 Originally authored on Quora Feb 2, 2019 https://www.quora.com/I-am-not-creating-controversy-But-I-read-it-at-a-website-which-preaches-that-Muslims-should-maintain-distance-from-Jews-and-Christians-Verse-5-51-Quran-I-have-embedded-the-link-also-Can-someone-authenticate-this/answer/Zaid-Shaw Any verse of the Quran cannot be taken in isolation, it needs to be understood in conjunction with those that precede and follow it. Additionally if the topic discusses a particular subject then other verses of the Quran related to the same subject also need to be kept in view and the same applies to Al Quran 5:51. In this subject the "Jews & Christians" are not common individuals who maintain friendly relation with Muslims and do not oppose them due to their faith. It is those disbelieving ones who do not truly follow their own scriptures and also intent on making Muslims compromise Islamic principles, as already made clear in preceding verses: (Al Quran 5:49–50)"…..and do not follow their (Jews & Christians) errant views; and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from anything that God has bestowed from on high upon you (i.e. Islamic teachings)." Then in the subsequent verse 5:51 Allah ﷻ says: (Al Quran 5:51) "O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for your allies: they are but allies of one another- and whoever of you allies himself with them becomes, verily, one of them; behold, God does not guide such evildoers." The key to understand this verse lies in the highlighted words "God does not guide such evildoers", which means Allah ﷻ is only addressing those Muslims who have chosen to follow misguidance, they are receiving a warning not to take such Jews & Christians as allies in preference to believers and in preference to matters of your faith by compromising them. If they did then such an act would be an abandonment of their own faith and then there would be no difference between them and the Jews/Christians. The reason why these Muslims are willing to do such is clarified for us when we read the next verse 5:52: (Al Quran 5:52) "And yet you can see how those (Muslim believers) in whose hearts there is disease vie with one another for their good will, saying [to themselves], "We fear lest fortune turn against us." The Muslims whose hearts are spiritually diseased due to the love of duniya (world and its temptations) are tempted to earn the good will of such disbelieving Jews and Christians who want them to abandon part of their faith as they did their own. The love of this world tempts such Muslims as implied in "we fear lest fortune turn against us" and this also teaches us that not all Muslims are addressed but only those in "whose hearts there is disease". There is another verse of the Quran that helps us better understand the subject: (Al Quran 3:28) "LET NOT the believers take those who deny the truth (i.e. disbelievers) for their allies in preference to the believers - since he who does this cuts himself off from God in everything - unless it be to protect yourselves against them in this way. But God warns you to beware of Him: for with God is all journeys' end." In Al Quran 3:28 & 5:51, Allah ﷻ teaches us that making alliance with such non-Muslims, whether Jews, Christians or any others, who are hostile to you and your faith is equivalent to abandoning the faith. As for all other non-Muslims, regardless of whichever religious community they belong to, the Quran encourages friendly relations with them as long as they do not show hostility to Islam and its followers: (Al Quran 60:08) "As for such [of the disbelievers] as do not fight against you on account of [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably."
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The statement of Allah ﷻ that “AND THE JEWS say, "Ezra is God's son," while the Christians say: "The Christ is God's son"”[1], does not in any way mean that Allah ﷻ is generalizing this crime for all Jews and this can be clearly understood by the fact if one reads the prior and subsequent verses that follow it. If one carefully reads Al Quran 9:30 along with verses that follow and precede it, it is quite noticeable that Allah ﷻ is declaring a list of crimes that various disbelievers (kafirs) among the Jews and Christians commit against their own religious teachings including war like aggression:
“Fight those of the People of the Book (i.e. Jews or Christians) who do not [truly] believe in God and the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and His Messenger (i.e. Moses or Jesus) have forbidden, who do not obey the rule of justice, until they pay the tax and agree to submit. The Jews said, ‘Ezra is the son of God,’ and the Christians said, ‘The Messiah is the son of God’: they said this with their own mouths, repeating what earlier disbelievers had said. May God confound them! How far astray they have been led! They take their rabbis and their monks as lords, as well as Christ, the son of Mary. But they were commanded to serve only one God: there is no god but Him; He is far above whatever they set up as His partners!……..Believers, many rabbis and monks wrongfully consume people’s possessions and turn people away from God’s path. [Prophet], tell those who hoard gold and silver instead of giving in God’s cause that they will have a grievous punishment.”[2] These verses were revealed when the Prophet ﷺ was preparing to face Byzantine Christian (Roman) forces at Tabuk. Just by observing the words “Fight those of the people of the book (i.e. Jews and Christians)” is sufficient to realize that the entire context is addressing crimes of certain members of Jews and Christians and not all. It mentions the following list of crimes committed by certain individuals from these 2 communities:
It’s quite evident that all of the above is not committed by each and every Jew and Christian because Quran explicitly mentions the good and believers among them elsewhere and would contradict itself if understood in this manner. Therefore the words “Jews said ‘Ezra is the son of God’” is a crime of idolatry, one of the grave ones that Quran attributes to some of the Jewish community members as evidence suggests some of them did commit at the time of the Prophet ﷺ. We also need to keep in mind that Jews, all of them do not follow same thought, there are various sects and groups that have existed in the past and still exist. Some have survived down to our times while others perished in history. It is noted in classical Quran commentaries such as Tafsir Tabari in which according to a Tradition on the authority of Ibn Abbas (r.a) some of the Jews of Madinah once said to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: “How could we follow you when you has forsaken our qiblah (prayer direction) and do not consider Ezra a son of God?”[3] According to another hadith source these 4 Jews who came to the Prophet were namely: Salam ibn Mushakam, Nu'man ibn Ufay, Shaas ibn Qays and Malik ibn Summer.[4] Therefore there is historical background and evidence that when this verse was revealed there were a group of Jews who held the belief of Ezra or Uzayr (alaihi salaam) being a son of God. Thus among the many listed crimes that Allah ﷻ charges members of these 2 communities the crime of idolatry was indeed committed by some Jews in Madinah. It could very well be that there is a sect of Jews that still holds that exact belief or a belief that venerates Uzair (alaihi salaam) (Ezra) to such a high degree that entails divinity. And Allah ﷻ knows best. References: [1] Al Quran 9:30 [2] Al Quran 9:29-34 [3] Muhammad Assad - Message of the Quran - Surah Taubah pg 364 [4] Tafsir Al Baghawi http://islamport.com/l/tfs/799/1238.htm Allah ﷻ says in the Quran: “Corrupt women are for corrupt men, and corrupt men for corrupt women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women. They are innocent of the calumnies people utter. There shall be forgiveness for them and a generous provision.”[1] What we understand from this verse is that it’s discussing the characteristics of men and women and how a man who’s pious and righteous will have trouble remaining with a woman who’s corrupt. Similarly a corrupt man cannot live with a woman who is pious and humble. Due to conflict of nature and different ways of life each holds on to, there is no progress in such a relationship, it fails to fulfill the purpose of marriage and the end result would be bad.
There are chances that a good man may marry a corrupt woman or vice versa due pressure from the family as in an arrange marriage (as in Eastern societies) or one fell in love with the other and rushed to marry without giving much thought. In such cases in the light of the above Verse it’s clear that these 2 opposite personalities cannot remain together for long and eventually result in separation. However, there are also chances in such scenarios that the corrupt man or woman may influence their righteous counterpart towards similar behavior which would then be a trial or test (fitnah) for them, as Allah ﷻ said: “Believers, even among your spouses and your children you have some enemies- beware of them…”[2] i.e. they may influence one to compromise Islamic morals & values for the sake of their loved one's pleasure. On the other hand there are also chances that the righteous may positively influence their corrupt spouse, but these are exceptional cases. The message being given in Al Quran 24:26 is in reference to general situations of male & female relationships and not exceptional. There is a hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ where he has mentioned that individuals that share similar nature often get along very well and that happens due to their carrying similar characteristics: "… souls are like recruited soldiers, they get mixed up with those similar with them in qualities and oppose and drift away from those who do not share their qualities"[3] This is the same as the saying “birds of the same feather flock together.” In Islam if a believer is not sure about the outcome of a major decision they intend to make in life, such as marriage, then they must do Istikhara prayer as taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. By doing so one entrusts his or her affairs to Allah ﷻ and then He makes the best decision for them: “And put your trust in Allah, and Sufficient is Allah as a Wakil (Trustee, or Disposer of affairs).”[4] References: [1] Al Quran 24:26 [2] Al Quran 64:14 [3] Riyad as-Saliheen - Book 1, Hadith 371 – Sunnah.com [4] Al Quran 33:03  This piece of writing was written in the first week of April 2020. The post date does not reflect actual date. The post date is to maintain the sequence of writings.
The worldwide pandemic of this coronavirus creature called Covid-19 continues to spread its tentacles throughout the world reaching 185 countries and infecting an estimated 1.8 million people with close to 114,000 confirmed dead, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the fact it has shut down businesses, restaurants, schools, malls, public parks & places, entire cities with people been isolated in their homes, initially resulting in much fear, anxiety and worry among the world’s population yet there are greater lessons that many have begun to realize from this incident which are much more positive than negative when one sees the picture of this incident as a whole. Such as people have begun to come closer to their families, it has brought back people in to their homes and disconnected them from a mechanical lifestyle they were engrossed in. It has closed down brothels, casinos, bars/pubs, nightclubs in mega cities as well as cut down crime. It has brought interest rates down, people are spending more on essential things and saving, instead of overspending on unnecessary, gas/petrol prices have gone down, people’s life have become more simple, neighbors have become more interactive, people are thinking and contemplating, there is more individual prayers and worship, there is less unnecessary traveling & tourism, people are practicing more hygiene. People are withdrawing from pomp and glitter of mega cities back to their villages, returning to a natural way of life. Famous Music artists and movie stars that many imitate for their lifestyles have gone in to self isolation. Some are even praying to Allah in quarantine, like never before. Western countries that enforced an unjust ban on hijab (covering) & niqab (veil) are now encouraging not only their non-Muslim women but also men to put face masks, a reminder from Allah for their Islamophobic acts. Nations like India, China, Israel experienced locked down after unjustly locking down the Muslims of Kashmir, Uighur & Gaza for several years. Armies and rulers are more focused on keeping the environment safe and fighting virus than fighting conflicts and occupying weaker ones. Our natural environment is improving, ecologically we are benefiting, with cleaner air & clearer waters there is less pollution which means less chances of other deadly diseases that causes sickness and death among hundreds and thousands each year. Hence it is a blessing in disguise in many many ways: (Al Quran 2:216) “…You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you. God knows and you do not.” Allah ﷻ says in the Quran: (Al Quran 30:41) “[Since they have become oblivious of God,] corruption has appeared on land and in the sea as an outcome of what men's hands have wrought: and so He will let them taste [the evil of] some of their doings, so that they might return (to the right path].” - The corruption of our cultures, lifestyles, societies and environment due to blind material progress brought us to the point of destruction from our own doings. This happened because humanity stopped distinction between right & wrong, and even if those who attempted to inform are very weak against the strong who wield influence over international economy, politics and the societies around the world. At such moments when larger segment of humanity stops doing justice, forgets to distinguish between right and wrong, then Allah ﷻ divinely intervened on a global scale, to make them realize so that they put a halt to corrupt practices! Coronavirus or Dabbatul Ard (Creature of Earth) What is Dabba (Creature) as per Arabic of the Quran? Dabba in Arabic دابّة (creature) is a rational or irrational creature that falls in one of the four categories as in: (Al Quran 24:45) “And God has created every دابّة (creature) of water (meaning of the seminal fluid); and of them is that crawls on their bellies, and of them are some that walk on two legs, and some on four. God creates whatever He will; God has power over everything” - Hence viruses are microscopic organisms that are most likely included in the category of those that “crawls on their bellies” and their purpose is to attack other species like humans, animals or insects and either cause them some harm like diseases or some other positive function that is only within the unseen knowledge of Allah ﷻ. As per Edward Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon dabba دابّة means “any small animal that walks or creeps or crawls upon the earth, a small beast, a small reptile or creeping thing, a creeping insect, and any insect, and also a mollusk, a shell-fish.” In Islam there are hundreds of minor predictions (in addition to the 10 major signs) that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made about the end times and all have appeared true in our age which teaches us that we are living in the last age. A good book to read is The End of the World By Dr. Muhammad Al-'Areefi, clearly mentions hundreds of signs that have come true. One of the major signs of the end times in Islamic Eschatology i.e. the last days before day of judgment and resurrection is a sign called دَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ or dabbatul ard where dabba means “creature” and ard means “earth”, usually translated in English by Islamic scholars as “the beast of the earth” also translated by some as “creature of the earth”, such as at Prophet Suleiman’s death a دَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ or “creature of the earth” i.e. a microscopic worm nibbled away at the stick he was reclining on: (Al Quran 34:14) “…but a creature of the earth (دَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ) eating at his stick: when he fell down they realized…” Similarly Allah ﷻ says in the Quran that He will make a creature of the earth appear in the last age for humankind who will make them realize how wrong they have been: (Al Quran 27:82–83) “Now, [as for the deaf and blind of heart] - when the word [of truth] stands revealed against them, We shall bring forth to them dabbatul ard (دَابَّةُ الأَرْضِ - out of the earth a creature) which will tell them (tukallimuhum) that mankind had no real faith in Our messages. And on that Day We shall gather from within every community (nation) a host of those who gave the lie to Our messages; and they will be yo’zaoon [will be grouped or separated or kept under control]” i.e. the creature will make humanity realize that they have abandoned Allah’s commandments that teach a natural way of life, as taught by all the prophets & messengers and have adopted their own isms & ideologies which is spreading corruption around the globe and they needs to turn back towards Him. The characteristic of that creature is that it will tukallimuhum meaning “it will tell them” i.e. through its global impact it will bear witness that its appearance is a divine intervention, beyond human understanding and control, to make us realize that it must be to teach us lessons. Alternatively, tukallimuhum also implies “it will wound them” as per early Muslims such as Said ibn Jubayr (r.a), which may imply its biological harm to humans by causing a disease that will leave its trace on them. As per doctors the new virus spreads primarily through respiratory droplets, such as those generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is in this light that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “The Beast will emerge and brand the people on their noses, then the people will mix until a man will buy a camel and will be asked, ‘From whom did you buy it?' and he will say, 'From one of the branded people.” (Al-Haythami) - Since the survivors are more than deaths, people will socialize or do business and will identify some survivors. Hence this dabbatul ard may be a reference particularly to virus and pandemic like Covid-19, and Allah knows best. Additionally ayah (verse) 83 states يُوزَعُونَ “and they will be yo’zaoon” - the word used here is “يُوزَعُونَ - yo’zaoon” which has one of the meaning of “will be grouped” or “will be separated” or “will be kept under control”, it comes from the term Waaz. Hence after the global impact of this creature the deniers and heedless who are source of corruption in every nation and society, them and their activities will be put on lock-down or Quarantined! An interesting analysis coming from Maulana Maududi in his famous tafsir called Tafheemul Quran on Al Quran 27:82 confirms this: “According to Ibn Umar, this will happen when there remains no one in the world to command the people to do good and forbid them to do evil. Ibn Marduyah has reported a Hadith on the authority of Abu Said Khudri; according to which the latter heard the same thing from the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself. This shows that when man gives up the duty of exhorting others to do good and forbidding them to do evil, Allah will bring forth a beast to serve as the final warning just before Resurrection. This, however, is not clear whether it will be just one beast, or a particular species of beasts, who will spread all over the earth. The words daabbat-an-min-al-ard might contain both the meanings. In any case, what it will say will be: “The people did not believe in Allah’s revelations in which Resurrection was foretold. Now the same Resurrection is about to come; let everyone know that what Allah said was true”. 27. Surah An Naml (The Ant) Hence despite the fact that this disease has more than 90% survivors and around 5% severe cases with less than 3% deaths yet the scare through its impact has pushed the entire world towards a global lock down and imposed a lifestyle on majority humankind which from a wider perspective teaches us positive lessons and fulfills Allah’s promise of day of judgment and resurrection. References: Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera No corona for you: French local authority bans ALCOHOL sales amid virus lockdown UN chief urges immediate global cease-fire to fight COVID-19 India declares 21-day 'total lockdown' as coronavirus cases rise Coronavirus pandemic is bad business for the bad guys too The Islamic veil across Europe Coronavirus lockdown provides vivid picture of how environment recovers without people Poor Indians flee to villages as coronavirus measures take heavy toll Could the coronavirus fears be decreasing Memphis crime rates? https://kalamullah.com/theendoftheworld.html Stanford Medicine COVID-19 test now in use Lanes Lexicon 27. Surah An Naml (The Ant) Quran Translation and Commentary  Originally authored on 3/21/2019 https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-Quran-say-about-greed.
The 102nd Chapter of the Quran called Surah At-Takaathur delivers a clear warning on the subject of greed. The word takaathur signifies the contending together for superiority in (the amount or number of) wealth, children and manpower (influence). These are material things of life that have been made appealing to humankind and we struggle to achieve them with endless desires as Allah ﷻ mentions: (Al Quran 3:14) "Alluring to man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women, and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, and horses of high mark, and cattle, and lands." The fact that these material things have been made appealing to us is why our desires generate the characteristic of greed and the surah that deals with this matter is called At-Takaathur or Chapter of "Greed For More & More", as translated by Asad in his Message of the Quran: (Al Quran 102:1–8) YOU ARE OBSESSED by greed for more and more until you go down to your graves. Nay, in time you will come to understand! And once again: in time you will come to understand! Nay, if you could but understand [it] with an understanding [born] of certainty, you would indeed, most surely, behold the blazing fire [of hell on earth]! In the end you will indeed, most surely, behold it with the eye of certainty: and on that Day you will most surely be called to account for [what you did with] the boon of life! (Asad Translation - Surah At-Takaathur - Greed For More & More) This surah teaches that our obsession for greed is what obscures our understanding and realization of our final destination i.e. hereafter. The unrestrained appetite for the duniya (worldly temptations), is what makes us forget our purpose in life which is to take from it only what is necessary and be prepared for the hereafter. Just as Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Be in the world like a stranger or a passerby, and count yourself among the inhabitants of the grave." Being conscious about the accountability in grave keeps us focused and once death comes then our situation will be different from the ones who never gave any thought about grave and the hereafter. Ali ibn Abi Talib (r.a) said "people are asleep when they die they wake up." Greed is like the blanket that we cover ourselves with while asleep, we remain heedless and when death comes we wake up. Removing the blanket of greed will keep us conscious of the time to wake up and about the reality of this world and its temptations, just as reminded "if you could but understand [it] with an understanding [born] of certainty, you would indeed, most surely, behold the blazing fire [of hell on earth]" - Asad comments that this "blazing fire" is not that of hereafter, but in fact, the one here on earth which those who remove the cover of greed can see how mainstream humankind have fallen in to. The unrestrained greed to have more and more, powered by technological progress has given us a wrong mode of life and made this world a living hell for us. The appetite for more and more will never be fulfilled because that is how human nature is (nafs or lower self), it remains unfulfilled as much as you give it, its never satisfied. The desire for greed is not only in those who are wealthy and can afford more and more but is even shared by the poor who cannot afford yet the desire for greed is strong in them. Both are no different from each other. Not removing the blanket of greed will result being eventually removed by the angel of death and that is when accountability of how we spent our lives will begin. Easy will be for non-greedy and difficult will it be for the greedy. |
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