Ayaat 116-120 ~ Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread with Food)

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

116. And (remember) when Allâh will say (on the Day of Resurrection): “O ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: ‘Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allâh?’ ” He will say: “Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner­self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All­Knower of all that is hidden and unseen.

117. “Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allâh) did command me to say: ‘Worship Allâh, my Lord and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world).

118. “If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the All­Mighty, the All­Wise .”

119. Allâh will say: “This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) – they shall abide therein forever. Allâh is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise).

120. To Allâh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is therein, and He is Able to do all things.

Sura 5. Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread with Food)

Commentary ~ Three Regrets

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

Hasan Basri (one of the Tabi’en) said: “Woe to him, of the sons of Adam who puts his complacency in this world, where we must account for the use of legitimate things and where there is a punishment for the forbidden things! Whenever dies a son of Adam, he will leave with three regrets:

  1. Never having been sated in accumulating the goods of this world;
  2. Never having found satisfaction for the desires that were in his heart;
  3. Not having properly prepared the provisions for the other world.”

Someone said: “Such a person is dying”. Hasan Basri would exclaim: “But it has now been seventy years that he has been dying; today he will be delivered from this effort.”

Hadith ~ When will the Last Day be?

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

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Once the Prophet (SAWS) was speaking to us when, a bedouin came and asked him: “When will the Last Day be?” The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) continued his talk. Some of those present thought that he had heard him but disliked the interruption and the other said that he had not heard him. When the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) concluded his speech he asked, “Where is the one who inquired about the Last Day?” The man replied: “Here I am.” The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) replied, “When the practice of honouring a trust is lost, expect the Last Day.” He asked: “How could it be lost?” He replied, “When the government is entrusted to the undeserving people, then wait for the Last Day.” (Al-Bukhari)

Commentary: Here a very important sign of the nearness of the Day of Judgement has been mentioned: The affairs of the world will be in the hands of wicked and undeserving people. The sinners and wicked people will become the leaders of the world. The preaching pulpits would also be occupied by people who would be greedy and ignorant.They will be devoid of piety and abstinence.

SAWS: May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous)
By Imam An Nawawi
Chapter 370, Page 532, No 1837

Ayaat 44-48 ~ Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

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

44. Enjoin you Al-Birr (piety and righteousness and each and every act of obedience to Allah) on the people and you forget (to practise it) yourselves, while you recite the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)]! Have you then no sense?

45. And seek help in patience and As-Salât (the prayer) and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khâshi’un [i.e. the true believers in Allah – those who obey Allah with full submission, fear much from His Punishment, and believe in His Promise (Paradise, etc.) and in His Warnings (Hell, etc.)].

46. (They are those) who are certain that they are going to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are going to return.

47. O Children of Israel! Remember My Favour which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you to the ‘Alamin (mankind and jinns) (of your time period, in the past).

48. And fear a Day (of Judgement) when a person shall not avail another, nor will intercession be accepted from him nor will compensation be taken from him nor will they be helped.

Sura 2. Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

Commentary ~ When your supplications take too long to be answered

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

There will be Duas you make that won’t manifest when you want them to…

That doesn’t mean it’s an unanswered Dua…

There are 2 critical points I’d like you to understand…

The first is… Allah answers ALL Duas. It comes in one of 3 ways:

1. Yes.
2. Yes, but not yet.
3. Yes, I have something better for you.

The second critical point is this…

When the answer is “Yes, but not yet”, here’s why…

If you wanted to strengthen your upper body for weight lifting, a trainer would start with your lower body.

To get your upper body ready, you need to be stable, to plant your feet in the ground.

Likewise, for you to be ready for some duas, Allah wants you ready for it…

Put another way, a seed can’t produce fruit right away. It has to first grow roots, strength its trunk, grow its branches and then finally the fruits.

Commentary ~ A Gentle Admonition

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

A man went to the caliph, Mamun, in order to advise and admonish him; however, he was very severe in his speech, so much so that the ruler was visibly affected by his words. When the man left the company of the caliph, he regretted his words and feared punishment from him. When he returned to his home, he found out that the caliph wanted to meet him, and so he returned to him in a state of fear and agitation. Mamun said, “Indeed, Allah has ordered he who is better than you to be gentle in speech with he who is more evil than me.” Allah (the Exalted) said to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) when he sent him to Firaun:

“And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear Allah.” (Koran 20.44)

The man apologized for what he said, and he learned gentleness in speech from Mamun.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 146

Hadith ~ Prick of a thorn

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

Narrated Abdullah ibn Masoud (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘I visited Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) while he was suffering from a high fever. I said: “O Allah’s Messenger (SAWS)! You have a high fever”. He said: “Yes. I have as much fever as two men of you.” I said: “Is it because you will have a double reward?” He said: “Yes. It is so. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, even if it were the prick of a thorn, but that Allah expiates his sins because of it, as a tree sheds its leaves.”‘ (Bukhari)

SAWS: May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous) (Abridged)
By Imam An Nawawi Vol. (2)
Publisher: Dar Al-Manarah
ISBN: 977.6005.23.3
Chapter 140, Page 639, Number 469

Ayaat 132-136 ~ Al-Imran (The Family of Imran)

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

132. And obey Allâh and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy.

133. And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqûn (the pious – see V.2:2).

134. Those who spend [in Allâh’s Cause – deeds of charity, alms, etc.] in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allâh loves Al-Muhsinûn (the good­doers).

135. And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allâh and ask forgiveness for their sins; – and none can forgive sins but Allâh – And do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know.

136. For such, the reward is Forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allâh’s Orders).

Sura 3. Al-Imran (The Family of Imran)

Hadith ~ A Sheer Hypocrite

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

Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) said: “Four are the qualities which, when found in a person, make him a sheer hypocrite, and one who possesses one of them, possesses one characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it. These are: When he is entrusted with something, he betrays trust; when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he acts treacherously; and when he argues, he behaves in a very imprudent, insulting manner.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous)
By Imam An Nawawi
Chapter 86, Page 220, No 690