UPDATE 4/20 11:59 AM: Here is an English translation of the below video message:
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NOTE: The title to the below video message is from Qur’ānic verse 2:208:
يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً
وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ
إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
O you who have faith!
Enter into submission, all together, and do not follow in Satan’s steps;
he is indeed your manifest enemy.
Here is the asbāb al-nuzūl (occasions of revelation) for this verse:
(O ye who believe! Come, all of you, into submission (unto Him)…) [2:208]. Abu Nu’aym al-Asfahani informed me, in one of the narration that he authorized me to narrate from him> Sulayman ibn Ahmad> Bakr ibn Sahl> ‘Abd al-Ghaniyy ibn Sa’id> Musa ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-San’ani> Ibn Jurayj> ‘Ata’> ibn ‘Abbas that he said: “This verse was revealed about ‘Abd Allah ibn Salam and his followers. This is because when they believed in the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, they observed the laws that he brought forth while still observing the laws of Moses. They observed the Sabbath and shunned the meat and milk of camels after they embraced Islam. Some Muslims reproached them for this but they defended themselves by saying that they could observe both. They said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: ‘The Torah is the Book of Allah, so let us observe its teachings’. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed this verse”.
And here are some tafāsīr (Qur’ānic exegesis) from some leading Muslim mufassirūn (those who conduct Qur’ānic exegesis) in Islamic history with regard to the above:
Jalālayn:
The following verse was revealed regarding ‘Abd Allāh b. Salām and his companions, who after converting to Islam still observed the Sabbath with reverence and were averse to [the consumption of] camels: O you who believe, come, all of you, into submission (read al-salm or al-silm), that is, Islam; kāffatan is a circumstantial qualifier referring to al-silm, meaning, into all of its precepts; and follow not the steps, the ways, of Satan, that is, his temptations to you by way of creating divisions; he is a manifest foe to you, one whose enmity is obvious.
Ibn ‘Abbās:
(O ye who believe! Come, all of you, into submission) come all of you to the prescriptions of the Religion of Muhammad (pbuh); (and follow not the footsteps of the devil) follow not the embellishments of the devil regarding the unlawfulness of the Sabbath, the meat of camels and other things. (Lo! He is an open enemy for you) whose enmity is quite manifest.
Ibn Kathīr:
Allah commands His servants who believe in Him and have faith in His Messenger to implement all of Islam’s legislation and law, to adhere to all of its commandments, as much as they can, and to refrain from all of its prohibitions. `Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said, and also Mujahid, Tawus, Ad-Dahhak, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said that Allah’s statement:
[ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ]
(Enter Silm) means Islam. Allah’s statement:
[كَآفَّةً]
(…perfectly) means, in its entirety. This is the Tafsir of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Abu Al-`Aliyah, `Ikrimah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, As-Suddi, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak. Mujahid said that the Ayah means, `Perform all the good works and the various pious deeds, this is especially addressed to those from among the People of the Scripture who embraced the faith.’
Ibn Abu Hatim reported that Ibn `Abbas said that:
[يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً]
(O you who believe! Enter Silm perfectly) refers to the believers among the People of the Scripture. This is because they believed in Allah, some of them still followed some parts of the Tawrah and the previous revelations. So Allah said:
[ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً]
(Enter Islam perfectly.) Allah thus commanded them to embrace the legislation of the religion of Muhammad in its entirety and to avoid abandoning any part of it. They should no longer adhere to the Tawrah.
Allah then said:
[وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ]
(…and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan) meaning, perform the acts of worship and avoid what Satan commands you to do. This is because:
[إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِالسُّوءِ وَالْفَحْشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ]
(He (Shaytan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha’ (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not.) (2:169) and:
[إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُواْ مِنْ أَصْحَـبِ السَّعِيرِ]
(He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.) (35:6) Hence, Allah said:
[إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ]
(Verily, he is to you an open enemy.)
Allah said:
[فَإِن زَلَلْتُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْكُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ]
(Then if you slide back after the clear signs have come to you) meaning, if you deviate from the Truth after clear proofs have been established against you,
[فَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ]
(…then know that Allah is All-Mighty) in His punishment, and no one can escape His vengeance or defeat Him.
[حَكِيمٌ]
(All-Wise) in His decisions, actions and rulings. Hence Abu Al-`Aliyah, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said, “He is Mighty in His vengeance, Wise in His decision.”
[هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الْغَمَامِ وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ وَقُضِىَ الأَمْرُ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الأُمُورُ ]
(210. Do they then wait for anything other than that Allah should come to them over the shadows of the clouds and the angels (Then) the case would be already judged. And to Allah return all matters (for decision).)
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