Surat Al `Imran (1-10)

Surat Al `Imran

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

{الم} [آل عمران: 1]

1- These are scattered letters, which there was no authentic Hadith reported about their explanation, so Allah knows the best about their meaning.

{اللهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيُّومُ} [آل عمران: 2]

2- He is Allah, the One and the Only. He has a permanent real life that has no beginning or end. He is ubiquitous and managing the whole universe; there is neither a life nor even a movement for all the creatures without His Will.

{نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الكِتَابَ بِالحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنْجِيلَ} [آل عمران: 3]

3- Allah revealed the Qur'an to you with the truth, O Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him], confirming the previous divine Scriptures in term of the news and glad tidings that were mentioned therein, such as sending as a seal of prophets. Allah sent down the Torah to Moses and the Gospel to Jesus [peace be upon them both].

{مِنْ قَبْلُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَأَنْزَلَ الفُرْقَانَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآَيَاتِ اللهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَاللهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ} [آل عمران: 4]

4- He sent them down before the Qur'an in order to guide the people in those times. He sent down the Qur'an in order to be a separation between the true and the false, an explanation to the commands that were revealed in the previous divine Scriptures, and warning against the distortion that took place therein, and an explanation to the clear signs.

Those who denied the Ayahs and the signs of Allah, deviated from them by falsifying or interpreting them in a way that was not meant shall have a severe and painful torment on the Day of Resurrection. Allah is Mighty and no one can defeat Him. He does whatever He wants, rules as He wants, and revenges on those who deny His Signs and His Prophets.

{إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ} [آل عمران: 5]

5- Nothing is hidden from Allah whether in the heavens or on the earth, no matter that thing is small or big. His Knowledge of the past, the present, and the future is comprehensive and absolute.

{هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَوِّرُكُمْ فِي الأَرْحَامِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ العَزِيزُ الحَكِيمُ} [آل عمران: 6]

6- It is He Who creates you in the wombs of your mothers as He wills, male or female, good or ugly, complete or incomplete, and gives each one his special qualities and characteristics by His Will.  Only He is Your Creator. No one shares Him anything, therefore, He alone is the Only One entitled to be worship. For Him is all pride, wisdom, command, and management.

{هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آَيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللهُ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي العِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آَمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّنَا وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ} [آل عمران: 7]

7- He is the One Who revealed down the Glorious Qur'an to you, in which there are precise and clear signs that most people know their meanings; there is no ambiguity in their meanings. However, there are some Ayahs of multiple meanings and their direct connotation is not clear, so those whose hearts are in doubt, deviation, and aberrance abandon the clear and precise meanings for sake of the ambiguous meanings. Their intention is to cause chaos, arouse disputes, and convince their followers that they are right by taking only part of the meaning and apply it to another inclusive meaning in order to match their corrupt beliefs. The fact is the interpretation of those allegorical Ayahs and their real meanings are only known to Allah.

Those well-versed scholars whom Allah guided to figure out the meanings of those Ayahs say: We believed in the allegorical Ayahs as well as we believed in the precise ones, there is no differentiation between them. Each one of them attests to the truthfulness of the other and their real meanings are only known to Allah.

It is permissible that there are some meanings in the Qur'an that Allah singled out Himself with, where no one of His Creatures could know as He singled out Himself with the knowledge of the Hour and others matters. The creation must believe in the allegorical Ayahs and act according to the precise Ayahs as stated by Baghawy.

No one remembers truly, takes lessons from the Qur'an, and understands the meanings of the Ayahs properly except those people of sound intellect who do not deviate from the Straight Path and do not follow their whims.

{رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الوَهَّابُ} [آل عمران: 8]

8- Those deep-rooted scholars as well as all the believers say: O Allah, we ask not turn our hearts away from the truth and guidance after You have guided them. Do not make us like those whose hearts are in doubt, therefore, they follow the allegorical Ayahs of the Qur'an and keep away from its precise Ayahs. Grant us an ample mercy from You to make firm our hearts on guidance and the Straight Path for You are the Giver Who guides to guidance and faith.

{ رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ جَامِعُ النَّاسِ لِيَوْمٍ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ المِيعَادَ} [آل عمران: 9]

9- They also say in their supplications: "O Allah, certainly You shall gather the people on a day: the Day of Reckoning and the Day of the Recompense so that You separate between them in term of their actions. Indeed, Your Promise is true, so do not make our hearts deviate from the truth and have mercy upon us.

{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْ مِنَ اللهِ شَيْئًا وَأُولَئِكَ هُمْ وَقُودُ النَّارِ} [آل عمران: 10]

10- The disbelievers will not benefit from the monies that they collected and accumulated in the world to ransom their lives from Hell Fire on the Day of the Recompense. Their children will not be able to protect them on that Day or even save them from the torment of Allah as they used to help them in this life. They shall be the wood of Hell Fire with which it will be blazed.