Ayaat 1-8 ~ Al-Baiyyinah (The Clear Evidence)

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

Listen to Recitation

1. Those who disbelieve from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and among Al-Mushrikûn,were not going to leave (their disbelief) until there came to them clear evidence.

2. A Messenger from Allah, reciting (the Qur’an) purified pages [purified from Al-Batil (falsehood, etc.)].

3. Containing correct and straight laws from Allah.

4. And the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) differed not until after there came to them clear evidence.

5. And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat: and that is the right religion.

6. Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of Islam, the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)) from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikûn will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures.

7. Verily, those who believe [in the Oneness of Allah, and in His Messenger Muhammad (SAWS)) including all obligations ordered by Islam] and do righteous good deeds, they are the best of creatures.

8. Their reward with their Lord is ‘Adn (Eden) Paradise (Gardens of Eternity), underneath which rivers flow, they will abide therein forever, Allah Well-Pleased with them, and they with Him. That is for him who fears his Lord.

Sura 98. Surah Al-Baiyyinah (The Clear Evidence)

Ayaat 37-45 ~ Al-Araf

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

Listen to Recitation

37. Who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allâh or rejects His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.)? For such their appointed portion (good things of this worldly life and their period of stay therein) will reach them from the Book (of Decrees) until, when Our Messengers (the angel of death and his assistants) come to them to take their souls, they (the angels) will say: “Where are those whom you used to invoke and worship besides Allâh,” they will reply, “They have vanished and deserted us.” And they will bear witness against themselves, that they were disbelievers.

38. (Allâh) will say: “Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of men and jinns, into the Fire.” Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before), until they will be gathered all together in the Fire. The last of them will say to the first of them: “Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire.” He will say: “For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.”

39. The first of them will say to the last of them: “You were not better than us, so taste the torment for what you used to earn.”

40. Verily, those who belie Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and treat them with arrogance, for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of the needle (which is impossible). Thus do We recompense the Mujrimûn (criminals, polytheists, sinners, etc.).

41. Theirs will be a bed of Hell (Fire), and over them coverings (of Hell-fire). Thus do We recompense the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong­doers, etc.).

42. But those who believed (in the Oneness of Allâh – Islâmic Monotheism), and worked righteousness – We tax not any person beyond his scope, such are the dwellers of Paradise. They will abide therein.

43. And We shall remove from their breasts any (mutual) hatred or sense of injury (which they had, if at all, in the life of this world); rivers flowing under them, and they will say: “All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, Who has guided us to this, never could we have found guidance, were it not that Allâh had guided us! Indeed, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth.” And it will be cried out to them: “This is the Paradise which you have inherited for what you used to do.”

44. And the dwellers of Paradise will call out to the dwellers of the Fire (saying): “We have indeed found true what our Lord had promised us; have you also found true, what your Lord promised (warnings, etc.)?” They shall say: “Yes.” Then a crier will proclaim between them: “The Curse of Allâh is on the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong­doers, etc.),”

45. Those who hindered (men) from the Path of Allâh, and would seek to make it crooked, and they were disbelievers in the Hereafter.

Sura 7. Al-Araf

Commentary ~ Do not scold the One Who asks of You

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

A story has been related about a man who one day sat with his wife to eat barbecued chicken. A beggar then knocked on the door, and when the man went to answer it, he scolded the beggar and drove him away. It was the Will of Allah that afterwards that same man should become poor and should be bereft of all material possessions; because of his poverty, he had to divorce his wife. She married another man, and one day she was sitting with him to eat a barbecued chicken, when someone knocked on the door. The man said to his wife, “Give this chicken to the man at the door.” When she opened it, she was shocked to realize that it was her first husband. She gave him the chicken and returned, crying. Her husband asked her what was the matter, and she informed him that the man at the door was her previous husband. She then told him about the story of the beggar that her previous husband had scolded and sent away, and her husband said, “By Allah, I was that beggar.”

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 117

Commentary ~ Honesty

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

Here is an anecdote told by the famous “Prince of Travelers” Sheikh Abu Abdullah Mohammed, better known as Ibn Battouta. This story comes to us from the 12th century.

In the Bekaa Valley in Syria, is the tomb of Abu Youssef Yacoub. It is said that in Damascus, he obtained a job working as a guard in an orchard belonging to the Sultan Nour Eddine. When the fruit harvest season came, the king accompanied by his first steward visited the garden that he was guarding. The guard Abu Youssef was ordered to go pick some pomegranates for the monarch. When he brought them, the steward took one of the fruits, broke it in half and ate a small quantity of the pale pink seeds. He made a frown of disgust, grumbled and spat while saying: “These fruits are sour, go and pick some more and try to choose better this time!” Abou Youssef promptly complied and then returned, laden with pomegranates larger than the first batch. The steward tasted them again but he made another frown that said that this second tasting was even worse than the first tasting. The steward got very angry and shouted at the guard: “It has been more than six months now that you have been assigned to guard this orchard and you do not know yet how to distinguish what is sour from what is sweet?” To which the honest guard replied: “Did you hire me to watch over the fruits or to eat them?”