Fearing God, happiness and the guided in Islam: beautiful verse of Quran

From: www.wisdomtoislam.com

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
3:102. O ye who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
3:103. And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah.s favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.
3:104. Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.
3:105. Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving Clear Signs: For them is a dreadful penalty,-
Source
Tafseer (interpretation and explanation):
The following is inspired – with some additions and changes – from Yusuf Ali’s Tafseer of (3:102 to 105) these few verses in his book The Meaning Of The Holy Quran:
Types of fear and their difference from fear from God:
There are four types of fear:
the abject fear of the coward;
the fear of a child or an inexperienced person in the face of an unknown danger;
the fear of a reasonable man who wishes to avoid harm to himself or to people who he wishes to protect;
the reverence which is akin to love, for it fears to do anything which is not pleasing to the object of love;
The first form of fear is unworthy of man; the second is necessary for one spiritually immature; the third is mainly precaution against evil as long as it is unconquered; and the fourth is the seed-bed of righteousness. Those (who are) mature in faith cultivate the fourth (type of fear); at earlier stages, the third or the second may be necessary; they are fears but not the fear of Allah. The first is a feeling of which anyone should be ashamed of. In the Quranic terms, fearing Allah is an absolute necessity for those who are endued with knowledge; they fear disobedience ways that would cause His displeasure with them and they fear Him who is “strict in punishment.”
We should not die, except in the state of Islam
We are commanded to die not except in a state of Islam – meaning submission to Allah in peace in every sense – we are being directed to have our whole being permeated with Islam, both in a spiritual sense as well as obeying God’s commands in living our lives, which are not a merely veneer or an outward show.
What does the rope of Allah mean?
The simile of the “Rope” is that of a people struggling in deep water, to whom a benevolent Providence stretches out a strong and unbreakable rope of rescue. If all hold fast to it together, their mutual support adds to the chance of their safety and survival both in this world and the next.
God joins the hearts of believers in love
The reminder that mankind were enemies and “He joined your hearts in love” has both historical and metaphorical implications. It, firstly, addresses the civil and tribal feuds and dissensions before the Messenger of God, Muhammad (pbuh) set sacred feet on its soil, and after that the City of Prophet – Madinah – was established in unmatched brotherhood and the pivot of Islam. But most importantly, it refers to the state of God-conscious love that He puts in the hearts of those who believe in Him that is extremely above and beyond in intensity to that of what most people regard as “love”; in His name and in His remembrance remembrance those who believe and follow His commandments become increasingly close to each other in love and protection of one another.
Salvation and happiness in the Quran:
The state of felicity in verse 104 refers to the root idea of attainment of happiness in this world and the next; success, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, care, or disturbed state of mind – the opposite of which that is stated in the next verse (not mentioned above), which includes: failure, misery, worry, punishment, penalty, agony and anguish. True Muslim(s) (the one who submmits to God in peace) is happy, untroubled by conflicts or doubts, sure of himself or herself, strong, united and prosperous, because he or she is not firm in her belief but aslo invites to all that is good, enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong.
As always all praises are due to Allah and Allah knows best.

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Tags: Beautiful verses of the Quran, Quran Tafseer, Salvation in Islam