Quran Garden

Would you like to sit next to Prophet Muhammad in Paradise?  Imagine the honor and closeness to him in the Hereafter.  In today's tafseer video, we will explore Aya 36 of Surah An-Nisaa.  Be sure to watch until the end, where we will reveal how you can achieve this remarkable closeness.

Session 605

Chapter 4

Verse 36

a continuation

Worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, and be good to your parents, to relatives, orphans, the needy, neighbours near and far,  the companion by your side, travellers in need, and to those whom your right hands possess.  Surely, God does not like arrogant, boastful people.

(Chapter 4: Verse 36)

After honouring our parents, our Lord expands the circle of kindness, beginning with the closest relatives, then the orphans, and then the neighbours.  God says, "and be good to your parents, to relatives." Relatives are those with whom you share family ties.  If everyone treated their relatives well, no one would be humiliated in poverty or old age.  Think about it, beyond parents, every person in your extended family has multiple relations.  Your uncle is your dad's brother, the father-in-law of another family, the grandfather of his grandchildren, and so on.  Thus, acts of kindness from all these relatives would overlap and engulf him in love from all directions.  Your uncle would find tens of people attending to his needs.  What a wonderful society! 

Then, Allah speaks of orphans.  An orphan is a child who has lost his or her father before reaching maturity.  Once the child reaches maturity, he or she is no longer considered an orphan, having gained personal independence.  People often mistake a child whose mother has died as an orphan.  We answer that this is true in the animal kingdom, where an orphan is not one who lost their father but their mother, as the mother is often the one who cares for them during the short period of childhood.  Thus, an animal is orphaned through the mother, while a human is orphaned through the father. 

We also note that most animals have relatively short childhoods.  Some reptiles do not have a childhood at all, as they hatch alone with no parents around; other animals have a childhood that lasts no longer than a month.  In contrast, human childhood spans from birth to about fourteen years—a remarkably long period of growth and learning.  Why?  We answer that Allah gave this honored human creation a long period of nurturing and learning because it corresponds with the enormity of the task ahead.  Humans are God's successors on earth; thus, they require extensive attention and preparation to maturity.  The length of childhood is often an indicator of the significance of the creature's mission in life.  This is because childhood is the stage that prepares the creature for life.  Our prolonged childhood is needed to learn physical skills, language skills, social norms and moral values. 

Allah wants you to embrace those who lost their protector and provider.  Do not limit yourself to parents and relatives alone.  Include the orphan, for he or she has lost their father and sees peers and friends with fathers.  If we, as a Muslim society, do not step up and care for the orphan, they might grow up with resentment, possibly rebelling against God, asking, "Why don't I have a father while all my friends do?  Why does God hate me?" But if the child sees that he or she lost one father but gained multiple fathers in a faith-driven environment, they would not resent God.  More importantly, don't you want Allah to take care of your children if you die young?  Listen to the following Aya,

Let those who would fear for the future of their own helpless children if they were to die show the same concern; let them be mindful of God and speak out for justice. 

(Chapter 4: Verse 9)

If you see a faith-driven society caring for orphans, you will trust it to care for yours.  Whether death comes or not, your mind is at ease.  Likewise, if you see orphans neglected, poor, and thrown into decrepit orphanages, you would cling to life, amass wealth in any way possible to ensure the future of your child if you die.  We say to such a parent: There is a better way to ensure your child's future.  Treat the orphans around you precisely as you treat your own children.  Do this sincerely for God, and you'll entrust your child's future to the Creator, whose love and care surpass all others.

In their later years, the Caliph Muawiya and Amr ibn al-Aass were conversing.  Amr asked Muawiya, "O Commander of the Faithful, what remains for you of worldly pleasures?" Muawiya said, "As for food, I am tired of its finest; as for clothing, I am weary of its softest.  My pleasure now is a sip of cold water on a hot day under a tree's shade." This statement should give every person comfort and contentment.  Why?  Because after becoming Caliph and Commander, with everyone turning to him and lavishing him with praise and gifts, Muawiya found that true pleasure was a sip of cold water under a tree's shade on a hot day—something all of us, rich or poor, have!  Then Muawiya asked Amr, "And you, Amr, what remains for you of worldly pleasures?" Amr said, "A fertile land with bellowing cattle, and a flowing spring to irrigate it, for me in my life and for my children after my death." Their servant, Wardan, was present.  Muawiya, wanting to joke, said, "And you, Wardan, what remains for you of worldly pleasures?" Wardan said, "My pleasure, O Commander of the Faithful, is a good deed placed in the hands of noble people who do not repay it to me in my lifetime, so it remains for my descendants in theirs." Notice the servant's response, showing that true faith and understanding of Islam know no master or subordinate.  Wardan knew that nothing is lost with God.  

As you extend your hand to help others, God will extend His hand too.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be like this in Paradise," placing his index and middle finger close together.  What a status!  Wouldn't you like to be with the Prophet in Paradise?   

A man from the Ansar came to the Messenger of God, visibly upset.  The Prophet said, "O so-and-so, why do I see you sad?" He said, "Messenger of Allah, I thought about something." He asked, "What is it?" He said, "We come to you morning and evening, see your face, and sit with you.  Soon, you will be raised with the prophets, and we will not reach you." The Prophet remained silent.  Later, the Archangel Gabriel delivered this Aya:

Whoever obeys God and the Messenger will be among those He has blessed: the messengers, the truthful, those who bear witness to the truth, and the righteous- what excellent companions these are!  (Chapter 4: Verse 69)

He, peace be upon him, sent for the man and gave him the good news.  Thus, I say to you now, and to every Muslim: Seek an orphan to care for and attain this lofty status in Paradise right next to our beloved Muhammad.  May Allah grant you and your family a seat next to His messenger in Paradise.  Amen.