Riasat Islam

Here, it assumes the titanic train dataset from Kaggle. The embarked variable has S, Q and C. So, converting them to 0, 1, 2 respectively.

a = zeros(length(train.Embarked),1); for i = 1:length(train.Embarked)    if strcmp(train.Embarked{i}, 'Q');        a(i) = 1;    elseif strcmp(train.Embarked{i}, 'C');        a(i) = 2;    end

To replace the missing data with mean values,

colMean = nanmean(A); [row,col] = find(isnan(A)); A(isnan(A)) = colMean(col);

To replace the missing data with median values,

dir_to_search = 'C:\Programs and Data\Robert\Test173\';

txtpattern = fullfile(dir_to_search, '*.txt');

dinfo = dir(txtpattern);

for K = 1 : length(dinfo)  thisfilename = fullfile(dir_to_search, dinfo(K).name);  %just the name  thisdata = load(thisfilename); %load just this file  fprintf( 'File #%d, "%s", maximum value was: %g\n', K, thisfilename, max(thisdata(:)) );   %do something with the data end

For my use, just change the “load” function to imread. You can also, use “parfor” to speed up the loop for large data files.

From wikipedia, A chord diagram is a graphical method of displaying the inter-relationships between data in a matrix. The data is arranged radially around a circle with the relationships between the points typically drawn as arcs connecting the data together.The format can be aesthetically pleasing, making it a popular choice in the world of data visualization.

Chord diagrams are also known as radial network diagrams and may sometimes be referred to as a type of circular layout.

To plot a Chord Diagram with R, I am going to use the “circlize” library.

library(circlize)

Lets take a simple square data matrix for this example.

A = data mat = as.matrix(A) chordDiagram(mat, annotationTrack = "grid", preAllocateTracks = list(track.height = 0.3)) circos.trackPlotRegion(track.index = 1, panel.fun = function(x, y) { xlim = get.cell.meta.data("xlim") ylim = get.cell.meta.data("ylim") sector.name = get.cell.meta.data("sector.index") circos.text(mean(xlim), ylim[1], sector.name, facing = "clockwise", niceFacing = TRUE, adj = c(0, 0.5))}, bg.border = NA)

These few lines of code will generate this fancy chord diagram. Quite easy, init?

Sometimes you need to subset a large dataframe, select specific columns and make a new dataframe. To do this you can easily do that using Pandas but when you are dealing with larger files there’s a trick taking help from another python3 package called Numpy. This package gives Matlab like functionalities in Python.

So lets get started by importing Numpy.

>>> import numpy as np >>> import pandas as pd >>> myCSV = pd.read_csv('C:\\Downloads\\TB_outcomes_2016-04-20.csv')

Just trying to check the dimensions of the dataframe.

>>> shape(myCSV) (4274, 72)

So, it looks like having 72 columns. Why not create a dataframe having only the odd columns?

>>> a = linspace(1, 71, 36) >>> a array([ 1., 3., 5., 7., 9., 11., 13., 15., 17., 19., 21., 23., 25., 27., 29., 31., 33., 35., 37., 39., 41., 43., 45., 47., 49., 51., 53., 55., 57., 59., 61., 63., 65., 67., 69., 71.])

That's awesome but we have all of them as decimal or rather floating point numbers. So, need to fix that one and align them in a row.

>>> colsOdd = hstack((a.astype(int))) >>> colsOdd array([ 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71])

>>> myCSV_odds = myCSV[myCSV.columns[colsOdd]] >>> myCSV_odds iso2 iso_numeric year new_sp_coh new_sp_cmplt new_sp_fail 0 AF 4 1994 NaN NaN NaN 1 AF 4 1995 NaN NaN NaN 2 AF 4 1996 NaN NaN NaN 3 AF 4 1997 2001 108 22 4 AF 4 1998 2913 199 23 c_new_sp_tsr new_snep_cmplt new_snep_fail c_new_snep_tsr ... \ 0 NaN NaN NaN NaN ... 1 NaN NaN NaN NaN ... 2 NaN NaN NaN NaN ... 3 45 NaN NaN NaN ... 4 33 NaN NaN NaN ... ... ... ... ... 4244 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4245 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4246 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4247 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4248 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4249 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4250 2 NaN NaN NaN 4251 2 NaN NaN NaN 4252 2 NaN NaN NaN 4253 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4254 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4255 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4256 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4257 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4258 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4259 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4260 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4261 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4262 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4263 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4264 0 NaN NaN NaN 4265 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4266 0 NaN NaN NaN 4267 NaN NaN NaN NaN 4268 NaN 0 NaN NaN 4269 0 0 0 0 4270 2 0 0 0 4271 9 0 0 0 4272 26 NaN NaN NaN 4273 NaN NaN NaN NaN [4274 rows x 36 columns]

Sometimes you might need to edit the content of the data file consecutively. So, doing it by hand becomes inconvenient if the data is too big.

Lets start by importing pandas and reading a CSV file as dataframe.

>>> import pandas as pd Backend TkAgg is interactive backend. Turning interactive mode on. >>> myCSV = pd.read_csv('C:\\Downloads\\TB_outcomes_2016-04-20.csv') >>> print(myCSV) country iso2 iso3 iso_numeric g_whoregion year rep_meth 0 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1994 NaN 1 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1995 NaN 2 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1996 NaN 3 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1997 100 4 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1998 100 5 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1999 100 6 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2000 100 7 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2001 100 8 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2002 100 9 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2003 100 10 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2004 100 11 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2005 100 12 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2006 100 13 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2007 100 14 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2008 100 15 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2009 100 16 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2010 100 17 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2011 100 18 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2012 NaN 19 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2013 NaN 20 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1994 NaN 21 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1995 NaN 22 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1996 NaN 23 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1997 NaN 24 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1998 NaN 25 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1999 NaN 26 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2000 NaN 27 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2001 100 28 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2002 100 29 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2003 100 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4244 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2004 100 4245 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2005 100 4246 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2006 100 4247 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2007 102 4248 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2008 100 4249 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2009 102 4250 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2010 102 4251 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2011 102 4252 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2012 NaN 4253 Zambia ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2013 NaN 4254 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1994 100 4255 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1995 100 4256 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1996 100 4257 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1997 100 4258 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1998 100 4259 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1999 100 4260 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2000 100 4261 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2001 100 4262 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2002 100 4263 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2003 100 4264 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2004 100 4265 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2005 100 4266 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2006 100 4267 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2007 100 4268 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2008 100 4269 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2009 100 4270 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2010 100 4271 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2011 NaN 4272 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2012 NaN 4273 Zimbabwe ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2013 NaN

Now lets manipulate the Country column by removing the last 2 letters and inserting "_2". Taking the first 3 and inserting "_". Nothing in particular just showing some manipulation operation.

>>> index = 3 >>> myCSV['country'] = myCSV['country'].map(lambda x: str(x)[:-2]) >>> myCSV['country'] = myCSV['country'].astype(str) + '_2' >>> myCSV['country'] = myCSV['country'].str[:index] + '_' + myCSV['country'].str[index:] >>> print(myCSV) country iso2 iso3 iso_numeric g_whoregion year rep_meth \ 0 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 1994 NaN 1 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 1995 NaN 2 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 1996 NaN 3 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 1997 100 4 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 1998 100 5 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 1999 100 6 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2000 100 7 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2001 100 8 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2002 100 9 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2003 100 10 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2004 100 11 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2005 100 12 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2006 100 13 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2007 100 14 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2008 100 15 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2009 100 16 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2010 100 17 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2011 100 18 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2012 NaN 19 Afg_hanist_2 AF AFG 4 EMR 2013 NaN 20 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 1994 NaN 21 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 1995 NaN 22 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 1996 NaN 23 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 1997 NaN 24 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 1998 NaN 25 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 1999 NaN 26 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 2000 NaN 27 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 2001 100 28 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 2002 100 29 Alb_an_2 AL ALB 8 EUR 2003 100 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4244 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2004 100 4245 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2005 100 4246 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2006 100 4247 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2007 102 4248 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2008 100 4249 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2009 102 4250 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2010 102 4251 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2011 102 4252 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2012 NaN 4253 Zam_b_2 ZM ZMB 894 AFR 2013 NaN 4254 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1994 100 4255 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1995 100 4256 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1996 100 4257 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1997 100 4258 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1998 100 4259 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 1999 100 4260 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2000 100 4261 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2001 100 4262 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2002 100 4263 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2003 100 4264 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2004 100 4265 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2005 100 4266 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2006 100 4267 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2007 100 4268 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2008 100 4269 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2009 100 4270 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2010 100 4271 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2011 NaN 4272 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2012 NaN 4273 Zim_bab_2 ZW ZWE 716 AFR 2013 NaN

You have transposed the dataframe on the previous post. Lets use that to write to a CSV file.

Before doing that, its always a good idea to reset the indices incase the transposed version gets a bit messy. Not in this case though. But, in general.

>>> myCSV_t = myCSV_t.reset_index() >>> print(myCSV_t) country index Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan 0 countrycode_iso2 AF AF AF AF 1 iso3 AFG AFG AFG AFG 2 iso_numeric 4 4 4 4 3 g_whoregion EMR EMR EMR EMR 4 yr 1994 1995 1996 1997 5 rep_meth NaN NaN NaN 100 6 new_sp_coh NaN NaN NaN 2001 7 new_sp_cur NaN NaN NaN 786 8 new_sp_cmplt NaN NaN NaN 108 9 new_sp_died NaN NaN NaN 33 10 new_sp_fail NaN NaN NaN 22

Now lets see write it to a CSV file.

>>> myCSV_t.to_csv('Tuberculosis_WHO.csv', index=False)

The dataframe currently looks like this,

>>> print(myCSV) countrycode_iso2 iso3 iso_numeric g_whoregion yr rep_meth \ country Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1994 NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1995 NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1996 NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1997 100 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1998 100

Lets transpose it,

>>> myCSV_t = myCSV.T >>> print(myCSV_t) country Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan \ countrycode_iso2 AF AF AF AF AF iso3 AFG AFG AFG AFG AFG iso_numeric 4 4 4 4 4 g_whoregion EMR EMR EMR EMR EMR yr 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 rep_meth NaN NaN NaN 100 100 new_sp_coh NaN NaN NaN 2001 2913 new_sp_cur NaN NaN NaN 786 772 new_sp_cmplt NaN NaN NaN 108 199 new_sp_died NaN NaN NaN 33 48 new_sp_fail NaN NaN NaN 22 23 new_sp_def NaN NaN NaN 164 168 c_new_sp_tsr NaN NaN NaN 45 33 new_snep_coh NaN NaN NaN NaN NaN

On a previous post we looked at how to read a CSV file using Pandas and subsequently save it as a dataframe.

Lets use that dataframe and edit some of the column names. This is how the dataframe looks in the python console,

>>> print(myCSV) iso2 iso3 iso_numeric g_whoregion year rep_meth new_sp_coh \ country Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1994 NaN NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1995 NaN NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1996 NaN NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1997 100 2001 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1998 100 2913 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1999 100 2039 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2000 100 3136 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2001 100 6292 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2002 100 7780 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2003 100 6793 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2004 100 9976 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2005 100 10013 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2006 100 12468 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2007 100 13213 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2008 100 13136 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2009 100 12497 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2010 100 12947 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2011 100 13789 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2012 NaN NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 2013 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1994 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1995 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1996 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1997 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1998 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 1999 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2000 NaN NaN Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2001 100 171 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2002 100 225 Albania AL ALB 8 EUR 2003 100 212 ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Now lets change the column name “year” to “yr” and “iso2” to “countrycode_iso2”

>>> myCSV.columns.values[0] = "countrycode_iso2" >>> myCSV.columns.values[4] = "yr" >>> print(myCSV) countrycode_iso2 iso3 iso_numeric g_whoregion yr rep_meth \ country Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1994 NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1995 NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1996 NaN Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1997 100 Afghanistan AF AFG 4 EMR 1998 100

I will demonstrate reading CSV file using the Pandas package on Python 3. I use PyCharm IDE by JetBrains. Once I used IntelliJ IDEA for Java and since then have sticked with JetBrains’ IDEs.  Before we start you need to download and install the Pandas package.

Once you are done and ready, lets get hold of a csv data file.

So, I went on to the WHO website that provides some data in csv format.

Here’s the link: http://www.who.int/tb/country/data/download/en/

I downloaded the TB(Tuberculosis) treatment outcomes data.

Here’s it how it looks.

Open up a python console, write the following code to import Pandas and read the CSV file. Note that, I am using a Windows machine, hence, the file directory is written in Windows manner. For, Unix based machines this segment will be different.

import pandas as pd myCSV = pd.read_csv('C:\\Downloads\\TB_outcomes_2016-04-20.csv', index_col=0)

Lets see how the file looks like in the python console. The variable “myCSV” saves the CSV file as a dataframe.

>>> print(myCSV)            iso2 iso3  iso_numeric g_whoregion  year  rep_meth  new_sp_coh  \ country                                                                       Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  1994       NaN         NaN   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  1995       NaN         NaN   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  1996       NaN         NaN   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  1997       100        2001   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  1998       100        2913   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  1999       100        2039   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2000       100        3136   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2001       100        6292   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2002       100        7780   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2003       100        6793   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2004       100        9976   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2005       100       10013   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2006       100       12468   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2007       100       13213   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2008       100       13136   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2009       100       12497   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2010       100       12947   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2011       100       13789   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2012       NaN         NaN   Afghanistan   AF  AFG            4         EMR  2013       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  1994       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  1995       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  1996       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  1997       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  1998       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  1999       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  2000       NaN         NaN   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  2001       100         171   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  2002       100         225   Albania       AL  ALB            8         EUR  2003       100         212           ...  ...          ...         ...   ...       ...         ...  

You can see that the empty cells are automatically detected by python and assigning “NaN” to all of them.

The last part of the output shows the Row and Column numbers.              ...       ...       ...   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zambia            NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe            0         0         0   Zimbabwe            0         0         0   Zimbabwe            0         0         0   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN   Zimbabwe          NaN       NaN       NaN  

[4274 rows x 71 columns]

Reading CSV files is quite straight forward with Python 3.

Continuation of Tafsir of verses starting with  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ (O Mankind!) from Ibn Kathir.

﴿يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ بُرْهَانٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ نُوراً مُّبِيناً - فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَاعْتَصَمُواْ بِهِ فَسَيُدْخِلُهُمْ فِى رَحْمَةٍ مَّنْهُ وَفَضْلٍ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَيْهِ صِرَطاً مُّسْتَقِيماً ﴾

(174. O mankind! Verily, there has come to you a convincing proof from your Lord; and We sent down to you a manifest light.) (175. So, as for those who believed in Allah and held fast to ﴿depend on﴾ Him, He will admit them to His mercy and grace (i.e. Paradise), and guide them to Himself by a straight path.)

The Description of the Revelation that Came From Allah

Allah informs all people that a plain, unequivocal proof has come to them from Him. One that eradicates all possibility of having an excuse, or falling prey to evil doubts. Allah said,

﴿وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ نُوراً مُّبِيناً﴾

(and We sent down to you a manifest light.) that directs to the Truth. Ibn Jurayj and others said, "It is the Qur'an.''

﴿فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَاعْتَصَمُواْ بِهِ﴾

(So, as for those who believed in Allah and held fast to ﴿depend on﴾ Him,) by worshipping Him and relying on Him for each and every thing. Ibn Jurayj said that this part of the Ayah means, "They believe in Allah and hold fast to the Qur'an.''

﴿فَسَيُدْخِلُهُمْ فِى رَحْمَةٍ مَّنْهُ وَفَضْلٍ﴾

(He will admit them to His mercy and grace,) meaning, He will grant them His mercy and admit them into Paradise, and will increase and multiply their rewards and their ranks, as a favor and bounty from Him.

﴿وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَيْهِ صِرَطاً مُّسْتَقِيماً﴾

(and guide them to Himself by a straight path.) and a clear way that has no wickedness in it or deviation. This, indeed, is the description of the believers in this life and the Hereafter, as they are on the straight and safe path in matters of action and creed. In the Hereafter, they are on the straight path of Allah that leads to the gardens of Paradise.

Continuation of Tafsir of verses starting with  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ (O Mankind!) from Ibn Kathir.

يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُمُ الرَّسُولُ بِالْحَقِّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَـَامِنُواْ خَيْراً لَّكُمْ وَإِن تَكْفُرُواْ فَإِنَّ للَّهِ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيماً حَكِيماً

(170. O mankind! Verily, there has come to you the Messenger with the truth from your Lord. So believe in him, it is better for you. But if you disbelieve, then certainly to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.)

The Reason Behind Sending the Prophets is to Establish the Proof

﴿يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُمُ الرَّسُولُ بِالْحَقِّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَـَامِنُواْ خَيْراً لَّكُمْ﴾

(O mankind! Verily, there has come to you the Messenger with the truth from your Lord, so believe in him, it is better for you.) This Ayah means, Muhammad has come to you with guidance, the religion of truth and clear proof from Allah. Therefore, believe in what he has brought you and follow him, for this is better for you. Allah then said,

﴿وَإِن تَكْفُرُواْ فَإِنَّ للَّهِ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ﴾

(But if you disbelieve, then certainly to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth.) Allah is far too rich than to need you or your faith, and no harm could ever affect Him because of your disbelief. Allah said in another Ayah,

﴿وَقَالَ مُوسَى إِن تَكْفُرُواْ أَنتُمْ وَمَن فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ ﴾

(And Musa said: "If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily, Allah is Rich (Free of all needs), Owner of all praise.'') Allah said here,

﴿وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيماً﴾

(And Allah is Ever All-Knowing,) He knows those who deserve to be guided, and He will guide them. He also knows those who deserve deviation, and He leads them to it,

﴿حَكِيماً﴾

(All-Wise) in His statements, actions, legislation and all that He decrees.

Continuation of Tafsir of verses starting with  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ (O Mankind!) from Ibn Kathir.

﴿يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَآءً وَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ الَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالاٌّرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيباً ﴾

(1. O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his mate, and from them both He created many men and women, and have Taqwa of Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and revere the wombs. Surely, Allah is always watching over you.)

The Command to have Taqwa, a Reminder about Creation, and Being Kind to Relatives

Allah commands His creatures to have Taqwa of Him by worshipping Him Alone without partners. He also reminds to them of His ability, in that He created them all from a single person, Adam, peace be unto him.

﴿وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا﴾

(And from him He created his wife) Hawwa' (Eve), who was created from Adam's left rib, from his back while he was sleeping. When Adam woke up and saw Hawwa', he liked her and had affection for her, and she felt the same toward him. An authentic Hadith states,

«إِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ خُلِقَتْ مِنْ ضِلَعٍ، وَإِنَّ أَعْوَجَ شَيْءٍ فِي الضِّلَعِ أَعْلَاهُ، فَإِنْ ذَهَبْتَ تُقِيمُهُ كَسَرْتَهُ، وَإِنِ اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهَا اسْتَمْتَعْتَ بِهَا وَفِيهَا عِوَج»

(Woman was created from a rib. Verily, the most curved portion of the rib is its upper part, so, if you should try to straighten it, you will break it, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked.) Allah's statement,

﴿وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَآءً﴾

(And from them both He created many men and women;) means, Allah created from Adam and Hawwa' many men and women and distributed them throughout the world in various shapes, characteristics, colors and languages. In the end, their gathering and return will be to Allah. Allah then said,

﴿وَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ الَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالاٌّرْحَامَ﴾

(And have Taqwa of Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights) and revere the wombs), protect yourself from Allah by your acts of obedience to Him. Allah's statement,

﴿الَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِ﴾

(through Whom you demand your mutual (rights)), is in reference to when some people say, "I ask you by Allah, and then by the relation of the Rahim (the womb, i.e. my relationship to you)'', according to Ibrahim, Mujahid and Al-Hasan. Ad-Dahhak said; "Fear Allah Whom you invoke when you conduct transactions and contracts.'' "And revere the womb by not cutting the relations of the womb, but keep and honor them, as Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi`, and others have stated. Allah's statement,

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيباً﴾

(Surely, Allah is always watching over you.) means, He watches all your deeds and sees your every circumstance. In another Ayah, Allah said;

﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ﴾

(And Allah is Witness over all things.) ﴿58:6﴾. An authentic Hadith states,

«اعْبُدِاللهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ،فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاك»

(Worship Allah as if you see Him, for even though you cannot see Him, He sees you.) This part of the Ayah encourages having a sense of certainty that Allah is always watching, in a complete and perfect manner. Allah mentioned that He has created mankind from a single father and a single mother, so that they feel compassion for each other and are kind to the weaker among them. In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Jarir bin `Abdullah Al-Bajali said that a delegation from Mudar came to the Messenger of Allah , and he saw their state, wearing striped woolen clothes due to poverty. After the Zuhr prayer, the Messenger of Allah stood up and gave a speech in which he recited,

﴿يَٰـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ﴾

(O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person,) until the end of the Ayah. He also recited,

﴿يٰأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ﴾

(O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the tomorrow) ﴿59:18﴾. He also encouraged them to give charity, saying,

«تَصَدَّقَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ دِينَارِهِ، مِنْ دِرْهَمِهِ، مِنْ صَاعِ بُرِّهِ، مِنْ صَاعِ تَمْرِه»

(A man gave Sadaqah from his Dinar, from his Dirham, from his Sa` of wheat, from his Sa` of dates) until the end of the Hadith. This narration was also collected by Ahmad and the Sunan compilers from Ibn Mas`ud.

Continuation of Tafsir of verses starting with  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ (O Mankind!) from Ibn Kathir. ﴿ يـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِى الاٌّرْضِ حَلَـلاً طَيِّباً وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴾إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِالسُّوء وَالْفَحْشَآء وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ- ﴾ (168. O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy.) (169. He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and Fahsha' (sinful), and that you should say about Allah what you know not.)

The Order to eat the Lawful Things, and the Prohibition of following the Footsteps of Shaytan

After Allah stated that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him and that He Alone created the creation, He stated that He is the Sustainer for all His creation, and He mentioned a favor that He granted them; He has allowed them to eat any of the pure lawful things on the earth that do not cause harm to the body or the mind. He also forbade them from following the footsteps of Shaytan, meaning his ways and methods with which he misguides his followers, like prohibiting the Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it), or Sa'ibah (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for the idols and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or a Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery), and all of the other things that Shaytan made attractive to them during the time of Jahiliyyah. Muslim recorded `Iyad bin Himar saying that Allah's Messenger said that Allah the Exalted says, يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى:إِنَّ كُلَّ مَالٍ مَنَحْتُهُ عِبَادِي فَهُوَ لَهُمْ حَلَالٌ، وَفِيهِ وَإِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ، فَجَاءَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ، وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُم» (`Every type of wealth I have endowed My servants is allowed for them...' (until), `I have created My servants Hunafa' (pure or upright), but the devils came to them and led them astray from their (true) religion and prohibited them from what I allowed for them. ')

Allah said:

﴿إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ﴾

(...he is to you an open enemy.)

warning against Satan. Allah said in another instance:

﴿إِنَّ الشَّيْطَـنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوّاً إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُواْ مِنْ أَصْحَـبِ السَّعِيرِ ﴾

(Surely, Shaytan is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.) (35:6), and:

﴿أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ بِئْسَ لِلظَّـلِمِينَ بَدَلاً﴾

(Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you What an evil is the exchange for the Zalimin (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc).) (18:50)

Qatadah and As-Suddi commented on what Allah said:

﴿وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطَـنِ﴾

(...and follow not the footsteps of Shaytan (Satan)):

Every act of disobedience to Allah is among the footsteps of Satan.

`Abd bin Humayd reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "Any vow or oath that one makes while angry, is among the footsteps of Shaytan and its expiation is that of the vow. '' Allah's statement:

﴿إِنَّمَا يَأْمُرُكُم بِالسُّوءِ وَالْفَحْشَآءِ وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

This is a series of verses where Allah says,    يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ (O Mankind!) 

Al-Baqara (The Cow) > [2:21] [2:168]

An-Nisa (The Women)> [4:1] [4:170] [4:174]

Al-A'raf (The Heights) > [7:158]

Yunus> [10:23] [10:57] [10:104] [10:108]

Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)> [22:73] [22:1] [22:5] [22:49]

An-Naml (The Ants)> [27:16]

Luqman (Luqman)> [31:33]

Fatir (The Originator of Creation)> [35:15] [35:3] [35:5]

Al-Hujurat (The Dwellings)> [49:13] 

So, today we start with the tafsir of verse 21 of Surah Baqarah from Ibn Kathir.

يَـأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِىْ خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ - الَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الاٌّرْضَ فِرَاشاً وَالسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَتِ رِزْقاً لَّكُمْ فَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ للَّهِ أَندَاداً وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(21. O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may acquire Taqwa.) (22. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped).)

Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah

Allah next mentioned His Oneness in divinity and stated that He has favored His servants by bringing them to life after they did not exist. He also surrounded them with blessings, both hidden and apparent. He made the earth a resting place for them, just like the bed, stable with the firm mountains.

﴿ وَالسَّمَآءَ بِنَآءً ﴾

(And the sky as a canopy) meaning, `a ceiling'. Similarly, Allah said in another Ayah,

﴿ وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَآءَ سَقْفاً مَّحْفُوظاً وَهُمْ عَنْ ءَايَـتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ ﴾

(And We have made the heaven a roof, safe and well-guarded. Yet they turn away from its signs (i.e. sun, moon, winds, clouds)) (21:32).

﴿ وَأَنزَلَ لَكُمْ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً ﴾

(And sends down for you water (rain) from the sky) meaning, through the clouds, when they need the rain. Hence, Allah caused the various types of vegetation and fruits to grow as a means of sustenance for people and their cattle. Allah reiterated this bounty in various parts of the Qur'an.

There is another Ayah that is similar to this Ayah (2:22), that is, Allah's statement,

﴿ الَّذِى جَعَـلَ لَكُـمُ الاٌّرْضَ قَـرَاراً وَالسَّمَآءَ بِنَـآءً وَصَوَّرَكُـمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُـمْ وَرَزَقَكُـمْ مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَـتِ ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُـمْ فَتَـبَـرَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ﴾

(It is He Who has made for you the earth as a dwelling place and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape and made your shapes good (looking) and has provided you with good things. That is Allah, your Lord, so Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all that exists) (40:64).

The meaning that is reiterated here is that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Owner and Provider of this life, all that is in and on it. Hence, He alone deserves to be worshipped, and no one and nothing is to be associated with Him. This is why Allah said next,

﴿ فَلاَ تَجْعَلُواْ للَّهِ أَندَاداً وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

(Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped)) (2:22).

The Two Sahihs record that Ibn Mas`ud said, "I said to the Messenger of Allah, `Which evil deed is the worst with Allah' He said,

« أَنْ تَجْعَلَ للهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَك »

(To take an equal with Allah, while He alone created you.)''

Also, Mu`adh narrated the Prophet's statement,

« أَتَدْرِي مَا حَقُّ اللهِ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ؟ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا يُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا »

(Do you know Allah's right on His servants They must worship Him alone and refrain from associating anything with Him in worship.) Another Hadith states,

« لَا يَقُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ وَشَاءَ فُلَانٌ، وَلكِنْ لِيَقُلْ: مَا شَاءَ اللهُ ثُمَّ شَاءَ فُلَان »

(None of you should say, `What Allah and so-and-so person wills. Rather, let him say, `What Allah wills, and then what so-and-so person wills.)

A Hadith with the same Meaning 

Imam Ahmad narrated that Al-Harith Al-Ash`ari said that the Prophet of Allah said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّوَجَلَّ أَمَرَ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ، وَأَنْ يَأْمُرَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ وَأَنَّهُ كَادَ أَنْ يُبْطِىءَ بِهَا،فَقَالَ لَهُ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: إِنَّكَ قَدْ أُمِرْتَ بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ وَتَأْمُرَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ فَإِمَّا أَنْ تُبَلِّغَهُمْ وَإمَّا أَنْ أُبَلِّغَهُنَّ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَخِي إِنِّي أَخْشَى إِنْ سَبَقْتَنِي أَنْ أُعَذَّبَ أَوْ يُخْسَفَ بِي قَالَ: فَجَمَعَ يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ حَتَّى امْتَلَأَ الْمَسْجِدُ، فَقَعَدَ عَلَى الشَّرَفِ فَحَمِدَ اللهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَنِي بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ أَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ وَآمُرَكُمْ أَنْ تَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ أَوَّلُهُنَّ: أَنْ تَعْبُدُوا اللهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا، فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اشْتَرَى عَبْدًا مِنْ خَالِصِ مَالِهِ بِوَرِقٍ أَوْ ذَهَبٍ فَجَعَلَ يَعْمَلُ وَيُؤَدِّي غَلَّتَهُ إِلى غَيْرِ سَيِّدِهِ، فَأَيُّكُمْ يَسُرُّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَبْدُهُ كَذلِكَ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ خَلَقَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا. وَآمُرَكُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَنْصِبُ وَجْهَهُ لِوَجْهِ عَبْدِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُمْ فَلَا تَلْتَفِتُوا. وَآمُرُكُمْ بِالصِّيَامِ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ مَعَهُ صُرَّةٌ مِنْ مِسْكٍ فِي عِصَابَةٍ كُلُّهُمْ يَجِدُ رِيحَ الْمِسْكِ وَإِنَّ خَلُوفَ فَمِ الصَّائِم أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ. وَآمُرُكُمْ بِالصَّدَقَةِ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَسَرَهُ الْعَدُوُّ فَشَدُّوا يَدَيْهِ إِلى عُنُقِهِ وَقَدَّمُوهُ لِيَضْرِبُوا عُنُقَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: هَلْ لَكُمْ أَنْ أَفْتَدِيَ نَفْسِي مِنْكُمْ فَجَعَلَ يَفْتَدِي نَفْسَهُ مِنْهُمْ بِالْقَلِيلِ وَالْكَثِيرِ حَتَّى فَكَّ نَفْسَهُ.وَآمُرُكُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللهِ كَثِيرًا وَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلِ طَلَبَهُ الْعَدُوُّ سِرَاعًا فِي أَثَرِهِ فَأَتَى حِصْنًا حَصِينًا فَتَحَصَّنَ فِيهِ وَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَأَحْصَنَ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذَا كَانَ فِي ذِكْرِ الله»

(Allah commanded Yahya bin Zakariya to implement five commands and to order the Children of Israel to implement them, but Yahya was slow in carrying out these commands. `Isa said to Yahya, `You were ordered to implement five commands and to order the Children of Israel to implement them. So either order, or I will do it.' Yahya said, 'My brother! I fear that if you do it before me, I will be punished or the earth will be shaken under my feet.' Hence, Yahya bin Zakariya called the Children of Israel to Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), until they filled the Masjid. He sat on the balcony, thanked Allah and praised him and then said, `Allah ordered me to implement five commandments and that I should order you to adhere to them. The first is that you worship Allah alone and not associate any with Him. The example of this command is the example of a man who bought a servant from his money with paper or gold. The servant started to work for the master, but was paying the profits to another person. Who among you would like his servant to do that Allah created you and sustains you. Therefore, worship Him alone and do not associate anything with Him. I also command you to pray, for Allah directs His Face towards His servant's face, as long as the servant does not turn away. So when you pray, do not turn your heads to and fro. I also command you to fast. The example of it is the example of a man in a group of men and he has some musk wrapped in a piece of cloth, and consequently, all of the group smells the scent of the wrapped musk. Verily, the odor of the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allah than the scent of musk. I also command you to give charity. The example of this is the example of a man who was captured by the enemy. They tied his hands to his neck and brought him forth to cut off his neck. He said to them, 'Can I pay a ransom for myself' He kept ransoming himself with small and large amounts until he liberated himself. I also command you to always remember Allah. The example of this deed is that of a man who the enemy is tirelessly pursuing. He takes refuge in a fortified fort. When the servant remembers Allah, he will be resorting to the best refuge from Satan.)

Al-Harith then narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

«وَأَنَا آمُرُكُمْ بِخَمْسٍ اللهُ أَمَرَنِي بِهِنَّ: الْجَمَاعَةِ وَالسَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ وَالْهِجْرَةِ وَالْجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْجَمَاعَةِ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رَبْقَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُرَاجِعَ وَمَنْ دَعَا بِدَعْوَى جَاهِلِيَّةٍ فَهُوَ مِنْ جُثَى جَهَنَّم»

قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ وَإِنْ صَامَ وَصَلَّى؟ فَقَالَ:

«وَإِنَّ صَلَّى وَصَامَ وَزَعَمَ أَنَّهُ مُسْلِمٌ، فَادْعُوا الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ عَلَى مَا سَمَّاهُمُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِبَادَ الله»

(And I order you with five commandments that Allah has ordered me. Stick to the Jama`ah (community of the faithful), listen and obey (your leaders) and perform Hijrah (migration) and Jihad for the sake of Allah. Whoever abandons the Jama`ah, even the distance of a hand span, will have removed the tie of Islam from his neck, unless he returns. Whoever uses the slogans of Jahiliyah (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) he will be among those kneeling in Jahannam (Hellfire).) They said, "O Messenger of Allah! Even if he prays and fasts'' He said, (Even if he prays, fasts and claims to be Muslim. So call the Muslims with their names that Allah has called them: `The Muslims, the believing servants of Allah.')

This is a Hasan Hadith, and it contains the statement, "Allah has created and sustains you, so worship Him and do not associate anything with Him in worship.'' This statement is relevant in the Ayat (2:21-22) we are discussing here and supports singling Allah in worship, without partners.

Signs of Allah's Existence

Several scholars of Tafsir, like Ar-Razi and others, used these Ayat as an argument for the existence of the Creator, and it is a most worthy method of argument. Indeed, whoever ponders over the things that exist, the higher and lower creatures, their various shapes, colors, behavior, benefits and ecological roles, then he will realize the ability, wisdom, knowledge, perfection and majesty of their Creator. Once a bedouin was asked about the evidence to Allah's existence, he responded, "All praise is due to Allah! The camel's dung testifies to the existence of the camel, and the track testifies to the fact that someone was walking. A sky that holds the giant stars, a land that has fairways and a sea that has waves, does not all of this testify that the Most Kind, Most Knowledgeable exists''

Hence, whoever gazes at the sky in its immensity, its expanse, and the various kinds of planets in it, some of which appear stationary in the sky - whoever gazes at the seas that surround the land from all sides, and the mountains that were placed on the earth to stabilize it, so that whoever lives on land, whatever their shape and color, are able to live and thrive - whoever reads Allah's statement,

﴿ وَمِنَ الْجِبَالِ جُدَدٌ بِيضٌ وَحُمْرٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَنُهَا وَغَرَابِيبُ سُودٌوَمِنَ النَّاسِ وَالدَّوَآبِّ وَالاٌّنْعَـمِ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَنُهُ كَذَلِكَ إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ﴾

(And among the mountains are streaks white and red, of varying colours and (others) very black. And likewise, men and Ad-Dawabb (moving (living) creatures, beasts) and cattle are of various colours. It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah) (35: 27-28). Whoever thinks about the running rivers that travel from area to area bringing benefit, whoever ponders over what Allah has created on earth; various animals and plants of different tastes, scents, shapes and colors that are a result of unity between land and water, whoever thinks about all of this then he will realize that these facts testify to the existence of the Creator, His perfect ability, wisdom, mercy, kindness, generosity and His overall compassion for His creation. There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, nor is there a Lord besides Him, upon Him we rely and to Him we turn in repentance. There are numerous Ayat in the Qur'an on this subject.