Monthly Archives: August 2025

Quran, listen ,read translation, understand & act

Introduction of chapter AL Nissa

Good to get some idea about the chapter we are going to read…like perspective, geopolitics at the time, struggles of that time and time immemorial ongoing conflicts.

Following link for complete chapter, translated, explained in details.

https://islamicstudies.info/reference.php?sura=4

Useful site for collection of books for reading, listening, downloading books:

https://www.australianislamiclibrary.org/

Introduction to the chapter:

Based on Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi’s Tafheem-ul-Quran, here is a comprehensive introduction to Surah An-Nisa (Chapter 4), covering its historical context, themes, structure, and significance:

1. Period of Revelation

  • Timeline: Revealed in Medina between the end of A.H. 3 and early A.H. 5 (after the Battle of Uhud, A.H. 3).
  • Key Triggers:
  • Post-Battle of Uhud social crises (inheritance disputes for martyrs, orphan rights) .
  • Jewish opposition (Banu Nadir’s exile in Rabi’ al-Awwal, A.H. 4) .
  • Legislation for wartime practices (e.g., tayammum, shortened prayers during expeditions) .

2. Core Themes and Objectives

I. Social and Family Reform

  • Women & Orphans:
  • Establishes rights to inheritance (vv. 7-12), dowries (v. 4), and protection from exploitation .
  • Prohibits usurping orphans’ wealth (v. 10) and forced marriages .
  • Inheritance Laws: Detailed rules for equitable wealth distribution (vv. 11-12) .
  • Marriage Ethics:
  • Limits polygamy (up to four wives) contingent on fair treatment (v. 3) .
  • Abolishes pre-Islamic practices like inheriting women as property .

II. Community Consolidation

  • Justice Framework:
  • Commands fair judgment (v. 58) and fulfillment of trusts .
  • Orders obedience to Allah, the Prophet, and legitimate authorities (v. 59) .
  • Moral Purity:
  • Prohibits alcohol (v. 43), usury (v. 161), and sexual misconduct (vv. 15-16) .
  • Promotes taqwa (God-consciousness) as the foundation of social cohesion .

III. Defense and Resilience

  • Battle Preparedness:
  • Lessons from Uhud: Critiques disobedience and hypocrisy that led to losses (vv. 73-100) .
  • Legitimizes warfare for self-defense and religious freedom (vv. 71-76) .
  • “Salat al-Khawf”: Guidelines for prayer during military campaigns (v. 102) .

IV. Theological Corrections

  • Critique of People of the Book:
  • Exposes Jewish distortions of scripture and Christian deviations (e.g., Trinity, divinity of Jesus) (vv. 44-57) .
  • Warns against alliances with disbelievers (vv. 138-139) .
  • Hypocrisy: Identifies traits of hypocrites (munafiqun) and calls for vigilance (vv. 88-91, 138-145) .

3. Structural Flow

SectionVersesFocusFamily Laws 1-35 Rights of women, orphans, inheritance, marriage ethics . Community Ethics 36-42 Generosity, trustworthiness, avoiding greed . Purification 43 Tayammum (ablution with dust) during travel . Jewish Critique 44-57 Condemnation of scriptural distortion and hostility . Governance 58-72 Justice, leadership integrity, dispute resolution . Defense 73-100 Post-Uhud resilience, battle ethics, hypocrisy . Final Exhortations 105-176 Accountability, repentance, and eternal reward/punishment .

4. Unique Features in Tafheem-ul-Quran

  • Holistic Approach: Integrates legal injunctions with moral psychology (e.g., analyzing Muslim morale post-Uhud) .
  • Historical Context: Links verses to specific events (e.g., exile of Banu Nadir, Najran Christian delegation) .
  • Theological Clarity: Systematically refutes Trinity using Quranic logic (vv. 171-172) .

5. Virtues and Significance

  • Prophetic Emphasis:

“Whoever recites Surah An-Nisa is like one who spent property in Allah’s path and freed a slave” .

  • Community Blueprint: Serves as a constitution for Muslim society, balancing individual rights with collective stability .

For the full commentary, see Tafheem-ul-Quran: Surah An-Nisa.

Quran, listen ,read translation, understand & act

Introduction of Chapter Al e Imran

Good to get some idea about the chapter we are going to read like perspective, geopolitics at the time, struggles of that time and time immemorial ongoing conflicts.

Following is the summary of introduction to chapter Al e Imran. A link is attached for free access to the complete chapter with detailed explanations of verses in this chapter. Feel free to download, share with others.

Complete chapter link: https://islamicstudies.info/reference.php?sura=3

Useful site for collection of books for free reading, listening, downloading books:

https://www.australianislamiclibrary.org/

Based on Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi’s Tafhim al-Qur’an (Tafheem-ul-Quran), the introduction to Surah Al Imran (The Family of Imran) covers the following key aspects:

1. Naming and Significance

The surah is named after Āl ʿImrān (the Family of Imran) mentioned in verse 3:33, referring to the lineage of Jesus (AS), including Imran (father of Mary), Maryam (Mary), and Jesus . Unlike Surah Al-Baqarah, which primarily addresses Jews, this surah focuses on correcting Christian theological errors, especially regarding the divinity of Jesus .

2. Revelation Context

  • Medinan Origin: Revealed in Medina, predominantly during years 2–3 AH (after Hijra) .
  • Four Discourses:
  • Verses 1–32: Revealed after the Battle of Badr (2 AH), establishing core theological principles.
  • Verses 33–63: Revealed in 9 AH during the Christian delegation of Najran’s visit.
  • Verses 64–120: Address Jewish deviations and Muslim community cohesion.
  • Verses 121–200: Revealed after the Battle of Uhud (3 AH), analyzing Muslim setbacks .

3. Central Theme: Correcting Deviations

  • Addressing Christians: Refutes the divinity of Jesus (AS) by emphasizing his miraculous birth as a sign of Allah’s power—not his divinity—paralleling Adam’s creation without parents and John the Baptist’s birth to aged parents .
  • Warning Jews: Highlights their scriptural distortions, hypocrisy, and rejection of Muhammad (PBUH) despite his alignment with Abrahamic prophecies .
  • Guiding Muslims: Exposes hypocrites within the community and calls for unity, patience, and adherence to divine guidance amid external threats .

4. Historical Background

  • Post-Badr tensions with Jewish clans (e.g., Banu Qainuqa) who breached treaties and conspired with enemies .
  • Battle of Uhud: A critical test where Muslim moral weaknesses (e.g., greed, disobedience) led to initial defeat. The surah reviews this to instill resilience and divine reliance .
  • Economic strain in Medina due to refugee influx and warfare .

5. Structural Flow

  • Theological Foundation (1–32): Affirms Allah’s oneness, Quranic revelation, and the fate of disbelievers .
  • Lineage of Prophets (33–63): Details the family of Imran, Maryam’s piety, and Jesus’ miracles to restore monotheism .
  • Community Directives (64–200):
  • Da’wah strategies for People of the Book .
  • Analysis of Uhud’s lessons: obedience in battle, rejection of usury, and steadfastness .
  • Final meditation on cosmic signs (190–200) reinforcing Allah’s sovereignty .

6. Key Instructions for Muslims

  • Hold Fast to Unity: Reject divisions and ally only with believers .
  • Learn from History: Avoid the pitfalls of earlier nations (e.g., scriptural corruption, moral decay) .
  • Balance Faith & Action: Enjoin good, forbid evil, and trust Allah’s promise of victory .

Conclusion

Surah Al Imran is a comprehensive blueprint for defending Islamic theology against Judeo-Christian deviations while fortifying Muslim identity through divine guidance and historical introspection. It transitions from doctrinal clarity to practical community resilience, emphasizing Allah’s ultimate authority over all adversities .

For the full Tafheem-ul-Quran commentary, see English Tafsir .

Quran, listen ,read translation, understand & act

Introduction summary of chapter Al Baqara

Good to get some idea about the chapter we are going to read like perspective, geopolitics at the time, struggles of that time and time immemorial ongoing conflicts.

Following link for complete chapter, translated, explained in details.

https://islamicstudies.info/reference.php?sura=2

Useful site for collection of books for reading, listening, downloading books:

https://www.australianislamiclibrary.org/

Introduction to the chapter:

Based on Tafheem-ul-Quran by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, the introduction to Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) encompasses the following key aspects:

1. Naming and Significance

  • The surah is named after the story of a cow commanded by Allah to be sacrificed by the Israelites (verses 67–73), illustrating their excessive questioning and evasion of divine orders .
  • The title Al-Baqarah (The Cow) does not indicate the surah’s overarching theme. Translating it literally is misleading, as the surah addresses broad theological, legal, and moral guidance—not bovine symbolism. This naming convention parallels other Quranic surahs titled after distinctive narratives or objects .

2. Revelation Context

  • Medinan Origin: Most of the surah was revealed in Medina during the first two years after the Hijra (migration). Exceptions include verses on interest (revealed later) and the final three verses (284–286), revealed in Mecca but included due to thematic relevance .
  • Historical Shift: In Mecca, the Quran addressed polytheists ignorant of monotheism. In Medina, it engaged Jews—acquainted with concepts like divine unity, prophecy, and revelation—who had deviated from original Mosaic teachings. Over one-third of the surah critiques their religious distortions and moral decline .

3. Central Theme: Divine Guidance

  • The surah responds to Surah Al-Fatihah’s prayer (“Guide us to the straight path”) by declaring the Quran as unequivocal guidance for the God-conscious (verses 1–5) .
  • It contrasts three groups:
    • Believers: Embrace the unseen, establish prayer, give charity, and accept all prophets without distinction .
    • Disbelievers: Reject truth despite warnings, their hearts “sealed” by Allah (verses 6–7) .
    • Hypocrites: Newly emerged in Medina, they feign belief while undermining Muslims—classified as the “most conflicted” and dangerous group .

4. Audience and Objectives

  • Jews of Medina: Critiqued for ritualistic formalism, scriptural distortion, and rejecting Prophet Muhammad despite his alignment with Abrahamic legacy. The Kaaba’s establishment as the new qiblah (prayer direction) symbolizes the transfer of spiritual leadership from them to Muslims (verses 142–152) .
  • Muslim Community: After the Hijra, the surah provides social, legal, and moral frameworks for state-building, including:
    • Laws on prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, and warfare .
    • Condemnation of hypocrisy and economic injustices (e.g., interest) .
  • Survival in Adversity: With non-Muslim Arabia united against Medina, the surah commands perseverance, community cohesion, and principled warfare (e.g., self-defense during sacred months, verse 194) .

5. Structural Flow

  • Opens with theological foundations (belief, disbelief, hypocrisy) .
  • Reviews human history through prophets (Adam, Abraham, Moses) to establish Islam’s continuity with prior revelation .
  • Culminates in practical regulations (verses 177–286) covering ethics, finance, family law, and prayers for divine mercy .

Conclusion

Surah Al-Baqarah is a comprehensive blueprint for individual piety and communal resilience, transitioning from Meccan spiritual tenets to Medinan socio-political order. Its critique of past deviations underscores Islam’s role in restoring Abrahamic monotheism, while its legal injunctions solidify Muslim identity amid external threats .

For further exploration, refer to Tafheem-ul-Quran .