Part 23

This Verse contains some instructions: one of them is that a prosperous life is only attained by obeying Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Whoever has not obeyed will not have a real life, even though he would have the bestial life, which he shares with the animals.

The real and good life, therefore, is the life of the person who obeys Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) openly and secretly. They are those who are really alive, even if their

bodies die. The others are dead even if they are alive physically, for it is simply a state of the heart.

That is why the person who is most alive is the one who perfectly obeys the call of the Messenger (peace be upon him), in every aspect of life. Therefore, whoever missed any part of it, has missed a part of life, and the person will have ‘life’ according to the level that he obeys the Messenger (peace be upon him).

According to Al-Mujahid, the words "Lima yuhyikum" refer to the truth, meaning “that which will give you life for the truth.” According to Qatadah, they refer to the Qur'an, for it contains life, trust, salvation and protection in this world and the Hereafter. And according to As-Saddiy, it refers to Islam, for He gave them life with it after having been dead due to disbelief.

According to Ibn ishaq and ‘Urwah bin Az-Zubair, and it is his wording: "Lima yuhyikum" refers to the battle that Allah made you powerful in after having been degraded. He made you powerful after being weak. He protected you from your enemy after being defeated by them. All these are expressions about one reality, which is to perform openly and secretly that which the Messenger (peace be upon him) brought from Allah, the Almighty.

According to Al-Wahidy and the majority, these words refer to jihad, which is the opinion of Ibn Ishaq and the opinion of most knowledgeable people. According to Al-Fara’, the words mean: when he (peace be upon him) calls you to that which revives your standing by fighting your enemy, he means that their standing becomes stronger with struggle and jihad, and that if they abandon jihad, their standing will become weaker and their enemy will have the courage to challenge them.

| say, jihad is one of the greatest means that He avails them with in the life of this world, and the life in the grave after death until the Day of Resurrection and in the Hereafter. Concerning

their life in this world, truly, they will have more power and be able to overcome their enemy by adopting jihad. The life in the grave is mentioned by Allah, the Almighty in the following Verse of the Qur'an,

ROSH ceo ee HST yl AT Lt giks Gal! >

which means: “Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision.” (Al-Imran, 3:169)

The share of the Hereafter is for those who strive hard and fight, like the martyrs, and its great delight is greater than the share of anything in this worldly life. That is why Ibn Qutaibah said, "Lima yuhyikum" means martyrdom. According to some commentators, "Lima yuhyikum" means Paradise, for it is the home of life, and itis the eternal and good life. Narrated by Abu ‘Aly Al-Jurjany.

The Qur’anic Verse examines all these aspects, for faith, Islam, the Qur’an and jihad provide hearts with a good life, and the perfect life is in Paradise. And the Messenger (peace be upon him) is inviting man to faith and Paradise. Therefore, he is inviting to the life of this world and the Hereafter.

Moreover, man cannot maintain two kinds of life. One part is the life of his body, with which he perceives that which is useful and that which is harmful. Whenever this element of life is weakened within him, he feels pain and weakness. That is why the life of the patient, the sad person, the grieved, the distressed, the feared, the poor and the debased, their life is inferior to the person who does not suffer from these things.

The second kind of life is that of his heart and soul, with which he can differentiate between truth and falsehood, between transgression and righteousness, and between guidance and being astray. He chooses the truth and leaves falsehood.

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Therefore, this life gives him more benefit and more ability to distinguish between that which avails and that, which is harmful concerning knowledge, will and deeds. And it avails him with the power of faith, will, the love of truth, and the power of hatred against falsehood.

His feeling, perception, love and reluctance exist according to his share of this life. Just as the body that is full of life feels and perceives that which is useful and that which is harmful. |t also perceives its inclination to what is useful, and it is reluctant about what is harmful.

When the life of the heart comes to an end, its perception ceases to exist; it even cannot perceive that which is useful or harmful.

Aman cannot live unless the angel breathes life into him in his mother’s womb, and before that he was in a state like death. In the same way, there is no life for his spirit and heart unless the Messenger (peace be upon him) breathes into it the inspiration, which has been bestowed upon him.

Allah, the Almighty said,

“00s ce BLS os Ye corel Ss cot SALT US

which means, “He sends down the angels with inspiration of His Command to whom of His slaves...” (An-Nahl. 16:2)

He, the Almighty also said,

Be ole Se HBS opt Ye col So Cail BL... >

which means, “He sends the Inspiration by His Command to any of His slaves He wills.” (Ghafir, 40:15)

He, the Almighty also said,

140 * AL-FAWA'ID: A Collection of Wise Sayings

Pn eee be eth ae eg Tate ok ete OG RY GET G Wes yal ge B95 EL) EG! Us b

which means, “And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad) Ruhan (an Inspiration, and a Mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith. But We have made it (this Qur'an) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will.” (As-Shaira, 42:52)

Allah, the Almighty said that His Inspiration is a spirit and a light. Therefore, life and illumination depend on the messenger, and whoever receives the breathe of life of this angel and the breathe of life of the Messenger (peace be upon him), then the person has received two forms of life.

Whoever receives the breathe of life of the angel, without that of the Messenger (peace be upon him), the person has then received one of the two lives. Allah, the Almighty said in the Qur'an,

BAL oS oT Lg ew eb Os A Wie Oe lp

which means, “Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out?” (Al-An’am,

in this Qur’anic Verse, Allah, the Almighty made a connection between light and life (knowledge and faith) for the person who accepted Islam, just as He made a connection between death

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and darkness (disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) for the person who turns away from His Book (the Qur’An).

According to Ibn ‘Abbas and all the commentators, the meaning of the verse is: the person was a straying disbeliever and then Allah guided him.

This verse contains some instructions:

The first one is that: he walks among people with light, while they are in darkness. His likeness and theirs is like some people who lost their way when the night fell upon them, as compared with someone else who has light and walks with it on the road. Such a person sees it and sees that which warns him.

The second one is that: he walks among them with his light, and they benefit from him, due to their need of it.

The third one is that: he walks with his light on the Straight Way on the Day of Resurrection, when the polytheists and hypocrites will remain in the darkness of their disbelief and hypocrisy.

Allan comes in between a person and his heart (ie. He prevents an evil person from deciding anything).

telly all ye ge abl Fi getelg.. &

which means, “and know that Allah comes in between a person and his heart (i.e. He prevents an evil person from deciding anything). And verily to Him you shall (all) be gathered.” (AlAnfal, 8:24)

What is well known about this verse is that Allah, the Almighty comes in between the believer and disbelief, between the disbeliever and belief, and He comes in between those who obey Him and their disobeying Him, and between those who disobey Him and their obeying Him. This is according to Ibn ‘Abbas and the majority of the commentators.

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There is another comment about the verse, which is that Allah, the Almighty is near to the person’s heart, and that no secret is hidden from Him, for He is in between him and his heart. This is what Al-Wahidy narrated from Qatadah, and it seems that this is the most suitable meaning, for response is originally made by the heart. Allah, the Almighty is in between the servant and his heart. He knows whether his heart has responded to Him or not, and whether he has hidden that response or not.

Referring to the first statement, the point of connection is that if you neglect to respond to Allah, then do not feel secure, for He would not make it easy for you to respond after that. He, the Almighty may choose to punish you for leaving it after the truth has been made clear to you. It would then be like the following verses,

Do 8 Ul Lay Le a) US pe pel paki Lay p

which means, “And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe therein for the first time.” (Al-An’am, 6:110)

which means, “So when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path).” (As-Saff, 61:5)