COMMENTARY

ON THE HOLY QURAN

Comments on the first two surahs of the Holy Quran,
written by an Alevi Muslim

"There is no compulsion in Faith" (Quran 2:256)

2017/1438
Reprinting is free (public domain - CC0). The text is translated from
Turkish. The quoted passages of the Quran are from the English
translation by Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Quran-e-
Karim, English translation, www.noorehidayat.org).
 TRANSLATOR'S FOREWORD

When the author's son trusted me with the

manuscript, I realised that such a brilliant text could
not be circulated in fascist countries like present-day
Turkey. Even if one managed to publish it, the state
structures (police – secret services – groups guided by
them) would do their job: the copies would be found
and burned, and the contributors to the publication
would be imprisoned or would disappear. I realised
that the only way to save what has been written was to
translate and publish it in democratic countries, where
anything can be published freely and where the
faithful Muslim will not be afraid to read it. Although
there are people even there, who, as the author writes,
"are ready to kill to defend the blood-dripping image
of Allah that they have created in their dark minds."

Istanbul 2017/1438

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 INTRODUCTION

By the Will of Allah I am a believer. I have no

special education, nor do I stand out from my fellow
human beings in wealth, abilities or anything else that
people consider being of value. Despite my flaws and
shortcomings, I try to do good to people. I read the
Quran and clearly see in it the Will of Allah.
However, I see fellow beings who say they are
faithful but do not understand the Holy Book. They
imagine Allah not as the All-Merciful Father of us all
but as a ruthless judge who looks at his laws in order
to severely punish the transgressors, or –worse– they
imagine Him as a bloodthirsty criminal who wants
whoever does not submit to his will to suffer. And this
occurs because these people do not have the mercy of
Allah in their hearts. They are dark; they think Allah
is also dark. They are ready to kill to defend the
blood-dripping image of Allah that they have created
in their dark minds.
By the Will of Allah, during my youth I met
pious and wise people, with whose acquaintance and
interaction my mind and heart opened and I clearly

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saw the Truth of Allah. But I acted cowardly, I was
afraid of the dark enemies of Allah who pretend to be
believers and I did not convey to others what I needed
to convey. Today, just before the coming of my death,
I overcome my cowardice and capture on paper some
of this light. I am not writing my last name. Besides,
the name is something temporary that belongs to the
present world and has no place in the eternal light of
Allah.
I am only writing comments about the first two
surahs of the Quran, because it is enough for the
believer to see a few rays of light. When he accepts
them inside him, then he himself becomes light and
there is no longer any dark place for him.

Mustafa

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 1. THE OPENING

1. With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the

Very-Merciful.

The Quran begins with the name of Allah, and

this is because Allah is in our lives first and foremost.
He is our creator and without Him we cannot achieve
anything good. When we approach His light, we
realise that He is our very life.
But why, one might ask, do we not translate the
name of God into the language of every nation and
speak it in Arabic?
We do this not because the Arabic language is
superior to the others (since all languages are equally
human and all human beings are equal creations of
Allah) but to show the unity that believers should
have in the name of Allah. The division of people into
languages and nations does not exist in the eyes of
Allah and, therefore, will not exist in eternity. Since
languages, states and nations are temporary realities
that separate people, by speaking the name of Allah in
a single language we show that we have already

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overcome this separation. This language is Arabic
because the Quran was spread throughout the world
by the Arabs. But it could, if it had prevailed, be any
other language, since in eternity the Arabic language,
like all the other languages of our temporary world,
will be abolished and we will communicate in an
unspeakable heavenly language.
The Quran begins not simply with the name of
Allah but with the name of the All-Merciful and
Most-Merciful Allah. Let us be aware of this; Allah is
not mentioned first and foremost as righteous but as
merciful. This is because Allah is not righteous with
the human meaning of the concept but with the divine
meaning of it (the human meaning of the concept of
"justice" is whoever does something evil to suffer the
corresponding evil while the divine meaning of the
concept is when someone does something evil to
forgive him and not to punish him). For this reason
Allah is first and foremost merciful. Consequently, we
the believers, in order to be united in the name of
Allah, it is not enough to have faith but above all we
must have kindness and mercy.

2. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the

worlds.
3. the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful.

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 What worlds is it referring to?
We human beings are selfish and usually
underestimate animals, fish and plants. We think that
the center of the universe is the earth and man. But
Allah is Lord of not only us but of all the worlds. He
is the creator and ruler of the world of angels, the
world of animals, the world of the sea, the world of
plants and every world that He created out of love
near us or on the distant planets of His infinite creation.

4. the Master of the Day of Requital.

Just as human justice is not related to Allah's

justice, so Allah's judgment and requital are unrelated
to human judgment and requital. In human courts, the
decision is made according to the laws; it is not the
judge but the law that truly rules. On the Day of
Judgment, on the other hand, it will not be the law that
rules but Allah Himself.
But what does it mean that the Judgment of
Allah is not ruled by law?
It means that it is not a legal decision. The
Judgment of Allah will be the contact of man and all
worlds with the light of Allah. This light will
illuminate the enlightened people, as the sun

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illuminates the stars, while it will blind, as the sun
blinds those who are accustomed to the darkness,
those who do not want the light but desire the
darkness of injustice.

6. Take us on the straight path.

What the right, divine path is, is already

mentioned above. Allah is merciful. So the way of
Allah is kindness and mercy.

7. the path of those on whom You have bestowed

Your Grace, not of those who have incurred Your
wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.

Allah in the Quran speaks to us in human

language, because we can only understand human
language. And in the human language we call
calamities "the wrath of Allah", although Allah is
never angry. The metaphorical expressions in the
Quran should not make us demean Allah to the level
of sinful people who get angry, punish and take
revenge. This is a great disrespect and blasphemy.

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 2. THE COW

2. This Book has no doubt in it -a guidance for the

God-fearing,

As we have already said, Allah speaks to us in

human language. And just as the wrath of Allah,
which we saw above, is a human expression, so is the
fear we must have towards Allah. Fear of Allah is like
the deep respect we have for our father, like the fear
we have of upsetting our father. It does not look at all
like the fear we have in front of a bloodthirsty
criminal or a cruel and inhuman judge.

3. who believe in the Unseen, and are steadfast in

Salah (prayer), and spend out of what We have
provided them;

Here it is stated what the Will of Allah is. It is to

believe, pray and offer to others what we have.
Through prayer we communicate with Allah and
along with Him we communicate with the righteous.

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Let's pay attention to what is written. It writes: "We"
and not "I". That is, Allah does not speak alone but
with the righteous and says that with them He gives to
the believers every good. So, since Allah is with the
righteous, when we pray to Him we communicate
with them, and when we pray to them we
communicate with Allah.
It also tells us to offer to others what we have
(not what is left over) and there is no distinction
between believer and nonbeliever, or even pagan. We
must indiscriminately offer everyone not only the
surplus but also from the little we have.

6. Surely for those who have disbelieved, it is all

the same whether you warn them or you warn
them not: they do not believe.
7. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their
hearing; and on their eyes there is a covering, and
for them awaits a mighty punishment.

In this vivid metaphorical expression, Allah

seals hearts and ears, covers the eyes and punishes the
nonbelievers. What is the punishment that the
nonbelievers will suffer in the afterlife? It is the one
from whom they already, to some extent, suffer in this
life; it is the darkness of their soul that already denies

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and will continue to deny the light of Allah.

8. And among men there are some who say, "We

believe in Allah and in the Last Day", yet they are
not believers.

But which of those who say "we believe" are not

true believers and will be punished as nonbelievers?
This is written below:

12. Beware, it is, in fact, they who spread disorder,

but they do not appreciate.

Those who, instead of offering to others

(believers and nonbelievers) what they have, do evil,
are not true believers. It is not the words but the
actions that make someone a believer.

14. When they meet those who believe, they say,

"We have entered Faith;" but when they are alone
with their satans, they say, "Indeed, we are with
you; we were only mocking."

Unrighteous Muslims, when they are with true

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believers, say that they truly believe and that they
agree that they should do good, but when they are
with like-minded evil and wicked people, they do
wrong like them.

15. It is Allah who mocks at them, and lets them go

on wandering blindly in their rebellion.

The retribution for their evil deeds by Allah is

that He lets them live in their iniquities, as their
wrongdoings actually harm them themselves.

24. …then guard yourselves against the Fire, the

fuel of which will be men and stones. It has been
prepared for disbelievers.

This fire is the light of Allah. It is the same light

that purifies and illuminates righteous people, just as
material fire purifies gold. But entering into it, the
unrighteous man is not cleansed, like the righteous
one, but is burned and blackened, because of the
pagan evil that is within him. Instead of being
illuminated, he is completely blinded. This is the
punishment that Allah has prepared for the unjust
people (or –in other words– that the unjust people

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have prepared for themselves).

25. And give good news to those who believe and

do righteous deeds that for them there are gardens
beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are
given a fruit from there to eat, they will say, "This
is what we have been given before;" and they will
be given (fruits) resembling one another. And for
them there shall be wives purified; and there they
will live forever.
26. Indeed, Allah does not feel shy in citing any
parable…

Faith is not enough for the eternal pleasures, but

it is also necessary to do good deeds. Beautiful
material images of this life are metaphorically used in
the Quran to describe the eternal spiritual joy in the
light of Allah. But so that one does not take them
literally and think that these pleasures are material, it
is clearly stated that Allah uses them as similes. The
light of Allah, in which we will live forever, is the
same light that already illuminates the hearts of the
righteous in this life.

27. …- those who break the Covenant of Allah

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after it has been made binding, and cut off the
relations Allah has commanded to be joined, and
spread disorder on the earth -it is these who are
the losers.

It is Allah's Will for all people, especially Jews,

Christians and Muslims, to be united. Those who do
evil to anyone, believer or nonbeliever, do not
actually harm the one whom they mistreat but
themselves, as they turn away from the light of Allah.

36. Then, Satan caused them to slip from it, and

brought them out of where they had been. And We
said, "Go down, all of you, some of you the enemies
of others;"…

The essence of the sin of Adam and his wife,

which took them out of the state of happiness they
were living in, was that they became enemies of each
other, that they turned away from the light of Allah.

39. "As for those who disbelieve, and deny Our

signs, they are the people of the Fire. They shall
dwell in it forever."

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 All, true believers and nonbelievers, will stay
forever in the light of Allah. But those who have the
darkness rooted in them will suffer from this light,
which will burn them like the fire that cleanses the
gold but burns the thorns.

43. And be steadfast in Salah (prayer), and pay

Zakah…

As we have already seen, we should not only

give Zakat (i.e. 1/40 of our annual income) to those in
need, but whatever we can, even from the little we
have. 1/40 is set here as the minimum limit.

44. Do you enjoin righteousness upon others while

you ignore your own selves?…

Our primary duty is not to tell other people

about the justice of Allah but to be righteous
ourselves, that is, to always do good to all and to
never harm anyone.

48. and guard yourselves against a day when no

one shall stand for anyone in anything, nor shall

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intercession be accepted on anyone's behalf, nor
shall ransom be taken from him, and neither shall
any be given support.

On the Day of Judgment of Allah we will not

have our perishable bodies, we will appear naked
from our bodies and we will reflect our mercy or
wickedness. That is why nothing material, nor another
human being, will then be able to help us.

59. So, We sent down a scourge from heaven upon

those who were unjust, because they had acted
sinfully.
61. …and they returned with wrath from Allah.
65. We said to them, "Become apes, abased."
66. Thus, We made it a deterrent for those around
and (those who came) after them - and a lesson for
the God-fearing.

Allah in the Quran speaks to human beings and

therefore uses human language, so that they can
understand His Will and become merciful, just and
good. Human language expressions and parables of
anger, scourges and punishments by Allah do not
mean that Allah is angry or ever does anything wrong,
but they show Allah's abhorrence for evil and injustice

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and the negative consequences that the commission of
evil brings upon the unjust person. These
consequences that injustice brings upon the unjust
person are a lesson for the believers who respect
Allah.
But why does Allah liken the transgressors of
His Will to apes?
Because just as apes look like humans but are
not humans, so the unjust people look like the
believers but are not believers.

62. Surely, those who believed in Allah, and those

who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabians*,
-whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day,
and does good deeds – all such people will have
their reward with their Lord, and there will be no
reason for them to fear, nor shall they grieve.
81. Why not? Those who commit evil and are
besieged by their sins, those are people of the Fire
-there they shall live forever.
82. As for those who believe, and do good deeds,
they are the people of Paradise -there they will live
forever.

*
The Sabians were a Judeo-Christian people of Arabia.

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 To those who do evil and identify with darkness
(those are the true nonbelievers) the light of Allah will
be like a fire that, instead of illuminating them, will
burn them, along with the darkness of their souls. On
the contrary, those who do not just believe (whether
they are Muslims, Christians or Jews) but do good
deeds and identify with the light (those are the true
believers), the light of Allah will illuminate them and
they will be eternal in the happiness of Paradise.

85. And, on the Day of Judgement, they shall be

turned to the most severe punishment. And Allah
is not unaware of what you do.

What does this metaphor mean?

For the dark the worst is its contact with the sun.
For anyone who has evil in him, the most horrible
torture is his contact with the light of Allah.

86. So, punishment shall not be lightened for them,

nor shall they be helped.

Why will there be no change in the Judgment of

Allah?
Because our True Will is unchanged. In this life

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our will and choices are not fixed because they are
influenced by our environment. But when we will be
in the light of Allah and our perishable surroundings
disappear and time –as we know it– changes, then our
True Will will be revealed, as will our choice to
identify with the darkness or with the light of Allah.

87. Indeed, We gave Musa the Book, and after him

We sent messengers, one following the other; and
We gave clear signs to Isa, the son of Maryam
(Jesus, the son of Mary), and supported him with
the Holy Spirit.

As we see, in the Quran it is clearly stated that

the teaching of Moses and the Prophets of the Old
Testament is from Allah. It is also stated that Jesus is
only the son of Mary and not of Joseph and Mary (that
he was born in a supernatural manner), and that he
performed miracles by Allah. Also, that the Holy
Spirit was with him.
Since the texts of Moses and the entire Old
Testament are from Allah, since Jesus is also from
Allah and since the Quran is undoubtedly also from
Allah, the teaching of Allah cannot be different in the
three Holy Books (Old Testament, New Testament,
Quran) but certainly all three mention the same Will

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of Allah, that is, to be righteous and to do good to all
indiscriminately.

89. So the curse of Allah is upon the disbelievers.

What is the curse of Allah and who are the

nonbelievers?
The true nonbelievers are, according to the
Quran, those who commit evil and the curse that falls
on them is their evil will, which makes their souls
dark.

101. And when a messenger from Allah came to

them, confirming what was already with them,
some from among the people of the Book threw the
Book of Allah behind their backs, as if they did not
know.

In the Quran is written: "confirming what was

already with them", "as if they did not know". That is,
according to the Holy Book of Allah, those who have
the Old Testament and the New Testament already
know the teaching of the Quran, because it is not
differentiated from, but it validates the Old Testament
and the New Testament.

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 But why does it write about the followers of "the
Book" and not of "the Books", since the Old
Testament and the New Testament are not one but two
books? And again, why is the Quran called "the
Book" (like the other two together), as if there are not
three but only one Book?
This is because all three Holy Books write the
same Will of Allah. In reality, there are not three but
one triple Holy Book.

105. Those who disbelieve from among the people

of the Book and the idolaters do not like that any
good should come to you from your Lord. But
Allah chooses for His grace whomsoever He wills…

Who are the nonbelievers among the followers

of the Book?
They are the ones who do evil. They, along with
the pagans, deny that Allah chooses –among the Jews,
the Christians and the Muslims– the true believers,
that is, those who are righteous and do good.

109. (O Muslims,) many among the people of the

Book desire to turn you, after your accepting the
faith, back into disbelievers - all out of envy on

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their part, even after the truth has become clear to
them. So, forgive and overlook till Allah brings out
His command. Certainly, Allah is powerful over
everything.

So when some, according to what the Quran

writes, want to push us into infidelity, we the
believers should not get angry and use violence but
forgive and overlook. Since Allah, who is omnipotent,
does not punish them, it means that in the present life
the purpose of Allah is not punishment, but to change
their thoughts and behavior themselves without
coercion, of their own free will, and to become true
believers.

111. They say that no one shall ever enter Paradise

unless he is a Jew, or a Christian. These are their
fancies. Say, "Bring your proof, if you are
truthful."
112. Of course, whosoever submits his face to
Allah, and is good in deeds, will have his reward
with his Lord, and there shall be no fear for such
people, nor shall they grieve.

It does not matter if someone is a Jew, a

Christian or a Muslim. Anyone who submits his

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personality to Allah (that is, anyone who is
compassionate and just, like Allah) and does good,
whether he is a Jew, a Christian or a Muslim, will
enter Paradise.

116. They say: "Allah has got a son." Pure is He.

Instead, to Him belongs all that there is in the
heavens and the earth. All stand obedient to Him.

The Quran writes that some people say that

Allah gave birth to a son and they praise Allah. But
no, we should not praise only Allah. On the contrary,
we must also praise His Son, for all that is in the
heavens and on earth belongs to His Son, and to Him
all is subject.
But how is it possible for Allah to have a son
without having a spouse?
What the Holy Book writes is written in human
language, but it is not understandable in a human
manner. If Allah was a solitary isolated being, then He
would be selfishly closed to Himself and would not
have created the world. Allah is not lone; He shares
Himself, which is why He creates.
In a human manner Allah never gave birth, nor
was it ever possible to have a son, because Allah is a
spirit. But beyond anything human, beyond time and

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in an inconceivable manner, as the flame gives birth
to another flame, Allah gives birth to His Son. And as
the earth pours out its lava, Allah pours out the Holy
Spirit. And as the sun is one, but also hot mass and
fire and light, so Allah and His Son and the Holy
Spirit –because of their absolute perfection and unity–
have the same will and do everything together, that is
to say, they are One.
Material metaphors are to us absolutely
necessary when we talk about Allah, because human
thought cannot otherwise give expressive shape to
something that goes beyond any human possibility of
expression. For the Holy Spirit, as well as for the Son
of Allah, Jesus, who was born supernaturally to Mary,
we have already read in the Quran (2:87).

130. Who can turn away from the faith of Ibrahim

except the one who has debased himself in folly?
Indeed We have chosen him in this world. And he
is certainly among the righteous in the Hereafter.
135. They said, "Become Jews or Christians, and
you will find the right path." Say: "Instead, (we
follow) the faith of Ibrahim, the upright, -and he
was not one of those who associate partners with
Allah."
136. Say (O, Muslims): "We believe in Allah, and

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in what has been revealed to us, and in what has
been revealed to Ibrahim, Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaq
(Isaac), Yaqub and his children, and in what has
been given to Musa and Isa (Jesus) and what has
been given to the prophets from their Lord: We
make no difference between any of them, and to
Him we submit ourselves."

It is clearly written here that Allah revealed to us

in the Quran what He revealed to Abraham, Moses
and the Prophets (i.e. in the Old Testament) and to
Jesus (i.e. in the New Testament). As faithful
Muslims, we do not discriminate, but we accept the
Old Testament and the New Testament as we accept
the Quran, because they contain the same revelation
of Allah.
So when the Quran writes that we make no
distinction between any of the Prophets, it means that
their teaching is the same. But it also means that Jesus
is not just the Son of Allah but also a human being,
like the rest of the Prophets.

139. Say: "Would you argue with us about Allah,

when He is our Lord as well as your Lord? For us
our deeds, and for you your deeds!"

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 Jews, Christians and Muslims should not quarrel
over the religion of Allah because we have the same
Lord. Our actions are what makes us true believers.

147. The truth is from your Lord.

The Quran writes that the Truth comes from

Allah so that no one can identify it with the Holy
Book. In the Quran, as in the Old Testament and the
New Testament, the Truth is recorded in human
language to the extent that human language can
express it and human thought can accept it. But the
pure Truth cannot be limited to the limits of our
temporary language and our temporary world, it is
beyond anything human and anything material,
because it comes from Allah.

149. From wherever you set out, turn your face in

the direction of the Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid-ul-
Haram)*.

But why is it good to look towards the Sacred

*
The Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) is located in
Mecca.

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Mosque?
So that we do not forget Allah and recall that we
should be united and do good.

165. Among the people there are some who set up

co-gods beside Allah [another translation: who
take other than Allah as equals to Him] whom they
love like the love due to Allah [another translation:
as they should love Allah].

Here the Quran does not mean the saints of

Christianity, because Christians do not worship the
saints as gods (as equals to Allah), nor do they love
them as gods (as they must love Allah), but they love
and honour them as believers in Allah, as righteous
people whom Allah loves and honours in Paradise. To
honour the believers and friends of Allah (and the true
believers are those who have the mercy and justice of
Allah, whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews),
whom Allah Himself honours in Paradise, is certainly
not something bad but instead something that Allah
wants. Here the Holy Book means the people whom
the pagans at times deified and worshiped as gods.

177. Righteousness is not (merely) that you turn

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your faces to the East and the West; but
righteousness is that one believes in Allah and the
Last Day and the angels and the Book and the
Prophets, and gives wealth, despite (his) love for it,
to relatives, and to orphans, the helpless, the
wayfarer, and to those who ask, and (spends) in
(freeing) slaves and observes the Salah (prayers)
and pays Zakah-and (the act of) those who fulfill
their covenant when they enter into a covenant,
and, of course, those who are patient in hardship
and suffering and when in battle! Those are the
ones who are truthful, and those are the God-
fearing.

Here the Quran writes what true piety is. It is

not, it writes, to apply legal provisions, but to believe,
to give to those in need from the little we have, to help
people, to pray and to endure hardships and battles.
But what battles does the Holy Book mean?
First, it means our daily struggle for good. It also
means to defend and protect our family and our
compatriots in the event of a hostile military attack.
Whoever kills to convert others into Muslims by force
and thinks that he is fighting for the name of Allah, he
–as we will see below– is viewed in the eyes of Allah
as a pagan.

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178. O you who believe, QiSaS has been prescribed
for you in the case of murdered people: The
freeman (will be killed) for the freeman, the slave
for the slave, and the female for the female.
However, if one is somewhat forgiven by his
brother, the recourse (of the latter) is to pursue the
former (for blood money) with fairness, and the
obligation (of the former) is to pay (it) to the latter
in a nice way…
179. There is life for you in QiSaS, O people of
wisdom, so that you may refrain (from killing).

In the time of the Prophet, the law of retributive

justice (Qiṣāṣ) was enforced, which provided for
punishment equivalent to the crime. The Prophet had
certain people, who were pagans, cruel and narrow-
minded, in front of him. They could not fully accept
and implement the Will of Allah. So he called them to
the faith, telling them as much as they could
understand and accept, in the hope that slowly their
hearts would soften. If he directly ordered them to
forgive the one who committed the crime against
them, these cold-hearted people would not become
believers. Thus, he did not abolish the "murder for
murder", but gave them the choice not to apply it.
The law of retributive justice was given because

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of the cruelty of the people, so that those who were
wronged did not extend their revenge to all members
of the murderer's family, but their murderous instincts
were restrained. The law of retributive justice was
given by Allah in the Old Testament, when people
were even crueler and more savage.
As we see, as people progress, so is the Truth
revealed to them. Allah shows us the way: to become
merciful. By doing so, we get closer to Allah. And as
we get closer to Allah, we get closer to the Truth.

184. for days few in number. However, should any

one of you be sick or on a journey, then (he should
fast) a number of other days (equal to the missed
ones); and those who have the strength, (still, they
do not opt for fasting,) on them there is a fidyah
(compensation), that is, the feeding of a poor
person. Then whoever does good voluntarily, that
is better for him. However, that you fast is better
for you, if you only knew.
185. …So those of you who witness the month must
fast in it. But the one who is sick, or is on a journey
(should fast) as much from other days (as he
missed). Allah intends (to provide) ease for you
and does not intend (to create) hardship for you.

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 Allah says in the Holy Book that whoever
cannot fast on the appointed days, matters not if he
fasts the equivalent days later on. As well, whoever
can but does not want to fast, He says that this too
matters not; he can, instead of fasting, do charity.
So we see that, according to the revelation of
Allah, fasting is not like the human law, inviolable.
Fasting was given to us not because Allah is pleased
with our deprivation ("Allah intends ease for you and
does not intend hardship for you") but because it is
good for us ("However, that you fast is better for you,
if you only knew"). We do not fast for the sake of
Allah, but for ourselves, because it helps us get used
to controlling our instincts, so that we have them
subdued to reason and do not let them drag us
wherever they want.
But one will ask: "Allah certainly says in the
Quran that fasting is not obligatory, but later it was
established to be obligatory. Should the believer agree
with Allah, who does not consider fasting as law, or
see it humanly as an inviolable law?"
Anyone who understands what it means that
Allah is merciful and not a harsh judge, already
knows the answer to this question.

190. Fight in the way of Allah against those who

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fight you, and do not transgress. Verily, Allah does
not like the transgressors.
191. Kill them wherever you find them, and drive
them out from where they drove you out, as Fitnah
(to create disorder) is more severe than killing.
However, do not fight them near Al-Masjid-ul-
Haram (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah) unless
they fight you there. However, if they fight you
(there) you may kill them. Such is the reward of
the disbelievers.
192. But if they desist, then indeed, Allah is Most-
Forgiving, Very-Merciful.
193. Fight them until there is no Fitnah any more,
and obedience remains for Allah. But, if they
desist, then aggression is not allowed except
against the transgressors.

Any warmonger, who does not understand what

it means that Allah is Most-Merciful, may think that
war is justified here; but the complete opposite is true.
Allah says in His Holy Book that we should not
wage an aggressive war ("But, if they desist, then
aggression is not allowed"), but only defend ourselves
on the territory of our own country to expel from it
those who attacked us ("and drive them out from
where they drove you out").
War is murder and murder –even when we are

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defending– is evil, but sometimes it is a necessary
evil. When we are attacked, we must kill to defend
our family and our compatriots. This act of ours is
bad, but if we do not defend them and let the enemies
kill or enslave them, then this act of ours will be
incomparably worse.
But why does He mention the attacks of the
nonbelievers while aggressive wars are also waged by
Muslims?
Because whoever wages an aggressive war is not
truly a believer, but in the eyes of Allah he is viewed
as a pagan.

210. They are looking for nothing (to accept the

truth) but that Allah (Himself) comes upon them in
canopies of cloud with angels, and the matter is
closed.
212. …those who fear Allah shall be above them on
the Day of Resurrection.

Allah will come at the end of our world and the

dead will be resurrected. Then the pious will be higher
(i.e. closer to Allah) than the nonbelievers. Everything
will be flooded with the light of Allah. This same light
will illuminate and elevate the pious, while it will
blind and darken the nonbelievers (those who want

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evil, even if they falsely claim to be believers) even
more.

213. All men used to be a single 'Ummah (i.e. on a

single faith). Then (after they differed in matters of
faith), Allah sent prophets carrying good news and
warning, and sent down with them the Book with
Truth [another translation: "the Book which
contains the Truth"] to judge between people in
matters of their dispute.

Here the Quran refers to the Prophets and the

book of the Old Testament, which it calls "the Book
which contains the Truth". The believers, then, along
with the Quran and the New Testament, must also
read the Old Testament, because all three holy books
contain the same Truth of Allah.

223. Your women are tillage for you to cultivate.

So, come to your tillage from where you wish, and
advance something for yourselves, and fear Allah,
and know that you are to meet Him…

In the time of the Prophet, the men saw their

wives as their property. It was impossible for them to

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accept that women are equal to them and that they
have rights. So here Allah is trying to make them at
least take care of their wives. It is as if He is saying to
them: "Since you are so cruel and narrow-minded that
you consider your wives to be your property, at least
do not neglect them. Treat them at least as your own
fields, which you attend and take care of with
diligence. And you women do not be selfish and cruel,
love your husbands and do not care only for
yourselves. And when there is love in the couple, they
do not upset each other and do not deny the other
anything."

262. Those who spend their wealth in the way of

Allah, then do not make their spending followed by
boasting about favour, or with causing hurt, - they
have their reward with their Lord…
264. O you who believe, do not nullify your acts of
charity by boasting about (doing people a) favour
and by causing (them) hurt…

It is important to do good and help others out of

pure love and not for show. If we do charity and then
hurt people or brag about it, then we are canceling it,
it is the same as not doing it.

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285. The Messenger has believed in what has been
revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers as
well. All have believed in Allah and His angels and
His Books and His Messengers. "We make no
division [distinction] between any of His Messengers,"

As we see, the Quran writes about the "Books"

and not about the "Book" of Allah. In other words, it
clearly states that not only the Quran, but also the Old
Testament and the New Testament are Books of
Allah. And when it writes: "We make no division
[distinction] between any of His Messengers", it
means that we do not distinguish between the
teachings of Moses, the Old Testament Prophets,
Jesus and Muhammad (that is, between the Old
Testament, the New Testament and the Quran). This
is because they were all Messengers of Allah and
taught the same Truth of Allah.
But since Jesus is the Son of Allah, why does it
write that we do not distinguish between Him and the
other Messengers of Allah?
Here the Holy Book, as we have seen elsewhere
(2:136), also means that the Son of Allah truly became
human and was sent to the people, like the rest of His
Messengers. His mission to the people is heralded by
the Prophets in the Old Testament, it is described in

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the New Testament and it is confirmed in the Quran.

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