2. Al-Baqara

It was at the time of the construction of the Ka‘bah that Abraham and Ishmael prayed for a prophet to be born among the people of Makkah. The prayer was answered, and the coming of the final prophet, whose focus would be Makkah, was decreed. God’s messengers who came to the world used to prophesy his coming. Now that he had come, the Ka‘bah in Makkah was made the prayer direction for all nations. This was God’s sign, indicating that the prophet, whose coming had been anticipated, had finally arrived. As for the sincere—they needed no further proof, but even the conclusiveness of this sign was not enough to silence those who gave no thought to God. It is those who fear God who are guided on the path to Him. God remembers those who remember Him. Only those who are filled with fear of Him are free of fear of all else besides Him.

It was at the time of the construction of the Ka‘bah that Abraham and Ishmael prayed for a prophet to be born among the people of Makkah. The prayer was answered, and the coming of the final prophet, whose focus would be Makkah, was decreed. God’s messengers who came to the world used to prophesy his coming. Now that he had come, the Ka‘bah in Makkah was made the prayer direction for all nations. This was God’s sign, indicating that the prophet, whose coming had been anticipated, had finally arrived. As for the sincere—they needed no further proof, but even the conclusiveness of this sign was not enough to silence those who gave no thought to God. It is those who fear God who are guided on the path to Him. God remembers those who remember Him. Only those who are filled with fear of Him are free of fear of all else besides Him.

One who has adopted religion in the real sense of the word has truly discovered God. He lives in a permanent state of thanksgiving and remembrance of his Lord. Such a life alone is a source of peace and happiness. But peace and happiness will materialize in their complete form only in the next eternal world. This world has not been created for reward: it has been created for the trial of man. This world being a testing ground, God’s servants face obstacles in their path so that the earnest among them may be distinguished from those who are not serious and sincere. These obstacles present themselves in normal, everyday situations of life—human temptations, family demands, worldly interests, social pressure—these are the things that provide the real test of life. First one has to realize in what manner one is being tested; then one has to avoid the pitfalls by remembering God and thanking Him for the blessings of life. There is only one way to succeed in the trials of life, and that is through patience and prayer. This entails attaching oneself to God and conscientiously adhering to the path of truth, enduring all the setbacks that afflict one on the way. Those who do not waver from the path despite all the difficulties it presents—who stay with God even when no worldly benefit seems to accrue therefrom—are the ones who will finally emerge successful from the trials of life. God has reserved the eternal blessings of the next life for those who show themselves willing to sacrifice this life for the next. A preacher of truth has to make the greatest sacrifices in the path of God. Suffering and affliction are his lot because of his hearers’ negative response to the criticism and admonition, which are inseparable parts of such preaching. There are few in this world who are willing to be reproved and warned. The sincere preacher also incurs the animosity of mercenary individuals, who are doing brisk business in the name of religion. The sincerity of the true preacher becomes a threat to the status of hypocrites, therefore, they turn hostile to the preacher. Becoming a preacher of God’s word, then, is tantamount to putting one’s hand into a fire. One who takes this task upon himself is exposing himself to prejudice, economic ruin and even expulsion from his own land. He is placing both his life and his property in the utmost peril. It is inevitable that one who follows God’s path is persecuted in this world. But it is those who lose all for God’s sake who are the true finders; it is those who give their lives for Him who inherit life everlasting. For those who do not seek to make their paradise in this ephemeral world, God has prepared an eternal paradise in the next.

One who has adopted religion in the real sense of the word has truly discovered God. He lives in a permanent state of thanksgiving and remembrance of his Lord. Such a life alone is a source of peace and happiness. But peace and happiness will materialize in their complete form only in the next eternal world. This world has not been created for reward: it has been created for the trial of man. This world being a testing ground, God’s servants face obstacles in their path so that the earnest among them may be distinguished from those who are not serious and sincere. These obstacles present themselves in normal, everyday situations of life—human temptations, family demands, worldly interests, social pressure—these are the things that provide the real test of life. First one has to realize in what manner one is being tested; then one has to avoid the pitfalls by remembering God and thanking Him for the blessings of life. There is only one way to succeed in the trials of life, and that is through patience and prayer. This entails attaching oneself to God and conscientiously adhering to the path of truth, enduring all the setbacks that afflict one on the way. Those who do not waver from the path despite all the difficulties it presents—who stay with God even when no worldly benefit seems to accrue therefrom—are the ones who will finally emerge successful from the trials of life. God has reserved the eternal blessings of the next life for those who show themselves willing to sacrifice this life for the next. A preacher of truth has to make the greatest sacrifices in the path of God. Suffering and affliction are his lot because of his hearers’ negative response to the criticism and admonition, which are inseparable parts of such preaching. There are few in this world who are willing to be reproved and warned. The sincere preacher also incurs the animosity of mercenary individuals, who are doing brisk business in the name of religion. The sincerity of the true preacher becomes a threat to the status of hypocrites, therefore, they turn hostile to the preacher. Becoming a preacher of God’s word, then, is tantamount to putting one’s hand into a fire. One who takes this task upon himself is exposing himself to prejudice, economic ruin and even expulsion from his own land. He is placing both his life and his property in the utmost peril. It is inevitable that one who follows God’s path is persecuted in this world. But it is those who lose all for God’s sake who are the true finders; it is those who give their lives for Him who inherit life everlasting. For those who do not seek to make their paradise in this ephemeral world, God has prepared an eternal paradise in the next.

One who has adopted religion in the real sense of the word has truly discovered God. He lives in a permanent state of thanksgiving and remembrance of his Lord. Such a life alone is a source of peace and happiness. But peace and happiness will materialize in their complete form only in the next eternal world. This world has not been created for reward: it has been created for the trial of man. This world being a testing ground, God’s servants face obstacles in their path so that the earnest among them may be distinguished from those who are not serious and sincere. These obstacles present themselves in normal, everyday situations of life—human temptations, family demands, worldly interests, social pressure—these are the things that provide the real test of life. First one has to realize in what manner one is being tested; then one has to avoid the pitfalls by remembering God and thanking Him for the blessings of life. There is only one way to succeed in the trials of life, and that is through patience and prayer. This entails attaching oneself to God and conscientiously adhering to the path of truth, enduring all the setbacks that afflict one on the way. Those who do not waver from the path despite all the difficulties it presents—who stay with God even when no worldly benefit seems to accrue therefrom—are the ones who will finally emerge successful from the trials of life. God has reserved the eternal blessings of the next life for those who show themselves willing to sacrifice this life for the next. A preacher of truth has to make the greatest sacrifices in the path of God. Suffering and affliction are his lot because of his hearers’ negative response to the criticism and admonition, which are inseparable parts of such preaching. There are few in this world who are willing to be reproved and warned. The sincere preacher also incurs the animosity of mercenary individuals, who are doing brisk business in the name of religion. The sincerity of the true preacher becomes a threat to the status of hypocrites, therefore, they turn hostile to the preacher. Becoming a preacher of God’s word, then, is tantamount to putting one’s hand into a fire. One who takes this task upon himself is exposing himself to prejudice, economic ruin and even expulsion from his own land. He is placing both his life and his property in the utmost peril. It is inevitable that one who follows God’s path is persecuted in this world. But it is those who lose all for God’s sake who are the true finders; it is those who give their lives for Him who inherit life everlasting. For those who do not seek to make their paradise in this ephemeral world, God has prepared an eternal paradise in the next.

On the death of a loved one, one goes in a state of prayerfulness, deep thinking and contemplation. The experience reminds him that there is very little time at his disposal and that at any moment death can come calling. However, we are so involved in worldly things that we never stop to think about the day which is fast approaching us. The Prophet Muhammad said, ‘People are asleep, they will wake up only when they die.’ All of a sudden, death will bring you standing face to face with God, at which time you will be held accountable for all your deeds. That will be the moment you realise that what you were doing was one thing and that what you should have been doing was quite another. The Prophet Muhammad once said that on the Day of Judgement, a man’s foot would not move unless he had answered four questions: Where he earned his money from, and where he spent it; how he spent his youth and how he used his knowledge. The Creator has divided human life into two parts: the pre-death and post-death periods. The pre-death period is very short (like the tip of an iceberg) in comparison to the post-death period, which is eternal. The pre-death period is the preparatory phase in which you prepare yourself to become eligible to enter Paradise in the post-death period. This worldly life is a ‘test’ for everyone, whether poor or rich, powerful or powerless, strong or weak. Man is required to pass in all these tests and trials by leading a need-based life rather than a desire and greed-based life, so that in the life hereafter, God will allow him to enter Paradise, to live there forever in close proximity to his Creator. On the death of a loved one, one should not go into a state of mourning. The Quran gives us great hope in moments of grief and loss: It says that God will reunite all the righteous members of the family in Paradise. Moreover, if a member of the family has reached a higher level of Paradise, all the righteous members of that family will be ‘upgraded’, so that they may all enjoy eternal bliss and nearness to God. This idea gives great solace and it acts as an incentive and encouragement to do good work, and lead a pious and righteous life. The Prophet Muhammad said that when a man dies, everything connected with him is cut off except three things: Continuous charity, knowledge from which benefit is derived and virtuous children who pray for him.

Prophet Abraham was a native of Iraq. Acting at God’s behest, he took his wife Hajar and his infant son Ishmael, and left them in the place now known as Makkah. There was no habitation there at that time and there was no water. Thirst forced Hajar to go far afield in search of water. Distressed, she ran back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah. After seven unsuccessful attempts, she returned to her dwelling. There she found a spring, now known as the spring of Zamzam, flowing from the ground. This was a symbolic event, showing us how Almighty God looks after His servants. If one persists in the service of God, finally reaching a stage where there is nothing but burning sand beneath one’s feet, then God in His mercy will cause a refreshing spring to gush forth from the dryness of the desert sands. When Muslims perform the pilgrimage to Makkah, they repeat Hajar’s historic quest between these hills, thus commemorating the profound relevance of the event to everyone who struggles in the path of God. God’s signs were displayed so clearly in the Prophet Muhammad’s life and teachings, that it was not difficult to see that he had been sent by God. Yet the Jewish intelligentsia denied him. They were prevented from believing in him by the fear that if they accepted an Arab prophet, their religious hegemony would come to an end. People would stop looking up to the Jews as their leaders. Old established religious traditions, and the interests, which had come to be associated with them, (the Jews being the main beneficiaries) would be destroyed. They deemed it wise to conceal the truth, for they thought that they would lose their worldly status were they to accept it; but it would have been much wiser for them to have proclaimed it. They forgot that God’s servants are required to put truth before their worldly interests. One who becomes destitute for the sake of the Lord gains succour from the inexhaustible treasures of divine grace. The doors of God’s mercy are always open to His servants. He will always forgive one who comes to his senses and mends his erring ways, proclaiming the truth as God wishes it to be proclaimed. Only those who persevere in their disbelief till the day they die will be deprived of His mercy.

Mankind has only one God: He is the only worthy focus of man’s attention. Our very existence on earth, and all the benefits we derive from the world around us, are manifestations of His unbounded grace and mercy. In return, we should become God’s devoted servants, living for Him, dying for Him, and setting all our hopes on winning His eternal favour. Man owes everything to his Creator. If he becomes conscious of this, his Lord will mean everything to him, as a mother means everything to her infant.

Mankind has only one God: He is the only worthy focus of man’s attention. Our very existence on earth, and all the benefits we derive from the world around us, are manifestations of His unbounded grace and mercy. In return, we should become God’s devoted servants, living for Him, dying for Him, and setting all our hopes on winning His eternal favour. Man owes everything to his Creator. If he becomes conscious of this, his Lord will mean everything to him, as a mother means everything to her infant.