Surah An'aam Tafsir | Part 17 | Quran | Sheikh Azhar Nasser | English
Channel: Why Quran?
Date: 22/08/2017

This lecture covers verses 66-72 of Surah An'aam
Among other things, these verses talk about the kind of people to keep company with
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Verse 66-67: Your people have denied it, though it is the truth. Say, ‘It is not my business to watch over you.’ For every prophecy there is a [preordained] setting, and soon you will know.
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Remember, this was a Meccan surah with the Meccans as it's primary audience. The majority of Meccans rejected the prophet Muhammad's message and these verses tell us that the prophet is not a guardian over the people. His success isn't measured by the people's conversion rate

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Verse 68: When you see those who gossip impiously about Our signs, avoid them until they engage in some other discourse; but if Satan makes you forget, then, after remembering, do not sit with the wrongdoing lot.
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Allah is instructing the prophet and the believers to not sit in the company of those who are engaging in vain discussion.

At this point in time, many of the muslims would go to masjid ul haram to worship. When they would enter the masjid they would see gatherings of kuffar (who were the main attendees at the time). Many of the kuffar would sit and talk disparagingly about Islam at the time

Lesson: You don't simply go along to get along. The limits are being defined here

This verse is a warning to the believers, many of whom are new muslims. These people are still in the infantile spiritual state. Advice:
- Connect yourself to other believers, put yourself in an environment where you can grow your heart and soul.
- Being around people who aren't careful with their tongues is very damaging

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Verse 69: Those who are Godwary are in no way accountable for them,[174] but this is merely for admonition’s sake, so that they may beware.[175]
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The people who have taqwa are the only ones qualified to guide others and take others towards the truth. Not the average muslim
The ones with taqwa are the ones responsible for reminding the ones who engage in vain discussions and guiding them towards the truth

Prophet Muhammad: Do not sit in the company of any scholar except the scholar that invites you towards five things, and away from five other things: 
 1. From doubt to certainty
 2. From riyah (showing off) to sincerity
 3. From desire to the fear of Allah
 4. From arrogance to humility
 5. From deceit to honesty

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Verse 70: Leave alone those who take their religion for play and diversion and whom the life of this world has deceived, and admonish with it, lest any soul should perish because of what it has earned: It shall not  have any guardian besides Allah, nor any intercessor; and though it should offer every kind of ransom, it shall not be accepted from it. They are the ones who perish because of what they have earned; they shall have boiling water for drink and a painful punishment because of what they used to defy.
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We should also not be in the company of those who take religion as play and amusement. 

Who are they? Those who:
 1. Don't take religion seriously
 2. Follow religions that are nothing but folly (man made idols, etc)
 3. Issue religious verdicts based on their own whims (e.g. make what they like halaal, what they dislike haraam)
 4. Take religious festivals from Allah not religious occations, but as a party instead
 5. Support religion to attain worldly ends (using religion as a tool to acquire dunya)

Avoid these people, they will have an impact on your soul. Treat them the way you'd treat a non-mahram (don’t get too informal with them)

Also, you drive yourself to destruction. The punishment in the hereafter is just the manifestation of your deeds

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Verse 71-72: Say, ‘Shall we invoke besides Allah that which can neither benefit us nor harm us, and turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us, like someone seduced by the devils and bewildered on the earth, who has companions that invite him to guidance, [saying,] "Come to us!"?’ Say, 'Indeed it is the guidance of Allah which is [true] guidance. and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of all the worlds. And maintain the prayer and be wary of Him, and it is He toward whom you will be gathered.'
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Every action we take is because there is either a benefit or a perceived benefit. Similarly so for actions we avoid

Three commandments here:
 1. Submit to the lord of the worlds (heart)
 2. Do prayer
 3. Refrain from sin (taqwa)

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (Sunni commentator on Quran) said: 
 - Submission is a matter of the heart. The best action of the heart is submission to Allah
 - The best action of the limbs is prayer
 - The best action to refrain from is sin

When you do the above you will be prepared to meet your lord