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 130 to 132 of Surah Saaffaat:

 “Peace be to Ilyāsin!”

“Thus indeed do We reward the virtuous”

“He is indeed one of Our faithful servants.”

Last week we said the nation unto to whom Prophet Ilyas was sent, belied him and his mission, by rejecting his admonitions and refusing to see the harm they were doing to their souls by worshipping idols, instead of worshipping the One and Only God of the whole universe. As a result of such unpardonable sins, the wrongdoers brought upon themselves divine punishment, while only the virtuous servants of God, were deserving of reward. As one of God’s devout servants, Ilyas has been ensured a lasting name in posterity.

The ayah that we recited to you now says in Arabic “Salaamun ala Ilyaseen”, which means peace of God upon Ilyaseen, which could be the Prophet Ilyas, in continuation of the previous ayahs about him, or, in accordance with an alternate reading narrated from several reliable transmitters of hadith and authorities on the holy Qur’an, it means “Salamun ala Aal-e Ya Seen”. In such a case the translation will be “Peace be upon the progeny of Ya Seen”, i.e. Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), who is referred to as Ya Seen in the Surah of the same name.

This reading is supported by the Prophet’s cousin Abdullah Ibn Abbas (in the exegesis ad-Durr al-Manthur) and by Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq and Imam Reza – respectively the 6^th and 8^th Infallible Successors of the Prophet of Islam.

In continuation the next two ayahs indicate how generously God rewards His virtuous and faithful servants, which means all those who strive in the path of God and do good work will reap the rich benefits of their selfless and sincere efforts.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God Himself salutes His Prophets and the virtuous amongst His servants.
2. The Prophet of Islam and his blessed progeny the Ahl al-Bayt have been specifically mentioned in the holy Qur’an as the recipients of the highest rewards for their matchless efforts that no other prophets could accomplish.
3. Anyone who sincerely and faithfully serves God will be generously rewarded.

Here are ayahs 133 to 136 of Surah Saaffaat:

“And indeed Lot was one of the prophets;”

“When We delivered him and all his family;”

“Except an old woman among those who remained behind.”

“Then We destroyed [all] the others.”

These ayahs refer to Prophet Lot and to the nation he was sent to guide, which was located somewhere between the Levant and Arabia on the strategic route of trade caravans. He was a relative of the great iconoclast Prophet Abraham and migrated with him from Mesopotamia.

These ayahs address the final part of the account of the sinful and ungrateful people who scoffed at Prophet Lot, refused to heed his guidelines, and indulged in abominable sins, such as sodomy. The result was the wrath of God Almighty, who before punishing the unrepentant and disbelieving sinners, delivered to safety the few believers including Prophet Lot. Divine affliction from heavens destroyed the sinners in their homes before they could reflect, and as is clear by the ayahs, one of Prophet Lot’s wives, who was disobedient to God’s commandment and was cooperating with the sinners, also perished when divine wrath struck the place. This means family relationship has no value if not based on faith in God.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Selective accounts from the exemplary life of the Prophets of the past have been mentioned in the holy Qur’an by God to serve as lessons for all generations in order to differentiate between truth and falsehood.
2. Family relationships do not determine the fate of humans, and it is only firm faith in God Almighty that ensures salvation.
3. The faithful followers of Prophets who may be from different social backgrounds or ethnicities, are considered part of the blessed family, while the erring wives of the Prophet or misled children are not considered “Ahl” or “Blessed Family”.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 137 and 138 of Surah Saffat:

“And indeed you pass by them at dawn”

“And at night. So do you not apply reason?”

These ayahs mean to say that after the descending of punishment on this people, those who passed the destroyed place saw how the inhabitants perished. It is strange that, after several thousand years, today's disbelievers are indulging in the same abominable sin of sodomy and lesbianism in the name of ill-defined freedom, oblivious of the fact that such unnatural practice will bring divine wrath upon them.

For example, today some people tend to have sex with animals and call for legalizing this unnatural practice! This is indeed not freedom, which means the whole concept of gay rights is nothing but inviting the wrath of God.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The ruins of the past civilizations serve as lessons for us.
2. Unnatural sexual behaviour brings divine wrath and is certainly not freedom.

AS/ME