Strive in Allah's Cause as You Ought to Strive
Qur'an 22:77-78 Surah Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)
O ye who believe! bow down prostrate yourselves and adore your Lord; and do good; that ye may prosper.
And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive (with sincerity and under discipline): He has chosen you and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the cult of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (Revelation); that the Apostle may be a witness for you and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer give regular Charity and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector the Best to protect and the Best to help!
Seek Help with Patient Perseverance and Prayer
Qur'an 2:153-157 Surah Al-Baqarah (The Heifer)
O ye who believe! seek help with patient perseverance and prayer: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.
And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay they are living though ye perceive (it) not.
Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil) but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.
Who say when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah we belong and to Him is our return."
They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah and Mercy and they are the ones that receive guidance.
Qur'an 2:186 Surah Al-Baqarah (The Heifer)
When my servants ask thee concerning Me I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me; let them also with a will listen to My call and believe in Me; that they may walk in the right way.
Qur'an 39:10-16 Surah Az-Zumar (The Crowds)
Say: "O ye my servants who believe! Fear your Lord: good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah's earth! Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"
Say: "Verily I am commanded to serve Allah with sincere devotion;
"And I am commanded to be the first of those who bow to Allah in Islam."
Say: "I would if I disobeyed my Lord indeed have fear of the Penalty of a Mighty Day."
Say: "It is Allah I serve with my sincere (and exclusive) devotion:
"Serve ye what ye will besides Him." Say: "Truly those in loss are those who lose their own souls and their People on the Day of Judgement: Ah! that is indeed the (real and) evident Loss!"
They shall have layers of fire above them and layers (of fire) below them: with this doth Allah warn off His servants: "O my servants! Then fear ye Me!"
Do Not Defame Nor Call Each Other by Offensive Nicknames
Qur'an 49:11 Surah Al-Hujurat (The Inner Apartments)
O ye who believe! let not some men among you laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (Indeed) doing wrong.
Avoid Suspicion, Spy Not on Each Other...
Qur'an 49:12 Surah Al-Hujurat (The Inner Apartments)
O ye who believe! avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay ye would abhor it...but fear Allah: for Allah is Oft-Returning Most Merciful.
Devour Not Usury Doubled and Multiplied
Qur'an 3:130-136 Surah Ale-'Imran (The Family of 'Imran)
O ye who believe! devour not usury doubled and multiplied; but fear Allah; that ye may (really) prosper.
Fear the fire which is prepared for those who reject faith.
And obey Allah and the Apostle; that ye may obtain mercy.
Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth prepared for the righteous.
Those who spend (freely) whether in prosperity or in adversity; who restrain anger and pardon (all) men; for Allah loves those who do good.
And those who having done something to be ashamed of or wronged their own souls earnestly bring Allah to mind and ask for forgiveness for their sins and who can forgive sins except Allah? And are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done.
For such the reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens with rivers flowing underneath an eternal dwelling; how excellent a recompense for those who work (and strive)!
Fasting is Prescribed to You as It was Prescribed to Those Before You
Qur'an 2:183-185 Surah Al-Baqarah (The Heifer)
O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint.
(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill or on a journey the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (with hardship) is a ransom the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more of his own free will it is better for him and it is better for you that ye fast if ye only knew.
Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an as a guide to mankind also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So everyone of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting but if anyone is ill or on a journey the prescribed period (should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you He does not want to put you to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.
No Power Whatever Over the Grace of Allah
Qur'an 57:28-29 Surah Al-Hadid (The Iron)
O ye that believe! fear Allah and believe in His apostle and He will bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide for you a light by which ye shall walk (straight in your path) and He will forgive you (your past): For Allah is Oft-Forgiving. Most Merciful:
That the People of the Book may know that they have no power whatever over the Grace of Allah that (His) Grace is (entirely) in his hand to bestow it on whomsoever He wills. For Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding.
Those who wish to understand the specific and broader meaning of the verses of the Qur'an, it is recommended that they should also read commentary on these subjects and verses. The English readers will find either Yusuf Ali's or Maududi's commentaries a good source. Allama Yususf Ali presents the meaning Ayah (verse) by Ayah with detailed footnotes for relevant words in each verse and includes a detailed index of the topics mentioned in the Qur'an. Maulana Maududi's work covers commentary for each Surah (chapter) of the Holy Qur'an. Pickthall writes in his foreward of 1930: "... The Qur'an cannot be translated. ... The book is here rendered almost literally and every effort has been made to choose befitting language. But the result is not the Glorious Qur'an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy. It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the Qur'an-and peradventure something of the charm in English. It can never take the place of the Qur'an in Arabic, nor is it meant to do so. ..."
"The Holy Qur'an," Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, 1934. (Latest Publisher: Amana Publications, Beltsville, MD, USA; Title: "The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an," 1992). A pocket edition of Yusuf Ali's translation is also available in contemporary English.
"The Meaning of the Glorious Koran," An Explanatory Translation by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, a Mentor Book Publication. (Also available as: "The Meaning of the Glorious Koran," by Marmaduke Pickthall, Dorset Press, N.Y. and several Islamic book publishers; Published by several publishers since 1930). Note: The Mentor publication (451 MJ1529 195) contains a few errors/omissions, e.g., in Surah 72: the last part of Verse 2 should read "we ascribe no partner unto our Lord", and Surah 68: Verse 22 should read "straight" road instead of "beaten" road. In case of any doubt, the reader is advised to check with a copy from an Islamic publisher and also check with an Islamic scholar for the meaning directly from the Arabic original.
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1990, 1998 Compiled by Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq