Welcome to our weekly programme "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Quran. We start from where we left you last Friday and here are ayahs 11 to 13 of Surah Zumar:

"Say, ‘Indeed I have been commanded to worship Allah with exclusive faith in Him,"

"And I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit [to Him]."

"Say, ‘Indeed, should I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous day."

Last week we talked about the importance of piety, good deeds, patience and stability which are the signs of the faithful. The ayahs that we have recited to you now, address Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and mean to say: O’ Our Messenger, explicitly tell the idolaters that you have been commanded by God to serve the One and Only Creator alone, without the least trace of polytheism; I am also assigned to be the first and foremost in the worship of Allah, with total submission to His Will.

The next ayah says that whoever disobeys the divine command will be punished and in this respect there is no difference between a Prophet and other believers. The only way to salvation is complete submission to divine commandments, and in this case, the responsibility of the Prophet is more than other people.

The Prophets of God never considered themselves exclusive although they were the representatives of God and were free of any faults and shortcomings. This is in sharp contrast to the false claimants of prophecy who instead of inviting people to God invite people to themselves or attach special privileges for themselves.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Prophets are assigned to convey the message of God to the people. They say nothing from themselves or do anything by themselves.
2. Islam is complete monotheism without any polytheist tendencies, and the Prophet is the supreme symbol of the correct form of worship of God.
3. There is no difference between the Prophets and others regarding Divine justice and accountability on the Day of Resurrection.

Now we listen to or read ayahs 14 and 15 of Surah Zumar:

"Say, ‘[Only] Allah do I worship, putting my exclusive faith in Him."

"You worship whatever you wish besides Him.’ Say, ‘Indeed the losers are those who ruin themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection.’ Look! That is a manifest loss!"

In continuation of the previous ayahs, here the Prophet means to say that I have been commanded to have exclusive faith in God with full sincerity. In these ayahs the Prophet questions the wrong beliefs of the idolaters, saying that instead of worshipping Allah they worship whatever that appeals to their retarded minds. This sort of belief is complete loss and the fate of the losers is terrible on the Day of Resurrection.

More than financial loss is the loss of faith that ends in the fires of hell, for there is nothing to compensate this loss.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The Prophets taught the people to worship God in the correct manner without any polytheist tendencies.
2. Prophets are responsible for conveying the message of God to all people, but they know that a group of people does not accept the truth. However, they will not be disappointed and do not stop working.
3. Human beings are responsible not only for themselves, but also for their families. Teaching children based on religious teachings and values is one of the duties of parents in the family.

Now we listen to or read ayah 16 of Surah Zumar:

"There will be canopies of fire above them, and [similar] canopies beneath them. With that Allah deters His servants. So, My servants, be wary of Me!"

This ayah describes the situation of the true losers on the Day of Resurrection and means to say: The flames of Hell surround them from every direction from which they have no way of escape. It is, in fact, a warning to all human beings who, if they are not pious in the world and do not fear God, may end up in such a painful fate at the Day of Resurrection.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. Disbelief in God is the cause of misery and the end result is punishment in the fires of hell.
2. The only way to escape from the fire of hell is to abandon disbelief in God and sins.

FK/AS/ME