Session 4
Chapter 3 (Al Imran – Family of Amran) - Continued...[Recitaiton]
Verses 92–95
You cannot achieve true piety and righteousness unless you offer to others what you love for yourself. Whatever need you fulfill for others by any means, ALLAH is always aware of such giving. All food was lawful to the children of Israel, prior to the revelation of the Torah, whereas the Children of Israel made certain restrictions unto themselves (on their own accord). Say to them, “Come forward with the Torah; let’s read together and see if what you say is really true!” So, after this if anyone continues to lie against God, then that is a clear wrongdoing.
Say: “God speaks the truth and that one should follow the guidance of Abraham, who was upright in his nature and was not a polytheist.”
Verses 96–101
Indeed, the very first house of worship ever built for mankind is at Bakkah [same as Mecca], full of blessing, a guidance for the nations of the world, and full of insights and messages; a place where Abraham once stood. There is safety and inner peace for everyone who enters its precinct. Let it be known that Pilgrimage (hajj) is an obligation that each human being owes to ALLAH, whoever can afford it and find a way to it. If anyone denies such graces of God, let them know that God is not in need of anything from anyone in the entire world.
Tell the People of the Book, “Why do you deny the messages from God? God knows the true intent of your activities. Why do you attempt to prevent people who have declared faith in God from God’s guidance by falsifying God’s message while you know the truth of such messages? Be mindful that God is never unaware of what you do.
O People of Faith: “If you listen to those who have been given guidance before, they will turn you away from faith into disbelief, after you have believed. So be aware! How can one disbelieve when God’s messenger is conveying God’s guidance in your presence? You should have a firm grip on this guidance from God, and only then you are guided to the Straight Path (Siratal Mustaqim).”
Verses 102–109
People of Faith: Be conscious of ALLAH, and be duty bound to God as it should be, and do not allow death to come to you prior to your full submission and alignment to God. Altogether, hold firm to your commitment to God, and do not move away from one another. Remember God’s grace on you all—you were enemies of one another, God brought your hearts together, and you became like brothers and sisters. You were on the edge of a fiery abyss, about to fall into it, and God saved you from it. This is how God makes His message comprehensible and relevant so that you might take guidance.
Let there be among you a group dedicated to inviting all that is good, encouraging the doing of what is right, and discouraging what is wrong. These are they who will be successful! Do not be like those who draw apart from one another with disagreement and conflicting views after the message has been conveyed in a clear way—these people will suffer grievously on the Day of Judgment, a day that will make some faces shiny (with happiness) and other faces grim (with fear and grief). As for those with grim faces, they will be asked, “Did you deny the truth after attaining faith?” What other fate can there be, then, other than suffering for such denial of truth? God will shower His Mercy on those with shiny faces, and they will dwell in His mercy. These are the messages from God, conveyed with truth, and God desires no injustice to His creation. To God belongs all that is in the universe and on the earth; to God all matters return for resolution!
Verses 110–115
You are the best community created to benefit mankind, in that you encourage and participate in doing what is right, you discourage and refrain from what is wrong, and you truly believe in ALLAH. If the followers of earlier revelations had believed and attained this level of faith, it would have served them well. Some of them do believe, but most of them are in a state of transgression. They can never do you much harm (if you are on the right path); if they fight you and oppose you, they will not prevail and will not get any help. Ignominy and humiliation will be their fate wherever they might be, except those who bind themselves to God (in submission) and to fellow human beings (in peaceful coexistence). They have earned God’s wrath, and humiliation will surround them—all these because they denied God’s grace and killed prophets without justifications; they rebelled against God and have shown persistent transgressions against all that is good and right.
This does not apply to all of them—there are people among the followers of earlier revelations who recite and reflect on God’s message in the quiet hours of the night, and they truly adore and worship God. They believe in God and the Day of Judgment, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and they compete with one another in doing good. These are the righteous people. Whatever good they do, they will not be denied its benefits, and God is Ever Aware of those who keep their duty (muttaquin).
Verses 116–120
Neither wealth nor ties of affiliations can compensate for the consequence of disbelief - the consequence being punishment in hellfire and earning God’s displeasure. What they earn and spend with their disbelief and lack of thankfulness in this life is like a wind with an intense cold wave that destroys harvests of those who are unjust to themselves and to others. God does not wrong them; they themselves are the source of wrong done to them.
O People of Faith, do not take into intimate confidence those who do not share your faith and show goodness to others; they spare no effort to undermine your success. They rejoice at your distress, and there is intense dislike for you in them as evidenced by what they say, and there is greater dislike in what is in their hearts. This way God makes you aware of your situation through His message; it is up to you to understand and pay attention. How is it that you love them, but they love you not, and you believe in what has been revealed in the book in its entirety (but they do not)? When they meet you, they say, “We are with you and believe as you do,” but when they are alone, they bite their finger in rage against you. Say to them, “You can destroy yourselves in your rage, but know that God knows the condition of every heart.”
They rejoice at your misfortune and grieve at your success. They cannot do you any harm, if you are patient in adversity and remain conscious of God. God, indeed, encompasses all their activities.
Verses 121–129
(Remember the day when) you - the Prophet with his followers - went out from your homes in the morning to station yourselves for battle preparation (Battle of Uhud). ALLAH hears, and He knows when two groups among you were about to lose heart. But God is the guardian of these two, and on God should the faithful always rely. (Remember) how God helped you in the Battle of Badr when you were very weak. Therefore, keep your responsibilities toward God (fattaqu) so that you will have reasons to give thanks.
Remember when you (the Prophet) told the faithful, “Is it not adequate that God will send down three thousand angels to aid you?” Yes, indeed, if you all are steadfast in patience and mindful of your responsibilities to God (tattaqun), and your enemies were to appear suddenly, God will send five thousand angels to destroy them. This type of announcements is made as good news and to put your hearts at ease (in the face of enormous difficulties), but know that help comes from God alone, who is Mighty and Wise; God can destroy those who persistently deny the truth and abase others so that they are forced to withdraw in failure and despair.
It is deemed not wise for you (Prophet Mohammad or the companions) to decide or opine if God should accept their repentance or chastise them—even if they are unjust. To God belongs all that is in heavens and earth, and He forgives whom He pleases, and He chastises whom He pleases. God is Ever Forgiving and Merciful!
Verses 130–138
O People of Faith, do not seek to benefit from usury, trying to double and redouble your money. Instead, focus on your responsibilities to ALLAH (attaqu) and to fellow humans—that is the way to achieve success. This way you will also guard yourself against the fire that is ever present for those who deny God and are not thankful. And pay attention to God and to His prophet so that you may have mercy and peace. Be ever vigilant to secure forgiveness of God and to endeavor for a Garden that is as wide as the heavens and the earth combined—a Garden that is ever present for those who are responsible (muttaquin), those who help others during times of plenty as well as in times of difficulty and who control their anger and are ever ready to forgive others. Such are the good people God loves. These are the people who, when they commit an act of indecency or injustice (to themselves or to others), they immediately ask for forgiveness from God, Who alone can forgive sins, and they do not persist in such acts knowingly.
God rewards them by giving protection and a place in a Garden - of peace and plenty - in which rivers flow. How excellent is the reward that God provides for being a good worker! You can travel around the world and see for yourself such examples and what the fate was of those who were ungrateful and denied God. These are profound statements (bayyanun) for mankind—a source of guidance and a word of caution for those who feel responsible to God and to fellow humans (muttaquin)
Verses 139–143
Do not lose heart or grieve—you will always prevail if you are true believers. If you feel that a misfortune has affected you (e.g., not winning the Battle of Uhud), a similar misfortune has touched your adversaries as well—it is by bringing this type of alteration of fame and fortune to people that God becomes aware of those who have demonstrated faith and establishes evidence for such faith. God certainly does not love the evildoers! He cleanses pure those who have faith of any evils (by such misfortune) and eventually destroys the works of those who deny the truth.
Do you think that you will be rewarded with Paradise while God has not seen who among you strove hard for just cause, and persevered with patience? You thought it was easy to face difficulty and death in His cause, and now you have seen it with your own eyes before you!
Verses 144–148
Mohammad is only a prophet, and all prophets had passed away before him. So, if he dies or is killed, will you then forsake you faith? Whoever does so should know that they can do no harm to ALLAH. God rewards the grateful. No human being can die but with God’s permission, for a term that is preordained. Whoever strives for the rewards of this world, God grants him such, and whoever strives for the rewards of the life to come, God grants him that what he strives for. God always rewards the grateful.
Many prophets had to struggle, and with them (and after them) were men of God consciousness who struggled as well. They did not lose heart (or faith) for what misfortune came along their way, or became weak, or abased themselves (by submitting to falsehood or their adversaries). God loves those who are steadfast in adversity. Their only plea to God was, “Our God, forgive us our sins and any excess we committed in managing our affairs, strengthen our resolve, and help us against people who fight the truth.” God rewarded such people in this world and in the hereafter; God loves the doer of good!
Verses 149–155
O People of Faith, if you listen and follow the people who deny faith, they will make you deviate from the guidance and become losers. But ALLAH is your true Patron, and He is best to seek help from. God will bring fear and dread into the hearts of those who deny God, because they set up partners with God without any justification or proof. They will end up in hellfire, an evil place suitable for those who do evil.
God certainly made good on His promise when you secured early victory, but then you became weakhearted, disputed about the situation, and disobeyed directives. God showed an opportunity to seek what you love (spoils of war)—especially for those who love the provisions of this world, but there were others who were striving for the hereafter. So God made you turn away from your main focus, so that He can test you and try you. Now He had indeed forgiven you, for God is ever Gracious to the faithful [who are sincere].
[Remember] when you fled without paying any attention to anyone, and the Prophet was calling you from behind. So God brought about another grief (the Prophet himself was wounded, and you became ashamed of your conduct) so that you might forget about what escaped you (worldly gain) or what you faced (defeat). God is Ever Aware of what you do. After all of these, God gave you security [from the enemy] and brought tranquility in your hearts, but a part continued to have misgivings that befit people who have no knowledge or guidance. They said, “Do we have any say in the matter? Nobody would have died if we had our say,” only to deflect from what was in their minds that they were unwilling to expose to others. Say to them, “The affair is in the hand of God. Even if you had stayed home, for those whose death was ordained would have gone to their places of death. All these happened so that God might test what is in your hearts and continue to purify your intentions and commitments. God is Ever Aware of what is concealed in the hearts of people.”
Those who turned back when the two adversaries met for battle (Battle of Uhud) —it was the devil who sought to tempt them as a consequence of their own misdeeds. But God has erased their sins and failings, for God is Ever Forgiving and Forbearing.
Verses 156–159
O People of Faith: do not behave in a way that people without faith behave, whereby they claim that those of their brethren who travel on a journey or engage in conflicts would not have died if they had stayed with them. ALLAH makes such thoughts and claims as a source of regrets for them. It is God who gives life and brings about how one dies. God sees all that you do. If one is killed in service of God [to preserve life, liberty, and justice] or one dies a normal death, in any event it is God’s protection and mercy that are more important and of value than what one possesses. Whether you die or are killed, in either way, you all are brought back to God.
It is indeed God’s mercy that you (the Prophet) are gentle to your followers. Had you been harsh and heartless with them, they would have moved away from you. Therefore, pardon them, seek God’s protection and forgiveness, and consult them in all matters of importance. But once a matter is decided, one should put trust in God. God loves those who put their trust in Him.
Verses 160–167
If God helps you, then none can overpower you; but if God abandons you, then who can be there to come to your rescue? The faithful should always rely on ALLAH. It is inconceivable for a Prophet of God to deceive, since whoever acts dishonestly will carry such evils with him to the Day of Resurrection, when every soul will face the consequence of its actions, and no wrong will be done to any soul. Hence one who strives to follow God’s guidance cannot be the same as the one who displeases God by his acts. Such a person will end his or her journey from this life in hellfire, a horrifying destination, whereas the former is on a different level in the sight of God, who sees the action of everyone.
God certainly brought a favor to the faithful when He raised a Prophet from among them, who explains the revelations, helps them grow in purity, confers knowledge from the book of revelation and wisdom (in life), whereas before his arrival, people were lost in ignorance and evil. Now that a calamity has fallen on you while you yourself inflicted twice as much (on your adversaries), you ask the question, where is this coming from? You should know—it comes from the consequence of your own actions. The calamity and misfortune that came to you during the encounter of the two armies came about with God’s permission so that He might find out who is faithful and who is tainted with hypocrisy.
When it was said to those who are hypocrites, “Come and fight to defend God’s causes or defend yourselves,” their response was, “If it was going to be a fight, we would have followed you.” In this instance, they were nearer to disbelief than belief in God, and they said something contrary to what was in their hearts. But God always knows what one conceals.
Verses 168–175
Those who held back (from going to the Battle of Uhud) said of those (who went to fight), “If they had listened to us, they would not have been killed.” Say to them, “If you speak the truth, then see if you can avert your own death. Those who die striving hard toward godliness, do not think of them as dead. They are alive, receiving sustenance from their Sustainer. They celebrate in the bounty, which they have received from ALLAH, and they rejoice for the sake of those who they have left behind as they will have no fear and no reason to grieve. They all rejoice in the favor of God and His grace, as God does not fail to reward those who demonstrate faith [in the face of hardship] and those who responded to the call from God and His Prophet even after misfortune touched them. Again, if they do good and are responsible, then there is a grand reward.”
It is these People of Faith to whom others said, “Your adversaries have gathered against you (in large numbers), so be afraid.” Instead, the situation only increased their faith and conviction, and they said, “God is sufficient for us, and He is a Magnificent Guardian!” So they returned home with God’s favor and grace. They avoided all evils, and they stayed firm in seeking God’s pleasure. God is mighty in His grace. It is the devil who instills fear in people who follow him; you should not fear them, but be conscious of Me [God], if you are true in your belief.
Verses 176–179
Those who vie to delve into disbelief should not be a cause for too much grief on your part. They can do no harm to ALLAH (and to those who are faithful to God). God intends to deprive them of any of His blessing, and they will face consequences that belief can do no harm to God, and there awaits a punishment for them that will be very painful.
Those who continue to deny God and truth should not feel that God’s permission for their continuance in evil is good for them; rather, such respite only adds to their sinfulness. They will face humiliating suffering. God will not keep the faithful in the same condition but separate the faithful out from the evil. God will also not give you (disbelievers) insight into the world of the unseen except to His messengers whom He chooses as He pleases. Therefore, one should believe in God and in His messengers. If you believe in God (tu’mino) and are responsible (tattaqu), then you will achieve a great reward.
Verses 180–184
If you are niggardly with what ALLAH has given you out of His bounty, do not think it is good for you. No, it is a source of evil for you. On the Day of Resurrection, your niggardliness will manifest as a collar around your neck (see 17:13). Indeed, God has the inheritance of the heavens and the Earth, and God is fully aware of what you do!
God certainly heard what was said and who said it—“God is poor (see 2:45), and we are rich.” All is recorded—what was said, who said it, and the killing of prophets without justification [Matthew 23:37, 1 Thessalonians 2:15]. It will be said to them, “Taste the burning in fire for what you have said and done.” God is not the least bit unjust to His creations.
As to those who say, “God has instructed us not to believe in messengers until they bring offerings consumed by fire,” [pre-Talmudic Jewish law, Lev. 1:9, Deut. 33:10] reply [to them], “Surely messengers came to you before me [Prophet Mohammad] with evidence of truth, which you yourself vouched for. Why did you then kill those messengers, if you are true to your belief?” If these people reject you (Prophet) now, so had they rejected other messengers before who came with evidence and exposition of truth, divine revelations of wisdom, and books of enlightenment?
Verses 185–186
Every soul will suffer death. ALLAH will reward appropriately everyone on Resurrection Day. Anyone who can keep far away from the hellfire and get to enter Paradise on that day will indeed achieve success. The life of this world is nothing but pursuit of vanities.
You will be tried regarding your person and possessions. You will also hear (and suffer) much abuse from those who were given books before and those who are polytheists, unless you exercise patience and focus on your responsibility (tattaqu) to God and to people. Such focus and commitment are matters of great resolution!
Verses 187–188
(Remember) when ALLAH took a pledge from the people who received previous revelations: make this known to mankind, explain it, and do not conceal any of it. But they failed to keep their pledge—they bartered the revelations for small gains in this world, and it was an evil exchange.
Be wary of those who pride themselves in what they have contrived and take pleasures in being praised for things they have not done. Do not think they will be safe from God’s judgment. There waits for them a painful chastisement (as a consequence of their actions).
Verses 189–194
To ALLAH belongs the kingdom of heavens and Earth, and He has power over all things. Indeed, the manner of creation, existence of the universe and the earth, and the repeated successions of the day and the night contain evidence of truth for those who pay attention and try to understand. These are those who are conscious of God in all hours that they are awake and, in all conditions, and reflect on the nature of creation of the heavens and the earth.
They say, “Our Sustainer God, You have not created all of these without meaning and purpose. You are the most awesome! Keep us away from the evils of Fire. Our Sustainer God, whomsoever you bring to this Fire, a serious disgrace has descended on them. For those who do evils, there will be no helper in the end. Our Sustainer God, we have heard a voice (a prophet) calling us to faith: ‘Believe in your Sustainer.’ So we have developed faith in You. Forgive us then our sins, remove us from evils, and help us achieve righteousness before we die. O our Sustainer God, deliver your promise that you made through your Messengers and protect us from disgrace on the Day of Resurrection; You never fail to fulfill Your promise!”
Verses 195–200
In accepting their prayers, ALLAH answers, “I shall not let any of your work be without its reward, whether coming from a male or a female, one of you being from the other. Whoever migrates to avoid evils and false belief, is driven from his or her homes unjustly, suffers in preserving his or her faith and purity, or actively fights evils and sometimes dies in such exertion—I will efface his or her bad deeds and bring him or her to Paradise of peace and plenty, a reward from God alone. God is indeed the Best and the most Bountiful in giving rewards.”
Don’t be deceived by the apparent freedom of those who do evils and deny faith as they will—they are given a time for brief enjoyment, before they are brought to Hell, a horrifying place to be. (In contrast) those who keep their duty to God and to people, God reserves Paradise of peace and plenty for them, to reside in and to receive God’s grace. The reward from God for the righteous is the best of all rewards!
Recognize that there are such people who follow previous revelations and who are true believers in God and in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed to them. They stand in awe of God and do not exchange God’s guidance for small gains in this world. They, too, will be rewarded in a like manner as you, and God is swift in taking accounts. O People of Faith —have patience, compete in enduring patience and resolute preparedness, and have mindful consciousness of your responsibility to God (attaqu) —this is how you will become successful!
Chapter 4: An-Nisa (The Women) - [Recitation]
Verses 1–3
In the name of ALLAH, The God of Mercy, The Endower of Mercy!
O mankind, be mindful of your responsibility to ALLAH (attaqu) who created you from a single living being out of which He also created his mate, and from these two beings spread out all men and women. Keep your duty to God, remain conscious of your rights and obligations to one another, as you all have a common bond with God, and maintain the ties of fellowship among yourselves. Know that God is ever watchful over His creation.
Give to the orphans their property intact, do not substitute your worthless property for their good ones, and do not consume their property as your own—doing so is a great sin!
If you have reason to fear that you will act unjustly to such orphans (girls), then marry such or other women (in a similar situation such as widows who lost their husbands in war) based on mutual understanding—one, two, three, or four. But if you fear that you will not be able to treat each with equal fairness, then marry one from such women or from those who are rightfully in your possession. This will more likely ensure that you do not deviate from the right path.
Verses 4–6
And give to the bride her marriage portion (i.e., mahr) in the spirit of a gift. But if they give up a portion of that out of their own will, then consume it together with joy and pleasure.
Do not hand over the property to those orphans who are still weak of understanding while God has given you charge to maintain them. Maintain them out of such property (or your own), clothe them, and treat them gently and educate them. And ascertain their maturity until they reach the age of marriage. If you then find them to be mature of understanding, then hand over their property in their proper possession. Do not consume their property in wasteful consumption or hastily before they grow up. If one is rich, then he should abstain entirely from using such property, and if one is poor, he could use a portion in a fair measure. And when such handover happens, bring witnesses to the transaction—but know that none can take accounts better than God.
Verses 7–14
Whatever parents and near relatives leave behind, man will have a share in the inheritance and so will woman; however little or however much—each an appointed share. During the distribution of inheritance, if relatives, orphans, and needy people are present, give them something out of it and treat them gently. Any one of you who fears that they might leave behind children too young—and you should contemplate (such a possibility)—then remain conscious of your commitment to responsible behavior and speak and treat everyone justly. Anyone who devours the property of orphans unjustly only swallows fire into their bellies, and they will endure blazing fire.
ALLAH enjoins the following concerning inheritance for your children: (1) The share for a male is twice that of a female, (2) but if there are more than two females, they shall inherit two-thirds of what their parents leave behind, (3) but if there is one, she shall have one-half. As for parents (of the deceased): (1) each shall have one-sixth of what he leaves behind, if he has a surviving child, (2) if he has no surviving child and parents are the only heirs, then his mother will have one-third, and (3) if he has brothers and sisters, then his mother will get one-sixth, all such allocations after deductions of any and all outstanding bequeathal and debt. As for your parents and your children, you do not know who is more deserving of benefits from you. This command about inheritance is an obligation from God, who is All Knowing and Wise.
Now with respect to inheritance left by wives: (1) you will have one-half, if there are no children, (2) but if they have children, then your share is one-fourth after deductions of any bequeathal and debt. And with respect to inheritance left by husbands: (1) widows will have one-fourth if no child is left behind, (2) but if there is a child, then her share shall be one-eighth, after all bequeathal and debts.
If a man or a woman has no direct heirs (children or parents) but has a brother or a sister, then each will inherit one-sixth, but if there are more than two, then all together will inherit one-third, after all bequeathals and debts, which should not deprive rightful heirs—all these being injunctions from God who is All Knowing and Forbearing.
There are limits set by God. Whoever follows God and His Messenger, God will admit him in Paradise of peace and plenty to reside in. This is a great achievement. Whoever, on the other hand, disobeys God and His Messenger and goes beyond the limit, God will make him enter the Fire to reside in. That is a shameful suffering!
Verses 15–22
Grossly immoral and immodest conduct by your women should be verified by four direct witnesses. Should there be such witnesses, then confine such women to their homes (for their own safety and to restrain them but not against their will) —until death comes or God opens a way (to their repentance). Both parties (men and women) who are guilty shall be punished in a similar manner; but if they repent and mend their ways, then leave them on their own accord. God is an Acceptor of Repentance and is Compassionate. God’s acceptance of repentance is only for those who commit such evil out of ignorance and then repent soon thereafter. To them God turns mercifully, and He is ever Knowing and Wise. But such repentance will be not granted to those who persist in such evils until they face death when they say, “I repent”; nor it is for those who persistently deny the truth (as a disbeliever). For these types of people, God will make them face an awful punishment.
For those who believe, it is not lawful to try to inherit their wife’s property by restraining such women against their will; neither shall you confine them with an intent to take away what you have given them freely before unless they have committed grossly immoral acts in an obvious (verified) manner. Always treat them with goodness, and reflect on the fact that God might make them a source of abundant good, even as you dislike them. Similarly, if you wish to marry another woman in place of your wife, do not take anything from her what you had given freely before, even if it was a heap of gold. And to do so by falsely slandering her is a manifest sin on your part. And how is it possible when you both have given yourselves to each other and she had taken a strong pledge from you (for her care)?
And marry not a woman whom your father had married; what has been in the past is a matter of the past. Such practice is indecent and hateful—an evil practice (of the past).
Verses 23–28
Forbidden for a man to marry—(1) his mothers, (2) his daughters, (3) his sisters, (4) his maternal and paternal aunts, (5) his brother’s daughters, (6) his sister’s daughters, (7) his foster mothers, (8) his foster sisters, (9) mothers of his wives, (10) stepdaughters he is in charge of from wives with whom he consummated marriage, (11) wives of his own sons, and (12) two sisters at the same time except what has already occurred. ALLAH is Ever Forgiving and Merciful.
Also forbidden are all married women, except those who are under your control. These are God’s injunctions on you regarding marriage. Lawful for you to marry are all other women besides these and that you seek them with your person and property, taking into proper marriage and not as mistresses, and giving them mahr that is due and appropriate. After such arrangement of mahr, it will not be held against you if you both mutually agree to anything else. Be conscious that God is all-Knowing and Wise.
If you are financially or otherwise unable to marry a free woman of faith, you may seek to marry a believing woman who is otherwise bound. God knows about your faith and the fact that each one of you is related to the other [whether free or bonded]. Then marry such bonded women of faith with permission from their masters, giving them proper mahr in marriage, and do not keep them as a mistress or as a secret sexual partner. If after marriage, such a woman is found guilty of immoral conduct, then she should be subjected to half the punishment of a free believing woman. This arrangement is for him who might otherwise fall victim to his own evil inclination. But patience (and abstinence) is better for you, and you will find God much Forgiving and Merciful!
God wants to explain things, especially those of the past, to guide you properly, and He turns to you in His Mercy. God is Ever Aware and Wise. God desires to show you mercy, whereas those who follow their lusts and passions want you to deviate from the right path. God wants to lighten your burden, since the human being is created weak.
***Excerpt from Volume 2: Free to Choose – Removing the Middleman Series, by Rashed Hasan. Copyright by Author***
