possible that God would cast them into hell.

It does not happen that when communities are diverted from the true path, all forms of religion disappear from among them. It always happens during such a period that when religion based on the fear of God is submerged, its place is taken by a false, ostentatious religion. Now, the community relates not to the religion per se but to the hallowed personalities of the past. By attaching themselves to these personalities and by occupying their revered seats, they think that they have attained the greatness which those personalities enjoyed on historical grounds. Such people are hollow inside, but by performing showy deeds on the strength of big names, they think that they are undertaking tremendous religious feats. The people of Makkah were suffering from this psychological affliction. They were proud that they were the inheritors of the House of God; that they were the descendants of the great Prophets, Abraham and Ishmael; they had the honour of being the servants of the Kabah. So, they thought that when they had such religious honours and performed such ‘religious’ deeds, it was not possible that God would cast them into hell.

It does not happen that when communities are diverted from the true path, all forms of religion disappear from among them. It always happens during such a period that when religion based on the fear of God is submerged, its place is taken by a false, ostentatious religion. Now, the community relates not to the religion per se but to the hallowed personalities of the past. By attaching themselves to these personalities and by occupying their revered seats, they think that they have attained the greatness which those personalities enjoyed on historical grounds. Such people are hollow inside, but by performing showy deeds on the strength of big names, they think that they are undertaking tremendous religious feats. The people of Makkah were suffering from this psychological affliction. They were proud that they were the inheritors of the House of God; that they were the descendants of the great Prophets, Abraham and Ishmael; they had the honour of being the servants of the Kabah. So, they thought that when they had such religious honours and performed such ‘religious’ deeds, it was not possible that God would cast them into hell.

Among human beings some are clean and pure, while some are unclean. Some souls draw nourishment from the things that are liked by God, while others have a taste for things that are the favourites of their base selves or of Satan.Under normal conditions, both types of people live together. On the face of it, there appears to be no difference between them. So, Almighty God causes a struggle between True and false, so that the people of both types separate from each other and it becomes clear as to who is who. During this struggle it becomes clear as to who immediately accepts the Truth when it comes before him and who rejects it; who, in dealing with others remains within the limit of justice, and who resorts to injustice; who remains modest and humble in the world and who becomes arrogant, who spends money for the cause of Truth and who spends as a matter of prejudice and show.The actions of those who expend their efforts in ways other than the way of Truth are glorified and made handsome in their eyes by Satan in such a way that they start thinking that they are performing superior acts; that they are proceeding towards a glorious future. But this misunderstanding is short-lived. Very soon man reaches the stage when he comes to know that whatever he had done was merely a wastage of his energy and money. The future towards which he was proceeding was only one of unfulfilled longing and frustration, though on the basis of false hopes he had considered it a journey towards a bright future. When the call for pure religion is given, all those people who had gained a position of leadership on the basis of adulterated religion feel adversely affected by that call. So, they spend all their energy in protecting the custom-based, traditional structure which had conferred the position of superiority on them. But such people necessarily fail when opposed by the unadulterated Truth, sometimes in the field of argument and sometimes in the field of action as well.The activities of this world have been designed just to separate pure and impure souls from each other. When this process of sorting out is over, God will send the pure souls to paradise and assemble the impure souls and thrust them into hell.

Among human beings some are clean and pure, while some are unclean. Some souls draw nourishment from the things that are liked by God, while others have a taste for things that are the favourites of their base selves or of Satan.Under normal conditions, both types of people live together. On the face of it, there appears to be no difference between them. So, Almighty God causes a struggle between True and false, so that the people of both types separate from each other and it becomes clear as to who is who. During this struggle it becomes clear as to who immediately accepts the Truth when it comes before him and who rejects it; who, in dealing with others remains within the limit of justice, and who resorts to injustice; who remains modest and humble in the world and who becomes arrogant, who spends money for the cause of Truth and who spends as a matter of prejudice and show.The actions of those who expend their efforts in ways other than the way of Truth are glorified and made handsome in their eyes by Satan in such a way that they start thinking that they are performing superior acts; that they are proceeding towards a glorious future. But this misunderstanding is short-lived. Very soon man reaches the stage when he comes to know that whatever he had done was merely a wastage of his energy and money. The future towards which he was proceeding was only one of unfulfilled longing and frustration, though on the basis of false hopes he had considered it a journey towards a bright future. When the call for pure religion is given, all those people who had gained a position of leadership on the basis of adulterated religion feel adversely affected by that call. So, they spend all their energy in protecting the custom-based, traditional structure which had conferred the position of superiority on them. But such people necessarily fail when opposed by the unadulterated Truth, sometimes in the field of argument and sometimes in the field of action as well.The activities of this world have been designed just to separate pure and impure souls from each other. When this process of sorting out is over, God will send the pure souls to paradise and assemble the impure souls and thrust them into hell.

It is the principle of Islam that the individual is rewarded according to his deeds. However, by His grace the Almighty God has made special exemptions to this general principle: when a man is truly repentant, he will not be punished thereafter for his earlier deeds. Suppose a man spent his life in ungodliness, then he received the light of guidance, became a true believer and adopted the righteous life, in this case, he will be forgiven for the evil deeds done by him earlier; he will not be seized on the basis of his earlier sins.

“And religion is wholly for God” in this connection those traditions are worth noting which are enshrined in Sahih al-Bukhari. When, after the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, political conflict ensued between Abdullah ibn Zubayr and the Umayyads, Abdullah ibn Umar, one of the senior-most companions of the Prophet, held himself aloof from the battle. People approached him and, quoting the verse of qital-al-fitna, asked him why he was not joining in the battle. Abdullah ibn Umar replied that ‘fitna’ as mentioned in the Quran did not refer to political infighting, but rather to the religious coercive system, that had already been put an end to by them. (Fathul Bari, 8/60 ) From this we learn that the war against fitna was a war of limited duration, temporary in nature, meant to be engaged in only until its specific purpose had been served.

It is a principle of Islam that the individual is rewarded according to his deeds. However, by His grace Almighty God has made special exemptions to this general principle: when a man is truly repentant, he will not be punished thereafter for his earlier deeds. Suppose a man spent his life in ungodliness, then he received the light of guidance, became a true believer and adopted the righteous life. In this case, he will be forgiven for the evil deeds done by him earlier; he will not be seized on the basis of his earlier crimes. This very principle is also operative in collective and political matters. Sometimes the struggle between Truth and falsehood develops into a clash. During this clash the opponents commit atrocities on the believers. Finally, the supporters of the truth are dominant and the opponents are overcome and subdued. In this matter also, the principle of Islam is the same as stated above, that is, people will not be punished for committing atrocities in the past. Rather, if, after the victory anybody indulges in criminal acts will, after due procedure, receive the punishment prescribed in the Islamic law for such a criminal. In ancient times the establishment of chieftains and rulers was based on polytheism. Today, rulers hold sway as representatives of the people, but in the past they ruled as representatives of God or God’s so called partners. Consequently, in ancient society, polytheism enjoyed a position of power. Polytheists used to harass the believers in the one God. Persecution (fitnah) was common. So God commanded His Prophet and His companions to disrupt the link between polytheism and power so that the polytheists should be deprived of the power to persecute the monotheists. Accordingly, the universal revolution brought about by the Prophet snapped forever the link between polytheism and the political system. Now, polytheism is simply a religious practice in some parts of the world and is not a political theory on the basis of which governments are formed. In Arabia an end had to be put to both polytheists and polytheism, so that the precincts of Makkah and Madinah could be made the eternal centre of pure monotheism.

In ancient times it was the custom that after a battle whatever enemy property (ghanimah) the victors could lay their hands on was treated as their property. However, Islam laid down the rule that whatever one got from the battlefield should be brought back and deposited with the chief. After gathering all the spoils of war in this way, one-fifth part of it was kept aside in the name of God. This was received by the Prophet, who acted on God’s behalf, and was spent in this way: one part was spent on himself, then on his relatives who supported him in his religious mission in difficult times, then on the destitute, orphans, the needy and travellers. The remaining four-fifths were distributed among the soldiers. Islam wants man to develop the outlook of considering whatever he gets as God-given. In the battle of Badr a weak group overcoming an extremely powerful group was extraordinary proof of the fact that whatever happened was at the behest of God. Keeping a share of booty for other deserving brethren teaches the lesson that the bases for entitlement to a share in property are not merely effort and inheritance; there are other bases which do not fall within these spheres. The acknowledgement of others’ entitlement amounts to one’s admitting that everything belongs to God and not to oneself. The third important lesson taught by this law of ghanimah is that the basis of ownership is not possession but principle. Nobody will become the owner of a thing merely on the basis of it having accidentally come into his possession. In spite of being in possession of something, the individual must hand over the item to the responsible persons and should be content with receiving whatever is due to him as a matter of principle and as per the law.

It is the intention of Almighty God that the Truth being true and falsehood being false should be absolutely clear to the people. Initially, this work is done through the call given in the language of argument. The missionary, by using powerful but easily understood arguments, proves the Truth being true and falsehood being false. The completion of this work is finally effected by extraordinary happenings. Such events take either the shape of a heavenly miracle or domination on earth. The latter event took place at the battle of Badr. The Quraysh set out from Makkah to lend their assistance to their trading caravan coming in from Syria. The Muslims set out from Madinah to attack this caravan, but it deviated from the usual path, going along the seacoast, and thus escaped being attacked. The two parties then reached Badr and confronted each other. This happened at the behest of God. Both the parties were made to clash with each other and the victory was awarded to the people of the Faith. In this way, the veracity of the Prophet and that of his mission became abundantly clear to the people. It was finally clear to those who were true seekers of the truth that this was the real Truth while those who remained disaffected because of psychological complications persisted in their stand and thus proved that they deserved to be eliminated.

At Badr the Quraysh had a large army. Had the Muslims seen their real numbers, some of them would have said that they should fight, while others would have asked not to fight. In this way differences would have cropped up and the real task would have remained unfinished. So, God showed their numbers to Muslims as fewer while he showed the number of Muslims to the Quraysh as more. In this way it was possible for the Muslims to fight fearlessly. When God wants a task to be performed, He sends help and arranges for its completion. The events that occur during the course of action occur at God’s behest, so that He may judge the reaction of the person concerned to the conditions set by Him.

At Badr the Quraysh had a large army. Had the Muslims seen their real numbers, some of them would have said that they should fight, while others would have asked not to fight. In this way differences would have cropped up and the real task would have remained unfinished. So, God showed their numbers to Muslims as fewer while he showed the number of Muslims to the Quraysh as more. In this way it was possible for the Muslims to fight fearlessly. When God wants a task to be performed, He sends help and arranges for its completion. The events that occur during the course of action occur at God’s behest, so that He may judge the reaction of the person concerned to the conditions set by Him.

Success ensues with the help of God. But God’s help always arrives in this world in the garb of the cause and effect process, and not otherwise. If Muslims prepare themselves as far as possible, fulfilling all the conditions laid down by God for success, then God grants them success after compensating for any shortcomings that they might have. But if they do not exert themselves to the full as commanded by God, He never sends His help in such circumstances. What are these factors which will lead to success? Firstly Muslims should not initiate aggression. Then they should set about strengthening their roots until the enemy comes to attack them. When things reach the stage of a clash, they should prove to be staunch and unflinching, keeping in mind the remembrance of God—in other words, the real goal,—so that their morale may remain intact; they should keep themselves fully organised under the command of their chief, ignoring mutual differences instead of enlarging upon them and becoming divided; they should impress the enemy with their unity; they should exercise patience, i.e., they should adopt a sensible approach instead of being emotional; they should not take any immature step in the hope of quick success; their eyes should be on the final goal and not on immediate gain. Receiving God’s succour is thus a matter of cause and effect. If we are willing to surrender our will wholeheartedly to the will of God, then alone are we held deserving to receive divine succour. The present world is one of trial. Here, God achieves His will from behind the veil of the ‘unseen.’ That is why when He helps the believers, it is done from behind the screen of ‘cause and effect.’ If the Muslims go on taking steps without making preliminary preparations and suffer from differences and dissension, they should never hope that God will appear all of a sudden and solve all their problems on the spot. Even if the Muslims find themselves in better conditions than those of their opponents, it should not happen that, like those who deny the truth they become boastful of their power; fall a prey to haughtiness and ostentation and, in claiming superiority, go to the extent of opposing the call of Truth because it does not suit their whims and fancies.

Success ensues with the help of God. But God’s help always arrives in this world in the garb of the cause and effect process, and not otherwise. If Muslims prepare themselves as far as possible, fulfilling all the conditions laid down by God for success, then God grants them success after compensating for any shortcomings that they might have. But if they do not exert themselves to the full as commanded by God, He never sends His help in such circumstances. What are these factors which will lead to success? Firstly Muslims should not initiate aggression. Then they should set about strengthening their roots until the enemy comes to attack them. When things reach the stage of a clash, they should prove to be staunch and unflinching, keeping in mind the remembrance of God—in other words, the real goal,—so that their morale may remain intact; they should keep themselves fully organised under the command of their chief, ignoring mutual differences instead of enlarging upon them and becoming divided; they should impress the enemy with their unity; they should exercise patience, i.e., they should adopt a sensible approach instead of being emotional; they should not take any immature step in the hope of quick success; their eyes should be on the final goal and not on immediate gain. Receiving God’s succour is thus a matter of cause and effect. If we are willing to surrender our will wholeheartedly to the will of God, then alone are we held deserving to receive divine succour. The present world is one of trial. Here, God achieves His will from behind the veil of the ‘unseen.’ That is why when He helps the believers, it is done from behind the screen of ‘cause and effect.’ If the Muslims go on taking steps without making preliminary preparations and suffer from differences and dissension, they should never hope that God will appear all of a sudden and solve all their problems on the spot. Even if the Muslims find themselves in better conditions than those of their opponents, it should not happen that, like those who deny the truth they become boastful of their power; fall a prey to haughtiness and ostentation and, in claiming superiority, go to the extent of opposing the call of Truth because it does not suit their whims and fancies.

Success ensues with the help of God. But God’s help always arrives in this world in the garb of the cause and effect process, and not otherwise. If Muslims prepare themselves as far as possible, fulfilling all the conditions laid down by God for success, then God grants them success after compensating for any shortcomings that they might have. But if they do not exert themselves to the full as commanded by God, He never sends His help in such circumstances. What are these factors which will lead to success? Firstly Muslims should not initiate aggression. Then they should set about strengthening their roots until the enemy comes to attack them. When things reach the stage of a clash, they should prove to be staunch and unflinching, keeping in mind the remembrance of God—in other words, the real goal,—so that their morale may remain intact; they should keep themselves fully organised under the command of their chief, ignoring mutual differences instead of enlarging upon them and becoming divided; they should impress the enemy with their unity; they should exercise patience, i.e., they should adopt a sensible approach instead of being emotional; they should not take any immature step in the hope of quick success; their eyes should be on the final goal and not on immediate gain. Receiving God’s succour is thus a matter of cause and effect. If we are willing to surrender our will wholeheartedly to the will of God, then alone are we held deserving to receive divine succour. The present world is one of trial. Here, God achieves His will from behind the veil of the ‘unseen.’ That is why when He helps the believers, it is done from behind the screen of ‘cause and effect.’ If the Muslims go on taking steps without making preliminary preparations and suffer from differences and dissension, they should never hope that God will appear all of a sudden and solve all their problems on the spot. Even if the Muslims find themselves in better conditions than those of their opponents, it should not happen that, like those who deny the truth they become boastful of their power; fall a prey to haughtiness and ostentation and, in claiming superiority, go to the extent of opposing the call of Truth because it does not suit their whims and fancies.

The Quraysh of Makkah considered themselves adherents of the Truth and the companions of the Prophet adherents of falsehood. They were so certain about this, that they prayed standing before the Kabah, ‘O God! Give success to the one of these two parties which is in the right and destroy the party which is in the wrong.’ However this faith of theirs was false. This type of faith always develops due to glorification (taz’in) of wrong action. Satan taught the people of Makkah that they were the followers of the recognised, well-known prophets, Abraham and Ishmael, while the Muslims were the followers of a person whose very claim to being a prophet was controversial; they were the inheritors of the Ka‘bah, while the Muslims had been banished from the land of the Ka‘bah. Satan having created such ideas in the hearts of the Makkans, infused false faith in them. They thought that whatever they were doing was done rightly and that, at all events, God would come to their assistance. On the one hand, the Makkan opponents considered their false conviction to be true on the basis of the above-mentioned factors. On the other hand, when they saw that the Prophet’s companions had engaged themselves on the Islamic front with stronger conviction and the will to self-sacrifice, they set about trying to show that their true faith was unreliable by saying that it was merely religious fanaticism; that they were going mad under the influence of the eloquent utterances of the Prophet. But, when there was a clash between the two groups and God’s succour came down in favour of the Muslims, Satan fled, abandoning the opponents of Islam. By the Grace of God, the Muslims’ hearts became strengthened. God certainly helps those who rely on Him. But, God’s help appears only when believers prove their faith in God to such a great extent that those who deny the truth feel justified in saying that they (the Faithful) have gone mad.

The Quraysh of Makkah considered themselves adherents of the Truth and the companions of the Prophet adherents of falsehood. They were so certain about this, that they prayed standing before the Kabah, ‘O God! Give success to the one of these two parties which is in the right and destroy the party which is in the wrong.’ However this faith of theirs was false. This type of faith always develops due to glorification (taz’in) of wrong action. Satan taught the people of Makkah that they were the followers of the recognised, well-known prophets, Abraham and Ishmael, while the Muslims were the followers of a person whose very claim to being a prophet was controversial; they were the inheritors of the Ka‘bah, while the Muslims had been banished from the land of the Ka‘bah. Satan having created such ideas in the hearts of the Makkans, infused false faith in them. They thought that whatever they were doing was done rightly and that, at all events, God would come to their assistance. On the one hand, the Makkan opponents considered their false conviction to be true on the basis of the above-mentioned factors. On the other hand, when they saw that the Prophet’s companions had engaged themselves on the Islamic front with stronger conviction and the will to self-sacrifice, they set about trying to show that their true faith was unreliable by saying that it was merely religious fanaticism; that they were going mad under the influence of the eloquent utterances of the Prophet. But, when there was a clash between the two groups and God’s succour came down in favour of the Muslims, Satan fled, abandoning the opponents of Islam. By the Grace of God, the Muslims’ hearts became strengthened. God certainly helps those who rely on Him. But, God’s help appears only when believers prove their faith in God to such a great extent that those who deny the truth feel justified in saying that they (the Faithful) have gone mad.

The granting of God’s bounty depends upon eligibility for entitlement to such bounty. At the national or community level, bounty is commensurate with the worth of the individuals making up the larger entity. Collective bounty or blessings are given according to the status of a community assessed at the level of its individuals. This means that if a group wants to have God’s collective grace, it should bend its entire energies to the improvement of the inner selves of its individuals. Similarly, if a community finds that collective bounties are taken away from it, instead of running after the bounties themselves, it should pursue its individuals, because of the fact that it is due to deterioration in individuals that it is deprived of bounties, and only on the reformation of individuals can it have God’s grace restored. When a community adopts the way of tyranny instead of justice and the way of arrogance instead of modesty, then a pronouncement of Truth is made before it so that it is given a warning. This declaration, in view of its perfect clarity, is a sign from God. Accepting it amounts to accepting God, just as its rejection amounts to rejection of God. When the call of God reveals itself to the extent of a sign (ayah), and appears before people, and still they reject it, they necessarily become liable for punishment. Though the beginning of this punishment starts in this world, the punishment of the world is far more lenient than the punishment that man is going to face after death. The beatings of the angels, humiliation before all the creatures, burning in the fire of hell—all these stages are so terrible that one cannot even imagine them in the present conditions. When a man adopts the ways of tyranny and arrogance, he receives at first a warning. When he does not learn a lesson from it, he is finally struck down by the severe punishment of God.

The granting of God’s bounty depends upon eligibility for entitlement to such bounty. At the national or community level, bounty is commensurate with the worth of the individuals making up the larger entity. Collective bounty or blessings are given according to the status of a community assessed at the level of its individuals. This means that if a group wants to have God’s collective grace, it should bend its entire energies to the improvement of the inner selves of its individuals. Similarly, if a community finds that collective bounties are taken away from it, instead of running after the bounties themselves, it should pursue its individuals, because of the fact that it is due to deterioration in individuals that it is deprived of bounties, and only on the reformation of individuals can it have God’s grace restored. When a community adopts the way of tyranny instead of justice and the way of arrogance instead of modesty, then a pronouncement of Truth is made before it so that it is given a warning. This declaration, in view of its perfect clarity, is a sign from God. Accepting it amounts to accepting God, just as its rejection amounts to rejection of God. When the call of God reveals itself to the extent of a sign (ayah), and appears before people, and still they reject it, they necessarily become liable for punishment. Though the beginning of this punishment starts in this world, the punishment of the world is far more lenient than the punishment that man is going to face after death. The beatings of the angels, humiliation before all the creatures, burning in the fire of hell—all these stages are so terrible that one cannot even imagine them in the present conditions. When a man adopts the ways of tyranny and arrogance, he receives at first a warning. When he does not learn a lesson from it, he is finally struck down by the severe punishment of God.

The granting of God’s bounty depends upon eligibility for entitlement to such bounty. At the national or community level, bounty is commensurate with the worth of the individuals making up the larger entity. Collective bounty or blessings are given according to the status of a community assessed at the level of its individuals. This means that if a group wants to have God’s collective grace, it should bend its entire energies to the improvement of the inner selves of its individuals. Similarly, if a community finds that collective bounties are taken away from it, instead of running after the bounties themselves, it should pursue its individuals, because of the fact that it is due to deterioration in individuals that it is deprived of bounties, and only on the reformation of individuals can it have God’s grace restored. When a community adopts the way of tyranny instead of justice and the way of arrogance instead of modesty, then a pronouncement of Truth is made before it so that it is given a warning. This declaration, in view of its perfect clarity, is a sign from God. Accepting it amounts to accepting God, just as its rejection amounts to rejection of God. When the call of God reveals itself to the extent of a sign (ayah), and appears before people, and still they reject it, they necessarily become liable for punishment. Though the beginning of this punishment starts in this world, the punishment of the world is far more lenient than the punishment that man is going to face after death. The beatings of the angels, humiliation before all the creatures, burning in the fire of hell—all these stages are so terrible that one cannot even imagine them in the present conditions. When a man adopts the ways of tyranny and arrogance, he receives at first a warning. When he does not learn a lesson from it, he is finally struck down by the severe punishment of God.

The granting of God’s bounty depends upon eligibility for entitlement to such bounty. At the national or community level, bounty is commensurate with the worth of the individuals making up the larger entity. Collective bounty or blessings are given according to the status of a community assessed at the level of its individuals. This means that if a group wants to have God’s collective grace, it should bend its entire energies to the improvement of the inner selves of its individuals. Similarly, if a community finds that collective bounties are taken away from it, instead of running after the bounties themselves, it should pursue its individuals, because of the fact that it is due to deterioration in individuals that it is deprived of bounties, and only on the reformation of individuals can it have God’s grace restored. When a community adopts the way of tyranny instead of justice and the way of arrogance instead of modesty, then a pronouncement of Truth is made before it so that it is given a warning. This declaration, in view of its perfect clarity, is a sign from God. Accepting it amounts to accepting God, just as its rejection amounts to rejection of God. When the call of God reveals itself to the extent of a sign (ayah), and appears before people, and still they reject it, they necessarily become liable for punishment. Though the beginning of this punishment starts in this world, the punishment of the world is far more lenient than the punishment that man is going to face after death. The beatings of the angels, humiliation before all the creatures, burning in the fire of hell—all these stages are so terrible that one cannot even imagine them in the present conditions. When a man adopts the ways of tyranny and arrogance, he receives at first a warning. When he does not learn a lesson from it, he is finally struck down by the severe punishment of God.

The Jews of Madinah had already become guilty by rejecting the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad. The gravity of their guilt was further increased by their breaking of the pledge. After the emigration to Madinah, there had been a written agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Madinah that both the sides would be neutral in matters relating to each other. But the Jews started conspiring against him, secretly joining hands and collaborating with his enemies. This was breach of trust in addition to the rejection of truth. Punishment awaits such people in the Hereafter. And in this world they will be discouraged from creating further mischief. If the Muslims have a treaty with a community, but they want to cancel it for fear of its being breached by that community, it is necessary that they should first inform those co-signatories, so that it is known in advance that the treaty no longer exists between them. The position is different when there is not merely the fear of a beach of trust but there has been a clear contravention of the treaty. In such a case it is permissable to start retaliatory action without informing the other party. The campaign of Makkah is an example of this type. The Quraysh had unilaterally contravened the Hudaibiyah treaty by joining the Banu Bakr’s aggression against an ally of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, the Banu Khuza‘a. So the Prophet quietly proceeded against the Quraysh without giving them advance information.

The Jews of Madinah had already become guilty by rejecting the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad. The gravity of their guilt was further increased by their breaking of the pledge. After the emigration to Madinah, there had been a written agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Madinah that both the sides would be neutral in matters relating to each other. But the Jews started conspiring against him, secretly joining hands and collaborating with his enemies. This was breach of trust in addition to the rejection of truth. Punishment awaits such people in the Hereafter. And in this world they will be discouraged from creating further mischief. If the Muslims have a treaty with a community, but they want to cancel it for fear of its being breached by that community, it is necessary that they should first inform those co-signatories, so that it is known in advance that the treaty no longer exists between them. The position is different when there is not merely the fear of a beach of trust but there has been a clear contravention of the treaty. In such a case it is permissable to start retaliatory action without informing the other party. The campaign of Makkah is an example of this type. The Quraysh had unilaterally contravened the Hudaibiyah treaty by joining the Banu Bakr’s aggression against an ally of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, the Banu Khuza‘a. So the Prophet quietly proceeded against the Quraysh without giving them advance information.

The Jews of Madinah had already become guilty by rejecting the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad. The gravity of their guilt was further increased by their breaking of the pledge. After the emigration to Madinah, there had been a written agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Madinah that both the sides would be neutral in matters relating to each other. But the Jews started conspiring against him, secretly joining hands and collaborating with his enemies. This was breach of trust in addition to the rejection of truth. Punishment awaits such people in the Hereafter. And in this world they will be discouraged from creating further mischief. If the Muslims have a treaty with a community, but they want to cancel it for fear of its being breached by that community, it is necessary that they should first inform those co-signatories, so that it is known in advance that the treaty no longer exists between them. The position is different when there is not merely the fear of a beach of trust but there has been a clear contravention of the treaty. In such a case it is permissable to start retaliatory action without informing the other party. The campaign of Makkah is an example of this type. The Quraysh had unilaterally contravened the Hudaibiyah treaty by joining the Banu Bakr’s aggression against an ally of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, the Banu Khuza‘a. So the Prophet quietly proceeded against the Quraysh without giving them advance information.

The Jews of Madinah had already become guilty by rejecting the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad. The gravity of their guilt was further increased by their breaking of the pledge. After the emigration to Madinah, there had been a written agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Madinah that both the sides would be neutral in matters relating to each other. But the Jews started conspiring against him, secretly joining hands and collaborating with his enemies. This was breach of trust in addition to the rejection of truth. Punishment awaits such people in the Hereafter. And in this world they will be discouraged from creating further mischief. If the Muslims have a treaty with a community, but they want to cancel it for fear of its being breached by that community, it is necessary that they should first inform those co-signatories, so that it is known in advance that the treaty no longer exists between them. The position is different when there is not merely the fear of a beach of trust but there has been a clear contravention of the treaty. In such a case it is permissable to start retaliatory action without informing the other party. The campaign of Makkah is an example of this type. The Quraysh had unilaterally contravened the Hudaibiyah treaty by joining the Banu Bakr’s aggression against an ally of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, the Banu Khuza‘a. So the Prophet quietly proceeded against the Quraysh without giving them advance information.

The Jews of Madinah had already become guilty by rejecting the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad. The gravity of their guilt was further increased by their breaking of the pledge. After the emigration to Madinah, there had been a written agreement between the Prophet and the Jews of Madinah that both the sides would be neutral in matters relating to each other. But the Jews started conspiring against him, secretly joining hands and collaborating with his enemies. This was breach of trust in addition to the rejection of truth. Punishment awaits such people in the Hereafter. And in this world they will be discouraged from creating further mischief. If the Muslims have a treaty with a community, but they want to cancel it for fear of its being breached by that community, it is necessary that they should first inform those co-signatories, so that it is known in advance that the treaty no longer exists between them. The position is different when there is not merely the fear of a beach of trust but there has been a clear contravention of the treaty. In such a case it is permissable to start retaliatory action without informing the other party. The campaign of Makkah is an example of this type. The Quraysh had unilaterally contravened the Hudaibiyah treaty by joining the Banu Bakr’s aggression against an ally of the Prophet Muhammad, namely, the Banu Khuza‘a. So the Prophet quietly proceeded against the Quraysh without giving them advance information.

Islam relies not on the use of force but on the demonstration of force to inspire awe in the enemy. That is why the believers were commanded to equip themselves with power so that the enemy might be demoralized and refrain from aggression. Those who spend their resources in strengthening Islam intellectually and materially will be rewarded many times over by their Lord. The secret of success in Islam does not lie in military confrontation but in the preaching of its principles—hence the command that whenever there is an offer of peace by the other party, it should be accepted, setting aside every doubt or suspicion, because doubt or suspicion is in any case an uncertain thing, but the benefit of a cease-fire is certain: it permits the dawah work of Islam to start in a peaceful atmosphere. The stoppage of war thus facilitates the ideological expansion of Islam. Islam in itself is the greatest power. If the belief in God and the Hereafter is engendered in a group, then all those psychological drawbacks which cause differences and clashes are driven out of them. Thereafter, it necessarily happens that all of them join together and become one, and it is a fact that the greatest strength lies in unity. A united group, though small, will overcome a group larger than itself. Mutual integration is the most difficult task. The sign of a divinely—aided group is that its members are united; nothing succeeds in disuniting them.

Islam relies not on the use of force but on the demonstration of force to inspire awe in the enemy. That is why the believers were commanded to equip themselves with power so that the enemy might be demoralized and refrain from aggression. Those who spend their resources in strengthening Islam intellectually and materially will be rewarded many times over by their Lord. The secret of success in Islam does not lie in military confrontation but in the preaching of its principles—hence the command that whenever there is an offer of peace by the other party, it should be accepted, setting aside every doubt or suspicion, because doubt or suspicion is in any case an uncertain thing, but the benefit of a cease-fire is certain: it permits the dawah work of Islam to start in a peaceful atmosphere. The stoppage of war thus facilitates the ideological expansion of Islam. Islam in itself is the greatest power. If the belief in God and the Hereafter is engendered in a group, then all those psychological drawbacks which cause differences and clashes are driven out of them. Thereafter, it necessarily happens that all of them join together and become one, and it is a fact that the greatest strength lies in unity. A united group, though small, will overcome a group larger than itself. Mutual integration is the most difficult task. The sign of a divinely—aided group is that its members are united; nothing succeeds in disuniting them.

Islam relies not on the use of force but on the demonstration of force to inspire awe in the enemy. That is why the believers were commanded to equip themselves with power so that the enemy might be demoralized and refrain from aggression. Those who spend their resources in strengthening Islam intellectually and materially will be rewarded many times over by their Lord. The secret of success in Islam does not lie in military confrontation but in the preaching of its principles—hence the command that whenever there is an offer of peace by the other party, it should be accepted, setting aside every doubt or suspicion, because doubt or suspicion is in any case an uncertain thing, but the benefit of a cease-fire is certain: it permits the dawah work of Islam to start in a peaceful atmosphere. The stoppage of war thus facilitates the ideological expansion of Islam. Islam in itself is the greatest power. If the belief in God and the Hereafter is engendered in a group, then all those psychological drawbacks which cause differences and clashes are driven out of them. Thereafter, it necessarily happens that all of them join together and become one, and it is a fact that the greatest strength lies in unity. A united group, though small, will overcome a group larger than itself. Mutual integration is the most difficult task. The sign of a divinely—aided group is that its members are united; nothing succeeds in disuniting them.

Islam relies not on the use of force but on the demonstration of force to inspire awe in the enemy. That is why the believers were commanded to equip themselves with power so that the enemy might be demoralized and refrain from aggression. Those who spend their resources in strengthening Islam intellectually and materially will be rewarded many times over by their Lord. The secret of success in Islam does not lie in military confrontation but in the preaching of its principles—hence the command that whenever there is an offer of peace by the other party, it should be accepted, setting aside every doubt or suspicion, because doubt or suspicion is in any case an uncertain thing, but the benefit of a cease-fire is certain: it permits the dawah work of Islam to start in a peaceful atmosphere. The stoppage of war thus facilitates the ideological expansion of Islam. Islam in itself is the greatest power. If the belief in God and the Hereafter is engendered in a group, then all those psychological drawbacks which cause differences and clashes are driven out of them. Thereafter, it necessarily happens that all of them join together and become one, and it is a fact that the greatest strength lies in unity. A united group, though small, will overcome a group larger than itself. Mutual integration is the most difficult task. The sign of a divinely—aided group is that its members are united; nothing succeeds in disuniting them.

See note to 2:191.

See note to 2:191.

See note to 2:191.

The reason for a lesser number of believers overcoming a large number of those who deny the truth has been explained by saying that the believers possessed fiqh, while those who deny the truth were devoid of it. The literal meaning of fiqh is understanding. This means the insight and wisdom which a man acquires as a result of faith. Faith in God is like the lighting of a lamp in a dark room. The lamp lights up the room in a such way that everything in it is seen clearly. Similarly, faith blesses man with a divine consciousness, after which he starts seeing all realities in their original shape. As a result of faith, man understands the reality of life and death. He comes to know that the most important thing is not the life of this world but the life of the Hereafter. This makes him fearless. He looks at death as if it is a door through which he may enter Paradise. A believer is God-fearing and he is anxious about the Hereafter. Such a temperament purifies him of all types of negative feelings. He rises above obstinacy, hatred, prejudice, revenge and haughtiness. The case of those who deny the truth is just the opposite. One who denies the truth acts emotionally, while the believer acts realistically. One who denies the truth carries out his dealings with narrow-mindedness, while the believer displays broad-mindedness.

At the battle of Badr, the Muslims killed seventy of the Quraysh’s greatest men and captured another seventy. Many of these captives were chiefs. After the battle, a consultation was held to decide the fate of these prisoners. The majority of the companions were for ransoming them. These enemies were continuously hostile. But the Muslims lacked the resources to defend themselves. So, it was thought that the ransom could be utilised to purchase armaments. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and Sa‘d ibn Ma‘az were against this opinion. ‘Umar said: ‘O, Prophet of God, these prisoners are the leaders of those who deny the truth. The real strength of our enemies has fallen into our hands. They should be killed so that the problem is solved once and for all.’ However, the Prophet Muhammad acted on the first opinion. Later on, those verses were revealed in which there were comments on the battle. While the ransom was declared legitimate by God, displeasure was expressed on that transaction. Releasing the war prisoners on a ransom was apparently a matter of mercy and grace, but it was not in accordance with the long term plan of God. God planned to root out paganism and polytheism and had caused all the leaders of the Quraysh (except Abu Lahab and Abu Sufyan) to gather on the field of Badr, arranging matters in such a way that they came entirely under the control of the Muslims. Had these leaders been killed at that time, the resistance of paganism and polytheism to montheism would have been completely buried in Badr itself. The result of releasing these leaders was that they were able to re-organise themselves and continue the resistance movement. This decision was against the Muslims’ war strategy, and could have become the cause of the most serious difficulties for them. These leaders, along with their followers, could have completely finished the entire mission of Islam. But God had ordained that the Last Prophet and his companions should necessarily overcome everything. That is the reason why, in spite of this shortcoming in strategy, the Quraysh were not able to overcome the Faithful.

At the battle of Badr, the Muslims killed seventy of the Quraysh’s greatest men and captured another seventy. Many of these captives were chiefs. After the battle, a consultation was held to decide the fate of these prisoners. The majority of the companions were for ransoming them. These enemies were continuously hostile. But the Muslims lacked the resources to defend themselves. So, it was thought that the ransom could be utilised to purchase armaments. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and Sa‘d ibn Ma‘az were against this opinion. ‘Umar said: ‘O, Prophet of God, these prisoners are the leaders of those who deny the truth. The real strength of our enemies has fallen into our hands. They should be killed so that the problem is solved once and for all.’ However, the Prophet Muhammad acted on the first opinion. Later on, those verses were revealed in which there were comments on the battle. While the ransom was declared legitimate by God, displeasure was expressed on that transaction. Releasing the war prisoners on a ransom was apparently a matter of mercy and grace, but it was not in accordance with the long term plan of God. God planned to root out paganism and polytheism and had caused all the leaders of the Quraysh (except Abu Lahab and Abu Sufyan) to gather on the field of Badr, arranging matters in such a way that they came entirely under the control of the Muslims. Had these leaders been killed at that time, the resistance of paganism and polytheism to montheism would have been completely buried in Badr itself. The result of releasing these leaders was that they were able to re-organise themselves and continue the resistance movement. This decision was against the Muslims’ war strategy, and could have become the cause of the most serious difficulties for them. These leaders, along with their followers, could have completely finished the entire mission of Islam. But God had ordained that the Last Prophet and his companions should necessarily overcome everything. That is the reason why, in spite of this shortcoming in strategy, the Quraysh were not able to overcome the Faithful.

At the battle of Badr, the Muslims killed seventy of the Quraysh’s greatest men and captured another seventy. Many of these captives were chiefs. After the battle, a consultation was held to decide the fate of these prisoners. The majority of the companions were for ransoming them. These enemies were continuously hostile. But the Muslims lacked the resources to defend themselves. So, it was thought that the ransom could be utilised to purchase armaments. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and Sa‘d ibn Ma‘az were against this opinion. ‘Umar said: ‘O, Prophet of God, these prisoners are the leaders of those who deny the truth. The real strength of our enemies has fallen into our hands. They should be killed so that the problem is solved once and for all.’ However, the Prophet Muhammad acted on the first opinion. Later on, those verses were revealed in which there were comments on the battle. While the ransom was declared legitimate by God, displeasure was expressed on that transaction. Releasing the war prisoners on a ransom was apparently a matter of mercy and grace, but it was not in accordance with the long term plan of God. God planned to root out paganism and polytheism and had caused all the leaders of the Quraysh (except Abu Lahab and Abu Sufyan) to gather on the field of Badr, arranging matters in such a way that they came entirely under the control of the Muslims. Had these leaders been killed at that time, the resistance of paganism and polytheism to montheism would have been completely buried in Badr itself. The result of releasing these leaders was that they were able to re-organise themselves and continue the resistance movement. This decision was against the Muslims’ war strategy, and could have become the cause of the most serious difficulties for them. These leaders, along with their followers, could have completely finished the entire mission of Islam. But God had ordained that the Last Prophet and his companions should necessarily overcome everything. That is the reason why, in spite of this shortcoming in strategy, the Quraysh were not able to overcome the Faithful.

Releasing the prisoners at the battle of Badr was a strategic error. But, for the prisoners themselves, this amounted to giving them a new lease of life. This meant that the people who had become liable to be killed due to their opposition of the Truth, were given a further opportunity to re-think the Islamic call and their improper behaviour towards it. This respite opened up for them the door of self-rectification.Now one consequence of this event could have been that the flames of revenge flared up in the hearts of the prisoners due to the defeat they had suffered; they could have become eager to avenge the ignominy and loss they had suffered on the payment of ransom. In this case, they would have repeated the same wrong action as a result of which they had become liable to be seized upon by God. They would have expended their energy in opposing Islam, the result of which action would have been destruction in the world and punishment in the Hereafter. The second possibility was that they could have thought over the extraordinary happenings on the battlefield of Badr, i.e. why did it happen that, in spite of having inferior and fewer armaments, the Muslims were clearly victorious? This clearly indicated that God was in favour of the religion of the Muslims and disfavoured that of the Quraysh. If this second line of thinking developed, it would make them change their previous behaviour and adopt the religion which they had not earlier been able to adopt and in this way become eligible for God’s reward in this world and also in the Hereafter.History shows that there were a number of individuals among the Quraysh in whose hearts this question had arisen and sooner or later they joined Islam. ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib had embraced Islam when he was a prisoner. Some others also joined the Islamic circle later. These people lowered themselves in the eyes of their own prejudiced group, but they honoured themselves in the eyes of God. They suffered worldly harm, but became possessors of the benefit of the Hereafter. On the release of the prisoners, the Muslims had the suspicion that the latter, instead of being grateful for the Muslims’ magnamity, would engage in conspiracies, adopt destructive ways and create impediments in the way of Islam. But the Quran did not give importance to these suspicions, because a movement launched for the cause of pure Truth is not an ordinary movement. It is a Divine affair. God Himself is behind it; and nobody has the power to fight God.

Releasing the prisoners at the battle of Badr was a strategic error. But, for the prisoners themselves, this amounted to giving them a new lease of life. This meant that the people who had become liable to be killed due to their opposition of the Truth, were given a further opportunity to re-think the Islamic call and their improper behaviour towards it. This respite opened up for them the door of self-rectification.Now one consequence of this event could have been that the flames of revenge flared up in the hearts of the prisoners due to the defeat they had suffered; they could have become eager to avenge the ignominy and loss they had suffered on the payment of ransom. In this case, they would have repeated the same wrong action as a result of which they had become liable to be seized upon by God. They would have expended their energy in opposing Islam, the result of which action would have been destruction in the world and punishment in the Hereafter. The second possibility was that they could have thought over the extraordinary happenings on the battlefield of Badr, i.e. why did it happen that, in spite of having inferior and fewer armaments, the Muslims were clearly victorious? This clearly indicated that God was in favour of the religion of the Muslims and disfavoured that of the Quraysh. If this second line of thinking developed, it would make them change their previous behaviour and adopt the religion which they had not earlier been able to adopt and in this way become eligible for God’s reward in this world and also in the Hereafter.History shows that there were a number of individuals among the Quraysh in whose hearts this question had arisen and sooner or later they joined Islam. ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib had embraced Islam when he was a prisoner. Some others also joined the Islamic circle later. These people lowered themselves in the eyes of their own prejudiced group, but they honoured themselves in the eyes of God. They suffered worldly harm, but became possessors of the benefit of the Hereafter. On the release of the prisoners, the Muslims had the suspicion that the latter, instead of being grateful for the Muslims’ magnamity, would engage in conspiracies, adopt destructive ways and create impediments in the way of Islam. But the Quran did not give importance to these suspicions, because a movement launched for the cause of pure Truth is not an ordinary movement. It is a Divine affair. God Himself is behind it; and nobody has the power to fight God.

Generally when a man helps another, it is because that other person belongs to his family or group or class. But after the hijrah (migration to Madinah) the Islamic society formed in Madinah was such that those who were householders gave their houses to people with whom their relation was based only on religion. The people who left their hearths and homes and migrated to Madinah had done all this for the sake of God and the Hereafter, and those who allowed these strangers to share their money and property also did so, in order that God should be pleased with them and send them to paradise in the Hereafter. This was a society in which relations of family or race were not important as compared to faith. People used to help each other, not for worldly benefit, but for the sake of the Hereafter. They used to give to each other without expecting any return from the receiver, but only expecting a reward from God. That society is truly Islamic where relations are established not on the basis of family relations or the prejudices of groupism, but on the basis of Truth; where the people are the supporters and helpers of each other for the sole reason that they are brothers in religion and not because some worldly consideration is linked with them.

Generally when a man helps another, it is because that other person belongs to his family or group or class. But after the hijrah (migration to Madinah) the Islamic society formed in Madinah was such that those who were householders gave their houses to people with whom their relation was based only on religion. The people who left their hearths and homes and migrated to Madinah had done all this for the sake of God and the Hereafter, and those who allowed these strangers to share their money and property also did so, in order that God should be pleased with them and send them to paradise in the Hereafter. This was a society in which relations of family or race were not important as compared to faith. People used to help each other, not for worldly benefit, but for the sake of the Hereafter. They used to give to each other without expecting any return from the receiver, but only expecting a reward from God. That society is truly Islamic where relations are established not on the basis of family relations or the prejudices of groupism, but on the basis of Truth; where the people are the supporters and helpers of each other for the sole reason that they are brothers in religion and not because some worldly consideration is linked with them.

Having faith in God means deciding to lead one’s life purely for His sake. People who do so, frequently become strangers among those who live for things other than God. This alienation sometimes leads to the decision to migrate due to a wholly inimical atmosphere; one’s whole life thus becomes one of struggle and sacrifice. These migrants are the true believers in the eyes of God—their faith being of the highest order. Next come those who support these migrants in God’s cause. In order to become a real Muslim, at least one of the following courses of action should be entered upon. Either the potential devotee should attach himself to Islam to such an extent that, if required, he will forsake his well-established life. Or he should loosen his purse strings in order to come to the aid of those who choose to migrate. If necessary he should even invite them to share in his earnings and property. True faith will thus become a reality for people on their becoming either muhajirs (migrants in God’s cause) or ansars (helpers or supporters). These are the two kinds of people for whom, before God, there is pardon or forgiveness (maghfirah) and respectable sustenance (rizq karim). The Paradise of the Hereafter is an extremely refined world; it is a perfect world; and the people eligible to be settled in a perfect world should also be perfect. No human being can attain such perfection in view of human weaknesses. However, God has promised that one who fulfils one test out of the two tests mentioned above shall have allowances made for his shortcomings and, by His grace, will be sent to Paradise. Helping and supporting those who become brothers through religion is very important. However, this will not affect the rights of blood relations and the distribution of inheritance among them. Under the influence of personal desire, a man may treat some things as essential for his family members, but this has no importance in the eyes of God. However, God himself has laid down in His Book laws regarding the rights of family members and rules of inheritance applicable to them. These will in any case hold good, and nothing can become an excuse for violating them.

Having faith in God means deciding to lead one’s life purely for His sake. People who do so, frequently become strangers among those who live for things other than God. This alienation sometimes leads to the decision to migrate due to a wholly inimical atmosphere; one’s whole life thus becomes one of struggle and sacrifice. These migrants are the true believers in the eyes of God—their faith being of the highest order. Next come those who support these migrants in God’s cause. In order to become a real Muslim, at least one of the following courses of action should be entered upon. Either the potential devotee should attach himself to Islam to such an extent that, if required, he will forsake his well-established life. Or he should loosen his purse strings in order to come to the aid of those who choose to migrate. If necessary he should even invite them to share in his earnings and property. True faith will thus become a reality for people on their becoming either muhajirs (migrants in God’s cause) or ansars (helpers or supporters). These are the two kinds of people for whom, before God, there is pardon or forgiveness (maghfirah) and respectable sustenance (rizq karim). The Paradise of the Hereafter is an extremely refined world; it is a perfect world; and the people eligible to be settled in a perfect world should also be perfect. No human being can attain such perfection in view of human weaknesses. However, God has promised that one who fulfils one test out of the two tests mentioned above shall have allowances made for his shortcomings and, by His grace, will be sent to Paradise. Helping and supporting those who become brothers through religion is very important. However, this will not affect the rights of blood relations and the distribution of inheritance among them. Under the influence of personal desire, a man may treat some things as essential for his family members, but this has no importance in the eyes of God. However, God himself has laid down in His Book laws regarding the rights of family members and rules of inheritance applicable to them. These will in any case hold good, and nothing can become an excuse for violating them.