COVENANT (YOUR DUTY) TO ALLAH
وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ
وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُمْ بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ {5:7}
[Q5:7] Wazkuroo ni'matal laahi 'alaikum
wa meesaaqahul lazee waasaqakum biheee iz qultum sami'naa wa ata'naa wattaqul
laah; innal laaha 'aleemum bizaatis sudoor.
[Q5:7] And remember the favor of ALLAH (SWT) on you and His covenant with which He bound you firmly, when you said: We have heard and we obey, and be careful of (your duty to) ALLAH (SWT), surely ALLAH (SWT) knows what is in the breasts.
[Q5:7] And remember the favor of ALLAH (SWT) on you and His covenant with which He bound you firmly, when you said: We have heard and we obey, and be careful of (your duty to) ALLAH (SWT), surely ALLAH (SWT) knows what is in the breasts.
[Q5:7] Dan kenanglah nikmat ALLAH (SwT) (yang telah
dikurniakanNya) kepada kamu serta ingatlah perjanjianNya yang telah diikatNya
dengan kamu, ketika kamu berkata: Kami dengar dan kami taat (akan
perintah-perintah ALLAH (SwT) dan RasulNya) Dan bertakwalah kamu kepada ALLAH
(SwT), kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Mengetahui akan segala (isi hati)
yang ada di dalam dada.
THE COVENANT, MENTIONED IN THIS VERSE, WHEREWITH ALLAH
(SWT) has bound the faithful, AND BY VIRTUE of which His favour has been
bestowed on them, is that which has been referred to in VERSE 3 OF THIS
SURAH -THE LAST COVENANT TAKEN FROM THE
FAITHFULS AT GHADIR KHUM (please
refer to the commentary of verse 3 of this surah pertaining to "today I
have perfected for you your religion and have completed My favour upon you").
§ "When you said" refers to the reply they gave
to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad) when he told them "of whomsoever I am the
master (mawla) Ali is
his master (mawla)." Please refer
to the commentary of verse 67 of this surah
for authentic references from the books written by well-known Muslim
(non-Shia) scholars; and to know the names of the historians, traditionists and
commentators who have reported the proceedings of the historic event at
Ghadir Khum.
§ "And fear ALLAH
(SWT); verily ALLAH (SWT) knows that which is (hidden) in your breasts
(hearts)" refers to the spirit of revolt, which at last
manifested itself in Saqifa Bani Sa-idah after the departure of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).
THE REFERENCE TO THE COVENANT HERE is generally interpreted as to the oath of fidelity taken at ‘AQABAH’ or the swearing of the allegiance at ‘HUDAIBIYAH.’ BUT THE
EVENT MUST
BE MORE RECENT THAN THE REFERENCE MADE in verses 48:10 & 18.
µ BUT THE OATH OF FIDELITY taken by the early converts to Islam [1] was only by a few men only to protect the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) against the attacks of the Makkans which was fulfilled at Badr. MOREOVER, [2] the pledge was volunteered by the people themselves of their own goodwill;
THE COVENANT
REFERRED TO HERE is said to be the bounty of ALLAH (SWT) upon the people. [**] The covenant must naturally be a
blessing to the believer not only of the time BUT all those who may belong to
the fold until the Day of Resurrection.
µ IT MUST BE SOMETHING WORTH MENTIONING BY HIS BLESSINGS TO EVERY BELIEVER
IN THE TRUTH. It is the covenant about Ali
taken by ALLAH (SWT) through His Apostle Muhammad (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) at Ghadir Khum by
which the door of divine guidance was declared open at the conclusion of ‘Risalat’ or the apostleship which
was undoubtedly the greatest blessing of ALLAH (SWT) to mankind.
µ THE ADDRESS IS TO THE MUSLIMS AND THE BOUNTIES REFERRED TO HERE ARE WHAT
IS MENTIONED IN THE LAST CLAUSE OF VERSE 3 (see note to it), and the covenant with which the Muslims were bound, is
the last covenant taken from them at Ghadir Khum by the Holy
Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad) in compliance to the commandment of
the Lord in Verse 67 for Ali ibne Abi Talib.
µ And ‘when ye said . . ?’ refers to the wording of the response from the audience to the
declaration of the ‘Wilayat’ (Lordship) of Ali ibne Abi Talib, by
the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad) on the 18th of Zilhaj 10 A.H. at Ghadir Khum which has been recorded by almost all
the historians and the traditionists, with all the details about what took
place on the spot on that historic day.
Only a few of the most prominent of the historians
of the Sunni School who recorded the event in all its details are:
1.
Muhammad ibne
Jareer-e-Tabari--------in his Kitabul Wilaya.
2.
Ahmed ibne Muhammad ibne
Tabari------in his Kitabul Manaqib Ali ibne Abi Talib.
3.
Maulvi Naliullah
Lucknavi------in his Mir’aatul Momineen.
4.
Raudhatus Safa
5.
Habibus Siyar
The response of Abu Bakr and Omar ibne Khattab and
particularly Omar mentioned by:
1. Hafiz ibne Abi Shaiba----- dated 235 A.H. 2. Ahmed ibne
Hambal----- dated 241 A.H. --- in his Musnad. 3. Hafiz Abul
Abbas Shaibani---- dated 303 A.H. 4. Hafiz Abu Ya’la e Moosali---- dated
307 A.H. 5. Hafiz Abu Jafar Muhammad ibne Jareer e Tabari---- dated 310--- in his
Tasfeer. 6. Hafiz Ahmed ibne Oqda e Koofi---- dated 33 A.H. ---- in his Kitabul
Vilayat. He records the event of Ghadir Khum on the authority of 300 Sahabees
(companions) of the Holy Prophet (saw). 7. Hafiz Abu
Abdullah-e-Marzabani-e-Baghdadi---- dated 385 A.H. 8. Hafiz ibne
Botta-e-Hambali---- dated 387 A.H. 9. Hafiz Abu Sayeed-e-Khargooshi----
dated 407 A.H. ---- in his Book ‘Sharaful Mustafa’. 10. Qazi Abu
Bakar Baqilani---- dated 403 A.H. 11. Hafiz Ahmed ibne
Mardwaih-e-Ispahani---- dated 416 A.H. ---- in his commentary. 12. Abu Is’haaq-e-Tha’labi---- dated 427 A.H. ---- in his commentary on
Qur’an. 13. Hafiz Ibne Sammane Razi---- dated 445 A.H. 14.
Mujeebudden-e-Tabari---- in his Riadhun Nadhara. 15. The
Al-Ghadeer of Amini gives all the details of the event at ‘Ghadir Khum on the
authority of sixty divines of the Sunni School who for generation have recorded
the event in all its detail.
See note to Verse 3 and Verse 67.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(5:7) Remember Allah's favour upon you *28 and His covenant which He made with you when you said: 'We have heard
and we obey.' So do fear Allah. Allah has full knowledge even of that which is
hidden in the breasts of people.
*28. The 'favour' mentioned here denotes
illuminating the Straight Way, and entrusting to the believers the task of
guidance and leadership of the whole world.
وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا ۖ وَقَالَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ
ۖ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَيْتُمُ الزَّكَاةَ وَآمَنْتُمْ بِرُسُلِي
وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ
عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا
الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ فَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاءَ
السَّبِيلِ {5:12}
[Q5:12] Wa laqad akhazal laahu meesaaqa
Banee Israaa'eela wa ba'sanaa minhumus ani 'ashara naqeebanw wa qaalal laahu
innee ma'akum la'in aqamtumus Salaata wa aataitumuz Zakaata wa aamantum bi
Rusulee wa'azzartumoohum wa aqradtumul laaha qardan hasanal la ukaffiranna
'ankum saiyiaatikum wa la udkhilan nakum Jannaatin tajree min tahtihal anhaar;
faman kafara ba'da zaalika minkum faqad dalla sawaaa'as Sabeel.
[Q5:12] And certainly ALLAH (SWT) made a covenant with the children of Israel, and We raised up among them twelve chieftains; and ALLAH (SWT) said: Surely I am with you; if you keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and believe in My messengers and assist them and offer to ALLAH (SWT) goodly gift, I will most certainly cover your evil deeds, and I will most certainly cause you to enter into gardens beneath which rivers flow, but whoever disbelieves from among you after that, he indeed shall lose the right way.
[Q5:12] And certainly ALLAH (SWT) made a covenant with the children of Israel, and We raised up among them twelve chieftains; and ALLAH (SWT) said: Surely I am with you; if you keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and believe in My messengers and assist them and offer to ALLAH (SWT) goodly gift, I will most certainly cover your evil deeds, and I will most certainly cause you to enter into gardens beneath which rivers flow, but whoever disbelieves from among you after that, he indeed shall lose the right way.
[Q5:12] Dan demi sesungguhnya! ALLAH (SwT) telah mengambil perjanjian setia Bani
Israil (supaya mereka menjunjung perintahNya dan menjauhi laranganNya) dan Kami
telah utuskan dari kalangan mereka dua belas ketua (untuk memimpin golongan
masing-masing); dan ALLAH (SwT) berfirman (kepada mereka): Bahawa Aku adalah
berserta kamu (memerhati segala-galanya). Demi sesungguhnya jika kamu dirikan
sembahyang, serta kamu tunaikan zakat dan kamu beriman dengan segala Rasul
(utusanku) serta menolong bantu mereka (dalam menegakkan agama ALLAH (SwT)) dan
kamu pinjamkan ALLAH (SwT) (dengan sedekah dan berbuat baik pada jalanNya)
secara pinjaman yang baik (bukan kerana riak dan mencari keuntungan dunia),
sudah tentu Aku akan ampunkan dosa-dosa kamu, dan Aku akan masukkan kamu ke
dalam Syurga yang mengalir di bawahnya beberapa sungai. Oleh itu, sesiapa yang
kufur ingkar di antara kamu sesudah yang demikian, maka sesungguhnya sesatlah
dia dari jalan yang betul.
For [1] the covenant
taken from the Jews refer to Deut 26: 16 and 17
mentioned in the commentary of al Baqarah 2:40; [2] and
for the goodly loan, refer to the
commentary of al
Baqarah 2:245; [3] and for the
twelve leaders, refer to Numbers 1: 1 to 15; and 13: 3 to 15.
If righteousness (as defined in this verse and in al Baqarah 2:177) is adopted AND PUT in practice ALLAH (SWT) absolves
man of his sins, BUT WHOSOEVER deviates, after coming
into the fold of the religion of ALLAH (SWT), shall go astray into the camp of
Shaytan--- A WARNING
TO THOSE WHO HAD BROKEN THE COVENANT TAKEN BY THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad)
AT GHADIR
KHUM, AND THEIR FOLLOWERS TILL THE DAY OF RESURRECTION.
NOTE how far goodness has been made incumbent
upon the believer that in return for the goodness has been promised the
covering of the sins, i.e., the evil deeds.
IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT MERE
VERBAL DECLARATION OF FAITH IN ALLAH (SWT) IS NOT SUFFICIENT AT ALL, UNLESS IT IS FULLY TRANSLATED INTO ACTION AND
MANIFESTS IN PERSONAL GOODNESS AND GOOD DEEDS.
This asserts the possibility of man deviating from
the right path after having been on it for some time. THUS everyone
should be mindful of his successful end AND NOT BE overconfident
and be boastful of the start of his career.
[Numbers 1:1 to 15]
1.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses
in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first
day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the
land of Egypt saying:
2.
Take ye the sum of all the
congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of
their fathers, with the number of their names every male by their polls;
3.
From twenty years old and
upword, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall
number them by their fathers.
4.
And with you there shall be men
of every tribe every one head of the house of his fathers.
5.
And there are the names of the
men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of
Sed-e-ur.
6.
Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of
Zarushaddai
7.
Of Judah; nahson the son of
Amminadab.
8.
Of Issachar; Nethanaeel the son
of Suar.
9.
Of Zebulun; Eliah the son of
Helon.
10.
Of the children of Joseph; of
Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of
Pedahzur.
11.
Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of
Gideoni.
12.
Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of
Ammishaddai.
13.
Of Asher; Pagiel the son of
Oeran.
14.
Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of
Deuel.
15.
Of Pahtali; Ahira the son of
Enan.
[Numbers 13:3 to 15]
1.
And Moses by the commandment of
the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of
the children of Israel.
2.
And these were their names: of
the tribe of Reuben, Sahmua the son of Zaecur.
3.
Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat
the son of Hori.
4.
Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the
son of Jephunneh.
5.
Of the tribe of Issaschar, Igal
the son of Joseph.
6.
Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea
the son of Num.
7.
Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti
the son of Raphu.
8.
Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel
the son of Sodi.
9.
Of the tribe of Joseph, namely
of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
10.
Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the
son of Gemali.
11.
Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur
the son of Michael.
12.
Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi
the son of Vophsi.
13.
Of thr tribe of Gad, Geuel the
son of Machi.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(5:12) Surely Allah took a covenant with the Children of
Israel, and WE RAISED UP FROM THEM TWELVE OF THEIR LEADERS, *31 and Allah said: 'Behold, I am with you; if you establish Prayer and pay
Zakah and believe in My Prophets and help them, *32 and lend Allah a good loan, *33 I will certainly efface
from you your evil deeds, *34 and will surely cause you to enter the Gardens
beneath which rivers flow. Whosoever of you disbelieves thereafter has
indeed gone astray from the right way. *35
*31. The word naqib in Arabic denotes
supervisor and censor. THERE WERE TWELVE TRIBES AMONG THE ISRAELITES AND EACH
TRIBE WAS REQUIRED TO APPOINT ONE OF ITS MEMBERS AS A NAQIB, TO LOOK AFTER THEIR
AFFAIRS AND TRY TO PREVENT THEM FROM BECOMING VICTIMS OF IRRELIGIOUSNESS AND
MORAL CORRUPTION. Although the Book of Numbers in the Bible does mention these
twelve men, it does not seem to convey the sense of their being religious and
moral mentors, as the term naqib employed by the Qur'an does. The Bible simply
mentions them as the chiefs and dignitaries of their tribes.
*32. THE ASSURANCE OF GOD'S SUPPORT IS MADE CONDITIONAL UPON THEIR CONTINUOUS RESPONSE TO THE CALL OF GOD AND FOR SUPPORT OF HIS PROPHETS.
*33. This expression signifies spending one's wealth for the sake of God. Since God has promised to return to man every penny that he spends in His way along with His reward, which will be several-fold, the Qur'an characterizes this spending as a loan to God. This spending is considered a loan provided it is a 'good loan', that is, provided the money spent in the cause of God has been acquired by legitimate means and has been spent in accordance with the laws of God and with sincerity and earnestness.
*34. To efface someone's evil deeds signifies two things. First, that if a man decides to follow the Straight Path and strives to follow God's directives in both thought and action his soul will be purged of many evils and his way of life will gradually become free of corruption. Second, if, in spite of this reform, weaknesses still persist in a man's life he is assured that God will not punish him and will have his failing erased from his record. FOR GOD IS NOT TOO EXACTING OVER TRIVIAL ERRORS, PROVIDING A MAN HAS SINCERELY ACCEPTED THE BASIC GUIDANCE AND REFORMED HIS CHARACTER.
*35. That is, they once found the 'right way' and then allowed it to be lost and thus put themselves on the road to perdition. We have translated the Qur'anic expression 'sawa' al-sabil' as the 'right way' for the sake of brevity. A better rendering could be, 'the highroad of balance and moderation', but even this would fail to bring out the meaning fully.
In order to grasp the full significance of what is being said here one should bear in mind that in himself man constitutes a microcosm of society. He has innumerable powers and potentialities, myriad desires, feelings and inclinations, and a host of divergent urges. Social life consists of a huge network of complex relationships, and with the growth of civilization and culture the complexity of these relationships increases. There is also a rich fund of resources in the world and there are countless possibilities for their utilization; as a result, MAN IS CONFRONTED WITH A PLETHORA OF CHOICES AND PROBLEMS.
The fact that man has inherent limitations means that he is incapable of viewing in one sweep and in a balanced way the entire span of existence. Hence, man is in no position to prescribe for his kind a judicious way of life - a way of life wherein justice is done to all his powers and capacities; in which a wholesome balance is maintained between all his inherent potentialities; in which all his urges are given their due; in which HIS TWO-FOLD NEED FOR INNER SATISFACTION AND EXTERNAL SELF-REALIZATION IS FULLY MET; in which various aspects of human life are taken into proper consideration, giving birth to an integrated scheme with a built-in capacity to harmonize the multifarious strains and stresses of social life; in which material resources are fully exploited in the best interests of both the individual and society and within the framework of equity, justice and righteousness. When man takes upon himself the task of prescribing the guidelines for his life and becomes his own law-maker, his mind tends to become preoccupied with one specific aspect of human life, with one of the numerous demands of his nature, with one of the myriad problems calling for solution. His mental involvement is liable to be so intense that he adopts - consciously or otherwise - an unjust attitude towards all the other aspects, requirements and problems of human life. Consequently, when such opinions are imposed, the balance which ought to prevail in man's life is disrupted and he begins to swing either towards one extreme or the other. Gradually, this deviation assumes intolerable proportions. A reaction sets in, and justice is demanded for the neglected aspects of human life. Still, human life remains deprived of justice. THE REASON FOR THIS FAILURE IS THAT MAN'S REACTION TO IMBALANCE IS ITSELF DEVOID OF BALANCE. The new dispensation in turn persists in excessive preoccupation with either one specific aspect, problem or requirement of human life at the expense of all the others. Thus human life is denied judicious and balanced progress. Man continues to stumble hither and thither; from one form of self-destruction to another. All courses of life charted by man himself are winding and crooked. They move in the wrong direction, reach the wrong end and then turn back in another wrong direction.
Among these numerous ways - all false - THERE IS JUST ONE WAY THAT LIES EXACTLY IN THE MIDDLE. This way alone does full justice to all of man's various potentialities and urges, to all his instincts and predispositions, to all the multifarious claims of both the body and the spirit; in short, to all aspects of his life. In this way there is no crookedness; it is the one course of life in which nothing is given either too much consideration or too little, and nothing suffers inequity and injustice. MAN'S VERY NATURE THIRSTS FOR SUCH A WAY, AND THE SUCCESSION OF REVOLTS AGAINST FALSE WAYS OF LIFE IS MERELY A MANIFESTATION OF HIS CONSTANT QUEST FOR THIS RIGHT AND STRAIGHT WAY. Left to himself, man is incapable of charting this way. It is God alone Who can direct him to it; and indeed the Prophets were sent for this very purpose.
The Qur'an designates this way as sawa al-sabil ('the right way') in the present verse and elsewhere as al-sirat al-mustaqim ('the straight way'). (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, Surah 1, verse 5, and n. 8.) This is the road which goes amidst the countless winding and crooked paths of life; the road which leads man, disregarding all the curved and crooked paths, straight on to his success, right from this world to the Hereafter. Whoever goes along it enjoys rectitude in this world and success and felicity in the Next, but whoever loses this road is bound to become a victim of false beliefs and false ways of conduct and thus comes to have a wrong orientation in life. This will lead him to Hell, where all bent and crooked paths end. THE FOLLOWING ILLUSTRATES MAN'S DILEMMA.
In modern times some philosophers have been so impressed by this constant swinging in human life, from one extreme to another, as to have mistakenly argued that the dialectical process is the natural course of human life. They conclude, therefore, that the only way for human life to progress is that a thesis should first swing it in one direction, and then an antithesis swing it in the opposite direction, after which there will emerge a synthesis which constitutes the course of human progress. These curved lines from one extreme to the other do not indicate the correct course of human progress. Rather they represent the tragic stumblings which again and again obstruct the true progress of human life. Every extreme thesis sets life on a certain course and continues to pull it in that direction for some time. When human life is thus thrown off its 'right course' the result is that certain realities of life - which had not received their due - rise up in revolt, and this revolt often assumes the form of an antithesis. This revolt begins to pull life in the opposite direction. As the 'right way' is approached the conflicting ideas - the thesis and antithesis - begin to effect some kind of mutual compromise, leading to the emergence of a synthesis. This synthesis comprises many elements conducive to the good of mankind. But since societies which do not submit to the guidance of the Prophets are deprived both of the signposts that might indicate the 'right way' and of faith to help steady man's feet thereon this synthesis does not permit human life to maintain the golden mean. Its momentum is so powerful that it once more pushes life to the opposite extreme. At this point, certain realities are once again denied their due, with the result that another antithesis emerges in reaction to the iniquities of the earlier ideology. Had the light of the Qur'an been available to these short-sighted philosophers, and had they been able to perceive the 'right way' envisaged by the Qur'an, they would have realized that this was the true course of human progress.
*32. THE ASSURANCE OF GOD'S SUPPORT IS MADE CONDITIONAL UPON THEIR CONTINUOUS RESPONSE TO THE CALL OF GOD AND FOR SUPPORT OF HIS PROPHETS.
*33. This expression signifies spending one's wealth for the sake of God. Since God has promised to return to man every penny that he spends in His way along with His reward, which will be several-fold, the Qur'an characterizes this spending as a loan to God. This spending is considered a loan provided it is a 'good loan', that is, provided the money spent in the cause of God has been acquired by legitimate means and has been spent in accordance with the laws of God and with sincerity and earnestness.
*34. To efface someone's evil deeds signifies two things. First, that if a man decides to follow the Straight Path and strives to follow God's directives in both thought and action his soul will be purged of many evils and his way of life will gradually become free of corruption. Second, if, in spite of this reform, weaknesses still persist in a man's life he is assured that God will not punish him and will have his failing erased from his record. FOR GOD IS NOT TOO EXACTING OVER TRIVIAL ERRORS, PROVIDING A MAN HAS SINCERELY ACCEPTED THE BASIC GUIDANCE AND REFORMED HIS CHARACTER.
*35. That is, they once found the 'right way' and then allowed it to be lost and thus put themselves on the road to perdition. We have translated the Qur'anic expression 'sawa' al-sabil' as the 'right way' for the sake of brevity. A better rendering could be, 'the highroad of balance and moderation', but even this would fail to bring out the meaning fully.
In order to grasp the full significance of what is being said here one should bear in mind that in himself man constitutes a microcosm of society. He has innumerable powers and potentialities, myriad desires, feelings and inclinations, and a host of divergent urges. Social life consists of a huge network of complex relationships, and with the growth of civilization and culture the complexity of these relationships increases. There is also a rich fund of resources in the world and there are countless possibilities for their utilization; as a result, MAN IS CONFRONTED WITH A PLETHORA OF CHOICES AND PROBLEMS.
The fact that man has inherent limitations means that he is incapable of viewing in one sweep and in a balanced way the entire span of existence. Hence, man is in no position to prescribe for his kind a judicious way of life - a way of life wherein justice is done to all his powers and capacities; in which a wholesome balance is maintained between all his inherent potentialities; in which all his urges are given their due; in which HIS TWO-FOLD NEED FOR INNER SATISFACTION AND EXTERNAL SELF-REALIZATION IS FULLY MET; in which various aspects of human life are taken into proper consideration, giving birth to an integrated scheme with a built-in capacity to harmonize the multifarious strains and stresses of social life; in which material resources are fully exploited in the best interests of both the individual and society and within the framework of equity, justice and righteousness. When man takes upon himself the task of prescribing the guidelines for his life and becomes his own law-maker, his mind tends to become preoccupied with one specific aspect of human life, with one of the numerous demands of his nature, with one of the myriad problems calling for solution. His mental involvement is liable to be so intense that he adopts - consciously or otherwise - an unjust attitude towards all the other aspects, requirements and problems of human life. Consequently, when such opinions are imposed, the balance which ought to prevail in man's life is disrupted and he begins to swing either towards one extreme or the other. Gradually, this deviation assumes intolerable proportions. A reaction sets in, and justice is demanded for the neglected aspects of human life. Still, human life remains deprived of justice. THE REASON FOR THIS FAILURE IS THAT MAN'S REACTION TO IMBALANCE IS ITSELF DEVOID OF BALANCE. The new dispensation in turn persists in excessive preoccupation with either one specific aspect, problem or requirement of human life at the expense of all the others. Thus human life is denied judicious and balanced progress. Man continues to stumble hither and thither; from one form of self-destruction to another. All courses of life charted by man himself are winding and crooked. They move in the wrong direction, reach the wrong end and then turn back in another wrong direction.
Among these numerous ways - all false - THERE IS JUST ONE WAY THAT LIES EXACTLY IN THE MIDDLE. This way alone does full justice to all of man's various potentialities and urges, to all his instincts and predispositions, to all the multifarious claims of both the body and the spirit; in short, to all aspects of his life. In this way there is no crookedness; it is the one course of life in which nothing is given either too much consideration or too little, and nothing suffers inequity and injustice. MAN'S VERY NATURE THIRSTS FOR SUCH A WAY, AND THE SUCCESSION OF REVOLTS AGAINST FALSE WAYS OF LIFE IS MERELY A MANIFESTATION OF HIS CONSTANT QUEST FOR THIS RIGHT AND STRAIGHT WAY. Left to himself, man is incapable of charting this way. It is God alone Who can direct him to it; and indeed the Prophets were sent for this very purpose.
The Qur'an designates this way as sawa al-sabil ('the right way') in the present verse and elsewhere as al-sirat al-mustaqim ('the straight way'). (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, Surah 1, verse 5, and n. 8.) This is the road which goes amidst the countless winding and crooked paths of life; the road which leads man, disregarding all the curved and crooked paths, straight on to his success, right from this world to the Hereafter. Whoever goes along it enjoys rectitude in this world and success and felicity in the Next, but whoever loses this road is bound to become a victim of false beliefs and false ways of conduct and thus comes to have a wrong orientation in life. This will lead him to Hell, where all bent and crooked paths end. THE FOLLOWING ILLUSTRATES MAN'S DILEMMA.
In modern times some philosophers have been so impressed by this constant swinging in human life, from one extreme to another, as to have mistakenly argued that the dialectical process is the natural course of human life. They conclude, therefore, that the only way for human life to progress is that a thesis should first swing it in one direction, and then an antithesis swing it in the opposite direction, after which there will emerge a synthesis which constitutes the course of human progress. These curved lines from one extreme to the other do not indicate the correct course of human progress. Rather they represent the tragic stumblings which again and again obstruct the true progress of human life. Every extreme thesis sets life on a certain course and continues to pull it in that direction for some time. When human life is thus thrown off its 'right course' the result is that certain realities of life - which had not received their due - rise up in revolt, and this revolt often assumes the form of an antithesis. This revolt begins to pull life in the opposite direction. As the 'right way' is approached the conflicting ideas - the thesis and antithesis - begin to effect some kind of mutual compromise, leading to the emergence of a synthesis. This synthesis comprises many elements conducive to the good of mankind. But since societies which do not submit to the guidance of the Prophets are deprived both of the signposts that might indicate the 'right way' and of faith to help steady man's feet thereon this synthesis does not permit human life to maintain the golden mean. Its momentum is so powerful that it once more pushes life to the opposite extreme. At this point, certain realities are once again denied their due, with the result that another antithesis emerges in reaction to the iniquities of the earlier ideology. Had the light of the Qur'an been available to these short-sighted philosophers, and had they been able to perceive the 'right way' envisaged by the Qur'an, they would have realized that this was the true course of human progress.
فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِمْ مِيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ
وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ ۙ
وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ ۚ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ
خَائِنَةٍ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْهُمْ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ ۚ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ {5:13}
[Q5:13] Fabimaa naqdihim meesaa qahum
la'annaahum wa ja'alnaa quloobahum qaasiyatany yuharrifoonal kalima
'ammawaadi'ihee wa nasoo hazzam mimmaa zukkiroo bih; khaaa'inatim minhum illaa
qaleelam minhum fa'fu 'anhum wasfah; innal laaha yuhibbul muhsineen.
[Q5:13]
But on account of their breaking their covenant We cursed them and made
their hearts hard; they altered the words from their places and they neglected
a portion of what they were reminded of; and you shall always discover
treachery in them excepting a few of them; so pardon them and turn away; surely
ALLAH (SWT) loves those who do good (to others).
[Q5:13] Maka dengan sebab mereka mencabuli perjanjian setia mereka, Kami laknatkan mereka, dan Kami jadikan hati mereka keras membatu (tidak mahu menerima kebenaran). Mereka sentiasa mengubah Kalimah-kalimah (yang ada di dalam kitab Taurat dengan memutarnya) dari tempat-tempatnya (dan maksudnya) yang sebenar dan mereka melupakan (meninggalkan) sebahagian dari apa yang diperingatkan mereka dengannya dan engkau (wahai Muhammad) sentiasa dapat melihat perbuatan khianat yang mereka lakukan, kecuali sedikit dari mereka (yang tidak berlaku khianat). Oleh itu, maafkanlah mereka (jika mereka sedia bertaubat) dan janganlah dihiraukan kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) suka kepada orang-orang yang berusaha supaya baik amalannya.
[Q5:13] Maka dengan sebab mereka mencabuli perjanjian setia mereka, Kami laknatkan mereka, dan Kami jadikan hati mereka keras membatu (tidak mahu menerima kebenaran). Mereka sentiasa mengubah Kalimah-kalimah (yang ada di dalam kitab Taurat dengan memutarnya) dari tempat-tempatnya (dan maksudnya) yang sebenar dan mereka melupakan (meninggalkan) sebahagian dari apa yang diperingatkan mereka dengannya dan engkau (wahai Muhammad) sentiasa dapat melihat perbuatan khianat yang mereka lakukan, kecuali sedikit dari mereka (yang tidak berlaku khianat). Oleh itu, maafkanlah mereka (jika mereka sedia bertaubat) dan janganlah dihiraukan kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) suka kepada orang-orang yang berusaha supaya baik amalannya.
Refer to al Baqarah 2:40 for [a] the covenant
taken from Bani Israil to accept the
Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)
as the promised prophet, which they did not fulfil; AND TO [b] deny the
genuineness of his divine mission they corrupted the
books sent to their prophets.
ALLAH (SWT) CURSES THE PEOPLE WHO BREAK THEIR PLEDGE.
1.
So the Muslims should take
precaution and avoid to act like the Jews. IT
IS INCUMBENT UPON THE MUSLIMS TO REMAIN ATTACHED WITH THE COVENANT THE HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) BOUND
THEM WITH AT GHADIR KHUM.
2.
THEY MUST ALSO SAFEGUARD THEMSELVES FROM
MISINTERPRETING THE QUR’AN IN ORDER TO KEEP AWAY THE CURSE OF ALLAH (SWT) which
will certainly be upon them if they, like the Jews,
distort the true meanings of the book of ALLAH (SWT) to serve their worldly
interests.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(5:13) Then, for their breach of
the covenant We cast them away from Our mercy and caused their hearts to
harden. (And now they are in such a state that) they pervert the words from
their context and thus distort their meaning, and have forgotten a good portion
of the teaching they were imparted, and regarding all except a few of them you
continue to learn that they committed acts of treachery. Pardon them, then, and
overlook their deeds. Surely Allah loves those who do good deeds.
وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَىٰ أَخَذْنَا
مِيثَاقَهُمْ فَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ
الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ وَسَوْفَ يُنَبِّئُهُمُ
اللَّهُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ {5:14}
[Q5:14] Wa minal lazeena qaalooo innaa nasaaraaa akhaznaa
meesaaqahum fanasoo hazzam mimmaa zukkiroo bihee fa aghrainaa binahumul
'adaawata walbaghdaaa'a ilaa yawmil Qiyaamah; wa sawfa yunabbi'uhumul laahu
bimaa kaanoo yasna'oon.
[Q5:14] And with those who say, We are Christians, We made a covenant, but they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of, therefore We excited among them enmity and hatred to the day of resurrection; and ALLAH (SWT) will inform them of what they did.
[Q5:14] And with those who say, We are Christians, We made a covenant, but they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of, therefore We excited among them enmity and hatred to the day of resurrection; and ALLAH (SWT) will inform them of what they did.
[Q5:14] Dan di antara orang-orang yang berkata: Bahawa kami ini orang-orang
Nasrani, Kami juga telah mengambil perjanjian setia mereka, maka mereka juga
melupakan (meninggalkan) sebahagian dari apa yang diperingatkan mereka
dengannya, lalu Kami tanamkan perasaan permusuhan dan kebencian di antara
mereka, sampai ke hari kiamat dan ALLAH (SwT) akan memberitahu mereka dengan
apa yang telah mereka kerjakan.
Please refer to John 14: 16, 17;
15: 26; and 16: 7 to 13 mentioned
in the commentary of al Baqarah 2:253, according to which ‘the comforter’, ‘the advocate’ and ‘the spirit of truth’
(THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA
SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD)) WILL BE WITH MANKIND FOR EVER- THROUGH HIS DESCENDANTS (THE TWELVE
HOLY IMAMS), BECAUSE THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) SAID:
“The first of us is Muhammad, the middle
of us is Muhammad the last of us is Muhammad, everyone of us is Muhammad.”
Please refer to the
commentary of al
Fatihah 1:6, 7; al Baqarah 2:2 to 5, 27, 30 to 39, 51, 83, 93, 124 to 126, 207,
247 to 251; Ali Imran 3:7, 13, 61.
v All of them (the twelth holy imam) had been
born fountainheads of knowledge though they had no tutoring by any mortal on
earth. They were all divinely inspired heavenly guides. The Last Muhammad Al-Mahdi, the
Twelfth Imam is still alive and at ALLAH (SWT)’s will continue to live until he
appears before the last day of the life of this world.
The covenant with the Christians is implied in the
prophecy made about the advent of the Spirit of Truth.
22
“For Moses truly said unto the father. A Prophet shall the Lord your ALLAH
(SWT) raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in
all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23
“And it shall come to pass, that
every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the
people.“
24
”Yea, and all the prophets, and those that follow after, as many as have
spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
25
“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which ALLAH
(SWT) made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the
kindreds of the earth be blessed.”
Acts 3:22-25
1.
“But now I go my way to Him that sent me; and none of you asketh me,
Whither goest thou?
2.
“But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your
heart.
3.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you.
4.
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment:
5.
“Of sin, because they belief not on me;
6.
“Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.
7.
“Of judgment, because the prince of the world is judged.
8.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
9.
“Howbeit when the Spirit of Truth, is me, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come.” John 16
THE JEWS HAD
CORRUPTED THEIR WRITTEN BOOK REVEALED TO MUSA,
AND THE CHRISTIANS HAD FORGOTTEN THE VERBAL ANNOUNCEMENTS OF ISA.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
(5:14) We also took a covenant from those who said: 'We
are Christians'; *36 but they forgot a good portion of the teaching they
had been imparted with. Wherefore We aroused enmity and spite between them till
the Day of Resurrection, and ultimately Allah will tell them what they had
contrived.
*36. Some are of the opinion
that the word Nasara (meaning Christians) is derived from Nasirah (Nazareth),
the birth-place of the Messiah. In fact this word is not derived from Nasirah
(Nazareth) but from the word nusrah, and the basis of this derivation is the
question posed by the Messiah to his disciples: 'Who are my supporters (ansari)
in the way of God?' In response to this they had said: 'We are the supporters
(ansar) (in the way) of God.' Christian authors have been misled by the
resemblance between the words Nasirah and Nasara into believing that the name
of the sect founded in the early history of Christianity, and contemptuously
characterized as either Nazarenes or Ebonites served as the basis of the
Qur'anic designation of the Christians. But here the Qur'ijo categorically
states that they had declared that they were 'Nasara' and it is obvious that
the Christians never called themselves 'Nazarenes'.
In this connection it should be recalled that Jesus never called his followers 'Christians' for he had not come to found a new religion named after him. His mission was to revive the religion of Moses and of all the Prophets who preceded him as well as of the one who was to appear after him. Hence, he neither formed any cult divorced from the Israelites and the followers of the Mosaic Law nor designated his followers by any distinctive name. Likewise, his early followers neither considered themselves to be separate from the Israelite community nor developed into an independent group nor adopted any distinctive symbol and name. They worshipped in the temple of Jerusalem along with other Jews and considered themselves to be followers of the Mosaic Law (see Acts 3:1-10; 21: 14-15,21). Later on the process of alienation began to operate on both sides. On the one hand, Paul, one of the followers of Jesus, declared independence from the Mosaic Law holding that faith in Christ was all that one needed for salvation. On the other hand, the Jewish rabbis declared the followers of Christ to be heretics and excommunicated them. Despite this, for some time the new sect had no distinct appellation of its own. The followers of Christ variously described themselves as 'disciples', as 'brethren', as 'those who believed', and as 'saints' (see Acts 2: 44; 4: 32; 9: 26; 11: 29; 13: 52; 15: 1; 23: 1 and Romans 15: 25 and Colossians 1: 2). The Jews sometimes designated them as 'Galileans' and as 'the sect of Nazarenes' (see Acts 24: 5; Luke 13: 2). These nicknames, which were originally contrived in, order to ridicule them, referred to Nazareth, the home town of Jesus in the district of Galilee. These names, however, did not gain sufficient popularity to become the permanent names of the followers of Christ. They were called 'Christians' for the first time by the people of Antioch in 43 A.D. or 44 A.D. when Paul and Barnabas went there and began to preach their religion (Acts 11: 26). This appellation was flung at them by the opponents of the followers of Christ precisely in order to tease them by using an appellation which was unacceptable to them. But when their enemies began to call them consistently by this name their leaders reacted by saying that if they were called Christians because of their allegiance to Christ they had no reason to be ashamed of it (1 Peter 4: 16). It was thus that the followers of Christ also gradually began to call themselves by the same name which had originally been conferred upon them sarcastically. In the course of time the Christians ceased to realize that theirs had originally been a derogatory appellation chosen for them by outsiders rather than by themselves.
The Qur'an, therefore, does not refer to the followers of Christ as Christians. It reminds them rather that they belong to those who responded to the query of Jesus: 'Who are my supporters (ansari) in the way of God?' by saying that they were his ansar (supporters) in God's cause. (See Surah al-Saff 61: 14 - Ed.) It is an irony of fate that far from feeling grateful at being referred to by a dignified appellation Christian missionaries take offence at the fact that the Qur'an designates them as Nasara rather than as 'Christians'.
In this connection it should be recalled that Jesus never called his followers 'Christians' for he had not come to found a new religion named after him. His mission was to revive the religion of Moses and of all the Prophets who preceded him as well as of the one who was to appear after him. Hence, he neither formed any cult divorced from the Israelites and the followers of the Mosaic Law nor designated his followers by any distinctive name. Likewise, his early followers neither considered themselves to be separate from the Israelite community nor developed into an independent group nor adopted any distinctive symbol and name. They worshipped in the temple of Jerusalem along with other Jews and considered themselves to be followers of the Mosaic Law (see Acts 3:1-10; 21: 14-15,21). Later on the process of alienation began to operate on both sides. On the one hand, Paul, one of the followers of Jesus, declared independence from the Mosaic Law holding that faith in Christ was all that one needed for salvation. On the other hand, the Jewish rabbis declared the followers of Christ to be heretics and excommunicated them. Despite this, for some time the new sect had no distinct appellation of its own. The followers of Christ variously described themselves as 'disciples', as 'brethren', as 'those who believed', and as 'saints' (see Acts 2: 44; 4: 32; 9: 26; 11: 29; 13: 52; 15: 1; 23: 1 and Romans 15: 25 and Colossians 1: 2). The Jews sometimes designated them as 'Galileans' and as 'the sect of Nazarenes' (see Acts 24: 5; Luke 13: 2). These nicknames, which were originally contrived in, order to ridicule them, referred to Nazareth, the home town of Jesus in the district of Galilee. These names, however, did not gain sufficient popularity to become the permanent names of the followers of Christ. They were called 'Christians' for the first time by the people of Antioch in 43 A.D. or 44 A.D. when Paul and Barnabas went there and began to preach their religion (Acts 11: 26). This appellation was flung at them by the opponents of the followers of Christ precisely in order to tease them by using an appellation which was unacceptable to them. But when their enemies began to call them consistently by this name their leaders reacted by saying that if they were called Christians because of their allegiance to Christ they had no reason to be ashamed of it (1 Peter 4: 16). It was thus that the followers of Christ also gradually began to call themselves by the same name which had originally been conferred upon them sarcastically. In the course of time the Christians ceased to realize that theirs had originally been a derogatory appellation chosen for them by outsiders rather than by themselves.
The Qur'an, therefore, does not refer to the followers of Christ as Christians. It reminds them rather that they belong to those who responded to the query of Jesus: 'Who are my supporters (ansari) in the way of God?' by saying that they were his ansar (supporters) in God's cause. (See Surah al-Saff 61: 14 - Ed.) It is an irony of fate that far from feeling grateful at being referred to by a dignified appellation Christian missionaries take offence at the fact that the Qur'an designates them as Nasara rather than as 'Christians'.
