Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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Excerpts from the Holy Qur’an,

An Eternal Guidance to Mankind

Compiler(s): Hasnain Mohamedali

Publisher(s): World Islamic Network (WIN)

www.alhassanain.org/english

A text highlighting the directives given by Allah (swt) in the Holy Qur’an in context of various subjects that touch the day-to-day lives of every Muslim in particular and for that matter every human being in general.

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Dedication 11

Preface 12

Note 14

Allah (swt) 15

Allah (swt) is most Gracious - The Dispenser of Grace 15

Allah (swt) is Omniscient (Knowing Everything) 16

Allah (swt) is Omnipotent and Omnipresent (Having infinite power and being present everywhere) 16

Declaration of Allah’s (swt) Perfection and Absolute Oneness 16

Attributes of Allah (swt) 17

Allah’s (swt) Justice (‘Adil) 18

A Supplication for Allah’s (swt) Unlimited Mercy 18

The Innumerous Blessings of Allah (swt) Bestowed upon Mankind 19

How to earn Allah’s (swt) Mercy 20

Certain Knowledge is only with Allah (swt) 20

Taking Refuge With The Almighty 20

Notes 21

Allah's (swt) Creations 22

Allah’s (swt) Creation 22

Creation of the Universe 23

The Creator’s Way of Creating Anything 23

Magnificence of Allah’s (swt) Creation 23

How Man & Jinn have been Created 24

Purpose of Creation 25

Purpose of Allah’s (swt) Creation of Man & Jinn 25

Allah’s (swt) Manifold Creation 26

Allah’s (swt) Manifold Creations of Nature 28

Notes 29

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S) & his Ahlul Bayt (a) 30

The Holy Prophet (S) Made the Medium of Revelations and Path to Self-Surrender 30

The Holy Prophet (S) is “Rahmatul Aalamin” 30

The Reciting of Salwaat on The Prophet (S) is Made Incumbent on Mankind 31

To follow Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (S) 31

To Disobey Allah (swt) And His Prophet (S) can Erase Man’s Good Deeds 32

The Holy Prophet’s (S) Responsibility Towards Mankind, as Directed By Allah (swt) 32

What The Holy Prophet (S) expects in Return of His Services to Mankind 32

Etiquette in The Holy Prophet’s (S) Presence, as Commanded by Allah (swt) 33

Annoyance of the Holy Prophet (S) 34

Characteristics of the Choicest & Closest Companions of the Holy Prophet (S) 34

Mubahila and its importance in Defining Who are The Ahlul Bayt in Surah 33 (Surah Al-Ahzaab) Ayat 33 36

Directives to the Holy Prophet’s (S) Wives and his Holy Ahlul Bayt (a) 37

Assurance (To Holy Prophet (S)) of Tranquillity & Happiness after Trials and Tribulations 39

Reasons stated by Allah (swt) for making the Prophet (S) sign the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah 40

Note 41

The Holy Qur'an 42

The Holy Qur’an, Revelation from Allah (swt) only 42

God’s Unique Way of Sending His Messages to Mankind 42

The Holy Qur’an, a Book Complete in Every Aspect and Sent as a Grace From Almighty Allah (swt) and a Guide to Every Believer 42

The Holy Qur’an, a Book of True Guidance but, only for the Believers 43

The Holy Qur’an : Its Protection Against any Distortion is Promised by Allah (swt) 44

Allah’s (swt) Challenge to Mankind to Produce a Like of The Qur'an 44

Surah Baqarah, 2:23 44

The First Revelation of the Qur’an 45

Night of Qadr , The Night of Destiny , better than a 1000 Nights 46

Laylatul-Qadri khayrum-min ’alfi Shahr 46

Parents 48

The best deed before Allah (swt) 48

Status of Parents in Islam 48

Utmost respect and veneration to Parents, after Allah (swt) 49

Prayer for one’s parents 49

Dua for Parents and the Believers 50

Man, His Nature 51

Human Cycle 51

Evolution of Man from Dust 51

Men not created without a purpose 53

Man advised not to be pompous 54

Man is himself accountable for his own actions 54

Man’s selfish mentality 54

Man always makes hasty decisions 55

Ungrateful nature of Man 55

Most men are ungrateful, except for a few who have certain distinct qualities 56

World, Materialism 59

Life span of this world as compared to the span of the Hereafter 59

Man’s obsessment and attachment to this life 59

Consequences of Man’s attachment to the materialistic world 61

Man will always be a loser due to his worldly attachments 61

Worldly attachments should not deter Man from remembrance of Allah (swt) and in giving charity 62

Good deeds weigh heavier than worldly adornments (wealth & children) 63

Allah (swt), His Apostle & Jihad are more important than all worldly relations, pleasures & possessions 64

Punishment for hoarding of wealth 64

Hereafter , Day of Judgement , Paradise, Hell Fire 66

Day of Judgement 66

Repeated warning of the Day of Judgement 67

Signs to proclaim the arrival of the Day of Judgement 67

State of Mankind on the Day Of Judgment 69

State of Mankind when the Trumpet is blown 70

This Life will seem like an hour on the Day of Judgment 70

State of affairs on Day of Judgement 70

State of the Believers and Non Believers on the Day of Judgement 82

Man’s limbs will be his witness on the Day of Judgement 84

Division of Mankind into three groups on the Day of Judgement 84

Intercession will be permitted by Allah on the Day of Judgement 85

Intercession will be accepted from His selected people 86

The inheritors of Paradise 86

Hell-Fire - the final resort of the evil doers and the unbelievers 88

Condition of unbelievers in Hell 89

Notes 90

Death , Martyrdom 92

Sleep is Temporary Death 92

Saying at the time of Death 92

Rewards of those who are Martyrs in Allah’s (swt) way 92

Status of Martyrs 93

The Righteous, The Pious 95

Definition and attributes of a pious (Muttaqi) person 95

Equality is on the basis of piety, before Allah (swt) 96

Prerequisites of a true servant of Allah (swt) 96

Allah’s (swt) Grace on to the true Believers 98

Privileges and status enjoyed by the true believers in Paradise 99

State of righteous people in this world and the Hereafter 101

State of the righteous people on the Day of Judgement 102

The virtuous people and their rewards in Paradise 103

Etiquette to be adopted between Muslims 105

To slaying a believer for any but lawful reasons is like slaying entire Mankind, and to save the life of a believer is like saving the life of entire Mankind 107

The Non-Believers, the Hypocrites 108

Shaitan (Iblees) given respite and he in turn vowing to mislead all, but a few human beings 108

Non-Believers are Unclean (Najis) 109

Worshipping of deities along with God by the non-believers 110

Good deeds of a non-believer will be of no avail on Day of Judgement 110

Fate of those who do not believe in God’s Revelation 111

State of the non-believers on the Day of Judgement 111

Fate of the non-believers on the Day of Judgement 112

Fate of the hypocrites on the Day of Judgement 113

Arguments to the non-believers convincing them to believe in the One God 114

Must live in harmony with the non-believers unless they transgress and oppress 116

Notes 117

Commandments, Advice 118

Commandments of Allah (swt) 118

Advised to seek refuge with God, from Satan 118

Advice of Prophet Luqman(a) to his son 118

To die as Muslims 119

Men to adopt chastity 119

Women to adopt chastity and veil (Hijab) before a non-Mahram 120

Hijab 121

Trust 121

Fasting 123

Jihad 124

Man must not postpone the doing of good deed and worship of his Creator 124

Essential to defend against oppression but not to the extent of being an Oppressor 125

Spoils of ‘Fie’ i.e. Property - Wealth etc. obtained without a fight 125

The Forbidden & Unlawful 127

Forbidden to make or change Islamic Laws (Shariah) 127

Directives of Allah (swt) 127

Avoid Major Sins and Minor Sins will be forgiven 128

Do not envy others 128

Forbidden to usurp the right and property of orphans 128

Punishment for killing a Muslim deliberately 129

Islamic Akhlaq: Forbidden to enter others houses without permission 130

Punishment for Adultery and Fornication 130

Intercourse forbidden during women’s menstrual period 130

Forbidden to marry Non-Believers 130

Punishment for those who wrongfully accuse women of adultery 131

Abolishment of the Age-Old practice of ‘Zihar’ 131

Unlawful Food, its Consequences 132

Forbidden to Consume 134

Food made Unlawful to the Jews 134

Intoxication and games of chance 134

Forbidden to pray in the state of intoxication and impurity 136

Evil of having a negative attitude upon the birth of a female 137

Note 137

Prayers, Supplications 138

Directive for Prayers (Salat) with stress on the Morning (fajr) and Midnight (tahajjud) Prayers 138

No excuse for refraining from daily Prayers (Salat) 138

Prescribed Prayers (Salat) at particular times 138

Salat ordained along with patience in adversity 141

Common supplication in Qunoot of Prayer 141

Recitation of “Bismillah” and seeking refuge from Satan, before reciting the Qur’an 141

The Sustainer’s assurance to accept the prayer of all who call upon Him sincerely 142

Assurance of acceptance from Allah when asked from Him through the Medium of Dua 142

Supplication (Dua) recited by Prophet Sulayman (a) 144

Advised to mention “If Allah wills (Insha Allah)” before intending to do any deed 144

Note 145

Charity 146

How To Spend Money on Charity 146

Charity is best when given privately 146

No compulsion by Allah (swt) to spend in His way 146

Charity in God’s cause is a loan given to Him 147

Marriage, Divorce, Inheritance 149

Whom to marry & who is Mahram and Non-Mahram 149

Terms of marriage to up to four wives 150

Ordained to treat all wives equally which may not be possible 150

Ordinance when accusation by husband is without witnesses 150

Iddah period of wife after husband’s death 152

Laws of Inheritance 152

Trails, Patience 154

Test by Allah (swt) 154

Patience in adversity is ordained 154

Advised to adopt patience in adversity & praise the Creator by day and by night 155

Repentance 156

God is Most Gracious in Giving Mankind a Chance To Repent 156

God’s acceptance of Tawbah 156

Sustenance 158

Sustenance for every created thing is provided only by Allah (swt) 158

Miscellaneous 160

Disobedience of Iblees (Shaitan) and his vow to misguide Mankind up to the Day of Judgement 160

Free Will To Mankind 161

A pre-warning of Allah (swt) to Mankind 161

Anecdote from Allah (swt) for a blissful life in this World and the Hereafter 162

Salvation rests only from nearness to God 163

Warning given to Mankind to amend their wrongful doings before Allah (swt) destroys the entire Community 163

Types of friends to have 163

Unreasonable promises, oaths can be broken 164

Refuting the Christian doctrine of atonement of one’s sins by another 164

Jesus Christ was exalted unto God and not slain 164

Ablution (Wudhu - Ghusl - Tayammum) 165

12 Months in an Islamic Year, 4 are sacred 165

Significance and importance of Ritual Sacrifice (Qurbani) 166

Following Saints and alleged Divine Personalities 167

Index 168

Allah (swt) 168

Allah’s (swt) Creation 168

The Holy Prophet (S) & The Ahlul Bayt 169

The Holy Qur’an 169

Parents 170

Man, his Nature 170

World, Materialism 171

Hereafter - Day of Judgement - Paradise - Hell Fire 171

Death - Martydom 172

The Righteous, The Pious 172

The Non Believers - The Hypocrites 173

Commandments, Advice 173

The Forbidden - The Unlawful 174

Prayers - Supplications 175

Charity 175

Marriage - Divorce - Inheritance 175

Trial - Patience 176

Sustenance 176

Miscellaneous 176

Dedication

“O my Lord ! Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents, and all the believers, on the Day on which the (last) reckoning will come to pass !”

Surah Ibrahim, 14:41

In memory & Tawaab of my Dear Father- Marhum Haji Mohamedali Gulamali Suchedina, I kindly request a Surah Fatiha for the Departed Soul

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴿1﴾

Bismillahi ar- Rahmani ar-Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

الحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ﴿2﴾

Al-Hamdu-li-Illahi Rabbil-A°alamin

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds

الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴿3﴾

ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim

The Beneficent, the Merciful.

مالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين﴿4﴾

Maliki Yawm id-Din

Master of the Day of Judgment.

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴿5﴾

Iyyaaka Na°abudu wa Iyyaaka Nasta°in

Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ المُسْتَقِيمَ﴿6﴾

Ihdina-s-Siraat-al-Mustaqim

Keep us on the right path.

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا الضَّآلِّينَ﴿7﴾

Sirat-all-Adhina an°Anta °Alayhim, Ghayril Maghdubi °Alayhim wa la-dh-Dhaaliiin

The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favours. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.

Preface

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of God the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace

All praise is God’s the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be on the Best of His creation, the last of His prophets and apostles, the Chief of the foremost and the later ones, the Redeemer of the sinners, the Mercy unto the Worlds - Muhammad (p) and his progeny, the Clean, the Pure and the Infallible ones.

A humble effort is made to highlight the directives given by Allah (swt) in the Holy Qur’an in context of various subjects that touch the day-to-day lives of every Muslim and for that matter every human being.

It is out of my personal experience I realise that most of my Muslims brethrens go along their entire lives not actually knowing what our Scriptures contain, which I realise is so straight and clear in most of the important issues touching the normal lives of a believer. While most of us read the Arabic text, the essence and the message is never really conveyed to us due to the limitation of not being well versed with the Arabic language. One is then dependent on hearsay, presumptions and assumptions, beliefs and customs. I too have been guilty of it in the past and know of many more such people.

Nevertheless the fact remains that all who believed and believe in it, this Qur’an represents the ultimate manifestation of God’s Grace to man, the ultimate wisdom, and the ultimate beauty of expression: in short, the true Word of God. This compilation of mine is keeping people like me in mind, with limited time and education in Islam, and comprises of extracts of the Holy Qur’an along with its translations and commentaries by Mir Ahmed Ali and Muhammad Asad, and also from Al-Mizan by Allama Tabatabai among other books.

It is also directed towards my Non-Muslims friends, who have such wrong preconceived notions about Islam. It is more than probable that one of the main reasons for their negative attitudes and lack of appreciation of this ‘Untarnished Word of God’ is to be found in that aspect of the Qur’an which differentiates it fundamentally from all other sacred scriptures: its stress on reason as a valid way to faith as well as its insistence on the inseparability of the spiritual and the physical (and, therefore, also social) spheres of human existence: the inseparability of man’s daily actions and behaviour, however “mundane”, from his spiritual life and destiny.

This absence of any division of reality into “physical” and “spiritual” compartments makes it difficult for people brought up in the orbit of other religions, to appreciate the predominantly rational approach of the Qur’an to all religious questions. Consequently, its constant interweaving of spiritual teachings with practical legislation perplexes the Western reader who is suddenly confronted with the claim of the Qur’an to being a guidance not only towards the spiritual good of the hereafter but also towards the good life attainable in this world.

Another reason may be found in the fact that the Qur’an itself has never yet been presented in any Universal language in a manner that would make it truly comprehensive.

The attempt here is to at least highlight certain verses which are revealed in the form of directives and which touch the daily lives of every human being. This is definitely not exhaustive and am aware could not really ‘do justice’ to the Qur’an and the layers upon layers of its meaning, for,

“if all the sea were ink for my Sustainer’s words, the sea would indeed be exhausted before my Sustainer’s words are exhausted.” (Surah al-Kahf, 18:109)

Ayatullah Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khui writes in his book ‘Al-Bayan fi Tafsiril Qur’an1 ’:

"I was enamoured by Qur'an from the childhood, always keen to unravel its secrets and to discover its meaning. It behoves every true Muslim, and even non‑Muslim thinkers to ponder over the Qur'an, to unfold its hidden meaning and to benefit from its light. For it is a Book which has a message for human welfare and guides it to success and salvation. Qur'an is a reference for the linguist, a guide to the grammarian, an authority for the jurist, an example for the refined, a lost treasure for the wise. It even guides those who admonish and shows the goal in life. It is a source of social as well as political sciences, and upon it rest the sciences of Islam. It will reveal to you the fascinating secrets of Nature, and introduce you to the laws of crea­tion. Qur'an is the abiding miracle of this ever lasting religion, and a code of conduct based on the high and esteemed Shariah".

My personal thanks and gratitude to Brother Khalil Jaffer for his invaluable support, encouragement and efforts in making this project a reality. His guidance and knowledge has indeed played a pivotal role throughout my research. He has prepared a computer software programme to supplement this publication, which is available at the addresses given below.

My thanks and appreciation to Brother Moonawar Dhanani for the confidence he has placed in me and assuring me of his support in this publication.

The rewards of both my brethren remain with Allah (swt) alone.

Forbearance is sought for any errors and all are invited to offer suggestions - views - advices - comments on this publication and may be addressed to the undersigned. This would help us in our next publication the work of which has already started.

1. Hasnain Suchedina

P.O. Box 3014, Deira , Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel: 724741

2. Moonawar Dhanani

Crown Bureau De Change, Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel: 252388

3. World Islamic Network

67/69 Hazrat Abbas (A.S.) Street, Dongri, Mumbai 400 009, India

Tel: 3773648

Note

1. In English it’s available the translation of two important chapters of this book titled “The Collection and Preservation of the Holy Qur’an” published by Madrasa as-Seyed al-Khui, Stanmore, Middlesex, U.K. and available on line at: http://al-islam.org/tahrif_Qur’an /