Surah Al Baqarah ayat 8-16

Translation:

8. And of mankind, there are some who say: "We believe in Allâh and the Last Day" while in fact they do not.
9. They are deceiving Allâh and the believers, and they are only deceiving themselves, but they know not!
10. In their hearts is a disease  and Allâh has increased their disease. A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell lies.
11. And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peacemakers."
12. Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.
13. And when it is said to them : "Believe as the people have believed," they say: "Shall we believe as the fools have believed?" Verily, they are the fools, but they know not.
14. And when they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe," but when they are alone with their Shayâtin (devils - polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: "Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but mocking."
15. Allâh mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doings to wander blindly.
16. These are they who have traded misguidance for guidance, so their trade was profitless. And they were not going to gain guidance.

Tafseer

these verses deal with Munafiqat (hypocrisy). According to a Sahih Bukhari hadith, there are 4 signs of a hypocrite (munafiq):
1. when something is entrusted to them, they breach the trust
2. when they talk , they lie
3. when they promise, they go back on their promise
4. they are unfair and unjust in their arguments

Similarly, the verse 8 of this surah signifies a hypocrite characteristic of being double faced (conflict between whats inside and what is shown on the outside). verse 9 highlights the characteristic of being deceivers, verse 10 highlights the traits of lying and possessing an imperfect heart. and verse 11 highlights their traits of creating mischief/conflicts on earth.

these hypocrites are the ones who claim to believe in Allah and the Last Day and His Faith but in reality they are trying to deceive not only the true believers but Allah as well. But they are unaware that they are deceiving no one other than their own self. Allah has caused a disease in their hearts and this disease has been increased. they will be faced with severe consequences because they tell lies. When they are told that they create conflicts on earth, they deny and say that they are the peacemakers. thought infact they are indeed the ones who create conflicts. and when they are told to believe like the believers have done, they term the believers as fools though actually they themselves are the fools.  and when they are alone with their people they give them the assurance of being with them. they traded guidance for misguidance and this transaction indeed is a loss/ profitless.

the emphasize on the disease of heart implies that when the heart is suffering with a disease, then all parts of the body are affected. there is a sahih bukhari hadith that states the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: "that there is one specific piece of meat in the human body which when functioning perfectly, the entire body functions fine. and when it is not functioning properly, the entire body fails to function properly. and that piece of meat is the heart."

the above hadith signifies the importance of the heart and to understand why heart is the core of the matter for that we need to recall that Quran has been revealed on hearts, fear of God (taqwa) is linked to heart so ultimately munafiqat has to be linked to the heart as well. the bloood from the heart is pumped to each and every tiniest and minutiest cell of the body thereby reflecting the health of the heart on the whole of the body.  So whatever the heart contains (be it purity, taqwa, hypocrisy ) is reflected on the whole body.

to understand this from a more biological perspective lets look at it this way. depending on the situation the heart sends a signal to either one of the 3 layers of the brain (intellect , emotions or desires). the brain acts accordingly by sending signals to the relevant part of the body to function accordingly. thus, unless our heart wants to do a good deed and hits the corresponding layer of the brain, it wont perform the desired function. the moral being that unless our heart changes, unless our values and beliefs strengthen and unless we eliminate the hypocrisy from our hearts, till then our deeds(aamaal) wont change.

An important thought:
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) transplanted the hearts of people - spiritually.  our hearts need such a spiritual transplantation as well. what better surgeon than the Quran and Sunnah itself?

Surah Al Baqarah ayat 6-7

Translation
6. As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe.
7. God hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).

All those who refuse to accept the faith and believe in the religion of Allah and His prophets, Allah has sealed their hearts and ears and has placed a veil over their eyes. And such people (Kaafir) will face serious consequences.  Surah Nahal ayat 106-108 states that these are the people who:
1. Give priority to this temporary world as opposed to the Hereafter
2. They are oblivious and heedless to the truth.

An important point to be mentioned here is that Allah states that He has sealed the ears and eyes of such disbelievers but their eyes are not YET sealed rather the eyes have been covered by a veil. this implies that the disbelievers still have a chance to repent and seek guidance. Ears and heart perform an involuntary function but eyes, we can control what we want to see and the sights we want to turn away from. It is thus in the hands of such disbelievers to open their eyes to the Truth and accept the Faith before its too late.

Misconceptions about istikhara

The companions of the Prophet (pbuh) narrated that the Prophet(pbuh) used to teach us the way of istikhara in all matters as he taught us teh Surahs of the Quran (Sahih Bukhari volume 2, book 21, number 263)

if you are unsure about a decision you need to make be it a marriage decision, a job or admission into a school/university, there is a prayer for guidance called Salat-e-istikhara that you can do to ask for Allah's help in making your decision.

"And your Lord says ; Call on me I will answer your prayers"

we have been taught a certain prayer for the Salat e Istikhara and nowhere in the Quran or Sunnah has there been any mention of any dreams that we may have(house catching fire, snake biting some person and etc) to answer our supplication. these are all man-made stories which are adding to the religion. The dreams we see are psychological results of what we want to see. If we are biased towards the decision then we will see a dream of our choice. Allah or the istikhara plays no role in this rather its the devil and the mind playing tricks.
Similarly, asking others to do the istikhara on our behalf is equally wrong. When Allah is telling us to consult Him directly for matters regarding us then why do we need a third person between us and HIM? Allah taught us to seek guidance from Him and perform Istikhara. As per the dua of the istikhara we are asking Allah to make that particular deed (for which we are seeking guidance) easier for us and to turn us in that direction if its beneficial for us. And to move us away from that deed and to make the it impossible to achieve if its not in our betterment. Dr Israr Ahmed have presented lectures on this as well. Kindly consult those as well if you like.

All those who are still confused just watch the video (link given below) . May God give us the ability and the intelligence to follow His religion the way He and His Prophet (pbuh) taught us. Ameen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3E1bngBzGw&feature=related

PERSONAL ANALYSIS

A personal analysis

After reading the first five ayats os Surah Al baqarah most of us would be ecstatic thinking that we possess all the 5 qualities of the muttaqi so Jannah is definite for us.  Lets have a question and answer session with our souls then.

Q1.Do I believe in gaib?

A.Yes I believe in it. angels and jinn are an example.

Q2. Do I perform my Salat and give priority to it?

A. Yes I pray 5 times a day. Well sometimes I miss a prayer when am busy in work or out shopping or with friends or simply sleeping away. But I perform Qaza of that salat. And well sometimes my mind does drift off to wordly stuff during my prayers. But at least am praying right?

Q3. Do I give zakat?Do I give sadqa from what God has blessed me with? Do I share my knowledge with others?

A . Yes I spend my money on the poor and needy of the society. Umm yes I have certain knowledge about Islam about what’s right and wrong but people ridicule me and call me a preacher and extremist if I start telling them about it. So I decide to stay quiet. They will learn on their own its not my duty to rectify them and teach them right?

Q4. Do I believe in the Quran?the teachings in the Quran?the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)? And all that had been revealed before the Prophet(pbuh)?

A . Oh yes. I have about 7-8 Qurans in my house. Doesn’t that show my belief in it? Why would I keep something in my bedroom,  my drawing room and my living room if I don’t believe in it? The teachings of the Quran yes I have performed Umra, pray 5 times a day, give zakat, fast during Ramadan. That’s the crux of the Quran right? Sunnah obviously I believe in the Sunnah. I love the Holy Prophet (pbuh) more than anyone else. I like all the facebook pages which state “we love the Prophet (pbuh), I condemn all those pages which make fun of our beloved Prophet and Quran. And most of all I keep up the chain of smses containing the durood so that our dear Prophet keeps receiving blessings.

Q5. Do I believe in the Hereafter?

A . Yes I know this world will end and all the Muslims will go to Paradise and all the Non-Muslims will burn in hell. That’s the concept of Hereafter right?

This is the Islam I and many others like me follow. How many of us are willing to admit that this is not the true Islam? What we are following is a ‘made-easy’ course which might(or maybe not) get us an A grade in this life but what about the life after this one?

To be continued….

SURAH BAQARAH ayat 1-5

Surah Al Baqarah

This is the first Surah revealed in Madiha and the the 87^th surah in order of revelation.

VERSE 1-5

1.       ALIF, Lam, Mim. (These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings)

2.       This Scripture there is no doubt in it, is a Guidance for the reverent

3.        who believe in the Unseen, and establish the Salat, and out of what We have provided them with, they do spend;

4.        and who believe in what has been revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and regarding the Hereafter they firmly believe.

5.        These are upon Guidance from their Rabb, and these are themselves the successful

Abu Hurairah reported Muhammad to have said, "Do not make your houses graveyards. The devil flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqara is recited." from Sahih Muslim
It is reported from ‘Uqbah Ibn ‘Amir Al-Juhani that he said that Muhammad said: “Recite the last two verses from Surat Al-Baqarah, for I was given them from a treasure trove beneath the Throne” (Ahmad)

These 5 ayats deal with the attributes of the righteous people who fear Allah and abstain from sins. It states that this Book (The Holy Quran) is indeed a guidance for those are muttaqi (pious). These are the people who believe in whats hidden from the naked eye, who perform Salat as it should be performed (give priority to it and perform it in the best possible way as it should be performed) and who spend from what has been given to them (rizq). This rizq may be in  tangible(food, money etc) or intangible(knowledge etc) form both. Thus, just spending money in the path of Allah is not enough. We need to convey our knowledge to others and if we know something we should guide others as well. And these muttaqi people believe in not only the the Quran and the Holy prophet(pbuh) but also on the meaning of Quran all that has been revealed before the Prophet – the Taurat (Torah), Injeel (Gospel) etc and they believe with certainty (yaqeen which is the last level of eman) in the Hereafter. Indeed these are the people who are on the right path, who have received Hidayat (guidance) from the Quran and Sunnah and for sure they will be successful (will enter Jannah).

To sum up these five verses are defining the characteristics of muttaqi people who will be successful in both the worlds. We can get success (Jannah) if we get guidance (hidayat) from the Book and Sunnah. This hidayat would lead to taqwa(God fearing) within us. And this taqwa can be achieved by believing in the gaib , performing Salat properly, spending from the rizq God has given us, believing in the Quran, Sunnah and whatever had been revealed before the Prophet(pbuh) and a firm belief in the Hereafter.

Success - Hidayat - Taqwa - Five characteristics mentioned above

SURAH AL FATIHA

Surah Al-Fatiha

TRANSLATION

1.       In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

2.       Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

3.       Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

4.       Master of the Day of Judgment.

5.       Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek,

6.       Show us the straight way,

7.       The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

It is the fifth Surah in order of revelation, the first Surah of the Holy quran and the first Surah which had all its seven ayats revealed at one time.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas reported:

                One day a loud sound was heard from  the sky. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) looked up and a door opened in the sky which had never opened before and an angel descended on earth who had never before descended on earth. The angel gave salutations (said Salam) and gave the glad tidings of two ‘Noors’. The angel informed that only the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h)  has been blessed with these ‘Noors’ and no one before him has been blessed with them.

The ‘Noors’ in the above narration refers to the seven verses of Surah Al-Fatiha and the last two verses of Surah Baqarah. According to a Sahih Muslim revelation, any prayer or invocation said after these Noors will definitely be answered.

Abu Huraira has heard God's messenger declare that God most high had said, " I have divided the prayer into two halves between me and my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks."
When the servant says, " Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe, " God most high says, " My servant has praised me."
When he says, "The compassionate, the Merciful," God most high says, "My servant has lauded me."
When he says, "Possessor of the day of judgment," He says," My servant has glorified me."
When he says, "Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help," He says, "This is between me and my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks."
Then when he says, "Guide us in the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou art generous, not of those with whom Thou art angry nor of those who go astray," He says, "This is for my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks."

One day a man praying behind the Holy Prophet(p.b.u.h) said “ALHUMDULILAH” (praise to be Allah) after ruku (bowing). After the namaz (Salah) the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) turned and said , ‘Who was it who said that because more than 30 angels came forward to collect that Praise of Allah.’

These seven ayats have also been used as a source of shifa and according to a narration by Tirmizi the Surah has been called the Mother of Quran ( Umm-ul-Quran).

A Sahih Bukhari hadith narrates ‘ Say amen after the imam has recited the last verse of the Surah Al-fatiha’. And whoever’s amen coincides with the amen of the angels, all his previous sins are forgiven.’

In the last verse of the Surah we are asking for guidance to the straight path, the path of those who are the beloved of Allah – the prophets, martyrs, companions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) etc. Not the path of those people who face the anger of Allah and those who are on the wrong path,

The question is, who are the people who instigate the anger of God? They are the people who:

·         Claim to have done something yet they haven’t.  How many times have we lied about things we haven’t done just to ‘keep our face’ in front of people? We don’t realize that at the same time we are instigating His anger and wrath.

·         Don’t intend to do something, yet they say they will. How many times do we say inshAllah for something we don’t intend to do? Something we need to correct within ourselves.

magzuubi 'alay him refers to those people who go astray even after having knowledge and knowing what’s right and what’s wrong. We know the path we are taking is wrong, yet we continue walking on it placing ourselves in the category of people who knowingly go astray. This is not directed at any particular race or ‘qaum’.

Zaaalliin refers to those people who are unaware, who have no knowledge of the Truth, who are in complete darkness. This primarily includes those people who are not willing to take a step towards gaining guidance and then ‘claim’ that they are unaware of such. These people can gain guidance if they want to.

Summing up, in this surah we are asking for the path of the righteous people and not the path of those who:

·         Face the wrath of Allah

·         Have the knowledge yet go astray

·         Are unware and in their ignorance they go astray.

One other important point that Dr Farhat made in this lecture is that we keep blaming others for our misfortune. Most of our time is spent in finding our conspiracies and planning of the enemies of Islam but have we ever thought that what have we done wrong? God is displeased with the Muslim Ummah then there must be something we have done wrong and that’s why the Muslim Ummah is facing such severe times.  We claim that we love Allah, we love the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) we make statements that show our love for the Prophet but do we follow even a single Sunnah?  Those of us who state that we have gone astray because we are unaware of the truth then it DOES NOT spare us from His wrath rather it places us in the category of Zaaalliin.  

Introduction

Assalamo Alaikum everyone. this blog is intended to provide guidance to all those who seek it. I will be updating my notes and summaries from the lectures of different scholars along . translations and explanations of verses and surahs will be added to this blog. everyone is free to comment, provide opinions and engage in meaningful discussions about Islam. Hope this blog serves as a platform for guidance for everyone. Please refrain from personal attacks on any caste/race or religion at this blog. I won't be quoting Dr farhat rather i will be taking down notes from her lectures and posting them in my own words. most of the Hadiths are not quoted but rather their meaning has been provided. Rest assured that I will not be deliberately misrepresenting any information but if God forbid unintentionally I do end up misrepresenting or misquoting please rectify me.