Purity & Growth
Glad
tidings: Purifying Drink
Abstract
The
Quran repeatedly focuses on the creation of Allah and sincerity in religion. It
also defines three basic laws of the right religion. The Quran informs us that
it is the same religion (الدِّينِ) as was ordained for Noah, Abraham, Moses and
Jesus. The Right Religion, preached throughout the ages, guides humans to all
that is pure and purifying, and prescribes that which will help grow and retain
the Nafs.
Full
Text
فَادْعُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
So invoke Allah, (being) sincere to Him (in) the religion, even though dislike (it) the disbelievers.
Surah
Ghafir introduces Allah as:
حم
تَنزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
غَافِرِ الذَّنبِ وَقَابِلِ التَّوْبِ شَدِيدِ الْعِقَابِ ذِي الطَّوْلِ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
Ha, Meem.
The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the
Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
The forgiver of sin,
acceptor of repentance, severe in punishment, owner of abundance. There is no
deity except Him; to Him is the destination.
After
informing why the punishment is justified against the disbelievers, the Surah
presents amazing hope to those who believe and repent:
الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ
رَبَّنَا وَأَدْخِلْهُمْ جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ الَّتِي وَعَدتَّهُمْ وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
وَقِهِمُ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَمَن تَقِ السَّيِّئَاتِ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمْتَهُ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
Those [angels] who carry the
Throne and those around it exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord and believe
in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed, [saying],
"Our Lord,
You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and followed Your way and protect them from the punishment of
Hellfire.
Our Lord, and admit them to gardens of perpetual
residence which You have promised them and whoever was righteous among their
fathers, their spouses and their offspring. Indeed, it is You who is the
Exalted in Might, the Wise.
And protect
them from the evil consequences [of their deeds]. And he whom You protect from
evil consequences that Day - You will have given him mercy. And that is the
great attainment."
Similarly,
Surah ashShura begins with the wonderful news about angels praying for us:
حم عسق
كَذَٰلِكَ يُوحِي إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوْقِهِنَّ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Ha, Meem. 'Ayn, Seen, Qaf.
Thus has He revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and
to those before you - Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. To Him belongs whatever is in the
heavens and whatever is in the earth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.
The heavens almost break
from above them, and the angels exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord and
ask forgiveness for those on earth. Unquestionably, it is Allah who is the
Forgiving, the Merciful.
How
Merciful is our Lord that even the angels constantly pray for our forgiveness!
As wonderful and heart-warming as it is, one wonders what is the crime so great
that we need so many prayers, constantly, and a lifetime of opportunity to
repent and seek forgiveness? And what makes us unworthy of being granted the
inheritance of the Gardens of Eternity in our present state? Why the need for
forgiveness, and why the trial and the judgment?
A
few ayaat later, Surah ashShura informs us:
فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
لَهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
شَرَعَ لَكُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّىٰ بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ اللَّهُ يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَن يُنِيبُ
وَمَا تَفَرَّقُوا إِلَّا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْيًا بَيْنَهُمْ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى لَّقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُورِثُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مُرِيبٍ
فَلِذَٰلِكَ فَادْعُ وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَقُلْ آمَنتُ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِن كِتَابٍ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ لَا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ اللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ
وَالَّذِينَ يُحَاجُّونَ فِي اللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ حُجَّتُهُمْ دَاحِضَةٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ
اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَالْمِيزَانَ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ السَّاعَةَ قَرِيبٌ
[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from
yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby.
There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
To Him belong the
keys of the heavens and the earth. He extends provision for whom He wills and
restricts [it]. Indeed He is, of all things, Knowing.
He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah
and that which We have revealed to you,
[O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham
and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein.
Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is that to which you invite
them. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever
turns back [to Him].
And they did not
become divided until after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous
animosity between themselves. And if not for a word that preceded from your
Lord [postponing the penalty] until a specified time, it would have been
concluded between them. And indeed, those who were granted inheritance of the
Scripture after them are, concerning it, in disquieting doubt.
So to that [religion of
Allah] invite, [O Muhammad], and remain on a right course as you are commanded
and do not follow their inclinations but say, "I
have believed in what Allah has revealed of the Qur'an, and I have been
commanded to do justice among you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us are
our deeds, and for you your deeds. There is no [need for] argument between us
and you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is the [final] destination."
And those who argue concerning Allah after
He has been responded to - their argument is invalid with their Lord, and
upon them is [His] wrath, and for them is a severe punishment.
It is Allah who has sent down the Book in truth
and [also] the balance. And what will make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is
near.
Among
the concluding ayaat of this Surah, it is stated:
اسْتَجِيبُوا لِرَبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَكُم مِّن مَّلْجَإٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّكِيرٍ
فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا إِنْ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ وَإِنَّا إِذَا أَذَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَإِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ كَفُورٌ
لِّلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ يَهَبُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ إِنَاثًا وَيَهَبُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ الذُّكُورَ
أَوْ يُزَوِّجُهُمْ ذُكْرَانًا وَإِنَاثًا وَيَجْعَلُ مَن يَشَاءُ عَقِيمًا إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ
Respond to your Lord before a Day comes
from Allah of which there is no repelling. No refuge will you have that day,
nor for you will there be any denial.
But if they turn away
- then We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], over them as a guardian; upon you is
only [the duty of] notification. And indeed, when We let man taste mercy from
us, he rejoices in it; but if evil afflicts him for what his hands have put
forth, then indeed, man is ungrateful.
To Allah belongs the
dominion of the heavens and the earth; He creates what he wills. He gives to
whom He wills female [children], and He gives to whom He wills males.
Or He makes them [both] males
and females, and He renders whom He wills barren. Indeed, He is Knowing and
Competent.
The
Quran repeatedly draws attention to Allah’s creations, and especially the
creation in the womb. It emphasizes
guarding the womb and maintaining
marital fidelity, strictly, as a sacred trust. Allah loves purity and loves those who
keep themselves pure (Q2:222 & Q9:108).
In Surah Nur, we read:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَمَن يَتَّبِعْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ مَا زَكَىٰ مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَبَدًا وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
O ye who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the devil. Unto whomsoever followeth the footsteps of the devil, lo! he commandeth filthiness and wrong. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, not one of you would ever have grown pure. But Allah causeth whom He will to grow. And Allah is Hearer, Knower.
Response to Allah
Q42:16
… after
He has been responded to …
Q42:47
Respond to
your Lord before a Day comes from Allah …
The
guidance has been clearly detailed in the scriptures. The prophets and
messengers came with clear evidences, glad tidings and warnings of a severe
penalty!
The Religion (الدِّينِ)
The
Quran defines the three fundamental laws of the الدِّينِ as:
9:36 Indeed, the number of months with Allah is
twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens
and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion,
so do not wrong yourselves* during them.
And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you
collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him].
* Your NAFS [أَنفُسَكُمْ]
12:40 You worship not besides Him
except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allah
has sent down no authority.
Legislation is not but for Allah. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That
is the correct religion, but
most of the people do not know.
30:30 So direct your face toward the
religion, inclining to truth.
[Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created
[all] people. No change should there be in the
creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.
The الدِّينِ is surmised as:
98:5 And they were not commanded except to worship
Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth,
and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the
correct religion.
فَادْعُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
So invoke Allah, (being) sincere to Him (in) the religion, even though dislike (it) the disbelievers.
The الدِّينِ of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus
Q42:11
focuses on creation, and Q42:13 informs us that it is the same religion as was
ordained for Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Regarding
the people of Noah, we read in Q71:7 that they would cover themselves with
their garments when Noah would ask them to repent. What were they hiding?
As discussed in
World
History & Future Implications, one of the things with which they were wronging their Nafs was by
crossbreeding.
Regarding
Abraham, we read that though he remained childless for a very long time, they
did not seek any fertility treatment. In old age, when they were given glad
tidings of a child, and they wondered how would it be possible now, they were
simply informed that
it
was easy for Allah.
Regarding
Moses, we read that Pharaoh and his people were indulging in great corruption.
After the Bani Israel were rescued, The Torah was revealed to Moses.
Leviticus
18-20 details all forbidden relations that cause impurity and corruption,
clearly stating that other nations are indulging in it, but the believers must
abstain from such practices.
Regarding
Jesus, he was conceived miraculously to a purified
virgin mother.
Furthermore, Jesus himself was granted the holy command to enable him to
breathe life into the clay forms he created, as per the will of Allah. The miracles
that Jesus was able to perform were clear signs of the power of Allah.
Purity
The
root
ṭā hā rā occurs
31 times in
The Quran. It means physical purity: to rid something or someone of
uncleanliness, to purify it.
Purity
is desirable and the objective across a broad spectrum of things, places and
persons, as evident from the following ayaat:
Ayat #
|
Subject
|
2:125;
22:26
|
purification of My House
|
3:42
|
purification of Maryam, before conceiving Jesus
|
3:55
|
removal of Jesus from the midst of the disbelievers
|
56:79
|
those who are
in a continuous state of purity
|
25:48
|
pure water
|
76:21
|
purifying drink
|
5:6
|
purification of the body
|
5:41;
33:53
|
purification of the qalb
|
33:33
|
removal of rijs
|
74:4
|
purification of the clothes
|
2:232
|
purity of spouses in this world
|
7:82;
11:78; 27:56;
|
pure for mating
|
2:25,
3:15, 4:57
|
purity of spouses in the Hereafter
|
2:222
& 9:108
|
Allah loves those who purify themselves
|
Purity & Growth through Spending
Surah
atTaubah (Q9:103) presents a combination of purity and growth:
وَآخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَآخَرَ سَيِّئًا عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَأْخُذُ الصَّدَقَاتِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
And [there are]
others who have acknowledged their sins. They had mixed a righteous deed with
another that was bad. Perhaps Allah will turn to them in forgiveness. Indeed,
Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify
them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed,
your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
Do they not know
that it is Allah who accepts repentance from His servants and receives
charities and that it is Allah who is the Accepting of repentance, the
Merciful?
Growth of the Nafs
Q98:5
lists Zakat as a fundamental component of
The
Right Religion. Zakat is generally assumed to be the mandatory spending of
a small percentage from one’s wealth. Looking up its root
zāy kāf wāw in
the
Lexicon, one
realizes that the primary meaning of the root implies increase or
augumentation, while some consider purity to be the primary meaning. However
Q9:103 uses the root for zakat for the word translated as growth, while it
employs a separate word for purity based on the root
ṭā hā rā.
The
following is a quote from Jesus when he was still a baby:
وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا
And He has made me blessed
wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain
alive
Each
one of us has a
Nafs that
is in pledge. The people who are forgiven and judged successful on the Day
of Judgment will get to retain their Nafs, while those who are unsuccessful
will lose their Nafs:
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا
And a soul and Him
Who perfected it
And inspired it (with
conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it.
He
is indeed successful who causeth it to grow,
And he is indeed a
failure who stunteth it.
Notice
that in Q91:9 also the root zāy kāf wāw for zakat is used to mean growth.
It
seems that tahara (purification) and zakat (increase or growth), though closely
linked, are independent concept with tahara related to our physical, and zakat
to our Nafs. The quality of the growth
depends on the quality of the environment it grows in, as explained in Surah
alA`raaf:
وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَقَلَّتْ سَحَابًا ثِقَالًا سُقْنَاهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَنزَلْنَا بِهِ الْمَاءَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ كَذَٰلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
And cause not
corruption upon the earth after its reformation. And invoke Him in fear and
aspiration. Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.
And it is He who
sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy until, when they have carried
heavy rainclouds, We drive them to a dead land and We send down rain therein
and bring forth thereby [some] of all the fruits. Thus will We bring forth the
dead; perhaps you may be reminded.
And the good land - its
vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is bad - nothing
emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus do We diversify the signs for a
people who are grateful.
When
Adam’s repentance was accepted, he was told:
فَتَلَقَّىٰ آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
قُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّي هُدًى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Then Adam received
from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He
who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
We said, "Go
down from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My
guidance - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
[Al-Quran
2:37-38,
Translator: Saheeh International]
The
Right Religion, preached throughout the ages, guides all humans to all that
is pure and purifying, and prescribes that which will help grow and retain the
Nafs:
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
And establish prayer
and give zakah, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will
find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah of what you do, is Seeing.
عَالِيَهُمْ ثِيَابُ سُندُسٍ خُضْرٌ وَإِسْتَبْرَقٌ وَحُلُّوا أَسَاوِرَ مِن فِضَّةٍ وَسَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا
إِنَّ هَٰذَا كَانَ لَكُمْ جَزَاءً وَكَانَ سَعْيُكُم مَّشْكُورًا
Upon the inhabitants will be
green garments of fine silk and brocade. And they will be adorned with
bracelets of silver, and their Lord will
give them a purifying drink.
[And it will be said],
"Indeed, this is for you a reward, and your effort has been
appreciated."
Last updated on: July 3, 2018
