And when it is said to them: 'Do not make corruption on the earth,' they say: 'We are only reformers.'
One of the greatest calamities and worst characteristics of hypocrites is for one of them to stand out and say: I am the reformer, and others are corrupt! Hence, combining the corruption of the heart with ill logic and spoiled belief.


.	{وَإِذَا قِیلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُوا۟ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوۤا۟ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ} [البَقَرَةِ: 11]
 من أكبر البلايا وأعظم صفات المنافقين أن يرفع أحدهم رأسه ويقول: أنا المصلح وغيري فاسد، فجمع مع فساد القلب سوء المنطق وسوء المعتقد.

I agree. I do believe that this is applicable to today's political and international sphere.

'Let there be no compulsion in religion' Al-Baqara 2:256

This verse, I believe, can be applied to a variety of situations because it is not only limited to the original context. This is what this verse means to me.

1) According to this specific Quranic verse, people inherited 'freedom' / the right to choose 'right things in their lives' as one‘s human rights, regardless of race, language, ethnicity, sex, nationality, or any other position they have.

2) As stated plainly in the phrase, individuals have the right to select their religions.

3) As a Muslim, I can only offer a cordial invitation to Islam; I cannot force or even judge individuals.

4)This remarkable passage also instructs us not to promote violence and hatred through religion.  Any religious differences we have while on Earth will be fully clarified on the Day of Judgment.  (2:113) The Jews said, 'Christians are without valid grounds,' and they said, 'The Jews are without valid grounds,' while they chant the Book. The ignorant speak similarly. God will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning their differences.' Even if this verse is aimed at two Abrahamic religions, it is also appropriate for us.

5) When discussing different religions with others, we must speak of God respectfully, taking care not to say anything inappropriate that may offend another's religion. ' And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do.' (6:108)

6) To me, this verse also suggests avoiding anything that does not concern us. We need to mind our own business. There is a hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that says: 'The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said: 'Part of the perfection of someone's Islam is his leaving alone anything which does not concern him.' (Ibn-Majah: 2518). This will prevent a great deal of trouble 

7) This verse instructs us to embrace our society's diversity. 

8) I believe it explicitly commands us to be tolerant of people's varied opinions and perspectives, even if we disagree with them. It encourages us to develop tolerance abilities.

9) When we communicate our own opinions and thoughts on any matter, we must do it with politeness, considering that the other person already has some level of understanding on the subject. We should not make assumptions or use phrases in our speech that are intended to demean others. 

10) To my mind, Allah established balance to maintain peace in this world through such verse, and we should not attempt to alter the balance with our judgmental thinking and actions. Perhaps that is why Allah says, 'When it is said to them, ‘Do not cause corruption in the land,’ they say, ‘We are only putting things right' (2:11) 

11) When religion is a significant aspect of life, and the Quran clarifies that religion cannot be forced, everyone has the right to pursue their way of life, as religion is described as 'a way of life.'

This is a nice summary of ethics of religious coexistence and interaction. Of course, none of this takes away from believing that only one Path is correct, and using the best means to invite people to that Path.

When Oppression Feels Loud — But Allah Is Watching

There are nights when scrolling feels unbearable.

Images of children under rubble.
Mothers crying over lifeless bodies.
Fathers carrying what remains of their homes.

From Gaza to other parts of the world, oppression is not hidden anymore. It is broadcast in real time.

And sometimes the question forms quietly in the heart:

“Ya Allah… where is justice?”

But Allah already described this mentality long ago:

“And when it is said to them, ‘Do not spread corruption on the earth,’ they say, ‘We are only peacemakers.’ Indeed, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive it not.” (Qur’an 2:11–12)

SubhanAllah.

They claim peace while causing destruction.
They speak of security while burying children.
They use powerful words to hide painful realities.

But here is what brings peace to the believer’s heart:

Allah is not unaware.

“And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare in horror.” (Qur’an 14:42)

Delay is not neglect.
Silence is not absence.
Patience is not weakness.

Allah sees every tear that falls from an oppressed child.
He hears every mother’s cry.
He records every ظلم (oppression), even the ones the world ignores.

And history teaches us something powerful:

Tables turn.

Pharaoh once thought he was untouchable.
Empires once thought they were permanent.
Oppressors always believe their power will last forever.

But Allah’s justice is not emotional. It is precise.

The believer does not lose hope because hope is not built on politics — it is built on faith.

We may feel powerless.
We may not control governments.
We may not stop missiles.

But we can:
	•	Make sincere dua in tahajjud
	•	Give charity
	•	Speak truth with wisdom
	•	Raise our children upon dignity
	•	Strengthen our own iman

Because victory begins with hearts that refuse to normalize ظلم.

To the hopeless heart reading this:

Your tears are not wasted.
Your dua is not ignored.
Your sadness is not weak faith.

Allah is Al-‘Adl — The Most Just.
Allah is Al-Basir — The All-Seeing.
Allah is Al-Qawiyy — The Most Powerful.

The table may not turn tomorrow.
But it will turn.

And when it does, the world will know that justice does not disappear — it waits for Allah’s command.

So don’t let oppression shake your belief.

Let it increase your certainty that this world was never meant to be the final court.

Justice is coming.
And Allah is watching everything. 
#ReflectingInCrisis  

Today, something struck me while revisiting this passage, and I was truly amazed. It caught my attention in a way it never had before, so I thought I would share it here.
The words of Allah are an endless ocean. When we notice or discover one gem among the countless treasures, the only words that come to the tongue are: SubhanAllah!
There is such depth in the words of Allah, and such precise and consistent usage, that each time we return to them, we may uncover a new gem we had never seen before and then yet another.

One theme that stood out to me in the opening passage about the hypocrites in Surah Al-Baqarah is that whenever the hypocrites make a claim about themselves or about the believers, Allah immediately responds to that claim in the very next words. He clarifies their reality. Not only does He respond to it, but He turns it back on them with even stronger emphasis, making the truth clear and exposing their real state.
Part of this emphasis appears through the shift between fi‘l and ism. While an ism is more than just what we call a “noun” in English, and a fi‘l is more than simply a “verb,” for the sake of simplicity, I will occasionally use those terms here.  A noun often implies permanence and constancy, whereas a verb implies something temporary. Now, keep this in mind as you continue reading.

Ayah 8

  وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَبِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
[“And of the people are some who say, ‘We believe in Allah and the Last Day,’ but they are not believers.”] (Saheeh International)

Notice how they say ءَامَنَّا -  “we believed”. This is a fi‘l, a verb expressing an action they claim to have performed. They present belief as something they did.

But Allah immediately responds:
 وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

Here, Allah uses مُؤْمِنِينَ, which is an ism. He also uses ما for negation and adds the extra ب before مُؤْمِنِينَ, now what it does is, it intensifies the negation. This construction creates a very strong denial, as if to say "they are absolutely not believers."
They claimed belief as an action, but Allah denies them the title of believers.

Ayah 11–12

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ

[And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers."
Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.]
 (Saheeh International)

They are told:
 لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ
“Do not cause corruption on the earth”

They respond:
 إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
“We are only reformers”

Notice: they don't say “we reform.” Instead, they claim the title مُصْلِحُونَ , an ism. They present reformers as their title.

But Allah responds:
 أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ
[“Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters…”]

In this response there are multiple layers of emphasis. أَلَا functions as an alert, drawing attention. إِنَّ adds certainty and emphasis. The attached هم in إِنَّهُمْ points directly to them. The separate هم adds another level of emphasis. Then الْمُفْسِدُونَ, an ism with an ال - “the real corrupters in reality”, adding another level of emphasis.

It's as if the meaning becomes: Pay attention! Indeed they, THEY ARE THE CORRUPTERS…. Allah doesn't merely correct them. He overturns their self-description with even stronger emphasis.

Ayah 13

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ ءَامِنُوا۟ كَمَآ ءَامَنَ ٱلنَّاسُ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَآ ءَامَنَ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ

[And when it is said to them, "Believe as the people have believed," they say, "Should we believe as the foolish have believed?" Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.]  (Saheeh International)

They say:
أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ
[“Should we believe as the foolish have believed?”]

They label the believers as السفهاء - “the foolish ones”

Allah responds:
 أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ
[Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish.]

Again we see the same structure of emphasis: أَلَا, then إِنَّهُمْ, then another  هُمُ for emphasis, and then  السُّفَهَاءُ, an ism with an ال. They accuse the believers, and Allah reverses the label and assigns it back to them with stronger emphasis.

Ayah 14–15

وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ شَيَـٰطِينِهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ
ٱللَّسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

[And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe"; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers."
[But] Allāh mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.] (Saheeh International)

When they meet the believers, they say:
 آمَنَّا
["We believe"]
Again, belief is expressed as a fi‘l, an action.

But when they are alone with their devils, they say:
 إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ
[“We are only mockers”]
مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ is an ism. Mockery is presented as an established trait. Belief is a claim of action, but mockery is a firmly rooted quality in them.

Then Allah responds:
 ٱللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
“[But] Allah mocks them and He prolongs them in their transgression while they wander blindly”
Here, يَسْتَهْزِئُ is a fi‘l. Allah doesn't describe Himself with mockery as a permanent attribute, rather it appears here as an action of just recompense in response to their behavior. Their mockery is returned upon them, and Allah prolongs them in their transgression while they wander blindly. They think that they are deceiving others, but they don't realize that they are only deceiving themselves.

May Allah protect us from hypocrisy, make us among the truthful, and include us among the true believers. Ameen

#wording ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Faryal Riaz​ Wa iyyaki, ya Ukhti Al-Habiba Ash-sharifah 😌💎, yeh rha 🥹🩵✨

In the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah discusses the characteristics of believers, disbelievers, and hypocrites. While these verses directly address the hypocrites of Medina, and have also some other implication but following are some forms of hypocrisy in light of these verses that should be reflect on . 

Ayah 8  : True Belief Requires Action

Saying 'I am Muslim' isn't enough. If I don't pray, neglect Allah's words, mistreat others, lack respect for the less privileged, sever family ties, lie, or indulge in forbidden acts, then I don't truly believe in Allah and Judgment Day. Genuine belief changes how I see everything.


Ayah 9: A Self-Imposed Illusion

When I pretend to be someone I'm not, trying to deceive others into believing a false image of me, I end up spending all my time maintaining that facade. If people believe this fake version of me, I'm not deceiving them—I'm only deceiving myself


Ayah 10: The Danger of Unchecked Desires

When I harbor desires for glory, fame, or any form of greed, and I don't resist them despite knowing they're harmful, and even try to defend it Allah may increase these desires within me. I might even start feeling comfortable heading down that destructive path


Ayah 11-12 :The Pitfall of Stubbornness

When someone tries to correct me, if I stubbornly and ignorantly defend my position, even if my actions harm others, refusing to admit my mistakes and instead criticizing the other person, it contributes to the spread of corruption. We see this on a large scale, where the most corrupt individuals never admit their culpability.



Ayah 13 : Misjudging the True Essence

If someone refers to me or mentions a believer as an example, but I discover that they don't seem cool, lack style, are poor, or are from a lower class, and I respond by thinking, 'Should I believe like them? They are so extreme, unconcerned with worldly attractions, parties, and 'yolo'. lifestyle.' In other words, I consider them fools. But if I have this mindset, then it is I who is the fool, no matter how good-looking or materially successful I may be.



Ayah 14: The Mask of Piety

One of the most common diseases in the subcontinent, and possibly elsewhere, is the need to show off. When someone turns to religion, the first challenge they face is the temptation to appear pious.

In public, especially in mosques or gatherings, i present myself as a devout believer. My words, references, worship, remembrance of Allah 
even my reflections that i am writing now are all for the sake of maintaining the image of a good, pious person. 
However, in private or with close friends, or in any vulnerable environment the neglection of faith emerges. I find myself torn between two worlds—This internal struggle feels like partying with the devil while trying to maintain a façade of piety.—trying to appear devout while indulging in worldly pleasures and abandoning my religious obligations.

و ما يشْعرون
..and they are not aware.

Always thought these verses referred only to the munafiqun. Allah isn't talking about me here.  He already described me earlier in the surah as one of the mukmin. 

How utterly arrogant of me!

An Ustadz pointed out that these characteristics can and do exist in people who call themselves Muslims, too, like me. 

How many times have I wasted food. A creation of Allah had to be slaughtered so that I can eat its meat. How carelessly have I spent the rizq Allah has bestowed upon me in the chase for this material world. 

Most of us will not see this as corruption and we will undervalue our single action. Therein lies real corruption. Carelessness; undervaluing Allah's mercies; recklessness in our pursuit of earthly pleasures; ingratitude.

Astaghfirullah.
O Allah, Forgive my carelessness;
O Allah, Make me value your blessings on me; 
O Allah, Teach me to be grateful;
O Allah, Give me the strength and courage to make good the remaining time I have,
Aamiin

Thumma aameen. 
Thank you for  taking the time to read this.