ضربت عليهم الذلة اين ما ثقفوا الا بحبل من الله وحبل من الناس وباءوا بغضب من الله وضربت عليهم المسكنة ذلك بانهم كانوا يكفرون بايات الله ويقتلون الانبياء بغير حق ذلك بما عصوا وكانوا يعتدون

ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوٓا۟ إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلْأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ

A reflection that came to me when reciting these verses the other day. When the speech is addressed at the believers (in context of them quarreling over their tribes), Allah mentions enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong before belief in God (v.110), however when God mentions how the people of the book are not all equal, he mentions belief in God and the last Day before enjoining the good and forbidding the evil (114).

I don't know why and haven't read into it yet; however, my gut feeling is that Allah starts with what is more pertinent to the context. People of the book's good actions are only valuable with belief in God, the last Day and accepting the finality of Prophet Muhammad (which we know from other numerous verses and traditions), and so belief is mentioned first. Believers in Allah and the prophet will only benefit from their belief if they call others to it. Allah knows best.

#ImanAndAction

Thank you for comment Ouns. You are right in that this specific verse does not point out the finality of the Prophet Muhammad. However, numerous other verses and Prophetic traditions do (see 3:85, 3:19, 7:156-157 regardings God's specific mercy). It's a point of consensus amongst all the different factions within Sunni Islam (https://muslimmatters.org/2014/04/11/salvific-exclusivity-i-shaykh-yasir-qadhi/). The Qura'an can only be interpreted in light of other verses and Prophetic traditions. Allah knows best.

Qualities of Believers: The Keys to Eternal Success

Surat Al-Imran ends with reminding us of qualities needed to be successful, as a type of continuation from the first page of Surat Al-Baqara. In fact, the entire Surah is filled with reminders about the qualities needed to be successful and in alignment with Surat Al-Baqara, taqwa, to be mindful of God or to adopt a God-centered lifestyle, is mentioned often throughout Surat Al-Imran. 

Additional qualities to nurture and embody our faith mentioned throughout these verses include:

*Patience
*Sincerity
*Devotion to Allah through extended worship
*Love for Allah and following the Prophet (peace be upon him) 
*Spending from what we love and being charitable and generous
*Dying in a state of full submission to Allah
*Unity and cultivating strong ties of brotherhood and sisterhood
*Racing to and seeking forgiveness, particularly before dawn, which is known to be a blessed time
*Control their anger and pardon others
*Grateful
*Rely on Allah alone and seek His aid
*Humble
*Those who show ihsan - moral and spiritual excellence

One may observe such a list of qualities and ponder about how to 'do it all' - and this is the beauty of faith, it can be nurtured like a seed, with sincerity, love for God through knowing Him and acknowledging His endless blessings, as well as with time, patience, effort, a faith support network, and asking God for His support and aid. Just like any goal we hope to achieve, these #lifegoals can be achieved through God’s grace.

In a world that pushes us to only seek external indicators of success through career, status, wealth, etc., God reminds us of the eternal indicators of success which are largely based on an internal process of tazkiya or purification and moral elevation. By strengthening our relationship with God, we can embody these qualities which enable us to actualize our purpose, find peace, success and contentment in this world, as well as in an eternal heaven. 

Which of these qualities would you like to nurture today? We can choose to focus on 1 or 2 at a time and keep nurturing them until we believe we can move on to the next one, while maintaining the qualities we have endeavoured to develop and remembering that we are not perfect human beings - that there will be shortcomings, and that is where the racing to and seeking forgiveness often comes in. We understand this is an ongoing journey of walking to God, with love, and with all of our humanness, and all of our hopes to be among those who can embody the qualities of eternal success in sha Allah. May we be among them, Ameen.

#Ramadanreflections
#Eternalsuccess
#qualitiesofbelievers
#ihsan #taqwa #sabr #love #lifegoals #success

Reading these two surahs and listening to them in taraweh over the last few days has reminded me just how special they are

Themes found in Aal Imran:

Oneness of Allah and Guidance to the straight path: (1-32)
The surah begins by introducing us to Allah (SWT) and proofs of his dominance, stressing that Islam is universal guidance, and the Qur'an a confirmation of all previous revelations.
* 3:7: Allah categorizes the Qur’anic verses as Muhkamat (Clear) &amp; Mutashabihat (Unclear). Muhkamat verses are the 'mother of the book' as they guide our way to understanding the Mutashabihat (only Allah knows their true meaning, therefore there is no 'correct' interpretation of these verses). The key to understanding these verses is to be humble, and sincere.
* Dua’s of the knowledgeable ones teaching us that knowledge should bring humility in us, not arrogance. After gaining knowledge, we should ask Allah for guidance.
* Material things are temporary and are bound to perish, while what lies with God is everlasting.
* 3:19: Islam is the only true religion in the sight of Allah and that Prophet Ibrahim (as) was a Muslim.

The family of Imran(3: 33-63)
The family of Imran forms the central narrative of this Surah teaching us lessons on piety, guidance, and Dua’s for righteous offsprings.
* The story of the wife of Imran (at the birth of Maryam) teaching how a righteous, sincere intention has a good effect on one’s child.
* The birth &amp; life of Maryam (Mary), teaching us that Allah provides for whomever He wills without any limits. He provided Mary with fruits that were out of season and a miracle child. 
* Allah provided Prophet Zakariya (Maryam’s uncle) with a miracle child (Prophet Yahya) when he asked Allah for an heir
* The true narration of the birth and missions of Isa (as), his character traits, miracles, and the support of his disciples in the path of Allah. 
A Call to the People of the book (3: 64-100) 
* As they are being told this is the final testimony &amp; revelation from Allah, confirming what they have.
* 3:70-71: They disbelieve in the verses of Allah while they were witnesses to the truth.
* Some people of the Book ‘distort the Scripture by altering the record of the Scripture in their care.
* Etiquette of discussing religion with people of other faiths. Shows the importance of talking about the similarities rather than the differences.
* 3:100: Expresses its central message of the Surah as it weighs carefully the consequences for the believers if they obey a party of the people of the Book they will misguide you from the path of God (To ‘obey’ here means to be led by, to follow) 
2. Calls to Believers (101-200):
* Be conscious of your affairs and avoid imitating others. A person dies the way he has lived.
* Importance of unity among Muslims standing up for righteousness and having the courage to speak up against the wrong.
* The people of the Book are not all alike in their doctrines and behaviors. Among them, there are virtuous and sincere believers. (3: 113)
* Short-term trials will come, but don’t lose heart. If you are true believers, you will succeed. Our beliefs, doctrines, and deeds are enriched and improved only through trial, understanding, intending, and then striving to practice the right thing.
* Battles of Badr and Uhud were mentioned explaining how we are supposed to deal with victory, and how we are supposed to deal with loss.
* Prohibition on consuming Riba (usury).
* The Qur’an is from Allah not the invention/preference of any individual man/woman, nor any tribe or clan, nor is it tied to any geographical/historical location.
* Pay allegiance to God, not Mohammad {SAW}, he will die, while God is ever-living. He was sent to us so that he could teach us the Qur’an, Sunnah, and wisdom. His life is a role model for us. We should try to emulate his character.
* Historical effects of believing and acting from belief are presented: there are both victory and defeat, both security and anxiety. Some understand that behind the unfolding of events all is from Allah unfolding as He wills. Others judge by their logic or the logic of events (3: 154).
* Seek purity and protection from sins from Allah. Spend in the way of God. If you commit an error, immediately become mindful and seek forgiveness.
* The Surah ends beautifully with a dua of the believers

#deenunraveled #islamquotes #islamiccenter #islamicquote #islamicreminders #islamicposts #islamic #deens #deenoverduniya #deenfirst #deengirl #deenhalal #deenaddict #qurani #quranmadina #quransayings #quranverse #quranicverse #quranquote #muslimah #muslims #muslimhumor #muslimwomen

Complimentary aspects with Al-Baqara
At the end of Surah Al-Baqarah, we asked Allah not to put a burden upon us that we can’t bear. The beginning and ending of Al-Imran starts with beautiful duʿas for guidance, thereby, continuing the theme of duʿas for guidance in Surah al-Fatiḥah and the end of Al-Baqarah.
* A beautiful link between Surah al-Baqarah and Surah Al ʿImran is the topic of piety. Surah al-Baqarah focuses on guidance towards piety, while Surah Al ʿImran gives us multiple examples of piety, miracles, prayers, and attitudes of these righteous people in the families of ʿImran (AS) and Zakariya (AS).
* Both chapters seem to be complimentary as Baqara starts with defining the behavior traits of those who take guard {Muttaqeen} and declaring them as Successful (2:5). Very interestingly, Aal Imran ends with the idea of achieving this state of success.
* While Baqara mainly dealt with the theoretical aspect of Islam, Aal Imran is more interested in 'on the ground' realities [It talks about the implementation of 'Islam' and prepares the reader for the resistance that is bound to come]. 
* Islam is repeated several times in Aal Imran, where Islam is the outward manifestation of the faith, whereas Iman is the inward manifestation of the faith, which is repeated several times in Surah Al-Baqarah

3: Surah Aal -Imraan (The Family of Imraan)
Attributes 
* Aal Imran (The Family of Imran).  A family from which many prophets came including Musa, Harun, Zakariya, and Yahya.
* Madani (revealed 3rd-4th year after Hijrah). 

Summary of some of its key topics:
* It revolves around two major issues: the debate with the People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) and a review and assessment of the humiliating and tragic defeat suffered by the Muslims at the battle of Uhud 
* This surah addresses the people of the book more than any other surah in the Qur’an due to the high number of interactions that the Prophet (ﷺ) had with both Jews (of Madinah) and Christians (delegations from Najran who wanted to learn about Islam and its stance on Jesus and Mary).
* Qur’an is the criterion to refer to when deciding a matter (then sunnah). We must know Islamic law and live our life according to the teachings of the Qur’an.
* The Battle of Uḥud: the aftermath of the battle, reminding the believers that victory is from Allah and that disunity gets in the way of Divine Assistance. Unity is encouraged while division is discouraged throughout the Surah.