Welcome to our weekly program "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 with ayahs 3 and 4 of Surah Fatir.

 “O mankind! Remember Allah’s blessing upon you! Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky and the earth? There is no god except Him. So where do you stray?”

“If they belie you, certainly [other] prophets were belied before you, and all matters are returned to Allah.”

Last week, we talked about the infinity of Divine Mercy. The ayahs that we recited to you now point to the Oneness of God, except Whom there is no other deity, and He Alone Who provides sustenance for all creatures. The ayah stimulates our thoughts to think properly. Who and where is the main origin of all these favours, merits, and blessings that are available in the earth and are showered from the sky? Who is the Provider of all these blessings in the wonderful world of creation that makes life interesting? Could there be any other creator, except Allah, Who provides sustenance from the heaven and the earth? Who sends the life-giving light of the sun, the enlivening drops of rain, and the pleasant breezes from the atmosphere? And Who has created minerals and treasures of the earth, the foodstuffs, kinds of plants, vegetables, fruits and other blessings that come from the earth for us?

Now when we know that Allah, the One and Only, is the Creator and Originator of all these blessings, then do know that there is no object of worship except He, and worshipping is eligible only for His Pure Essence. In other words, we ought not to go astray by ascribing partners to God or worshipping objects and the imagination of warped minds.

The next ayah tells Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) to be steadfast in the face of the accusations of the pagans, in view of the fact that disbelievers throughout history had opposed the emissaries of God and tried to belie them and their mission. As a matter of fact, denying the truth is among the characteristics of the pagans and disbelievers. The ayah though addressed to the Prophet has a message for believers in all places and eras to be firm and steadfast on the path of truth against the wild accusations of the disbelievers without being discouraged or disappointed.

Everything returns to God and is up to Him in view of the divine promise of the Day of Resurrection and the final judgement, which ought to remove any anxiety from the believers. Since the entire deeds of all mankind and creature are recorded and preserved for that Great Day, there is no room for anxiety any more for the believers.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Cognizance of Divine Blessings is safeguard against disbelief and deviation.
2. God, the One and Only, is the Provider of all sustenance.
3. Belief in the Day of Resurrection removes anxiety, and the believers should never be discouraged or frustrated because of the accusations of the disbelievers, who are always opposed to the truth.

Now we listen to ayah 5 of Surah Fatir:

 “O mankind! Allah’s promise is indeed true. So do not let the life of the world deceive you, nor let the Deceiver deceive you concerning Allah.”

The preceding ayahs addressed God's Oneness in creativity and providing sustenance, as well as the subject of prophecy. This ayah refers to God's promises of resurrection and says: All that is promised on the Day of Judgment, the day of resurrection, Paradise for the virtuous and Hell for the wicked are all truth. So be careful and do not let the life of the world deceive you and make you ignore the Hereafter, because of the temptations of Satan the Deceiver, who lures people into sin and makes them delay seeking repentance in the Divine Court, although God is All-Merciful towards the penitents.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. One of the acts of Satan for tempting human beings to commit sin is to make a person hopeful of divine mercy, while the condition for forgiveness from God is repentance and regret, not willingness to commit sin.
2. If Satan deceives the unbelievers with the glamor of the world, he tempts believers to commit sin by making them hopeful of God's forgiveness.

Now we listen to ayah 6 of Surah Fatir:

 “Satan is indeed your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his confederates so that they may be among the inmates of the Blaze.”

This ayah warns all human beings, especially the believers of the deceit and temptations of the Satan, the archenemy of mankind who ought to be recognized as the avowed enemy of the children of Adam. He always misleads human beings and traps people in sin, rejection of truth, disobedience of God, and worship of idols, by exposing them to the glamour and dazzle of material life. It is not that Satan has power over us or forces us to sin. No, but it is our weakness of will and inability to resist the temptations of the devil that make us fall into Satan’s traps that ultimately lead to the eternal blaze of hell.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. It is important to recognize the real enemy, who uses beguile to deceive us and who on no account will be a well-wisher, irrespective of the tact he uses to tempt us.
2. Satan has sworn to be the archenemy of mankind, ever since he disobeyed God’s command to prostrate to the Father of the human race, at the dawn of human creation.
3. The deceptions of the world, which Satan uses to lure mankind away from the truth and Godly virtues are being proud of rank, wealth, power, position, and all kinds of lusts and carnal desires that he presents as attractive and full of pleasure.

AS/MG