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What Al-Quran Says: Islam/To Attain Peace
By: Mohammad Shaikh Date: 4th November, 2004
I seek refuge with Allah from the Shaitan, the stone.
With the name of Allah, most Gracious, Most merciful
Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to International Islamic Propagation Centre. Today the topic
is what Al-Quran says about Islam, Peace. The lecture will be delivered by Brother Mohammad
Shaikh. Not to restrict you from him, I will just give you a brief you on the process of
how this lecture will go. If you open the booklet, page #1, you will see the Arabic
text on your right hand side on page 2. On page 1, you have the English translation,
the surah number and the ayat number. As brother Shaikh goes through the lecture, the booklet
is compiled in the same sequence as the lecture, so you are kindly requested to please keep
to this and while he is talking you can also view and you should view and verify what is
written in Arabic and the translation. If you have any questions which come to your
mind, I would request you not to interrupt the speaker while he is giving his talk. You
will be given a chance on the mike at the end of this lecture to ask your questions.
I will explain the proceedings of how that will be done when the lecture is finished.
Now I would like to invite Brother Mohammad Shaikh to come up to the rostrum and tell
us what Al-Quran says about Islam and peace.
Peace and blessings and mercy of Allah to all of you.
Ladies and Gentleman: Welcome. Today the topic is what Al-Quran says about
Al-Islam, translated as to attain peace. Generally in the world, this word Al-Islam is not translated
in the whole world. This Arabic word has been in the English language also you will find
it in the dictionary as well, this Al-Islam, an English word, though it is not an English
word, but it has been used so much that it has come in the English dictionary. If you
look at the English dictionary, in Islam, you will have Muslim religion or Mohammad
religion, whatever. But, we must know the meaning of Islam as I said to you Assalam,
Peace. Al-Islam, to attain peace, that is the meaning of the word. We must know the
meanings to understand the Quranic ayaats and translation and before I discuss these
ayaats, I would like to give you further meanings of certain words which are not normally translated.
They are used in the language of the Arabic word just used as the word, like Islam, the
word, no meanings to it. The second word which is not being translated is deen. The word
deen, which means, the judgment. The owner of the day of the judgment. The deen is the
judgment. So deen, if you know the meaning of the deen, you must know when I will discuss
these ayaats you will see that these words are not translated. They are just used in
English or in Urdu also, they don’t translate these words, Islam or the deen. Islam is to
attain peace, and the deen is the judgment. And then the word Muslim is also not translated.
Though the whole world is familiar by these words, Muslim is also being familiar, but
what it means is “submit”. Muslim is a person who submits, submitter. Aslim – I
submit, Muslim - submitter. So why I am giving you the meaning of these words because mostly
they are not translated and people do not know what the meaning of these words and they
are giving pictures about Islam, about Muslims, and about what deen is. So in the whole world
every human being likes to live in peace. All the people in whole world, they like to
live in peace, but they have to make certain decisions in life or they have to take certain
judgments. They have to judge in a particular situation. They come into a particular situation,
they have to judge and have to take a decision in life so that they get the result is peace.
So in the world there are many many problems the mankind is facing and then he has to take
decision and judgments. Normally he has to take certain decisions so that he can attain
peace. So he has his own rules and regulations or his own conjectures and he thinks that
this decision that he is taking, he will attain peace, he will have peace or he will take
advice from somebody, which he has no knowledge. So that from other people he can get the peace.
He takes a decision you tell me what should I do in the particular situation you tell
me and the man tells that you take this, you take this decision, you take this judgment
and you have to judge. So you judge and then you take a decision and you think that you
are in peace. So but if you don’t take the right decision and the right judgments, the
unhappiness and you are not in peace. So these words, and when you take a decision, you submit
to a judgment, this judgment is right, I must submit to it, that you are submitting, that
is a Muslim. So you are submitting. So when you submit to a judgment you take, you enter
into Islam, the peace. So they are inter-related. I submit to a judgment that I make in life,
I take a decision on a particular situation that means I am submitting to a judgment,
where to attain peace.
So Muslim, submit, deen, judgment and Islam to attain peace. This is how these three words
are related, but we must know what are the criteria laid down by Allah in the Quranic
ayaats, so I will read a few ayaats where the word Islam, Arabic word Al-Islam has occurred
in the text of the Quranic ayaats, I will read those ayaats and analyze these ayaats
how they go about. Then before I discuss the ayaat, further I would like to tell you in
the Quran there are “muhkam” or the orders of Allah, or you can say there are certain
do’s and don’ts. There are certain ayaats that tell us you being human being mankind,
you must do or act upon on certain things. There are certain things that you are commanded
not to do or forbidden. For example, you have to establish the salaat prayer. That is the
command in the Quranic ayaats that you have to establish the salaat prayer. So now you
have to judge - deen, you have to judge if I establish the salaat prayer, the benefit
what you get. I am not discussing in detail the salaat, but the benefit from the salaat
you will get is peace. If you establish the salaat prayer with Allah says in the Quran,
if you establish the prayer, the salaat, as mentioned in the ayaats of Allah, you will
attain peace. You submit to the ayaat, the governing ayaats, the muhkumat ayat, you attain
peace i.e., Islam. Then Allah says in the ayaats that you have to fast. So if I fast,
as per ayaat, then I am attaining peace, Islam, I am getting peace. You have to give zakaat,
the justification or sadqa, the charity, so if you do that then you are attaining peace.
Then you have to perform Hajj. So these are the do’s if you act upon the judgment or
the criteria or the governing ayaats of Allah, the muhkam ayaats, the more you implement
on those ayaats you attain peace. You submit to that ayah means you are Aslim to that ayaats,
the governing ayahs, you are Muslim to that ayaat. Finally what you are getting, you are
attaining peace, Islam. So I am telling you before we go that you have to do jihad, you
have to struggle for following these verses. You have to really strive, struggle in the
ayaats or for the ayaats of Allah, to implement those ayah, you strive and struggle, that
is jihad, you submit to these things, you are Muslim to that and you get Islam - to
attain peace. Then there are a certain don’ts. These are the do’s. I am giving you a few,
four or five. Not to eat the wealth with falsehood, by forgery, you don’t have to eat the wealth
by forgery. So this is again, these are the don’ts. So if you will not eat the wealth
with falsehood, you will attain peace, Islam, you will have Islam, the attained peace. Backbiting,
do not do backbiting. What you will attain? Islam, peace. Suspicion, if you will not suspect
or investigate people, what is going on in the other peoples’ mind or what is going
in somebody, I suspect investigating, suspicions, backbiting, if you will not practice these,
what will happen to you, you will attain peace, Islam. Allah says do not rob, you should not
thief, do not rob. So if you will not rob, you will attain peace. Do not kill the children
from poverty. So if you will not kill the children from poverty, you will attain peace.
You will not kill yourself, attain peace. Adultery and fornication, do not do adultery
and fornication, gambling. These are the don’ts. If you will not do these don’ts and previously
I was reading there were certain do’s, so the do’s and the don’ts put together,
few I have read, there are many ayaats, the whole Quran is full of it, many ayaats are
there. I am just giving you the example how a human being submits to the governing ayaats
or he is the Muslim to the governing ayaats, the mahkumat ayaats, he gets Islam, attain
peace. He lives a peaceful life. He is following the ayaats, the commandments of Allah, he
is attaining peace. That is how the peace and tranquility is within you and this is
how it has to be shared with the people and mankind. So now, these are the things you
must know.
We will discuss now ayaats directly and you must have this in picture in your mind, what
I just now read. So first of all we will go to page #1
You see in
the ayah I have
told you before the judgment, the deen, most certainly, surely, the judgment in the nearness
of Allah is al-Islam, to attain peace. Meaning the judgment that is laid down by Allah in
all the ayaats is to attain peace. So any individual has to decide. When you listen
to an ayah, he has to decide the judgment, you have to make a decision, you have to take
a judgment, Allah is giving you and making you a judge, judgment, you are a judge, you
judge, you listen to the ayaats, it makes sense to you, you implement it and you attain
peace, you get Islam. So here in the ayahs most certainly, surely, in the nearness of
Allah, the judgment is al-Islam, to attain peace. and those who are given al-Kitab, the
book did not differ except to wrong to each other after the knowledge came to them. Now
the second portion of an ayah, it says that people in a normal thing, like for example,
I have got knowledge, not of Quran, I am talking generally, a person who is a literate man
or who has got knowledge in any subject, the person who does not have a knowledge can they
argue with each other, can they argue. A person who has got knowledge, and the person who
does not have a knowledge, can they argue? The one who has got knowledge, the person
who does not have a knowledge cannot argue or debate with a person who has knowledge.
So Allah is telling us there are people to whom this book was given, to whom the book
is given and when the understanding of the book came to them, they did not differ in
the book, they differ among the people by saying that you are wrong, just to say to
the other people that you are wrong. those who are given al-Kitab, the book did not differ
except to wrong each other after the knowledge came to them. Just to say that the person
that you are wrong, I know better, you are wrong. So because the knowledge has come to
you instead of taking guidance, the basic purpose and aim of reading an ayah is to take
guidance, instead of taking guidance, you are pointing a finger to the one who does
not know or trying to implement knowledge or showing knowledge to the person by saying
you are wrong, I know, you are wrong, I know. This is going on. So there are certain people
there because every person wants to gain knowledge. This is the nature of a human being to have
knowledge. So people who want to have knowledge, they read the Quran, not for guidance, if
they take guidance, they will start implementing and they will attain peace. If you will not
take guidance, you just take the knowledge and you will point fingers to the other people
who do not know and that you are wrong, to wrong each other after the knowledge came
to them. So this is the behavior of most of the people, not with the Quran generally,
the people who know try to say to the one who has a little knowledge that you are wrong.
This is going on.
Now in
the following reference,
In the Arabic is and Allah invites to a circle of salaam to peace, Allah is inviting people
to a circle or a circle of peace. Now before I, this is synonym in Hebrew language and
Arabic languages are sister languages. There are similes in the languages between Arabic
and Hebrew. Like for example like Hindi and like Urdu. They are not exactly similar but
there are certain words that are understood similar. So I will say you look salaam is
Arabic word, means peace, salaam. If I say “shalom” you understand what it means,
shalom, salaam. Hebrew means shalom. Hebrew people they say shalom, we say salaam. So
they are same words. Hebrew they pronounce in their language as shalom. In Arabic, it
is salaam. So if you look at the Arabic is daar-is-salam. So if I read in Hebrew, it
will be “erosholom”, what? “erosholom”. If you add “J”, it is “Jerosholom”.
Erosholom, Jerosholom in Israel. So Allah says so Allah is saying Allah invites to a
circle of Islam. It is not saying to the invitation to the Jerosholom, but they are saying in
the world that the Jerosholom is a name given in the Hebrew Jews dialect they are saying
this is erosholom this is the circle of peace. And you see the circle of peace, how the wars
are going on. This name is given to a city by telling the mankind that this is Jerosholom,
this is the city of peace or a circle of peace, which you can never ever attain peace there,
can never, because this is you are competing with Allah’s deen judgment of al-Islam,
to attain peace. So you made erosholom, Jerosholom, i.e., circle of peace, means in Arabic, daar-is-salam,
erosholom, Jerosholom. So in Arabic is Allah invites you a circle of Islam, where you can
see this city with circle of Islam? Where in the whole world? Do you know a city which
you can say this is a city of peace? Makkah, that is daar-is-salam, a circle of Islam,
where you can have peace. In Hebrew can say erosholom, but you must know the meaning.
Don’t put my words in my mouth, I didn’t say what you are saying, because I said it
erosholom is Makkah, is the circle of Islam or you can daar-is-salam of Arabic word. But
people you know they twist the words. They say I am saying that this is erosholom, no.
I am telling you in Arabic it means daar-is-salam, the circle of peace, Islam, because you see
the peace in Makkah, in generally the whole years of life, you may find some little problems
in there, but as a whole, you will see peace in Makkah. So you see the circle of Islam
and people because of umrah and for hajj and there billions of people from all parts of
the world, all nationalities of the world are visiting regularly all year round. So
you can see circle of Islam, circle of peace. That means Allah is inviting you the Muslim
community who submits to the ayahs, they are invited to the circle of Islam, the circle
of peace, daar-is-salam, Allah is inviting. And he says and he guides to whom he wills
to a straight path. In the surah Fateha; 5 verse every Muslim submitter is reciting in
the prayer, the salaat, five times a day and in every rakah he is saying meaning guide
us to the straight path. Five times a day in every rakah, we say guide us to the straight
path guide us to the straight path. And Allah is saying and he guides to whom he wills to
the straight path. When Allah is inviting you to the circle of Islam, in the portion
when Allah says Allah invites you to the circle of Islam to attain peace and further he says
and he guides whom he wills towards the straight path. So we must know ladies and gentleman,
any decision, judgment that I make or we make, we are invited by Allah to a circle of Islam,
to attain peace, to have peace. So every judgment that I make in life, if it is based on the
governing ayaat and I make a judgment on that and I submit to the ayah, so what I will get?
Peace. So that if I get the peace, Allah is guiding me and he guides whom he wills towards
the straight path. If you are having that peace by taking decisions on the ayaats, then
Allah is guiding you to the straight path, whom he wills, so if you are not making the
judgments on the governing ayaats, so Allah is not guiding you. he guides whom he wills.
So his will is that you have to follow the governing ayahs. The mahkumat ayaats. So if
you take decision on that, so that means Allah is guiding whom he wills to a straight path.
So He is guiding us. So how I should know that Allah is guiding me? If I am attaining
peace, I am entering into the circle of Islam, invitation by Allah, when I am having peace
in my life with myself.
Again if you note this ayah begins with guidance; Allah guides with it, who follows his good
pleasure to the ways of salaam, the peace. So in Arabic there are many ways for peace,
many ways. So there are not different ways you go to, no I told you before that any governing
ayaat, if Allah says establish the salaat, if you are establishing the salah is one way
to attain peace. You are not drinking or gambling, that is the second way to attain peace. So
all the do’s and the don’ts, all the governing ayahs that I have to govern my character,
personality by governing. There are ways that the ways of al-Islam to have peace. So there
are ways. So they are not different ways that people are quoting, misquoting this ayah by
telling me everybody is trying to, the basic aim is to get the good pleasures of Allah.
So in their own mind, they have got their own conjectures and pointing out by their
own conjecture they can have their peace, No, they cannot. You have to know all the
governing and governing ayahs of right and wrong of the ayahs that are commanded to do
and the ayahs that say not to do if you implement that they are the ways. They are the ways
of Islam, of salaam, peace, they are the ways. Not that you have their own conjecture. This
also in my opinion I can have peace and this other guy says that I can also, we are all
trying to do the same thing, the Christianity, the Judaism, and the Hinduism, all these people
are teaching good things, no, no, no. Every governing ayat in the Quranic ayahs I am referring
to is is the ways of peace. You have to take decision. In your life we have to take decision,
in practicing them, then you attain peace. Then attain peace I have given you before
also that you must know that Allah is guiding you or not. Here starts with Allah guides
with it who follows his good pleasure. Allah is raazi,