Quran Garden

Session 534

Chapter 3

Verse 200

a continuation

You who believe, be patient, more steadfast than others, stand firmly on guard, and be mindful of God so that you may prosper.  (Chapter 3: Verse 200)

In previous sessions, we discussed three of the commands God issued to the believers to conclude the lessons of Surah Al Imran.  Patience is your refuge to overcome inner vices and struggles and to stay on the straight path.  Being prepared, on guard, and more steadfast than your enemies is the key to victory on military and intellectual battlegrounds.   

The final command in this aya is to "be mindful of God."  

Being mindful of the Lord, from the Arabic تَقْوَى (Taqwa,) means puting a barrier between you and His anger.  What is the best barrier?  Obedience.   More specifically, you should fulfill God's commands, perform your obligations, and avoid what He has forbidden.  Mindfulness protects you from Allah's anger and punishment.  Here, you may ask: Am I supposed to fear and shield myself from my Creator?  Isn't the relationship between me and my Lord based on love?  We answer that God has both the attributes of majesty and the attributes of beauty.  His attributes of majesty are evident in his names: the Mighty, the Compeller, the Avenger, and so on.  Conversely, His attributes of beauty shine through names such as the Most Forgiving, the Most Compassionate, and the Most Merciful, and many more.  You should respect and be mindful of God's majestic attributes because they can lead to punishment in Hellfire.  Obedience protects and connects you to your Creator; it is your path to the profound blessings of His attributes of beauty.

We find the best example of the majesty and beauty of the Lord in the following narration:  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "When the last night of Ramadan approaches, the Compeller unveils himself with forgiveness."  At first glance, this might seem puzzling.  One would expect the Prophet to say, 'The Most Merciful unveils Himself with forgiveness.'  How could this be?  We answer that God's punishment for sin comes from his attribute of majesty, 'The Compeller,' while His forgiveness comes from his attribute, 'The most Merciful.' It is as if God's mercy and forgiveness supersede his anger and punishment.  The beauty of this paradox is apparent when the compeller, with all his might and power, comes forward to offer forgiveness.   

Keep in mind that most sins stem from materialistic greed for money, power, the opposite sex, or other vices.  In Sural Al Baqarah, we explained that fasting is one of the more powerful tools at your disposal to stay mindful of the Lord.  God says,

You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become mindful of God.  (2:183)

Fasting blunts the body and decreases the intensity of the material desires that dominate over the mind.  The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said to the Muslim youth: "Whoever amongst you is capable of providing for a family, then let him or her marry, for indeed it lowers the gaze and protects the private parts.  And whoever cannot marry, he or she should fast for it will diminish desire." When you reduce food consumption, you decrease the energy available to fuel materialistic desires and greed; this, in turn, helps you overcome the drive to sin and be more mindful of the Lord.

The ultimate goal of all Surah Al Imran's lessons is for you and your family to "prosper."  We explained that prosperity can either be worldly or in the Hereafter.  In this life, prosperity comes from holding to the truth, elevating God's word above all else, and standing strong so you are not subservient to anyone but your Creator.  This is one form of success.  

But suppose that you lived at a time when Muslims were weak and their enemies strong.  What then?  Where is the prosperity?  We answer that you should trust that you are working for a higher prosperity - success in the Hereafter.  How else could the early Muslims who worked hard only to die before they could achieve victory for Islam interpret success?  Those who struggled and sacrificed the comforts and stability in their lives for God's sake, then died before Islam prevailed, will still have their share of prosperity.  In fact, they earned real prosperity, which is Paradise.  

We learn this deeper lesson from the story of the People of the Cave.  Listen to the following verses,

In time We woke them, and they began to question one another.  One of them asked, 'How long have you been here?' They answered, 'A day or part of a day,' but then others said, 'Your Lord knows best how long you have been here.  One of you: go to the city with your money, find out where the best food is there, and bring some back.  But be careful not to let anyone know about you, for if they find out about you, they will stone you or make you revert to their religion, and then you will never prosper.' (18:19-20)

The young men who sought refuge in the cave to protect their faith were truly wise.  They said, "If they find out about you, they will stone you," meaning they would physically overpower and prevent you from thriving in this worldly life.  Then they continued, "or make you revert to their religion, and then you will never prosper." The young men understood that once you turn away from your faith, all hope for prosperity is lost forever.  As they faced their enemy, they instinctively understood that the keys to prosperity lie in being "patient, more steadfast than others, stand firmly on guard, and mindful of God."