surat ar'aad

[kalamazoo]

وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْآَنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الْمَوْتَى بَلْ لِلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا أَفَلَمْ يَاْيْئَسِ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَنْ لَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لَهَدَى النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَلَا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ ﴿13:31






13:31)

And what (do you think) would have been the result, if We had sent a Qur'an that would have caused the mountains to move or cleft the earth asunder or made the dead speak? *47 (It is not difficult at all to show such Signs) for Allah has full power over everything. *48 Have the Believers (still any expectations of a Sign in answer to the demand of the disbelievers and) not given up all hope, (knowing) that Allah could have guided all mankind aright, *49 if He had so desired? As for the disbelievers, because of their misdeeds, one affliction or the other does not cease to visit them every now and then, or come near their home. It will go on like this untill Allah's threat come to pass. Indeed, Allah does not fail to bring about His threat.

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*47

This verse has been addressed to the Believers who were feeling uneasy that no such Sign was being sent as was demanded by the disbelievers. They thought that such a Sign would convince the disbelievers and they would accept Islam. Therefore when no such Sign was sent, they became alI the more uneasy for the lack of the fulfilment of the demand that gave rise to doubts about the Prophethood of the Messenger. The question posed in this verse is meant to remove that uneasiness of the Muslims. It is like this:

"Do you think that they would have embraced Islam if such and such Signs had been shown to them all of a sudden along with a Surah of the Qur'an ?
Are you under the delusion that they are quite ready to accept Islam and are waiting only for such a Sign ?
Do you think that those people who have failed to see the light of the Truth in the teachings of the Qur'an, in the phenomena of the universe, in the pure and spotless life of the Holy Prophet and in the wonderful change in the lives of his Companions, would see the light of the Truth in the moving of the mountains, in the cleavage of the earth and in the coming out of the dead from the graves?"

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*48

"Allah has full power over everything" and can show any Sign if He so desires. He is not showing any Sign for it dces not fit in the scheme laid down for the guidance of Man. As the real object is to show Guidance to mankind through the Prophet and not to compel them to believe in the Prophethood of a Prophet, He desires that the people should gain guidance by thinking and observing wisely and not by seeing Signs.

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*49 That is,

"If the object had been to make human beings Believers even without consciously understanding it, Allah could have created them Believers by birth. "

 

[kalamazoo]

fortitude

(13:22) They show fortitude to win the approval of their Lord. *39 They establish Salat and expend openly and secretly out of what We have bestowed upon them and ward off evil with good. *40

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*39

"They show fortitude": they remain self-possessed and keep under control all their desires and lusts and do not transgress the bounds, and they do not yield to temptations to disobey their Lord in order to gain advantages and gratify their desires: nay, they bear with calm courage and endurance losses and afflictions that are inevitable in the obedience of AIIah.

If we consider the life of a believer from this point of view, we shall find that the whole of his life is the life of endurance and fortitude, for he keeps himself under control in very trying circumstances in this world in the hope of winning the approval of his Lord and in the expectation of gaining permanent benefits in the Hereafter: so he fights with fortitude every temptation to sin.

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*40 That is, "If others do evil to them, they do not do evil in return but do good instead: they do not fight mischief with mischief but with virtue. Howsoever unjust one may be to them, they do justice in every case. Likewise, they remain truthful and honest even in the cast of those who tell lies against them and show dishonesty towards them. "
There is a Tradition of the Holy Prophet to the same effect:

"You should not imitate others in your conduct towards other people, for it is wrong to say, 'We will do goodness to others, if they do goodness to us and we will do injustice to them if they are unjust to us.' (On the other hand,) you should follow this principle: if others do goodness to you, you should do goodness to them, but if they do evil to you, you should not be unjust to them' . "
There is another Tradition, which begins with the words:

"My Lord has bidden me to do nine things. Four of these things are,
`I should behave justly towards everyone whether I am pleased or offended with him.
I should render the right even of the one who violates my rights.
I should pay the dues even of the one who depraves me of my due.
I should forgive the one who has been unjust to me' . "

There is yet another Tradition to the same effect:

"Don't be faithless even to the one who has been faithless to you."

There is also a saying of Hadrat 'Umar that amounts to the same thing.

"The best way of punishing the one, who does not fear God in his dealings with you, is that you should fear God in your dealings with him. "

 

[kalamazoo]

[177]

It is no virtue. That you turn your faces towards the east or the west

[175] but virtue is that one should sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Prophets and, out of His love, spend of one's choice wealth for relatives and orphans, for the needy and the wayfarer, for beggars and for the ransom of slaves, and establish the Salat and pay the Zakat. And the virtuous are those who keep their pledges when they make them and show fortitude in hardships and adversity and in the struggle between the Truth and falsehood; such are the truthful people and such are the pious.

[175]

In order to show the futility of excessive emphasis on external religious forms, it has been pointed out, as an instance, that there is no real virtue in the mere act of turning faces to the east or to the west in prayer.For the mere performance of some religious rites or formalities or show of piety is not real virtue which may have any importance or value with Allah.
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