Islam Made Simple
Dr Osama Al-Azhari
Ladies and gentlemen, all the great Egyptian people, and the people of the Arab and Muslim nations. Welcome to a new journey with the Ever-Glorious Qur’an.
Let us delve together into the depths of the twenty-seventh part, to extract pearls from its treasure, guidance from its light, and the great values and principles that Allah has placed within it from its explanation.
This noble part is rich with great passages that give life to hearts, illuminate minds, and instill wisdom and balance in souls. So let us sip from its pure spring and seek refuge in its blessed shade.
The First Insightful Pause:
Allah Almighty said: “And in no way did I create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me.”
A number of people usually recite this noble verse and think that the entire shari’ah (Islamic law) and religion are simplified in this single statement.
There is no doubt that Allah the Almighty created us for worship, but when we recite the rest of the Qur’an’s verses, we will find other objectives and great noble purposes for which Allah created us.
When gathering all the meanings mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and synthesising them together, we find that there are three supreme objectives for which Allah created humankind:
1. Worship: As Allah Almighty said: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
2. Settelemnt: As Allah Almighty said: “He is (the One Who) brought you into being from the earth and has made you settle therein.”
3. Ethics and Purification: self-refinement, deterring human from the meanings of transgression, envy, resentment, injustice, hatred, and selfishness.
Therefore, scholars summarised the supreme objectives of this religion in these three words: worship, settlement and self-purification.
Worship, in its specific sense, includes rituals such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, zakat, and the rest of the rulings of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
Settlement includes science, institutions, life, civility, civilisation, a strong economy, and successful management.
Self-purification includes the branches of knowledge specialised in building the human being to be a tolerant, humble person, far from selfishness and hatred; it is a comprehensive station of Ihsan (excellence).
Thus, worship may be understood in its general meaning to include everything brought by the Wise Remembrance (Qur’an), or in its specific meaning to be limited to the devotional rituals only.
So, the scholars have stated: This word (i.e., ‘ibadah) is among the words that when mentioned with something else, may refer to a separately specific meaning, and when mentioned solely, may refer to a general meaning.”
The Second Insightful Pause:
Allah Almighty said: “And (endure) patiently under the Judgment of your Lord, (for) then surely you are under Our Eyes, and extol with the praise (s) of your Lord when you rise up.”
My heart trembles and stands with full etiquette, humility, submission, servitude, and neediness before the Lord, Glory be to Him, when Allah the Almighty manifests His Care for a servant beloved to Him, saying: “(For) then surely you are under Our eyes.”
What great care, kindness, and solace! When Allah manifests His Care for one of His servants, He makes the entire universe at their service and subjugation. What a great glory this is!
Furthermore, who is this happy person who enjoys this care from Allah, so the Lord addresses him, saying: “(For) then surely you are under Our eyes,” meaning: You are under My protection and care!
Therefore, ancient poets used to draw great meanings from this verse, as one of them said:
“If Divine Care watches over you … Sleep! For all fears are safe.”
The Third Insightful Pause:
Allah Almighty Said: “The ones who avoid the great (kinds) of vice and obscenities, except lesser offences; surely your Lord is Ever-Embracing in (His) forgiveness.
He knows you best, as He brought you into being from the earth, and as you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies; so do not (boastfully consider) yourselves self-purified. (Only) He knows best him who is pious.”
It means people of protection, people of guardianship, people of piety, people of scrupulousness, people of religiosity; you sense from them the scent of being present with Allah and abstaining from distractions of the life.
Such people are not small-souled, pursuing after their desires in everything, struggling with people over money, status, fame, food, drink, life, crushing, greed, prejudice, enjoyment, goods of the world and illnesses. Rather, they rise above these worldly matters.
Allah Almighty says: “The ones who avoid the great (kinds) of vice and obscenities, except lesser offences.” They may strive without intention and purpose, then they repent to Allah.
Therefore, Allah Almighty said: “Surely your Lord is Ever-Embracing in (His) forgiveness. He knows you best, as He brought you into being from the earth, and as you were embryos in your mothers’ bellies; so do not (boastfully consider) yourselves self-purified. (Only) He knows best him who is pious.”
So do not boastfully consider yourself self-purified. Show humility for Allah. Allah Almighty says: “So do not (boastfully consider) yourselves self-purified. (Only) He knows best him who is pious.”
Be humble, easy-going and lower your wing to the believers and the whole of mankind to be raised by Allah; so the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said in a noble hadith: “No one will humble himself for Allah’s sake except that Allah raises his status, charity does not decrease property and Allah increases the honour of him who forgives.”
In the past, a poet said:
“Be humble like the star whose reflection
Shines upon the surface of water, though it is high;
And do not be like smoke that rises proudly
Up to the sky, though it is low in worth.”
As long as the human lower himself to be polite to Allah and people, Allah raises his status with His Help.
The Fourth Insightful Pause:
Allah Almighty said: “And the heaven, He raised it up, and laid down the Balance.”
When Allah tells us about His Power, the signs of divine creativity and greatness in creation and that He raised the heaven without pillars, He mentioned another thing alongside it.
We may not be aware of its greatness and glory, but it is laid down in a great, majestic and glorious way as the glory and greatness of the heaven as Allah Almighty said: “And the heaven, He raised it up, and laid down the Balance.”
What makes the mizan (scale) mentioned alongside the raised heaven?
The scale refers justice and fairness from oneself, to be moderate in everything, and not to be unfair or a stinter. The scale is not just a piece of iron.
It is a character, a behaviour and a feeling. It creates a moderate man in everything. He safeguards others’ rights as if they were his own, and renders justice before he seeks to exact it.
So, a poet said, putting himself in the shoes of the scale:
“I am the scale, I do not err, only through truth do I give away
The Creator, The Initiator says ‘keep up the weight with equity.’”
The Fifth Insightful Pause:
Allah Almighty said: “Is it not due time for the hearts of (the ones) who have believed to submit to the Remembrance of Allah and that which came down of the Truth, and that they should not be as the ones to whom the Book was brought earlier? Then (their) span became long to them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are immoral.”
Look at the amazing eloquence of Qur’an! Look at the majesty! Look at the Divine Speech! “Is it not due time for the hearts of (the ones) who have believed to submit to the Remembrance of Allah and that which came down of the Truth!”
This noble verse is a very amazing divine call! Our Lord, Glory Be to Him, says: Is it not due time for you to wake up, O man? Is it not due time for your heart to overcome ways of heedlessness of Allah? How long will you stay curtained and self-absorbed from your Lord? Are you still not ready to wake up? Are you still lost in your feelings and worries?
There is a story related to this noble verse concerning one of the great Imams, al-Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad.
Muslim Imams and historians say about him: He is a reliable role model Imam. He is a master sheikh in Islam. He taught great scholars such as ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak and ‘Ibrahim Ibn al-Ash’ath. Amazingly, he started his life as a thief and a highwayman!
Scholars narrated an amazing story about him! It was said that he loved a girl so much that he could sneak into her home scaling the wall in the third part of the night. One night, while he was scaling the wall, he listened a reciter during stillness of the night reciting: “Is it not due time for the hearts of (the ones) who have believed to submit to the Remembrance of Allah and that which came down of the Truth, and that they should not be as the ones to whom the Book was brought earlier? Then (their) span became long to them, so their hearts hardened.”
At that moment, the verse descended upon his heart like a thunderbolt! His heart trembled violently as Allah spoke to him personally: “Is not it due time?” Is not due time for you to repent? Is not due time for you to awaken? Suddenly, he stood and said: Yes, O Lord, it is due! Yes, O Lord, the time has come!
He left the path of disobedience repenting to Allah and took a refuge in a cave along the road where he found a caravan rested there until morning. Al-Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad sat among them and heard them talk. Someone said: Is it time to continue the journey now? One of them replied: No. No. No! Avoid setting forth by night because Al-Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad might come out against you and ruin our journey! He is a dangerous highwayman. He is a criminal!
As a result, Al-Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad stood in shock! He was sitting with them and hearing their talk and his heart was fully present with the noble verse. He started to think: I disobey Allah by night and frighten people by day? I terrorise the peaceful! What is this? Then he cried out: I repented to Allah. O Lord! I repented to You!
Since that day, he made a covenant with himself to live in the courtyard of the Holy Mosque in Mecca until he was titled “The Worshiper of the Two Holy Mosques.”
Never surmise that the sin can close the door of repentance! I swear by Almighty Allah, the opportunity still stands and the door is open. You can repent, not as a repentant servant to Allah, but you may be a master Imam in Islam. In addition, you may be one of those whom Allah said: “Surely you are under Our Eyes.”
Until we meet again with a new part of Qur’an, stay noble, stay safe.
Dr Osama Al-Azhari
Minister of Awqaf (Charitable Endowment)
