Welcome to our weekly programme "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the Ayahs of God’s Last and Final Revelation to all humanity, the holy Qur’an.

We continue from where we left you last week, and today we present you Ayahs 48 to 53 till the end of Surah Shura. 

“But if they disregard [your warnings O’ Prophet], We have not sent you as a keeper over them; your duty is only to convey (Our Message). Indeed when We let man taste Our mercy, he exults in it; but should an ill visit them because of what their hands have sent ahead, then man is indeed very ungrateful.

If you remember, at the end of last Friday’s episode we explained Ayah 47 which addresses all mankind and means to say: Respond to the Divine Call; and lest you miss the opportunities in life for salvation on the Day of Resurrection, acknowledge and act upon the teachings of the prophets, especially the Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). Consequently on that day there is no refuge from punishment or any chance of denial of facts and realities, since all arguments have been decisively sealed, and thus the holy Qur’an is a clear message to the disbelievers and sinners to repent, reform, and turn to God, before death overtakes them.

The Ayah that we recited to you now makes a reference to the exemplary characteristics of prophets such as affection and compassion towards mankind in order to guide them towards enlightenment from the darkness of ignorance, through appropriate warnings. As is clear by the wordings, the duties of the prophets is to convey God’s message and not force people to believe, because such a belief will not be sincere but mere lip service without the heart acknowledging the truth. In order to console the Prophet of Islam’s deep concern for the disbelievers’ refusal to heed his call, God Almighty tells him not to be sad, since he is not a keeper over them, and moreover mercy is from the Almighty Lord while afflictions are the consequences of a person’s own vicious deeds.

Towards its end, the Ayah refers to human frailties by saying that whenever God makes people taste of His mercy and bounties they rejoice, but when they are afflicted as a consequence of their vicious deeds, instead of taking stock of their life to find out their faults, many of them become ungrateful and thankless for the Divine blessings that are all around them.

This Ayah teaches us that:

1. The Messengers of God convey the Divine commandments to mankind and not force them to accept it.
2. Those fickle of faith rejoice when they achieve material gains, but instead of being grateful to God, start complaining and turn away from the path of truth when they are tested with afflictions.
3. Most hardships in life are the consequences of one’s own deeds.

Now Ayahs 49 and 50 of Surah Shura:

“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He creates whatever He wishes; He grants females (offspring) to whomever He wishes, and grants males (offspring)to whomever He wishes;

“Or He grants both males and females (in the same womb), and makes sterile whomever He wishes. Indeed He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

These Ayahs say the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth solely belongs to God Almighty since He is the Creator of the entire universe and whatever it contains, which means everything is dependent upon His Will. He grants male and female offspring to whomever He Wills as per His Discretion and Wisdom. In other words, it is not the parents who determine the gender of their child, but it is God. Thus, both daughters and sons are Divine blessings, and it is wrong and unjust to discriminate between them

Ayah 50 means to say God may grant male and female offspring in pairs a well, and as per Divine Wisdom He may make some females barren (and some men sterile), since the Almighty Creator is All-Aware and Omniscient.

From these Ayahs we learn that:

1. The entire universe and whatever it contains belongs to God the Almighty Creator.
2. A child, whether daughter or son, is a gift of God, and parents should not discriminate between them.
3. Abundance of offspring is part of Divine bounties and we should be thankful to God the Sustainer, instead of worrying how to feed, clothe, and educate them.
4. At times, barrenness or sterility might be Divine tests to determine the decree of one’s gratitude and faith, as well as to make research through what God has granted us of science and knowledge.

Now Ayah 51 of Surah Shura:

“It is not [possible] for any human that Allah should speak to him except through revelation or from behind a veil, or send a emissary (an angel) who reveals by His permission whatever He wishes. Indeed He is All-Exalted, All-Wise.

God is far too Glorious to have form, shape, place, and such human characteristics as organs, and thus cannot be encompassed by the physical eyes of His creatures, which means, broadly speaking, there are three different ways of the Almighty’s imparting of instructions to His Prophets. These are: Revelation upon the heart; from behind the veil by creating sound waves in the air – in the manner that God Almighty spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai – and through sending an emissary, such as Archangel Gabriel. This is all indicative of the Power and Wisdom of God the Omniscient and Omnipresent, from Whom nothing is hidden and Who is aware of even the thoughts that flash across our minds. 

This Ayah teaches us the following points:

1. God is far too Glorious to be encompassed by the physical eyes of creatures.
2. God has communicated with His Prophets through various means in order to impart His instructions for the guidance of mankind.

Now ayahs 52 and 53 of Surah Shura as the concluding Ayahs of this episode:

“Thus have We revealed to you (O’ Prophet) the Spirit of Our dispensation. You did not know what the Book is, nor what is faith; but We made it a light that We may guide by its means whomever We wish of Our servants. And indeed you guide to the straight path;

“The path of Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Look! To Allah do all matters return!”

These are the concluding Ayahs of Surah Shura. God says to the Prophet of Islam: Just as We revealed to the prophets of past, We have revealed this Qur’an to you as the ‘Spirit’ or the source of life for mankind, of which you were not aware before we inspired you. In other words, ‘Spirit’ is the essence of life and the holy Qur’an is the secret of man’s spiritual life. In the same manner that a body without spirit disintegrates and decays, society without God’s final revelation to mankind, that is, the holy Qur’an, is unimaginable. In the same manner that the spirit never becomes old and useless, so does the holy Qur’an remains as the Eternal Miracle despite the passage of time. For instance, God says in Ayah 24 of Surah Anfaal: “O you who have faith! Answer Allah and the Prophet when he summons you to that which will give you life.”

In continuation, Ayah 52 means to say that the holy Qur’an is the Divine Light for all mankind, and a means of guidance for those treading the straight and unwavering path leading to the ultimate Truth, as expounded by Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Ayah 53 which ends Surah Shura means to say that the Straight Path is the Path of Allah, to Whom belong the entire universe and whatever it contains, and this serves as an argument substantiating that the Straight Path is solely the one which leads toward God Almighty, while all other paths end in confusion and perdition.

Is there any path straighter than the one leading to the Originator of the world of existence? Is there any path smoother than the one leading to the Creator of the universe? Thus, God Almighty calls mankind towards true happiness and the only way leading to it is the one which is chosen by Him, since everything returns to Him.

From these Ayahs we learn the following points:

1. The prophets are Divinely guided, in order to be the instructors, guides, and leaders of mankind.
2. The holy Qur’an is the spirit of mankind and the light of guidance, provided the contents of this heavenly scripture are practically adhered to.
3. The holy Qur’an requires Godsend teachers and leaders, who are perfect role models themselves, to expound its teachings to mankind in order to avoid misinterpretation and confusion. This is the reason after the Prophet, his Immaculate Ahl al-Bayt are regarded as genuine teachers of the holy Qur’an.

RM/AS/MG