Iron
Al-Ḥadîd
الحَدید
LEARNING POINTS
This Surah is an invitation to everyone to have true faith in Allah and to stand up for His cause.
The believers are told that they should not be too sad when something bad happens to them, and they should not be too happy when something good happens to them, because this life is no more than a test.
Everyone will be rewarded or punished in the next life based on their actions and choices in this world.
The hypocrites are warned of a horrible punishment in the next life.
Allah has great knowledge and power.
ALLAH'S KNOWLEDGE AND POWER
1Whatever is in the heavens and the earth praises Allah, for He is the Almighty and Wise. 2The kingdom of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him alone'. He gives life and causes death. And He has power over all things 3He is the First and Last, the Most High and Most Near, and He has perfect knowledge of all things. 4He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then established Himself on the Throne. He knows whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes out of it, and whatever comes down from the sky and whatever goes up into it. And He is with you wherever you are. And Allah sees everything you do. 5The kingdom of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him 'alone'. And all matters go back to Allah. 6He enters the night into day and the day into night. And He knows best what is 'hidden' in the hearts.
سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ 1لَهُۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ يُحۡيِۦ وَيُمِيتُۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٌ 2هُوَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُ وَٱلۡأٓخِرُ وَٱلظَّٰهِرُ وَٱلۡبَاطِنُۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ 3هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَمَا يَعۡرُجُ فِيهَاۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٞ 4لَّهُۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرۡجَعُ ٱلۡأُمُورُ 5يُولِجُ ٱلَّيۡلَ فِي ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ ٱلنَّهَارَ فِي ٱلَّيۡلِۚ وَهُوَ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ6
SUPPORTING ALLAH'S CAUSE
7Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and donate from whatever wealth He has trusted you with. So those of you who be- lieve and donate will receive a huge re- Ward.
ءَامِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَأَنفِقُواْ مِمَّا جَعَلَكُم مُّسۡتَخۡلَفِينَ فِيهِۖ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَأَنفَقُواْ لَهُمۡ أَجۡرٞ كَبِيرٞ7
WHY D0 YOU NOT BELIEVE?
8Why do you not believe in Allah while the Messenger is inviting you to have faith in your Lord, although He has already taken a pledge from you,' if you will ever Believe, 9He is the One Who sends down clear revelations to His servant'Muham- mad to bring you out of darkness and into light. Surely Allah is always Kind and Most Merciful to you.
وَمَا لَكُمۡ لَا تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولُ يَدۡعُوكُمۡ لِتُؤۡمِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمۡ وَقَدۡ أَخَذَ مِيثَٰقَكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ 8هُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِهِۦٓ ءَايَٰتِۢ بَيِّنَٰتٖ لِّيُخۡرِجَكُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُمۡ لَرَءُوفٞ رَّحِيمٞ9
WHY DO YOU NOT DONATE?
10And why should you not spend in the cause of Allah, when the heavens and the earth belong to Allah after all? Those of you who donated and fought before the victory "over Makkah' have no equal in reward'. They are far higher in rank than those who donated and fought af- terwards. Yet Allah has promised each a great reward. And Allah is fully Aware of what you do.
وَمَا لَكُمۡ أَلَّا تُنفِقُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَٰثُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ لَا يَسۡتَوِي مِنكُم مَّنۡ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبۡلِ ٱلۡفَتۡحِ وَقَٰتَلَۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَعۡظَمُ دَرَجَةٗ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنفَقُواْ مِنۢ بَعۡدُ وَقَٰتَلُواْۚ وَكُلّٗا وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرٞ10
A GENEROUS REWARD FOR THE GENEROUS
11Who is it that will give Allah a good loan which He will multiply for them, and they will have a generous reward? 12On that Day you will see believing men and women with their light shining in front of them and on their right. "They will be told," "Today you have good news of Gar- dens, under which rivers flow, "for you' to stay in forever. This is truly' the greatest Success.
مَّن ذَا ٱلَّذِي يُقۡرِضُ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا فَيُضَٰعِفَهُۥ لَهُۥ وَلَهُۥٓ أَجۡرٞ كَرِيمٞ 11يَوۡمَ تَرَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِ يَسۡعَىٰ نُورُهُم بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَبِأَيۡمَٰنِهِمۖ بُشۡرَىٰكُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ جَنَّٰتٞ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَاۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ12
WORDS OF WISDOM
Munafig ('hypocrite' in Arabic) comes from the root na-fa-qa, which literally means 'for a des-ert rat to dig a tunnel (nafaq) with two holes, one as an entrance and the other as a hiddenexit to avoid being trapped. A hypocrite is a person with two faces, who pretends to be your friend but speaks and plots against you behind your back.
Makkí surahs don't talk about hypocrites because they didn't exist in Makkah. If someone didn't like the early Muslims (when they were few in number), they were not afraid to abuse and mock them in public. When the Muslim community became strong in Madinah, their enemies didn't dare abuse or mock them openly. They pretended to be part of the Muslim community, but worked against Islam and the Muslims in secret. This is why many Madani surahs (like this surah) talk about hypocrites, their attitude towards the Muslim community, and their punishment on Judgnent Day.
HYPOCRITES LOST IN DARKNESS
13On that Day, hypocrite men and wom- en will beg the believers, "Wait for us so that we may have some of your light." It will be said 'mockingly', "Go back "to the world' and search for a light 'there!" Then a 'separating' wall with a gate will be put up between them. On the near side will be mercy and on the far side will be Punishment. 14Those "hypocrites who will be punished will cry to those 'be- lievers who will enjoy mercy, "Were we not with you?" They will reply, "Yes 'you were'. But you chose to be tested by hy- pocrisy', waited 'to see bad things happen to us', doubted 'the truth', and were de- ceived by false hopes until Allah's order "of your death' came. And 'so' the Biggest Deceiver' fooled you about Allah. 15So Today no bribe will be accepted from you 'hypocrites' or from the disbelievers 'to stop the punishment'. Your home is the Fire--it is the 'only' proper place for you. What an evil destination!"
يَوۡمَ يَقُولُ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقُونَ وَٱلۡمُنَٰفِقَٰتُ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱنظُرُونَا نَقۡتَبِسۡ مِن نُّورِكُمۡ قِيلَ ٱرۡجِعُواْ وَرَآءَكُمۡ فَٱلۡتَمِسُواْ نُورٗاۖ فَضُرِبَ بَيۡنَهُم بِسُورٖ لَّهُۥ بَابُۢ بَاطِنُهُۥ فِيهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَةُ وَظَٰهِرُهُۥ مِن قِبَلِهِ ٱلۡعَذَابُ 13يُنَادُونَهُمۡ أَلَمۡ نَكُن مَّعَكُمۡۖ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّكُمۡ فَتَنتُمۡ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَتَرَبَّصۡتُمۡ وَٱرۡتَبۡتُمۡ وَغَرَّتۡكُمُ ٱلۡأَمَانِيُّ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ أَمۡرُ ٱللَّهِ وَغَرَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلۡغَرُورُ 14فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ لَا يُؤۡخَذُ مِنكُمۡ فِدۡيَةٞ وَلَا مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْۚ مَأۡوَىٰكُمُ ٱلنَّارُۖ هِيَ مَوۡلَىٰكُمۡۖ وَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ15
SIDE STORY
According to a fictional story, there was a scientist who did experiments on frogs. One day, tried to put a frog into a pan with hot water, the frog felt the heat and jumped out immedi- ately. But later, he filled the pan with regular water from the tap, put the frog inside the pan, then placed it on the stove at a very low temperature. Then he turned up the heat slowly. The frog didn't jumnp out, but started to adjust its body temperature to the rising heat. Finally, the frog was slowly boiled to death.
WORDS OF WISDOM
Sometimes hearts become rusty, especially when we get used to something good or bad. When we do something good for the first time, we get very excited. Then if we do it many times, we usually get bored. The same thing happens when we do something wrong for the first time. We feel so bad about it that we can't sleep at night. But if we do this bad thing over and over, then we don't feel bad anymore. A good person would refuse to rob a bank. But if you convince them to steal a pencil and they get used to steal- ing, one thing leads to another, and eventually they wouldn't feel bad about robbing a bank. This applies to many things, including smoking cigarettes and doing drugs. We can all take a lesson from 'the boiling frog experiment.
This explains why Allah is asking us not to get close to evil, because once we get used to it, it becomes easy to fall deeper into it. For example, Allah says (6:151), "Do not come close to evil deeds," and (17:34), "Do not come close to the money of orphans," and (17:32), "Do not come close to illegal relationships." Prophet Adam A was told (2:35), "Do not come close to the forbidden tree" WNe don't know for sure when Adam A ended up eating from the tree, but most likely it was not on the same day he received the order from Allah. Maybe on day 2 Shaytan whispered to him A to look at that tree from a distance to see how beautiful it was. Then maybe on day 3 Shaytan told him , "Come close! It won't bite, I promise" Then rmaybe on day 4 he told him to touch the fruit. And finally, perhaps Adam ate from the tree on day 5.
BACKGROUND STORY
According to some scholars, the following passage was revealed after the Prophet's compan. ions moved to Madinah. Soon, some of them got used to comfortable living and started to do things routinely and joke around. So, the next two verses came down, asking them to take their faith as seriously as they did in Makkah. They are also told that Allah is able to renew faith in their hearts through the Quran just like He gives life to the earth through rain. (Recorded by Imam Muslim & Imam lbn Kathir}
HARD HEARTS
16Has the time not yet come for believ- ers' hearts to be humbled at the remem- brance of Allah and what has been re- vealed of the truth, and not be like those given the Book beforethose' who were spoiled for so long that their hearts be- came hard? And many of them are 'still" troublemakers. 17Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death. We have definitely made the signs clear for you so maybe you will understand.
۞ أَلَمۡ يَأۡنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَن تَخۡشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمۡ لِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبۡلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡأَمَدُ فَقَسَتۡ قُلُوبُهُمۡۖ وَكَثِيرٞ مِّنۡهُمۡ فَٰسِقُونَ 16ٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحۡيِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَاۚ قَدۡ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ ١٧17
Verse 16: they no longer obey allah,and always break his rules
reward of the faithful
18Surely those men and women who give charity and give Allah a good loan will have it multiplied for them, and they will have a generous reward. 19'As for" those who believe in Allah and His messen- gers, it is they who are 'truly' the peo- ple of truth. And those who lost their life 'standing up for Allah' will have their re- ward and their light with their Lord. But "as for' those who disbelieve and reject Our signs, it is they who will be the peo- ple of Hell.
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَٱلۡمُصَّدِّقَٰتِ وَأَقۡرَضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا يُضَٰعَفُ لَهُمۡ وَلَهُمۡ أَجۡرٞ كَرِيمٞ 18وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦٓ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلصِّدِّيقُونَۖ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءُ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ لَهُمۡ أَجۡرُهُمۡ وَنُورُهُمۡۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بَِٔايَٰتِنَآ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ19
SIDE STORY
Aman was walking in the jungle on a sunny day when he saw an angry lion rushing towards him. The man began to run away, and soon he found a well in front of him, so he jumped inside and landed in a big bucket hanging by a rope. The man was happy that he was now safe from the lion, but when he looked at the bot- tom of the well, he saw a snake that was big enough to swallow him up. To make things worse, two mice-one black and one white-climbed up the rope and started chewing on it. The man freaked out, but he couldn't go up because of the lion or down because of the snake. So he started to swing right and left in horror. However, he noticed a honeycomb on the side of the well. He tasted the honey and found it so sweet. So, he completely forgot about the lion, the snake, and the mice and continued to eat the honey. Sudden- ly, he woke up. It turned out that it was a nightmare. He asked an Imam about the meaning of his dream, and the Imam said, "The lion is the Angel of Death, the snake is your grave, and the two mice are the day and night, chewing on your life." The man then asked, "What about the honey?" The Imam said, "This is just the illusion of enjoyment in this world."
A family bought a sheep for sacrifice a month before Eid Al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice). The kids loved him so much. They named him (Zizo. They kept him in their toy room, set up a nice bed for him, and made him feel very special. Every day, they gave Zizo a bubble bath, and played funny cartoons for him. They even reserved a seat for him at the table, and served him all the food that he loved. On the day of Eid, they returned home from salah, and stood with Zizo on the balcony. They started watching their neighbours as they took their sheep away for sacrifice. Zizo looked at those sheep and felt sad. The kids asked Zizo why he was not happy, and he said, Be- cause everyone has got a sheep to sacrifice, except us! .
According to verses 20-21 of this surah, many people get distracted by the life of this world. So. they totally forget who they are and what they are here for .
WORDS OF WISDOM
According to verse 21, once we understand the purpose of life, we will work hard, think big and aim high.
1.The Prophet said, When you pray to Allah for Jan-noh, ask for Al-Firdaws, which is the best and highest place in Paradise. {Recorded by Imam Al-Bukhari} If you aim for Al-Firdaws and miss, you will land some-where close to the top. But if you aim for the bottom of Jannah and miss, you will be in big trouble. In the same way, if you are a student and you aim for A+ and miss, you might get A-. But if your aim is B- and miss, you might get an F..
2.Set goals for yourself. Try to learn new skills even for 10-15 minutes every day. For example, from January to April, try to learn typing; from May to August, try to learn coding; and so on. Learning a second language (especially the language of your parents) is a great investment. If you are today what you were 5 years ago, you will be like a student who spent 5 years in grade 4.
3. With that in mind, you should try to leave a legacy-something that yo 2re good at, which benefits others and for which you will be remembered. For exarmpl, bu Bakr was known for his sincerity, Omar for his justice, Othman for his generosity, Ali for his courage, lbn Abbas for his knowledge, Khadijah for her kindness, and so on.
Let's take a look at some Muslims who left a great legacy
.1Sa'd ibn Mu'az, one of the great companions of the Prophet s who fully supportedIslam in Madinah, was only 36 years old when he died. The Prophet said that 70,000 angels came down for his funeral. (Recorded by Imam An-Nasa'i}
2Imam An-Nawawi, one of the greatest scholars of Islam, who wrote many books includ- ing The 40 Nawawis and Riyad Aş-Şaliheen, was only 45 when he died.
3.Sibawaih, the great master of Arabic grammar, died at the age of 32.
.4.Although Muhammad Şiddeeq Al-Minshawy died in 1969 at the age of 49, he is still one of the best reciters of the Quran of all time.
.In Surah 68 (Al-Qalam), you are going to read about Malcolm X (one of the greatest Muslim leaders in American history), who died in 1965 at the age of 39.
..Aboul-Qacem Echebbi (pronounced: Abul-Qasim Ash-Shaabbi) is the greatest poet in the history of Tunisia, The Tunisian national anthem was written by him. He was only 2 when he died in 1934.
.One thing all these great people had in common: they didn't count the years; they made the years count.
.4. What is your legacy? Volunteering? Giving sadaqah? Praying your salah on time? Feeding the poor? Caring for orphans? Doing your best at school? Your legacy with Allah can something small that you do regularly such as holding the door open for others, and puta a smile on people's faces.
SIDE STORY
This is the story of a boy who was born in a small village in Egypt. He was not supposed to goto school, just like the rest of his family and other farmers in the village. His mother put up a big fight to send him to school. With no school in his village, he had to walk one hour to school and one hour back every day. Although he was the top student in his class, his dad always asked him to leave school and help in the farm. But he never gave up. He completed his mem- orization of the Quran at the age of 12. After high school, he moved to college in Cairo to study Islam in English at the best Islamic school in the world, Al-Azhar. But there was one little prob- lem: his English was horrible. In high school, they had taught him to pronounce 'stomach' as / stoo-mutch/, 'delicious' as /dilik-wass/, and 'experience' as /ex-appea-rans/. Some of his class- mates made fun of his accent. One day, he decided to do something about it. He asked one of the top students in his class, Mr. M., if they could talk in English for 10 minutes every day. Mr. M. said, Nol Your English is too bad. Hopeless case! That night, this village boy prayed before he went to bed, O Allah! You are the Lord of the whole universe. You created the heavens and the earth. So, please make English easy for me. And I promise l'll use it to teach people about Islam. Every day, he did everything he could to learn English. Four years later, he graduated with honours, ranking the top student in the entire English department. Mr. M. couldn't pass, so he had to do the test again. Shortly after, the village boy was appointed as a lecturer of Is-lamic studies in English at Al-Azhar University. He later got his master's and Ph.D., the highest degrees in the field. He then moved to North America to teach both Muslims and non-Mus-lims about Islam. His translation, The Clear Quran, has made the Book of Allah accessible to milions through- out the world. It is believed to be the first translation of the Quran ever completed and published in Canadian history. If you are holding this book right now, then you are reading one of his books.:
SHORT LIFE VS. ETERNAL LIFE
20Know that the life of this world is no more than play, entertainment, fancy liy- ing, showing off to each other, and com- petition in wealth and children. This is like rain that causes plants to grow, mak- ing the planters happy. But later those plants dry up and you see them turn yel- low, then they crumble to pieces. And in the Next Life there will be either severe punishment or forgiveness and good pleasure of Allah, whereas the life of this world is no more than the illusion of en- joyment. 21So' compete with each other for forgiveness from your Lord and a Jan- nah as huge as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers. This is the favour of Allah. He gives it to whoever He wants. And Allah is the Lord of great blessings.
ٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا لَعِبٞ وَلَهۡوٞ وَزِينَةٞ وَتَفَاخُرُۢ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَتَكَاثُرٞ فِي ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰلِ وَٱلۡأَوۡلَٰدِۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيۡثٍ أَعۡجَبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصۡفَرّٗا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَٰمٗاۖ وَفِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ عَذَابٞ شَدِيدٞ وَمَغۡفِرَةٞ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَٰنٞۚ وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ 20سَابِقُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ مَغۡفِرَةٖ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرۡضُهَا كَعَرۡضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ أُعِدَّتۡ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤۡتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلۡفَضۡلِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ21
SIDE STORY
Once upon a time, an old man was picked up from the road and rushed to the hospital in a critical condition. He opened his eyes in the operating room and saw the doctors and nurses in panic because they didn't know anything about him-his name, blood type, or medical history. To reassure them, he lifted his oxygen mask and whispered, "Be positive!" several times. After he died, the doctors and nurses always appreciated the fact that he wanted them to be positive. OnlY after his funeral did they realize that he was not actually telling them to be positive-he was just trying to tell them his blood type, B+.
WORDS OF WISDOM
This world is not Jannah. So, you should expect both good and bad things to happen to you. If you think you shouldn't be tested because you are a good person, then you will be like a man who expects a bull to not attack him because he is vegetarian!
We should learn from the tests that Allah puts us through. Every time a pencil experiences a painful sharpening, it makes it write better.
We will be tested with wealth and health as well as poverty and sickness. These tests show who we truly are. If you squeeze a Tresh orange, you will get orange juice, because this is what is inside. But if you squeeze a rotten tomato, all you will get is stinky juice. Now, what comes out when lite squeezes you? Patience, courage, generosity, and gratitude, or anger, fear, selfish- ness, and jealousy? What comes out is what is really inside our hearts.
SIDE STORY
The Prophet had 3 sons and 4 daughters. All of them died during his life, except for his daughter Fațimah . He also lost his dear wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib, and faced many other challenges and hardships. Still, his companions said, "By Allah! We never saw anyone who smiled more than him "{Recorded by Imam At-Tirmizi}
There was a king who always went hunting with his best as-sistant named Şadiq. The king realized that every time some- thing bad happened, Şadiq would smile and say, No problem. Maybe it's a good thing. One day they went hunting, and the king cut off his finger by mistake. As usual, Şadiq smiled and said, No problem. Maybe it's a good thing. The king, who was in pain, became very angry. After returning to the pal- ace, he ordered his guards to throw Şadiq in jail. Again, Şadiq smiled and said, No problem. Maybe it's a good thing. Later, the king went hunting all by himself, and was kidnapped by a group of people in the jungle. They wanted to offer him as a human sacrifice, but they quickly released him because his missing finger made him unsuitable for sacrifice. He returned to the palace with a smile on his face, and ordered the release of Şadiq. The king asked him, I now understand why my cut fingerwas good for me, but how was your jail good for you? Sadig replied, if i went with you, they would have sacrificed me in your place, because I don't have a missing finger!
The following passage teaches us to be grateful in good times and patient in difficult times. Decause we trust that Allah does what is best for us.
EVERYTHING IS WRITTEN
22Whatever disaster 'or blessing' happens on earth or in yourselves is already 'written' in a heavenly Book before We bring it into reality. This is definitely easy for Allah 23"We let you know this' so that you do not feel too sad over what you have missed or too happy over what He has given you. And Allah does not like any arrogant, show-off- 24those who are not willing to give and stop others from giving. And whoever turns away 'should know that' Allah is not in need and He deserves praise.
مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٖ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَا فِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ إِلَّا فِي كِتَٰبٖ مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن نَّبۡرَأَهَآۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٞ 22لِّكَيۡلَا تَأۡسَوۡاْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمۡ وَلَا تَفۡرَحُواْ بِمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخۡتَالٖ فَخُورٍ 23ٱلَّذِينَ يَبۡخَلُونَ وَيَأۡمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلۡبُخۡلِۗ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡغَنِيُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ24
WORDS OF WISDOM
According to verse 25, Allah sent prophets and revelations to establish justice on earth. Now, the reason why there is so much suffering in the world is mainly because of the injustices that people do to each other.
Some people have done horrible things-including destroying entire countries and killing mil- lions of innocent people through wars that are based on lies. Many of those killers live like kings and will never pay for their crimes in this life, and most of their victims will never receive justice in this world. This is why there isa Judgment Day, where Allah will establish His pertect justice and everyone will finally get what they deserve.
PROPHETS AND JUSTICE
25Surely We sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and with them We sent down the Book and the balance of jus- tice' so that people may apply justice. And We sent down iron with its great strength and benefits for humanity, so that Allah will prove who 'is really willing to' stand up for Him and His messengers without seeing Him. Surely Allah is Powerful and Almighty.
لَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ وَأَنزَلۡنَا مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ ٱلنَّاسُ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَأَنزَلۡنَا ٱلۡحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأۡسٞ شَدِيدٞ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥ وَرُسُلَهُۥ بِٱلۡغَيۡبِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٞ25
NUH AND IBRAHIM
26And surely We sent Nuh and Ibrahimand reserved prophethood and revela- tion 'only' for their children. Some of them are 'rightly' guided, but most are Troublemakers.
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحٗا وَإِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَجَعَلۡنَا فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا ٱلنُّبُوَّةَ وَٱلۡكِتَٰبَۖ فَمِنۡهُم مُّهۡتَدٖۖ وَكَثِيرٞ مِّنۡهُمۡ فَٰسِقُونَ26
'ISA AND HIS FOLLOWERS
27Then in the footsteps of these 'proph- l le ciiets', We sent Our messengers, and 'after them' We sent 'Isa, son of Maryam, and gave him the Gospel, and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his follow- ers. As for their strict religious practice,> they made it upWe did not ask them to do it-only wanting to please Allah, but they did not 'even' practice it properly. So We rewarded those of them who were faithful. But most of them are trouble-makers..
ثُمَّ قَفَّيۡنَا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِم بِرُسُلِنَا وَقَفَّيۡنَا بِعِيسَى ٱبۡنِ مَرۡيَمَ وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ ٱلۡإِنجِيلَۖ وَجَعَلۡنَا فِي قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُ رَأۡفَةٗ وَرَحۡمَةٗۚ وَرَهۡبَانِيَّةً ٱبۡتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبۡنَٰهَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ إِلَّا ٱبۡتِغَآءَ رِضۡوَٰنِ ٱللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوۡهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَاۖ فََٔاتَيۡنَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنۡهُمۡ أَجۡرَهُمۡۖ وَكَثِيرٞ مِّنۡهُمۡ فَٰسِقُونَ27
Verse 27: This practice is called monasticism, pronounced: /mo-na-sti-ci- zim/. Some Christian worshippers (known as monks and nuns) choose a strict way of life, dedicated only to worship, without getting married-although Allah did not ask them to do this. Still, some failed to practice it property.
AN INVITATION TO JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
28O people of faith! Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. "And' He will give you two shares of His mercy, bless you with a light to walk in on Judgment Day', and forgive you. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. 29"This is so' that the People of the Books who deny the Prophet' may know that they do not have any control over Allah's blessings, and that all bless- ings are in Allah's Hands. He gives them to whoever He wants. And Allah is the Lord of great blessings.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَءَامِنُواْ بِرَسُولِهِۦ يُؤۡتِكُمۡ كِفۡلَيۡنِ مِن رَّحۡمَتِهِۦ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ نُورٗا تَمۡشُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ 28لِّئَلَّا يَعۡلَمَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ أَلَّا يَقۡدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَيۡءٖ مِّن فَضۡلِ ٱللَّهِ وَأَنَّ ٱلۡفَضۡلَ بِيَدِ ٱللَّهِ يُؤۡتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلۡفَضۡلِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ29
Verse 29: The ews and Christians who received Holy Books from Allah.