The fifty-seventh clip titled "Let's make our Thursdays Quranic" was released

We start from where we left you last Friday and here are ayahs 20 and 21 of Surah Sajdah:

وأمّا الّذین فسقوا فمأْواهم النّار ۖ کلّما أرادوا أن یخْرجوا منْها أعیدوا فیها وقیل لهمْ ذوقوا عذاب النّار الّذی کنتم به تکذّبون

ولنذیقنّهم مّن الْعذاب الْأدْنىٰ دون الْعذاب الْأکْبر لعلّهمْ یرْجعون

“As for those who have transgressed, their refuge is the Fire. Whenever they seek to leave it, they will be turned back into it, and they will be told: ‘Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny.”

“We shall surely make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment, so that they may come back.”

As we said in the last edition of this programme, the believers and the unbelievers, or for that matter the virtuous and sinners, are definitely not equal in the sight of God, Who rewards the true believers and has reserved for them eternal bliss for their obedience to Him. The ayahs which we recited to you now refer to the punishment of the unrepentant sinners, whose vicious deeds have caused them to fall into the blazing inferno, which they used to deny while alive, and from which there is no means of escape.

As the next ayah points out, punishment during the transient life of this world is both near and small, compared to the punishment of the Hereafter that is both far and terrible. The punishment of this world is actually a jolt to awaken the conscience of the sinners, so that they repent, reform themselves, and return to the path of the Lord Most High by giving up evil deeds that drag them towards the eternal fire of the hell. In other words, this ayah is indicative of one of the secret favours of Allah the All-Merciful to the sinners, and could be called the awakening chastisement during life in order to deter them from continuing their evil behaviour. Allah never wishes that His servants be afflicted with the eternal punishment, and for this reason He uses all the awakening means for their deliverance. According to narrations, pains, sufferings, diseases, material losses and the like, are often, although not always, the consequences of one’s deeds, and a kind of chastisement for reminding us of our duty to God Almighty and obedience to His commandments.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Indulgence in sins without concern for the consequences, make the habitual sinners deny divine punishment and the Day of Resurrection and Judgment.
2. At times, God the All-Merciful, in order to awaken the conscience of the sinners, subjects them to punishment during life, in the form of pains, sufferings, diseases, material losses, and the like, so that repent, reform themselves and return to the path of guidance.

Now we listen to and read ayah 22 of Surah Sajdah:

ومنْ أظْلم ممّن ذکّر بآیات ربّه ثمّ أعْرض عنْها ۚ إنّا من الْمجْرمین منتقمون

“Who is a greater wrongdoer than him who is reminded of his Lord’s signs, whereat he disregards them? Indeed We shall take vengeance upon the guilty.”

This ayah means to say that the greater wrongdoer is the one who ignores and disregards the signs of Allah despite being constantly reminded. In other words, turning away from the revelations of Allah is a crime, and the guilty will be exposed to Divine vengeance. This ayah implies that if none of the awakening means, including the divine chastisement, are of no avail to make the sinner return to his senses, there will be no way but the Divine vengeance upon such a person or group of persons, who are indeed the most unjust ones and the greater wrongdoers. It must be noted that the application of the word ‘vengeance’ from the point of Arabic lexicography means ‘to punish’ those deserving to be punished, although in daily usages the concept is to take revenge. God the All-Merciful is above such concepts and He acts only according to His Wisdom.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. Insistence on sins or wrongdoings under delusion of freedom of action, even when reminded of their consequences, including Divine Punishment on the Day of Judgement, is the trait of the greater wrongdoer, who drags himself/herself towards the fire of hell.
2. Punishment of the unrepentant sinners by the All-Merciful Lord is based on Divine Wisdom after warnings and chastisement during life have been of no avail.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 23, 24 and 25 of Surah Sajdah:

ولقدْ آتیْنا موسى الْکتاب فلا تکن فی مرْیةٍ مّن لّقائه ۖ وجعلْناه هدًى لّبنی إسْرائیل

وجعلْنا منْهمْ أئمّةً یهْدون بأمْرنا لمّا صبروا ۖ وکانوا بآیاتنا یوقنون

إنّ ربّک هو یفْصل بیْنهمْ یوْم الْقیامة فیما کانوا فیه یخْتلفون

“Certainly We gave Moses the Book, [declaring], ‘Do not be in doubt about the encounter with Him,’ and We made it a [source of] guidance for the Children of Israel.”

“And amongst them We appointed Imams to guide [the people] by Our command, when they had been patient and had conviction in Our signs.”

“Indeed your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that about which they used to differ.”

These ayahs first refer to God’s sending of Prophets and revelation of heavenly scriptures to them for the guidance of mankind. Ayah 23 briefly points to the story of Prophet Moses and how he guided the Israelites and delivered them from bondage in Pharaonic Egypt by instilling in them patience to face the heavy odds. This ayah means to console the early Muslims through Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), and to invite them to patience and perseverance in the face of the pagan Arabs’ denials, rejections and hindering in the affairs. It also conveys glad tidings for the believers that will certainly overcome the obstinate disbelievers, as the Israelites inspired by Moses had overcame their enemies and became leaders of the people. In view of the fact that Moses is a great prophet in whom both the Jews and Christians believe, from this point of view this matter can be a motive for the People of the Book to move toward the holy Qur’an and Islam. An important point to note is that patience with perseverance are two necessary conditions for leadership. In other words, a leader must have certainty in the aim and he must have patience and perseverance until the last moment.

As is evident in the next ayah, the true believers do not follow carnal desires but adhere to the commandments of God and act according to them, thereby implementing divine laws in the society for the guidance of fellow humans. Here, it should be noted that Israelites, despite so many divine favours, were always ungrateful and indulged in sedition and violation of the letter and spirit of the Torah, for which they were subjected to divine wrath.

In view of these facts, ayah 25 means to say that those who sow discord amongst people, and tamper with the tenets of religion, should know that on the day of resurrection their reckoning will be with God and He will judge among them on which they used to differ. It should be noted that the origin of discords is the mixing of desires and wishes with truth, and since the Hereafter is a Day when desires will vanish and the truth will become fully manifest, Allah will expose all dissensions, their causes, and the ulterior motives of the dissenters. And this is among the philosophies of the Day of Resurrection and Judgement.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The Loving Creator sent a series of Prophets in every age and every place to guide people, culminating in the universal message of Islam entrusted to the Last and Greatest of Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).  
2. Faith and certainty in God are among the required conditions for leadership, and the real leader should have faith in the goal and resist till the last phase.
3. Religious leaders should never be discouraged in guiding people since differences have always existed.