Quran Garden

Session 353

Chapter 3

Verse 20

a continuation

If they argue with you, say, “I have devoted myself to God alone and so have my followers.” Ask those who were given the Scripture, as well as those without one, “Do you too devote yourselves to Him alone?” If they do, then they are indeed rightly guided, but if they turn away, your only duty is to convey the message. God is All-Seeing of His servants.

(Chapter 3: Verse 20)

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, invited the disbelievers and the people of the book to devote themselves to God.  God says, “If they do, then they are indeed rightly guided.”  To be guided means to know the path that leads you to your true goal of success in the hereafter. 

How about the word “devotion’, translated from the Arabic origin “Aslamtu,” what does it mean? We answer that devotion signifies submission, and submission can only be through actions.  Imam Ali, who inherited a wealth of the Prophet’s eloquence in expression said, “I will describe to you the lineage of Islam like no one has done before me, Islam is a conviction, and conviction comes through belief; Belief is confirmation, and confirmation is a calling that comes through actions.  The believer’s faith can only be recognized through his or her actions.  Remember that the believer has taken his call to action from his Lord and not by his opinion.  A bad deed in Islam is better than a good deed elsewhere because a bad deed in Islam can be forgiven, but a good deed without faith will never be accepted.” Is there a nicer lineage for Islam than this?

We normally ask for the lineage of people to know their pedigree.  When Imam Ali described the linage of Islam, he was truly the first one to do so, and he linked Islam to action. The real evidence of the faith of a believer lies in his or her actions.  Thus, the opposite of devotion is not disbelief; it is disregarding God’s teachings and not acting upon them.  God says, “If they do, then they are indeed rightly guided, but if they turn away, your only duty is to convey the message.”  

Our beloved Muhammad worried himself sick over every person who turned away from God.  Allah wanted to comfort His Messenger.  He says,

Perhaps you may worry yourself to death with grief, chasing after them, if they do not believe in this Message. (18:06)

The Prophet’s only responsibility is to deliver God’s message.  But that responsibility also falls on you.  Listen to the Prophet’s words, “I have devoted myself to God alone, and so have my followers.” And in another verse, Allah explains,

You were the best nation brought forth for humankind, you bid what is right and forbid what is wrong, and have faith in Allah. And if the People of the Book had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are faithful, but most of them are transgressors. (3:110)

Prophet Muhammad was the final messenger because his message remains alive within His nation.  We are all responsible for delivering the message of Islam and standing up to corruption.  He, peace be upon him, said, “The scholars are the heirs of the prophets.”

So when God says, “your only duty is to convey the message,” we clearly understand that the responsibility of conveying God’s teachings does not stop with the Messenger, rather it includes each one of us.  God says,

Indeed, you have in God’s Messenger an excellent example to follow for whoever looks forward to God and the Last Day, and remembers and mentions God much. (33:21)

Prophet Muhammad patiently endured harm and ignorance as he delivered the message to the people.  As our role-model, we must follow his example.  He worked tirelessly to deliver God’s message, and so should we. 

If you see the scholars relaxing and enjoying life, rather than working hard to fight corruption, then know that they have not taken their share from the inheritance of the prophets.  Similarly, if you see a famous imam who does not seem to have any enemies, then know that he or she has not taken from the inheritance of the prophets.  Why? Because the Messenger had enemies, and anyone who stands for the truth and fights corruption will have plenty of opposition.  The responsibilities of faith fall on all of us. 

The inheritance of prophethood is the great honor of delivering God’s message. This means that you must convey the message of the Prophet Muhammad to those around you.  It is a difficult task that requires plenty of patience and endurance.  God says,

Strive hard for God as is His due, He has chosen you and placed no hardship in your religion, the faith of your forefather Abraham. God has called you Muslims––both in the past and in this ––so that the Messenger can bear witness about you and so that you can bear witness about other people. So keep up the prayer, give the prescribed alms, and seek refuge in God, He is your protector––an excellent protector and an excellent helper. (22:78)

The verse ends with, “God is All-Seeing of His servants.”  This phrase gives us a true insight about Islam.  Allah did not say that He is all-knowing of His servants.  Why? Because knowledge is for matters of faith and matters of the heart.  But Allah is not asking you for belief; He is asking you for action.  In other words, Allah wants to see that your movement in life corresponds with your Islamic beliefs; A movement that everyone can see, not a feeling in your heat that no one knows about. 

The second benefit of the phrase “God is All-Seeing of His servants” is to stop you from doing anything wrong.  You should be ashamed to be seen doing something wrong by your Lord.  Take the example of a teenager who smokes.  He is ashamed of being seen by his elders while smoking.  So, he refrains from smoking when they are around.  How about a servant who believes that God Almighty can see him or her at all times?  God says in a sacred narration, “O my servants, if you think that I do not see you, then the fault is in your faith.  And if you think that I see you, yet you still disobey Me, then why do you treat Me as the least important observer?”