SURAH AL IMRAN 171 - 200

 QURAN TAFSIR ( QURAN AS IT EXPLAIN ITSELF)

3: 171. They rejoice with the bounty of Allah and grace; Allah will not waste the recompense of the believers.

3:172. Those who have answered Allah and the messenger after they were afflicted with wounds. For those of them who did good and were righteous is a great recompense.

[8:24. O you who believe, answer the call of Allah and His messenger when he calls you to what will grant you life. And know that Allah comes between a person and his heart, and that to Him you will be gathered.]

3:173. The ones who the people said to them: "The people have gathered against you, so be concerned by them," but it only increased their faith and they said: "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best to put our trust in."

3:174. So they came back with a recompense from Allah and a bounty, no harm would touch them. And they had followed the pleasure of Allah, and Allah is the One with great pleasure.

3:175. It is only the devil trying to create fear for his allies, so do not fear them, but fear Me if you are believers.

3: 176. And do not be saddened by those who rush into disbelief. They will not harm Allah in the least. Allah does not wish to make for them any share in the Hereafter, and they will have a painful retribution.

3:177. Those who have purchased rejection with belief will not harm Allah in the least, and they will have a painful retribution.

3:178.  And let not those who reject think that We are providing for them out of the goodness of themselves. We are only providing for them so that they may increase in transgression, and they will have a humiliating retribution.

3:179.  Allah was not to leave the believers as they were without distinguishing the rotten from the good. And Allah was not to let you know the future, but Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wishes; so believe in Allah and His messengers. And if you believe and are righteous, then you will have a great recompense.

 [47:29. Or did those who harbor a disease in their hearts think that Allah would not bring out their evil thoughts?

 72:26. Knower of the unseen, He does not reveal His unseen to anyone.]

3: 180. And let not those who are stingy with what Allah has given them of His bounty think that it is good for them, no, it is evil for them. They will be surrounded by what they were stingy with on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah will be the inheritance of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is Expert over what you do.. [55:10. And the earth He has made for all creatures.]

3:181. Allah has heard the words of those who said: "Allah is poor and we are rich!" We will record what they have said and their killing of the prophets without right; and We will say: "Taste the retribution of the Fire!"

[11:27.The leaders who rejected from among his people said: "We do not see you except as a human being like us, and we see that only the lowest among our people who have no opinion have followed you. And we do not see a thing that makes you better than us; in fact, we think you are liars." ]

3:182. This is for what their hands have delivered, and Allah does not wrong the servants.

[8:51. "This is for what your hands have delivered, and Allah does not wrong the servants."]

3:183. Those who said: "Allah has pledged to us that we should not believe in a messenger unless he brings us an offering which the fire will devour." Say: "Messengers have come to you before me with clarity and with what you have said, so why did you kill them if you were truthful?"

3:184. If they deny you, then messengers before you were also denied; they came with the proofs and the scriptures and the Book of Enlightenment.

3:185. Every soul will taste death, and you will be recompensed your dues on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is swayed from the Fire and entered into the Paradise, he has indeed won. This worldly life is nothing more than the enjoyment of vanity.The real success entails striving for both worlds.

[2:201.And some of them say: "Our Rabb, give us good in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and spare us from the retribution of the Fire."

10:63. Those who have believed and are aware.

14:27. Allah makes firm those who believe with firm sayings in the worldly life, and in the Hereafter. And Allah misguides the wicked, and Allah does what He wishes.

28:77. "And seek with the provisions bestowed upon you by Allah the abode of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share in this world, and do good as Allah has done good to you. And do not seek corruption in the land. Allah does not love the corrupters."]

3:186. We will test you in your wealth and in yourselves, and you will hear from those who have been given the Book from before you and from the polytheists much annoyance. And if you are patient and righteous, then that is from a strength of conviction.

3:187. And Allah took the covenant of those who were given the Book: "You will make it clear to the people and not conceal it." But they placed it behind their backs and purchased with it a cheap price. Miserable indeed is what they have purchased.!

[2:16.These are the ones who have purchased straying with guidance; their trade did not profit them, nor were they guided. ]

3:188.  Do not think that those who are happy with what they have been given, and they love to be praised for what they did not do; do not think they are saved from the punishment. For them is a painful retribution.

3:189. And to Allah is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is capable of all things.

[10:4.To Him is your return, all of you, for the promise of Allah is true. He initiates the creation then He returns it; to recompense with justice those who have believed and have done good works. As for those who have rejected, they will have a boiling drink, and a painful retribution for what they had rejected.

[34:3-4.  And those who rejected said: "The Hour will not come to us!" Say: "Yes, by my Rabb, it will come to you." He is the Knower of the unseen; not even the weight of an atom or less than that or greater can be hidden from Him, be it in the heavens or the earth. All are in a clear record.

That He may reward those who believe and do good works. To them will be a forgiveness and a generous provision.

53:31. And to Allah belongs everything in the heavens and everything on the earth. He will requite those who commit evil for their works, and will reward the righteous for their righteousness.]

3:190. In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference between the night and the day, are signs for those who possess intelligence.

3: 191. Those who remember Allah while standing, and sitting, and on their sides, and they ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth: "Our Rabb you have not created this without purpose, glory to You, spare us the retribution of the Fire!"s.* *[13:17. He sends down water from the sky, so valleys flow according to their capacity, and the flood produces foam. And from what they burn to smelt jewelry or goods is produced a similar foam. It is in such a manner that Allah strikes the falsehood with the truth. As for the foam, it passes away, and as for what benefits the people, it remains in the earth. It is such that Allah puts forth the examples.

45:13. And He commissioned in your service what is in the heavens and what is in the earth;all from Him. In that are signs for a people who reflect.]

3:192. "Our Rabb, whoever You admit to the Fire has been disgraced. The wicked will have no supporters."

3:193.  "Our Rabb, we have heard a caller inviting to the faith: "Believe in your Rabb," so we have believed. Our Rabb forgive us our bad deeds, and forgive our sins, and let us die in the company of the righteous."

[2:186.  And if My servants ask you about Me, I am near answering the calls of those who call to Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided.

Abraar= Those who create opportunities for others to make progress]

3:194. "Our Rabb, and grant us what You have promised through Your messengers, and do not embarrass us on the Day of Resurrection. You do not break the promise."

[24:55. Allah promises those among you who believe and do good works, that He will make them successors on the earth, as He made successors of those before them, and He will enable for them their system which He has approved for them, and He will substitute security for them in place of fear: "That they serve Me, not setting up anything with Me." And as for those who reject after that, these are the wicked.]

3:195. Their Rabb answered them: "I do not waste the work of any worker from among you, whether male or female, you are all as each other. For those who emigrated and were driven-out from their homes and were harmed in My cause, and they fought and were killed, I will forgive for them their sins and admit them to estates with rivers flowing beneath them." A recompense from Allah; and Allah has the best recompense.

[2:186. And if My servants ask you about Me, I am near answering the calls of those who call to Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided.]

3:196.  Do not be deceived by the success of those who have rejected in the land.

3:197.  A brief enjoyment, then their abode is Hell. What a miserable abode!

3:198.  As for those who reverence their Rabb, they will have estates with rivers flowing beneath them; abiding therein as a dwelling from Allah. What is with Allah is better for the obedient.

3:199. And from the people of the Book are those who believe in Allah and what was sent down to you and what was sent down to them; fearful to Allah, they do not purchase with the revelations of Allah a cheap price. These will have their recompense with their Rabb. For Allah is swift in reckoning.

[3:113-114. They are not all the same, from the people of the Book are a nation that is upright; they recite the revelations of Allah during the night hours and they prostrate.

They believe in Allah and the Last Day and order kindness and prohibit vice, and they hasten in goodness; these are of the good doers.]

3:200.  O you who believe, be patient and call for patience, and stand firm, and reverence Allah that you may succeed.

SURAH AL IMRAN 141 - 170

 QURAN TAFSIR ( QURAN AS IT EXPLAIN ITSELSELF)

3:141. And Allah will prove those who believe and He will condemn the rejecters.

3:142.  Or did you think that you would enter the Paradise without Allah distinguishing those who would strive among you and distinguishing those who are patient?

[2:214. Or did you expect that you would enter the Paradise, while the example of those who were before you came to you; they were stricken with adversity and hardship, and they were shaken until the messenger and those who believed with him said: "When is the victory of Allah?" Yes indeed, the victory of Allah is near.]

3:143.  And you used to long for death before you came upon it; so now you see it right in-front of you!

[A life of honor in this world belongs to those who have conquered the fear of death, and death is the gateway to eternal life.

2:94. Say: "If the abode of the Hereafter has been set exclusively for you with God, to the exception of all other people, then you should wish for death if you are truthful!"

2:243.  Did you not see those who left their homes in groups, all the while they were fearful of death; so Allah said to them: "Die," then He resurrected them. Allah has bestowed a great grace over the people, but most of the people are not thankful.]

3:144.  And Mohammed is but a messenger, like many messengers who have passed before him. If he dies or is killed will you turn back on your heels? And whoever turns back on his heels, he will not harm Allah in the least. And Allah will recompense the thankful.

[The System the Prophet has established is to become a beacon of light for all humanity. The believers will reap the fruit of the Benevolent System here and, then, get rewarded in the Hereafter.

3:101. And how can you reject when the revelations of God are being recited to you and with you is His messenger? And whoever holds firmly to Allah has been guided to the straight path.

3:185. Every soul will taste death, and you will be recompensed your dues on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is swayed from the Fire and entered into the Paradise, he has indeed won. This worldly life is nothing more than the enjoyment of vanity.

35:10. Whoever is seeking dignity, then know that to Allah belongs all dignity. To Him ascend the good words, and the good deeds raise them up. And as for those who scheme evil, they will have a painful retribution, and their scheming will fail. ]

3:145.  It is not permitted for a soul to die except by the permission of Allah in an appointed record. And whoever wants the reward of this world We give him of it, and whoever wants the reward of the Hereafter, We give him of it. And We will reward the thankful.

[Being appreciative Shaakir is not confined to verbal proclamations. It involves sharing Divine bounties with the society and individuals. The Qur’an shows humans the way to success in both worlds.

3:148. So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the best reward of the Hereafter; and Allah loves the good doers.

17:18. Whoever seeks the life of haste, We will make for him what he wishes, then We will make Hell for him a place which he will reach disgraced and rejected.

24:55. Allah promises those among you who believe and do good works, that He will make them successors on the earth, as He made successors of those before them, and He will enable for them their system which He has approved for them, and He will substitute security for them in place of fear: "That they serve Me, not setting up anything with Me." And as for those who reject after that, these are the wicked.

28:77. "And seek with the provisions bestowed upon you by Allah the abode of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share in this world, and do good as Allah has done good to you. And do not seek corruption in the land. Allah does not love the corrupters."  ]

3:146.  And many a prophet had a large number of Devotees fighting with him. They did not waver by what afflicted them in the cause of Allah, nor did they become weak, nor did they become discouraged; and Allah loves the patient ones.

[Wa= And = Since = Witness = Or = For = Then = As a continuum, it may be understood as 'know', 'remember'. Saabir = Steadfast = Persevering = Determined = Patient in ease and adversity]

3:147.  And they did not say except: "Our Rabb, forgive us our sins and our shortcomings in our responsibility, and make firm our foothold, and grant us victory over the rejecting people."

3:148.  So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the best reward of the Hereafter; and Allah loves the good doers.

3:149.  O you who believe, if you obey those who have rejected, then they will turn you back on your heels and you will turn back as losers.

3:150 It is Allah who is your Patron, and He is the best victor.

3: 151. We will cast terror in the hearts of those who have rejected, because of what they have set up besides Allah while He never sent down any authority to do so, and their destiny is the Fire. Miserable is the abode of the wicked.

3:152.  And Allah has fulfilled His promise to you, that you would overwhelm them with His permission; but then you failed and disputed in the matter and disobeyed after He showed you what you had sought. Some of you want this world, and some of you want the Hereafter. Then He let you retreat from them that He may test you; and He has pardoned you. Allah is with great grace over the believers.

3:153. For you were ascending to the high ground and would not even glance towards anyone, and the messenger was calling to you from behind. Therefore He gave you worry to replace your worry, so that you would not have sadness by what has passed you, or for what afflicted you, and Allah is Expert over what you do.

3:154.  Then He sent down to you after the worry a tranquility in sleepiness, it overtook a group of you; and another group was obsessed with themselves, they were thinking about Allah other than the truth, the thoughts of the days of ignorance. They say: "Why are we involved in this affair?" Say: "The entire affair is for Allah." They hide in their souls what they do not show to you, they say: "If we had a say in this affair then none of us would have been killed here." Say: "If you were inside your own homes, then the ones who had been marked for death would have come out to their resting place." Allah  will test what is in your chests and bring out what is in your hearts. Allah is Knowledgeable as to what is in the chests.

3:155.  Those of you who turned away on the day that the two hosts met, it was the devil who caused them to slip due to some of what they had earned. And Allah has pardoned them, for Allah is Forgiver, Compassionate.

3:156. O you who believe do not be like those who rejected and said to their brothers when they had gone forth in the land or on the offensive: "If they were here with us they would not have died nor been killed." Allah will make this a source of grief in their hearts, and Allah grants life and death, and Allah is watching over what you do.

3:157.  And if you are killed in the cause of Allah or die, then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are far greater than all they can put together.

3:158.  And if you die or are killed, then to Allah you will be gathered.

3:159.  It was a mercy from Allah that you were soft towards them; had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from you; so pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in the matter; but when you are convinced, then put your trust in Allah; for Allah loves those who put their trust.

3:160. If Allah grants you victory then none can defeat you, and if He abandons you then who can grant you victory after Him? And towards Allah the believers should put their trust.

3:161. It was not for any prophet to embezzle, and he who embezzles will be brought with what he has embezzled on the Day of Resurrection, then every soul will be given what it has earned without being wronged.

3:162. Is he who follows the pleasure of Allah as he who draws the wrath of Allah and his abode is Hell and a miserable destiny?

3:163 They are in grades with Allah, and Allah is Seer of what they do.

[Conduct is the sole determining factor for ranks with Allah.

*6:132. But there are degrees for what they had done; and your Lord is not unaware of what they do.

49:13.  O people, We created you from a male and female, and We made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Surely, the most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous. Allah is Knowledgeable, Expert.

84:19. You will ride a platform upon a platform.]

3:164.  Allah has bestowed grace upon the believers by sending them a messenger from among themselves reciting His revelations and purifying them and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, and they were before in manifest darkness.

3:165.  And so it was when you suffered setback; even though you afflicted them with twice as much setback; you said: "Where is this coming from?" Say: "It is from yourselves." Allah is capable of all things.

[3:152. And Allah has fulfilled His promise to you, that you would overwhelm them with His permission; but then you failed and disputed in the matter and disobeyed after He showed you what you had sought. Some of you want this world, and some of you want the Hereafter. Then He let you retreat from them that He may test you; and He has pardoned you. Allah is with great grace over the believers.]

3:166. And what you suffered on the day the two hosts met was with the permission of Allah, and to let the believers know.

3:167.  And to let those who are hypocrites know, that they were told: "Come fight in the cause of Allah or defend," they said: "If we knew how to fight we would have followed you." They are closer to rejection than they are to belief. They say with their mouths what is not in their hearts, and Allah is aware of what they conceal.

3:168. Those who remained and said to their brothers: "If they obeyed us they would not have been killed." Say: "Then avert death away from yourselves if you are truthful!"

3:169.  And do not think that those who are killed in the cause of Allah are dead. No, they are alive at their Allah receiving a bounty.*

*[2:154. And do not say of those who are killed in the cause of God that they are dead; no, they are alive but you do not perceive.].

3:170.  Happy with what Allah has granted them from His grace, and they rejoice in those who have yet to follow after them. There is no fear upon them nor do they grieve.

SURAH AL IMRAN 101 - 140

 QURAN TAFSIR ( QURAN AS IT EXPLAIN ITSELF)

3:101.  And how can you reject when the revelations of Allah are being recited to you and with you is His messenger? And whoever holds firmly to Allah has been guided to the straight path.

[3:144. And Mohammed is but a messenger, like many messengers who have passed before him. If he dies or is killed will you turn back on your heels? And whoever turns back on his heels, he will not harm Allah in the least. And Allah will recompense the thankful. ]

3:102.  O you who believe, reverence Allah as He deserves to be reverenced, and do not die except as ones who have submitted.

3:103.  And hold firmly to the rope of Allah, all of you, and do not be separated. And remember the blessing of Allah upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts. Then you became, with His blessing, brothers; and you were on the edge of a pit of fire and He saved you from it; it is thus that Allah clarifies for you His signs that you may be guided.

[The Rope of Allah is the Qur’an which is an Unbreakable Support

2:256. There is no compulsion in the system; the proper way has been clarified from the wrong way. Whoever rejects evil, and believes in Allah, indeed he has taken grasp of the strongest hold that will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

6:165.  And He is the One who made you inheritors on the earth, and He raised some of you over others in grades, to test you with what He had given you. Your Rabb is swift to punishment, and He is Forgiving, Merciful.

30:31. Turn to Him, and be aware of Him, and hold the contact prayer, and do not be of the polytheists.

Huda= Guidance = Walk the right path = Travel on a lighted road]

3:104.  And let there be a nation from among you who calls towards goodness, and orders kindness, and prohibits vice. And these are the successful ones.

[ 2:143. And as such, We have made you a balanced nation so that you may be witness over the people, and that the messenger may be witness over you. And We did not make the focal point that you became on except to distinguish who follows the messenger from those who will turn on their heels. It was a great thing indeed except for those whom Allah had guided; Allah was not to waste your belief. Allah is Merciful and Compassionate over the people.

3:110. You were the best nation that emerged for the people, you ordered kindness and prohibited vice, and believed in God. If the people of the Book believed it would have been better for them; from among them are the believers, but the majority are the wicked.

22:78. And strive in the cause of Allah its truly deserved striving. He is the One who has chosen you, and He has made no hardship for you in the system, the creed of your father Ibraham; He is the One who named you 'those who have submitted' from before and in this. So let the messenger be witness over you and you be witness over the people. So hold the contact prayer and contribute towards purification and hold tight to Allah, He is your patron. What an excellent Patron, and what an excellent Supporter.

assign this duty to the entire Muslim community. Ma'roof = Virtue = Kindness = All that is good = Declared Ma’roof by the Qur’an. Munkar = Vice = Evil = All that is wrong = Declared Munkar by the Qur’an.

2:143. And as such, We have made you a balanced nation so that you may be witness over the people, and that the messenger may be witness over you. And We did not make the focal point that you became on except to distinguish who follows the messenger from those who will turn on their heels. It was a great thing indeed except for those whom Allah had guided; Allah was not to waste your belief. Allah is Merciful and Compassionate over the people.

3:109. And to Allah is all that is in the heavens and the earth; and to Allah all matters are returned.

23:1. The believers are indeed successful.

61:2. O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? ]

3:105.  And do not be like those who separated and differed after the clarity had come to them. And for them is a painful retribution.

[Bayyinaat’ = Clear evidences. Sectarianism, geographic and political schism, and ethnic divisions stand in the way of unity of all  mankind.

6:159. Those who have divided their system and become sects, you are not with them in anything. Their matter will be with Allah, then He will inform them of what they had done.

30:32. From those who have divided their system and become sects, each group is happy with what it has.

42:13. He has decreed for you the same system He ordained for Nuh, and what We inspired to you, and what We ordained for Ibraham, Musa, and Isa: "You shall uphold this system, and do not divide in it." Intolerable for the polytheists is what you invite them towards. Allah chooses for Himself whoever He wills; He guides to Himself those who repent.]

3:106.  The Day on which faces will be lightened and faces will be darkened; as for those whose faces will be darkened: "Did you reject after believing? Taste the retribution for what you rejected."

3:107.  As for those whose faces will be lightened, they are in the mercy of Allah, in it they abide..

 [11:118-119. And if your Allah had wished, He could have made all the people one nation, but they still would have continued to disagree.

Except whom your Rabb has mercy upon; and for that He has created them. And the word of your Rabb came true: "I will fill Hell with the Jinn and the people together!"]

3:108.  These are the revelations of Allah, We recite them to you with the truth. Allah does not want wickedness for the worlds.

3:109.  And to Allah is all that is in the heavens and the earth; and to Allah all matters are returned.

[Lillah= For Allah = For the sake of Allah = In the cause of Allah = Belonging to Allah = Being subservient to Him = Working to fulfill the Divine Plan]

3:110.  You were the best nation that emerged for the people, you ordered kindness and prohibited vice, and believed in Allah. If the people of the Book believed it would have been better for them; from among them are the believers, but the majority are the wicked.

[The believers accept the Qur’an as the Criterion of right and wrong.

3:4. From before as a guidance for the people, and He sent down the Criterion. Those who rejected the revelations of Allah, they will have a severe retribution, and Allah is Noble, exacting in Revenge.

It educates people on the Permanent Moral Value System and distinguishes clearly what the otherwise vague terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and ‘good’ and ‘evil’ would mean]

3:111. They will not harm you except in being an annoyance, and if they fight you they will turn and flee, then they will not be supported.

3:112.  They are struck with humiliation wherever they are encountered, except for a rope from Allah and a rope from the people. And they stayed in the wrath of Allah and were struck with humiliation; that is because they were disbelieving in the revelations of Allah and killing the prophets without right; that is for what they disobeyed and were transgressing.

3:113. They are not all the same, from the people of the Book are a nation that is upright; they recite the revelations of Allah during the night hours and they prostrate.

3:114.  They believe in Allah and the Last Day and order kindness and prohibit vice, and they hasten in goodness; these are of the good doers.

3:115. And what they do of good will not be turned back, and Allah is aware of the righteous.

[Muttaqeen = Those who walk on a secure path = Those who seek to journey through life in security = The observant = Those who live upright.

2:41.  And believe in what I have sent down, authenticating what is with you, and do not be the first to disbelieve in it! And do not purchase with My revelations a cheap gain, and of Me you shall be aware.]

3:116.  As for those who rejected, neither their money nor their children will avail them anything from Allah. These are the people of the Fire, in it they abide.

[Reward and punishment are built-in as the logical consequence of actions e.g. disuse of muscles causes them to atrophy. Allah does not punish people like human tyrants, out of rage or vengeance.

3:182. This is for what their hands have delivered, and Allah does not wrong the servants.

4:111. And whoever earns any sin, then he has brought it on himself. And Allah is Knowledgeable, Wise.

20:15. "The Hour is coming, I am nearly keeping it hidden, so that every soul will be recompensed with what it strived."

7:147. And those who deny Our revelations and the meeting of the Hereafter, their works have collapsed. Will they not be recompensed except for what they used to do?

27:90.  And whoever comes with the bad deed, their faces will be cast in Hell. Are you not being rewarded for what you used to do? ]

3:117.  The example of what they spend in this world is like a wind in which there is a frost; it afflicts the field of the people who wronged themselves, and thus destroys it. Allah did not wrong them, but it was their souls that they wronged.

3:118.  O you who believe do not take as an inner-circle any from besides yourselves; they will only disrupt you greatly. They wish that you deviate; the hatred is apparent out of their mouths and what their chests conceal is even greater! We have made clear for you the signs if you comprehend.

3:119.  Here you love them while they do not love you, and you believe in the entire Book. And if they meet you they say: "We believe," and if they are alone they bite their fingers out of frustration at you. Say: "Die in your frustration, Allah is aware of what is in the chests."

3:120.  If any good befalls you it disturbs them, and if any bad befalls you they rejoice with it. And if you are patient and righteous their planning will not harm you at all. Allah is Encompassing all they do.

[Taqwa = Living upright = Being observant = Seeking to journey through life in security = Be on guard. 2:41]

3:121. And as you departed from your family to prepare for the believers their stations for battle - and Allah is Hearer, Knowledgeable.

3:122.  When two parties from among you were obsessed that they would fail; while Allah was their supporter. In Allah the believers should trust.

[3:151-152.We will cast terror in the hearts of those who have rejected, because of what they have set up besides Allah while He never sent down any authority to do so, and their destiny is the Fire. Miserable is the abode of the wicked.

And Allah has fulfilled His promise to you, that you would overwhelm them with His permission; but then you failed and disputed in the matter and disobeyed after He showed you what you had sought. Some of you want this world, and some of you want the Hereafter. Then He let you retreat from them that He may test you; and He has pardoned you. Allah is with great grace over the believers.]

3:123. Allah had granted you victory at Badr, while you had been the lesser, so reverence Allah that you may be thankful.

3:124. When you said to the believers: "Is it not enough for you that your Rabb would supply you with three thousand of the angels sent down?"

[Fearlessness, determination, inner calm, and courage are the angels Allah sends down upon those who strive in His cause.

8:9. You called on help from your Lord and He answered you: "I will provide you with one thousand angels as defenders."

 41:30. Those who have said: "Our Rabb is Allah" then they did right, the angels will come down upon them: "You shall not fear, nor shall you grieve. Rejoice in the good news of the Paradise that you have been promised.

Taking such verses literally, leads us to wrongly conclude the utter feebleness of 'angels' - the Battle of Badrwas fought between

313. Muslims and about 1,000 opponents]

3:125.  Indeed, if you are patient and are righteous and they come and attack you, He will supply you with five thousand of the angels battle trained.

[Musawwimeen= Clearly marked = Those given a clear assignment = Branded horses = Destined to succeed = Special forces = Specialized. Once again, the term refers to invincible determination]

3:126. And Allah did not give this except as good news to you, and so that your hearts may be assured with it. Victory is only from Allah, the Noble, the Wise.

3:127.  Thus He will sever a group of those who reject, or disgrace them; then they will turn back frustrated.

[Yaqta' = He cut off = Sets apart = Sets aside. 'Aw' in this case more appropriately indicates 'and']

3:128.  You will have no say in the matter, for He may pardon them, or punish them; for they are wicked.

[The matter will be decided according to law. Zaalimoon = Oppressors = Violators of human rights = Those who commit unjust aggression = Who displace right with wrong = Those who relegate the truth = Those who choose to do wrong]

3:129. And to Allah is what is in the heavens and in the earth, He forgives whom He pleases, and He punishes whom He pleases; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[8:42.When you were on the near side, and they were on the far side, then the supply line became directly beneath you. And if you had planned for this meeting, you would have disagreed on its timing, but Allah was to enforce a command that was already done. So that He would destroy those to be destroyed with proof, and to let those who will live be alive with proof; and God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.

 Individuals and nations get to choose which law applies to them. Yasha carries the connotations of 'will', ‘deserve’, ‘choose’, 'due measure' and 'law']

3:130.  O you who believe, do not consume usury, compounding over and over; and reverence Allah that you may succeed.

3: 131. And be aware of the Fire that has been prepared for the rejecters

[Kaafireen rejecters in this context reveals another shade of meaning that is clearly defined in 5:44, “Whoever does not judge and rule according to what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers.”]

3: 132.  And obey Allah and the messenger so that you may obtain mercy.

3:133.. And race towards forgiveness from your Rabb and a Paradise whose width encompasses the width of the heavens and of the earth; it has been prepared for the righteous.

3:134.  The ones who spend in prosperity and hardship, and who repress anger, and who pardon the people; Allah loves the good doers.

3:135.  And those who, if they commit lewdness, or wrong themselves, they remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins. And who can forgive the sins except Allah? And they do not persist in what they have done while they know.*

3:136.  To these the recompense will be forgiveness from their Rabb and estates with rivers flowing beneath them; abiding therein. Excellent is the recompense of the workers.

3:137.  Many nations have come before you, so roam the earth and see how the punishment was for the deniers.

[Mukazzibeen= Those who deny the truth in practice but not verbally = Those who deny the truth = Who live by conjecture instead of the unalterable Divine laws]

3:138 This is a clarification for the people and a reminder for the righteous.

3:139.  Do not be weak, and do not grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are believers.

3:140.  If you are wounded, then know that the other group is also wounded. And such are the days, We alternate them between the people, so that Allah will distinguish those who believe, and so He may make witnesses from among you; and Allah does not love the wicked.

SURAH AL IMRAN 61 - 100

 QURAN TAFSIR ( QURAN AS IT EXPLAIN ITSELF)

3:61. Whoever debates with you in this after the knowledge has come to you, then say: "Let us call our children and your children, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then, let us invoke and make the curse of God upon the liars."

[Bahl = To leave alone = Let someone hold on to his views = Let others do as they will. Erroneously, but commonly, Mubahila = A contest of mutual cursing! This verse has been subjected to much conjecture through ‘Shan-e-Nuzool’the circumstances of a revelation.Some exponents assert that the exalted Prophet is being told here to run a cursing contest with some Christians from Najran in Southern Arabia!]

3:62. This is the narration of truth, there is no god except Allah; and Allah is the Noble, the Wise.

3:63.  And if they turn away, then Allah is aware of the corrupters.

3:64.  Say: "O people of the Book, let us come to a common understanding between us and between you; that we serve none except Allah, and that we do not set up anything with Him, and that none of us takes each other as patrons besides Allah" If they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that we have submitted."

3:65.  "O people of the Book, why do you debate with us regarding Abraham when the Torah and the Injeel were not sent down except after him? Do you not comprehend?"

3:66.  Here you have debated in what you knew; so why then do you debate in what you do not know? And Allah knows while you do not know.

3:67.  Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Nazarene, but he was a monotheist who submitted; he was not of the polytheists.

3:68. The most legitimate people to Abraham are those who followed him; and this prophet, and those who believed; and Allah is the supporter of the believers.

3:69.  A group from the people of the Book wished that they could misguide you, but they only misguide themselves and they do not notice.

3:70.  "O people of the Book, why do you reject the revelations of Allah while you are bearing witness?"

3:71.  "O people of the Book, why do you confound the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know?"

3:72.  And a group from among the people of the Book said: "Believe in what was sent down to those who believe during the beginning of the day, and reject it by the end of it, perhaps they will return."

3:73.  "And do not believe except in he who follows your system." Say: "The guidance is the guidance of Allah." That anyone should be given similar to what you have been given, or that they debate with you at your Rabb. Say: "The bounty is in the hand of Allah, He gives it to whom He chooses, and Allah is Encompassing, Knowledgeable."

[He has now chosen a non-Israelite Prophet for His grace of revelation.

7:157. "Those who follow the Gentile messenger prophet whom they find written for them in the Torah and the Injeel; he orders them to kindness, and prohibits them from vice, and he makes lawful for them the good things, and he makes unlawful for them the evil things, and he removes their burden and the shackles that are upon them. So those who believe in him, and support him, and help him persevere, and follow the light that was sent down with him; these are the successful ones."

Manyyasha = In accordance with His laws = Per His due measure. Erroneously translated as ‘Whom He wills’. An error like this turns the dynamic Islam into a fatalistic religion. 

3:26. Say: "Our Allah, Possessor of kingship; you grant kingship to whom You please, and revoke kingship from whom You please, and honor whom You please, and humiliate whom You please; in Your hand is goodness. You are capable of all things."

4:88. What is the matter with you that you are divided into two groups over the hypocrites, while Allah has regressed them for what they have earned? Do you want to guide those whom Allah misguides? Whoever Allah causes to be misguided, you will never find for him a path.

10:25. Allah calls to the abode of peace, and He guides those whom He wishes to a straight path.

74:31.  And We have made the guardians of the Fire to be angels; and We did not make their number except as a test for those who have rejected, so that those who were given the Book would understand, and those who have faith would be increased in faith, and so that those who have been given the Book and the believers do not have doubt, and so that those who have a sickness in their hearts and the rejecters would say: "What did Allah mean with an example such as this?" It is such that Allah misguides whom He wishes, and He guides whom He wishes. And none know the soldiers of your Rabb except He; and it is but a reminder for human beings.]

3:74.  He singles out with His mercy whom He chooses, and Allah is with Great Bounty.

3:75 . And from among the people of the Book are those whom if you entrust him with a large amount he gives it back to you, and there are those whom if you entrust with one gold coin he will not return it to you unless you are standing over him. That is because they said: "We have no obligation towards the Gentiles." They say about Allah lies while they know.

3:76.  Indeed, anyone who fulfils his pledge and is righteous, then Allah loves the righteous.

3:77.  The ones who purchase with the pledge of Allah and their oaths a cheap price, those will have no portion in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, and they will have a painful retribution.

3:78.  And from among them is a group who twist their tongues with the Book so that you may think it is from the Book, while it is not from the Book, and they say it is from Allah while it is not from Allah, and they say about Allah lies while they know.[2:101]

3:79.  It is not for any human being that Allah would give him the Book and the authority and the prophethood, then he would say to the people: "Be servants to me rather than Allah!" Rather: "Be Devotees for what you have been taught of the Book, and of what you have studied."

3:80.  Nor does He order you that you take the angels and the prophets as patrons. Would He order you to rejection after you have submitted?

3:81. And Allah took a covenant from the prophets: "For what I have given you of the Book and wisdom, then a messenger will come to you authenticating what is with you. You will believe in him and support him." He said: "Do you testify, and agree to this burden?" They said: "We testify." He said: "Then bear witness, and I am with you bearing witness."

[This was the promise with their nations. The personal covenant made with each Messenger is mentioned in

33:7.  And when We took from the prophets their covenant. And from you, and from Nuh, and Abraham, and Musa, and Isa, son of Maryium; We took from them a solemn covenant.

 2:101. And when a messenger came to them from Allah, authenticating what was with them, a group of those who had already received the Book placed the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know.

 & 3:78. And from among them is a group who twist their tongues with the Book so that you may think it is from the Book, while it is not from the Book, and they say it is from Allah while it is not from Allah, and they say about Allah lies while they know. for ‘the truth in’]

3:82.  Whoever turns away after that, then they are the drifted away from the right path.

3:83.  Is it other than the system of Allah that they desire, when those in the heavens and the earth have submitted to Him voluntarily or by force? And to Him they will be returned.

[All things in the Universe surrender to Allah, either by free will as the believers do, or through their innate nature such as animals, trees, stars, seasons etc. Even the deniers of the truth live by Divine laws in their physical lives]

3:84. Say: "We believe in Allah and what was sent down to us and what was sent down to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Patriarchs, and what was given to Moses and Isa and the prophets from their Rabb. We do not make a distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit."

[All Prophets were one in purpose.

2:253 . Such messengers, We have preferred some over others; some of them talked to Allah, and He raised some of them in rank, and We gave Jesus, son of Maryam, the clear proofs and We supported him with the Holy Spirit. And had Allah wished, the people after them would not have fought after the proofs had come to them, but they disputed, some of them believed and some of them rejected. If Allah had wished they would not have fought, but Allah does what He pleases.

17:55. And your Rabb is fully aware of who is in the heavens and the earth. And We have preferred some prophets over others, and We gave Dawud the Psalms.]

3:85.  And whoever follows other than submission as a system, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he is of the losers.

[This is because the Deen Islam of the entire Universe is Submission.]

3:86. How can Allah guide a people who have rejected after believing, and they had witnessed that the messenger was true, and the clarity had come to them? Allah does not guide to those who choose to do wrong.*

[Zaalimeen = Oppressors = Those who hurt themselves or others = Who displace something from its rightful place = Who relegate the truth = Those who choose to do wrong = Violators of human rights = Misdirected = Those who prefer to live in the darkness of ignorance = Commonly translated as wrongdoers.

 *This verse 3:86 very much applies to today’s Muslims.

The Prophet did establish the Divine System in the State of Madinah as a living witness to the Qur’anic truth.]

3:87. To these the punishment will be that the curse of Allah will be upon them and that of the angels and the people all together!

3:88.  Abiding therein, the retribution will not be lightened for them, nor will they be reprieved.

3:89.  Except those who repent after this and make amends, then Allah is Forgiver, Merciful.

3:90. Those who have rejected after their belief, then increased in rejection, their repentance will not be accepted, they are the strayers.[4:18]

3:91.  Those who have rejected and died while they were rejecters, if the earth full of gold were to be ransomed with it would not be accepted from any of them. For these there will be a painful retribution and they will have no supporters.

[We have already seen that 'Azaab = Torment = Chastisement = Punishment = Suffering, is a natural consequence of transgressions according to the Law of Cause and Effect. Allah does not punish people out of rage like human tyrants and kings. Reward and punishment are built-in results of one's own deeds. So, no helpers either]

3:92.  You will not reach piety until you spend from what you love; and whatever you spend, Allah is aware of it.

[Allah, the Knower of your own ‘self’, reminds that Paradise is for those who attain self-actualization by giving.

92:18. The one who gives his money to purify. ]

3:93 . All the food was made lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel forbade for himself before the Torah was sent down. Say: "Bring the Torah and recite it if you are truthful."

3:94.  Whoever invents lies about Allah after this, these are the wicked.

3:95.  Say: "Allah bears truth. Follow the creed of Abraham, monotheism, and he was not of the polytheists."

3:96.  The first Sanctuary established for the people is the one in Bakk'a, blessed, and a guidance for the worlds.

[2:125. And We have made the Sanctuary to be a model for the people and a security. And you shall take, from the station of Abraham, a place for making the contact. And We entrusted to Abraham and Ismai: "You shall purify My Sanctuary for those who visit, and those who are devoted, and the kneeling, the prostrating."]

3:97.  In it are clear signs: the station of Abraham. And whoever enters it will be secure. And Allah is owed from the people to make Pilgrimage to the Sanctuary, whoever can make a path to it. And whoever rejects, then Allah has no need of the worlds.

[Pilgrimage = Joining the Hajj Convention. Mankind can realize the blessings of unity by rallying around this Divinely appointed Center of Ideology.

22:25. Surely, those who have rejected and repel from the path of Allah, and from the Restricted Temple that We have made for the people - for the one devoted therein and the one who visits it - and whoever inclines to evil action in it, We will let them taste a painful retribution.

The idolaters are forbidden only to ‘ya’mur’ or administer the Masjid for obvious ideological reasons.

9:17. It was not for the polytheists to maintain the temples of Allah while they bear witness over their own rejection. For these, their works have fallen, and in the Fire they will abide.]

3:98.  Say: "O people of the Book, why do you reject the revelations of Allah, while Allah is witness over what you do?"

3:99.  Say: "O people of the Book, why do you repel from the path of Allah those who believe? You wish to twist it while you are witnesses. And Allah is not unaware of what you do."

3:100.  O you who believe, if you obey a group of those who received the Book they will turn you after your belief into rejecters!

[The very act of heeding or obeying others against the messages of Allah is an indication that such people have not understood the beauty in these messages]

SURAH AL IMRAN 31 - 60

 QURAN TAFSIR ( QURAN AS IT EXPLAIN ITSELF)

3:31.  Say: "If you love God then follow me so God will love you and forgive your sins." God is Forgiver, Merciful.

[Hubb = Love = Full support = Having a common objective. Loving Allah = Following His commands = Serving His creation = Benefiting others. Allah love = His blessings in both lives. Zanb = Tail = Trailing behind. Ghafarah = Helmet = Protection against deterioration = Forgiveness]

3:32.  Say: "Obey Allah and the messenger." But if they turn away, then Allah does not love the rejecters.

[Obeying the Messenger = Obeying Allah revelations to him = Obeying the Islamic Central Authority.

4:59.  O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the messenger and those in authority among you. But if you dispute in any matter, then you shall refer it to Allah and His messenger if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for knowing.]

3:33.  Allah has selected Adam, and Noah, and the family of Abraham, and the family of Imran over the worlds.

[Adam = Aadam = The human ancestor = The first Homo sapiens = Allegorically, Adami, the first humans = Mankind = Possibly a prominent early human = Perhaps a Prophet, but the chain of Prophets begins with Noah.

4:163. We have inspired you as We had inspired Noah and the prophets after him. And We had inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and We gave David the zaboor

6:80.  And his people debated with him. He said: "Do you debate with me regarding Allah, when He has guided me? I do not fear that which you have set up except if my Rabb wills; my Rabb encompasses all things in knowledge; will you not remember?"]

3:34. A progeny each from the other, and Allah is Hearer, Knower.

[Muhammad belongs to the same progeny of Abraham through Ishmael, and Isa belongs to it through the family of ‘Imran. Now is related the truth about JIsa son of Mariyum. History has made fiction of these two great servants of Allah]

3:35.  When the wife of Imran said: "My Allah, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, devoted, so accept from me, You are the Hearer, the Knower."

3:36.  So when she had delivered she said: "My Rabb, I have delivered a female," and Allah is fully aware of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her and her progeny with You from the outcast devil."

3:37.  So her Rabb accepted her a good acceptance, and made her grow into a good growth, and charged Zachariah with her. Every time Zachariah entered upon her in the temple enclosure, he found provisions with her. He said: "O Mariyum, from where did you get this?" She said: "It is from Allah, for Allah provides for whom He wishes without reckoning."

[Zakariya was a Prophet of Allah and a distant uncle of Mary. ‘It is from Allah’… Visitors to the sanctuary serve the saints. Many of them bring gifts to get their vows fulfilled. Yasha in reference to Allah = Through His laws = Common mistranslation, ‘as He pleases’. Bighayiri hisaab = Beyond reckoning = Without account = Humans cannot reckon Allah Power of sustaining and providing the entire Universe. The last sentence of the verse cannot be a quote from Mary, as generally suggested, since she would not lecture a Prophet of Allah]

3:38.  It was then that Zachariah implored his Rabb; he said: "My Rabb, grant me from You a good progeny. You are the hearer of prayer."

3:39.  So the angels called to him while he was standing, making contact, in the temple enclosure: "Allah gives you glad tidings of John, authenticating the word from Allah, and a master, and steadfast, and a prophet from the upright."

3:40.  He said: "My Rabb, how can I have a son when old age has reached me and my wife is infertile?" He said: "It is as such that Allah does what He pleases."

[The infertility in his wife was cured.

21:90. So We responded to him, and We granted him John, and We cured his wife. They used to hasten to do good, and they would call to Us in joy and in fear. And of Us they were reverent.]

3:41.  He said: "My Rabb, make for me a sign." He said: "Your sign is not to speak to the people for three days except by symbol, and remember your Rabb greatly, and glorify at dusk and dawn."

[19:10. He said: "My Rabb, make for me a sign." He said: "Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights consecutively."

Abstaining from speech would save the elderly couple from the embarrassing curiosity of people]

3:42. And the angels said: "O Maryium, Allah has selected you and cleansed you, and He has selected you over all the women of the worlds."

[She guarded her chastity and built a strong moral character in very adverse circumstances. Many monks and devotees of temples used to harbor evil intentions against nuns. She was the first revolutionary feminine voice against the manmade institution of monasticism.

57:27. Then We sent in their tracks Our messengers. And We sent Isa, son of Maryium, and We gave him the Injeel, and We ordained in the hearts of his followers kindness and mercy. But they invented Monasticism which We never decreed for them. They wanted to please Allah, but they did not observe it the way it should have been observed. Consequently, We gave those who believed among them their recompense, while many of them were wicked.]

3:43 . "O Maryium  submit to the commands of your Rabb  and bow down with those bow down."

3:44.  This is from the news of the unseen that We inspire to you. You were not with them when they drew straws as to which one of them will be charged with Maryium; you were not with them when they disputed.

3:45.  And the angels said: "O Maryium, Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Isa, son of Maryium. Honorable in this world and in the Hereafter, and from among those who are made close."

*3:46.  "And he will speak to the people from the cradle and to middle-age, and is from among the upright."

[Kahlan’ = After attaining full maturity = After age 40.

46:15.  And We enjoined man to do good to his parents. His mother bore him with hardship, gave birth to him in hardship, and his bearing and weaning lasts thirty months. So that, when he has reached his independence, and he has reached forty years, he says: "My Rabb, direct me to appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do good work that pleases You. And let my progeny be righteous. I have repented to You; I am of those who have submitted."

Saalih= Doer of good, healthy]

3:47.  She said: "My Rabb, how can I have a son when no human being has been with me?" He said: "It is thus that Allah creates what He wills, when He decrees a command, He merely says to it 'Be,' and it is."

3:48.  And He teaches him the Book and the Wisdom and the Torah and the Injeel.

3:49. And as a messenger to the Children of Israel: "I have come to you with a sign from your Rabb; that I create for you from clay the form of a bird, then I blow into it and it becomes a bird with the permission of Allah, and I heal the blind and the lepers, and give life to the dead with the permission of Allah, and I prophesize for you what you shall eat and what to store in your homes. In that is a sign for you if you are believers."

3:50. "And authenticating what is between my hands of the Torah, and to make lawful some of that which was made unlawful to you; and I have come to you with a sign from your Rabb, so be aware of Allah and obey me."

[The Qur’an describes denial as a ‘disease’, calls the deniers ‘deaf, dumb and blind’ in*

 2:18. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not return.

diseased of the heart’ in 2:10.In their hearts is a disease, so Allah increases their disease, and they will have a painful retribution for what they have denied.

and ‘dead’ in 27:80. You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and flee.

That is why the revelation, which is the truth, is called a ‘healing’ in

41:44. And had We made it a non-Arabic revelation, they would have said: "If only its verses were made clear!" Non-Arabic and Arabic, say: "For those who believe, it is a guide and healing. As for those who disbelieve, there is deafness in their ears, and they are blind to it. These will be called from a place far away."

Tayir = Omen = Destiny = Registration of deeds = Fleet-footed horse = Bird.

2:260. And Abraham said: "My Rabb, show me how you resurrect the dead." He said: "Do you not already believe?" He said: "I do, but it is so my heart can be relieved." He said: "Choose four birds, then cut them, then place parts of the birds on each mountain, then call them to you; they will come racing towards you. And know that Allah is Noble, Wise."

5:110. Allah said: "O Isa, son of Maryium, recall My blessings upon you and your mother, that I supported you with the Holy Spirit; you spoke to the people in the cradle and middle-age; and I taught you the Book and the wisdom, and the Torah, and the Injeel; and you would create from clay the shape of a bird, then blow into it and it becomes a bird with My permission; and you would heal the blind and the leaper with My permission; and you would bring out the dead with My permission. And I have restrained the Children of Israel from you, that you came to them with proofs; but those who rejected among them said: 'This is clearly magic!'"

6:38. And there is not a creature on the earth, nor a bird that flies with its wings, except they belong to nations like you belong. We did not leave anything out of the record; then to their Rabb they will be gathered.

7:131. When any good came to them, they said: "This is ours," and when any bad afflicted them, they blamed it on Moses and those with him. Their blame is with Allah, but most of them do not know.

17:13. And We have attached to the neck of every man his deeds, and We bring forth for him a record on the Day of Resurrection which he will find on display.

27:16. And Solomon inherited from Dawud, and he said: "O people, we have been taught how to understand the speech of the creatures that fly, and we have been given from everything. This is indeed an evident grace."

24:41. Do you not see that everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah? Even the birds in formation, each knows its contact prayer and its glorification. And Allah is fully aware of everything they do.

27:47. They said: "You have an ill omen with you and those with you." He said: "Your ill omen is with Allah, but you are a people who are being tested." ]

3:51.  "Allah is my Rabb and your Rabb, so serve Him, this is a straight path."

3:52.  So when Jesus felt their rejection, he said: "Who are my supporters to Allah?" The disciples said: "We are the supporters of Allah, we believe in Allah and we bear witness that we have submitted."

3:53. "Our Rabb, we believe in what You have sent down, and followed the messenger, so record us with those who bear witness."

3:54.  And they schemed and Allah schemed, but Allah is the best schemer.

3:55.  For Allah said: "O Isa, I will terminate your life, and raise you to Me, and cleanse you of those who have rejected, and make those who have followed you above those who have rejected until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, all of you,so I will judge between you in what it was that you disputed."

[Wafaat = Dying of natural causes. Rafa’ = Exalt = Raising in honor. Ilayya = To Me = Allegorically, in My Sight. Allah being Omnipresent is not confined to the heavens.]

3:56.  "As for those who have rejected, I will punish them severely in this world and in the Hereafter, they will have no supporters."

3:57.  "And as for those who have believed and have done good works, We will pay them their recompense; Allah does not love the wicked."

[Zaalim = Oppressor = Violator of human rights = Wrongdoer = One who relegates the truth = One who displaces something from its rightful place = Unjust = One who chooses to do wrong]

3:58.  This We recite to you from the revelations and the wise reminder.

[Az-Zikr = The Reminder = The Book that can give you eminence = The Message worth taking to hearts]

3:59.  The example of Isa with Allah is similar to that of Adam; He created him from dust, then He said to him "Be" and he was.

[The process of procreation goes on - “IS”. Kun fayakoon = The moment Allah decrees a thing, it starts happening]

3:60. The truth is from your Rabb, so do not be of those who doubt.

SURAH AL IMRAN 1 - 30

 QURAN TAFSIR ( QURAN AS IT EXPLAIN ITSELF)

3:1.  ALM.

3:2.  Allah, there is no Allah except He, the Living, the Sustainer.

3:3.  He sent down to you the Book with the truth, authenticating what is between his hands; and He sent down the Torah and the Injeel.

3:4.  From before as a guidance for the people, and He sent down the Criterion. Those who rejected the revelations of Allah, they will have a severe retribution, and Allah is Noble, exacting in Revenge.

3:5.  For Allah nothing is hidden on the earth or in the heavens.

3:6. He is the One who pictures you in the wombs as He pleases. There is no god except He, the Noble, the Wise.

[He uses His Might with wisdom, and His Rule is the Rule of law]

3:7.  He is the One who sent down to you the Book, from which there are lawgiving revelations; they are the essence of the Book; and others which are of a similatude. As for those who have a disease in their hearts, they will follow that which is of a similatude, seeking to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except Allah, and those who are well founded in knowledge; they say: "We believe in it, all is from our Rabb." And none will remember except those who possess intelligence.

[Every verse of the Qur’an is absolute truth. The context enables us to understand which ones are to be taken literally and which ones are to be taken allegorically. Each verse in the Book complements another. Many of today’s allegorical verses will become literal as the human knowledge evolves.

11:1. ALR, a Book in which its revelations have been made lawgiving, then detailed, from One who is Wise, Expert.

39:23. Allah has sent down the best narrative, a Book that is similar, dual. The skins of those who are concerned towards their Rabb shiver from it, then their skins and their hearts soften up to the remembrance of Allah. Such is the guidance of Allah; He guides with it whoever He wills. And for whoever Allah misguides, then none can guide him.

41:53. We will show them Our signs in the horizons, and within themselves, until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is witness over all things?

47:20. And those who believe say: "If only a chapter is sent down!" But when a lawgiving chapter is sent down, and fighting is mentioned in it, you see those who have a disease in their hearts look at you, as if death had already come to them. It thus revealed them.

74:31. And We have made the guardians of the Fire to be angels; and We did not make their number except as a test for those who had rejected, so that those who were given the Book would understand, and those who had faith would be increased in faith, and so that those who had been given the Book and the believers do not have doubt, and so that those who have a sickness in their hearts and the rejecters would say: "What did Allah mean with an example such as this?" It is such that Allah guides whom He wishes, and He guides whom He wishes. And none know the soldiers of your Lord except Him; and it is but a reminder for human beings.]

3:8. "Our Rabb, do not make our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us from You a mercy. Indeed, You are the Grantor."

3:9.  "Our Rabb, You will gather the people for a Day in which there is no doubt; Allah does not break His appointment."

3:10.  As for those who rejected, neither their money nor their children will avail them anything from Allah. They are the fuel of the Fire.

3:11.  Like the behavior of the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They rejected Our signs so Allah took them for their sins. Allah is awesome in retribution.

3:12   Say to those who have rejected: "You will be defeated and gathered towards Hell, what a miserable abode!"

3:13. There was a sign for you in the two groups that met. One was fighting in the cause of Allah, and the other was rejecting. They thus saw them as twice their number with their eyes. And Allah supports with His victory whom He wills. In this is a lesson for those with vision.

3:14.  It has been adorned for people to love the desire of women, and sons, and ornaments made from gold and silver, and trained horses, and livestock, and fields. These are the enjoyment of the world, and with Allah is the best abode.

[Believers in the Divine laws see this comfort as the means to a higher Goal --- Service --- Self-actualization --- Paradise]

3:15.  Say: "Shall I inform you of what is greater than all this? For those who believe in their Rabb will be estates with rivers flowing beneath them; abiding therein, and with pure mates, and an acceptance from Allah. And Allah is Seer over the servants."

3:16. The ones who say: "Our Rabb, we believe, so forgive us our sins, and spare us the retribution of the Fire."

3:17.  The patient, and the truthful, and the dutiful, and the givers, and the seekers of forgiveness in the late hours of the night.

3:18.  Allah bears witness that there is no god except He, as do the angels, and those with knowledge, He is standing with justice. There is no god except He, the Noble, the Wise.

[21:22.  If there were gods in them except for Allah, then they would have been ruined. Glory be to Allah, the Rabb of the Throne from what they describe.

‘Ilm = Knowledge = Science. Qaaim-am-bil-qist = Those who take the right stand = Those who uphold justice and equity]

3:19.  The system with Allah is submission, and those who received the Book did not dispute except after the knowledge came to them out of jealousy between them. And whoever rejects the revelations of Allah, then Allah is swift in judgment.

[‘Ind-Allah = In the Sight of Allah = Approved by Allah = Before Allah. Deen = The System of Life = The Divinely Prescribed Way of Life = In a loose sense, ‘religion’, a ritualistic Way of Life = ‘Religion’ even with a capital R may scarcely come close in meaning to the term Deen. Al-Islam = Submission to Allah = Submission to Divine will = Universal Peace achieved by submission to the One True Allah .

6:87.  And from their fathers and their progeny and their brothers We have also chosen; and We guided them to a straight path.]

3:20.  If they debate with you, then say: "I have submitted myself to Allah, as well as those who follow me." And say to those who have received the Book and the Gentiles: "Have you submitted?" If they have submitted then they are guided, and if they turn away, then you are only to deliver, and Allah is Seer over the servants.

3:21.  Those who reject the revelations of God and kill the prophets without right, and kill those who order justice from among the people; inform them of a painful retribution.

3:22.  These are the ones whose works will be lost in this world, and in the Hereafter they will have no supporters.

3:23.  Did you not see those who were given a portion of the Book being invited to the Book of Allah to judge between them, then a group of them turns away while they are adverse?

3:24.  That is because they said: "The Fire will not touch us except for a few number of days," and they were arrogant by what they invented in their system.

3:25.  How shall it be when We gather them on the Day in which there is no doubt; and every soul shall receive what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.

3:26 Say: "Our Allah, Possessor of kingship; you grant kingship to whom You please, and revoke kingship from whom You please, and honor whom You please, and humiliate whom You please; in Your hand is goodness. You are capable of all things."*

[Allah has appointed due measure for all things in the Universe, and therefore, His Rule is the Rule of law]

3:27.  "You blend the night into the day, and blend the day into the night; and you bring the living out of the dead, and bring the dead out of the living; and You provide for whom You wish without reckoning."

3:28.  Let not the believers take the rejecters as allies instead of the believers. And whoever does so will have nothing with Allah; for you are to be cautious of them as they deserve. And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the destiny.

[Al-Maseer = Ultimate destination = Journey’s end]

3:29.  Say: "Whether you hide what is in your chests or you reveal it, Allah will know." And He knows what is in the heavens and the earth; and Allah is capable of all things.

3:30.  The Day every soul will find what good it had done present; and what bad it had done, it will wish that between them was a great distance. And God warns you of Himself, and Allah is Compassionate towards the servants.

MASJID JERUSALEM THAT PROMOTE DIVISION AND FALSEHOOD.

 ( MASJID JERUSALEM IS NOT MASJID AL AQSA)

9:107.  And there are THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN a  (MASJID) to DO HARM and CAUSE REJECTION, and to DIVIDE BETWEEN the BELIEVERS, and as an outpost for those who fought Allah and His messenger before. They will swear that they only wanted to do good, and Allah bears witness that THEY ARE LIARS.

9:108.  DO NOT STAND  IN IT  EVER. A  (MASJID) that is founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy that you stand in it; in it are men who love to purify themselves. And Allah loves the purified.

9:109.  Is he who founds his building on obtaining righteousness from Allah and His acceptance better, or he who founds his building on the edge of a cliff which is about to crumble, so that it crumbled with him into the fires of Hell? And ALLAH DOES NOT  GUIDE the WICKED PEOPLE.

9:110.  Their BUILDINGS that THEY BUILT CONTINUE to CAUSE DOUBTS in their HEARTS, until their hearts are severed. And Allah is Knowledgeable, Wise.

9:111. Allah  has purchased from the believers their very lives and their wealth, that they will have the Paradise; they fight in the cause of Allah so they kill and are killed; a promise that is true upon Him in the Taurat and the Injeel and the Qur'an. And whoever fulfills this pledge with Allah, then have good news of the pledge which you are concluded with. Such is the great triumph.

MUNAFIQ- HYPOCRITE, TWO-FACED

 ✅ 4.61-63 

When they are told, 

‘Come to what God has sent down and to the Messenger,’ you see the hypocrites turn away from you. 

How will it be when an affliction befalls them 

because of what they themselves have done? 

They will come to you, swearing by God, 

saying that they were seeking nothing but 

goodwill and conciliation. 

But God knows all that is in their hearts; 

so ignore what they say, admonish them 

and speak to them 

in such terms as will address their minds. 

▪️Hypocrites are turncoats, two-faced

✅ 4:141-144

The hypocrites wait to see what happens to you 

and, if God grants you a victory, they say, 

‘Were we not on your side?

And if those who deny the truth have a share of it victory they say to them, 

‘Did we not help you win, and protect you from the believers?’

God will judge you all on Judgement Day. 

And never will God allow those who deny the truth to harm the believers. 

The hypocrites seek to outwit God 

but it is He who outwits them. 

And when they stand up for THE SALAT, 

they do so reluctantly and to be seen by others, 

and they hardly REMIND THE GOD at all. 

They vacillate between the two, 

belonging neither to one side nor the other. 

But for him whom God allows going astray, 

you can never find the way for him. 

Do not take deniers of the truth who are 

at war with you for your allies in preference to MÛMĪNS. 

Would you give GOD clear proof against yourselves?

✅ 5.61

When they come to you they say, 

‘We believe,’ 

but they come with the resolve 

to deny the truth and leave in the same state.

God knows best what they are concealing. 

You see many among them vie with one another 

in sin and transgression and practice what is unlawful. 

It is vile indeed what they have been doing! 

✅ 63:1

When the hypocrites come to you, Oh Muhammad, 

they say, “We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah.” 

And Allah knows that you are His Messenger, 

and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars. 

They have taken their oaths as a cover, 

so they averted people from the way of Allah. 

Indeed, it was evil that they were doing. 

That is because they believed, 

and then they disbelieved; 

so their hearts were sealed over, 

and they do not understand.

▪️Hypocrites may seem pleasing from outside

✅ 63:4

And 

when you see them, their forms please you, 

and if they speak, you listen to their speech. 

They are as if they were pieces of wood propped up

-they think that every shout is against them. 

They are the enemy, so beware of them. 

May Allah destroys them; how are they deluded?

✅ 63:5-6

And when it is said to them, 

“Come, the Messenger of Allah 

will ask forgiveness for you,” 

they turn their heads aside 

and you see them evading while they are arrogant. 

It is all the same for them whether 

you ask forgiveness for them 

or do not ask forgiveness for them; 

never will Allah forgive them. 

Indeed, Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.

✅ 63:7

They are the ones who say, 

“Do not spend on those who are 

with the Messenger of Allah until they disband.” 

And to Allah belongs the depositories of the heavens 

and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RIGHTEOUS

 They believe in the unseen, scriptures including previous scriptures and they are certain about hereafter (2:3-5)

They lead a righteous life (2:62)

They love God the most (2:165)

They observe God (2:178)

They make no distinction among God's messengers (2:285)

They are steadfast, truthful, submitting, charitable and meditators at dawn (3:17)

They never ally themselves with the disbelievers instead of believers (3:28)

They are suppressors of anger (3:134)

They are pardoners of people (3:134), (45:14)

They do not persist in sins knowingly (3:135)

They do not fear people (3:173)

They remember God always (3:191), (30:17-18)

They are united with other believers (3:200)

They trust in God (5:23)

They are kind with the believers and stern with the disbelievers (5:54), (48:29)

Their hearts tremble when God is mentioned and when they hear God’s revelations their faith is strengthened (8:2)

They immigrating in the cause of God and support each other (8:74)

They advocate righteousness and forbid evil (9:71)

They are repenters and keepers of God's law (9:112)

They recognize the truth and they fulfill their covenant (not worship the devil) (13:19-21)

They counter evil with good (13:22)

They are regular observers of Salat and are reverent during Salat (23:2), (70:34)

They avoid vain talk (23:3)

They give Zakat anytime they receive any income and fast the month of Ramadan (23:4) (70:24), (33:35)

They maintain their chastity (23:5-6), (70:29-30), (17:32)

They are trustworthy, and keep their word (70:32)

They never implore beside God any other god (25:68) they discard the worship of all idols (39:17)

They never react to reminders as if they are deaf and blind (25:73)

They tread the earth gently and treat the people amicably (25:63), (32:18-19)

When they are given proof or evidence from God and His messenger they submit right away (4:65), (32:15)

They are content with whatever God gives them, they are content with submission (39:22)

They promote the truth and believe in it (39:33)

Their affairs are decided after due consultation (42:38)

They avoid gross sins and vice (42:37)

When gross injustice befalls them they stand up for their rights (42:39)

They don't aggress unless they are aggressed upon (42:42)

They always have a happy face.   (happy face is  their mark on their face) (48:29)

They do not place their opinion above God and His messenger (49:1)

They are respectful (49:2-3)

They investigate rumors before believing them (49:6)

They set a good example by not mocking or ridiculing  (49:11)

They do not befriend hypocrites and those who oppose God and His messenger (58:22)

They observe Salat Al-Jum'ah regularly (62:9)

They are not anxious and do not  worry  (70:19-22)

They are not stingy (70:21-22) ((17:29)

When something bad happens to them they don't get upset or loose hope (70:20-22)

They dress modestly (24:30-31)

They are not extravagant (17:26-27)

ALLAH AKBAR -

ALLAH AKBAR - LINGUISTICALLY

It is Shirk to say Allah al Akbar not because it is not in Quran. It can't be in the Quran (as an attribute of Allah) because Akbar is a superlative.

Have you ever heard -

Big Bigger Biggest Or Great Greater Greatest.

The word 'Great' has two applications-

A. quality

B. superlative.

Greater, Greatest are just superlatives*.

*Here is some more examples of Superlatives.

كبير (kabir) Big / Great

أكبر (akbar) Bigger / Greater

جميل (gamiil)- Pretty

أجمل (agmal) - Prettier

*When we say 'Prettier ' it means prettier than someone or something. It becomes a comparison.  But when we say 'Pretty' it just means a Quality of someone or something.*

طيب (Tayyib) - Nice

أطيب (aTyab)- Nicer *From above examples, you should get a sense of how it works.

So, Allah Akbar means Allah is the Greatest of all the gods.  Nouzubillah

Idol worshippers of Arabia use to say -

Al Hubal Akbar

Al Manat Akbar.

Should we follow them and say - no Allah Akbar and not Hubal?

There is only one God.* *So, when you say Greatest among gods - you are saying more than one god.

The case of attributes / names of Allah is different. He is the BEST Judge, Provider,  Decider. You are also a Judge, Provider, Decider within the authority given by Allah You name yourself Rahman,  Raheem as well. That is not a comparison with Allah. None of the Qualities / Attributes or Allah can be compared with anything or Anyone.

Summary -

1. Kabir is Quality.  Akbar is Superlative. You won't understand if you don't know basics of language.

2. Best follows with the Quality.  Best Provider. As explained earlier, you also provide for your family from His providence

3. Allah Akbar - Allah is greatest. None of these statements clarify greater - from / of / to / in - what.

Allah is a proper noun. It simply means God. Akbar is superlative. So, the phrase has a silent part.

Basically, you are saying -

الله أكبر بين الآلهة - 

Allah Akbar (bayn alaliha) -

Allah is the greatest among the gods

An example may help you understand better. We all know Michael Phelps is the greatest Swimmer of all time. So, if you say - Phelps al Akbar- it has a silent part in that phrase - Phelps al Akbar (baeen / among Swimmers). It won't mean he is greatest father, husband...

So, if you need to utter as Tasbih, in salat, or proclaim - say - Allah l-kabir - Allah the Great as in verse 13.9.

TAHAJJUD - IS IT A SALAT?

 TAHAJJUD - IS IT A SALAT? IS IT SALAT AL ESHA OR AL SALAT AL USTA?

The Traditionals claim that Tahajjud is an additional Nafl Salat. This is simple to debunk. Quran mentions 3 Salat by name - Fajr, Usta,  Esha.  There is no Salat mentioned in verses 17.78- 79.

Now, some persons / a group calling Al Salat al Usta is at the evening after sunset and then Esha is between this evenning salat and Fajr salat. - or something like that - which one is what is not clear from their claims. The claim is so manipulated that even difficult to fathom.

You find answer to Traditionals claim embedded in following write up. In addition, let us address this second claim.

1. There is no salat named Salat al Jumma. It is Salat on the day of Jumma. That is one of the 3 salat mentioned in Quran. But it has two clear conditions -

     A. You leave your work to join Jumma

     B. You return to work after Jumma.

Think- which salat or time of salat fulfills these conditions? 

      Fajr? No- you do not leave work at Fajr

      Esha? No - you do not go back to work

      Midnight? No - neither leave or join back.

Please read my article - SALAH IN JUMMAH AND DAY OF JUMMAH AND SALAH ON THE DAY OF JUMMAH.

2. Next they do is manipulation of verse 11.114. It talks about two salats and not 3. The 2nd WA is a clarifier / emphasis for 1st part of the verse.

[11:114] Stand / Do the Salat at (NEAR) the two ends of the day THAT IS (AW) during the approaches of the night. The good deeds wipe out the bad deeds. This is a reminder for those who remember.

'Ends of the Day' are demarcation lines and not end of a day or day time. They are Sunrise and sunset.  There are 4 approaches- 

Before Sunrise

After Sunrise 

Before Sunset

After Sunset.

Next part of the verse - 'during the approaches of the night' ' clarifies which two of those approaches are Salat times. The ones touched the night that is - Before Sunrise and After Sunset.

So, two salats referred in this verse is Fajr and Esha. 

3. Next they manipulate the meaning of Duluk in verse 17.78. Unfortunately, Quran used the word only once. Few things to note to determine the meaning of the word from Quran-

  A. There is a salat during day time when you leave work and join back to work on the day of Jumma and that is one of the 3 salats.

  B. 11.114 talks about only two salats.

  C. Sunset and sunrise has different names in Quran- 

20.130 So be patient over what they say and GLORIFY with praise (of) your Lord BEFORE (the) RISING (of) the SUN and BEFORE ITS SETTING; and FROM (the) HOURS (of) THE NIGHT, and GLORIFY (at the) ends (of) THE DAY so that you may be satisfied.

50.39 So be patient over what they say and GLORIFY (the) praise (of) your Lord, BEFORE (the) RISING (of) the SUN and before the SETTING,

   D. Tarafayi in 11.114 are two and not one. But Duluk is only once. We do not see use of Duluk to name these demarcations. Instead Allah uses - ṭulūʿi l-shamsi and qabla ghurūbihā as in verse 20.130.

   E. Duluk means decline. The day time starts at dwan and not at ṭulūʿi l-shamsi and that is when rising of the sun starts. It continue to rise till midday and then starts declining till the daytime ends and Night starts and not at qabla ghurūbihā. 

Mentionable here that ghasaqi al-layli is name of the last period of day time and not part of the night.

So, it is  clear from above notes - Duluk is not at Sunset. Duluk happens once a day and that is at mid-day. 

4. Lastly to debunk the Traditionals claim and as this new conjecture.

[17:78] Stand / Do  the Salat from the duluk of the sun until the darkness of the night, as well as the Quran at dawn; the Quran at dawn is witnessed.

[17:79] And during the night MEDITATE WITH IT, an additional benefit for you, then perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy position.

Some interpreters have misinterpreted the word "tahajjad" in 17:79 to claim that this word speaks of a Salat which they gave the name 'Tahajjud Salat'. They add that this Salat is to be observed in the late night hours!

The first thing we notice when we try to verify this claim, is that the subject of 17:79 is not the Salat, nor is the word Salat mentioned anywhere in this verse. The Salat is indeed the subject of the opening words in 17:78, however, the subject changes in 17:78 with the words "as well as the Quran at dawn; the Quran at dawn is witnessed."

The last words in 17:78 speak about the reading of the Quran and that the reading of the Quran at dawn is witnessed. The words continue in verse 79 to say that we should do tahajjud (reflect/meditate) with the Quran during the night. Here we must pay very close attention to the Arabic words "tahajjad bihi" (meditate with it). The word "it" refers to the Quran, which is the subject carried forward from the last words in 17:78. The word "it" does not refer to the Salat. The Arabic word "bihi" (with it) is masculine. This is because the word Quran is masculine. In contrast, the word Salat is feminine. If the subject was the Salat, the Arabic word to use would have been 'biha'.

SECTARIAN ( TRADITIONAL) SUNNI CLAIM

 *WHICH ARE NOT MENTION IN THE QURAN BUT TRADITIONALISTS CLAIM* 👇🏻

1. Israq n Mikraj

2. Dajjal

3. The coming of prophet Isa

4. Tarrawih prayers

5. Breaking of fast at Magrib

6. Stoning for zina

7. Mensuration time no salat no fasting

8.70virgin in heaven

9. Al Mahdi coming

10. Questions asked the grave

11. Jesus being taken up bodily into heaven without the first death.

12. Killing the one who leaves religion. Hajj rituals.

13. Marriage is half your religion

14. Shariah law

15. Circumcision

16. Women having to cover their head.

17. Temporary hell

18. Temporary mutta marriage

19. Mother foot is Jannah

20. Men cannot wear silk and gold

21. Sex slavery

22. Women or under men

23. 4 witness to prove rape

24. Women cannot travel without mehram

25. Under age of marriage girls

26. Women have to do iddah for husband like not going out

27. Shahada including  the name of prophet muhammad

28. Prostrating to black stone and kissing black stone.

29.  Salat 5times a day 

30. second coming of jesus.

31. Women having to cover their head, face niqab, hand gloves and foot socks.

32. Beard

SALAT AL NABI / DAROOD

 AL-SALAT ALA AL-NABI AND AL-TASLEEM -  33.56

This very common phrase (Al-Salat ala al-Nabi and Al-Tasleem) which translates to (Salat to the prophet and tasleem) derives from the following verse:

God and His angels 'yusalloon ala al-nabi'. O you who believe, you shall 'sallu alayhee' and 'sallimu tasleeman'. 33:56

The word 'yusalloon', which is the verb from the word Salat, meaning 'to give Salat' and is the plural verb of the word 'yussalli'. The word is plural because it speaks of God and the angels.

FIRST: THE MEANING OF 'SALAT ALA AL-NABI':

The first thing they say is that God has exclusively honoured prophet Muhammad in 33:56 when God says that He and the angels give Salat to the prophet.

1- The Quran tells us that this is not totally correct. In the same Sura we read that God and also His angels give Salat to all believers and not just to the prophet:

He is the one who 'yu'salli alaikum' (offers Salat), as well as His angels, to bring you out of the darkness and into the light. 33:43

2- We also read in 2:157:

They (the believers) are granted 'Salawat' (plural of Salat) and mercy from their Lord, and they are the guided ones. 2:157

Both 2:157 and 33:43 tell us clearly that God offers 'salawat' to all believers. It is thus incorrect to say that the 'Salat' offered by God to the prophet is an honour that is exclusive to him.

3- In addition, in Sura 9 God commanded the prophet to offer Salat to the believers:

Take a charity from their money to cleanse and purify them with it, and 'salli alayhim'. Your 'Salawat' (plural of Salat) provides them with tranquillity. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable. 9:103

4- In the same Sura, we read the following important words:

And some among the Arabs believe in God and the Last Day, and consider what they give as a means to attain nearness to God and to gain 'salawat al-rasool' (the support of the messenger). Indeed, it will grant them nearness. God will admit them into His mercy. God is Forgiver, Merciful. 9:99

The phrase 'salawat al-rasool' cannot mean the honourary treatment of the messenger of God to the believers. Nor can it mean the blessings of the messenger, since all blessings come from God alone.

The only plausible meaning is that some Arabs, who believe in God and the last Day, give in order to attain nearness to God as well as to attain the support of the messenger.

----

If this verb 'yusalli' (offer Salat) is offered by God to the believers (2:157, 33:43) also by the prophet to the believers (9:103), how can the interpreters claim that it is an exclusive honour bestowed by God upon the prophet?

To wiggle out of this tricky situation the interpreters have come up with quite an extraordinary excuse. They claim that the word 'salawat', as used in the verses above, has no less than five different meanings!

1- When God offers 'salat' to the prophet (33:56), it means honouring him exclusively.

2- When God offers 'salat' to the believers (33:43, 2:157), it means granting them His mercy.

3- When the angels offer 'salat' to the prophet (33:56), it means constantly praising him.

4- When the angels offer 'salat' to the believers (33:43), or when the prophet offers 'salat' to the believers (9:103), it means imploring God's mercy for them.

5- When the believers offer 'salat' to the prophet (33:56), it is a sign of loving him and following him.

How convenient is that! How can God issue an identically worded command to the prophet, and to all believers, yet the scholars tell us it has different meanings?

None of these five meanings is correct. The word Salat has been mentioned in the Quran in two different meanings as follows:

First Meaning: The Salat that is offered by the believers to God. This is a well defined act of worship detailed in the Quran. It includes ablution, facing Qibla, standing bowing and prostrating while praising and glorifying God. This form of Salat is mentioned in numerous Quranic verses such as:

I am God, there is no god except Me. Therefore, you shall worship Me and observe the Salat to commemorate Me. 20:14

Second Meaning: The Salat that is offered by God and the angels cannot be an act of worship; God does not bow and prostrate for anyone, nor should the believers bow and prostrate to other believers. Such Salat must have a different meaning. This second type of Salat is what we read about in such verses as 33:43, 33:56, 9:103, and 2:157.

To arrive at the correct meaning of this second type of Salat, our starting point is 33:56. In this verse we learn that God and the angels offer Salat to the prophet, and by the same token, the believers are commanded to offer Salat to the prophet. In other words, the same act is done by God for the prophet, by the angels for the prophet, and by the believers for the prophet.

We must therefore search the Quran to find an act that is done for the prophet by God, as well as by the angels as well as by believers.

This search leads us to only one such act and that is to support:

1- God supports His messengers and supports all believers:

Most certainly, We will support Our messengers and those who believe, in the worldly life, and on the Day the witnesses rise. 40:51

2- The angels commanded by God to support the messenger and the believers:

You told the believers, "Would it not be sufficient for you if your Lord was to reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down?" 3:124

3- Believers commanded to support the messenger of God:

It (spoils of war) is for the poor immigrants who were driven out of their homes and their possessions as they sought God's favour and consent, and supported God and His messenger. Those are the truthful ones. 59:8

If you (believers) do not support him (the prophet), God has already supported him. 9:40

Those who have believed in him, honoured him, supported him and followed the light which was brought down with him; they are the successful ones. 7:157

It is also worthwhile to analyse the words in 33:43 and why they validate only one meaning for the word Salat in such verses, that being; to support.

1- The angels do not have the authority to bless the believers; all blessings come from God alone. The angels do not exalt any believers; only God is worthy of exaltation. The angels cannot grant mercy to any human; all mercy comes from God. The angels do not have the authority to forgive anyone; all forgiveness comes from God alone. All that the angels can do is support the believers, in accordance to God's commands.

2- Similarly, God would not ask forgiveness for the believers; God is the One who forgives. God does not exalt anyone; He alone is worthy of exaltation. However, God supports the believers (prophet Muhammad included) to take them out of the darkness into the light.

3- Similarly, when the prophet offers Salat to the believers, as God commanded him in 9:103, or when the believers offer Salat to the prophet, as commanded them in 33:56, it is in the sense of offering help and support.

4- Finally, it is necessary to point out that the act of support, whether it is from God to the prophet, or from the angels to the prophet, or from the believers to the prophet, can only be done during the lifetime of the prophet.

The prophet is now dead, he is not able to support the believers (9:103), nor are the believers able to support him (33:56).

SECOND: THE MEANING OF 'TASLEEM':

In the above analysis we arrived at the correct meaning of offering Salat to the prophet, and to whom the instruction to do so was applicable. The second part of the command in 33:56 is in the words 'sallimu tasleeman'. For that we need to determine the meaning of the word 'tasleem'.

Once again, this command has also been corrupted, resulting in Muslims performing an act of sending greetings to a dead man who, according to Quranic words, can neither hear them nor respond to them. This will be demonstrated below. This incorrect interpretation is based on wrongly interpreting the word 'tasleem' in 33:56 to mean greeting!

To verify the Quranic meaning of the word 'tasleem' we need to review this word plus all Quranic words which are similar to the word 'tasleem', and determine the correct meaning of each of these words.

1- Islam: 

The religion in the sight of God is Islam (submission to God). 3:19

Whoever seeks other than Islam for a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. 3:85

2- Salaam: 

Do not say to one who offers you 'salam' (peace), "You are not a believer." 4:94

3- Salm: 

If they should incline to 'salm' (peace), so shall you be inclined, and put your trust in God. He is the Hearer, the Knowledgeable. 8:61

4- Saleem: 

The Day when neither wealth nor children can be of any benefit, but the only benefit will be for those who come to God with a heart that is 'saleem' (pure). 26:88-89

5- Istislam:

However, today, they are 'mustaslimoon' (in total surrender). 37:26

6- Sullaman: 

If their turning away is too great for you, then if you are able, seek a tunnel in the earth, or a 'sullaman' (stairway) into the sky, so as to produce for them a miracle (they still would not believe)! 6:35

7- Tasleem: 

This word, which is the subject of the instruction in 33:56, means recognition and acceptance.

It is noteworthy that the word 'tasleem' is found in only three Quranic verses. In each of the three verses this word means recognition and acceptance:

Verse 1

No! By your Lord; they are not believers until they make you judge the disputes which arise between them, then find no resentment within themselves towards what you have decided and 'yusalimu taslemman' (accept it wholeheartedly). 4:65

Verse 2

When the believers saw the parties, they said, "This is what God and His messenger promised us. God and His messenger have indeed been truthful." This only increased their 'iman' (faith) and their 'tasleem' (acceptance). 33:22

Verse 3

God and His angels 'yasalloon' (support) the prophet. O you who believe, support him 'sallu alayhee' and 'sallimu tasleeman' (accept him wholeheartedly). 33:56

The correct meaning of verse 33 of Sura 56 is thus:

God and His angels support the prophet. O you who believe, support him and accept him wholeheartedly. 33:56

The prophet is now dead, he is not able to support the believers (9:103), nor are the believers able to support him (33:56). And yes, we the Muslims accept him wholeheartedly.

An article adapted from Ali Muhammad.