Quran Garden

Session 442

Chapter 3

Verses 114 & 115

They believe in God and the Last Day, order what is right, forbid what is wrong, and hurry to do good deeds.  These people are among the righteous.  (Chapter 3: Verse 114)

We continue with the description of the People of the Book, namely the Jews and Christians, who welcomed the message of Muhammad.  In this verse, Allah further describes them as those who "believe in God and the Last Day, order what is right and forbid what is wrong, and hurry to do good deeds." Does this remind you of another verse in Surah Al Imran?  God says, describing the nation of Muhammad,

You are the best community singled out for people: you order what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in God.  If the People of the Book had also believed, it would have been better for them.  Although some of them do believe, most of them are transgressors.  (3:110)

These shared qualities are God's account of the best nation sent for the people, the nation of Muhammad.  They are the same qualities of the Jews and Christians who were awaiting the new Prophet, and as soon as Muhammad came, they believed in his message and became part of the foundation of the best nation sent to humankind. 

Let's take a moment to study the phrase, "who hurry to do good deeds." Listen to God's invitation to the believers in Aya 133 of Al Imran:

Hurry towards your Lord's forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth prepared for the righteous.

There is a difference between 'to hurry' and 'to haste.'  They both increase speed and reduce time, but there is a critical difference between the two.  To highlight this difference, we should consider the opposite of each verb.  The opposite of 'hurry' is to 'slow down' while the opposite of 'haste' is 'caution and deliberation.'  For example, we say: "the student did his homework in haste, so it is full of mistakes." A famous Arabic adage says, "In caution there is safety, and in haste there lies regret." 

In general, speed is praiseworthy as long as it is not reckless.  You want to be fast and cautious, which is where the command "hurry" falls.  God says, "They believe in God and the Last Day, order what is right and forbid what is wrong, and hurry to do good deeds," meaning whenever they glimpse a spark of goodness, they hurry to do it properly.  

Here, I recall a remarkable story of the Caliph Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz, may God be pleased with him.  He used to nap during the day while the guard would prevent people from disturbing him during this precious time.  One day, the son of Omar came and said to the doorkeeper, "I would like to speak with my father."  The guard stopped him and replied, "This is the only time he gets any rest.  God knows he works hard all hours of the day and night." But the son persisted.  Eventually, the back-and-forth argument disturbed Omar from his sleep.  He called in the guard and asked, "What is going on?" The guard replied, "It is your son; he wants to talk to you, and I asked him to allow you to rest." Omar bin Abdul Aziz said, "Let him in."  He said, "Father, I have heard that you are about to give one of our properties to charity in God's path." He replied, "Yes son, I am planning to do so tomorrow, God willing."  The son asked, "Are you sure God will keep you alive till tomorrow?" Omar's eyes filled with tears, "Praise be to God for granting me a righteous child who aids me towards good."  Omar got up and ordered the property to charity without delay. 

Omar's son taught us a valuable lesson:  If you want to do good, you must move now!  If you are listening to this, you are alive and healthy, so do not waste any time!  Allah says, "Hurry towards your Lord's forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth prepared for the righteous." You must seize the opportunity because life is full of changes, and you may not be here tomorrow.  Also, make sure to raise children who help you towards good in the world.  Sadly, most children I see today try to stop their parents from giving to charity because they want the money for themselves.   

The verse ends with, "These people are among the righteous." Here, we ask, what are they right for?  We normally say: "So and so is right for the job," or "so and so is unfit for the job."  God made Adam and his descendants His successors on earth.  Our job is to implement God's teachings and build a better world for future generations.  If you are good at your job, you improve things; if you are unfit, you corrupt and spoil life for others.   

Suppose you come across a drinking well.  This well is a bounty from God that fulfills people's everyday needs.  You can approach it with the means and intellect that God gave you and restore it in an environmentally friendly way.  You can improve the well by lining its walls with stones and installing a pump.  On the other hand, if you decide to dump industrial waste in it, you have proved unfit for the job, showing ingratitude to God's bounty and causing harm to society.  Hence, the word "righteous" means a person who is suitable to be God's successor on earth.  

Remember that being a good Stewart of the earth is only possible if it is done within the boundaries of God's teachings.  If you think you are smarter than your Creator and want to do things your way, you are from the corrupt who are unfit for the job.  God says,

Do not follow blindly what you do not know to be true: ears, eyes, and heart, you will be questioned about all these.  (17:36)

And in another chapter,

Say: "Shall I inform you of the greatest losers in their actions?" "They are People whose work in life is misguided while they suppose that they are doing good."  (18:103-104)

Allah honors those who believe from the People of the Book and describes them accurately, for they recite His verses throughout the night while they prostrate, believe in Him and the Last Day, command the good and forbid evil, and rush to do good deeds.  In the next verse of Al Imran, Allah confirms that they will reap immense rewards for their actions.  He says,

And whatever good they do, it will not go unappreciated.  Allah is fully aware of the Godwary.

(Chapter 3: Verse 115)

God will give them their reward in full.  They may be doing good deeds in the middle of the night while no one is looking, but Allah is aware of everything and with Him is the best of rewards.