As-salaam wa-alaikum, brothers and sisters.
Summary
Today’s selection is from Surah 3, Âli-‘Imrân or the Family of Imran, verses 156-171. These verses talk about how Allah confers life and death and how we must put our trust in the Messenger of God. Lastly, there are some lessons from the Battles of Badr & Uhud and how the righteous dead are not really dead.
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Verses
Bis-millahi ar-rahman, ar-raheem.
In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful.O believers! Do not be like the unbelievers who speak of those brethren of theirs who die during their travels on the earth or while engaged in fighting: “Had they but stayed with us they would not have died or been killed.” Allah makes such thinking a cause of regret and anguish in their hearts. It is Allah who gives life and death. Allah is observant of all your actions.[156] If you should die or get killed in the cause of Allah, His forgiveness and mercy will be far better than all the riches you could gather.[157] Whether you die or get killed, all of you will be brought before Allah.[158] 3:[156-158]
O Muhammad, it is a great Mercy of Allah that you are very gentle with them; had you been rough or hard-hearted, they would have deserted you. Therefore pardon them and ask Allah’s forgiveness for them. Consult them in the conduct of affairs; and when you make a decision to do something, then put your trust in Allah (hold fast to your decision). Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.[159] 3:[159]
If Allah helps you, then there is none who can overcome you. If He forsakes you, then who else is there other than Him who can help you? Therefore, in Allah let the believers put their trust.[160] It is not conceivable that any Prophet would hold back from the spoils of war; for anyone who holds back shall bring along whatever he has been withholding on the Day of Resurrection; then every soul shall be paid back in full what it has earned and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.[161] 3:[160-161]
Can it be conceivable that a person who is seeking the good pleasure of Allah will behave like the one who has incurred the wrath of Allah and is ultimately doomed to Hell, which is an evil refuge?[162] These two kinds of people have quite different levels in the sight of Allah; Allah is observant of all their actions.[163] Allah has done a great favor to the believers that He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them the Revelations of Allah, sanctifying them and teaching them the Book and Wisdom, although before this they were in manifest error.[164] 3:[162-164]
How is it that when you are afflicted with a loss, after you yourselves had inflicted losses twice as heavy upon your enemy in the Battle of Badr, you exclaimed: “Whose fault was that?” Say to them: “It was your own fault,” Allah has power over everything.[165] The misfortune which befell you when the two armies met in the Battle of Uhud was with the leave of Allah so that He might know the true believers[166] and the hypocrites. When it was said to them (hypocrites): “Come fight for the cause of Allah or at least defend yourselves,” they replied: “Had we known how to fight we would certainly come with you.” On that day they were nearer to unbelief than to belief; for they uttered with their mouths what was not in their hearts. Allah is quite aware of what they were concealing.[167] Such are the ones who, as they sat at home, said of their brothers: “Had they listened to us, they would not have been killed.” Ask them: “Avert death from your own selves, when it comes to you, if you speak the truth.”[168] Never think of those who are slain in the cause of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, and well provided for by their Lord;[169] they are pleased with what Allah has given them and they are also happy to think that there is nothing to fear or to regret for those believers whom they have left behind and who have not yet joined them in their bliss.[170] They feel happy to have received Allah’s grace and bounty and have come to know that most surely Allah does not waste the reward of the believers.[171] 3:[165-171]
Ameen.
This concludes today’s episode of the 17 Verses Podcast. I hope that this selection has helped increase your understanding of the holy Qur’an just a little bit.
Thank you and be well.