To Remember the Favours of Allah as a Sign of Gratitude

Calls from the Most Merciful

 

Text: al-Jazairi, Jabir. Calls from the Most Merciful. Translated by Zahra Bainter. Karachi: Darul-Ishaat, 2003.

 

32nd Call[1]

To Remember the Favours of Allah as a Sign of Gratitude

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ هَمَّ قَوْمٌ أَن يَبْسُطُوا إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

O you who have believed, remember the favour of Allah upon you when a people determined to extend their hands [in aggression] against you, but He withheld their hands from you and fear Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely.

Surah al-Maida 5:11

 

Notes

o   Allah calls the believers “to whatever is beneficial for them, what is conducive to character-building, or strengthening and benefiting the Muslim community and state, in short, anything which being truly fortunate and successful in both worlds.”[2]

o   Almighty Allah is the Cherisher and Sustainer of the believing slaves. He is their Supreme Lord, and He wishes naught but well for them.[3]

o   This call reminds the believers of the tremendous favour their Lord has bestowed upon them; thus, obliging every believing man and woman to be thankful for their Lord’s infinite kindness.[4]

o   The verse specifically is about the times when the disbelievers, pagans and Jews, who attempted to assassinate the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam.[5]

o   Jazairi asserts that every believer, man or woman, should be willing to “happily sacrifice” their lives for the life of the Prophet:[6] the proof is that Allah says, “the Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves.”[7]

o   “Fear Allah” means that the objective of taqwa is to attain Divine pleasure: “through which a believer becomes worthy of Allah’s love and friendship – the source of fortune and bliss in both worlds.”[8] “Every task of a believer (Mu’min) can be accomplished with the two great qualities of piety (taqwa) and trust in Allah (tawakkul). With these, a believer (Mu’min) will never fear anyone but Allah. Piety (taqwa) entails abstinence from all forms of sin.”[9]

o   “For the one who possesses piety (taqwa), Allah shall provide for him an escape and grant him sustenance from whence he least expects. Allah is sufficient for those who trust in him.”[10]

o   “And upon Allah let the believers rely” – according to Jazairi the reason for the pitiful state of the Muslim ummah is that we no longer rely on Allah.[11] While Sa’di explains that the believers should depend on Allah to achieve their worldly and spiritual interests; and that they have no power or strength without trusting in Allah.[12]

o   Taqwa and Tawakkul are the stairways leading to the highest honours and ultimate success.[13] Moreover, Shafi affirms that it is only through Taqwa and Tawakkul that Allah’s support will come.[14] In addition, Usmani calls them “the greatest politics of a Muslim,”[15] since by attaining them Muslims will no longer fear the disbelievers and their plots and conspiracies against Islam and Muslims.[16]

o   The Study Quran states that the verse is about protecting the Muslim community and recognising the blessings and favours of Allah towards the believers.[17]

o   According to Qutb, Muslims would be ashamed of themselves if they did not fulfil God’s covenant.[18] While Usmani explains that the Qur’an gives examples of people who broke their covenant with God, and they were humiliatingly punished.[19]

 

 

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[1] Jabir al-Jazairi, Calls from the Most Merciful (Karachi: Darul-Ishaat, 2003), 215-220.

 

[2] Ibid., 215.

 

[3] Ibid., 216.

 

[4] Ibid.

 

[5] al-Jazairi, Calls from the Most Merciful, 216-218; Abu al-Fida Ismail ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir Abridged, abr. Safiur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, 2nd ed. (Riyadh: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 2003), 3:124-125; Seyyed Hossein Nasr, ed., The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (New York: HarperOne, 2015), 281; Muhammad Shafi, Ma’ariful Qur’an: A Comprehensive Commentary on the Holy Quran, trans. Muhammad Shamim, 4th ed. (Karachi: Maktaba-e-Darul-Uloom, 2007), 3:91-92.

 

[6] Ibid., 218-219.

 

[7] Surah al-Ahzab 33:6.

 

[8] al-Jazairi, Calls from the Most Merciful, 219.

 

[9] Muhammad Aashiq Elahi Muhajir Madani, Illuminating Discourses on the Noble Quran: Tafsir Anwarul Bayan, trans. Afzal Hussein Elias, rev. Muhammad Arshad Fakhri, Rev. ed. (Karachi: Darul Ishaat, 2005), 2:53.

 

[10] Surah at-Talaq 65:2-3.

 

[11] Ibid.

 

[12] Abdur-Rahman Nasir as-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, trans. Nasiruddin al-Khattab, ed. Huda Khattab (Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2018), 2:374.

 

[13] al-Jazairi, Calls from the Most Merciful, 220.

 

[14] Shafi, Ma’ariful Qur’an, 3:93.

 

[15] Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, The Noble Qur’an: Tafseer-e-Usmani, trans. Mohammad Ashfaq Ahmad (New Delhi: Islamic Book Services, 1999), 1:444, fn. 26.

 

[16] Ibid.

 

[17] Nasr, The Study Quran, 281.

 

[18] Sayyid Qutb, In the Shade of the Qur’an, trans. Adil Salahi & Ashur Shamis (Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 2001), 4:39.

 

[19] Usmani, The Noble Qur’an, 1:444, fn. 26.