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Renew the life of the heart with the Quran, so that the soul may find tranquility in faith. Recite it at all times and seek its rain and clouds of forgiveness.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah, dear brothers. In the previous episode, we mentioned that Allah the Almighty commanded us with ten commandments in Surah Al-An'am, and that these commandments are a great answer for those who ask about Islam from non-Muslims. Let us review these commandments briefly.
Allah the Almighty said: {Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited for you: that you do not associate anything with Him."}
So, the first commandment is: do not associate anything with Him. It begins with the right of Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, who created us only to worship Him. Imagine again the non-Muslim who wants to know about Islam, finding that the ten commandments begin with the right of Allah, then move to the right of parents, then children, then the right of society, orphans, and the weak, with no mention of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
This listener, who may have thought that Muslims worship Muhammad as the Christians worship Christ, peace be upon them, and that Muhammad is the one who wrote the Quran to glorify himself, now sees these commandments as commands for worship that improve their relationship with their Lord, then their relationship with each other. Muhammad is only a messenger conveying from his Lord, claiming no rank for himself other than this.
And Christ said: {O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, he who associates others with Allah has forbidden Paradise for himself, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.} So, the first commandment is: do not associate anything with Him.
The second commandment is: and to parents, do good. Notice, my brothers, Allah the Almighty did not say, "and do not disobey your parents," but here is an additional command beyond leaving disobedience, which is to do good to the parents, to strive to please them and bring joy to their hearts. It is not enough to avoid disobeying them, but we must also do good to them. It is as if the Quran elevates the addressed human to a level where disobedience is not even conceivable, let alone needing to be prohibited. It is as if leaving harm is a given, and what is required is to do good to one's parents.
We also notice that Allah the Almighty mentioned the right of parents after mentioning His right directly, honoring the right of parents. And this pairing is frequent in the Quran, suffice it to say His words: {And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the destination.} Compare gratitude to Allah with gratitude to parents. And it is no wonder, for he who is accustomed to denying the good to his parents should not be expected to be grateful to Allah the Almighty, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "He who does not show gratitude to people does not show gratitude to Allah." And the most deserving of your gratitude, my brother, is your father.
So, this is the second commandment: and to parents, do good. We will continue with the ten commandments in the upcoming episodes, inshallah. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.