Welcome to our weekly program "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Quran. We start from where we left you last Friday and here is ayah 39 of Surah Roum:

"That which you give as gift in order that it may increase people’s wealth does not increase with Allah. But what you pay as zakāt seeking Allah’s pleasure —it is they who will be given a manifold increase."

In the last edition of Path towards Enlightenment that we presented to you a fortnight ago, we discussed the divine commandment to grant to the relatives their rights by providing them of what God has given us, as well as to respond to the needs of the poor and the travelers who might be in straitened circumstance due to their being aware from their homes; through donations and charity. The ayah that we recited to you now refers to two kinds of expending: one of which is for the cause of Allah, and the other is for the purpose of attaining worldly wealth. The concept of the second part of the ayah, that is, giving Zakat and expending in the path of Allah which causes abundant compensation and an immense reward, is clear, but as for the first part of the ayah, concerning the Arabic word “riba”, which originally means ‘increase’, the commentators have cited different interpretation. The explanation which is the most clear one and is the most consistent with the concept of the ayah and adapts to the narrations of the Infallible Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, is that its purpose is the gifts and presents that some present to others, especially to the rich and those in power, hoping to receive some more and better reward from them. It is obvious that the giving of these gifts is not for the sake of God and neither do they go to the deserving. In other words, in giving such presents, the need or the eligibility of those to whom they are being given, is not considered, but all attention is focused on the wealth and power of the recipients, so that they give something else in return. Thus, such gifts or presents, though not unlawful, are not for the sake of God and are worthless from the point of ethics and spiritual aspects, since sincerity is not involved and neither is the intention to help the deserving. According to Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), the 6^th Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), “riba” or interest is of two kinds: “One is lawful and the other is unlawful. The lawful interest is that one lends his (Muslim) brother (something) as a loan hoping that when he returns it, he adds something to what he has taken from him without any condition between them, and if the borrower gives the lender something more than that which he has taken without any condition between them, this excess is lawful for him, but there will be no reward for him with Allah concerning this loan, and this is what the Qur’an means when it says “does not increase with Allah”. But the unlawful excess is the case that one loans someone with the condition that he returns it with something added to it. This is the unlawful interest (usury).”

Therefore, in light of this explanation it is zakat or charity given to the deserving that will earn the pleasure of God Almighty and entail manifold increase in rewards.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. Even in charity, what is important is the intention of the giver and not the type and amount.
2. Deeds have worth and value when they are done for the sake of God and with sincerity of intention.  
3. The world is a market in which a group deals with people to gain profits in this world, while another enters into transaction with God Almighty to achieve lasting rewards in afterlife.

Now we listen and read ayah 40 of Surah Roum:

"It is Allah Who created you and then He provided for you, then He makes you die, then He will bring you to life. Is there anyone among your partners who does anything of that kind? Immaculate is He and exalted above [having] any partners that they ascribe [to Him]!"

This ayah points to the unique role of God in the world of creation, by drawing our attention to the fact that our life and death, our resurrection, our past, present and future, as well as our sustenance are all in accordance with the Will of the One and Only Creator of the universe. The topic here is Origin and Resurrection in order to jolt the minds of the polytheists who ascribe partners to God, Who is Immaculate and above any need, which means the lifeless objects and the imaginary things the polytheists worship as deities have no power and no role in in any matter. The gist of this ayah is that since every minute matter is in the Power of God, only He is worthy of worship, and it is a cardinal sin to worship idols or indulge in polytheism.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. The beginning and the end, the origin of mankind and resurrection after death, the past, present and future, are all in accordance with the Will of God, which means only He should be worshipped, without any partners being ascribed to Him.  
2. The idols which the polytheists have crafted with their hands, and the imaginary deities that evolve in their warped minds, are nothing, and only lead to disastrous consequences in afterlife for these types of sinners. 

Now we listen and read ayahs 41 and 42 of Surah Roum:

"Corruption has appeared in land and sea because of the doings of the people’s hands, that He may make them taste something of what they have done, so that they may come back."

"Say, ‘Travel over the land and then observe how was the fate of those who were before [you], most of whom were polytheists."

These ayahs mean to say that our deeds at times effect the world of nature and the seasonal cycles. In other words, the evil deeds and abominable sins of mankind, lead to disasters in land and at sea, resulting in scarcity of rainfall, famines, floods, earthquakes, and other undesirable phenomena. The root of all natural catastrophes are not just atheism, polytheism and agnosticism, but violation of the social and personal laws decreed by God for preservation of chastity, and moral growth of the society. Hence, when even those who claim to be believers and monotheists, indulge in sins of the flesh, whether covertly or overtly, and cause mischief in society through oppression of others, unfair dealings, looting of public and private properties, and legislating laws that contradict Islam and the shari’a, they are inviting divine wrath in the form of catastrophes of nature. Of course, the punishment in afterlife for such persons will be even more terrible. The intention here is to arouse the consciousness in those with even a grain of conscience, so that they may give up sins, repent and reform themselves and the society, so as to avert the consequences of their evil deeds that God makes the unrepentant sinners taste.  In view of these facts, the next ayah urges both believers and non-believers to travel around to different regions, study history and geography, pay attention to the condition of people, and observe the ruins of past civilizations, in order to realize the terrible fate that befell those who had built empires and considered themselves powerful and wealthy.

It is interesting that the holy Qur’an consider polytheism the root of all sins and corruption and the factor of annihilation, while the source of real prosperity, is monotheism and servitude to the One and Only God.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Sins and evil deeds of the individual and the society disrupt the system of nature and result in natural catastrophes.
2. The environment and ecology, whether in the land or at sea, have direct relationship with the deeds of the best of creatures, that is, mankind, since the world of nature is a trust, which should not be corrupted.
3. Islam urges mankind to travel around the lands and learn the lessons by observing the fate of those who had sinned in the past, as is evident by the ruins of their civilizations.
4. If the majority of people of a society indulge in sins, disbelief, and corruption, the society will be exposed to divine wrath, and this requires the true believers to leave such places and migrate.