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Quran 4:135-136
In ayah 135 Allah says adhere to justice. Then in ayah 136 Allah tells those who lay claim to belief to believe in a way that is truly befitting.
Is it correct to say this is in reference to the previous ayah and that the way of belief that is truly befitting is actually adhering to justice?
Or is it that the ayah says that those who lay claim to belief- don’t forget about God’s other books and his angels messengers and the day of judgement.
Angels because you trust God and believe in what he says.
Messengers and other books because to keep in mind the scheme of God and not to be like Jews or Christians who reject prophets Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and dirty his reputation
And the day of judgement- so that you can truly remember to do good in actions- knowing you will be held accountable.
If I am wrong please help in brainstorming- what is the reason that those who lay claim to faith are being told to believe in these specific things:
Quran
Torah
God
Angels
Other messengers
Other prophets
Is there any link to justice? These people (sahabah) to my knowledge would’ve believed in these things already- so what is the point of telling them again?
Is there a deeper message that believing in this things should produce a deeper reaction in your life? Perhaps more justice and taqwa and tawakul?
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Quran 4:135-136
updated 3 years, 6 months ago
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Please read this very carefully:
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Just as the word “Islam” is used for the whole corpus of religion, it is also sometimes used to imply its outer form. As regards its outer form, it consists of the following five things:
1. Bearing witness that there is no god besides Allah and Muhammad (sws) is His Messenger
2. Offering the prayer
3. Paying zakah
4. Keeping the fasts of Ramadan
5. Offering the hajj of the Baytullah
The Qur’an has stressed upon all these directives at numerous places. In a narrative of the Prophet (sws), all these five have been mentioned thus:
اَلْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُوْلُ اللهِ وَتُقِيْمَ الصَّلَاةَ وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ وَتَصُوْمَ رَمَضَانَ وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ
Islam is that you bear witness that there is no god besides Allah, and Muhammad (sws) is His Messenger and be diligent in the prayer and pay the zakah and keep the fasts of Ramadan and offer the hajj of the Baytullah.[2]
The inner aspect of religion is “iman” (belief). As per its details mentioned in the Quran, this inner aspect also consists of five things:
1. Belief in God
2. Belief in the Angels
3. Belief in the Prophets
4. Belief in Divine Books
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement
The Quran says:
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ (2 : 285)
The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him by His Lord, and so do those who follow [him]. All of them professed faith in God and His angels and His books and His messengers. [They affirm:] “We do not discriminate between any of God’s messengers,” and they said: “We heard and have obeyed. Lord! We seek Your forgiveness, and [believe that on the Day of Judgment] to You shall we return.”(2:285)
The Prophet (sws) while including a corollary of belief in Allah – the good and evil of fate ordained by God – has referred to this set of beliefs in the following manner:
اَلْإِيْمَان: أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
Iman is that you believe in God and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Hereafter and the good and evil fate [ordained by your God].[3]
When this iman, in its essence, enters the heart and receives its confirmation from it, then on the very basis of its presence requires two things:
(1) Righteous Deeds (a‘mal-i salih)
(2) Urging one another to the truth and urging one another to remain steadfast on it (tawasi bi al-haqq wa tawasi bi al-sabr)
The Quran says:
وَالْعَصْرِ إِنَّ الْاِنْسَانَ لَفِيْ خُسْرٍ إِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ أَمَنُوْا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (103: 1 -3)
Time bears witness that these people shall definitely be in a state of loss. Yes! except those who accepted faith and did righteous deeds and urged one another to the truth and urged one another to remain steadfast on it. (103:1-3)
(1) Righteous Deeds
All deeds which result once the morals of a person are purified are called righteous deeds. All their bases are found in human nature and intellect, and the shari‘ahof God has been revealed to guide mankind towards these righteous deeds.
(2) Urging one another to the truth and urging one another to remain steadfast on it
This relates to one’s immediate surroundings. This is an obvious requirement of accepting the truth and is also termed as amr bi al-maruf and nahi an al-munkar by the Quran, implying the fact that a person should exhort those in his surroundings to what is maruf (good) according to human nature and intellect and forbid them from what is munkar (evil) according to it:
وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ (71:9)
And believers, both men and women, are friends to one another. [They] enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. (9:71)
Every Muslim should fulfil this requirement of faith as a well-wisher. If a person wants to fulfil this requirement with the right spirit, then it cannot be fulfilled unless he is a well-wisher of his fellow human beings. The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said:
الدِّيْنُ النَّصِيْحَةُ لِلَّهِ وَلِكِتَابِهِ وَلِرَسُوْلِهِ وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَعَآمَّتِهِمْ
Religion is well-wishing for God, for His book, for His Messenger, for the rulers of the Muslims and for their common masses.[4]
Described above are the requirements of faith in ordinary circumstances. However, there are certain circumstances in which three other requirements can arise. They are:
(1) Migration for the Cause of Religion (Hijrah)
(2) Helping the Cause of Religion (Nusrah)
(3) Adhering to Justice(Qiyam bi al-Qist)
Their details follow:
(1) Migration for the Cause of Religion (Hijrah)
If it becomes difficult for a person to worship the Almighty, he is persecuted for his religious beliefs and a stage comes when it becomes impossible for him to live as a declared Muslim, then his faith requires him to shift to another place where he can openly practice his faith. In the terminology of the Quran, this is called hijrah (migration). In the times of the Prophet (sws), when God and His Prophet (sws) directly called people to it, those who evaded it were promised the dreadful doom of Hell by the Almighty:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلآئِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُواْ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ قَالُواْ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالُواْ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُواْ فِيهَا فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءتْ مَصِيرًا (97:4)
The angels will ask people whose souls they take in circumstances such that these [people] had wronged their souls: “In what circumstances were you in?” “We were helpless and oppressed in the land,” they will reply. The angels will say: “Was not the earth of God spacious enough for you to migrate [to another place]?” It is these people whose abode shall be Hell, and what an evil abode it is. (4:97)
(2) Supporting the Cause of Religion (Nusrah)
If there arise circumstances in which for the purpose of protection or dissemination of religion some action is required to be taken, it is a requirement of faith that one should offer this support through whatever means one can. In the terminology of the Quran, this is called nusrah (help) of the Almighty. When, after the formation of the Islamic state in Madinah, the Prophet (sws) required nusrah, and people were asked to present themselves for an armed struggle, the Qur’an called people for this nusrah in the following words:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى تِجَارَةٍ تُنجِيكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ وَأُخْرَى تُحِبُّونَهَا نَصْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا كُونوا أَنصَارَ اللَّهِ كَمَا قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ لِلْحَوَارِيِّينَ مَنْ أَنصَارِي إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنصَارُ اللَّهِ (61: 10-14)
Believers! Shall I point out to you a deal that will save you from a woeful torment? Profess faith in God and His Messenger, and fight for God’s cause with your life and wealth. This would be better for you, if you understand. [In return] God will forgive your sins and admit you to gardens below which streams of water flow; He will lodge you in pleasant mansions in eternal gardens. This is great success. And [Listen!] He will [also bestow upon you] what you desire: help from God and a victory which will soon come. And [O Prophet!] Give these glad tidings to the faithful. Believers! Be God’s helpers in the way Jesus son of Mary said to his disciples: “Who will be my helper in the cause of God?” The disciples replied: “We are God’s helpers.” (61:10-14)
All efforts which have been undertaken in the near or distant past for the protection, survival and revival of religion, have been undertaken to fulfil this requirement of faith. In Muslim history, the source of all these efforts which were through the spoken or the written word or through wealth and money or through the sword and blade is this very requirement of faith. The Qur’an asserts that if at some time this requirement arises, a true believer should give it the foremost priority and nothing in this world should be dearer to him. The Qur’an says:
قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُواْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ (24:9)
[O Prophet!] Tell them: “If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your family, the wealth you have acquired, the merchandise you fear may not be sold, and the homes you like, are dearer to you than God, His Prophet and the struggle for His cause, then wait until God makes His Judgement and [keep this in mind that] God does not guide such people who break their promises.” (9:24)
(3) Adhering to Justice (Qiyam bi al-Qist)
If emotions, vested-interests and biases try to divert a person from justice in some worldly or religious matter, his faith requires him not only to adhere to justice but also if his witness is required in these matters, he should do so even if it puts his life in danger. He should uphold the truth by saying what is the truth and surrendering before it. He should adhere to justice and bear witness to it, and stick to it in his beliefs and deeds. This is called qiyam bi al-qist, and in the Qur’an it is referred to in the following words:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاء لِلّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالأَقْرَبِينَ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقَيرًا فَاللّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِمَا فَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ الْهَوَى أَن تَعْدِلُواْ وَإِن تَلْوُواْ أَوْ تُعْرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا (135:4)
Believers! Adhere to justice by bearing witness to it for God, even though it be against yourselves, your parents, or your kinsfolk. If someone is rich or poor, God only is more worthy for both. So do not be led by base-desires [by leaving His guidance], lest as a result you swerve from the truth. And if you distort [what is true and just] or evade [it, you should remember that] God is well aware of what you do. (4:135)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ لِلّهِ شُهَدَاء بِالْقِسْطِ وَلاَ يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلاَّ تَعْدِلُواْ اعْدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ إِنَّ اللّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (8:5)
Believers! Be those who adhere to justice by bearing witness to it for God. And your animosity for some people should not induce you to turn away from justice. Be just; this is nearer to piety. And have fear of God; indeed, God is well aware of all your deeds. (5:8)
(Excerpt from Meezan: Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)
(Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem)
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[2]. Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, 24-25, (no. 93).
[3]. Ibid., 22, (no. 93).
[4].Ibid.,44-45, (no. 196).
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But why, in 136, is the Quran and the Torah mentioned in the same breath. That would imply that we should hold both scriptures in equal regard, unless the book is being referred to in an abstract sense since it doesn’t really exist anymore.
But why the Torah, why is it explicitly mentioned, why not the injeel or the zabur or the suhuf of ibrahim عليه السلام ?
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