Good Deed: #287 Choose the easy way – Reflect on surah Ala, or The Most High
SURA 87. Ala, or The Most High
1. Glorify the name of thy Guardian-Lord Most High,
2. Who hath created, and further, given order and proportion;
3. Who hath ordained laws. And granted guidance;
4. And Who bringeth out the [green and luscious] pasture,
5. And then doth make it [but] swarthy stubble.
6. By degrees shall We teach thee to declare [the Message], so thou shalt not
forget,
7. Except as Allah wills: For He knoweth what is manifest and what is hidden.
8. And We will make it easy for thee [to follow] the simple [Path].
9. Therefore give admonition in case the admonition profits [the hearer].
10. The admonition will be received by those who fear [Allah]:
11. But it will be avoided by those most unfortunate ones,
12. Who will enter the Great Fire,
13. In which they will then neither die nor live.
14. But those will prosper who purify themselves,
15. And glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and [lift their hearts] in
prayer.
16. Day [behold], ye prefer the life of this world;
17. But the Hereafter is better and more enduring.
18. And this is in the Books of the earliest [Revelation],-
19. The Books of Abraham and Moses.
Reflect
1. Imam Aĥmad ibn Ĥanbal relates on the authority of `Alī, the Prophet’s cousin and Companion, that the Prophet loved this sūrah.
2. The Prophet is right to love this sūrah as it includes the basic ingredients of the Islamic concept of life and existence: the oneness of the Creator; the reality of divine revelation; and the certainty of the life to come with the reward and punishment it involves. The sūrah also affirms that these basic principles have well- established roots in earlier divine messages.
3. Such was the Prophet in all affairs. His wife, `Ā’ishah, reports that “whenever faced with a choice, the Prophet would always choose the easier of the two alternatives.” [Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.]
4. She also reports: “Whenever the Prophet was alone with his family at home, he was the easiest of men, always smiling and laughing.”
5. His guidance in matters of clothing, food, household furniture and other matters of day to day life pointed to a preference for what is easy.
6,. The Prophet’s traditions urging the adoption of an easy, gentle and tolerant attitude in all matters, especially those which concern religious duties are numerous. By way of example we may quote: “This religion is of an easy nature. Anyone who pulls hard against it shall be the loser.” [Related by al-Bukhārī.] “
7. “Do not be hard on yourselves lest it should be made hard for you. A former community chose to be hard and it was made harder for them.” [Related by Abū Dāwūd.]
8. “A rider driving hard neither reaches his destination nor keeps his transport.” [Related by al-Bukhārī.] “Make it easy, not difficult, for others.” [Related by al-Bukhārī and Muslim.]
9. “A believer gets on well with others and is easy to get on well with.” [Related by al-Dāraquţnī.] “The type of man God dislikes most is the quarrelsome one who does not budge.” [Related by al- Bukhārī and Muslim.]
10. the Prophet’s life story is composed of pages of gentility, ease, tolerance and understanding in all affairs.
11. Muĥammad (peace be upon him) was a messenger bringing mercy to mankind, lifting their burdens which were imposed on them when they sought to make things hard.
12. The Qur’ān also describes the message the Prophet delivered in statements of like import: “We have made the Qur’ān easy for warning: but will any take heed?” (54: 22)
13. When we look carefully through this religion we find that care has been taken to make it easy for people to follow, without overstraining themselves. It takes into consideration the different situations man finds himself in, and the conditions he faces in different environments. The faith itself is based on concepts which are easy to grasp.
14. Hence the Messenger and the message have in common this basic feature of easy nature. So does the Muslim community which is brought into being by Islam, the easy message: it is a ‘middle’ community, merciful, the recipient of divine mercy, easy natured, enjoying a life which is perfectly harmonious with the wider universe.
source: In the shade of the Quran