Quran Garden

Look around!  The sun and planets run like clockwork; the rainforest is a perfect ecosystem, and so much more.  Would you like your life to be as organized, peaceful, and beautiful as nature?  QuranGarden can show you the way!  Listen to today's tafsir.                                                              

Session 577

Chapter 4

Verses 26 and 27

God wants to clarify to you and guide you to the righteous ways of those who went before you.  He wants to turn towards you in mercy- God is all-knowing, all-wise-

(Chapter 4: Verse 26)

What does the Lord want to clarify for us?  He clarifies the governing laws for organizing life, what is permissible, and what is not.  Why?  The answer is threefold. 

First: Allah wants to enlighten you about how to live a balanced life.  He is more protective of you than you are of yourself.  God, the Creator, knows His creation best, and He alone determines what is best for us.  For anyone else to set such rules is an overreach.  When an engineer designs a new television set, he or she is the best person to establish its care and maintenance guidelines because they know the ins and outs of the device.  Likewise, our Creator is the only one qualified to outline daily care and maintenance, as well as the "do's and don'ts" for humanity.  God also left some matters open to free choice, neither commanding nor prohibiting them.  He says,

God wants to clarify to you and guide you to the righteous ways of those who went before you.  He wants to turn towards you in mercy- God is all-knowing, all-wise-

(Chapter 4: Verse 26)

Second: before any reward or punishment, there must be laws and teachings that specify which acts are criminal and sinful.  There is no sin without a text.  A person cannot be punished except by a pre-existing law clarifying what is considered a crime.  You cannot -all of sudden- start arresting people, saying: "What you were doing is a punishable crime!" People would loudly object and say, "I did not even know this was a crime; otherwise, I would not have done it." Thus, it is necessary to pass laws, issue warnings, and present a text explaining criminal behavior.  Only then can a punishment be exercised.  Put simply: there is no punishment without a crime; there is no crime without law, and there is no law without a text. 

The third reason God is clarifying His rules for us has to do with "The righteous ways," which are the laws governing life's functions, also known as Sunnah.  God says,

The way of God with those who passed before.  You will never find any change in God's way. (33:62)

Many messengers came before our beloved Muhammad, and we are all well aware of the outcomes for those who obeyed their messengers and those who did not.  God says,

and We punished each one of them for their sins: some We struck with a violent storm; some were overcome by a sudden blast; some We made the earth swallow; and some We drowned.  It was not God who wronged them; they wronged themselves. (29:40)

God informed us of the ways of nations before us—the way they were judged and the results faced by the righteous and the wrongdoers.  In other words, Islam is not a cold and abstract legal system but one that is affirmed and validated by historical events.  More importantly, its teachings are set by the "All-knowing, All-wise."  Knowledge demands a deep understanding of facts, and wisdom involves applying this understanding precisely where and when needed.  All this is for your benefit so you can live your life as God, the Creator, intended it to be lived and enjoyed in peace and tranquility. 

As for those who make mistakes, always remember that Allah "wants to turn towards you in mercy." He says in the next Aya,

God wants to turn towards you, but those who follow their desires want you to deviate greatly.  (Chapter 4: Verse 27)

Allah began by making the rules clear, then He guided us, and lastly, He turned to us in mercy.  Just like other rules, repentance must first be authorized by God; otherwise, we could not ask for something that is not allowed.  There are three steps here: The first is God instituting repentance for His servants—it is not something we invented.  Allah knows His creation best, and He is aware that we may give in to our whims and sin every now and then.  This is implied in the phrase, "God wants to turn towards you." As a second step, we, the sinners, have the chance to repent.  The third and final step is acceptance from Allah.  Thus, your repentance -Tawbah- is nested between two divine acts: legislating repentance and accepting it.

Here we ask: Would God legislate repentance and then reject it when you ask for it?  Certainly not.  By inviting you to repent, He opens the door of repentance wide before you.  It is the pinnacle of mercy and generosity! 

Allah created humans and endowed them with freedom of choice.  Unlike other creatures, you can reason and then choose one action over another.  Your faculties are adaptable to perform both actions.  The eye can decide to look at God's signs in the universe for contemplation or look at illicit and forbidden sexual content.  The tongue can curse or invoke the names of God.  The hand can strike or aid those in need.  All with your mere thought and will! 

If you analyze the mechanics of lifting your arm, you recognize that it involves tens of muscles.  We ask: When you raise your arm to pick up a glass of water, do you tell your bicep to contract, tricep to relax, and finger muscles to tighten enough to grab the glass, but not too tight where you break it?  Of course not.  All you have to do is will your arm into action, and it does!  A child raises a hand without understanding what a muscle is.  Unlike mechanical systems or cranes that require complex computer code to move each and every part, when you intend to move, your body simply bends to your will.  But this is not inherent to you.  In other words, God can suspend your ability, causing paralysis where you have the will to move, but nothing happens. 

Thus, your ability to move and the response of your limbs is by God's will.  He granted you freedom of choice and the tools to exercise this freedom.  If you direct them toward virtuous actions, you will be rewarded.  If you choose otherwise, there are consequences. 

Allah has sent you ample guidance through divine law, heavenly books, prophets, and messengers on how to best direct your energy towards good rather than evil and corruption.  In case you make the wrong choice, Allah also legislated repentance to erase the moments when your desire prevailed over mindfulness.  Even sinners are not expelled from God's mercy!

Had God not legislated repentance, every person who succumbs to temptation would be doomed.  Repentance is part of God's immense mercy for the disobedient, but more importantly, it is a mercy for the entire community.  Imagine for a moment a world with no forgiveness.  If a person disobeys God once and he or she knows there is no room for repentance, all hope would be lost!  How would a person with nothing to lose act?  They will indulge more and become a lifetime criminal, harming everyone around them.  In such a case, the entire society would suffer.  Thus, the Almighty says, "God wants to turn towards you," so any mistake you made can be erased with repentance. 

In contrast, "those who follow their desires want you to deviate greatly." Deviation is the departure from God's straight path.  Note that sinners do not want you just to deviate from the path but to "deviate greatly" because they know that you can get back on the path with repentance, but the chances are far lower if you "deviate greatly." God says,

But of no avail is the repentance of those who commit evils until, when one of them is visited by death, he says, "Indeed now I repent." (from 4:18)

It is critical for you to understand that those who are corrupt and deep into evil still recognize what is good and virtuous.  A thief looks for an honest businessman to safeguard and invest his ill-gotten wealth.  We find a great example in the story of our beloved Joseph's time in prison.  God says,

Two other youths were imprisoned along with him.  One of them said, "I dreamt that I was pressing grapes," and the other, "I dreamt that I was carrying bread on my head, and the birds were pecking at it.  Tell us the meaning of this.  We see you as a righteous man." (12:36)

Did you notice what the young men said?  They described Prophet Joseph as a righteous man, which means that they – a couple of criminals- knew what was good.  When matters became personal, such as experiencing disturbing dreams, the young men did not seek advice from a fellow criminal; they sought a good man.  They saw that Yusuf, peace be upon him, was righteous and worthy of their trust.  People who deviate from God's path still appreciate the purification faith brings to individuals and communities.  God says,

Indeed, God has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a messenger from among them—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the book and wisdom.  For indeed, they had previously been clearly astray.  (3:164)

Join us next week as we highlight the eight magnificent Ayat in the Quran Ibn Abbas described as better than all the sun rises and sets upon.  Subscribe and hit the bell icon today.