Preface
The chapter Yunus (Jonah), one of the Meccan surahs of the Noble Qur'an, encompasses verses that, with profound and spiritual discourse, invite humanity to reflect on the foundations of faith and the relationship with the Creator of existence. Verse 84 of this chapter, portraying a dialogue between Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and the Children of Israel, shines as a luminous lamp guiding seekers of truth. This verse, emphasising faith, trust, and submission, offers a firm framework for recognising the true believer and calls the audience to self-examination and inner reckoning.
In this treatise, with a comprehensive and deep perspective, the content and exegesis of this verse are scrutinised to elucidate the concepts of faith, trust, and the characteristics of a sincere believer in a clear and coherent manner. Utilising eloquent Persian language and a systematic structure, this work endeavours to faithfully reflect all aspects of this verse and the related lectures with due precision.
وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ يَا قَوْمِ إِن كُنتُمْ آمَنتُم بِاللَّهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُمْ مُّسْلِمِينَ
And Moses said: O my people, if you have believed in God, then upon Him rely if you are truly Muslims.
This verse portrays the dialogue of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) with his people amid spiritual and social challenges. Faith and trust, like two wings of flight, guide humanity from the darkness of sin and hypocrisy towards the light of guidance.
Faith, like a rare jewel deep within the human soul, flourishes not through mere verbal claim but through practical commitment to divine values. The conditional phrase if you have believed in God in the verse indicates that faith is an existential state manifesting beyond superficial speech in conduct and behaviour.
The difficulty of faith lies in the necessity for a person to abstain from carnal and social temptations such as ostentation, pride, falsehood, and oppression. This verse does not present faith as a simple or common matter but as a challenging path requiring self-purification and perseverance.
Within the Islamic tradition, faith is defined as the conjunction of heartfelt cognition, verbal declaration, and actions of the limbs. This definition, as expressed in scholarly works such as Allameh Tabatabais Tafsir al-Mizan, emphasises the inseparable bond between inner belief and outward behaviour. Faith is like a tree rooted in the heart whose branches cast shade through righteous deeds.
Verse 84 of Surah Yunus regards trust as the sweet fruit of faith. The phrase then upon Him rely indicates that true faith leads the individual to entrust affairs to God and to place confidence in His boundless wisdom. Trust acts as a shield protecting the believer against storms of temptation and sin.
This entrustment does not imply passivity but rather a labour interwoven with assurance in the Divine Will. In mystical traditions, such as the commentary on Manazil al-Sa'irin by Khwajah Abdullah Ansari, trust is examined as a level of reliance on God, freeing the individual from egocentrism and leading towards spiritual tranquility.
The repetition of the phrase if you are in if you have believed and if you are Muslims acts as a mirror reflecting the invitation to self-reflection. The term Muslims here signifies complete submission to divine commands a submission that is more than outward identity or verbal assertion, being embodied in action and conduct.
This repetition emphasises the difficulty of true submission and urges one to test ones faith and surrender.
In Quranic exegeses, this conditional structure is analysed as a method to stress the seriousness of faith and the necessity of self-purification. Being Muslim is like a journey wherein every step is taken consciously and with commitment towards the divine destination.
The true believer, like a shining star in the sky of guidance, is recognised by three prominent traits: avoidance of the forbidden (arm), refraining from oppression, and benefiting from the guidance of a mentor or inner intellect. These three criteria form a solid framework for assessing faith.
Avoidance of the forbidden purifies one from material and spiritual defilements; refraining from oppression instils justice within the individual; and the guidance of a mentor acts like a lamp illuminating ones path.
In the Islamic tradition, the role of religious scholars as guiding mentors holds a special position. This role is underscored as a fundamental pillar of religious education in ethical works such as Al-Ghazalis Ihya' Ulum al-Din.
Verbal claims of being Muslim, without practical backing, resemble a castle built upon shifting sands. Those who speak of faith with their tongue but engage in sin, oppression, or hypocrisy in action are deprived of the essence of faith.
The Bedouins say, We have believed. Say, You have not believed; rather say, We have submitted, for faith has not yet entered your hearts.
Quran 49:14
This verse clearly distinguishes between genuine faith and apparent submission, emphasising the necessity of practical commitment.
Verse 84 of Surah Yunus continues with the prayer of the people (رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً مِّن قَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ), identifying the oppressors as those who have deviated from the path of faith and piety. These individuals consume the forbidden, perpetrate injustice, and remain devoid of guidance, standing in opposition to the believers.
The disbelievers, likewise, are those who deny the truth and thus are deprived of Divine mercy.
In Quranic commentaries, oppressors are defined as those who have deprived themselves of the light of guidance through disobedience and injustice. This concept calls humanity to avoid sin and uphold justice.
The prayer of the people in verse 85 of Surah Yunus, following verse 84, resembles a cool breeze amidst the desert of trials, beseeching Gods protection:
فَقَالُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ * وَنَجِّنَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Then they said: We rely upon God; our Lord, do not make us a trial for the oppressing people, and save us by Your mercy from the disbelieving people.
This prayer demonstrates the peoples awareness of social and moral dangers threatening their faith. They ask God to preserve their faith against the trials posed by oppressors and disbelievers. This supplication acts like a shield, protecting the believer from the harms of hypocrisy and sin.
Whoever abstains from forbidden acts, refrains from oppression, and removes hypocrisy from their being is like a traveller who advances towards the divine destination with a pure heart. Such an individual is safe from the severe reckoning of the Resurrection because their life is a mirror of piety and faith.
Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds they will have gardens of Paradise as a lodging.
Quran 18:30
This verse beautifully illustrates the connection between faith and righteous deeds and regards eternal felicity as the reward of sincere believers.
Man, like a farmer who harvests his crop, must search within himself for signs of faith. Has hypocrisy taken root in his heart? Has oppression overshadowed his behaviour? Has the forbidden polluted his soul? These questions act as a clear mirror inviting man to self-accounting.
Within Islamic tradition, self-accounting is recognised as a fundamental pillar of self-purification. This concept is introduced as a guiding lamp for seekers in ethical works by scholars such as Al-Ghazali.
To visualise true faith, a tangible example is presented of a chaste individual devoid of hypocrisy, oppression, and forbidden acts. This person, the narrators mother, like a fragrant flower in the garden of faith, became a model for others through her conduct.
In the face of disputes, instead of conflict and oppression, she preserved her dignity with tears and silence. This example demonstrates that faith manifests not in words but in deeds.
When this pure lady approached her passing, holding a rosary and with Gods remembrance on her lips, she hastened towards her Lord. This image resembles a beautiful painting, displaying faith in a sacred moment. Such models invite humanity to a pure and sinless life.
Verse 84 of Surah Yunus, like a lantern in darkness, illuminates the path of faith, trust, and submission. Faith is a jewel obtained by abstaining from the forbidden, refraining from oppression, and benefiting from the guidance of a mentor or inner intellect. The verses repetition of the conditional phrase if you are calls humanity to self-examination and reckoning to distance itself from superficial claims of faith.
The peoples prayer for deliverance from the trials of oppressors and disbelievers indicates an awareness of social and ethical threats to faith. Ultimately, true faith is a difficult yet blissful path guiding man to eternal tranquillity.
This treatise, through a comprehensive approach to this verse and related lectures, has endeavoured to present its concepts in a clear and coherent form for the audience.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi