LOVE ALLAH 1

BY
Shaikh Jalilu Issah

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

English Transliteration

[002.040 Ya banee isra-eela othkuroo niAAmatiya allatee anAAamtu AAalaykum

waawfoo biAAahdee oofi biAAahdikum wa-iyyaya fairhabooni]

Translation

[002.040 O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon
you, and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you, and fear none
but Me.]

Exegeses:
Ya banee (Oh children) isra-eela (of Israel) othkuroo (remember) niAAmatiya (My
Favor) allatee (which) anAAamtu (I bestowed) Aaalaykum (upon you) waawfoo (and
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Shaikh Jalilu Issah

fulfil) biAAahdee (My Covenant) oofi (I shall fulfil) biAAahdikum (your covenant) wa-
iyyaya (and Me alone) fairhabooni (you fear)

After Almighty Allah told us the brief story of Adam that how he was sent out of the
paradise to live on the earth, now Allah tells us about Bani Israel, who are Israelites.
Allah is commencing the verse saying Oh the children of Israel - Bani Israel. They are
servants of Allah. Allah is saying them that remember My favor which I bestowed upon
you. Recall the favors you were given by Me which you enjoyed them.
The question comes in our mind that why after the story of Adam Allah is telling us
about Bani Israel? Is there any link of them with the story of Adam? Dear readers, if you
recall the story of Adam and the circumstances of Bani Israel you would find some
resemblance in them. There is some kind of logical connection between their stories.
The similarity is this that after the creation of Adam He showered blessings on him. He
put him in paradise. Gave him a wife, food, and all what a human life could have been in
need. In all these circumstances, Allah asked Adam not to eat the fruit of the forbidden
tree. Despite the fact, Adam ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. Resultantly, Adam was
sent on the earth by Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala.
As Adam was blessed, likewise Bani Israel were also blessed a lot by Allah directly.
They were the offspring of the prophet Yaqub. They were the one of the closest servants
of Allah. Bani Israel were given the blessings and they turned thankful to Allah and they
became disobedient to Allah. What Allah had told them to avoid, they ignored the
advice. They did not follow the teachings of Allah. They followed their own desires.
They also killed some of the prophets Allah sent to them. Allah sent punishment on
them. One of the punishments was that Allah sent to them Pharaoh to be their leader. He
killed them and made them spread all over the world. That’s why Allah is saying them
do recall the favors and blessings of mine on you. So in this verse there is also a message
for the humanity that if they fulfill their agreement made with Allah, then Allah would
also do the same with them. And the people of this kind would have no fear of other
powers other than Allah’s. In the mundane world there are two ways. One way is of
Allah, and other way is of shaitan. So the way of Allah gives a guarantee of the
immortality and permanent bliss in life here and in hereafter. This is the life of prophets
and auliyaa. The other way is of shaitan. Now it depends on man what way to go. The
way and say of Allah is prone to construction. And the opposite way to it is towards
destruction. It is the kind of Allah who sent prophets to the humanity to let them know
the right path - alssirata almustaqeema – a way having no turn to Iblis.
The first blessing Allah gave to Bani Israel is the lineage of them. Their
forefathers were prophets. Other great blessing was on them they the prophet Musa was
sent to them for their guidance and training and rescue from Pharaoh. Pharaoh used to
give them hard words and he would kill their children and many other cruel atrocities he
would unleash on them. But as soon as their prophet Musa rescued them from Pharaoh
they forgot him.
I would like to quote one hadith from Imam Ali (AS) that he said I
have divorced this world three times. Very clear lesson we have got from here that the
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BY
Shaikh Jalilu Issah

people who are on the right and alssirata almustaqeema they do have no desire of this
world. They consider this world the house of problems and diseases. They ever prefer to
follow the holy teachings of the holy Quran. Because there is a permanent life of bliss
and sweet fruits. Whereas if we get on other side of Iblis there are fears, destruction, and
the efforts without fruits. May Allah put us on the alssirata almustaqeema. Lesson for us
that we should not be attached to this world. We should not sell this world for the
hereafter. After all we have to leave it in the form of the death. What deeds we would
carry with us for the accountability on the Day of Judgment? We should please our Allah
by doing noble and pious deeds. It is not bad to love this world. But we should not
forget the bounden duties of us imposed by Allah mentioned in the holy Quran.
Otherwise there would be a waste of time and mind in this world. And we would be
raised blind on the Day of Judgment.
That’s why Allah says not to forget His blessings. We forget His blessings and
we follow our desires. This is not the way to love Allah. Love humanity. Serve the poor
and needy people. Establish Salat and Zakat. This is your love to Allah. And Allah
pleases on seeing you doing these noble deeds in this mundane world.
There is a promise of Allah with us that if we really in true letter worship Allah
Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala we would be given a place and status in heaven. The fires of hell
would be made haram on us. And the people who would establish the system of the holy
Quran on the earth they would be having no fear or fright of any power in this mortal
world. This would be a great gift of blessing of Allah to the followers of the holy Quran
and holy Imams. There would be pleasantries of life here and in hereafter for the pious
people. And Allah never breaches the contract made with us. It is we who breach and
violate the contract made with Allah. My Allah give us strength to act upon the holy
Quran.
Our aim should be to attain Taqwa. Our aim should be to serve humanity. Our
aim should be to follow the sacred footprints of Imam Ali (AS). Allah pleases with these
noble and pious acts done in this mundane world. The people having Taqwa would be
bliss here in this world and also in the hereafter world. The biggest possible blessing
would be that the people would not have any kind of fear or fright. They would be
having full freedom and liberty in the form of the holy Imams. In the form of the Ahlul
Bayt. Otherwise there would be no purpose of the life spent here.
We have to be brave. We have to be humble. We have to be just. We have to be
dead honest. We have to be a rock like personality before a tyrant, be he a common man
or a head of a state. In short, learn again the lesson of honesty, bravery, and justice. You
would be assigned a task to lead the world. We do have life of Hussain, Hassan, and Ali
– the supreme and wisest personality of the universe after Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu
'alayhi wa sallam). How brave they were! How humble they were! How just they were!
Their Iblis was dead. Because their hearts were fortress. Their hearts were protected by
the shield of the holy Quran. They had no fear but of Allah.
Allah had made a lot of contracts with Israelites. And these are clearly mentioned
in the holy Quran. Allah says We have

taken a covenant from son of Israel. you would not

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BY
Shaikh Jalilu Issah

worship no one but Allah only. you will be kind to

your parents. and your near relatives.

and the orphan. and the

poor. it is most of important make sure you speak

right.
I we do all these things mentioned above according to the holy Quran, we are
entitled to get the place and status in paradise. This is the promise of Allah with us. In
the form of the above mentioned we are making a contract with Allah. And Allah is also
making a contract with us. We should use tongue to say noble statements. And we
should use tongue to recite the names of Allah and the holy verses of the holy Quran. We
should speak the truth.

Further would be discussed in next session in detail Inshallah!