اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
اَعُوْذُبِااللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِيْم
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
*_Today’s Thought for the day is from Surah Ibrahim Ayah 36_*
*رَبِّ اِنَّہُنَّ اَضۡلَلۡنَ کَثِیۡرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ ۚ فَمَنۡ تَبِعَنِیۡ فَاِنَّہٗ مِنِّیۡ ۚ وَ مَنۡ عَصَانِیۡ فَاِنَّکَ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ(36)*
*_”My Lord! Indeed, they have led astray many among mankind. So whoever follows me, then indeed, he is of me; and whoever disobeys me, then indeed, You are Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”.(36)_*
پروردگار ، ان بتوں نے بہتوں کو گمراہی میں ڈالا ہے ﴿ ممکن ہے کہ میری اولاد کو بھی یہ گمراہ کر دیں ، لہٰذا ان میں سے ﴾ جو میرے طریقے پر چلے وہ میرا ہے اور جو میرے خلاف طریقہ اختیار کرے تو یقیناً تو درگزر کرنے والا مہربان ہے.(36)
_This is a figurative way of saying that idols have been the means of turning many people away from Allah’s Way into the ways of deviation that is the reason for Prophet Ibrahim(AS) seeking refuge from idol worship.‼️_ He had seen his own father and his people falling to the custom of idol worship which had led them deprived of betterment in their lives. Therefore in the concluding part of the prayer he left the case of disobedient people to the mercy and forgiveness of Allah Azzawajal for he could not bear to see them under Divine scourge.. _This forbearance shown towards those who followed a different way from the Right Way is an instance of Prophet Abraham’s leniency to mankind._
_Another instance of this has been cited in *Surah Hud.* When the angels were on their way to destroy the wicked people of Lot, *Prophet Abraham* began to plead for them: *”Abraham AS began to dispute with Us concerning the people of Lot for he was tender-hearted and merciful”,*_ (S11:A74-75).
_Likewise *Prophet Jesus AS* was so tender-hearted that even when Allah will show to him that his followers had deviated from the Right Way, he will plead their case: *”Now if you punish them, they are your own servants, and if you forgive them, you are All- Mighty and All-Wise”,*_ (S5:A118). Since Ibrahim AS was a prophet with abounding mercy which encompasses his disbelievers too. Every prophet wishes from the deep recesses of his heart that no one should ever be subjected to Divine punishment, not even a disbeliever. *So, it was this elemental wish of his that he expressed when he said: ‘then You are Most Forgiving, Very Merciful.’* He did not say precisely that *they be forgiven and treated mercifully*.
*_Act for the Day is:_* to understand that Shirk and idol-worship are sins for which there is no forgiveness, therefore, one should learn from the Dua for being shielded against this greatest sin.‼️ And if we take the ‘worship of idols’ mentioned in the text in its broader sense, *that is, everything which makes man heedless to Allah Azzawajal is his idol, and overcome by its love, when man takes the initiative and disobeys Allah Azzawajal, this then is, in a way, its worship.* Therefore Every (evil) desire is an idol in your way. So, in this prayer, that is, to be kept away from idol-worship, *there is a coverage of being kept away from all sins.*
–To understand that these idols have been the cause of straying of many men; This statement of Prophet Ibrahim AS is a historical fact, since most of the big nations of the world had been practicing idolatry, and this practice is continued from the time of Prophet Nuh AS till this day.❗ *The present day man has made great progress in the field of amassing knowledge, but even great civilized nations are today known to practise idolatry, that is the same lack of real knowledge which was the bane of the people of Prophet Ibrahim’s(AS) time.* _Idolatry’s being unreasonable is obvious, but it exercised such a magical spell over the people that they stuck to it. And in our country we see such scenes that the idolaters make their own gods and then take them in processions and drown them in lakes, rivers, or sea. Can it not be termed as bankruptcy of intelligence? If not, then what is it?_
*_May Allah Subhanahu wa taa’la grant us the true understanding of the Deen and save us and our generations to come from the sin of Shirk and idolatory. Aa’meen Ya’Rabbul Aa’lameen_*
JazaK Allâhu Khair!