Quran Garden

Session 344

Chapter 3

Verse 17

a continuation

Those who are patient, truthful, genuinely devout, who give, and who pray before dawn for forgiveness.' (Chapter 3: Verse 17)

In the previous session, we started with the qualities of the believers who will enjoy God's company in paradise.  The next trait on the list is the 'genuinely devout,' translated from the Arabic origin 'Qaniteen.' A devout person is the one who worships with reverence, tranquillity, and steadfastness.  We explained that in order to be true to yourself, your actions must reflect what your heart feels and what your tongue says.  When it comes to worship, the devout rush to be with their Lord, and implement His teachings even when they do not know the wisdom behind them.  A devout believer implements God's command simply because it came from God.  Listen carefully to the following verse:

Believers, if you remain mindful of God, He will give you a criterion to tell right from wrong, and wipe out your evil deeds, and forgive you: God's favour is great indeed. (08:29)

Did you notice the order of events? You should be mindful of God first, and only then would He clarify things for you, and forgive your missteps.  Some people expect the exact opposite.  They want a full explanation from God before they follow His teachings.  A devout believer said: 'If you truly want to understand a command the Almighty has ordered, then fully implement it as He intended.  God will soon enlighten your mind with the wisdom you are looking for.' God says in the 282^nd verse of 'The Cow':

Be mindful of God, and He will teach you: He has full knowledge of everything

Allah asks you to follow His teachings first so He can enlighten your heart with knowledge.  This is the difference between receiving a command from your equal on the one hand, and from the one who is higher than you on the other.  If another human -who has the same knowledge as you- gives you an order, you can argue because you are his or her equal.  But if the order comes from someone that you trust and who is more knowledgeable, then you should follow the order without argument.  Take the example of a doctor advising his patient.  Your doctor's advice should be followed even if you don't understand the reason behind it.  You trust your doctor and know that he spent years acquiring the knowledge to treat your illness.  You can only discuss the doctor's recommendations if you have the same degree he does.  More importantly, if a friend asks you: Why are you taking this medicine? You are quick to give the perfect answer: because my doctor told me to. 

How about if the command comes from the Most-high, the All-Wise, and the All-Knowledgeable? Do you need an explanation for every act of worship? If you answered yes, then you do not truly believe in Allah, you only believe in the explanation.  In such case, there would be no difference between a believer and a non-believer as neither of them is doing anything for God's pleasure.  If a friend asks you: why do you pray five times a day? The simple answer should be: because God told me to.  

Allahis the Creator and theManager of everything in the universe, and to Him belongs absolute wisdom.  In the example, where you went to the doctor, the doctor is human and he or she may make a mistake.  But Allah is free of all flaws,and His judgment is never wrong.  We have full trust in God, who is the Most-High above all creations. Thisis the first part of the meaning behind the words 'genuinely devout,' 'Qaniteen.'

The second part of the meaning behind the word 'Qaniteen' has to do with love.  We follow God's teachings out of love for our Lord, not out of fear of hellfire or greed for paradise.  Let’s me clarify with an example.  A father says to his son: if you get good gradeson your final exam, I will give you a bicycle. Does this mean that the reason behind going to school is to receive a bike as a gift? No, it does not.  The father wants his child to learn well so he can be successful in life.  The bicycle is just an incentive.  When the child grows up and excels in his carrier, he will understand his father's wisdom.

There is also the example of a company run by a harsh demanding boss.  All the employees at the company come to work on time; they hardly talk to each other, and they do not leave until the boss leaves.  There is very little enjoyment at work.  If you ask an employee: why is everyone so serious, he or she would say: 'My boss is a tyrant.  I don't want to lose my job.' The employeesfollow the rules out of fear.  They are stressed because there is no room for error under this boss.  This obedience is fuelled by fear and resentment, not love. 

Some people ask: what does God want from me? To pray, pay almsgiving, and fast? Fine, I will do it.  We answer: No, Allah wants you to seek Him out of love and reverence, not fear or duty.  Faith was instituted for your benefit and the benefit of the society, not for God's benefit.  If you find yourself delaying your prayer, and the rushing to pray at the last minute with an absent mind, then you do not value God's company.  It is as if you tried God and did not find Him worthy of your time. 'Qanit' refers to the person who worships the Lord with humility and tranquillity.  He or she looks forward to prayer because it brings the sweetness of faith to theheart.  The heart of the believer longs for God's company in worship.  It is a virtuous cycle that brings the believer back to worship again and again.