[Malaysia_Reverts] Teachings of the Qur'aan: Al-Ar'aaf - Name, Background and Topics

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B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Teachings of the Qur`aan Al-A'raaf Soorah 7 Name, Background and Topics Ayub A. Hamid ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Name It is called Soorah Al-A�raaf implying the Soorah in which A�raaf and its people have been mentioned. Background This Soorah was revealed in Makkah in about the same period or immediately after Soorah Al-An�aam. That is the period when the opposition from Makkans and their persecution of Muslims was at its peak. The Prophet had used all possible means of communication and all sorts of logical arguments to explain to them and to convince them of the message of Islam and the goals of its mission. The rational evidence had been presented in a variety of ways, demonstrating the validity and profundity of Islamic beliefs from every human perspective. The opponents had no logical response or credible evidence against Islamic assertions except that they were following the traditions of their society and the heritage of their forefathers. Even from that perspective, they were told how their real forefather and their Patriarch, Ibraaheem �alayhissalaam, preached, practised and stood up for exactly the same message of Islam as Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu �alayhi wa sallam was doing. The Law of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala is that when a nation is presented the message of Islam in all possible ways by a Messenger, those who continue to reject it are either completely overtaken by the messengers and his followers or they are destroyed. The end result is that the Messenger succeeds in establishing the complete Islamic system of life in that or a close-by society. But before being overtaken or destroyed, they are warned of their impending defeat and destruction through historical examples of the previous nations that were meted such a fate in the past. This is because Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, being so kind and merciful, wants to give anyone who may have the capability to learn a lesson from history another chance to repent. The main theme of this Soorah is to present those lessons and warnings, perchance some more people can attain salvation by accepting Islam as a result of their reflection on the history of previous messengers and their addressees. Topics This Soorah gives the historical perspective on the ongoing struggle between Islam and its enemies that started with Adam �alayhissalaam and Iblees (the Shaytaan), highlighting that: The original and the only Deen taught by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has always been Islam. All other religions have been created by Shaytaan (Satan) and his follower through deviations from Islam. The tricks, techniques and snares used by Shaytaan to mislead people away from the Islamic path also have always been the same throughout human history; To help people come back to Islam, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala, out of his mercy, has been sending messengers so that they and those who follow them succeed in establishing the Islamic system of life on Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala�s earth, and their opponents are eventually defeated and destroyed. While quoting examples from Jewish history, they have also been invited to reform themselves, abandon their hypocritical behaviour and follow and support the final Messenger sall Allaahu �alayhi wa sallam that they were promised and they have been waiting for. Muslims have also been urged to learn the lessons from the presented history, continue to remain dedicated to the Islamic mission regardless of the sacrifices they have to make and to continue to use wisdom, patience, perseverance and forbearance despite the worst treatment, severe violence and extreme instigation from the enemies of Islam. Placement As mentioned in the introduction to the second group of the Qur-aanic Soorahs and to Soorah Al-An�aam, once the Prophet sall Allaahu �alayhi wa sallam had started the Islamic movement by calling Makkans to Islam and the Makkans had undertaken a strong opposition against his mission, the struggle between the Islamic movement and its opposition went through four stages. The Qur-aan guides people through those four stages in four Soorahs: The first stage consisted of explaining the validity of Islamic message and absurdity of the opposition�s stance from every possible rational and logical angle. That was done in Soorah Al-An�aam. The second stage was that the opponents were warned of their failure and destruction through the examples of previous nations who faced destruction because of their rejection of the Islamic message and Allaah�s messengers. That is the theme of this Soorah. The third stage was that the opposition imposed war on the Muslims thus starting an armed struggle between the two for which the Muslims needed to be trained and educated. That aspect has been covered in the next Soorah, Al-Anfaal. The final stage was the victory and supremacy of Islam, the guidance about which is contained in the last Soorah of this group � Soorah At-Towbah or Al-Baraa-ah. This Soorah, Al-A�raaf, being the second in the group, consists of the lessons presented and the warnings given to the Makkans on the basis of the historical examples of the Ummahs of the previous messengers �alayhimussalaam. Copyright � 2007 Ayub A. Hamid All rights reserved This document may be used, only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author�s subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all other rights, which are reserved. Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur�aan, not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details. Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur�aan is in fact only an expression of the translator�s understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta�aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur�aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur�aan. Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic thinker residing in Canada for the last 31 years. His recently published books are: 1. Islam - Does It Make Sense? 2. Unveiling the Commands�The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar and Jilbaab. 3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth. 4. A Book Unlike Any Other. 5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms. 6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs. http://soundvisionc anada.com/ shop/pbrowse. asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004 The following soowar �Teachings of the Qur�aan� series by Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:- Al Faatihah Al Baqarah Aali�Imraan A Nisaa� Al Maaidah Al An�aam K a r i m a