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.

First we listen to or read ayahs 161 to 163 of Surah Saaffaat:

“Indeed you and what you worship,”

“—You cannot mislead [anyone] about Him,”

“Except someone who is bound for hell.”

In our last episode of ‘Path towards Enlightenment’ a fortnight ago, we talked about the false beliefs and superstitions of the idolaters about angels and the Jinn. The ayahs that we have recited means to say: You idolaters cannot mislead others with your false beliefs, because the rational persons and the faithful do not accept your words or fall victim to your unreasonable logic. Of course, those who have sold their souls to the devil, and who spurn all guidance and reason, might be deceived in view of the fact that they have set themselves on the suicidal course towards the fires of hell by ignoring the bounties and blessings of God all around.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God created man free and gave him the power of the intellect to choose the straight and unwavering path towards paradise, but unfortunately many people, instead of using these divine favours, fall prey to the temptations of the devil and end up in misery.  
2. We must guard our passions and keep them under full control in order not to commit sins on the assumption of enjoyment or cleverness.

Now we listen to or read ayahs 164 to 166 of Surah Saaffaat:

“There is none among us but has a known place”

“Indeed it is we who are the ranged ones.”

“Indeed it is we who are those who celebrate Allah’s glory.”

These ayahs are the words of the angels in response to the absurd beliefs of the polytheists who used to regard angels as daughters of God. As we explained in our earlier episodes of this series, the holy Qur’an rejects such blasphemous beliefs, by pointing out that the angels are neither male nor female, and that God Almighty is too Glorious to have the need of sons or daughters. In these ayahs, the angels mean to say that contrary that the Lord Most High has fixed their places and ranks, and set many of them in rows as worshippers in different postures of worship, glorifying God Almighty, without being disturbed or distracted because angels have no emotions and therefore immune to temptations.

 From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God governs the affairs of the entire universe, whether material or spiritual, and angels as instruments of Divine Will and Commandment have an important role to play in these affairs.
2. Angels, like all other species, are the creatures of God, assigned with their own particular duties, above the material world.

Now we listen to or read ayahs 167 to 170 of Surah Saaffaat:

“Indeed they used to say,”

“Had we possessed a reminder from the ancients,”

“We would surely have been Allah’s exclusive servants.”

“But they disbelieved it [when it came to them]. Soon they will know”

Before raised Prophet Mohammad (blessing of God upon him and his progeny) as His Last and Greatest Messenger with the universal message of Islam, the pagan Arabs used to tell the Jews and Christians living on the Arabian Peninsula, that if God were to send to us a prophet and a book, we will also believe in him and follow him.

These ayahs mean to say that when God sent them the Prophet and that too the Greatest One with the heavenly scripture called the Qur’an in order to guide them, most of the Arabs refused to acknowledge his divine mission, created obstacles for him, conspired to kill him, called him a sorcerer and imposed armed battles upon him. So these deniers will see the result of their work soon.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. God has sent prophets and heavenly books to guide mankind so that no one will have excuse to indulge in polytheism and atheism, or to blame God for neglecting them.
2. There are many hypocrites who claim to accept religion, but in practice they do not accept the truth and oppose religion.

AS/ME