Path
Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 1–6The Creator and Sustainer of the universe is not a mechanical God.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 7–9There are two kinds of subjects dealt with in the Quran, one pertaining to the known human world, like historical events, signs from the universe and command- ments for worldly life; the other pertaining to unseen matters which are not comprehensible by man in this life, for instance, God’s attributes, and the states of Heaven and Hell, etc.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 10–13When the call of Truth goes out, it appears to people to be of no value.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 14–17This world is a place of trial.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 18–22The God of the universe is the One and only God and He likes justice.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 23–27God’s guidance is one and the same as that revealed to various prophets from time to time in various languages.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 28–32A believer treats all human beings with justice and fairness, without differenti- ating between Muslims and non-Muslims.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 33–44God blessed Zachariah (Zakariyya) with an offspring in his old age; provided sustenance to Mary in her shrine; created Jesus without a father, and brought into being chaste and upright people who were descendants of Abraham, so that they could be chosen to communicate the message of God to human beings.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 45–51The Jews were chosen by God for the special mission of being the bearers of divine guidance so that, along with following the path of God, they should also communicate this guidance to others.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 52–58The religious leaders of the Israelites refused to believe in Jesus Christ.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 59–63The Christians believe that Christ is the son of God, and that he is different from all other human beings.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 64–71The concept of monotheism is not only a basic teaching of the Prophet Muhammad but is also enshrined as an established reality, even in the interpolated versions of the Torah and the Bible.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 72–76A community into which prophets and reformers have been born and in which religion has held sway for a considerable period of time, is often mistaken in thinking that their ethos and the truth are synonymous (that is, whatever they believe and practise is nothing but the truth).Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 77–80On embracing the faith, the individual enters into a covenant with God that he will obey Him and that, living among human beings, and pledging himself to a life of constraint, he will fulfill all the responsibilities that God’s law imposes upon him.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 81–91Discovering God is to find an eternal reality.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 92–99According to the Jews’ self-made set of religious laws, eating the meat of the camel and the rabbit was illegal, while it was quite licit in Islam.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 100–103This world is a place of trial.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 104–109This command pertains, on the one hand, to the common man and on the other to the intellectuals and the educated class.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 110–112The benefit the intellectuals have of being imbued with this spirit is that all their attention remains focussed on goodness, that is, on the basics of religion.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 113–117This refers here to the conduct of the People of the Book (believers in former revealed scriptures), and their immediate recognition and acceptance, in all humility, of the divine truth as proclaimed from the lips of the Last Prophet.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 118–120This refers only to people whose enmity has become apparent from their behaviour and their utterances (Tabari).Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 121–129These verses were revealed after the Battle of Uhud which took place in the third year after hijrah.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 130–138Engaging in usury is the ultimate in money worship.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 139–143Accepting faith amounts to making a pledge to lead one’s life according to God’s commandments.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 144–148During the battle of Uhud, a cry was raised that the Messenger had been slain.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 149–153The temporary defeat of the Muslims at the battle of Uhud gave an opportunity to the opponents of Islam to prove their stand that the credo of the Prophet and his companions was not a divine matter.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 154–155The most important thing for the believer, in life’s trials and tribulations, is to remain calm and composed, so that he may draw up his plans with full concentration.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 156–160All that happens in this world is by the will of God.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 161–164The Prophet forgave the forty Muslims who had disobeyed his orders on the occasion of the battle of Uhud.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 165–168In the confrontation between truth and untruth, truth is always destined to have the final victory, because truth always has God on its side.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 169–175The battle of Uhud took place at a distance of two miles from Madinah.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 176–179The real problem is that, being veiled from our eyes, life is not what it appears to be.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 180–185One comes to be called a believer by just repeating some words (kalimah), but so far as God is concerned, the would-be Muslim becomes a believer only when he sacrifices his life and his wealth for His cause.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 186–189A man has to make the journey of faith in a world where he might be hurt in many ways, both by his own people as well as strangers.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 190–194The universe with its whole existence is a silent declaration of God’s presence.Chapter 3, The Family of ‘Imran (Al-‘Imran) · verses 195–200The responsible life of the believers deprives them of any liberties that might be taken with the self.