Surah At-Talaq

The Best Provision: “Fear Allah, O you who possess intellect and have faith.” After mentioning His severe punishment, Allah, the Exalted, addressed the person of sound mind and right judgment: Let your affairs be guided by wisdom and righteousness, obey Allah, and fear disobeying His command. Fear Allah by reflecting upon those who came before you, and benefit from their stories. Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, revealed this Reminder in His Book to awaken us to His command and to prohibit us from disobedience. He sent it down through His noble Prophet, who recited to us the verses of Allah containing His rulings. Our Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, recited Surah At-Talaq to his companions, and we continue to recite it after him, generation after generation, carrying and preserving Allah’s rulings. They bear witness to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, that he conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust. Do you not bear witness? By Allah, we bear witness that he indeed conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust, peace and blessings be upon him. If there is any shortcoming, only the one who fell short is to be blamed. As for our Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, he left us upon the clear, white path, its night as bright as its day; none deviates from it except the doomed.

The Verses of Allah Are Clear: “Messengers conveying to you the clear verses of Allah.” The verses of Allah are clear. Are the verses of Allah not understood? Did Allah address us in a language we do not comprehend? Did Allah speak to us in a celestial tongue? In the language of angels? In the language of jinn? No. Allah, the Exalted, addresses us in clear, plain Arabic. Every command that Allah, the Exalted, has issued is within your capacity to understand. The verses of Allah are evident in themselves, clear, and revealing of Allah’s intent and His rulings regarding His servants.

Do Not Despise Any Good Deed: “That He may bring out those who believe and do righteous deeds from darknesses into the light.” Allah, the Exalted, explains to us the benefit of this Reminder so that it may illuminate our path and guide us. This benefit is for you personally: to emerge from the darkness of disbelief and the darkness of ignorance into the light of faith and the light of knowledge regarding the will of Allah, the Exalted, so that you may achieve your ultimate goal in life. Your goal is not a million dollars, nor a house, nor politics, nor this degree. Rather, these are means that assist you in obedience. The greatest goal is the worship of Allah.

Your Righteous Deeds Determine Your Destiny: “And whoever believes in Allah and does righteous deeds…” If we were to count how many times in the Book of Allah faith is coupled with righteous deeds, these two terms would almost always appear together. Faith and righteous deeds. Then someone comes and says: “Faith is in the heart. Indeed, Allah looks not at your bodies but at your hearts,” and they add to complete the hadith: “and your deeds.” Therefore, Allah, the Exalted, did not leave anyone with any excuse, nor did He leave people in confusion. He said: “Those who believe and do righteous deeds.” What did they do, O Lord? They performed a specific, defined action that Allah named “righteous deed,” which occurs only if two conditions are met: sincerity and following [the Prophet’s example]. If one does not follow the command of Allah and the command of His Messenger, no matter how pleasing it may seem, it is not accepted and is not considered righteous.

Eternal Happiness: “He will admit him to Gardens beneath which rivers flow…” Allah, the Exalted, addresses us with the simplest concept we can grasp regarding the ultimate goal of Paradise. As we know, Paradise is named so because of its dense foliage; it is called “Jannah” from “ijtinan,” meaning concealment, implying that nothing behind it is visible. A place of dense trees is called “majnan” because it also protects what is behind it. “Beneath which rivers flow.” What kind of rivers, O Lord? Our Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, informed us that they are rivers of milk, rivers of honey, and rivers of wine that do not intoxicate. Thus, these and other things unknown to us, Allah has shown us the purity of that eternal abode. This is eternal happiness. He said, the Exalted: “Abiding therein forever.” The word “qad” in Arabic indicates certainty and realization. The Arabs understand the implication of every letter. It signifies an established reality. “Allah has certainly granted him good provision.” This provision is already present and guaranteed for the believing, righteous person in Paradise.

(This lecture was delivered at Fatima Al-Jassar Mosque in the Al-Shuhada area.)