Inspiration From Surah Ali-Imran

[The following is a transcript of a lecture by Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui. It contains minor modifications from the spoken word for the purposes of readability.]

Of the miracles and ayat of the Qur’an that are meant to be light for us by which we walk in this life, I pick one of them to remind myself first and then you:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَة وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴿١٣٠﴾ وَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿١٣٢﴾ وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّـهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٣٤﴾

Do Not Consume Usury (Ayat 130-132)

Just basically to translate these few ayat: O you who have attained faith, do not consume usury (ribaa) multiplied manifold (“la t’akulur-ribaa”). Fear Allah – be Allah-conscious – that you may be happy and succeed in this life in the right way. And beware of – guard yourselves against – fire of Hell that is prepared for those who reject faith and reject Allah and His Rasul (salla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim). And consuming ribaa is doing like those who have rejected Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and His Rasul (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallim). Guard yourselves against that.

Therefore, obey Allah and obey the Messenger that you may be granted loving-mercy or merciful-love from Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And those that consume usury are not obeying Allah and His Rasul and are therefore depriving themselves of the rahmah (loving-mercy) of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala – the special kind of it, for Allah gives of rahmah to all of His creatures. And special rahmah He gives to those that are, as well, special. And those who obey Him (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and obey His Rasul (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallim).

Race for Jannah’s Unfathomable Expanse (Ayah 133)

“Wa saar’iuu ila maghfiratin min rabbikum” – And therefore, race and compete for forgiveness from your Lord and for Jannah, the width of which is [the width of] the heavens and the earth: something beyond measure, beyond comprehension. In our current state of knowledge, at least as it is expressed, this outer universe in which we are part that is perceptible and tangible, is a universe it is said the distance of which is something like 15 billion light-years across. 15 billion light-years across: trillions upon trillions and trillions and trillions upon trillions upon trillions of miles across. It’s beyond. To travel from one part to another it takes light 15 billion years – at the speed of light! And [light travels] 300,000 kilometers in one blink of an eye – to cross [the universe] it takes 15 billion years.

The ardh (width) of Jannah…! What about the length, if there is such a concept? What about the full dimensions of Jannah? It’s all the samawat – all the heavens, all space-time, all dimensions. 15 billion light-years is just this universe of ours, this physical, dimensional, four-dimensional universe of ours.

This is prepared for those who are Allah-conscious, prepared for those who guard themselves: guard their selves, guard their minds, guard their senses and guard their limbs from disobeying Allah ‘azza wa jall (for example, from consuming usury (ribaa)). It is prepared for those who spend, of course from that which is tayyib, as we mentioned before – of that which is pure and halal. They spend in charitable causes – in good, humane causes – whether they are prosperous or whether they are in adversity (“fi saraai’ wa dharaai’”). Whether they are in difficulty or whether they are in ease. Whether they are in need or whether they are well to-do. They spend fi sabeelillah [in the path of God]. Whether they are ill or whether they are healthy, strong or weak. They spend fi sabeelillah.

Behave Generously: Restrain Anger and Forgive (Ayah 135)

“Wal kaathimeen al-ghaith” – and those who restrain anger. They are not vindictive. If they become angry on account of something that was wrong that happened to them, in particular in their personal rights, they restrain anger. They don’t allow it to be expressed outside with abusive words or language or with abusive hands and might and external use and violence against those who have trespassed against their personal rights: husband towards wife, wife towards husband, towards children, towards a neighbor, towards friends, towards those whom we agree with or disagree with – we restrain anger (“kaathimeen al-ghaith”).

And in addition, those who forgive (“Wa a‘aafeena ‘an in-nas”). They restrain anger, and they forgive. They forgive the wrong that is done to them. And truly Allah loves those who are muhsinoon – those who are generous in the way they behave with others. Not only are they just – but they are generous in the way they behave with others. “Wa Allah yuhibb ul-muhsineen.” [And Allah has special, specific love for the muhsineen.]

[Translated Du’a]: I say these words, and I ask Allah ‘azza wa jall to make us and all of you among the people of upright justice and beautiful character. May Allah send his peace and prayers upon our leader Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. Ameen.