Brief Tafseer: Juz 3 (Baqarah 253 to Al-Imran 91)

 

Bismillah Ar-Rehman Ar-Raheem

• Success is not just with our resources, success is with iman. It is with the power of Allah.
• We should examine the state of our heart: is it attentive towards Allah? When the verses of the Quran are heard and recited, does our faith get rejuvenated?
• Those who learn the Quran learn the magnificence of their Rabb, opening their hearts to guidance.
• listening to the words of Allah with a present and attentive heart increases one's faith
• reflecting on the Quran inspires us to do good deeds, stay away from bad deeds out of fear 
• All people are not the same, there are some high, blessed with more, some blessed with less, and all this is by the wisdom of Allah
• our job is not to constantly compare between things, rather we should acknowledge reality and not be jealous
• if we have been given more, we should recognize that and be grateful
• The ayat ul kursi is the best descriptor of Allah's magnificence. It contains five names and twenty-six attributes of Allah. Whoever recites it after prayer is safe and guaranteed a place in Jannah.

Abu Umamah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever recites the ‘verse of the Throne’ (ayat al-kursi) after every prescribed prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entry into Paradise but death.”

(al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr 7406)

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

• All of us are powerless in front of the All-Powerful, so much so that we cannot even speak without His decree.
• When we want to know more about Allah, we should refer to how He describes Himself. 
• Knowledge is a sustenance, a gift from Allah in which He allows us to know what or how much He permits. 
• Islam eases all confusions, explains the best course of things for survival. The benefit of iman is that Allah brings His believers out of the darkness to the light of iman, knowledge and clarity.
• It is not wrong to wonder, question, but it is wrong to think that we know it all (to be arrogant, especially at matters of Allah)
• the heart wonders and seeks assurance to calm those unsettling doubts, so Allah provides answers.
• observation brings a higher level of faith
• we should seek ways to strengthen our faith; learn, ask, clarify—but always from a place of faith and good intentions
• faith grows with knowledge and righteous deeds
• Sadaqa is from sadq (truthfulness), when we spend in the way of Allah, we show how truthfully we believe in Allah
• the reward is multiplied
• it is a means of protection on the day of judgement
• Once we have given charity we should not remind ourselves or others that we gave it to them
• we should be thankful that they accepted it because there will be a time when no one will accept charity
• If you give in the name of Allah, then do not show off. If we give it for Allah, then it does not matter whether the receiving party remembers it or not, Allah knows and that is enough.
• We should ask Allah for wisdom because those who have wisdom realize how to benefit from their resources
• Whenever we have a trial or hurdle, we should solve it with charity. Secret charity calms the anger of Allah, and is a means to remove the fire of our sins
• Giving and taking interest is a major unforgivable sin, and the one who dealt with interest will be resurrected as an insane person on the day of judgement because of their greed.
• there is no blessing in riba, so those who have it will only lose their wealth, instead of increasing in it
• the world is temporary, don't bury yourself in pleasures that will ruin your hereafter
• If someone who has taken a loan from you is in a hardship, postpone or forgive the payment, as that is better for you
• even if you lend something to a relative, record it to ensure clarity and avoid conflicts
• Believing in divine decree is to accept the decree of Allah, to accept and obey the obligations and trials
• There is no one who knows us better than Allah, so it is imperative we do what He has commanded for us, as we need it to survive
• when He commands us to do something, then it is possible, because He does not tell us to do more than we can handle or what we are capable of
• Seek help from Allah using the supplications in the Quran, as they helped others in the past

Imraan

• The recitation and knowledge of surah baqarah and imraan will be a means of protection for the believer on the day of judgement.
• However one is, Allah has made us that way, so how He has created you. Do not criticize your own or someone else's body or physical form.
• The Quran was sent to guide us, it should not be ignored.
• The heart is the most important part of a being, it is where the taqwa is. So we should ask Allah to guide our hearts.
• Seeking forgiveness cleans the heart. On the day of judgment people will want to do anything to remove their sins, to ask for forgiveness, but it will be too late by then. So we should avail what time we have today, we should ask forgiveness for our misdeeds and ask Him to forgive us.
• To get to Jannah, some desires need to be curbed. Our belief should be balanced between fear and hope. We should fear the punishment while also hoping for His mercy.
• Following the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ is an evidence of our love for Allah. 
• if we want Allah's love we should be truthful in speech, keep promises and be good to our neighbor
• loving Allah necessitates obeying His commands
• The best solution to our problems is talking to Allah, to build a friendly relationship with Him—don't keep things in your heart, say it to Him.
• Allah gives to whomever He wills, some are given both goods of the world and deen, while some who have been given deen have to let go of the worldly goods, like the people of the cave.
• when you see someone with a blessing and like it, ask for the same from Allah. 
• when Allah blesses us with something, we should be humble even more than before.
• We should make good intentions and have sincerity, Allah will make a way through any situation.

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Notes from tafseer with Ustadha Taimiyyah Zubair