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 Qur’an. We start from where we left you last Friday and here are ayahs 33 and 34 of Surah Zumar:

"He who brings the truth and he who confirms it —it is they who are the Godwary."

"They will have whatever they wish near their Lord. That is the reward of the virtuous."

On the day of resurrection, people are divided in two groups: the believers and unbelievers. In the last ayah of last week’s programme, the fate of the idol worshippers was mentioned and how their obstinacy and stubbornness leads them to the fires of hell, because of their refusal to avail of the Mercy of God to realize the truth and repent. The ayahs that we recited to you now are about the true believers and their acknowledgement of having heard the truth and believed in it. These are the ones who are always conscious of God and abstain from sins. Their faith is deep-rooted and is reflected in their speech and behaviour. They promote the religion and never indulge in any type of hypocrisy.

The true believers are rewarded with the eternal bliss of paradise, where they will be provided with lawful and legitimate material and spiritual pleasures.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Truth in speech and behaviour reflects the faith in heart.
2. Only the one who sincerely practices religious tenets can properly promote the dynamic teachings of Islam, otherwise it may have negative results.
3. The eternal bliss of paradise is the reward for the true believers.
4. Piety and goodwill are two commonly used words in the holy Quran that are related to each other.

Now we listen to or read ayah 35 of Surah Zumar:

"So that Allah may absolve them of the worst of what they did, and pay them their reward by the best of what they used to do."

The virtuous and the pious always beseech God Almighty to forgive their faults and shortcomings, and even sins that they have committed because of ignorance and have now repented. God the All-Merciful accepts their pleas of forgiveness and grants them the best reward for the good deeds they have done.

It should be recalled that virtue does not mean infallibility or protection from any kind of error and sin. Since man is bound to err, the moment he realizes the gravity of misdeed and repents by seeking forgiveness in the Divine Court, the All-Merciful Lord absolves him of his faults. Here, piety acts like a shield to protect a person from committing sins deliberately by falling prey to the temptations of the devil. The moment the shield of piety is dropped, carnal desires and satanic temptations take hold of such unprotected persons. For the penitents, who repent of their misdeeds, the All-Merciful Lord forgives them and rewards them for their good deeds.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. What is important is the intention and motive of a person in doing good and avoiding sinful acts.
2. When we cleanse ourselves of the filth of misdeeds, Divine Mercy absolves us of our wrongdoings by opening the gates of rewards.

Now we listen to or read ayahs 36 and 37 of Surah Zumar:

"Does not Allah suffice [to defend] His servant? They would frighten you of others than Him. Yet whomever Allah leaves (to go) astray, has no guide;"

"And whomever Allah guides, there is no one who can lead him astray. Is not Allah an All-Mighty Avenger?"

This ayah, though it directly addresses Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), is for all believers and assurance from God against the plots of the unbelievers. It means to say: Do not worry about the threats of the unbelievers and their attempts to frighten you, since God is your Protector and those that have gone astray cannot do anything. It is God Who saved Prophet Abraham from burning in the fire and Moses from the danger of the wicked Pharaoh and Prophet Jesus from being hanged.

The next ayah speaks of Divine Guidance and means to say that when God is the Guide, no one can lead him astray. It emphasizes that Allah Almighty is the Avenger and punishes those who tormented the Prophets or martyred them.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. A true believer has profound faith in God and is not afraid of anything, including threats and plots
2. Those whom Allah has left in their path of misguidance because of their intransigence and refusal to accept the truth, never follow the right path.
3. Allah is the Supreme Guide and will punish those who torment and torture the Prophets as well as the true believers.

AS/ME