Pars Today

Welcome to our weekly episode of “Path towards Enlightenment”, which is an endeavour to make you and us familiar with an easy and fluent explanation of God’s Final Scripture to all mankind, the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Last and Greatest of all Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

Last week we completed explanation of “Surah Mumtahanah” and from this Friday onwards we embark on explanation of the next Surah, that is, “Surah Saff”, which is number 61 in the serial order of compilation of the holy Qur’an.

It has 14 Ayahs and was revealed in Medina. It declares God’s love of all those believers who maintain the solid ranks or unity in selflessly and fearlessly defending Islam against aggression. Its name is derived from Ayah 4, in which the word “Saff” or “ranks” occurs. The surah encourages the believers to stick together in support of God’s cause and criticizes those who broke their word and those who argued against the faith. Moses and Jesus are cited as examples of prophets whose communities became fragmented: the rebellious were left to stray and the faithful granted success. The rewards of those who strive in God’s cause are described in some detail in Ayah 11.

It is narrated from the Prophet’s 5^th Infallible Heir, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS) that whoever recites Surah Saff in his obligatory and supererogatory prayers, God Almighty will place him in the ranks of the angels and Prophets, however, such ranks will be for those who act upon Qur’anic injunctions.

We now invite you to listen to Ayahs 1, 2, and 3 of the Surah

“Whatever there is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”

“O you who have faith! Why do you say what you do not do?”

“It is greatly outrageous to Allah that you should say what you do not do.”

This Surah, like a few other ones, begins with glorification of Allah and stresses the fact that the entire creation enjoys perception and glorifies the Almighty Creator, Who is Omnipotent and All-Wise.

Although these Ayahs were revealed concerning armed jihad and desertion from the Battle of Ohud by Muslims of weak faith, the Divine Words never restrict the broad contextual message of the Holy Qur’an which is for all times. Consequently, any vain word deserves censure and rebuke, be it in terms of steadfastness in battlefield or any other positive and constructive act. The proof faith is action. Some people utter empty words in friendly get-togethers but they fail to act upon their words when it is necessary to take action. One of the significant tokens of true believers is that their words and deeds are totally in harmony and the more one distances from such principles, the more such a person distances from faith.

These Ayahs teach us that:

1. According to the Islamic worldview, the entire universe has a certain kind of perception and everything glorifies the Almighty Creator.
2. Mere claim of faith is not enough and deeds are required to prove conviction.
3. Allah is aware of all those who think they can deceive Him.

Now let us listen to Ayah 4 of the same Surah in conclusion of this week’s episode:

“Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks, as if they were a compact structure.”

The previous Ayahs referred to those whose words do not comply with their deeds, while this Ayah says that those who keep their words, even in the case of armed Jihad in defence of Islam and humanitarian values, are endeared by God. The purpose of armed Jihad in Islam is not seizure of lands or the resources and wealth of others. It is preserve faith, virtue, and prevention of vice and domination by the enemies. Obviously, differences among Muslims and discord in their ranks embolden the enemies to launch aggression. Therefore, this Ayah emphasizes on unity among the faithful, by saying that the Almighty loves those who risk their life in His Cause like a structure of iron and an edifice of steel.

From this Ayah we learn that:

1. Those who strive sincerely in the cause of Islam and humanitarian values, even in the case of armed struggle or Jihad earn God’s endearment.
2. All ethnic, class, lingual, and sectarian differences should be put aside while confronting the enemy.

AS/MG