Friday 10 February 2012

Surah An Nisa verse 36-42

Translation:

36. Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allah does not like such as are proud and boastful;
37. Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounties. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a disgraceful torment.
38. And (also) those who spend of their substance to be seen of men, and believe not in Allah and the Last Day [they are the friends of Shaitan (Satan)], and whoever takes Shaitan (Satan) as an intimate; then what a dreadful intimate he has!
39. And what loss have they if they had believed in Allah and in the Last Day, and they spend out of what Allah has given them for sustenance? And Allah is Ever All-Knower of them.
40. Surely! Allah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a small ant) , but if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.
41. How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad ) as a witness against these people?
42. On that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger (Muhammad ) will wish that they were buried in the earth, but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allah.

Explanation

Worship no one other than Allah and associate no other being (living or dead with Him), loving anyone more than Allah and making someone so important in your life that his/ her importance supercedes that of Allah is also a form of Shirk. The verse commands us to be kind and obedient towards your parents (also includes grandparents). The beauty of our religion is obvious from the command to be kind to orphans and look after his needs. An orphan’s father dies and the entire society is commanded by Allah to look after him, such is the beauty of Islam. Allah also tells us to be good to our neighbors whether they are our relatives or strangers, look after them and also adopt a good behavior towards colleagues, friends, acquaintances and people you interact with in day to day life. Travelers are also entitled to a respectful and kind behavior. Slaves and animals should also be dealt with kindly.
Allah does not like those people who are miserly and who encourage others to be misers as well. As a result of their miserly attitude, orphans, travelers and other needy people suffer. Allah blesses such people with numerous blessings and they either hoard it (if its wealth) or keep it hidden from people(so that the needy of the society do not ask for his help) and this trait is severely disliked by Allah. These blessings can be in any form be it wealth and money, knowledge or anything else that provides benefits to others if shared. For such ungrateful people a severe torment awaits them in the Hereafter. And then there are people who spend their money just to show off and boast to people, even when they spend in the way of Allah, their intention is to gain respect and goodwill among people and not in the eyes of Allah. So it’s all pretentiousness of being pious and kind. Such people who do not believe in Allah and the Last day, yet they spend in charity for the purpose of showing off, such people are the friends of the devil and for them a dreadful torment is inevitable. Signs that indicate that a person is friends with the devil:
  •          He does not worship Allah
  •          Is involved in shirk
  •          Fails to adopt a amiable and kind attitude with whoever he interacts, fails to give the rights to relatives, parents, friends etc
  •          He is a miser and encourages others to adopt a miserly attitude
  •          Hides the blessings of Allah for fear of having to share it with others
  •          Spends just to show people how pious and generous he is.
What loss would these people have had if only they had believed in Allah and the day of Judgement and had spent out of what Allah had blessed them with. And Allah is not unfair infact if someone does good then with His grace the rewards are doubled. And on the Day of Judgement each messenger will testify for/against their nation that whether they nation accepted their message or not. For the Muslim nation  Allah will appoint the Holy Prophet pbuh as a witness who will  testify whether his people accepted the message of Allah and acted on it or not. On that Day all those who disobeyed the Holy Prophet and refused to believe in Allah and the Last Day, they all will wish that somehow the ground opens up and takes them in so that they could avoid facing the Lord. But nothing can be hidden from Allah.




Thursday 9 February 2012

surah An Nisa Verse 31-35

translation:

31. If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall remit from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise).
32. And wish not for the things in which Allah has made some of you to excel others. For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned, and ask Allah of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knower of everything.
33. And to everyone, We have appointed heirs of that (property) left by parents and relatives. To those also with whom you have made a pledge (brotherhood), give them their due portion (by Wasiya - wills, etc.). Truly, Allah is Ever a Witness over all things.
34. Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allah orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property, etc.). As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most Great.
35. If you fear a breach between them twain (the man and his wife), appoint (two) arbitrators, one from his family and the other from her's; if they both wish for peace, Allah will cause their reconciliation. Indeed Allah is Ever All-Knower, Well-Acquainted with all things.

Explanation

The believers are being told to abstain from the Kabira (major) sins. According to a hadith there are 7 major sins :
  • ·         Shirk – association of any being living of dead with Allah
  •       Magic
  •       Murder
  •           Riba
  •           Unjust aquistion of an orphan’s property
  •           Fleeing from the battlefield
  •           Accusing a pure woman of adultery (zinah).
Other hadiths declare abortion and giving false testimony to be a major sin as well.  The mercy of Allah is once again being brought to the forefront in this verse which says that if the believers abstain from the major sins than Allah will distance us from the smaller sins and bless us with Heaven in the Hereafter.
Allah forbids the believers from fretting over what others have been blessed with because it only leads to jealousy, discontentment and frustration. If someone is the recipient of the blessings of Allah then praying for similar blessings is permissible as long as the person does not wish for those blessing to be snatched from the other. Everyone will get what they have worked for and what they deserve. No one gets more or less than what they deserve. So ill wishing someone that their blessing be taken away from them is completely forbidden. However, praying to Allah to keep the other person blessed and to shower us with similar blessings if its in our favour is the right approach and one  that is liked by Allah. Verse 32 also indicates that in the hereafter what one is blessed with will not be dependent on the gender of the person rather it will be dependent on what they strived for in this world.
And whoever dies and leaves behind inheritance, Allah has defined the laws of distribution and inheritance. 2/3rd of the the wealth and property will be distributed to the relatives as per the rules of inheritance declared by Allah and no will can be made for this 2/3rd portion. The remaining 1/3rd of the wealth and property can be distributed amongst non-relatives and friends as per the will written by the deceased. This will should include any promise made to friends or any other non-relatives since they do not have a share in the 2/3rd of inheritance which is strictly reserved for blood relatives. And no one should transgress against these rules defined by Allah because whoever tries to do so should be aware that Allah knows and sees everything.
Allah had made man the provider and protector of women on this earth. Allah gave this responsibility to men because He blessed men with physical strength and emotional stability and also because men have been told to spend a part of their income on their women and hence they get the honour of being the protector of their women. Allah protected the rights of women  by making men their lawful protector through nikah. A pious woman has the following attributes:
  •                   They are not arrogant rather they are submissive in nature both to Allah and their husbands
  •                   They guard the secrets of their husband, his property, his reputation etc.
But women who fail to give their husbands their lawful rights then in that case the husband is told to first gently talk to her, explain to her what she is doing wrong. If this doesn’t work then he is commanded to leave her alone in bed (not have physical relations with her until she realizes her mistake ). If even this doesn’t work then he is allowed to hit her (care being taken then he can only hit her in a manner that does not severely hurt her or leave any marks of injury etc). This is actually the last straw made permissible ONLY if the wife does not realize her mistake through other attempts of the husband. (this act of hitting her is not meant to hurt her physically but rather its supposed to me more of an emotional hit where the insult of being hit will make her come to her senses.) And if then the wife realizes her mistake and gives her husband his lawful rights then men should not be unfair or unjust with them because Allah knows and sees everything. But even after the attempts of the husband, if things don’t get better between the husband and wife and there is fear of their marriage being broken, then two arbitrators may be appointed- one from the family of the husband and the other from the family of the wife. And then they will decide the case based on who is at fault. And if then the husband and wife wish to end their differences and reconcile then Allah will bless their hearts with love for one another.