The news on Monday, February 10

1. Congratulations on the blessed birth of Hazrat Ali Akbar (peace be upon him)

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2. The 22nd of Bahman: A symbol of the power of the Iranian nation

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3. Special podcast for newcomers

4. Special article for newcomers

6. Arad Branding Trading House services

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Stay in daily contact with your Arad User to receive promotion services faster and of better quality, and increase your income.

Enter Arad User

7. Logistics: One of the important pillars of trade

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8. Aradis’ trip to Georgia

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10. Who is with God?

Yesterday, we discussed the most important principle for being with God in order to have the will of salvation upon someone.

And in all the verses where God has mentioned His help and salvation for His servants or praised them, He has used the word "ma'a" (meaning "with") to indicate that they were alongside one of His prophets.

We hope that our being with God in trade is recorded alongside the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and that we are included among those mentioned in this verse.

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him – Surah Al-Fath, verse 29

And how beautiful it is that after mentioning their characteristics, God has promised them forgiveness and a great reward.

Dear ones, you are merchants, and one meaning of a merchant is that they give rewards, unlike an employee who receives a reward.

So whenever you come across the word "reward" or "provision" in the book of God, think more carefully, as surely the largest group of people whom God is addressing is you.

And in this very Surah Al-Fath, verse 29, it says:

God has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.

So we have understood our duty: we must be with Him.

In whatever character, trait, condition, and situation we are in.

And we should never cut off this companionship, even if on some days we are weak, tired, and demotivated.

For God, this companionship holds great value.

But the more important question is: with whom is God?

Is the companionship of His servants enough, or does God also have to say, "I am with him"?

You’ve likely heard or seen someone claim, "I am a disciple of such-and-such religious scholar."

But when you ask the scholar if such a person is their disciple, they say no.

You hear both sides of the story.

After hearing both, what do you think?

Is the person a disciple or not?

You’d correctly say, "No."

Because a great one must embrace the smaller one.

When this religious scholar, who is the great one, says, "No, he’s not my disciple," it means they have not embraced him, no matter what the person says about being a disciple.

We often see in our daily lives people who claim, "God is with me," or "I am with God."

But when we look at their situation and life, we see they are in poverty and misery.

We say to ourselves, "This is not the kind of 'with God' we want."

What kind of God is it who, when He is with someone, places them in poverty and suffering?

If you refer to the prophet Ayub (Job) as an example, thinking that God put him through trials, let’s talk about his blessed existence for a moment.

Firstly, the duration of Job’s trial lasted seven years.

So, he had one life before these seven years and one after.

Before these calamities, Job was one of the wealthiest people of his time.

It is said that he had over 3,000 sheep, more than 1,000 cows, and over 400 camels.

He also had vast farmlands full of produce.

Then, he was informed that a disease had spread among his sheep, and all were dying.

Before this news had even finished, he was told that a group of criminals had attacked his shepherds, burned his cattle and their caretakers, and stolen his cows.

Before the news had ended, another messenger arrived saying that the camel drivers were killed by the warriors of the Babylonian king, and his camels were taken.

Calamities and diseases continued to strike him for seven years.

Do you think Job was poor or rich before these trials with such vast wealth?

What was his situation after the divine test?

God speaks about Job’s healing:

And We gave him back his family, twice as many, as a mercy from Us and a lesson for people of reason. (Surah Sad, verse 43)

Oh noble ones, whose minds have grown, do you confirm that Job, peace be upon him, was a billionaire before and after these trials?

You will not find a poor prophet in all of human history.

All the prophets were the leaders in both material and spiritual matters, and if something happened to them, it was a divine test and specific decree of God, which occurred only during a short period of time.

May God curse those who intentionally speak only of the brief hardships the prophets faced and do not mention their easy times and victories.

Like how the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) endured three years of hardship in the Shi'b Abi Talib, when all the Prophet’s and Khadijah’s wealth was consumed due to the boycott imposed by the disbelievers and polytheists, and they and their companions suffered poverty and hardship.

God, to prevent anyone from falsely claiming that God is with them and deceiving others, has made it clear in His book who He is with, and all you need to do is apply this criterion when you hear someone making such a claim.

The first and most important criterion is that God is always with a group, not with individuals alone.

All the phrases that God uses in His book about being with people involve the use of the plural.

And surely, you have heard the Prophet say:

The hand of God is with the group, and when one of them strays, Satan snatches them away, just as a wolf snatches the stray sheep from the flock.

So whenever you see someone alone, who is not in any group, and they claim that God is with them, or that God's hand supports them in their affairs, know that they are either lying, or Satan has created such an illusion in their mind so that they think of themselves as God’s favored one. And once they believe this, they will not seek God because they no longer see the need for it.

You must also understand that the "group" mentioned here is not just any group.

A group of thieves, betrayers, scammers, hypocrites, terrorists, or any other gathering of corrupt, impure people can unite together.

The group that God refers to is a group that is united on the path of God.

These people can claim that God's hand is with them.

However, to speak with evidence and not from ourselves, we refer to the book of God to understand with whom God is.

Can we, the Aradi group, claim that God is with us, or are we, like many delusional people who gather and chant "God is with us," merely deceived?

Let’s first examine who God Himself mentions as being with in the Qur’an.

God identifies four groups with whom He is with.

At first glance, you might think these groups are different, but when you look closely, you’ll see they are all part of the same group, and these four traits represent different aspects of their character.

One verse in God’s book mentions that God is with the believers, where it says:

And indeed, God is with the believers. (Surah Al-Anfal, verse 19)

Four verses in the Qur’an mention that God is with the patient ones.

(Surah Al-Baqarah 153, 249, Surah Al-Anfal 46, and 66)

Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another, or you would be discouraged and weakened. Persevere! Surely Allah is with those who persevere. (Surah Al-Anfal, verse 46)

And four verses in God’s book mention that God is with the righteous ones, those who are in a state of trustworthiness and who are in gardens and rivers, enjoying luxury, known as the righteous.

Some might think that these qualities mentioned by God for the righteous ones only refer to the hereafter and have no mention of the world.

It would be good for them to refer to Letter 27 of the Commander of the Faithful in Nahj al-Balagha, where he speaks about the righteous ones:

"The righteous ones inhabited the world in the best of homes.

They ate the best of food.

They enjoyed the worldly pleasures just as the pampered and indulgent ones did.

They took from it what tyrannical kings and the arrogant took from it."

We are talking about the righteous ones, not the people of Hell.

These traits of the righteous ones are from the words of our master, Ali, the Commander of the Faithful.

God has declared His companionship with the righteous ones in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 194, Surah At-Tawbah 36, 123, and Surah An-Nahl 128, saying:

And know that God is with the righteous. (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 123)

So we know that God is with the believers, the patient, and the righteous.

But what is interesting is that there is one verse in the book of God that shows these three qualities refer to one group.

Where God says: And Allah is with you. (Surah Muhammad, verse 35)

In this verse, no traits are mentioned alongside the word "ma'a" (with), and the "kum" attached to "ma'a" means "you."

When you read this verse, you are filled with hope and desire.

Does this mean God is with me?

No, you’re mistaken.

There’s a difference between "God is with all of you" and "God is with you."

God is with you means you have to see if you are in a group or not.

God said, God is with all of you, meaning the group is involved.

So if you find yourself alone, do not think you are with God.

But there is one condition that makes you a believer, a patient one, and a pious one.

Let’s look at the words before And Allah is with you:

So do not falter or cry for peace, for you will have the upper hand and Allah is with you. (Surah Muhammad, verse 35)

If the wealthiest merchant in your town told you, "I am with you," would you feel weak?

Would you become discouraged?

Would you surrender to your enemies?

Would you accept their offer of peace?

Now, how is it that when the Lord of the Worlds tells you He is with you, you still become weak?

Why is it, despite God declaring His companionship with you, that you do not feel superior?

Do you know what A'laun means?

The plural of A'la means the comparative adjective "superior."

This is God’s word that says:

Do not, then, either lose heart or grieve: for you shall surely gain the upper hand if you are true men of faith. (Surah Aal-Imran, verse 139)

According to this verse, can those who are not superior, who weaken and grieve, claim to be believers?

How can it be that God is with certain people, yet those people are not superior?

So it becomes clear that those who claim God is with them are merely deluding themselves.