Laws of the Holy Qur'an - 2-The Law of Succession

[Mohammed Abd-ElAal]

This is a translation of a lecture given by Dr.Rateb Al-Nabulsi, a prominent Muslim scholar, during a series of lectures called "The Laws of the Holy Qur'an" and this one is called "The Law Of Succession".
May God benefit us from his knowledge and reward him for it, Amen.
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God, subhanahu w ta'ala, tells in His Holy book:

"Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient." (55) An-Nour.

But a bitter truth is a thousand times better than a comforting illusion.
Are we granted succession upon the earth? By God, NO!
Are we given authority upon earth? By God, NO!
Are we safe in our lands? By God, NO!

How come and these are the promises of the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and for GOD, the whole universe evanescing is by far more tolerable than He subhanahu w ta'ala not fulfilling His promises to the believers ?

and there are even more promises from God:

"and incumbent upon Us was support of the believers." (47) Ar-Room

"And [that] indeed, Our soldiers will be those who overcome." (173) As-Saaffaat

"Indeed, We will support Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this world." (51) Ghaafir

So what can we do with these promises form Allah, the creator of the heavens and the earth? and again and once more for GOD, the whole universe evanescing is by far more tolerable than He subhanahu w ta'ala not fulfilling His promises to the believers?
SO what makes us worthy of these promises, what are these rules for succession ?
First rule for succession is to worship God subhanahu w ta'ala the way He wants us to worship Him and to do this both outwardly and inwardly..

"..And after them came the unworthy successors who squandered [Adaa'u] prayer and pursued their own desires, so they will soon encounter the forest of Gai in hell.(59)" Maryam

All the scholars have agreed that there is a big difference between 'Edaa'a' and 'Tark' between 'squandering' and 'leaving' as squandering does not mean leaving prayer and not praying it, it means reducing the prayer to be nothing more than a hollow outward ritual, leaving it's inward beauty and hence it's essence. As for pursuing their desires, we cannot find a more detailed interpretation for it than the words of God Himself when He tells:

“The day when neither wealth will benefit nor will sons. (88) Except he who presented himself before Allah, with a sound* heart. (89) Ash-Shu'araa

Scholars have said: a sound heart is a heart that is free from the chains of its desires, a heart that is free from believing in something that goes against the divine revelation, a heart that is free from worshiping anything but God, free from seeking justice in anything else but God's sacred law (Sharee'a). That is a sound heart

To Be Continued insha'Allah .

[Mohammed Abd-ElAal]

You can find the complete article in Arabic : http://www.nabulsi.com/text/10nadwat...11-920-22b.php