Lessons from the Holy Qur’an

By Mohammad Reza Ranjbar

Translated by Nayyereh Towhidi

“And if you do not (obey the Divine prohibition of usury), then be informed of a war from Allah and His apostle. And if you repent, then you will have your principal, neither harming others, nor suffering harm.”  The Holy Qur’an, Al-Baqarah- 279

As inferred from this verse of the Holy Qur’an, Allah asks us to avoid either oppressing the others or being oppressed by others. Certainly, the command to avoid tarnishing reputation of other servants of Allah is also inferred from this verse of the Holy Qur’an.  Undoubtedly, we try to protect our lives, belongings and reputation against any harm by others. Thus, we should try to be considerate about the others as we expect them to be considerate about us. We should always keep in our minds that any unjust, unmanly action against the others will backfire somehow. As Allah commands, we should not let the others oppress us or oppress the others and we should not allow ourselves to oppress any creature of Allah.

Imam Sajad (AS): “O Allah, plant the trees of Your Love in our hearts.”

This supplication to Allah by the fourth Infallible Imam teaches us many beneficial lessons including this lesson that Love for our Loving Creator from which love for His good servants is originated is really necessary for us. No doubt, the heart which is devoid of the God’s love will become the abode of devilish feelings such as rancor, jealousy, greed and hypocrisy.

In this regard, the translation of a couplet of Hafiz, the great Iranian poet and scholar, is worth narrating: 

“Plant the tree of love for it helps you prosper,

Uproot that of enmity for it brings immense suffering.”

“O’ John [We said,] ‘Hold on with power of the Book!’” The Holy Qur’an, Maryam - 12

In this verse, we read that Allah has commanded Prophet Yahya (AS) to receive the Book….” One lesson from the many lessons to be taken from this Divine order is that Allah wants His servants to take His words as models and maps to be followed perfectly and to live up to Divine values and principles all the time and under all conditions.

“ ...those who spend in ease and adversity, and suppress their anger, and excuse [the faults of] the people, and Allah loves the virtuous” The Holy Qur’an Al-i- Imran - 134

This verse of the Holy Qur’an emphasizes the significance of tolerance, patience, forgiveness and benevolence. For sure, many life-saving lessons can and should be learnt by every devout Muslim from this Qur’anic verse, including that of suppressing one’s anger and not giving vent to it. Also in certain Prophetic narrations, we have been advised against giving vent to our anger, speaking and passing judgments in an angry mood, for obviously, when one is under the pressure of angers, he/she will not be able to use his/her intellect and power of reasoning properly, and will thus pass unreasonable judgments and make unjust conduct. Almost all of us can remember feelings of remorse due to words we have uttered or actions we have done in an angry mood. So, no wonder Allah- our Beneficent loving Creator and His Messenger has enjoined tolerance, patience, and forbearance. They desire the best for all of us, so let’s try our best to fulfill their desires.

“ O you who have faith! Have faith in Allah and His Apostle and the Book that He has sent down to His Apostle and the Book He has sent down earlier. Whoever disbelieves in Allah and His angels, His Books and His apostles and the Last Day, has certainly strayed into far error.”

The Holy Qur’an Al-Nisa - 136 

To believe truly in Allah, in His Messenger, and in His Revelation are thus rated among what qualify a man or a woman for the position of believers- the faithful- those who believe in the truth. In a way, faith can be compared to a life-boat or a parachute which can be used as safety tools, saving the individuals from perilous conditions and taking them to safety. The fact is that belief in angels and the Day of Judgment has also been mentioned in this verse of the Holy Qur’an.  It points, among other things, to the reality that a truly faithful person is always mindful and considerate of his/her actions and behavior, well-knowing that the same will be recorded by Allah’s angels and that on the Day of Judgment (Resurrection) he/she will be called to account before Allah Who as the Judge will reward and/or punish them (for their good and/or bad deeds respectively). Thus unlike the infidel, the faithful mind their deeds in terms of principles of honesty, justice, fairness and benevolence and are also possessed of the blessing of peace of mind due to their faith and trust in their Gracious God in which blessing the disbelievers are obviously lacking.