Qur'aanic Verse 103:3:
Transliteration:
3. Illa allatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati watawasaw bialhaqqi watawasaw bialssabri
Translation:
3. But not those among them who believe and do good deeds, and exhort
one another to Truth, and exhort one another to patience.1
Study Note:
1. The fundamental truth
laid down in Verses 2 and 3 here is preceded, for emphasis, by the divine oath taken
on Time as in Verse 1 above. Time is of critical essence for mankind. They have
been allotted a fixed time on this earth to prove themselves eligible for
Paradise. And they have not been given the knowledge as to the quantum of the
fixed time. They do not know when that fixed time will come to an end. So they
cannot afford to waste any time at their disposal. And yet most people remain
blissfully unaware of the precious time ticking away. For them is Paradise
Lost! Paradise Gained is only for those few who satisfy all the four criteria
mentioned in this 3rd Verse of the Chapter. It is not enough that
one believes and does good deeds; one has also to spell out the truth even if
it hurts one’s own self or one’s own kith and kin. One has necessarily
therefore to exercise patience.
An extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.
