In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This part of the sūrah, from verse 65 to verse 92, takes up the same general theme of the controversy surrounding religious beliefs between the people of earlier revelations, i.e. the Jews and Christians, and the Muslims. It explores the relentless and devious efforts lined up against Islam; the scheming, smears, slandering, vilification, lies and devilish intrigues of its opponents. It presents the Qur’ān’s argument on behalf of the Muslims and reassures them of the truth of their cause and exposes the deviation and hopelessness of their detractors. It openly and closely probes the habits, ethics, intentions and activities of those enemies in order to make the Muslims fully aware of the threat they pose and to take away the mantle of knowledge and wisdom those enemies had assumed. It moves to dissipate any trust some gullible Muslims may have placed in them. It discourages following their example, and eliminates the dangers of their intrigue by exposing it so that no one may be deceived or misled by it.

This section begins with castigating Jewish and Christian claims of affinity to the Prophet Abraham, who pre-dated both the Torah and the Gospel. Each had professed him to be a follower of their respective religious beliefs. Their arguments are dismissed as totally baseless. Abraham, the sūrah asserts, was a devotee to God’s true religion based on submission to God, i.e. Islam, and his natural patrons are those who adhere to that same religion. God shall be the Guardian of all true believers.

Thus, the assertions of both Jews and Christians are refuted and a continuous line emerges linking all prophets and messengers of God throughout the ages. The sūrah states: “The people who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet, and those who are true believers. God is the Guardian of the believers.” (Verse 68)

The sūrah then goes on to expose the real, undeclared objective of the controversies stirred up by the Jews and Christians regarding Abraham as also other issues. Their aim had always been to mislead and distract the Muslims, and to sow doubts in their hearts about Islam. Here the Qur’ān lashes out against such detractors: “People of earlier revelations! Why do you disbelieve in God’s revelations when you yourselves bear witness [to their truth!? People of earlier revelations! Why do you cloak the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth?” (Verses 70-1)

The sūrah then reveals aspects and manifestations of that evil intrigue. The culprits declare adherence to Islam in the morning but reject it before the day is out in order to feed uncertainty and suspicion in the hearts of weaker Muslims who are found among all communities. Surely, there must be a valid reason why Jewish and Christian individuals, whose people had a much longer association with, and experience of, prophets and Divine revelations, rejected Islam. The sūrah says: “A party of the people of earlier revelations say [to one another]: ‘Declare at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may go back on their faith.” (Verse 72) How vile and malicious their actions are.

The nature of some Jews and Christians is then further examined, together with their ethical standards and their commitment to agreements and covenants. There is no doubting the honesty and integrity of many of them, but some are not to be trusted or relied on to honour an agreement or respect a pledge. These find religious justification for their greed and deceit, but their religions are not to be blamed for such behaviour. The sūrah says: “Among the people of earlier revelations there is many a one who, if you trust him with a treasure, will return it to you intact; and there is among them many a one who, if you trust him with a small gold coin, will not return it to you, unless you keep standing over him. For they say: ‘We have no obligation to keep faith with Gentiles.’ Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.” (Verse 75)

At this point the sūrah outlines an aspect of Islam’s ethical outlook, its basis and direct link to fear of God Almighty, saying: “Indeed those who fulfil their pledges and guard themselves against evil [enjoy God’s love]; for God loves the righteous. Those who barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain will have no share in the life to come. God will neither speak to them, nor cast a look on them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins. Theirs will be a grievous suffering.” (Verses 76-7)

The sūrah then gives another instance whereby some Jews and Christians resort to devious behaviour and lies about Islam in order to score short-term gains. It says:

“There are some among them who twist their tongues when quoting the Scriptures, so that you may think that [what they say] is from the Scriptures, when it is not from the Scriptures.

They say: ’It is from God’, when it is not from God. Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.” (Verse 78)

This is a reference to Christian attempts to show that the Qur’ān supported their belief in the Divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, God denounces such notions and refutes the claims that Jesus ever made such assertions. It says: “It is not conceivable that any human being to whom God has given revelation and wisdom and prophethood would subsequently say to people: ‘Worship me instead of God.’ But rather: Be devoted servants of God, by virtue of spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant study of them.’ Nor would he bid you to take the angels and the Prophets as your gods. Would he bid you to be unbelievers after you have surrendered yourselves to God?” (Verses 79-80)

It then turns to mention the essence of God’s covenant with successive messengers whereby they endorse and support one another. It says: “God made a covenant with the Prophets: ‘If after what I have vouchsafed to you of the Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to you a messenger confirming the truth of what you have in your possession, you shall believe in him and you shall help him. Do you,’ said He, ’affirm this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in these terms?’ They answered: ‘We do affirm it.’ said He: ‘Then bear witness, and I am also a witness with you.’” (Verse 81) Hence the obligation upon the people of earlier revelations to believe in the last and final Prophet and to champion his cause.

Alas, they did not respect God’s covenant or the covenants they made with their own prophets.

With that on-going covenant in the background, the sūrah asserts that anyone seeking a religion other than Islam, or complete surrender to God, would be breaking away from the whole grand and universal order God has ordained for all creation. It says: “Do they seek a religion other than God’s, when every soul in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return?” (Verse 83) Those who choose not to surrender totally to God or humbly and freely comply with His order of life, appear abnormal and out of place in this majestic world design.

At this point, the sūrah turns to direct the Prophet Muĥammad and the Muslims to declare their unshakeable faith in the One God, as set out in what was revealed to all prophets, as the only religious belief sanctioned by God Almighty. It says: “He who seeks a religion other than self-surrender to God, it will not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he will be among the lost.” (Verse 85)

Those who reject God’s religion, however, have no prospect of either being guided by God or being spared His punishment unless they heed and repent. As for those who leave this world without believing in God, nothing they may have done will save them, even if they were to give the earth’s weight in gold.

The sūrah goes on to urge the Muslims to give those possessions closest to their hearts to good causes, as an investment with God to be collected in the hereafter. It says: “You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend.” (Verse 92)

Thus, in one relatively short passage, this sūrah packs an impressive and important host of issues, facts and directives. It covers a mere round in the wider confrontation which the sūrah as a whole addresses. It is the confrontation between the Muslim community and its opponents, which has been going on for centuries and which continues to rage on today. It bears the same ends and objectives, despite the different forms it takes and the variety of means or methods it employs today. It is the same endless controversy.

We now turn to look at the text more closely.

People of earlier revelations! Why do you argue about Abraham when both the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have you no sense? You have indeed argued about that of which you have some knowledge; why then do you argue about that of which you have no knowledge at all? God knows, whereas you do not know.

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; but he was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered himself to Him. He was not of those who associate partners with God. The people who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who are true believers. God is the Guardian of the believers.

(Verses 65-8)

Muĥammad ibn Isĥāq relates a report attributed to Ibn `Abbās, the Prophet’s cousin, which says: “A number of Christians from Najrān and a number of Jewish rabbis met at the Prophet’s place and disputed among themselves. The rabbis claimed that Abraham was nothing but a Jew, while the Christians maintained that Abraham was a Christian. God then revealed this verse starting with: “People of earlier revelations! Why do you argue about Abraham...” Whether it was true or not that that particular occasion was the time when this verse was revealed, it is apparent that this verse is meant to be an answer to the claims of people who professed to believe in earlier revelations. There seem to have been arguments either with the Prophet (peace be upon him) or arguments among themselves in the presence of the Prophet. The ultimate aim of these claims was to monopolise God’s covenant with Abraham which meant that prophethood would remain in Abraham’s seed, and to monopolise honour and Divine guidance. More importantly, they sought through these claims to reject the Prophet’s statement that he followed the faith of Abraham and that the Muslims were the rightful heirs of the original pure faith. The disputants also hoped to raise doubts concerning this fact in the minds of at least some Muslims.

It is for this reason that God condemns their attitude here so strongly and shows clearly that their arguments are without basis. Abraham lived long before the revelation of the Torah or the Gospel; how could he, then, be a Jew or a Christian? It is a totally illogical claim which collapses at the first glance at history: “People of earlier revelations! Why do you argue about Abraham when both the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have you no sense?” (Verse 65)

They are further condemned in the verse that follows. All their arguments are shown to be without foundation. They appear to indulge in an endless dispute without providing supporting evidence, consistency or logic: “You have indeed argued about that of which you have some knowledge; why then do you argue about that of which you have no knowledge at all? God knows, whereas you do not know.” They argued about Jesus, and they argued about certain Divine legislation when they were called upon to submit to the rulings included in God’s Book. Instead, they turned their backs on it. In these matters, they had some knowledge. They could not, however, claim any basis, even technical, for their arguments about things which took place before the revelation of their Scriptures and the preaching of their religions. They argue, then, for argument’s sake. It is a worthless argument which is advanced for vested interests and which follows no logical method. A person who advances such an argument cannot be trusted at all. He is, indeed, not worth listening to.

When the sūrah has shown the worthlessness of their argument, it states the truth known to God. He alone knows the truth of that distant period in history and the true nature of the faith He revealed to His servant, Abraham. When God states something, His word is final. No one can say anything which differs with God’s statement, unless he wishes to make a worthless, futile argument. “Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; but he was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered himself to Him. He was not of those who associate partners with God.” (Verse 67) Here, we have a clear statement of what has already been implied, that Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, since both the Torah and the Gospel were revealed after his time. It is further stated that Abraham had no interest whatsoever in any creed or doctrine other than complete devotion to God. He was a Muslim in the broad sense of Islam, meaning total surrender to God.

“He was not of those who associate partners with God.” This is again implied in the preceding statement that Abraham “was wholly devoted to God, having surrendered himself to Him.” That it is re-emphasised here is significant because it indicates first that both the Jews and the Christians, who had over the years come to accept deviant beliefs, were in effect associating partners with God. Hence, Abraham could neither be a Jew nor a Christian, but an upright man who surrendered himself to God. It further indicates that Islam and polytheism are two diametrically opposed doctrines.

Islam means the absolute oneness of God with everything that this oneness entails.

Hence, it can have no common ground with any form of polytheism. Moreover, it shows that the claim of the Quraysh idolaters that they followed Abraham’s religion since they were the custodians of the Ka`bah, the House he built for worship in Makkah, is also false. Abraham believed in God alone and surrendered himself to Him, while those people of the Quraysh were idolaters: “He was not of those who associate partners with God.” In view of the truth stated in the Qur’ān about Abraham, neither the Jews, nor the Christians, nor indeed the idolaters could lay any claim to his heritage or to his religion since they had all moved far away from his faith. It is faith which is, indeed, the paramount relation which groups people together, according to Islam. If that relationship which unites the people of faith is lacking, no other tie of blood, lineage, race or land is of any value. In the Islamic view, man achieves his humanity through his spirit, the blow which has made out of him a man. Hence, faith, which is the most essential quality of his spirit, forms the basis which unites human beings together. It is only animals that are grouped together on the basis of land, species, food, pasture, boundaries and fences. Patronage between individuals, communities and generations can only be based on faith. It is faith which unites one believer with another, one Muslim community with another, and one generation of believers who surrender themselves to God and all other generations, bypassing the limitations of time and place, blood and lineage, race and nationality. They are all united by their belief in God Who is the Guardian of all the believers: “The people who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet and those who are true believers. God is the Guardian of the believers.” (Verse 68)

Those who followed Abraham when he was alive and implemented his method and abided by his teachings had the best claim to him. The same applies to this Prophet who shared with Abraham the quality of surrendering himself to God, according to the testimony of God Himself, the best of all witnesses. Then come those who believe in this Prophet and, thereby, follow Abraham’s method and practice.

“God is the Guardian of the believers.” They are His party, sheltered by His cover, devoting their loyalty totally to Him, to the exclusion of everyone else. They are one family and one nation, the unity of which transcends all barriers of time, place, country, nationality, race and lineage.

This is the noblest form of social unity which alone is worthy of man. Moreover, it is the only method to establish a community free of all artificial restrictions. The only bond which brings people together in this form is a voluntary one. Every individual can release himself of it by his own choice. That bond is a faith which he personally chooses.

On the other hand, a person cannot change his race if his society is based on race.

Neither can he change his community or colour, nor can he easily change his language or caste if any of these is the basis upon which his society is set up. Such barriers will always be divisive, keeping people apart, unless they take up the bond of ideology and faith as their uniting bond. Such a bond relies on personal conviction. Every individual can consciously choose it and join the community on its basis without having to change his race, colour, language or caste. This is, indeed, an honour given to man because it makes its uniting bond based on the noblest of his qualities.

The choice before humanity is either to live as Islam wishes: human beings united by what nourishes their spirits and refines their feelings, or to live like cattle, confined within the boundaries of race, colour and place. We have to remember here that all these are similar to the distinctive marks given to cattle so that they remain identifiable.

A party of the people of earlier revelations would love to lead you astray; but they lead astray none but themselves, although they may not perceive it. People of earlier revelations! Why do you disbelieve in God’s revelations when you yourselves bear witness [to their truth]? People of earlier revelations! Why do you cloak the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth? A party of the people of earlier revelations say [to one another]: “Declare at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may go back on their faith. But do not really trust anyone except those who follow your own faith” — Say: All true guidance is God’s guidance — That anyone may be given the like of what you have been given. Or that they should contend against you before your Lord” Say: “Grace is in God’s hand: He bestows it on whom He wills. God is Munificent and All- Knowing. “He singles out for His mercy whom He wills. And God’s grace is great indeed. (Verses 69-74)

In this passage, the Muslim community is told of the intentions of the people of earlier revelations behind every argument they may raise. The Qur’ān confronts those people with what they actually plot and scheme in close proximity to the Muslim community. Their masks are torn from them and their reality is made apparent to all.

The grudge which the people of earlier revelations bear to the Muslim community relates to the faith of that community. They hate that the Muslims should have Divine guidance. They hate to see them holding to their own faith with firmness and reassurance. They, therefore, mobilise all their efforts to cause the Muslims to go astray: “A party of the people of earlier revelations would love to lead you astray.” It is, then, an inner desire which lies behind all their plotting, scheming, arguments and concealment of the truth. There is no doubt that such a desire, motivated by prejudice and grudge, is deviant. An evil desire cannot be based on any right guidance. Hence, the moment they entertain a desire to turn the Muslims away from their faith, they cause themselves to go astray. It is only a person who finds himself lost in a labyrinth of deviation that loves to lead astray those who are following a straight path: “But they lead astray none but themselves, although they may not perceive it.” (Verse 69)

The Muslims will come to no harm from what their enemies may scheme against them as long as they maintain and implement their faith. God guarantees them that the scheming and plotting of their enemies will be counter-productive as long as the Muslims hold on to their faith.

The people of earlier revelations are then made to face the reality of their untenable situation: “People of earlier revelations! Why do you disbelieve in God’s revelations when you yourselves bear witness [to their truth!? People of earlier revelations! Why do you cloak the truth with falsehood, and knowingly conceal the truth?” (Verses 70-1)

Those people who had received earlier revelations were at that time, and still are, able to recognise the truth clearly embodied in this religion. This applies to those who know the references contained in their own Scriptures about this religion. Some of them were candid about what they read, so much so that a number of them embraced Islam on this basis. It also applies to those who are not so aware of these references but who are nonetheless able to recognise the clear truth of Islam which is sufficient to persuade them to accept it. Both groups, however, continue to reject the truth of Islam, not because of any lack of evidence and proof, but because of personal prejudices and vested interests. The Qur’ān addresses them as “people of earlier revelations”, because it is this very quality which should have prompted them to hearken to God’s new revelations and follow His new Book.

They are addressed again in order to unmask their efforts at confounding truth with falsehood, deliberately and knowingly. This is an action which merits uncompromising censure.

This attitude of the people of earlier revelations so condemned by God is the one which they have adopted since the time of the Prophet until the present day. The Jews began by adopting it at the very first moment, and they were followed later by the Christian Crusaders.

Over the centuries, they have unfortunately been able to plant in Islamic heritage that which has nothing to do with this religion of Islam and which cannot be discovered without Herculean efforts. They have managed to confound truth with falsehood in much of our heritage, with the exception, however, of this Book which God has undertaken to preserve intact for the rest of time. Praise be to God for His limitless grace.

They have distorted much of Islamic history and its events as well as the images of its best men of action. They have also put their alien plants in the field of the ĥadīth until God has enabled the great scholars of ĥadīth to verify and sift out the true from the false, as much as is humanly possible. Their distortions have also crept into commentaries on the Qur’ān to the extent that it has become very difficult for a student of the Qur’ān to find his clear way to a correct understanding. They have also implanted their own men, hundreds if not thousands, to distort our Islamic heritage. Some of these are with us even today in the shape of Orientalists and their disciples who occupy positions of intellectual leadership in the countries whose peoples claim to be Muslim. They have also implanted in our societies scores of people who are given the status of heroes when they have actually been carefully brought up by Zionism and Christian fanaticism in order to serve the enemies of Islam in a way which cannot be achieved by any open enemy.

Such evil schemes continue to be pursued with no sign of weakening. The only way to guard against them and to be spared their damaging effects is to hold tight to God’s Book which He Himself has undertaken to preserve, and to refer to it for guidance and for plotting our strategy in this ever-continuing battle. A reference is then made to some of the attempts undertaken by a party of the people of earlier revelations to cause internal confusion within the Muslim community and to turn them away from Divine guidance: “A party of the people of earlier revelations say [to one another]: ‘Declare, at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may go back on their faith.’” (Verse 72)

As we have said, this is an act of wicked deception. When such people pretend to accept Islam, then reject it, their action is bound to perplex those who do not have strong faith, and those who have not fully appreciated the truth of Islam and its nature. This was true in an even greater measure in the case of the illiterate Arabs, at the time of the Prophet, who took it for granted that the people of earlier revelations were more aware than themselves of the nature of religions and revelation. When they saw such people accepting Islam one day and rejecting it the next day, they thought that their subsequent action was the result of their coming to realise that there was something wrong with that religion. This caused them considerable consternation and they were uncertain what attitude to adopt.

This trick continues to be employed even today, in a variety of ways suitable to each particular situation and adapted to the mentality of people in every generation.

A Dirty Tricks Campaign to Confuse Believers The enemies of Islam have realised that to employ this trick in a simple form is no longer possible. They, therefore, resort to a wide range of methods of concealment which are no more than variations on the old theme.

These forces rely today on a large army of disciples all over the Muslim world.

Among these are professors, lecturers, thinkers and scholars, as well as writers, poets, artists and journalists who all have Muslim names because they come from Muslim families. Some of them indeed are included in the ranks of Islamic “scholars”.

This army of disciples is mobilised for the achievement of the ultimate goal of shaking the foundations of faith within the Muslim community. It employs all methods of scientific research, literary works, art and information. All these complement one another in the onslaught on Islamic faith and Islamic law. They belittle the role of Islamic faith, interpret it in their own way, and overburden it with what is alien to it. They never tire of branding Islam as “reactionary” and calling on people to break away from it. They try hard to keep Islam away from human life either because they fear the effect of human life on Islam or because they fear the effect of Islam on human life. They work hard to invent concepts, ideals, values and standards which are in direct conflict with those of the Islamic faith, painting the former in the most appealing of pictures while distorting the latter so that they appear in the most grotesque of forms. Moreover, they try to facilitate the breaking loose of carnal desires, seeking to erode the moral basis upon which clean faith is founded. What is more, they distort history in the same way as they distort Scriptures.

To compound their evil, they claim to be Muslims. They, after all, have Muslim names. With these names they declare to be believers at the beginning of the day.

With their evil designs they deny the faith at the end of the day. In both their actions, they play the same role as the people of earlier revelations. All that has changed is the framework.

The people of earlier revelations used to encourage one another to pretend to be Muslims one day and to reject Islam the next, so that the Muslims would go back on their faith. They also counselled each other to keep this secret between themselves, not to reveal it to anyone except the followers of their own religion: “But do not really trust anyone except those who follow your own faith.” (Verse 73) Their secret was closely guarded against the Muslims. The same applies today to the servants of Zionism and Christian fanaticism. They are all working together for a definite objective, that is, the total destruction of the Islamic faith. They may not have sat together to sign a contract or to draw up a plot defining their respective roles, but they, nevertheless, have the sort of understanding which normally exists between stooges who work for the same goal defined by their common master. They trust each other and compare notes. They, or some of them at least, subsequently adopt false pretences. Everything around them is placed in their service and those who are aware of the nature of this faith all over the world are suffering persecution and imprisonment. “But do not really trust anyone except those who follow your own faith.” At this point, God directs the Prophet to declare that true guidance is that provided by God, and that unless people accept and abide by it they will never find real guidance by any other method or way of life: “Say: ‘All true guidance is God’s guidance.’” This statement is given in answer to their encouragement to one another to “declare at the beginning of the day, that you believe in what has been revealed to the believers, and then deny it at the end of the day, so that they may go back on their faith.” This serves as a warning to the Muslims and helps them to foil the evil goal of their enemies. Since there is no true guidance except that provided by God, then those schemers only want the believers to sink back into deviation and total disbelief. It should be mentioned here that this instruction to the Prophet to declare that true guidance is that provided by God, is given even before the statements of people of earlier revelations are quoted in full. The sūrah then goes on quoting them: “That anyone may be given the like of what you have been given. Or that they should contend against you before your Lord” (Verse 73) These are the reasons they give for stating earlier: “Do not really trust anyone except those who follow your own faith.” This betrays their grudge, envy and hatred of the idea that God should give prophethood and revelation to anyone other than them. It also betrays their fear that should the Muslims come to know the truth they themselves know, despite their denials, they will take it as an argument against them before God. They say this as if God does not take against them anything other than verbal statements. The fact is that such thoughts cannot be entertained by anyone who has a sound concept of God and His attributes, or who has a correct knowledge of the true nature of Divine messages and prophethood, or the duties required by faith.

God directs His Messenger to teach them and the Muslim community the nature of God’s grace when He wills to favour any nation with a messenger and a message:

“Say: ‘Grace is in God’s hand: He bestows it on whom He wills. God is Munificent and All- Knowing.’ He singles out for His mercy whom He wills. And God’s grace is great indeed.” (Verses 73-4)

He has willed to give His message and revelation to a nation other than that which received His earlier revelations. He has chosen to do so after they violated their covenant with Him, breached the pledges of their father, Abraham, knowingly confounded the truth with falsehood, betrayed the trust He has placed in them, abandoned the rulings of their Book and the laws of their religion and showed their unwillingness to refer their disputes to God’s revelations for arbitration. What this meant in practice was that human life was no longer following God’s constitution and its leadership was no longer in the hands of believers. Hence, He has given the leadership to the Muslim nation in which He placed His trust as an act of infinite honour and grace from Him: “God is Munificent and All-Knowing. He singles out for His mercy whom He wills.” This He does on the basis of His knowledge of where His mercy should be placed and on the basis that when He bestows His grace, there is no limit to what He gives. “God’s grace is great indeed.“ There is no grace greater than His guidance provided to any nation in the shape of a Book, or His limitless bounty given in the shape of a message, or His great mercy bestowed in the form of a messenger.

When the Muslims listen to this they realise what great favour God has given them when He has chosen them to carry His message, and they will hold tight to it, defend it with all the power available to them, and try to foil the schemes of their enemies. We see here an aspect of how the Qur’ān was educating the first Muslim community. It remains the Qur’ānic method of educating the Muslim community in every generation.

Among the people of earlier revelations there is many a one who, if you trust him with a treasure, will return it to you intact; and there is among them many a one who, if you trust him with a small gold coin, will not return it to you, unless you keep standing over him. For they say: “We have no obligation to keep faith with Gentiles.” Thus they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie. Indeed those who fulfil their pledges and guard themselves against evil [enjoy God’s love]; for God loves the righteous. Those who barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain will have no share in the life to come. God will neither speak to them, nor cast a look on them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins.

Theirs will be a grievous suffering. (Verses 75-7)

In these verses, the Qur’ān describes the people of earlier revelations as they are, identifying the points of weakness in their characters. It also states the correct values of the Islamic faith. It begins by describing two types of people and their behaviour in commercial and social transactions. We note here that the Qur’ān maintains a high standard of fairness, stating the facts and denying no one his due credit, despite the fact that those people of earlier revelations were in conflict with the Muslim community. It seems that the same is true of those people in all generations.

Nevertheless, their hostility towards, their plotting and scheming against and their attempts to undermine Islam and the Muslims, are not cause for the Qur’ān to deny the good ones among them their due credit. Here we note the Qur’ānic statement that among the people of earlier revelations, there are trustworthy individuals who will not usurp anyone his right, even under the greatest of temptations: “Among the people of earlier revelations there is many a one who, if you trust him with a treasure, will return it to you intact.” (Verse 75)

Others among them, however, are too greedy and have no respect for the rights of others. They do not return something which rightfully belongs to another person, no matter how small, unless they are faced with continuous and insistent demands.

They try to justify this contemptible habit by knowingly and deliberately telling lies about God: “And there is among them many a one who, if you trust him with a small gold coin, will not return it to you, unless you keep standing over him. For they say: ’We have no obligation to keep faith with Gentiles.’ Thus they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.” (Verse 75)

This particular characteristic is typical of the Jews. It is they who make this statement and have, in moral and social dealings, double standards. When there is a transaction between one Jew and another, they are honest and trustworthy. When they deal with non-Jews, cheating, false pretences, deception and swindling become admissible practices which stir no conscience and cause no twinge of remorse. We note here that the Qur’ān quotes them as saying, “We have no obligation to keep faith with Gentiles.” The Arabic term used in the Qur’ānic text for the word “Gentiles” means “the illiterate or unlettered people”. This was a reference to the Arabs, since the Arabs at that time were largely an illiterate nation. In fact, that was the term they employed to denote all non-Jews.

What is worse, they allege that they are instructed to do so by their God and their religion. However, they know this to be false. They know that God does not approve of any falsehood or any evil manner. He does not allow any community of people to usurp the property of others by fraud and deceit, or to betray their trust or indeed to deal with them unfairly. The Jews, however, have made their hatred to the rest of mankind an essential characteristic of theirs, and indeed part of their religion: “They deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.” At this point, the Qur’ān states its universal rule of morality, in essence its universal moral standard. Moreover, it relates this to the basic requirement of being conscious of God and fearing Him: “Indeed those who fulfil their pledges and guard themselves against evil [enjoy God’s love]; for God loves the righteous. Those who barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain will have no share in the life to come. God will neither speak to them, nor cast a look on them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them of their sins. Theirs will be a grievous suffering.” (Verses 76-7)

What we have here is a single rule applicable to all. Anyone who observes this rule by fulfilling his pledges and guarding himself against evil will earn himself God’s love and honour. Anyone who takes a paltry price in exchange for his covenant with God and his oaths — needless to say, any worldly gain or, indeed, this whole world is nothing but a paltry price and a trifling gain — will have no share whatsoever in the life to come. He will be rejected by God and he will not be purified by Him. The only wages he gains himself are simply a grievous suffering.

We note here that the fulfilment of one’s pledges relates to fear of God. Hence, there can be no double standards, one for friends and another for enemies. Pledges are not viewed from the point of view of self-interest. Their fulfilment is a matter which relates to dealing with God: the identity of the other party to whom a pledge is given is of little significance.

This explains the general Islamic theory of morality which is applicable to the fulfilment of pledges and to other moral considerations. We deal in the first place with God, and we are, therefore, keen to please Him and to avoid His anger. Hence, our moral incentive is not our self-interest. Nor is it the tradition of the community, nor its particular circumstance. A community may go astray and it may have false standards. It is important, therefore, to have a constant standard which is applicable to both the community and the individual. In addition, this standard must derive its strength from a higher source which is universally valued as taking priority over what people may decide for themselves or what their changing circumstances may require of them. In other words, values and standards must be derived from God.

We must try to determine what moral practices and values are acceptable to Him and implement these in the hope that we earn His pleasure and remain righteous. It is in this way that Islam nurtures man’s aspiration to a more sublime horizon.

Those who betray their trust and do not honour their pledges are indeed people who “barter away their covenant with God and their oaths for a trifling gain.” In matters of pledges and trust the relationship is between man and God in the first place although the pledges are made to other people. For this reason, people who do not honour their agreements have no share with God in the life to come. The betrayal of their trust and pledges is perpetrated for only a trifling gain, for something which is available in this life. Therefore, as punishment for their disavowal of His covenant, and their pledge to convey His message to other people, God does not care for them.

Here, the Qur’ān employs its familiar method of drawing an image in order to express a certain attitude. God’s neglect of such people and the fact that He withdraws His care from them are described in terms of His not speaking to them, looking at them or cleansing them. These are all familiar symptoms of neglect. The Qur’ān chooses to make use of them in order to draw a vivid image of what happens on the Day of Judgement. In this way, the verses have a much more profound effect on man than a mere statement of fact.

There are some among them who twist their tongues when quoting the Scriptures, so that you may think that [what they say] is from the Scriptures, when it is not from the Scriptures. They say: ‘It is from God”, when it is not from God. Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie. It is not conceivable that any human being to whom God had given revelation and wisdom and prophethood would subsequently say to people: “Worship me instead of God.” But rather: ‘Be devoted servants of God, by virtue of spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant study of them.” Nor would he bid you to take the angels and the Prophets as your gods. Would he bid you to be unbelievers after you have surrendered yourselves to God? (Verses 78-80)

These verses speak of a certain type of people of earlier revelations, namely, the deceivers who make use of God’s revelations in order to lead other people astray.

They twist their tongues when they read or quote it, and interpret its statements so that they may be made to agree with certain prejudices. In return for all this, they receive a paltry price, a trifling worldly gain. One example of such distortion and deliberate misinterpretation relates to their invented beliefs about Jesus, son of Mary, in order to make people’s beliefs agree with the prejudices of the Church and political rulers.

When religious men are corrupt they allow themselves to be used as a tool for the falsification of facts. In this manner, they take advantage of their guise as men of religion. The example employed by the Qur’ān in relation to the people of earlier revelations is well known to us today. They impose on the verses and statements of their own revelations arbitrary interpretations and conclusions, claiming that these represent the precise meaning intended and that, as such, they constitute God’s message. In actual fact, however, their conclusions are in sharp conflict with the very essence of Divine faith. They are able to achieve this contortion because the majority of people cannot differentiate between the true essence of faith and the true meaning of these statements on the one hand, and the fabricated conclusions they arbitrarily impose on these same statements on the other.

We are today well aware of such people who are wrongly described as religious.

Indeed, they are religious professionals who look upon religion as a profession and who use it in order to satisfy all sorts of prejudice. They do not hesitate to make use of any religious text when it seems to them that by so doing they serve their own material interests. It does not concern them that their arbitrary interpretations of God’s revelations contradict the basic principles of faith. They try hard to detect even the slightest hint of linguistic ambiguity in a Qur’ānic verse so that they can endorse any desire, tendency or prejudice which serves their immediate interests: “They say: It is from God’, when it is not from God. Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie.” (Verse 78)

This sort of corruption is not exclusive to the people of earlier revelations. It is evident in every nation where religious faith has been greatly devalued as a result of the relentless pursuit of trifling worldly gains. It gains currency in any nation where people are so dishonest that they do not hesitate to deliberately and knowingly tell a lie about God and distort His words in order to win favours and satisfy their own perverted desires. Here God warns the Muslim community against falling into this slippery way; a path on which the Children of Israel fell and which led them to be deprived of what they had been entrusted with, namely the leadership of mankind.

Taken together, these verses suggest that this element of the Children of Israel deliberately misquoted God’s revelations which express their intent in a figurative way and instead attributed arbitrary interpretations to them. In so doing, they deluded the masses into believing that the conclusions they stated were taken from the Divine Book. They, who subsequently became the Christians we know today, indeed say that “It is from God”, when God has said nothing of the sort. Their aim was to prove the Divine nature of Jesus and to attribute the same to the “Holy Spirit”. They alleged that there are three elements, namely, the father, the son and the Holy Spirit, constituting the trinity which is God. Limitless is God in His glory, far be it for Him to be as they falsely describe.

They also attributed certain statements to Jesus confirming their allegations. God here refutes their false interpretations. He states that it is not possible for a prophet whom God has honoured with prophethood and chosen for such a great task to order people to make him or the angels as gods. “It is not conceivable that any human being to whom God had given revelations and wisdom and prophethood would subsequently say to people: ‘Worship me instead of God.’ But rather: Be devoted servants of God, by virtue of spreading the knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant study of them.’ Nor would he bid you to take the angels and the Prophets as your gods. Would he bid you to be unbelievers after you have surrendered yourselves to God?” (Verses 79-80)

A prophet knows that he is a servant of God, and that God alone is the only Lord to whom people should address their worship. It is not conceivable for a prophet to claim for himself the quality of Godhead which requires people to surrender themselves to him. Hence, no prophet would ever say to people: “Worship me instead of God.” What he will always say to them is: “Be devoted servants of God.” Declare your allegiance to God as servants who surrender themselves to Him. Address your worship to Him alone and adopt only the way of life He has approved for you so that you can be totally devoted to Him. You can achieve this devotion by virtue of your knowledge of the Scriptures and your constant study of what God has revealed.

The more you understand your Scriptures, the clearer this task becomes to you.

No prophet would ever instruct people to take the angels or the prophets as lords or gods. For no prophet would ever instruct people to be unbelievers after they have surrendered themselves to God and acknowledged His Divinity. Prophets come to provide guidance for men, not to lead them astray. They set the example for people to be good believers and surrender themselves to God. It is far removed from them to encourage people to be unbelievers.

The impossibility of what these people of earlier revelations attribute to Jesus is thus made apparent. Equally apparent is their deliberate lie when they allege that this is from God. At the same time, all what these people allege in order to create doubts and suspicions within the Muslim community are shown to be baseless once the Qur’ān has revealed the true nature of these lies and the people who spread them.

Today there are still people who purport to be Muslims and who claim to be well read in Islam but who do the same thing as those people of earlier revelations. These Qur’ānic verses, then, are equally applicable to them. For they try to distort Qur’ānic statements and impose arbitrary interpretations on them in order to create all sorts of idols to be worshipped instead of God. They make use of every connivance in order to make their allegations plausible: “They say: ’It is from God’, when it is not from God.

Thus, they deliberately say of God what they know to be a lie."

God made a covenant with the Prophets: “If after what I have vouchsafed to you of the Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to you a messenger confirming the truth of what you have in your possession, you shall believe in him and you shall help him. Do you,” said He, “affirm this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in these terms?” They answered: “We do affirm it.” Said He: ‘Then bear witness, and I am also a witness with you.” Then those who turn away afterwards are indeed transgressors. Do they seek a religion other than God’s, when every soul in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return?

(Verses 81-3)

This passage explains the link between all the messengers and messages. It is based on the covenant made with God which judges as a transgressor anyone who declines to follow the last of the Divine messages. It shows that such a person would be guilty of violating his covenant with God and of disobeying the law which applies to the whole universe. God, limitless He is in His glory, has made a binding and solemn covenant with every prophet He sent. He Himself witnessed this covenant as did His prophets. The covenant states that if a prophet is followed by a messenger who confirms his own message, he is required to declare his belief in this messenger, give him his support and follow his religion, no matter what he himself has been given of Scriptures and wisdom. God has made this binding agreement with every prophet and messenger He has sent.

The Qur’ānic presentation overlooks the time intervals which separated God’s messengers, but instead groups them all in one scene with God, in His majesty, addressing them all at the same time. He asks whether they acknowledge this covenant and accept the obligation it places on them: “Do you affirm this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in these terms?’ They answered: ‘We do affirm it.’” (Verse 81)

God, the Sublime, witnesses this covenant and asks them to witness it as well: “He said: ‘Then bear witness, and I am also a witness with you.’” (Verse 81)

As we replay this majestic scene in our minds, we are overawed with the image of all messengers assembled in the presence of God.

United in their submission to the sublime directive, they uphold the single truth, which God has willed should serve as the foundation of human life and remain pure of deviation, contradiction and conflict. God selects one of His servants to establish this truth on earth, before he passes it over to his successor, to whom he pledges his support, as the latter takes over the task of conveying God’s message. No prophet has any personal interest in this matter, nor does he seek any personal glory. He is simply a servant of God, chosen by Him to convey His message. It is God Who determines how this message is carried forward from one generation to another, and it is He Who controls the movement of its followers as He pleases.

With this covenant, Divine religion is assured of being free from any narrow prejudice, be it the prejudice of the messenger to himself or to his people, or the prejudice of his followers to their own faith, interests, or to their own people. This single faith remains, in this way, pure, as God wishes it to be.

In light of this fact, how do those among the people of earlier revelations justify their attitude, when their religions call upon them to believe in the last messenger and to help and support him? How do these people who reject the last messenger appear, when their own messengers have made such a solemn and binding covenant with their Lord in a grand, awesome scene? They appear, indeed, to be transgressors.

They have moved away from the teachings of their own Prophets, violated God’s covenant and rebelled against this system which applies to the whole universe and which surrenders to its Creator. “Then those who turn away afterwards are indeed transgressors. Do they seek a religion other than God’s, when every soul in the heavens and earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return?” (Verses 82-3)

No one refuses to follow the last of the Prophets but a transgressor, and no one rejects God’s faith but a deviant who stands alone in rebellion against the whole universe, which submits to God.

God’s faith is one. All messengers preached the same faith and pledged their covenants to dedicate themselves to it. The covenant God has made with every messenger is the same. Hence, to believe in the new faith, to follow its messenger, and to help implement it so that it attains supremacy over all other creeds and methods is indeed to honour this covenant. Anyone who rejects Islam, therefore, rejects God’s faith as a whole, and violates his covenant with God.

Islam, or submission to God, is the constitution and religion which applies to everything in this universe. It becomes a reality when the way of life God has chosen for mankind is implemented to the exclusion of every other way. This is indeed a universal version of Islam and submission. It has a profound effect on our feelings and conscience. It speaks of an omnipotent rule which subjects all beings to the same constitution and the same destiny.

“To Him they shall all return.” There is no way out, for the end is the return to God, the Almighty, Who has created all and controls all.

If man’s aim is to be happy, to enjoy peace of mind and to have a good system for his life, then he must inevitably return to God’s constitution and implement it in his life both as an individual and in the life of his community. This ensures that man’s life is in perfect harmony with the system followed by the universe and devised by the Creator. Only when man achieves harmony between his own system, encompassing his feelings, motives, relations and practices and the system of the universe is he able to work in cooperation, rather than in conflict, with the great powers in the universe. If he finds himself in conflict with these powers, his world is left in tatters and he cannot fulfil the mission assigned to him by God. Conversely, when he achieves harmony with the laws of nature which operate in the universe and to which all living things are subject, he is able to fathom their secrets and to make use of them in a way which ensures his own happiness and peace of mind. He is then spared all worry, fear and conflict. When we say that man can make use of these powers, we mean that in the case of fire, for example, he will not burn himself by it, but will use it for cooking, heating, and lighting.

In its essence, human nature is in harmony with the laws governing the universe.

Human nature submits to its Lord like the nature of every living thing. When man forces his own life out of the system laid down by God, he finds himself in conflict not only with the universe, but also with his own nature. This results in misery and worry. He suffers a great deal just as erring humanity now suffers, despite all its scientific achievements and all the facilities provided for man by this materialistic civilisation.

Man suffers a great deal because he finds himself in a terrible void. His soul is devoid of the truth which it desperately needs, the truth of faith. His life is devoid of the Divine method which achieves harmony of movement between man and the universe in which he lives. When man leaves the cool shade provided by God’s way of life, he finds himself in the blazing heat of the desert.

Having left the straightforward path, man suffers a worrying type of corruption.

This is indeed the reason for all the misery, worry and confusion suffered by humanity, and for all its hunger, thirst and deprivation. Man tries to escape from all this by resorting to drugs and drink, fast cars and aimless adventures, inventing a new craze every day, but to no avail. Material affluence, high levels of productivity, an easy life and a great deal of spare time do not help reduce his misery and worry.

Indeed, the more he has of these, the greater his worry and confusion. This emptiness continues to chase man like a fearful ghost. Man tries to run away, but he can only run into an endless void.

The first impression formed by anyone who visits rich countries is that their peoples are trying to escape. They want to escape even from their own souls. The thin veil of affluence and sensuous enjoyment which is carried too far is soon lifted to reveal all sorts of psychiatric complaints, crime, deviation, perversion, worry, madness, alcohol and drug addiction. There is nothing worthy of respect in such a material life.

The people of these countries cannot determine the true purpose of their lives.

They grope in the dark for that divine system which alone will ensure harmony of movement between themselves and the universe around them, and between their system and that of the universe. They cannot enjoy peace of mind because they do not know God, to Whom they shall all return.

Since the Muslim nation — and by this we mean the truly Muslim nation, not that which lives in any particular geographical area or in any particular period of history — is the one which is aware of the true nature of the covenant between God and His messengers, it knows fully the truth of the single faith God has given man through the line of noble prophets and messengers. God instructs the Prophet to declare this truth in absolutely clear terms. He orders him to declare that his nation believes in all past messages, respects and honours all past messengers, and is fully aware of the true nature of the Divine faith which is the only faith acceptable to God: “Say: ‘We believe in God and in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has been bestowed on Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, and that which has been vouchsafed by their Lord to Moses and Jesus and all the prophets. We make no distinction between them. To Him do we surrender ourselves.’ He who seeks a religion other than self-surrender to God, it will not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he will be among the lost.” (Verses 84-5)

This is the reality of Islam: it encompasses all past messages, maintains loyalty to all past messengers. It shows that the Divine faith is one, and returns all religions to their common source. It implies believing in all these messages as a whole, as they have all been given by God.

It is important to note here that the first of these two verses states first the belief in God and what has been revealed to the Muslims, i.e. the Qur’ān, and what has been revealed to all previous messengers. Its concluding comment on this encompassing belief is: “To Him do we surrender ourselves.” This acknowledgement of submission to God is very significant. It comes after it has been explained that Islam means total surrender, submission and obedience as well as the implementation of a certain system and a well-defined law. This is absolutely clear in the preceding verse: “Do they seek a religion other than Gods, when every soul in the heavens and the earth has submitted to Him, willingly or by compulsion, and to Him they shall all return?” It is clear that, in relation to all beings, “Islam” means surrender and submission, as well as obedience to the law and implementation of the system. It is for this that God deliberately explains the meaning of Islam and its true nature on every occasion, so that no one can mistake it for a word said verbally, or an acceptance made mentally, without it leaving its practical effects on life in the form of submission to God’s law and the implementation of that law in real life: “He who seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the life to come he will be among the lost."

How shall God guide people who have lapsed into disbelief after having accepted the faith and having borne witness that this messenger is true, and after having received clear evidence of the truth? God does not guide the wrongdoers. Of such people the punishment shall be the curse of God, the angels and all men. Under it they shall abide. Neither their suffering shall be lightened, nor shall they be granted respite.

Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent and mend their ways; for God is Much- Forgiving, Merciful. But those who return to disbelief after having accepted the faith and then grow more stubborn in their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not be accepted. For they are those who have truly gone astray. As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers, not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted from any one of them, were he to offer it in ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and they shall have none to help them. You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend. (Verses 86-92)

The preceding verses leave no doubt whatsoever about the true meaning of Islam.

In the light of these verses, it is impossible to arbitrarily interpret Qur’ānic statements in order to give Islam a definition other than that given by God. Islam, the religion of the whole universe, means submission to the system God has laid down for life.

Islam can never be confined to a verbal declaration of believing in the oneness of God and Muĥammad’s message. Such a declaration must be followed by its practical correlative. This means, in the context of bearing witness that there is no deity save God; to actually believe that God alone is the only Lord of the universe to Whom worship should be addressed and Whose pleasure is to be sought. In the case of bearing witness that Muĥammad is God’s Messenger, it means to implement in full the way of life he has explained to us as given him by his Lord, and to apply the laws he has given us and to refer all disputes to the Qur’ān, the Book he has conveyed to us.

As we have said, Islam can never be confined to a mere mental acceptance of the truth of divinity and revelation, devoid of its practical effect. Nor can Islam be limited to a set of worship practices, contemplations, or moral and spiritual education, unless these are followed by their practical correlative represented by a way of life derived from God. Worship, contemplation and moral education have no practical value in people’s lives unless they are incorporated into a social system which moulds human life in its own clean fashion, in accordance with God’s will.

Such is Islam as God wants it. No value can be attached to Islam in the version devised by people’s desires, or coloured by the wishes and prejudices of the enemies of Islam and their stooges everywhere.

Those who do not accept Islam in the form God wants it to take, after having learnt its true nature will definitely be the losers in the hereafter. They will receive no guidance from God and will not be exempt from His punishment: “How shall God guide people who have lapsed into disbelief after having accepted the faith and having borne witness that this messenger is true, and after having received clear evidence of the truth? God does not guide the wrongdoers. Of such people the punishment shall be the curse of God, the angels and all men: under it they shall abide. Neither their suffering shall be lightened, nor shall they be granted respite.” (Verses 86-8)

It is a sustained campaign which strikes terror in every heart with even the smallest measure of faith, and which views the question of the hereafter with the minimum degree of seriousness. The punishment detailed here is fair for anyone who has been given the chance to save himself, but who deliberately and stubbornly turns away from the path of salvation.

Islam, nevertheless, leaves the door open for repentance. Any erring person who wants to turn back to the right way needs only to knock on the door. Indeed, he does not even need to knock.

There is no one and nothing to prevent him entering. He only needs to turn to the way which ensures his security, and to do good in order to show that his repentance is sincere and truthful:

“Excepted shall be those who afterwards repent and mend their ways; for God is Much- Forgiving, Merciful.” (Verse 89) However, those who do not repent, who refuse to turn back, who insist on remaining unbelievers and continue in their erring ways until the chance given them is withdrawn, until the test is over, and the time for punishment and reward arrives, cannot be saved. No repentance will be accepted from them. It will not be of any benefit to them that they may have spent the whole earth’s weight of gold in what they thought to be good causes. Since their spending was not made for God’s sake and not dedicated to Him alone, it has no value with Him. Nor will they be able to save themselves from the punishment of the hereafter even if they were to offer the earth’s full weight of gold. Their chance is over and the doors are closed: “But those who return to disbelief after having accepted the faith and then grow more stubborn in their rejection of the faith, their repentance will not be accepted. For they are those who have truly gone astray. As for those who disbelieve and die unbelievers, not even the earth full of gold shall be accepted from any one of them, were he to offer it in ransom. They shall have grievous suffering and they shall have none to help them.” (Verses 90-1) The discussion is thus concluded in a fearful and decisive manner, leaving no doubt in anyone’s heart.

Since spending for causes other than that of God is mentioned as well as the offering of a ransom when none may be accepted, God explains the sort of spending which earns His pleasure: “You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish. God has full knowledge of what you spend.” (Verse 92) The Muslims at the time understood this Divine directive perfectly well. They were keen to achieve that standard of true piety, which means the culmination of everything that is good, by offering what they cherished most dearly. They came forward with such offerings in the hope of receiving a much greater reward in the hereafter.

Imām Ahmad relates on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik: “Abū Ţalĥah was one of the richest people among the Anşār in Madinah. His property, which he cherished most dearly, was a plot of land called Ĥā’. It was opposite to the Prophet’s mosque.

The Prophet used to go there and drink of its fine spring. Anas says that when God revealed the Qur’ānic verse: “You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish,’ Abū Ţalĥah said: ‘Messenger of God, God says:

“You will never attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish.” My property, which I cherish most dearly, is this piece of land. I am offering it as a charity dedicated for God’s sake. I do this in the hope that I will be rewarded for it by God. You, Messenger of God, may dispense with it in any way you please.’ The Prophet said: ‘Good. Good. That is an investment with high return. I have heard what you said. I think the best course is for you to divide it among your relatives.’ Abū Ţalĥah said: ‘I will do that, Messenger of God.’ He divided it among his relatives and cousins.” (Related by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim.)

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim also relate that `Umar said: “Messenger of God, I have never acquired any property which is more valuable than my share in Khaybar. How do you advise me to dispense with it?” The Prophet said: “Make the land a permanent endowment and its produce free for all.” Many of them have followed this line in fulfilment of God’s instruction, Who has outlined for us the way to true piety when He has guided us to Islam. In this way, we attain our freedom from being enslaved by wealth and self-aggrandisement. We can aspire to attain a more sublime level, free of all shackles, undeterred by any impediments.