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dhālika bi-ʾanna lladhīna kafarū ttabaʿū l-bāṭila wa-ʾanna lladhīna ʾāmanū ttabaʿū l-ḥaqqa min rabbihim ka-dhālika yaḍribu llāhu li-n-nāsi ʾamthālahum
That is because the faithless follow falsehood, and the faithful follow the truth from their Lord. That is how Allah draws comparisons for mankind.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Muhammad - Verse 3
3. That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood, while those who believe follow the truth [sent down] by their Lord. Thus does Allah set forth for mankind their parables [for their awakening].
One of the Qur’anic didactic techniques attested in a number of Verses is to draw a distinction between the fates of believers and disbelievers. In the Verse in question, belief and disbelief are distinguished as per truth and falsehood which reveals the Qur’anic logic in Its encounter with foes.
“That”
(dhalika) in the blessed Verse is a demonstrative pronoun whose antecedent are the disbelievers and it signifies the vanity of their deeds. Since they followed their vain desires and proceeded on the path of falsehood, their deeds reflect their inner self, even though seemingly good, their deeds would be rendered vain since their motives rested in the pleasures of the flesh rather than obtaining Divine Satisfaction and were done out of disobedience to God and following their concupiscence and Satan.
Whoever does such deeds, his deeds will be rendered vain and devoid of truth since truth is restricted to God and the followers of falsehood remain in error. The Holy Qur’an says:
“That is because Allah – He is the Truth and what they invoke besides Him is falsehood” 5 .
Thus God strikes a parable saying that good and righteous deeds depend on believing in Divine Unity and the prophethood of His Messenger. When the heart rests truly on the firm ground of faith, deeds stemming from it will be of effect and constancy since man’s truth lies in his heart which accommodates faith and serves as the reservoir of piety. In case it is corrupted through disbelief, all deeds will be rendered vain and ineffective. Thus it becomes evident that the recompense of one’s deeds depends on the firmness or frailty of faith. The firmer one’s faith and certitude become the effects and the rewards of one’s deeds will be higher and the same will purify the heart from vices.
Footnotes