Read the Quran
- O you who are wrapped up in your mantle,
- stand up to pray for much of the night.
- It may be half the night or a little less than that
- or a little more, but recite the Quran slowly and distinctly.
- For We are about to send down to you a message of considerable gravity.
- Surely, getting up at night [for worship] is the most potent means of subduing the self and most suitable for the word [of prayer].
- You have by day prolonged occupations [with Dawah work].
- Remember the name of your Lord, and devote yourself to Him wholeheartedly.
- He is the Lord of the east and the west, there is no deity but Him, so take Him as your Guardian.
- Bear patiently with what they say, and ignore them politely.
- Leave it to Me to deal with the deniers, who live a life of comfort, and bear with them a little longer.
- We have in store for them heavy fetters and a blazing Fire,
- food that chokes and painful punishment
- on the Day the earth and mountains shall shake and the mountains crumble into shifting sand dunes.
- We have sent a messenger who is a witness over you, just as We sent a messenger to Pharoah before you.
- But Pharoah rebelled against the messenger, so We seized him with a strong, crushing grip.
- If you persist in denying the truth how will you escape the Day that will turn the children’s hair grey.
- The Day when the heavens will be rent asunder and God’s promise shall be fulfilled.
- This, surely, is an admonition. So let him who will, take the right path to his Lord.
- Your Lord knows that you stand up praying for nearly two-thirds of the night, or one-half of it and sometimes one third of it, as do others among your followers. God determines the measure of night and day. He knows that you will not be able to do it, so He has turned to you in mercy. Recite, then, as much of the Quran as is easy for you. He knows that there will be some among you who may be sick and others who will be travelling throughout the land seeking God’s bounty, and yet others who may be fighting for the cause of God. So, recite, then as much of it as you are able, and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and give to God a goodly loan. For whatever good deed you send on before you for your souls, you will find it with God. It will be improved and richly rewarded by Him. Seek God’s forgiveness, He is most forgiving, most merciful.
73:1-5
Literally ‘recite the Quran in slow, measured rhythmic tones’. This means ‘recite, paying full attention to the import of the content’. When recited like this, a two-way process between Quran and its reciter comes into play. For him, the Quran is an address or speech by God and his heart starts answering this address at every verse. In the Quran where there is any mention of God’s majesty, the reciter’s entire existence is strongly affected by the realisation of His greatness. When God’s blessings are enumerated in the Quran, the reciter’s heart overflows with gratitude; when God’s retribution is described in the Quran, the reciter trembles on reading it; when an order is laid down in the Quran, the feeling becomes intensified in the reciter that he should become the obedient subject of his Lord by carrying out that order.
Literally ‘weighty words’ refers to that order for giving warning which is mentioned in the next chapter, ‘Arise and give warning’ (74:2). This means inform people about the hazards of the Hereafter. Undoubtedly this is the most difficult task in the world. For this, the missionary has to stand by the pure and unadulterated Truth, even if he becomes a stranger to all his people. He has to tolerate being tormented by the people, so that the relationship between him and his addressees remains unaffected till the last moment. He has to be unilaterally governed by the principles of patience and avoidance of confrontation, so that his status as da‘i should not be damaged.
73:6-14
Delivering the call for acceptance of the Truth means initiating the most difficult campaign. One who does so becomes persona non grata in his entire surroundings. In such conditions, the only Being whom the preacher of Truth finds as his sympathiser and supporter is his Lord. He not only goes on remembering his God in his heart, but he also stands before Him during the night. Night time is the time of leisure. In the dead silence of night man finds a better opportunity to turn towards God with full concentration. In the path of the mission of Truth, strewn as it is with difficulties, this is the only real weapon which the missionary has.
It is the way of a true preacher that, when he is troubled by an addressee, he does not inveigh against or argue with him, but rushes towards God. He abstains from negative reaction till the last moment. And to continue to work, rising above such a reaction, is the essential condition which makes a man a missionary of the Truth in the real sense.
73:15-19
The arrival of a prophet was meant to ensure that the distinction between Truth and falsehood was clearly understood and that, finally, the Truth was opted for. Such a decision about these alternatives had taken place earlier between Moses and Pharaoh. Then the same type of decision had to be arrived at between the Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh. Those who do not bow down before the missionary of God in this world, run the risk of having to bow down before God’s punishment in the Hereafter.
73:20
The compulsory duties in religion have been set forth in terms of the common man’s capabilities. But these duties indicate only the minimum of compulsory limits. Beyond these limits there are certain requirements, but these are of a voluntary nature, for example, the offering of the post-midnight prayer (tahajjud) in addition to the five compulsory prayers (fard salat) said at different times throughout the day, or charity in addition to the prescribed alms-giving (zakat), etc. This is the test of a man’s devoutness to see how many more good deeds he performs, thus making himself eligible for greater rewards.
No Responses