The Attributes of Those Who deserve that which is with Allah

Here Allah points out the insignificance of this worldly life and its transient adornments and luxuries.

فَمَآ أُوتِيتُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ فَمَتَـعُ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا

Fourth virtue: وَالَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَ‌بِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ (and those who have responded to their Lord [ in submission to Him ] and have established Salah - 38,). ` Responding to the Lord' means to accept Allah's orders immediately, without questioning them, and get ready to obey them, irrespective of whether the order is or is not according to one's liking. This includes carrying out all the obligatory duties and avoiding all the things considered unlawful and undesirable in Islam. But salah being the most important of all the obligations, and having the quality of enabling discharge of other duties and avoidance of unlawful things, has been mentioned prominently.

The fifth virtue: وَأَمْرُ‌هُمْ شُورَ‌ىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ (whose affairs are settled with consultation between them - 38). The sense is that in all important affairs where the Shari'ah is silent, they thy consult each other. ` Affairs' have been qualified by us with the word ` important', because the word 'Amr' used in the text signifies importance in common usage. It has been clarified in the explanation of the verse (وَشَاوِرْ‌هُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ‌) And consult them in the matter - 3:159) of surah ` Al-'Imran that important affairs include affairs of the state as well as important affairs in general. Ibn Kathir has stated that consultation in the important affairs of the state is compulsory. The selection of the head of the state through consultation, ordained by Islam, brought to an end the autocratic rule of kings of the days of ignorance who used to take the state as an inherited estate. As such, Islam laid the foundation of real democracy by ending autocracy. But Islam, unlike western democracies, has not given total authority to the public. There are certain restrictions on the members of the advisory body. So the system of government in Islam is a very moderate one, quite apart from autocracy and western democracy. Please see details in the second volume of Ma'arif ul Qur'an from page 227 to 238.