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EXCERPTS
FROM SURAH
AL-ANKABOOT
(Surah 29)
الم أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ
أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ
لا يُفْتَنُونَ
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا
الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ
الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ
أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ
يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن يَسْبِقُونَا سَاء مَا
يَحْكُمُونَ
مَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاء
اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ لآتٍ
وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا
يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ
الْعَالَمِينَ
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ
وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَحْسَنَ الَّذِي كَانُوا
يَعْمَلُونَ
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A.L.M. Do people think they will get away
by saying:
"We believe," and they will not be put to
the test?
Verily We had tried those who were before
them.
So Allah knows those who are true, and
those who are false.
Or do those who do the bad think that they
will escape Us?
Lo, bad is their judgment!
He who hopes to meet Allah (should know)
that Allah's decreed time shall certainly
come;
He is the all-Hearing, all-Knowing.
Whosoever strives, strives for himself.
Verily Allah is independent of all worlds.
We shall expiate the bad deeds of those
who
believe and do good deeds.
and We shall reward them better merits for
their deeds.
AYAH: 1-7 |
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الم أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا
آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لا يُفْتَنُونَ
A.L.M. Do people think they will get away by saying:
"We believe," and they will not be put to the test?
Faith is not merely a word to be said. Faith in Allah
and Islam means commitment to Him and to Islamic
teachings. It is a true solemn commitment for
continuous works throughout life for what Islam calls
forth; it is a form of perpetual Jihad.
A
person who claims he has faith without applying its
Directives is a man of words, not actions, he is like an
empty drum, without substance.
Faith has its price, quite heavy at times. The price of
faith means Jihad, the struggle for the good (the
Islamic), and desisting from the evil and bad (the
un-Islamic). This takes strength and requires patience.
To be patient in the face of difficulties is not easy and
may take its toll. This is Allah's test for man. |
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وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ
Verily We had tried those who were before them.
Allah reminds us that we are not the only ones put to the
test. This has been the experience of people through the
ages and in future generations.
Allah's Directives apply to everyone, and they remain
constant. Each person goes through the pressures of
life, so his hold to Islam has to be tested on
continuous basis. This will be evaluated on the Day
of Judgment and rewarded accordingly. Every person will
go through this grinding operation, it is something
necessary, absolutely necessary, to see who is deserving
and who is not. |
فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ
الْكَاذِبِينَ
So Allah knows those who are true, and
those who are false.
But why should we be tested? After all, Allah knows
ahead of time:
§
what
actions we may take,
§
the
decisions we make and will make, and
§
the
course of life we take.
Allah's knowledge is vast and precise. So why expose us
to a rigorous continuous trial, often unnerving and
exasperating?
The
answer is that we need the test:
§
to
acknowledge to Allah and ourselves on the Day of Judgment
our deeds, so that we blame no one but ourselves
for our outcome.
§
to
apply Islam better thus improve ourselves and become
better human beings. We will be strong in face of
adversity, patient in face of exasperation, and
unyielding when it comes to serving Allah. It is a big
trust, heavy and difficult to carry. |
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أَمْ
حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن
يَسْبِقُونَا سَاء مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
Or do those who do the bad think that they will escape
Us?
Lo, bad is their judgment!
Allah refers sarcastically to those who take religion
lightly, reject it, or even fight it. He is sarcastic of
them but also reminds us of their poor judgment and bad
ways.
Allah has given every human the freedom of choice, but He
sent Guidance, that of Islam. The ones who choose and
apply Islam will gain well (Paradise) and those who
choose to reject or obstruct Islam will lose in the
Eternal life (Hell-Fire). The ones who reject Islam will
lose even if they are people of influence, fame, power,
respect, and affluence. |
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مَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاء اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ
أَجَلَ اللَّهِ لآتٍ وَهُوَ
السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
He who hopes to meet Allah (should know)
that Allah's decreed time shall certainly come;
He is the all-Hearing, all-Knowing.
Who looks forward to meeting with Allah (in the
Hereafter)? It is the person who has full faith in Him,
works hard for Him, and makes his life a chain of events
in His service. Such a man will be eagerly waiting for
the Day, the beautiful Day of Judgment.
Allah (swt) hears and knows what is in the heart. He
reminds us that He knows of our sincerity in the effort
and degree of commitment to the Faith. |
وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ
Whosoever strives, strives for himself [to help himself].
Once again we are reminded that our efforts in applying
Islam correctly will be totally for our own benefit
and no one else's. We will reap the sweet fruits later
on, and no one else.
Our Jihad through life is to bolster the Islamic
teachings, to contribute to the Islamic understanding of
people, to uphold its lofty ideals, and to endure
hardships if they stand in our way, such efforts will
never go in vain. Such efforts will be rewarded very
well—Paradise. |
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إِنَّ
اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ
Verily Allah is independent of all worlds.
When we struggle for Islam, we improve ourselves and reap
in the Eternal life to come.
Allah is too Supreme to be in need of anything, He is
totally devoid of any need. So we do our Islamic works
not because Allah needs it but because we all need it and
benefit by it. |
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وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ
عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ َ
We shall expiate the bad deeds of those who
believe and do good deeds.
Allah refers to those who believe and do good deeds.
They are favored by Him. They deserve Allah's generosity
which is infinite, and He will reward aplenty.
Allah will forego the believers' bad deeds and forgive
for them their sins and mischievous mistakes. Humans are
imperfect no matter how hard they try (Prophets are
exceptions), and through life the believers too will
accumulate a varying amount of sins and bad deeds, some
big and some small. But what a relief when these
believers see that Allah forgives the bad deeds! |
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وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَحْسَنَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُون
and We shall reward them better merits for their deeds.
The believers receive the good news of forgiveness, and
Allah will reward them more than they deserve by many
folds. He will reward them very well, a grand
compensation and a noble reward, it is Paradise—and
nearness to Allah.
This selection in brief:
-
Faith is not merely a word to be said.
-
Faith, put to practice, is commitment to
Allah and His religion, Islam.
-
Allah tests each of us in various ways, to
see the degree of our commitment to Him and His religion,
Islam.
-
People before us had similar experiences
too, and so will others in the future.
-
If man knows that he is being tested
throughout his life, his efforts for the sake of the
faith and his dedication to it will improve, because he
will be accountable to his actions.
-
Allah has given man the freedom of choice,
but He also sent Divine Guidance to him. Man will be
tested to see the degree of his commitment, and the
choice he has made.
-
He who strives for Islam will reap the
gains eventually.
-
Allah is independent of any needs.
-
The believers who do good deeds will be
well rewarded, their sins forgiven and Paradise is
eternally theirs, they earned it.
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A.L.M. |
الم
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ever think |
أَحَسِبَ
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people |
النَّاسُ
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will get away |
أَن يُتْرَكُوا
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by saying |
أَن يَقُولُوا
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we believe |
آمَنَّا
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and they will not |
وَهُمْ
لا |
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be tried |
يُفْتَنُونَ
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verily We had tried |
وَلَقَدْ
فَتَنَّا |
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those |
الَّذِينَ
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before them |
مِن قَبْلِهِمْ
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so (He) knows |
فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ
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Allah |
اللَّهُ
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those who |
الَّذِينَ
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are true |
صَدقُوا
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will know |
وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ
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the false |
الْكَاذِبِينَ
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or |
أَمْ
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ever think |
حَسِبَ
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those who |
الَّذِينَ
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do |
يَعْمَلُونَ
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bad |
السَّيِّئَاتِ
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will escape Us |
أَن
يَسْبِقُونَا |
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bad |
سَاء مَا
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in their judgment |
يَحْكُمُونَ
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he who |
مَن كَانَ
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hopes to |
يَرْجُو
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meet with Allah
|
لِقَاء اللَّهِ
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(should know) |
فَإِنَّ
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decreed time |
أَجَلَ
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Allah |
اللَّهِ
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shall come |
لآتٍ |
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and He is |
وَهُوَ
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the all-Hearing |
السَّمِيعُ
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the all-Knowing |
الْعَلِيمُ
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whosoever |
وَمَن
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strives |
جَاهَدَ
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verily |
فَإِنَّمَا
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he strives |
يُجَاهِدُ
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for himself |
لِنَفْسِهِ
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verily |
إِنَّ
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Allah |
اللَّهَ
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is independent |
لَغَنِيٌّ
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of all |
عَنِ
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worlds (needs) |
الْعَالَمِينَ
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those who |
وَالَّذِينَ
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believe |
آمَنُوا
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and do |
وَعَمِلُوا
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good deeds |
الصَّالِحَاتِ
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shall expiate |
لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ
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for them |
عَنْهُمْ
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their bad deeds |
سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ
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We shall reward them |
وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ |
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better merits |
أَحْسَنَ
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for the |
الَّذِي
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deeds they used to do |
كَانُوا
يَعْمَلُونَ |
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