Page 26 - Commonly Disregarded Qur'anic Rulings

24 COMMONLY DISREGARDED QURANIC RULINGS

submitting only physically to Allah vitiates a person’s deeds.
Pretended submission can leave one bereft of rewards in the
Hereafter. This being the case, any believer will welcome a
commandment from the Messenger (saas) with inner joy and
happiness and relish the resulting feeling of compliance.
Downheartedness or disappointment over any just decision
are attitudes incompatible with faith.

RELIGIOUS OBLIGATIONS TAKE
PRECEDENCE OVER COMMERCE AND
AMUSEMENT

“But when they see a chance of trade or entertain-
ment they scatter off to it and leave you standing
there. Say: ‘What is with Allah is better than trade
or entertainment. Allah is the Best of Providers.’ ”
(Surat al-Jumu‘a; 11)

In this verse, Allah refers to an incident that occurred at
the time of the Prophet (saas), when some people neglected
a religious obligation for mundane interests. Today, similarly,
there are some common reasons why members of ignorant
societies avoid living by the Qur’an. Here Allah draws atten-
tion to two of them: commerce and entertainment.
The reason of the wisdom behind why Allah mentions a
business transaction in particular is that material interests are
one of most people’s major weaknesses. Indeed, some peo-
ple disregard religious duties in favor of their material pur-
suits. Neglect may involve an act of worship, such as regular
prayers five times a day, fasting, dressing in an Islamic way, a