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November 11, 2012

Morning Class

Characteristics of Muttaqin in Surah e Al Imran

Virtues of Surah Baqara and Al Imran:

Prophet Muhammad emphasized the importance of Surah e Al Imran and its virtues

together with Surah e Baqara both. Why these two surah together? Based on Surah e Fatiha

which talks about and then the Surah is telling

us about

then when we

look at Surah e Baqara describing about Banu Israel,

people who have knowledge and not acting upon the knowledge deliberately. Surah e Al

imran is talking about the people who do not have the knowledge but they do ibadah and are

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the misguided one . So looking at this introduction we can see the relationship

between these 3 surahs.

Virtue of the two Surah in the Hadith: 1

An-Nawwas said: The Prophet set three examples for these two Surahs and I did not

forget these examples ever since. He said: They will come like two clouds, two dark shades

or two lines of birds arguing on behalf of their people. [Musnad Ahmad, Number

17185, Hasan] It was also recorded in Sahih Muslim and At-Tirmidhi narrated this Hadith,

which he considered good but peculiar.

Ayah 14 & 15

To understand the characteristics and rewards of Muttaqin mentioned in Ayah 15 and

onwards, understanding and elaborating Ayah 14 is required.

1 A separate document attached with the detailed Hadith from Ibn e Kathir

http://www.faithinallah.org/ibn-kathir-the-virtues-of-surah-al-baqarah-and-surah-ali-imran/

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Looking at these two Ayahs together, it makes clear the characteristics of the desires people

have in this world and then the rewards for the people who do not indulge in the worldly

desires mentioned in Ayah 14 and only desire Allah love and pleasure.

Starting with the description of the desires of this world Ayah 14 lists different types of

desires people have in this world.

Means to be beautified; it’s a passive tense from which means to be

beautiful. Allah made them beautified and being loved – for whom?

for people; Allah beautified things in this world and people attach their hearts to

these things instead of understanding the reality of these desires.

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love of desires – the love which

goes to the heart not the itself but the

love of it.

can be means instinct or it

can be nature/characteristics. The

summary of all this is

Greatest desires of duniya

The following is a list of all the desires of this world

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1. Not the but - from the nisa meaning from the women’ – Hadith –

Prophet Muhammad said that after me the biggest fitnah will be the women2

when they beautify themselves and don’t take care of their manners in front of men –

(that’s why hijab is prescribed on women). The enemies of Islam work on two things –

women and teen agers – because these two if stray then cause great fitnah and trial.

2. Al baneen – children generally and specifically the boys

3. from the treasures of gold and silver. Like Qintar is piled up

abundant amounts.

4 branded beautiful horses. horses and beautiful branded

5. the cattle; which can be camel, goats and cows etc

and comes from which means walking; people love

them for the food.

6. plantation , gardens ; farms

2 Ibn Kathir said: “Allah mentions the delights that He put in this life for people, such as women and

children, and he started with women, because the test with them is more tempting. For instance, in the Sahih,

it is recorded that the Messenger (sall Allah `alaihi wa sallam) said: ‘I did not leave behind a test more

tempting to men than women.’

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Different people love different things; not all the things desired by everyone but these things

are generally desired by human beings. These are the six important desires of this world. May

be there are more things desired but these the most important ones.

Then after mentioning these things Allah is telling us that it is Mata’a – something

you enjoy for a short time but it is not there forever – then either

the people die , leaving behind all the desires of this world to be enjoyed by

other people , or the things go away . Nothing of this world remains forever, that’s

why it is said it will not remain – it will go away.

Allah is saying enjoy it for short time but don’t forget that with Allah is the goodly

reward and is better than this duniya and all its beautified things. The

good return or abode is with Allah the reward which is for the believers is

with Allah – better than all of this worldly goods.

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What to do? After looking at these desires of the world we can distinguish between two types

of people.

1. People making this life their prime and primary concern – running

after the desires – duniya is their goal – they feel attached with the duniya – hearts

occupied with duniya day and night – they are the dispraised one.

2. they take the duniya as a bridge for going towards the akhira – they are

the praised ones – they use duniya just as a means for the akhira – these people

understand the facts that the duniya and its desires are just tests of this duniya -

using these means just outside but forsaking in their hearts – their hearts are

occupied with the love of Allah – because they know their hearts belong to Allah

– Allah said these things are just the enjoyment of this duniya but the abode with

Allah is far better

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Ayah is good for 2 groups of peoples. Gives comfort to people who are deprived (poor) in

this world that this world is a temporary place and the permanent abode is with

Allah so look forward for the pleasure of your Lord and this Ayah is also a warning for

the rich that the worldly comforts all belong to Allah and they have been

given to you for temporary period of these so do not indulge in the love of these but keep

Allah as your prime pleasure. This ayah makes us love the hereafter and get attached to it

and make attempts for a successful ending instead of desiring for the worldly goods.

November 13, 2012 - continuation

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Allah addressing the Prophet that shall I tell you something which is far better than

all the desires mentioned in the last Ayah. What is the thing better than all of that?

The are the ones who are guarding themselves from and do not follow their desires

from:

1. To be indulged in the duniya;

2. Occupying their hearts and busy with it;

3. Did not make the duniya their goal in life.

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What do they have, which Allah has promised

them which are better than the previous delights?

Which Allah has preserved for them ,

these rewards and neighborhood of Allah in the

hereafter .

What is the promise of Allah ? Allah promising 4 rewards:

1. by itself jinnat means a garden which is hidden, where the

trees cover it to beautify it; gardens beneath which rivers flow; rivers which human

mind cannot encompass their beauty, Allah has preserved them for the .

And the rivers will have so many different pure tastes like pure water, honey and wine

but which will not make them feel bad; but it will be refreshing and purified.

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2. For the Muttaqin who are not interested in indulging in the desires of this life the

second promise of Allah is an abode which is far better than this world where the

Muttaqin will forever.

Means to settle in a place and dwell there forever ; we are never

settled in this life; that is in the Jannah which they would never leave, it will

be their permanent abode . The desires mentioned in the last Ayah was only in

this world and which will go away with the life of this world; Muttaqin do not lose their faith

because of these desires, they are always concerned about the permanent life where Allah

has promised much greater rewards than this world and which will be there forever and

not temporary like the desires. This is by itself a reward.

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3. Allah will purify all the people of the Jannah and everybody will have a purified

partner; nobody will be alone in the paradise. It’s really a perfect life because they will

be the dwellers of Paradise – the place of the purified ones.

Means being purified – how? In this duniya we need to purify our self by abstaining

from sins, repenting, doing constant istaghfar, going back to Allah , seeking Allah

help to enable us to do all this, being patient in this world on some calamity and taking it as

Qadrullah. All these are means of purification. The people of the paradise will not be pure

like angels on the Day of Judgement but they will be purified of their sins and sicknesses of

their hearts by Allah Subhana Allah. Nobody will go without being purified in the

Paradise. If the purification was not attained in this world then the believers will be purified

of their sins in their graves, if it is not there then on the Day of Judgement when they are

facing the difficulties. These are the purification channels for the believers; all the difficulties

of accountability, Siraat and in the end they will be purified and then they will go to paradise.

Two types of purification:

Inner side - regarding their hearts; sicknesses of the heart like jealousy, envy,

arrogance or hatred; they will be purified from these sicknesses so try to acquire the sifaat of

the people of the paradise in this life Subhan Allah

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Outer side – regarding their manners and appearance

So they will be really perfect in their inner as well as outer appearance, every one themselves

and their partners. In this life no one is perfect whether inside or outside. Women will not

have any menstruation, no call of nature for any one.

4. The 4th one is more than any other pleasure which is obtaining the pleasure of Allah

. Allah will be pleased with them and will never be angry with them

and this is the greatest delight . By knowing

Allah we get the knowledge of the attributes of Allah and that makes us long for

pleasure of Allah , which Allah has kept for the Muttaqin.

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And in the end of Ayah Allah is telling about Himself that He is that

Allah is all-seer of His creation; He knows what the people have in their hearts,

actions, utterances everything. The name mentioned here is the All-seer. Mentioned

about the Muttaqin and their rewards and then the name of Allah here shows that Allah

knows our hearts and our struggle so make your goal high to obtain Allah pleasure.

Allah knows the good and the bad qualities of all His creation. Allah

deals with His creation according to the qualities of His creation. Seeking Allah

guidance to remove the bad qualities and attain taqwa and being successful in the hereafter

should be the prime objective of the life of a believer; Allah guides whomever He

wills according to His perfect knowledge and wisdom.

And this paradise is for the ones who deserve it and they are the

, Allah knows everything hidden in our hearts, our struggle, our intentions

Subhan Allah.