- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- (004) Al Nisaa
The levels of iman
O brother, this is our 60th lecture on the Surat An-Nisa, verse 136. Allah the Almighty has said:﴾ O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent to His Messenger and the Scripture which He had sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, has gone far, far astray.﴿
Brother, there is a subtle allusion in this verse: Allah addresses the believers and orders them to believe, which means that there are degrees of faith and that some of the degrees will not save. The minimum of faith, that which keeps you safe from the punishment, is that which makes you obey Allah's Commands. No matter how obvious and clear your faith is in your mind, if you do not follow firmly the Way of Allah, your faith will not save you. It was said that "suffice it for a man as knowledge to obey Allah or fear Him, and suffice it to disobey Allah for him to be of the ignorant." If one disobeys His Lord, he simply does not know Him. If one considers that Allah is Great, he will never disobey Him. When Allah says:﴾O you who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often.﴿
If you were to underline the most important word in this ayah, which one would you underline? “O you who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often.” Surely, you would underline the word "often", because even a hypocrite does it, but:﴾ little do they hold Allah in remembrance.﴿
We need the belief that makes us obedient to Allah:
It is all about frequent remembering. Allah says “O you who believe!” It means that you believe but your faith is not sufficient. You need to renew your faith, and the sign of the faith that saves you is obedience to Allah. Abu Huraira, may Allah be satisfied with him, said:"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Faith has more than seventy (or more than sixty) parts. The best of them all is ‘There is no god but Allah’, and the lowest is removing obstacles from the road, and demureness is part of faith.’ "
Tawheed is the highest degree of faith. It implies that you place nobody next to Allah, that you have the certainty that all acts are solely from Allah only, that you believe that nobody but Allah gives, withdraws, benefits, hurts, honours or humiliates. Tawheed is to devote all of your energy to Allah the Almighty. Tawheed is relaxing because you deal with the Only One; if you please Him and obey Him, you are on the safe side. He is surely He Who﴾ knows what is secret and what is yet more hidden.﴿
He knows what you conceal and what you do not see. If you maintain a strong relationship with Allah, you need not worry. You need no document, no deed as Allah knows.﴾All-sufficient is Allah in taking account ﴿
Importance of tawheed
Tawheed is the degree of faith that Muslims need nowadays. Powerful people are indeed many; they are ruthless, they conspire against the believers, they possess force that one can see with the naked eye. However, the follower of tawheed sees nothing but Allah's Hand above theirs. He sees that all their acts are assimilated into Allah's Plan, and that their wrong-doing has been allowed by Allah according to a sublime wisdom.﴾ And not one will your Lord treat with injustice.﴿
The unjust are the whip of Allah. He uses them as a means of punishment, and then He punishes them.Dear brother! One of the most important causes of many diseases is psychological distress, and that is basically due to shirk. If you see someone who is stronger than you, who not only dislikes you but, what is far worse, intends to destroy you, this is enough for a man to develop incurable illnesses. However, if you are convinced that that person is in Allah's Hands, you will remain at ease. One of Allah's Prophets said:
﴾ So scheme (your worst) against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has grasp of its fore-lock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.﴿
Dear brother, it is both unreasonable and unacceptable that Allah should abandon you to something other than Him. Otherwise, how could He ever command you to worship Him while you are out of His control? Allah Almighty assures you:﴾ and to Him goes back every affair (for decision): then worship Him. ﴿
“Every affair.” What is happening in the Islamic world today is acceptable (and understandable) for the follower of tawheed, but unbearable for a shirk-doer. Never did Muslims need tawheed as much as they need it today.People’s right and Allah’s right:
Allah the Almighty says:﴾So call not on any other god with Allah, or you will be among those under the Penalty. ﴿
Man does not know, and if he does, he shows no mercy; and even if he shows some, it does not last. However, when you believe that everything is in Allah's Hands and that your relationship should be with Him and Him alone, it is enough for you to please Him and obey Him and leave everything that is not Him. A believer is amazingly tranquil; the peace and security he enjoys would be sufficient to satisfy the inhabitants of a whole country. I obey Him, and He will take care of the rest.﴾Nay, but worship Allah, and be of those who give thanks.﴿
He charged me to obey Him, and if I do, He will regulate all of my affairs. Someone said: Your duty toward Him is to worship Him, and, in return, you become worthy of His mercy.Muad, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"I was riding behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on his donkey, Ofayr, when he said: ‘O Muad, do you know what is the right of Allah upon His servants and the right of the servants upon Allah?’ I said: ‘Allah and His Prophet know better.’ He answered: ‘The right of Allah with regard to His servants is that they worship Him and do not associate (shirk) anything with Him; and the right of the servants with regard to Him is that He should never punish the one who refrains from doing shirk.’ I said: ‘Shall I announce it to the people?’ He said: ‘Do not announce it lest they should feel too confident.’”
The greatest grace is being secure:
You have a right with regard to the Creator of Heavens and Earth, and this is something tremendous indeed. He undertakes not to chastise you: " and the right of the servants with regard to Him is that He should never punish the one who refrains from doing shirk." Therefore, the believer lives in a state of peace that one cannot know until one experiences it. This is confirmed by the following ayah:﴾ Which of (us) two parties has more right to security? (Tell me) if you know. It is those who believe … ﴿
That means only those who believed﴾ and they tarnish not their beliefs with wrongness - that are (truly) safe, for they are on (right) guidance. ﴿
Dear brother! I would venture to say that there is no blessing on earth more precious than security. You may be rich and healthy but insecure. Some scholars said: "You live in poverty if you fear poverty. You are sick if you fear sickness. Expecting a misfortune is worse than the misfortune itself." Therefore, the blessing of safety is confined to the believers [O you who believe!] Believe in Allah and feel that everything is in His Hand.Abu Huraira said:
"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Faith has more than seventy (or more than sixty) parts. The best of them all is ‘There is no god but Allah’, and the lowest is removing obstacles from the road, and demureness is part of faith."
Tawheed is relief. There is no worry, no fear, and no disturbance where there is tawheed. One (party) is holding all of your affairs, and this Party is Competent, Knowing, Wise, Merciful and Loving. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when concerned about something, used to say:"There is no god but Allah the Knowing, the Wise. There is no god but Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful."
Levels of faith:
Everything is in Allah's Hands and Allah is merciful. If you have a deal on your hands, and are told that it is up to X to have it settled, and that the said X observes the Commands of Allah in all of his actions and does no harm to anyone, you feel relieved because you feel sure that you will obtain what is your right. [O you who believe!] Human beings are never satisfied with their sustenance, but they are usually well satisfied with their ideas and the level of their iman (faith). Nevertheless, the true courage consists in never being satisfied with the level of our iman. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Renew your iman."The following saying of Abu Huraira, may Allah be satisfied with him, develops this concept:
“Iman can be worn outas one a dress gets worn out. The renewal of iman leads to raising the level of tawheed higher and higher, and to see that it is only the Hand of Allah that works.”
﴾Men said to them: "A great many men have gathered against you. Fear them." But it (only) increased their Faith: They said: "For us Allah suffices, and He is the best disposer of affairs. ﴿
We need a faith that leads us to be straight on Allah’s orders:
[O you who believe!] There are indeed many degrees of iman, but if your iman does not lead you to obeying Allah's Commands, you need to work hard to renew it, and this is the most important thing. Your eye can be refreshed only with the iman that leads you to the Way of Allah. [O you who believe! Believe in Allah] Believe that Allah exists!During a press briefing, I asked the attendees to listen to a piece of news and analyze it. I told them to feel free to accept or reject it, but never forget, not even for a second, that Allah exists.
﴾ The Hand of Allah is over their hands. ﴿
In the midst of all the trials Muslims tend to forget that everything is in Allah's Hand, and, hence, get caught up in hidden shirk. They come to believe that everything is in the hand of the rhinoceros; he with whom the rhinoceros is pleased, shall make it to safety, but woe to the one who deserves the wrath of the rhinoceros! Such thinking suffices to destroy a human being. Allah the Almighty created you and will never abandon you.[Therefore scheme against me all together; then give me no respite. Surely I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord; there is no living creature but He holds it by its forelock; surely my Lord is on the right path.]
The Quran has general issues and the prophet gives details:
Allah has committed Himself to righteousness and said to you: I will never be unfair to you. [O you who believe! Believe…] This is an invitation to renew your iman, to achieve the degree that makes you obey The One, The Judge. This is an invitation to reflect on the Creation of Heavens and Earth and Allah's acts, to meditate on the ayaat of His Quran and to believe in the Prophet who was entrusted with the interpretation of this Quran:﴾... so that you may explain clearly to men what has been sent for them, and that they may give thought. ﴿
It was the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who interpreted the Quran and explained the details of worship and those of different affairs. It is unreasonable to feel content with the Quran alone; the Quran speaks in general lines while the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained the details. You must believe in Allah Who created you from nothingness, who is One and Complete. You must believe in His Best Names and His Virtuous Attributes. You must believe in this infallible man to whom the Quran was revealed, and who was entrusted with the explanation of the provisions it contains.﴾O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book which He has revealed to His Messenger﴿.
Islam is for all people till the Day of Judgment:
This is the way.﴾Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth. ﴿
﴾Praise be to Allah, Who has sent to His Servant the Book. ﴿
On one hand we have the Universe, and on the other hand we have the Quran. The Book is the Quran which Allah revealed to His Messenger:﴾the Book which He has revealed to His Messenger and the Book which He revealed before﴿.
We believe in this Quran, but also in all the other Books which Allah had revealed to His previous Prophets. The Book is Allah's Revelation to His Prophets.﴾ We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His Messengers. ﴿
The din is one, but the Divine Laws are multiple. However, the Islamic Divine Law of our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the last of all the Divine Laws, and it is applicable to the entire humanity until the Day of Resurrection.[And whoever disbelieves in Allah and His angels]:
the angels who record our deeds,[and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day, he indeed has gone far, far astray.]
Belief in Allah and the Last Day:
Brother, the two most important pillars of Islam are the belief in Allah and the Last Day. Believing in Allah alone is not enough; one must believe in Allah and the Last Day in which there is accountability, punishment, Heaven and Hell. I assure you, dear brother, that just to believe in the Last Day will change all of your standards. When you believe in the Last Day, you shall build up your life on giving not getting, making effort not taking advantage of other people’s work.You must believe this life is all about trials, not equality. It is a place of sorrow, not a place of joy. He who knows it well will never rejoice at the time of prosperity or lament at the time of misery. Allah has made it a place of trials, and He made the Hereafter the place of enjoyment. He made the trials of life the reason for gaining the Hereafter, and He made the Hereafter the reward for the trials of this life. He takes in order to give, and tests in order to reward.
You must believe that everything is in Allah's Hands, that this world is a transition not a settlement, a place of work not a place of hope, a place of duty not a place of honor. When you believe in the truth of this life and the truth of the Afterlife, all of your standards will be turned upside down.
[O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book which He has revealed to His Messenger and the Book - that is, all the books - which He had revealed before; and whoever disbelieves in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day, he indeed gone far, far astray.]
Living and working for the present life alone combine definitely into the biggest error one could ever commit. In this life there are the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick, the long-lived and the short-lived, the handsome and the ugly. Now, if there is no Afterlife, why did the ugly, the poor, the weak, the sick and the short-lived exist? There must be another place where all accounts will be settled. Would it be acceptable to any sane person that a super power that possesses a lethal weapon of mass destruction and to which no country could ever say NO, can use its power to appropriate the wealth of sh3er, loot their properties, and built its glory on their ruins, and then life ends just like this? This is unacceptable to a healthy mind.Brother, some scholars consider that the belief in the Last Day derives from the information we have received. In other words, Allah has informed us about it, that is why we believe in it. However, other scholars understand, and I share in their opinion, that the belief in the Last Day is a deductive belief, because the human mind cannot admit that life, with all these wars, conflicts, injustice, oppression, assassinations, threats, arrogance… could end just like this. The poor would say then: "O Allah! Why wasn’t I rich? Why I wasn’t I strong? Why wasn’t I handsome? Why didn’t I live long?" Therefore, brother, a sound mind cannot accept that life could simply end without there being the Last Day. The greatest consolation for the weak and those among the believers who lacked a comfortable life is that all the accounts will be settled on the Day of Resurrection. It is He Who begins the Creation, then He will repeat it
﴾ for every soul to receive its reward by the measure of its endeavour.﴿
He will repeat the Creation to reward or punish everybody according to their actions. Allah Almighty says:﴾ Not in the least will you be dealt with unjustly.﴿
﴾ And if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will take it (into account). And enough are We to hold (you) to account.﴿
Once man believes in the Last Day, all his concepts change:
If one believes in the Last Day, all his concepts get changed. He realizes that wisdom lies in giving not getting, in hard work not in relaxation, in serving fellow humans not in exploiting their efforts, in being merciful not asking for mercy. Believing in Allah and the Last Day will turn all of one’s concepts upside down.﴾ Surely those who believe then disbelieve, again believe and again disbelieve…﴿
Some believed in Musa and denied Isa, as Jews did; and some believed in Isa and denied Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.﴾ Surely those who believe, then disbelieve, again believe and again disbelieve, and then increase unbelief.﴿
When they were hypocrites.
﴾ The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper will they find.﴿
A kafir acts in a clear way and so does a Muslim, while a hypocrite speaks sweetly and slips away like a fox.﴾ Surely those who believe, then disbelieve, again believe and again disbelieve, and then increase unbelief. Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to the Way. ﴿
Types of hypocrites:
Hypocrisy falls into two categories: hypocrisy out of weakness, either in face of desires or in face of doubts, and this type of hypocrisy may be cured later on; and the hypocrisy out of disbelief which is actually the worst type of disbelief. Such hypocrite does not believe, but he is astute. His interests are with the Muslims, so he affects skillfully his intentions to please them and, consequently, safeguards his objective. His deceit is twofold, so he deserves the worst place in Hell:[Surely (as for) those who believe then disbelieve, again believe and again disbelieve, then increase in disbelief, Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to the Way.]
Those are the hypocrites out of disbelief, not out of weakness. The hypocrites out of weakness usually are either simple minded, or they just cannot resist their desires. We hope they might become good Muslims one day. However, a hypocrite who is in fact a kafir (disbeliever), and who wants to take advantage of the Muslims, demonstrates faith and hides his kufur (disbelief). This type of hypocrites basically never repent:
[Allah will not forgive them nor guide them in the Way.]
﴾ To the hypocrites give the glad tidings that there is for them a grievous chastisement. ﴿
Brother, if you cherish an unbeliever, seek his help, keep company with him or like him, you are a 100% hypocrite. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ To the hypocrites give the glad tidings that there is for them a painful chastisement. Those who take the unbelievers for protectors rather than believers. ﴿
I regret to say that those who count on unbelievers, cherish them, befriend them, call for their help and turn together with them against their Muslim brother are without number.
[Announce to the hypocrites that they shall have a painful chastisement. Those who take the unbelievers for guardians rather than believers.]
Keep company with an unbeliever, like him, call for his help, take him as an example… but the worst of all is to help them kill Muslims, to prepare the ways, open land and airspace, provide him with what he needs to kill a Muslim. Is there a threat in the Quran severer than that of killing a Muslim?﴾ And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his punishment is Hell; he shall abide in it, and Allah will send His Wrath on him and curse him and prepare for him a painful chastisement. ﴿
The chastisement in Hell is tremendous. No threat in the Quran is more severe than that of killing a Muslim intentionally. He who, in order to feel secure, facilitates the killing of a Muslim by providing an unbeliever with all what he needs to achieve this task, has surely cherished the unbeliever and counted on him.
﴾ Announce to the hypocrites that they shall have a painful chastisement. Those who take the unbelievers for guardians rather than believers. Do they seek power from them? Surely all power is with Allah. ﴿
An important ayah we need to apply:
Brother, here is an ayah that, if applied, would definitely change the condition of Muslims. Allah the Almighty says:﴾ Already has He sent you Word in the Book, that when you hear the Signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, you are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme: if you did, you would be like them. For Allah will collect the hypocrites and those who defy faith - all in Hell. ﴿
A person who disbelieves in the salah, who does not pray and mocks those who pray, must be boycotted. If all those whose behaviour is contrary to the Way of Allah were boycotted, things would be different. If a forward girl who shows all her charm in public is welcomed wherever she goes, she does not feel the need to switch to the right way.[And indeed He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear the Signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, you are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme.]
He who does not pray and, eventually, drinks alcohol and earns money in an illicit way, is welcomed and honoured wherever he goes as if all that mattered were the family ties, parental relationships and business connections, but certainly not the din. A true believer must remain distant from a person whose ideology is vicious and behavior devious, and keep his relation with such a person within the limits of the job.
By the way, you are not allowed to enter into intimate relationship with an unbeliever. It might be, at the most, a strictly business relationship limited to fulfilling duties and executing instructions, but certainly not an intimate relationship with someone who denies your din, your way and the Divine Laws of Your God. This indulgence in relationship will cause indulgence in repentance.
The Prophet's Companions, who stayed behind (did not accompany him on the Tabuk expedition) were, in spite of the fact that they did not lie, boycotted by the Divine Order. If those who commit sins in public are boycotted, never invited or respected, they will definitely reconsider their attitude.
A man who was a heavy drinker bought some wine and kept it in his sister's bag. The driver of the taxi they took noticed the bottle, stopped the car and asked them to get out. The man said that this taxi driver was the reason for his giving up drinking. Everyone must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong – this is the sixth command – otherwise they will be held accountable to Allah.
Allah the Almighty ordered the destruction of a city. When some of the angels said that there was a righteous man living there, Allah ordered them to start with him. The angels were astonished and asked for the reason of this order. Allah said: "Because his face has never borne a grudge against vice." He had never felt affected!
﴾ Nor would your Lord be the One to destroy communities for a single wrong-doing, if its members were likely to mend.﴿
The reformers do not perish, but the righteous do. What is the purpose of being righteous if one does not care about sh3er? One must build up one’s relationships on the basis of faith; one may receive a fellow believer, invite him to lunch, and respect him although he is poor. One may be generous with the negligent who do not fulfill all of their religious duties, but certainly not with a scoffer. A negligent person can be attracted, while a scoffer must be boycotted.[And indeed He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear the Signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, you are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme.]
If you attend a gathering where people mock the Quran and the hadith, and propound incorrect ideas, you must speak out against them.﴾ That was Our argument, which We gave to Ibrahim (to use) against his people﴿
A believer should not avoid an argument. One must not listen to hateful things and outright blasphemy, and remain silent just to protect their interests. If your boss speaks against the Quran and the sunnah, and you agree with him in order to secure his favour and protect your interests, your attitude is absolutely unacceptable.I always mention in this context the well-known story about a taxi driver who transported passengers from Damascus to Beirut. One day, a young couple hired him to take them to Damascus. The young man asked the driver to wait for a while as he was expecting somebody who would bring him a briefcase. Fifteen minutes later a seventy-year-old man arrived carrying a briefcase on his head and handed it over to the young man. The young man, who was angry because the old man was late, hit him on the head when the driver was not looking. On the way to Damascus, the woman asked her husband why he had hit his father. When the driver heard what the woman said, he stopped the taxi and said: "Your father???!!! Here is your money. Now get out the car!" It is very simple. If you transport a man who hits his father, your car can be at risk.
If we all enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, if we refuse to help an unbeliever, never welcome him, never smile at him, never receive him or invite him, if we have strong arguments and use them firmly, we shall be in a totally different situation. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. ﴿
If you want piety you should accompany the believers:
This nation is the best because[you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah]
Therefore, if we lose the reason that makes us the best, we will not be the best any longer. Nowadays, we are a nation – and I am so ashamed to say it – that Allah does not care about any more; we have been remiss in His orders so He has abandoned us. What we experience is unbearable: the lands are seized, the houses are demolished, the young are killed, the wells are blocked, the trees are uprooted, there is random killing every day… We have been remiss in Allah's orders so He has abandoned us. Where are we?﴾ And never will Allah grant to the unbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers. ﴿
By Allah, they do have a thousand ways against us. Where are we?
﴾ Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land,
inheritance (of power). ﴿
By Allah, we are not the world’s rulers. Where are we?
﴾ And that He will establish in authority their din - the one which He has chosen for them.﴿
By Allah, we are deprived of all authority. Where are we?
﴾ And that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace. ﴿
By Allah, we are not secure. There is a threat every other day, something like: "Beware! Look what we did to sh3er and learn the lesson well." We were remiss in Allah's orders so He has abandoned us. Were we strong believers, we would boycott every single man who has abandoned the Way of Allah.
Dear brother, in Medina people used to pray Al--Fajr at the mosque, and whenever a man was missing, they used to check upon him to see what had prevented him from coming. Nowadays, we hardly see seven or eight people performing Al-Fajr salah in a mosque that is large enough to accommodate ten thousand worshippers.
Therefore, brother in faith, remember well these ayaat:
[And indeed He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear the Signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, you are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme.]
Abu Said Al-Khudari said:"I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say: ‘Do not befriend but a believer, and to not share your food but with a pious man.’ "
Therefore if you choose to guard yourself against evil, Allah orders you and says:﴾ O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with those who are true (in word and deed). ﴿
Keep the company of the believers. Do not keep the company of a person who does not recognize your value while you recognize his. Befriend a believer, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, do not favour a sin, do not recommend what does not please Allah and, above all, watch your tongue because Allah says:﴾ Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner therein. And whoever recommends and helps an evil cause, shares in its burden. And Allah has power over all things﴿
If you do something that leads to a sin, you shall bear the burden of the sin itself. Therefore Allah says:﴾ Help one another in righteousness and piety, but help not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah, for Allah is strict in punishment.﴿
Many ayaat speak about the enmity that the mushrik bear toward the believers, and unless you believe in what Allah says, you will not be drawn near to Him. Do not trust a mushrik nor a man who does not pray. Do not take him as a partner; if he ever speaks sweetly to you, soon he will stab you in the back. Do not feel at ease except with a believer. Allah Almighty says:﴾ (These are) the ones who wait and watch about you…﴿
He follows you closely, waits until you fall and rejoices when you do.
﴾ If good befalls you, it grieves them…﴿
﴾and if an evil afflicts you, they rejoice at it…﴿
About hypocrites:
﴾ Those who love (to see) scandal propagate among the Believers, will have a painful chastisement in this life and in the Hereafter. Allah knows, and you know not ﴿
[Those who lay in wait about you, then if you have a victory from Allah they say: Were we not with you?] They want what you acquired in war: [And if there is a chance for the unbelievers, they say: Did we not acquire the mastery over you and did we not defend you from the believers? So Allah shall Judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will by no means give the unbelievers a way against the believers.]
Dear brother!There is an ayah well worth mentioning in this context:
﴾Our Lord! Make us not a (test and) trial for the Unbelievers. ﴿
When an unbeliever sees a believer who does not keep his promise and exceeds the bounds, he will despise him and feel proud of his disbelief. When a unbeliever sees a believer commit a mistake, he will stick to his disbelief. As a matter of fact, such a believer helped him stick to his disbelief![Our Lord! Do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve!]
Pilgrims, or hajj applicants, were asked once to submit a statement that they had not performed hajj before. About ten thousands false statements had been presented. What was the person who managed the hajj procedure to say? Pilgrims lie! When you are counted among the believers but, in spite of this, you make a statement that you had not performed hajj before; when you lie - Allah forbid – when you do not carry out your duties perfectly, you make mistakes, you abuse of sh3er, the other party will despise our din.Know this well: there is a preacher, and there is a person who makes your din repulsive to you. The believer represents goodness, sincerity, integrity, devotion and chastity. This is what a real believer is all about. Ordinary people may confuse the din with those who belong to it; they judge the din by its followers, therefore a believer must behave impeccably. This is an extremely serious issue: you, as a Muslim are a guardian of Islam, hence, you must do your utmost to keep this din unspoilt. Every single believer should be an ambassador of this din. When a believer makes a mistake in front of non-believer, the latter will stick to his disbelief and, even worse, will feel proud of it.
Hence, the cause of Islam is a major issue. By Allah, if the noble Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had understood Islam as we understand it nowadays, Islam would not have reached Medina. So, how did Islam reach the remote corners of the world? It reached them by means of strict adab, values, principles, honesty and justice. Islam does not consist of salah alone. Salah is obligatory. But, again, Islam consists of justice, honesty, truthfulness, sincere promise, compassion, and fairness. If a Muslim possesses all of these values, he will be able to spread this din.
[Those who wait for you] to fall [then if you have a victory from Allah they say: Were we not with you? And if there is a chance for the unbelievers, they say: Did we not acquire the mastery over you and defend you from the believers? So Allah shall Judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will by no means give the unbelievers a way against the believers.]
