This Worldly Life versus the Best Return (An
explanation of Quran 3:14 – 18) (part 1 of 2)
The Quran is the book that Muslims believe to be the direct and literal
words of God and it is God’s greatest gift to humanity. It is a book like no
other book; it is not a history book or a story book or a scientific manual but it
does contain all of those genres. The Quran and its amazing ability to speak to
the heart of any human being is a beautiful phenomenon. It seems to
understand a person’s inner most thoughts and can even answer questions only
half formulated by the reader. In the second verse of the second chapter of the
Quran, God describes the Quran by calling it a book whereof there is no doubt,
guidance to those who are pious, righteous, and fear God (Quran 2:2). A
person asks or even thinks the question and Quran offers guidance. Come
with me on a journey of discovery it seems to say. It beckons the reader to
delve deeply into the heart of humanity and see the world through God’s eyes.
In this article we are going to examine and discuss five verses from the
third chapter of the Quran. This chapter is called ‘The Family of Imran’ (Aali
Imran). Quran tells us that Imran is the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
This whole family which includes Prophet Zachariah and the man Christians
know as John the Baptist, is one held in high regard. This chapter speaks
particularly to the Christians and exhorts them to worship One God, however
contained in this chapter are some beautiful pieces of prose that describe the
nature of humankind. And who is better to describe and give us an insight into
our complicated nature other than our Creator – God?
The following verses begin by describing our desire to be surrounded by
beauty and our natural inclination to gather worldly things, hold on to them and
take pleasure in them. They then remind us that life everlasting in Paradise is
worth more than this world and all that is in it and then also show us how we
can achieve this ultimate goal.
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire –
of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine
branded horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the
pleasure of the present world’s life, but God has with Him
the best return (Paradise).
Say, "Shall I inform you of something better than that?
For those who fear God will be gardens in the presence of
their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide
eternally, and purified spouses and approval from God.
And God is Seeing (i.e. aware) of (His) slaves."
Those who say: "Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so
forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the
Fire."
(They are) those who are patient, those who are true (in
Faith, words, and deeds), and obedient with sincere
devotion in worship. Those who spend (in the way of God)
and those who pray and beg God’s Pardon in the last hours
of the night.
God bears witness that none has the right to be worshipped
but He, and the angels, and those having knowledge (also
give this witness); (He always) maintains His creation in
Justice. None has the right to be worshipped but He, the
All-Mighty, the All-Wise. (Quran 3:14 – 18)
The first sentence tells us that God has filled the earth with beauty and that
he has deliberately beautified those things which we desire, those things we
naturally covet. This life is a delight. There are many traditions from the life
of Prophet Muhammad that testify to this.
Life is a delight, and the best delight is a righteous wife.[1]
Indeed the world is moist and green, and Allah has made you succeeding
generations in it to watch how you will act, so beware of the world…[2]
Women and fragrance have been made dear to my affections, but prayer was
made the sweetness of my eyes.[3]
No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his
heart." A man said, "What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his
shoes to look good?" He said, "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.
Arrogance means denying the truth and looking down on people." [4]
3:14 Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire – of
women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses,
cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s life,
but God has with Him the best return (Paradise).
Here God reminds us that it is perfectly natural to desire the good things
that He has provided for us. Not only is it natural but it is acceptable to find
joy in the delights of this life, provided you remember that the joys of this
world fade and its delights are perishable. Life on earth can be filled with
beauty, our surroundings can be magnificent, weather can give us a sense of
awe and the things we love can make us feel happy. However God asks us to
remember that this life is fleeting and tells us that the return or Paradise is
better.
This is emphasized in Quran 57:20. Know that the life of this world is only
play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry
in respect of wealth and children. (It is) as the likeness of vegetation after
rain, thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and
you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw…
We desire a partner of the opposite sex and a family but must remember
that the loving and wanting to please our family might sometimes lead us to
commit sins. The pursuit of wealth is a perfectly natural and admirable thing
especially if we want to spend that wealth on being kind to family, friends, or
neighbors, and by doing various acts of righteousness and obedience.
However if the pursuit of wealth results in arrogance and domineering
behaviour towards those less wealthy it is no longer admirable but a cause of
sin. It is interesting to note that God does not mention that human beings
desire just gold and silver alone but that we desire heaped up or hoarded
amounts of wealth, indicating our desire to accumulate more and more wealth.
This desire is deep within us and we must take care to control it rather than let
it control us.
Do not let your innate love of beautiful things distance you from God.
There is a place for the good things in this world, they were created for us to
enjoy but they must stay in their place, they should not be raised above
obedience to God. Prophet Muhammad also reminded us of this when he
compared the life of this world to a place in Paradise. He said, "A place
in Paradise the size of the space found between a bow and the attached string is
better than the whole earth on which the sun rises and sets."[5]
We will continue our discussion, beginning with verse 3:15 in part 2.
Footnotes:
[1] Saheeh Muslim
[2] Saheeh Muslim
[3] Imam Ahmad
[4] Saheeh Muslim
[5] Saheeh Al-Bukhari
(part 2 of 2)
In verse 15, God reminds us of the worth of this life as compared to the
Hereafter. This life may have many wonderful things however what is waiting
for those who are pious and remember Him is like nothing one can ever
imagine.
3:15 Say, "Shall I inform you of something better than
that? For those who fear God will be gardens in the
presence of their Lord beneath which rivers flow, wherein
they abide eternally, and purified spouses and approval
from God. And God is Seeing (i.e. aware) of (His) slaves."
For those who obey God and remember Him often, the ultimate reward will
be everlasting gardens beneath which rivers flow. There will be rivers of milk
and of honey, rivers of water so pure and delightful it will be like nothing that a
person can imagine. Not only that, it will last forever. The enjoyment will not
end. Prophet Muhammad adds to God’s description when he says, "It would be
called out, ‘For you there is everlasting health, and you will never be sick. For
you there is everlasting life, and you will never die. For you there is perpetual
youth, and you will never get old. And for you there is everlasting bliss, and
you will never be in want.’" [1]
At this point we understand that although God has provided us with a most
wondrous and beautiful abode here on earth it is far from perfect. We are
burned by the sun’s harsh rays even as it warms and nourishes us, bugs can ruin
our enjoyment in natural environments sometimes with lethal bites or by
spreading diseases, natural disasters transform stunning vistas into ruin and
decay and of course humankind itself is responsible for destroying our most
beautiful habitat. This is not going to happen in Paradise. Our serenity is
everlasting, beautiful remains beautiful. In addition to this we are provided
with purified spouses. We are companions for each other, there is no death and
there are no worldly conditions such as menstruation or defecation.
Thus we ask ourselves, who is it that deserves this blissful life everlasting?
God answers our thoughts.
3:16 Those who say: "Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive
us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire."
Those who have believed in One God and submitted themselves to Him are
the ones who deserve this everlasting blissful life, the believers. They desire
very much to be a part of this wonderful and awe inspiring life everlasting and
God describes their actions in more detail so that there can be no room for
doubt. If a person desires to live forever in Paradise then that person must
strive hard to please God. Verse 17 further describes what sort of people will
be saved from the punishment of the Fire.
3:17 (They are) those who are patient, those who are true (in Faith,
words, and deeds), and obedient with sincere devotion in worship. Those
who spend (in the way of God) and those who pray and beg God’s Pardon
in the last hours of the night.
These are the believers who are patient. Ibn Qayyim explained[2] that
having patience means having the ability to stop ourselves from despairing, to
refrain from complaining, and to control ourselves in times of sadness and
worry. Prophet Muhammad’s son in law Ali ibn Abi Talib defined patience as
"seeking God’s help".[3]
Their other attributes include being faithful and obedient; they follow the
laws and commandments of God with sincerity and to the best of their ability.
They remember God and are grateful. "Therefore, remember Me (by
praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for
My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me." (Quran
2:152). They spend from their wealth on family members, neighbors and
strangers. They are kind, help the destitute, and comfort the needy. And
among those deserving of life everlasting are those who pray in the last part of
the night.
Prophet Muhammad tried to instill in us, his followers, the benefits and
desirability of praying in the last part of the night. He said, "The Lord
descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night
remains and says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who
will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I
may forgive him?’"[4]
If you read this chapter of Quran from the beginning you will notice that
God starts it off by reminding us that there is no God but He. He says, "…La
ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-
Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that
exists)" (Quran 3:2). And now just a few verses later he reminds us again.
3:18 God bears witness that none has the right to be worshipped but
He, and the angels, and those having knowledge (also give this witness);
(He always) maintains His creation in Justice. None has the right to be
worshipped but He, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
There is no god worthy of worship except He. There is no authority worthy
of obedience except He. Here at verse 18 God Himself bears witness that there
is no god but He. Just as there is nothing greater than God there is no statement
truer than this one. None has the right to be worshipped but He. This is the
crux of the matter, the essence of Islam. There is One God and He alone
deserves worship. In the early days of Islam and of course in the 21st century
there are many people who believe in God the Creator, but set up partners with
Him or rivals to Him.
"And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."
(Quran 112:4)
"Do they associate with Him those who create nothing and
they are [themselves] created? No help can they give them,
nor can they help themselves." (Quran 7:191-192)
"He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last
(nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above
Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him).
And He is the All-Knower of everything." (Quran 57:3)
This is an important point to know and to understand. The angels also bear
witness to this truth, so do the people of knowledge. The people of knowledge
know with certainty that God is One and Only. In this verse God has
mentioned the people of knowledge with Himself and with the angels thus we
are able to understand that seeking knowledge and teaching the truth is very
important.
Next God reminds us that He maintains His creation with justice. "We
sent Our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book
and the Measure in order to establish justice among the people…" (Quran
57:25). God is fair and equitable and the Arabic word used in verse 18 is qist.
It is usually translated as justice but does in fact encompass not only justice but
also equity and balance. Do you wonder why we are just the right distance
from the sun? A little closer and we would burn up, a little further away and
we would freeze. God maintains His creation with justice, with balance.
Imagine the precision and timing that allows the world and all that is in it to
function. Complex systems run perfectly. God concludes by repeating the
phrase, "None has the right to be worshipped but He, the All Mighty, the
All Wise."
Footnotes:
[1] Saheeh Muslim
[2] Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah, 1997, Patience and gratitude, English translation, United
Kingdom, Ta Ha Publishers.
[3] Ibid. P12
[4] Saheeh Muslim , Saheeh Al-Bukhari