Success in This World and the Hereafter Through Iman, Taqwa, and Iqamat-e-Deen

وَ لَوْ اَنَّهُمْ اَقَامُوا التَّوْرٰىةَ وَ الْاِنْجِیْلَ وَ مَاۤ اُنْزِلَ اِلَیْهِمْ مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ لَاَكَلُوْا مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَ مِنْ تَحْتِ اَرْجُلِهِمْؕ-مِنْهُمْ اُمَّةٌ مُّقْتَصِدَةٌؕ-وَ كَثِیْرٌ مِّنْهُمْ سَآءَ مَا یَعْمَلُوْنَ۠ (66)

This was the eighth lesson and eighth chapter of Surah Al-Ma'idah. In it, the filthy deeds and foul acts of the Jews were mentioned, so that Muslims would boycott them. At the end, they were invited that if they stood firm on Iman and Taqwa, having brought Iman and adopted Taqwa, Allah would forgive their sins and admit them into Jannat, and a glad tiding of the world was given that do not fear that your wealth and riches will be ruined, and a country, as a country, should not fear and say that if we implement the law of Allah Ta'ala, our trade with the world will be cut off and our economics will be ruined. Allah Rabbul Izzat will grant economic progress upon Deen. Do not say that the means of living and livelihood will fall and be ruined, for Allah Rabbul Izzat has promised the world upon Deen in the Quran Kareem. If a servant stands firm on Deen and a country and nation become obedient to Allah Ta'ala and enforce the law of Allah Rabbul Izzat, in both action and system, Allah Rabbul Izzat keeps their economy balanced and does not ruin it.

In the Quran Kareem, in several places, Allah Ta'ala has promised to set the world right upon Deen. That is, the meaning is that Allah Rabbul Izzat is not only Rabbul Akhirah and Ilahul Ma'ad, who only sets your Akhirah right and ruins your world and tells you to act upon Deen and keep burning, to die of hunger, but obey My law and set the Akhirah right. Rather, Allah Rabbul Izzat is also Rabbud Dunya, Rabbul Alamin, and Ilahul Ma'ash. Allah Ta'ala also sets the worldly arrangement right, and keeps livelihood and economics balanced too. It is not that He deprives one of this. Allah Rabbul Izzat has placed the reform of all of life in Shariat and Islam. We pray Namaz and say that Allah Ta'ala has not set our world right. You should adopt the complete system. The Masjid has its own Namaz, the Thana and Tehsil have their own Namaz, the Kachehri has its own Namaz. Become obedient to Allah Ta'ala in every one of them and run it upon the system of Allah Rabbul Izzat. Whatever department of life there is, align it with the law of Shariat.

When we are told to take care of the law of Allah Rabbul Izzat in our life, we say that this means one must pray Namaz in the Thana, in the school, in the bank, and in the parliament too. They say, look what a good person, he closed the Thana and prayed Namaz. Without doubt Namaz is the command of Allah Ta'ala and must be prayed everywhere, but Namaz is an invitation. The Thana, Tehsil, and Kachehri, every department has its own commands, and obeying them is obeying Deen, and obeying those commands and enforcing them in life is acting upon Deen. This is exactly the meaning of taking care of Deen. Just place your bank before the Quran Kareem to see whether your bank is in line with Islamic principles or not, and if it is not in line, then bring it in line with Islamic principles, and if it is in line, then say Alhamdulillah. There is the department of the Army, place Islam before the military principles to see whether it is in line with it, or in this way there is another department, the Police, the Judiciary, the Judicial, these departments have Islamic commands which Allah Rabbul Izzat has sent down to set our world right.

But the life of the world alone is not our purpose, rather to set it right in such a manner that the Akhirah is also set right along with it. The English, the Hindus, and the people of Europe, they set the life of the world right, but they say let the worldly life be set right and let there be prosperity, and they neither believe in the Akhirah nor think about the Akhirah. They say increase wealth, increase prosperity, fulfill desires, fulfill the desire of the private parts and the stomach the way one fulfills it, acquire wealth whether it is Halal or Haram, this is what they call the life of the world. Bring peace whether it is through the killing of people, with whatever it may be. The Quran Majid wants peace and modesty, but it has its principles. The Quran wants financial justice, it has its principles. The work should be done in such a way that the servant is not a criminal in the Akhirah, that it benefits him in the Akhirah, that is the method the Quran and Islam have shown.

So Allah Rabbul Izzat does not do this, that He sets our world right and ruins the Akhirah, rather He sets the world right in such a manner that the Akhirah is not ruined, rather the Akhirah is also set right. رحمان الدنیا ورحیمھما, Allah Rabbul Izzat also does worldly kindnesses, but Allah Rabbul Izzat gives special mercies in both the world and the Akhirah. It is a wrong thought that if you learn Islam and bring it into action, the Akhirah and Jannat will be set right, but for the world one must certainly do something, whether it be slavery to America, or slavery to the Hindu, or whatever it may be, that should be done. No, rather become the slave of Allah Ta'ala, everything will become yours, Allah will set both the world and the Akhirah right.

Allah Ta'ala sets our world right, but upon Deen, upon Deen Allah Rabbul Izzat has promised the world. Surah Al-A'raf 96:

وَ لَوْ اَنَّ اَهْلَ الْقُرٰۤى اٰمَنُوْا وَ اتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَیْهِمْ بَرَكٰتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ الْاَرْضِ

If these people of the cities and of the countries had brought Iman and saved themselves from opposing Allah Rabbul Izzat, We would surely have opened upon them the blessings of the sky and the earth. The sky would also give good and the earth would also give good.

In this way Surah Al-Anfal verse number 26:

وَاذْكُرُوٓا اِذْ اَنْتُـمْ قَلِيْلٌ مُّسْتَضْعَفُوْنَ فِى الْاَرْضِ تَخَافُوْنَ اَنْ يَّتَخَطَّفَكُمُ النَّاسُ فَاٰوَاكُمْ وَاَيَّدَكُمْ بِنَصْرِهٖ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُـرُوْنَ

And remember the time when you were few, considered weak in the land, you feared that people would snatch you away, then He made a place for you and gave you strength with His help. All of this happened upon obedience. Obey, and Allah Ta'ala will set your condition right.

Surah Hud verse number 3:

وَاَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ ثُـمَّ تُوْبُـوٓا اِلَيْهِ يُمَتِّعْكُمْ مَّتَاعًا حَسَنًا اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى

And that you seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn towards Him, so that He may give you good benefit until an appointed time.

In this way, in the same Surah Hud, verse number 52:

وَ یٰقَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوْبُوْۤا اِلَیْهِ یُرْسِلِ السَّمَآءَ عَلَیْكُمْ مِّدْرَارًا وَّ یَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً اِلٰى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَ لَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِیْنَ

O my people! Seek forgiveness from your Lord, then repent in His court, then He will send heavy pouring rain upon you and will increase more strength along with your strength, and do not turn your face away as criminals. You have material power, if you bring Iman along with it, then heavenly power will also be with you. The material power of the earth, the technology, is with you, but if there is no Iman, then there is no heavenly help and spiritual power. When you bring Iman, He will give you that too, one against ten you will become, otherwise two you will be at most.

In the same way Surah Nur verse 55:

وَعَدَ اللّـٰهُ الَّـذِيْنَ اٰمَنُـوْا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّـهُـمْ فِى الْاَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّـذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِـمْۖ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَـهُـمْ دِيْنَهُـمُ الَّـذِى ارْتَضٰى لَـهُـمْ وَلَيُـبَدِّلَـنَّـهُـمْ مِّنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِـمْ اَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُوْنَنِىْ لَا يُشْرِكُـوْنَ بِىْ شَيْئًا ۚ

Allah Ta'ala has promised, along with Iman and righteous deeds, that He will surely grant them succession, and Allah Rabbul Izzat will give the law a place and remove the fear.

In this way, in Surah At-Talaq:

وَ مَنۡ یَّتَّقِ اللّٰہَ یَجۡعَلۡ لَّہٗ مَخۡرَجًا ۙوَّ یَرۡزُقۡہُ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَحۡتَسِبُ

Whoever saved himself from opposing and disobeying Allah Rabbul Izzat, Allah Rabbul Izzat will give him deliverance from sorrows and tensions and will give him provision from where he has no expectation of it.

In this way Surah Nuh:

فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ اِنَّهٝ كَانَ غَفَّارًا (10) يُـرْسِلِ السَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّدْرَارًا (11) وَّ یُمْدِدْكُمْ بِاَمْوَالٍ وَّ بَنِیْنَ وَ یَجْعَلْ لَّكُمْ جَنّٰتٍ وَّ یَجْعَلْ لَّكُمْ اَنْهٰرًاﭤ (12)

I said, seek forgiveness from your Lord, He is Most Forgiving, He will send pouring rain upon you, and He will help you with wealth and sons and will make gardens for you and will make rivers for you.

Everything will be with abundance. Allah Ta'ala has placed economic progress in Deen.

ولو انھم اقامو التوراۃ. What is Iqamat? One is اقامتھا العمل بما فیه من غیر تحریف ولا تبدیل (Mawardi), to act upon it, to enforce it, do not make a change in it in life, rather make yourself in line with it. The meaning of Iqamat is exactly this, that it be given currency, that it be made current in the spheres of life, so Iqamat is to enforce, to put into practice. اقامو, if they had enforced the Taurat and the Injil in their own respective times and now, وما انزل الیھم من ربھم, then لاکلو من فوقھم. These books had given the invitation to act upon and believe in the Quran. Maturidi (may Allah have mercy on him) has also said this, that for Iqamat, they used to make changes in the heavenly system of the Taurat and the Injil and used to make interpretations of their own choosing and meanings of their own choosing. اقامو, the way it is, obey it that way, save yourself from distortion and concealment. In the qualities of the Nabi (peace be upon him) they had made distortion and had concealed some of the qualities. The Quran Kareem said, if you present the Taurat and the Injil the way they are, ماانزل الیھم من ربھم, either what is meant is the previous scriptures, or what is meant is the Quran Kareem, and it said ماانزل الیھم من ربھم because they used to say this has not been revealed towards us, rather it is for the unlettered people of Arabia, we are scholars. So the Quran Kareem, by way of refutation, said ماانزل الیھم, that this Quran is for the whole world, من ربھم, from the One who nurtures and reforms.

لاکلو من فوقھم ومن تحت ارجلھم. One, this is a figure of speech, the meaning being that provision would be very abundant, as people say that someone's twenty fingers are in ghee. So how are twenty fingers in ghee, no one keeps the toes in ghee. This is an exaggeration, the meaning being that this blessing is very great. Here the meaning is that there will be an abundance of provision, prices will not be expensive every day. Every day is June. Earlier, June used to come once in a year, in June the prices used to rise, now " زار دے شم قابلہ ", now " زار دے شم پاکستانہ ", every day is June, every night the price rises. If the Prime Minister today places a stone on his heart and says something and bears hardship for the country, then there will be an abundance of provision.

By the way, Sheikh Sahib (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say, when I say look at my condition, a voice comes from above, look at your record of deeds. When I say, O Allah Ta'ala, look at my condition, then Allah Ta'ala says, just look at your record of deeds, what has come up that I should send something down. You sent up stones and thorns and below you keep the hope of apples. Whatever you send up, that same thing will come down below. The speech, the manners, the culture, the foreign law of the English you send up, and you ask mercy from Me. Be grateful that stones do not rain down.

The second meaning, the sky will send rain on time, the earth will give crops on time.

The third, لاکلو من فوقھم, things will come out of the mountains and minerals will also come out of the earth.

The fourth, لاکلو من فوقھم, the rulers will become righteous. When acting upon the law of Allah Ta'ala begins, then the officer too will be in line with the law of Allah, so the officer will be kind to the people, dogs and pigs will not be sitting on the chairs, they will be human beings, ومن تحت ارجلھم, the subjects will be obedient, there will not be a gathering at D-Chowk every time that there is a protest, and protest.

One meaning has also been mentioned that if they act upon Deen, then heavenly help will also come and earthly help too.

مِنْهُمْ اُمَّةٌ مُّقْتَصِدَةٌ, and some among them are a group that is obedient, in the middle, meaning they do not do excess or negligence, they are balanced in acting upon obedience to Allah Ta'ala, but the majority of that time were disobedient.

وَ كَثِیْرٌ مِّنْهُمْ سَآءَ مَا یَعْمَلُوْنَ, and many are those who do useless deeds, who do evil deeds. In سآء there is the meaning of a verb of wonder, مااسوء عملھم, how dangerous, how distressing their deed is, its results are very dangerous.