Commentary on the Koran: Surah 24 “The Light” (No. Q024)

Pickthall Translation; ESV used unless otherwise noted.

Introduction

Surah 24 An-Nur, “Light” derives its name from verses 35-40. It is deemed to be descriptive of the Light of God “as it should shine in the home of followers” as Pickthall deems it; the greater part of the Surah being legislation for the purifying of home life. There are two traditions relating to the Surah. It is agreed that the Surah was revealed in the Fifth and Sixth years of the Hijrah which was in 626 and 627 CE. The second and weaker tradition places it in the Ninth year of the Hijrah (i.e. in 630/31).

Verses 11-20 relate to the slandering of Ayeshah, the young wife of the Prophet, who was left behind on a march returning from the campaign against the Bani’l-Mustaliq. She was found by a young soldier and mounted his camel while he walked and led it. Remember, we should not underestimate the capacity for arrogant defamation in the religious community.

Scripture provides for the regulation of the Community as the Law of God. The church has the capacity to dispense justice with mercy and thus some punishments are limited. Such as stoning to death is limited and replaced under Christ’s examples of mercy with the lash rather than death.

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24.1. (Here is) a surah which We have revealed and enjoined, and wherein We have revealed plain tokens, that haply ye may take heed.

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

24.2. The adulterer and the adulteress, scourge ye each one of them (with) a hundred stripes. And let not pity for the twain withhold you from obedience to Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of believers witness their punishment.

Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:21-22 then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. ²²"If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

Thus the punishment is a lessening of the biblical punishment based on the actions and comments of Christ. The normal maximum punishment by lash is forty lashes. Thus the two are to be given the hundred lashes. Whoever administers more than forty lashes is to be punished by being given every lash above the forty for his error.

Then they are under restriction based on the words of Christ that every man that marries an adulterous woman commits adultery as we see here.

24.3. The adulterer shall not marry save an adulteress or an idolatress, and the adulteress none shall marry save an adulterer or an idolater. All that is forbidden unto believers.

Luke 16:18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Romans 7:1-3 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? ²For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. ³Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

2Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

24.4. And those who accuse honourable women but bring not four witnesses, scourge them (with) eighty stripes and never (afterward) accept their testimony - They indeed are evil-doers –

Here the punishment is accorded to the normal two witnesses where they set out to accuse a honourable woman and do not comply with the increased responsibility of the four witnesses. Then each of the two are to be given the forty lashes maximum punishment each in place of the death penalty for false witness which would have been their punishment under the law.

Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Deuteronomy 17:6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

1Timothy 5:19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Exodus 23:1 You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.

Psalm 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.

24.5. Save those who afterward repent and make amends. (For such) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Thus forgiveness in each of the offenses is granted following repentance.

Ezekiel 18:2-22 But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²²None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live.

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him.

24.6. As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves; let the testimony of one of them be four testimonies, (swearing) by Allah that he is of those who speak the truth;

24.7. And yet a fifth, invoking the curse of Allah on him if he is of those who lie.

24.8. And it shall avert the punishment from her if she bear witness before Allah four times that the thing he saith is indeed false,

24.9. And a fifth (time) that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he speaketh truth.

24.10. And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, and that Allah is Clement, Wise, (ye had been undone).

Thus the testimony of one of the marriage equals and counteracts the testimony of the other and no death penalty can ensue, save the decision of the Jealousy decree where the decision is made by God under conscience. Numbers chapter 5 verses 11 to 31 is the test for an unfaithful wife.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; ²³they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, ²and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, ³and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, ⁴then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.

Here we proceed to the defamation of an honourable woman, as we saw with Ayeshah above.

24.11. Lo! they who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them (will be paid) that which he hath earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.

24.12. Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own folk, and say: It is a manifest untruth?

24.13. Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.

Defamation is the greatest sin of the religious communities in the Last Days. It was always bad over the centuries but now it is scandalous.

See also Psalm 101:5 at ayat 24.4 above.

Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Jeremiah 17:10 "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."

Psalm 28:4 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.

Deuteronomy 17:6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

24.14. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you in the world and the Hereafter an awful doom had overtaken you for that whereof ye murmured.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

24.15. When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great.

24.16. Wherefore, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah)! This is awful calumny.

Matthew 12:36-37 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, ³⁷for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

24.17. Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.

Psalm 34:13-14 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. ¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

24.18. And He expoundeth unto you the revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise.

See Deuteronomy 29:29 at ayat 24.1 above.

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

Jeremiah 23:24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

Romans 16:27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

24.19. Lo! those who love that slander should be spread concerning those who believe, theirs will be a painful punishment in the world and the Hereafter. Allah knoweth. Ye know not.

Leviticus 19:16 'You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

Ephesians 5:3-5 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Isaiah 29:15 Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

Lawlessness consigns the lawbreakers to the Second Resurrection to face their judgement.

24.20. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, and that Allah is Clement, Merciful, (ye had been undone).

Psalm 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

2Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

24.21. O ye who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the devil. Unto whomsoever followeth the footsteps of the devil, lo! he commandeth filthiness and wrong. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, not one of you would ever have grown pure. But Allah causeth whom He will to grow. And Allah is Hearer, Knower.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Acts 13:10 and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Job 34:21-22 For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. ²²There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.

24.22. And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear not to give to the near of kin and to the needy, and to fugitives for the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and show indulgence. Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

1John 3:17-18 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Deuteronomy 15:10-11 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. ¹¹For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'

Isaiah 58:10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

2Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

He who does not provide for his family is worse than an infidel (1Tim. 5:8).

24.23. Lo! as for those who traduce virtuous, believing women (who are) careless, cursed are they in the world and the Hereafter. Theirs will be an awful doom

24.24. On the day when their tongues and their hands and their feet testify against them as to what they used to do,

24.25. On that day Allah will pay them their just due, and they will know that Allah, He is the Manifest Truth.

Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

Deuteronomy 19:16-19 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, ¹⁷then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. ¹⁸The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, ¹⁹then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works:

1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

24.26. Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women; such are innocent of that which people say: For them is pardon and a bountiful provision.

2Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Deuteronomy 7:13 He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.

24.27. O ye who believe! Enter not houses other than your own without first announcing your presence and invoking peace upon the folk thereof. That is better for you, that ye may be heedful.
24.28. And if ye find no-one therein, still enter not until permission hath been given. And if it be said unto you: Go away again, then go away, for it is purer for you. Allah knoweth what ye do.

1Thessalonians.5:21-22 but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil.

2Corinthians 8:21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

24.29. (It is) no sin for you to enter uninhabited houses wherein is comfort for you. Allah knoweth what ye proclaim and what ye hide.

If the house is known to be uninhabited and safe as a shelter it should not be out of bounds. After all who is there from which to seek permission. Such are also subject to laws of ownership and also subject to squatters rights under the law.

Jeremiah 16:17 For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.

Luke 12:2-3 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ³Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

24.30. Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is aware of what they do.

24.31. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.

1Timothy 2:9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,

1Peter 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Joel 2:13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Ladies need only to draw their veils over their bosoms and not cover themselves like the pagans do from head to toe and hide their identity from the public as the Assyrians did after cessation of Temple Prostitution and on being married. The prophets family refused to wear such things (cf. also Surah 33.59).

24.32. And marry such of you as are solitary and the pious of your slaves and maid-servants. If they be poor, Allah will enrich them of His bounty. Allah is of ample means, Aware.

24.33. And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste till Allah give them independence by His grace. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), write it for them if ye are aware of aught of good in them, and bestow upon them of the wealth of Allah which He hath bestowed upon you. Force not your slave-girls to whoredom that ye may seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they would preserve their chastity. And if one force them, then (unto them), after their compulsion, lo! Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful.

It is the law of God that a slave or bond servant must not be released empty handed.

The things that men of modern Islam are doing now are scandalous and the men should be put to death. The Koran forbids the sexual assault of slaves.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

See Daniel 9:9 at ayat 24.5 above.

24.34. And verily We have sent down for you Revelations that make plain, and the example of those who passed away before you. An admonition unto those who ward off (evil).

1Corinthians 10:11-12 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. ¹²Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

1Corinthians 10:6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

24.35. Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things.

24.36. (This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening.

1John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Philippians 2:15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

1Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (NLT)

Psalm 57:5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 97:9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

1Chronicles 23:30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening,

24.37. Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned;

24.38. That Allah may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His bounty. Allah giveth blessings without stint to whom He will.

Colossians 3:1-3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

2Corinthians 9:8, 11 ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

¹¹You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

1Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ⁸Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: ¹¹whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

24.39. As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught, and findeth, in the place thereof, Allah Who payeth him his due; and Allah is swift at reckoning.

24.40. Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

24.41. Hast thou not seen that Allah, He it is Whom all who are in the heavens and the earth praise, and the birds in their flight? Of each He knoweth verily the worship and the praise; and Allah is Aware of what they do.

Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.

1Chronicles 16:23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.

Psalm 66:4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name." Selah.

24.42. And unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and unto Allah is the journeying.

Isaiah 45:5-7 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, ⁶that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. ⁷I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

24.43. Hast thou not seen how Allah wafteth the clouds, then gathereth them, then maketh them layers, and thou seest the rain come forth from between them; He sendeth down from the heaven mountains wherein is hail, and smiteth therewith whom He will, and averteth it from whom He will. The flashing of His lightning all but snatcheth away the sight.

Psalm 147:8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.

Jeremiah 10:13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Psalm 105:32 He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land.

God is able to accomplish all that he wants. He chooses to show mercy on whom He pleases.

24.44. Allah causeth the revolution of the day and the night. Lo! herein is indeed a lesson for those who see.

Jeremiah 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name:

Psalm 104:20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about.

Amos 5:8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name;

24.45. Allah hath created every animal of water. Of them is (a kind) that goeth upon its belly and (a kind) that goeth upon two legs and (a kind) that goeth upon four. Allah createth what He will. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things.

Genesis 1:21, 25 ²¹So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁵And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:25 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.

Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

24.46. Verily We have sent down Revelations and explained them. Allah guideth whom He will unto a straight path.

Amos 3:7 For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Daniel 2:47 The king answered and said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery."

Daniel 9:22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, "O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.

Matthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

24.47. And they say: We believe in Allah and the messenger, and we obey; then after that a faction of them turn away. Such are not believers.

24.48. And when they appeal unto Allah and His messenger to judge between them, lo! a faction of them are averse;

24.49. But if right had been with them they would have come unto him willingly.

24.50. Is there in their hearts a disease, or have they doubts, or fear they lest Allah and His messenger should wrong them in judgment? Nay, but such are evil-doers.

Exodus 24:3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Deuteronomy 17:12 The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

2Timothy 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

See 2Corinthians 4:4 at ayat 24.40 above.

24.51. The saying of (all true) believers when they appeal unto Allah and His messenger to judge between them is only that they say: We hear and we obey. And such are the successful.

24.52. He who obeyeth Allah and His messenger, and feareth Allah, and keepeth duty (unto Him): such indeed are the victorious.

Luke 11:28 But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

James 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

24.53. They swear by Allah solemnly that, if thou order them, they will go forth. Say: Swear not; known obedience (is better). Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do.

Matthew 7:16-17 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

1Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

24.54. Say: Obey Allah and obey the messenger. But if ye turn away, then (it is) for him (to do) only that wherewith he hath been charged, and for you (to do) only that wherewith ye have been charged. If ye obey him, ye will go aright. But the messenger hath no other charge than to convey (the message) plainly.

The task of the prophet is to deliver the message. It is not his responsibility to force the hearers to do anything. God will enforce the message.

Ezekiel 33:4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

Ezekiel 3:19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life. (RSV)

1Corinthians 9:16-17 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.

The messenger’s duty is to just deliver the message. He has no power to change or force people to return to the worship of the One True God. God acts in His own good time to give the punishment.

24.55. Allah hath promised such of you as believe and do good work that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He caused those who were before them to succeed (others); and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He hath approved for them, and will give them in exchange safety after their fear. They serve Me. They ascribe no thing as partner unto Me. Those who disbelieve henceforth, they are the miscreants.

24.56. Establish worship and pay the poor-due and obey the messenger, that haply ye may find mercy.

(Cf. the paper on Tithing (No. 161) for the explanation of the poor dues.)

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (RSV)

Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. (RSV)

Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (RSV)

2Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (RSV)

Revelation 3:11-12 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. ¹²The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

24.57. Think not that the disbelievers can escape in the land. Fire will be their home - a hapless journey's end!

Revelation 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

24.58. O ye who believe! Let your slaves, and those of you who have not come to puberty, ask leave of you at three times (before they come into your presence): Before the prayer of dawn, and when ye lay aside your raiment for the heat of noon, and after the prayer of night. Three times of privacy for you. It is no sin for them or for you at other times, when some of you go round attendant upon others (if they come into your presence without leave). Thus Allah maketh clear the Revelations for you. Allah is Knower, Wise.

24.59. And when the children among you come to puberty then let them ask leave even as those before them used to ask it. Thus Allah maketh clear His Revelations for you. Allah is Knower, Wise.

Daniel 6:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Psalm 55:17 Morning, noon, and night, I mulled over these things and cried out in my distress, and he heard my voice. (ISV)

1Peter 3:1-2 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, ²when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Isaiah 42:21 The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. (ERV)

See Romans 16:27 at ayat 24.18 and Hebrews 4:13 at ayat 24.36. above.

24.60. As for women past child-bearing, who have no hope of marriage, it is no sin for them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show adornment. But to refrain is better for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

See Hebrews 4:13 at ayat 24.36. above.

1Timothy 2:9-10 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

24.61. No blame is there upon the blind nor any blame upon the lame nor any blame upon the sick nor on yourselves if ye eat from your houses, or the houses of your fathers, or the houses of your mothers, or the houses of your brothers, or the houses of your sisters, or the houses of your fathers' brothers, or the houses of your fathers' sisters, or the houses of your mothers' brothers, or the houses of your mothers' sisters, or (from that) whereof ye hold the keys, or (from the house) of a friend. No sin shall it be for you whether ye eat together or apart. But when ye enter houses, salute one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and sweet. Thus Allah maketh clear His Revelations for you, that haply ye may understand.

Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

James. 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

1Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1Peter 5:14 Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

24.62. They only are the true believers who believe in Allah and His messenger and, when they are with him on some common errand, go not away until they have asked leave of him. Lo! those who ask leave of thee, those are they who believe in Allah and His messenger. So, if they ask thy leave for some affair of theirs, give leave to whom thou wilt of them, and ask for them forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
24.63. Make not the calling of the messenger among you as your calling one of another. Allah knoweth those of you who steal away, hiding themselves. And let those who conspire to evade orders beware lest grief or painful punishment befall them.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

1Timothy 4:8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Job 36:11 If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.

Luke 9:61-62 Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." ⁶²Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

1Kings 19:20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"

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